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Unilateral Ethiopia Cease-fire Takes Effect in Tigray

Rebels in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region warned Tuesday their troops would seek to destroy the capabilities of Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, despite the Ethiopian government’s declaration of a unilateral cease-fire in the region.

The Ethiopian government announced the cease-fire on state media late Monday, saying it would take effect immediately.

The announcement came after nearly eight months of conflict in the region and as troops of Tigray’s former governing party entered the regional capital, Mekelle, prompting cheers from residents.

A spokesman for the Tigrayan forces battling Ethiopia’s government warned Tuesday in an interview with Reuters the rebel Tigray Defense Forces would enter neighboring Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Amhara region to pursue “enemy” forces if necessary.

Later Tuesday, a senior member Tigray’s regional government told The New York Times that Tigray’s leadership committed to “weaken or destroy” the capabilities of the Ethiopian and Eritrean armies “wherever they are.”

VOA journalists in Mekelle said they have not seen government soldiers in the city since Sunday.

Rebel troops from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which previously governed the region, announced on the party radio that their forces had entered Mekelle.

“We are 100% in control of Mekelle,” Getachew Reda, a TPLF spokesperson, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Ethiopia Declares Unilateral Cease-fire in Tigray

Tigray forces enter the regional capital, sparking celebrations by residents

Clashes that occurred on the outskirts of Mekelle have since ended, Reda said.

“Our forces are still in hot pursuit to south, east, to continue until every square inch of territory is cleared from the enemy,” he said.

Reuters reported that it could not independently confirm that the TPLF was in full control of the capital.

Agence France-Presse reports the TPLF launched a major offensive last week and cited an interim government official Monday who said the fighters were closing in on the city when government troops left.

Monday’s developments come after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by the federal government, called for a cease-fire to allow aid to be delivered to thousands of people facing famine in the region.

At a U.S. congressional hearing Tuesday on the conflict , U.S. Agency for International Development Administrators Sarah Charles told lawmakers the “U.S. believes famine is likely already occurring” in the region. She said the U.S. estimates between 3.5 to 4.5 million people need “urgent humanitarian food assistance” and that up to 900,000 of them are “already experiencing catastrophic conditions.”

State Department official Robert Godec said at the hearing that Eritrea “should anticipate further actions” if the announced ceasefire does not improve the situation in the region. “We will not stand by in the face of horrors in Tigray,” Godec said.

An Ethiopian government statement carried by state media said the cease-fire would allow farmers to till their land and aid groups to operate without the presence of military troops. It said the cease-fire would last until the end of the farming season but did not give a specific date. The country’s main planting season lasts through September.

The United Nations says the nearly 8-month-old conflict in Tigray has pushed 350,000 people to the brink of famine, calling it the world’s worst famine crisis in a decade.

UN: Deaths From Starvation Reported in Ethiopia’s Tigray

Ethiopia’s UN envoy says it is ‘completely unacceptable’ that famine is being used to exert ‘undue pressure’ on his government

Several U.N. Security Council members, including the United States, Britain and Ireland, have called for an urgent public meeting to discuss the developments. Diplomats said no date has yet been fixed for the meeting, and it had not been decided whether it would be a public or private session.

On Monday, the United Nations children’s agency said Ethiopian soldiers entered its office in Mekelle and dismantled satellite communications equipment.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement “This act violates U.N. privileges and immunities … We are not, and should never be, a target.”

Violence in the Tigray region had intensified last week after a military airstrike on a town north of Mekelle killed more than 60 people.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused Ethiopian authorities of blocking ambulances from reaching victims of the strike.

An Ethiopian military spokesman said only combatants, not civilians, were hit in the strike.

Fighting between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF broke out in November, leaving thousands of civilians dead and forcing more than 2 million people from their homes. Troops from Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbor to the north, and Amhara, a neighboring region to the south of Tigray, also entered the conflict in support of the Ethiopian government.

Source: Voice of America

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Ethiopia’s Government Declares Unilateral Cease-fire in Tigray

Ethiopia’s government has declared a unilateral cease-fire in its Tigray region as its former governing party and troops entered the regional capital, Mekelle, prompting cheers from residents.

The Ethiopian government made the announcement on state media late Monday, saying the cease-fire would take effect immediately. It follows nearly eight months of conflict in the region.

VOA journalists in Mekelle said they have not seen government soldiers in the city since Sunday.

Rebel troops from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which previously governed the region, announced on the party radio that their forces have entered Mekelle. Reports from the region say residents celebrated in the streets.

“The capital of Tigray, Mekelle, is under our control,” Getachew Reda, a TPLF spokesperson, told Reuters by satellite phone Monday night.

The Ethiopian prime minister’s spokesperson and the military’s spokesperson did not respond to phone calls and messages from Reuters seeking comment.

Agence France-Presse reports the TPLF launched a major offensive last week and cited an interim government official Monday who said the fighters were closing in on the city when government troops left.

There was no immediate comment on the cease-fire from neighboring Eritrea, and it was unclear if Eritrean troops were still in the region. Tigray residents have accused Eritrean troops of carrying out atrocities in the region.

Monday’s developments come after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by the federal government, called for a cease-fire to allow aid to be delivered to thousands of people facing famine in the region.

A government statement carried by state media said the cease-fire would allow farmers to till their land and aid groups to operate without the presence of military troops. It said the cease-fire would last until the end of the farming season but did not give a specific date. The country’s main planting season lasts through September.

The United Nations says the nearly 8-month-old conflict in Tigray has pushed 350,000 people to the brink of famine, calling it the world’s worst famine crisis in a decade.

Three nations, the U.S., Ireland and Britain, called late Monday for an emergency, public meeting of the U.N. Security Council. The session could be held Friday, but the date and time are up to France, which holds the security council presidency. Other countries could vote to nullify the meeting, however.

On Monday, the United Nations children’s agency said Ethiopian soldiers entered its office in Mekelle and dismantled satellite communications equipment.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement, “This act violates U.N. privileges and immunities. … We are not, and should never be, a target.”

Violence in the Tigray region had intensified last week after a military airstrike on a town north of Mekelle killed more than 60 people.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused Ethiopian authorities of blocking ambulances from reaching victims of the strike.

An Ethiopian military spokesman said only combatants, not civilians, were hit in the strike.

Fighting between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF broke out in November, leaving thousands of civilians dead and forcing more than 2 million people from their homes. Troops from Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbor to the north, and Amhara, a neighboring region to the south of Tigray, also entered the conflict in support of the Ethiopian government.

 

Source: Voice of America

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Announcement from the Ministry of Health

One hundred four patients have been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 in tests carried out yesterday and today at Quarantine Centers in Central, Southern, and Southern Red Sea Regions.

Out of these, fifty-five patients are from Quarantine Centers in Asmara, Central Region. Forty-five patients are from Quarantine Centers in Senafe (15), Mendefera (7), Tserona (7), Adi-Keih (4), Dubarwa (4), Enda-Gergish (2), Tera-Emni (1), Emni-Haili (1), Adi-Quala (1), Qinafina (1), Quatit (1), and Mai-Aini (1); Southern Region. The last four patients are from Quarantine Center in Assab, Southern Red Sea Region.

On the other hand, one hundred nine patients who have been receiving medical treatment in hospitals in the Central (70), Gash Barka (21), Anseba (12), and Southern Red Sea (6) Regions have recovered fully and have been discharged from these facilities. Sadly, an 84-year old patient in the Southern Region has passed away due to the pandemic.

The total number of recovered patients has accordingly risen to 5,370 while the number of deaths has increased to 22.

The total number of confirmed cases in the country to date has increased to 5,884.

 

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Veteran freedom fighter Osman Abdella Biluh passes away

Veteran freedom fighter Osman Abdella Biluh, head of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Local Government passed away on 27 June at the age of 69.

Veteran fighter Osman Abdella joined the Popular Liberation Forces in 1970 and served his people and country with strong dedication in various capacities in the pre-independence period and as a member of the Central Committee of the EPLF.

After independence, veteran fighter Osman Abdella served his country and people in various capacities at the Ministry of Local Government.

Veteran freedom fighter Osman Abdella Biluh is survived by his wife and 7 children.

His funeral service was conducted today at 4:00 PM at the Asmara Martyrs Cemetery.

Expressing deep sorrow on the passing away of the veteran fighter Osman Abdella, the Ministry of Local Government expresses condolence to his family and friends.

 

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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UN: Madagascar Droughts Push 400,000 Toward Starvation

The U.N. World Food Program says southern Madagascar is in the throes of back-to-back droughts that are pushing 400,000 people toward starvation and have already caused deaths from severe hunger.

Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director in southern Africa, told a news conference Friday that she witnessed “a very dramatic and desperate situation” during her recent visit with WFP chief David Beasley to the Indian Ocean island nation of 26 million people.

Hundreds of adults and children were “wasted,” and hundreds of kids were skin and bones and receiving nutritional support, she said.

In 28 years working for WFP on four continents, Castro said she had “never seen anything this bad” except in 1998 in Bahr el-Gazal in what is now South Sudan.

The U.N. and Madagascar’s government are launching an appeal for about $155 million in a few days to provide lifesaving food and prevent a major famine, she said. Thousands of people have left their homes in rural areas and moved to more urban environments in search of food, she added.

Beasley tweeted Friday that 400,000 people are “marching towards starvation,” 14,000 are “in famine-like conditions,” and “if we do not act ASAP, the number of people facing starvation will reach 500,000 in a few short months.”

“Families have been living on raw red cactus fruits, wild leaves and locusts for months now,” he said Wednesday.

“This is not because of war or conflict, this is because of climate change,” Beasley stressed. “This is an area of the world that has contributed nothing to climate change, but now, they’re the ones paying the highest price.”

According to WFP, 1.14 million people in southern Madagascar don’t have enough food including 14,000 in “catastrophic” conditions, and this will double to 28,000 by October.

Madagascar is the only country that isn’t in conflict but still has people facing “Famine-Humanitarian Catastrophe” in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification known as the IPC, which is a global partnership of 15 U.N. agencies and international humanitarian organizations that uses five categories to measure food security, Castro said.

Source: Voice of America

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Malawi’s LGBTI Community Marches, Petitions Government for Change

In Malawi, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and inter-sex (LGBTI) community Saturday held their first ever pride parade in the capital, Lilongwe, pushing for recognition by the government, legalization of same-sex marriage and equal access to health care.

During the parade, marchers carried placards with messages like; “We Are Also Human Beings,” “Diversity Creates Community” and, “We Are Also an Image of God.”

Many of them covered their faces not only with coronavirus protective masks to hide their identity.

Eric Sambisa, director of Nyasa Rainbow Alliance, which organized the parade, told reporters that sexual minorities are in danger in Malawi.

“People are not safe here because they are targeted for violence all the time. There are so many forms of violence targeted to LGBTI people, so I don’t blame them if they cover their [faces]. It’s for their own safety,” Sambisa said.

The marchers petitioned Malawi’s government to cancel an online survey on citizens’ views on homosexuality announced last November during a United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the country’s human rights record.

A U.N. report stemming from the review noted that “Malawi had refused to accept the recommendations” related to the LGBTI community “and the hate crimes, physical violence, and mental health issues that its members faced.”

Malawi held out the survey as a reason for delaying the government’s response to pressure from the international community to better protect sexual minorities.

George Kachimanga, program manager for Nyasa Rainbow Alliance, said progress on human rights should not depend on the results of a poll.

“So, we said we cannot expose issues of the minority to the majority because you actually know the outcome. So, we are saying ‘no’ to that because Malawi is sitting [on the] Human Rights Council now and it should lead by example. It shouldn’t be selective on the rights that it can actually implement or fulfill. So that [is our] our argument,” he said.

Kachimanga also said the alliance wants Malawi authorities to review its laws on homosexuality, which is currently illegal and punishable by a 14-year maximum prison sentence.

In 2010, Malawi sentenced two gay couples, who received the maximum sentence on charges of gross indecency and unnatural acts.

They were, however, pardoned a week later following an international condemnation of the convictions.

In 2015, the country issued a moratorium on punishing homosexuality until a decision was made on possibly repealing applicable laws.

Some commentators argue the moratorium serves as de facto recognition by the government of sexual minorities – and that further agitation by the LGTBI community is therefore unnecessary.

But Kachimanga said the absence of legal reform subjects LGBTI people to human rights violations, discrimination, stigma and unequal access to health care.

“Despite the moratorium, cases are still ongoing. Mind you it’s not all the cases that have to come in the national media, there are other cases that happen underground, so you need to take care of those cases as well. So, we need something concrete that will determine the right direction in terms of these issues,” Kachimanga said.

VOA was unable to reach government officials for comment.

Nyasa Rainbow Alliance is appealing to the Malawi Law Society as well as the country’s parliament and human rights commission for change.

Habiba Osman, executive director for the human rights commission, said the group’s petition is in line with provisions in the Malawi Constitution.

“The Constitution is very clear. It says no one shall be discriminated [against] based on race, tribe, and sex. It’s very clear; Section 20 says that. And again, if you notice the treaty mechanisms that Malawi has ratified among other binding treaty obligations, for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 says all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” Osman said.

The principal administrative officer for the Lilongwe City Council, Hudson Kuphanga, has received the petition and says he will deliver it to the appropriate authorities on Monday.

Source: Voice of America

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Somalia Executes Militants Amid Deadly Attack

Security officials in Somalia say dozens of people were killed after militants attacked a small town in the central state of Galmudug early on Sunday.

At least 30 people were killed, among them civilian residents caught in the crossfire between militants and security forces in the town of Wisil, local officials told VOA Somali.

The attack started with the militants detonating a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in an area close to a security camp in the town, said a regional official who asked not to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media.

Galmudug’s information minister, Ahmed Shire Falagle, told VOA Somali that regional forces repulsed the dawn attack and inflicted losses on the militants. Falagle said three soldiers were among the dead with at least seven others injured. He said about 100 militants attacked the town and that “many of them have not returned alive.” He did not elaborate.

For its part, the al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it killed 34 members of the security forces.

Wisil lies 200 kilometers southeast of Galkayo in an area where al-Shabab recently made advances. In April, the group captured the town of Ba’adweyne, not far from Wisil, after government and regional forces vacated it for undisclosed reasons.

About two hours after the attack in Wisil, authorities in the regional state of Puntland executed 21 men accused of al-Shabab membership and terrorism, regional police commander Colonel Mumin Abdi Shire told the media.

The men were convicted in separate trials in the towns of Galkayo, Garowe and Qardho this year.

Eighteen of the men were lined up next to a sand hill outside the town of Galkayo. Security forces facing them opened fire, executing them. Separately, three other men were executed in Garowe and Qardho town. All of the executions were by firing squad. It is the largest single execution of al-Shabab militants in Somalia, observers say.

Security officials in Puntland accused the men of involvement in a series of assassinations and attacks, spanning more than 10 years, which claimed the lives of regional and community leaders, security officers and journalists.

Al-Shabab is largely active in south-central Somalia. The group also has a small footprint in Puntland in the northeast. Puntland is a semi-autonomous state.

Source: Voice of America