Horn of Africa

Photo: Displaced people in Adigrat town, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. © UNICEF/Zerihun Sewunet

Brutal Gender-Based Violence in Tigray — A Personal Account

By EEPA

BRUSSELS (IDN) — “A woman in her 40s was found dead on the road to her home. She was found with her hands tied, injured to her head and sexually assaulted. This was in Mekelle. I know her son.” This is what one of our reporters (A.G.), who herself is a young woman, has reported.

The extent and cruelty of the assaults, sexual violence and rape of women and girls that the Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) has received information about is simply chilling. Much of it goes unreported. There is still no internet, and journalists were prevented from reaching the region for three months. Often, these atrocities are not reported, because the facts are just too repulsive. How do you talk about such horrific incidences?

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 08 March 2021

Photo: Ethiopian refugees fleeing clashes in the country's northern Tigray region, rest and cook meals near UNHCR's Hamdayet reception centre after crossing into Sudan. Credit: © UNHCR/Hazim Elhag

Humanitarian Situation Getting from Bad to Worse in the Horn

By S. Gianesello

BRUSSELS (IDN | EEPA) — As the UN Security Council prepared to meet on March 4 to talk over the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the situation in the Horn of Africa was getting from bad to worse with reports of ethnic targeting and cleansing. The meeting was requested by Ireland, joined by other members of the UN Security Council.

Diplomats stated there is no assurance that the closed-door meeting will produce a joint statement. The Security Council held several meetings over the situation in Tigray since the beginning of the conflict, on November 4, 2020. The last Council meeting was held on February 2, 2021.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 03 March 2021

Photo: Long lines of people forced to flee Ethiopia's Tigray region waiting outside the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) office in Sudan's Um Rakuba camp. Photo: Ingebjørg Kårstad/NRC

U.S. President Biden Concerned About "Deteriorating Humanitarian Crisis" in the Horn

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — In what may be U.S. President Joe Biden’s first major test in Africa, a key U.S. ally stands accused of undertaking a campaign of ethnic cleansing, massacring hundreds of unarmed civilians and threatening the fragile stability of the region.

President Biden, confronting the scenario linked to U.S. ally Ethiopia, shared his concerns in a telephone call on February 25 to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

: THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 01 March 2021

Photo: The Port of Djibouti is located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, at the intersection of major international shipping lines connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. Credit: China Merchants Port Holdings.

Why the U.S. Should Build A New Base in Eritrea

Viewpoint by Daniel Haile*

COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) — The United States should abandon its base in Djibouti and build a new military base in Eritrea after the Communist regime in Asmara falls from power. daniel_haile.jpg

The communist regime of 78-year-old dictator Isaias Afwerki has an expiration date. When the current government in Asmara is overthrown, either from a coup d'état or the death of Afwerki, the US should build a strong relationship with Eritrea's future ruler to persuade them to host a US military base in Assab or Massawa.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 21 February 2021

Photo: A seven-month-old baby displaced with his mother due to conflict in Tigray eats a high energy biscuit to boost his nutrition levels. Credit: UNICEF/Esiey Leul Kinfu

Children Experiencing Severe Harm in Ethiopia's Tigray Region

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS | NEW YORK (IDN) — A United Nations agency had drawn attention to the dire situation of children in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where fighting continues between Government troops and regional forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

As more supplies and emergency personnel reach the area, “an incomplete but troubling picture” is emerging which reveals children are experiencing severe and ongoing harm, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on February 12.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 14 February 2021

Photo: AFRICOM commander, U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, conducts engagements in Somalia and a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, operating off the coast of Somalia, January 16-18.

Biden Administration Has an Opportunity to Emerge as A Reliable Partner with African Countries

Viewpoint by Daniel Haile*

COLLEGE STATION, Texas | USA (IDN) – The lack of engagement with African countries economically, politically, and militarily could haunt the United States in the coming decades. Washington needs to forget the trauma of the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia and draft a new policy for mutually beneficial cooperation with African states. China, the European Union (EU), and Russia have been engaging with a great number of African countries while the United States watches from the sidelines.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 January 2021

The Three-Country Alliance Against Tigray Might Jeopardise Ethiopia's Future

By Martin Plaut

LONDON (IDN | Eritrea Hub) – The Tigray war has turned into an all-out conflict, pitting Tigrayan forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation front (TPLF) against Ethiopian federal troops, the Eritrean army, Amhara militia and – as revealed last week – Somali soldiers.

Despite what would seem to be overwhelming odds against them, the Tigrayans appear to be holding their own in large areas of the region.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 25 January 2021

Photo: The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion (Maryam Ts'iyon Church) in Aksum. Credit: Britannica.

Things Bode Increasingly Ill for the Horn

Compiled by EEPA

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Asena TV shows images of four to six explosions outside the municipality offices in the centre of Addis Ababa, which were followed with a few shots.

New Eritrean troops have entered Mekelle, roaming the city along with many intelligence agents.

Tigray news reports that Al Shebaab fighters are entering western regions of Ethiopia and may even be controlling parts of the Somali region of Ethiopia.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 15 January 2021

Photo: In Aksum, Tigray region of Ethiopia. Credit: Rod Waddington.

As A Tigrayan, My Bond with Ethiopia Feels Beyond Repair

Viewpoint by Temesgen Kahsay

The author is an Assistant Professor at the Norwegian School of Leadership and Theology. The following appeared first in 'African Arguments' on January 12, 2021.

OSLO (IDN) – We’re told the war is not with ordinary Tigrayans. Yet as thousands suffer and our compatriots remain silent, that’s how it feels.

As a child growing up in the then Ethiopian city of Asmara in the 1980s, my parents used to ask me what I wanted to be when I was older. My answer was always that I either wanted to be a fighter pilot or army general. The reason was simple. My father was a soldier in the Ethiopian army under the Derg regime and I too wanted to kill the nation’s “enemies”.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 13 January 2021

Photo: Tens of thousands of refugees have crossed the border from Ethiopia to Sudan, fleeing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. © WFP/Leni Kinzli

Fierce Fighting Blocks the UN Access to Refugee Camps

Compiled by EEPA

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Fierce fighting has been reported for the last two or three days on the Tekeze belt of Abi Adi of Tigray Central Zone, between Tigray forces and Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and Eritrean forces.

Intense fighting in the North Western zone of Tigray, Endebaguna area, specifically DebreAbay and Meili area between Tigray forces and ENDF together with Eritrean troops.