Day: November 4, 2021

Ethiopia Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of brutal fighting between government forces and regional Amhara militiamen aligned with Eritrean forces against rebels in the northern Tigray region. Now, Tigrayan forces say they are advancing on the capital, Addis Ababa, and that it could fall within months or even weeks.

In recent weeks, the Tigrayan forces and the Oromo regional forces have joined in the fight against the central government and claimed to make significant advances.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed that his government would prevail.

“Ethiopia will not collapse. Ethiopia will prosper,” Abiy said speaking in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. “Ethiopia will forever exist with her honor by defeating all who test her through the blood and bones of her children.”

The Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency Wednesday and called on residents to defend their neighborhoods if rebels arrive in the capital. “Our country is facing a grave danger to its existence, sovereignty and unity. And we can’t dispel this danger through the usual law enforcement systems and procedures,” said Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos during a state media briefing.

Debretsion Gebremichael, the president of the Tigray region blamed the Ethiopian government and its allies for causing the suffering in the past year. “The warmongers decided to continue with the war, and we entered into this war because the only option we had is to destroy our enemies by force.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price called on all the warring parties to end the fighting and protect the lives and rights of citizens. He said the State Department has now updated the travel advisory for Ethiopia to Level 4.

“What that means is we are advising U.S. citizens, do not to travel to Ethiopia,” Price said. “We are recommending that U.S. citizens in Ethiopia consider departing now using commercial options that remain available.”

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the yearlong conflict was marked by “extreme brutality.”

“We have reasonable grounds to believe that during this period, all parties to the Tigray conflict have committed violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law,” The U.N. human rights chief said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “Some of this may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Civilians in Tigray have been subjected to brutal violence and suffering.”

A joint report by the U.N. human rights office and the government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission found that sexual violence has been rampant in the conflict, detailing reports of gang rapes by various parties against women and girls, but also against men and boys.

The yearlong conflict has plunged about 400,000 people in the Tigray region into famine, killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 2.5 million people in the north to flee their homes, according to the U.N.

Source: Voice of America

Support for South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party fell below 50% in local elections this week for the first time since the end of apartheid.

The results announced Thursday for many of Monday’s municipal wards showed the ANC received about 46% of the 12.3 million votes cast nationwide. Not since it became the nation’s dominant party in 1994 has the ANC seen such low support.

The party still achieved a majority in 161 municipalities, compared to 13 for the opposition Democratic Alliance and 10 for the Inkatha Freedom Party. No party won control in 66 other municipalities — in those areas the ANC likely will be forced into forming coalitions to hold power.

The ANC faced widespread criticism as many municipalities it governs are bankrupt and mostly are failing to deliver basic services.

In an interview with VOA, Sheila Camerer, a former member of parliament for the main opposition party Democratic Alliance, said her party’s platform hinged on better local governance.

“The message we took to the voters is the city works when the DA is in charge,” she said, citing results in Midvaal Local Municipality in Gauteng where the DA won more than 70% of the vote.

“We are not like the ANC,” she said. “We are not corrupt, and we do not let everything disintegrate.”

ANC leaders downplayed this week’s results and said it does not reflect a larger trend.

“Preliminary results indicate that we’ll have more hung councils than in the previous local elections,” said ANC Acting Secretary-General Jessie Duarte, speaking at the Independent Electoral Commission’s center in Tshwane.

“This will necessitate the need for coalitions or other forms of cooperation with other political formations,” he said. “This is nothing new. We’ve done so since 1994.”

Forming many coalitions, however, could be a formidable challenge for the ANC.

An increasing number of leaders of smaller political parties, such as Action SA’s Herman Mashaba, seem bent on isolating the ruling party.

“Action SA will not go into coalition with the ANC,” he said.

The Freedom Front Plus, a conservative, almost exclusively white Afrikaner party, doubled its share of the vote this week to five and a half percent when compared with 2016.

Party leader Pieter Groenewald said it hopes to be a potential kingmaker in several municipalities.

“We’re available as far as coalitions are concerned,” he said. But he added that the party will not join a coalition with ANC.

But some minority party leaders said joining a coalition with the ANC could work in their favor.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party got more than 10% of the vote this week, and in some wards, the party received the third most votes.

Deputy leader Floyd Shivambu said the party will put “anyone” into power, including the ANC if it means receiving leadership positions for EFF officials.

“The EFF wants to be part of government now,” he said.

The ANC’s Duarte wasn’t prepared to say which parties the ANC is willing to work with or what it would be ready to offer them in exchange for staying at the helm of major cities such as Johannesburg, Durban and Nelson Mandela Bay.

“The ANC’s approach to coalitions remains based on principle, not expediency, and guided by the spirit, mandate, and interest of the voters,” he said.

Source: Voice of America

The Ethiopian government marked the one-year anniversary of fighting between its forces and rebels in the northern Tigray region by suggesting its military is nearing victory.

Amid urgent global appeals for a cease-fire to the escalating violence, the government said in a statement on Facebook that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front “and its puppets are being encircled by our forces” and that “a rat that strays far from its hole is nearer to death.”

“This is not a country that crumbles under foreign propaganda!” the statement added. “We are fighting an existential war!”

Tigrayan forces, however, say they are advancing on the capital, Addis Ababa, and that it could fall within months or even weeks.

In recent weeks, Oromo regional forces have joined the Tigrayan forces in their fight against the central government, leading to what the two groups claim are significant advances.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed vowed that his government would prevail.

Abiy’s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, did not respond when asked if Abiy would meet with U.S. Horn of Africa special envoy Jeffrey Feltman, who arrived in Ethiopia Thursday for a two-day visit amid growing concern over the violence.

“Ethiopia will not collapse. Ethiopia will prosper,” Abiy said, speaking in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. “Ethiopia will forever exist with her honor by defeating all who test her through the blood and bones of her children.”

The Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency Wednesday and called on residents to defend their neighborhoods if rebels arrive in the capital.

“Our country is facing a grave danger to its existence, sovereignty and unity. And we can’t dispel this danger through the usual law enforcement systems and procedures,” Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos said during a state media briefing.

Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray region, blamed the Ethiopian government and its allies for causing the suffering in the past year.

“The warmongers decided to continue with the war, and we entered into this war because the only option we had is to destroy our enemies by force.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday urged “all parties to end hostilities immediately — that includes the TPLF, that includes the Ethiopian government,” he said.

“We remain gravely concerned by the expanding conflict, by the violence, the expansion of the fighting throughout the country and the growing risk that it poses to the unity, to the integrity, of the Ethiopian state,” he said, calling on all sides to “enter negotiations with preconditions towards a sustainable cease-fire.

After arriving in Addas Ababa Thursday, Feltman met with the government’s defense minister, finance minister, deputy prime minister and African Union chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat. He is to hold talks with more Ethiopian officials on Friday, the State Department said.

Feltman “had a productive set of discussions” with the Ethiopian officials, Price said Thursday, and “appreciated the opportunity to do so. He’ll have an opportunity to continue discussions tomorrow.”

On Wednesday, the State Department updated its travel advisory for Ethiopia to Level 4.

“What that means is we are advising U.S. citizens: Do not to travel to Ethiopia,” Price said. “We are recommending that U.S. citizens in Ethiopia consider departing now using commercial options that remain available.”

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the yearlong conflict was marked by “extreme brutality.”

“We have reasonable grounds to believe that during this period, all parties to the Tigray conflict have committed violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law,” the U.N. human rights chief said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “Some of this may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Civilians in Tigray have been subjected to brutal violence and suffering.”

A joint report by the U.N. human rights office and the government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission found that sexual violence has been rampant in the conflict, detailing reports of gang rapes by various parties against women and girls, but also against men and boys.

Price, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, said Thursday the U.S. is “carefully reviewing” the report.

The yearlong conflict has plunged about 400,000 people in the Tigray region into famine, killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 2.5 million people in the north to flee their homes, according to the U.N.

Source: Voice of America

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people marched in Washington on Thursday to denounce the Ethiopian government on the first anniversary of its deadly military conflict with forces in the country’s northern Tigray region.

VOA estimated that several hundred people joined the peaceful protest organized by ethnic Tigrayans living in and around Washington. The protesters marched from the Capitol to the U.S. Agency for International Development then on to the State Department, where a U.S. foreign service officer met and spoke with some of the organizers outside the building. There was no immediate word on what they discussed. The official declined to speak to VOA.

The protesters chanted slogans and held signs accusing the Ethiopian government of committing genocide against the Tigrayan people and driving them into a famine. Mesfin Reda, one of the organizers, told VOA that he has relatives in Tigray.

“We want to make sure that we are the voice of the people who are being killed in the darkness,” he said.

Many of the marchers carried the red and gold flag of the Tigray region. Some joined the protest from as far away as the U.S. West Coast states of California and Washington. They concluded the march with a vigil near the White House and planned to gather for more protests in the U.S. capital on Friday and Saturday.

Thursday marked the first anniversary of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s deployment of troops to Tigray in response to forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front seizing military bases a day earlier. The ensuing conflict has killed thousands of people, displaced several million from their homes and left 400,000 residents of Tigray facing famine, according to a July estimate by the U.N.

A joint investigation by the United Nations and the government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission published on Wednesday found that all sides in the conflict have committed human rights violations, including torturing civilians, gang rapes and arresting people based on ethnicity. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said some of those abuses may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prime Minister Abiy said Wednesday that he accepted the report despite some “serious reservations” and noted that it did not accuse the government of genocide or using food as a weapon. He said a civil-military taskforce would be established to investigate all of the report’s allegations.

Eritrean troops allied with the Ethiopian federal military and regional Amhara militias were also implicated in the joint report. However, the Eritrean government denounced the findings. Eritrea’s Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel said the report “replicates fallacious narrative on the origins of the conflict – (that the war was unleashed by the Federal Government!)” he said in a Twitter post. “If the Joint Investigative team cannot get this fundamental fact right, the credibility of its report cannot be taken seriously by any standards.”

The TPLF led Ethiopia’s ruling coalition for nearly 30 years but lost control when Abiy took office in 2018 following years of anti-government protests. Abiy’s relations with the TPLF soured after they accused him of centralizing power at the expense of Ethiopia’s regional states, an accusation Abiy has denied.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffery Feltman, who arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to try to start a dialogue between the warring parties, had a “productive” first day of meetings with members of Abiy’s government on Thursday.

But Paris-based Horn of Africa historian Gerard Prunier told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus program that he is skeptical about Feltman’s chances of success.

“Right now, both sides want to fight to the bitter end,” Prunier said. “Abiy says we should all die defending Ethiopia, meaning his government. And the Tigrayans — it is clear that they want to go on until they win. The U.S. shuttle diplomacy, I’m sorry, is not very useful for the time being. Once the shooting stops, perhaps [it will be].”

Source: Voice of America

Mogolo sub-zone, which borders Mensura, Shambuqo, Gogne, Akordat and Barentu, is located in the Gash Barka region, on the road between Barentu, the region’s capital, and Akordat. There are 23 villages under 13 administrative zones in the sub-zone. People of the sub-zone are predominantly farmers while some engage in trade and making handcrafts. The residents of the sub-zone are mainly from three ethnic groups – Nara, Tigre and Tigrigna. Mogolo is found along the main road near Akordat and Barentu, commercial centers. It is a guests’ haven, a resting spot for travelers to and from Gash Barka. As we reached the subzone, it was obvious that the travelers were relaxing there because before you could see the residential houses, you see fast food places and restaurants made from rattan stems that appear to be the face of the sub-zone.

Early in the morning, owners sprinkle the floors of their restaurants with cold water and broom it to maintain the coolness of the night as the scorching hot sun of the subzone approaches. It seemed to me at first that the restaurants were dormant but then as midday loomed, drivers and business people started to flock to the roads and the restaurants were full in no time. One of the profound markers of the subzone is the production and distribution of traditional handcrafts made of straws. Mats, brooms, disks, used to draw out ‘enjera’ (a traditional Tigrigna food), fans, baskets and many other fittings are made in the subzone and sold all over the country.

Mogolo subzone is also known for its distinctive lack of crime, especially theft. According to the casual conversations we had with the residents of the subzone, people can leave their property anywhere in the subzone and come back for it any time later to find it there, in one of the restaurants or at the police station.

The market day of Mogolo is Tuesday and that is when business people from all over the country gather to get local goods of Mogolo and sell other goods. It is home to people who travel from different parts of Eritrea.

Social services in Mogolo sub-zone are no different from services in other sub-zones in Eritrea. For instance, the healthcare system in Mogolo has one health center and two health stations. The farthest village in the subzone, which is 35 km away from the town of Mogolo, gets access to healthcare with the use of ambulances. However, because of Mogolo’s proximity to Akordat and Barentu, some people are better off getting service from facilities in the two towns. The healthcare facilities in Mogolo serve approximately 23,000 people.

The services given by the healthcare system in the sub-zone has improved over the years in terms of staff and material though shortcomings are said to still persist.

The most common and severe diseases in the sub-zone are Malaria, Syphilis and Gonorrhea. These are health problems that can be addressed by mainly raising people’s awareness. That is why the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the sub-zone conducts on-going awareness raising campaigns that mostly focus on prevention. As a result, said Mr. Merhawi Teklemichael, manager of healthcare in the sub-zone, people are growing more aware of the merits of health care.

In addition, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and underage marriage are two of the major campaign subjects the sub-zone stresses. Though people’s attitude towards the two practices is somehow changing, FGM and underage marriage are still practiced in Mogolo.

Campaigns have also been significant in efforts to put an end to open defecation. Out of 23 villages, 21have declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), 91.3% of the villages, while the remaining two villages are working on it.

Mr. Merhawi said, “We work hard on prenatal and antenatal care, delivery and vaccination for we believe that they are the most basic and important health necessities of a society. That is why, safe delivery and proper maternal health care are heavily invested up on in this sub-zone.” There are two big waiting rooms, which Mr. Merhawi claimed to be the best in the entire health center. The waiting rooms can accommodate 20 women at a time. Though traditional delivery is very common in Mogolo sub-zone, the percentage of women who deliver at health facilities with professional assistance has risen from 25% in 2019 to 61% in 2020. What is more, the center is equipped with a laboratory, pharmacy, inpatient and outpatient departments and exclusive TB and HIV clinics.

All administrative areas in Mogolo sub-zone have schools but middle and high schools are found only in the town of Mogolo. According to the administrator of the sub-zone, Mr. Abraham Kidane, a major part of the society is not an active participant of education, “yet, that is one of the segments on which the administration in collaboration with concerned bodies is working on”. He added people are well aware in some places while others are far from sending their children to school. Education authorities attribute the problem to the economic activities of the people.

Given that the major economic activity of the sub-zone is farming, there are full time farmers who mainly grow food during the rainy season in summer. This year, about 8000 hectares of land has been farmed. The MoA is committed to helping local farmers by giving training, selected seeds, fertilizers and pest control means. Millet and sorghum are two of the most common crops in the sub-zone.

Most of the villages in Mogolo sub-zone have access to mobile network while there is no designated transportation service. Electricity, like in many areas surrounding Barentu, is shared from Barentu on shifts.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Assisting families of the fallen heroes and rehabilitating war disabled veterans through various schemes have been some of Eritrea’s priorities aimed at redeeming the scourge of war. Eritrean nationals inside the country and abroad support efforts of the Government by making financial contributions to the martyrs’ trust fund and initiatives are taken by the Government and national associations to assist families of fallen heroes and veterans.

The Government, the National Association of war Disabled Veterans (NAWDV), Eritrea’s Crops and Livestock Corporation (ECLC), the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) and residents of Tesenai sub-zone have taken initiatives in rehabilitating war disabled veterans and improving their living standards.

As part of its mission to rehabilitate veterans, in 1994, the NAWDV resettled around 1,200 veterans in 10 administrative areas of Tesenei sub-zone, particularly in Aligidir farm. Out of the 1,200 veteran members of the association, around 750 work on farms at Tesenai-Aligidir farm projects while the rest engage in small-scale trade. The association provides its members with micro credit schemes to help them start up their undertaking and maintain it. What is more, the Government gives priority to the veterans in Aligidir, Talatasher and Tesenai farms when it comes to the provision of tractors and services. The association also opened bakeries and mill houses in Tesenai and Aligidir that gave job opportunities for women veterans.

Mohammed Nur Ali Seid, head of NAWDV’s chapter in Tesenai sub-zone, said that the war disabled veterans have been productive in whatever sector they have engaged in. Despite physical challenges, they never give up and they do everything with a ‘can-do’ spirit and their perseverance in addressing difficulties is very encouraging. Mr. Mohammed Nur reiterated that though they are advancing in age, the veterans are role models who are always committed to overcoming challenges.

Eritreans won their independence through collective efforts and all kinds of sacrifices. The country’s independence and the safeguarding of its sovereignty demanded precious lives. As a tribute to Eritrea’s heroes and heroines for their selfless sacrifice, Eritreans inside the country and abroad are always ready to complement rehabilitation programs charted out by the Government.

In line with the collective efforts being made by all nationals, the people of Tesenai sub-zone always give tribute to families of the fallen heroes by extending support to war disabled veterans. For instance, the benevolence of the residents of Tesenai in rehabilitating war disabled veterans in their sub-zone is a reflection of the tribute to the sacrifices the veterans made for the common cause.

Mr. Mohammed Nur said that the respect the residents of Tesenai have for the war disabled veterans is commendable. Owing to the hospitality and support of the residents of the sub-zone, war disabled veterans who moved to Tesenai to engage in farm or trade have been improving their living standards.

To assist war disabled veterans in a systematic way the residents of Tesenai set up committees and built residential houses, gave financial support, provided technical assistance and worked in the farms. Government institutions and members of the Eritrean Defense Forces also participated in the construction of the residential houses for war disabled veterans in Tesnai sub-zone.

NAWDV has created a viable venue to give micro credit to the veterans who have plans to work in agriculture, trade and others as individuals and in groups. According to the Mr. Mohammed Nur, the association is currently working to give micro credit to over 40 members who have asked for assistance.

Luchia Ghebrehiwet, Yeshu Hayelom and Shewhat Ghebreyesus, members of both NUEW and NAWDV, are war disabled veterans who have engaged in Tesenai-Aligidir farm project since 2009. In collaboration with NAWDV and ECLC, NUEW has given its members assistance based on their request.

In 2009, a group of ten women from Tesenai sub-zone were organized to work in agriculture and NUEW and NAWDV, in collaboration with ECLC, provided them with fertile plots of land and essential technical assistance, Ms. Luchia said. The number of the group has now risen from 10 in 2009 to over 60 in 2021. As regards the unity that exists among the women farmers, Ms. Luchia said, “The 60 of us have been working like one family.”

The women farmers in Tesenai-Aligidir farm projects are satisfied with their bountiful harvest. Ms. Luchia adds that the administration of the farms has been instrumental for the success of the projects.

By working in the farm projects, the women have been able to improve their living standards and educate their children with ease. The association and ECLC have always been supporting the women farmers and everything they needed has been provided before they set out to work on their farms.

Ms. Yeshu said that working on farms is quite satisfactory and has enabled them to become self-reliant. She added that the assistance from the Government has been the reason for their success.

As regards the assistance provided by NUEW and the administration of Tesenai-Aligidir farm projects, Ms. Shewhat said that the NUEW has always been by their side and has boosted their confidence from the time they set out to work on the farms. The assistance has been given to single parents who come from families of fallen heroes and to war disabled women veterans. “The Government never fails us in providing tractors and other technical assistance,” Ms. Shewhat added.

What has been achieved to date in rehabilitation is the result of a concerted effort of the Government and the people of Eritrea and the strong commitment of the war disabled veterans. The effort in rehabilitating families of the fallen heroes and in rehabilitating war disabled veterans is one means of paying tribute to the selfless sacrifice and bravery of all gallant nationals.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea