News in Brief

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen and State Minister Ambassador Redwan brief the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa on unilateral Humanitarian Ceasefire

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia addresses members of the diplomatic corps in Addis Ababa on the latest developments in Ethiopia (Speech)                                                                                                                                                                   

State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien and General Bacha Debele briefed media on unilateral ceasefire in Tigray

Africa and the African Union

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomed the declaration of a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Tigray region by the Federal Government of Ethiopia as a right step towards the resolution of the conflict. The Chairperson called on the Ethiopian authorities to work towards a comprehensive and all-encompassing permanent ceasefire to pave the way for sustainable peace in Tigray.

Ethiopia

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated on Friday (June 25) the African Leadership Excellence Academy built for 2.2 billion Birr. Out of the total 2.2 billion, 722 million Birr was covered by the government and the rest by the Government of China.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has expressed his gratitude to political party heads for their contribution in enabling a peaceful election. Abiy wrote on his Facebook on Monday (June 28), “I met with political party heads this morning, a week after the 6th National Elections, to express my gratitude for their contribution in enabling a peaceful election in which Ethiopia came out a winner”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen had a briefing session today (July 02) for members of the diplomatic corps in Addis Ababa on the latest developments in Ethiopia.  Mr. Demeke has delivered a speech that covered a range of topics, with a lucid explanation on issues related to the recently declared ceasefire in Tigray. (See full speech)

Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, and State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussein gave a briefing to ambassadors and representatives of international organizations on the rationale of declaring a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire in Tigray. (See article)

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia Demeke Mekonnen spoke over the phone with Foreign Affairs Minister of South Korea, H.E MR. CHUNG EUI-YONG on Thursday (July 01).  During the meeting, Mr. Demeke appreciated the longstanding relationship between the two countries and called on to further strengthen it. Deputy Prime Minister Demeke also spoke about the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire that the Government of Ethiopia has declared recently and its importance in letting farmers employ the planting season undisturbed by conflict. He also expressed his hope that the humanitarian operators in the region would exploit the opportunity created for unfettered access to scale-up support to the people in the Region.  

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen met on Monday (June 28) with Graham Maitland, UN Director for Eastern African Division of the Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs and Operations. The meeting aimed to discuss the strategic review of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and assess ways reconfiguring the mission.

State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien and General Bacha Debele have jointly briefed the media on Wednesday (June 30) regarding the unilateral ceasefire that the government declared in Tigray. Ambassador Redwan said the ceasefire considered the objectives of the law enforcement operation, survival of the nation, concerns of the people of Tigray, and the international community. (See article)

Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Ghana,  Ambassador Hadera Abera has presented his letter of credentials to the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The two sides exchanged views on cementing the longstanding and historical relations between Ethiopia and Ghana.

A total of 2,257 Ethiopians have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia on Sunday (June 27), according to the Spokesperson Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government has been intensifying its efforts in partnership with pertinent bodies to repatriate Ethiopians from Saudi Arabia, it was indicated.

Ethiopia contributes a replica of Lucy to be displayed at UNESCO headquarters on Friday (June 25). Dr. Hirut Kassaw, Minister of Culture and Tourism delivered recorded remarks for the ceremony.

Ethiopia and Luxembourg signed an agreement on the Elimination of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance, in the city of Luxembourg. Ambassador of Ethiopia to Belgium, Luxembourg, and EU Institutions, Hirut Zemene, and Minister of Finance of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Pierre Gramegna, signed the agreement on Tuesday (June 29).

Canada has welcomed the declaration of a unilateral ceasefire by the government of Ethiopia in the Tigray region, according to the Embassy of Canada in Ethiopia. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau and Minister of International Development, Karina Gould said in a statement issued on Wednesday (June 30) that “Canada welcomes Monday’s declaration by the Government of Ethiopia that an immediate, unilateral ceasefire, applicable to all federal and regional forces, is in effect in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.”

Eritrea

Halay Technical School located in Asmara has in its 8th commencement graduated 94 students including 32 females in Computer Maintenance and Networking as well as Machine Shop. Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Thursday (July 01)  the Director of the school, Mr. Raguel Tekle said that Halay Technical School used to be called ‘Pavoni Technical Institute’ and was providing advanced diploma courses in Machine Shop and Computer Technology graduating a total of 151 students from 1996-2004.

Djibouti

Ethiopia and Djibouti have established a Joint Coordinating Committee in Djibouti on Wednesday (June 30) to expedite the successful implementation of the plantation of nine million tree seedlings In Djibouti. Ethiopia has pledged to provide one billion tree seedlings to the Neighboring countries in its belief that climate change and desertification in the region demands Regional solutions.

Finance Ministers of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan under the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) met on Saturday (June 26) in Djibouti to evaluate progress witnessed so far in areas such as trade and energy and to discuss the way forward. Ethiopia’s Finance Minister, Ahmed Shide commended the African Development Bank, the European Union, and the World Bank Group for their continued commitments in helping advance the implementation of the programs of the Horn of Africa Initiative and underscored the need to hone capacity in inclusive cross-border value chains across the Horn.

Somalia

Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Hussein Roble on Wednesday (June 30) opened training for the electoral commissions in Mogadishu. He urged them to run the election honestly with transparency. The training will take six days and will end on July 5th. The parliamentary election will start on 25 July according to the new schedule released by FMS and FGS leaders.

South Sudan

Amb. Nebil Mahdi, Ethiopian Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan, and Abraham A. Awolich, Managing Director of the SUDD Institute of South Sudan had an exchange of views on the areas of cooperation as well as regional issues. On the occasion on Wednesday (June 30), the Ambassador briefed the director on current affairs and the related recent developments in Ethiopia.

South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya have reiterated their commitment to expedite the implementation of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) program. Speaking at a high-level ministerial meeting on Monday (June 28) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges said infrastructure provision is Africa’s top priority as the continent is moving toward integration and that African states need to closely work together to achieve that goal.

Sudan

The United States has decided to re-establish normal diplomatic relations with Sudan ending its strategic engagement approach, the Sudanese government said on Monday (June 28). The full normalization of diplomatic relations with Sudan comes after decades of limited engagement with Khartoum as the country had been on the list of states sponsoring terrorism since 1993.

Sudan’s foreign debt will be reduced to $6 billion from $56 when the IMF-monitored economic reforms come to an end within three years, said a joint statement released by the World Bank (WB) and the International Monitory Fund on Tuesday. In a meeting held on Monday (June 28), the international financial institutions – IMF and WB – declared Sudan eligible for debt clearance under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.

*******************

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia addresses members of the diplomatic corps in Addis Ababa on the latest developments in Ethiopia (Speech)                                                                                                                                                                  

02 July 2021

Addis Ababa

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for joining us in this briefing session. We want to take this opportunity to keep you abreast of the latest developments. As you all know, our government has declared a Unilateral Humanitarian Ceasefire that took immediate effect as of 28th June 2021. We thought we should inform you about the circumstances that led to this important and bold decision.

On several occasions, we have tried to explain to you why our government was forced to engage in a law enforcement operation in the Tigray region. A series of events that tested its patience to the limits contributed to this unavoidable situation. Since the reform began three years ago, the ousted TPLF group has been engaged in instigating violence in different parts of the country. It turned deaf ears to the government’s repeated plea to resolve differences in a peaceful manner. What made matters getting from bad to worse is when this group committed the most egregious crime by attacking the Ethiopian National Defence Forces that were stationed in Tigray for more than twenty years to safeguard the safety of our people and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. That is why our government was left with no option but to undertake the law enforcement operation to reverse the dangerous threat posed by this group against the constitutional order and survival of our nation.

Indeed, we were able to defeat the TPLF and meet our major objectives within a short period. But we also had to face new realities and lingering problems whose genesis dates back to irresponsible governance of the group while it was at the helm of power for much of the past three decades. For the last couple of months, we have been doing everything we can to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region and reach out to every person in need to the best of our ability and the limited means at our disposal.

We believe we have not only fulfilled our international obligations but also went the extra mile in addressing the issues raised and concerns expressed by humanitarian actors operating on the ground. This went to the extent of circumventing the authority of relevant organizations in our country that expressed genuine concerns over plausible security threats to the operation of our Defence Forces. Despite these efforts, however, we do recognize that humanitarian workers still face challenges to reach all areas in the region, deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need and avert the potential risk of serious food insecurity.

We have been providing agricultural inputs to the farmers in the region but that has not been enough. We needed to take into account that the planting season ahead should not be disrupted; missing it will have grave consequences for the livelihoods of farmers in the region. That is why we decided to declare the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire in order to address these challenges and ensure that all farmers in the region are able to plant during this farming season. Our hope is that this will facilitate better humanitarian access and also help in scaling up support. Let me assure you that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all those that need urgent support get the necessary assistance.

We are aware of the distortions and misrepresentations of what the Prime Minister said to the media a few days ago circulating on social media. The insinuation that we are trying to suffocate the Tigrayan people by denying humanitarian access and using hunger as a weapon of war is beyond the pale. There is absolutely no reason for us to do so. These are our people and the fact of the matter is that we are using every ounce of our strength to extricate them from the dire situation they find themselves in at the moment. And, this is indeed our duty.

Excellencies,

In conjunction with our humanitarian response efforts, we have also been busy trying to rehabilitate and rebuild the region. In this regard, we have been exerting every possible effort to rebuild damaged infrastructure and restore electricity, telecom, internet, and banking services to help return the people of the region back to normal life. But these critical infrastructures continue to be a target of attack by the TPLF, which has made it extremely difficult to provide uninterrupted services to the people.

Our policy in this area as well as in other sectors is guided and will continue to be guided, by our resolve to protect and nurture the unity of the Ethiopian people. What follows from this commitment is magnanimity in our approach to problem-solving; not vengeance no matter how difficult the challenge we face. We have indeed faced many challenges that have tested our commitment to uphold the principles that underpin this obligation. This is most particularly manifest in our attempt to restore deliberately damaged infrastructure where again and again we have been confronted with a huge challenge of faulty perception that somehow the government is responsible for the shortcomings in service delivery. It is our earnest hope that this mistaken assumption would be corrected, all the more so, since the policy that we have now adopted with respect to the humanitarian ceasefire is designed to also address the challenge we have faced in this regard.

Excellencies,

We are not oblivious to the consequences of the ethnically charged propaganda by the TPLF which is misleading particularly the Tigrayan youth to join their ranks. It is such widely circulating jingoistic messages that are exacerbating the situation in the region. This is what is contributing to the displacement of many people further adding to the already huge problems in relation to the significantly increasing number of IDPs. Therefore, we believe the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire will avert a potential catastrophe in food security, thus allowing people to focus on their farming duties, at least, during this rainy season.

In addition to the situation in Tigray, we continue to face clear and present danger emanating from threats posed against our national security by some external actors, which certainly requires our most serious and urgent attention. As the major objectives of the law enforcement operation in Tigray have been largely addressed and the threat by the TPLF is neutralized, we also believe that engaging in a protracted conflict that unnecessarily costs human lives and financial resources becomes a futile exercise that would unnecessarily divert us from our developmental objectives.

Through our declaration of the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire, we have indeed responded to the repeated call for silencing the guns in the Tigray region and pave the way for the ongoing relief efforts. I want to inform you that all Federal and Regional civil and military institutions have already been instructed to implement the ceasefire in accordance with the directive set forth by the Federal Government. Let me take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all those who have recognized our resolve for peace behind this difficult initiative we took.

However, it should be understood that this initiative is in no way designed to allow impunity, as we have made it clear in our statement. I want to reaffirm here, once again, that we are indeed firmly resolved to continue ensuring accountability for human rights abuses and crimes committed in the Tigray region. We will make sure that impunity is not tolerated at all. We are trying to do so along three tracks. First, we are applying the full force of the law based on the investigations carried out by military, federal and regional prosecutors. Second, we are facilitating the joint investigation between the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) to ensure the necessary accountability.  Third, we are also supporting the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) which has started undertaking its investigation upon the request of the Ethiopian government.  It is important that the international community refrains from making value judgments, which will undermine the outcome of these investigations.

Excellencies,

Following the organization of peaceful and successful national elections this month, efforts are now geared towards building a stronger, united, and democratic country. In this connection, the Ethiopian government has elaborated a roadmap for inclusive dialogue to resolve the Tigray crisis and ensure lasting peace and stability in the region. This dialogue process is expected to involve legal opposition parties, rank and file members of the TPLF who show readiness to choose a peaceful path, the business community, civil society organizations, elders, other prominent personalities.

Let me conclude my remarks by expressing hope that this will not only help you in looking at the situation in our country from the right perspective and understand the magnitude of the challenge we face but also recognize the important step that we have taken in this regard. Let me be frank with you; what we really need at the moment is your support, understanding and solidarity. That is why I want to end by appealing to you all to continue scaling up your humanitarian support to avert the potential risk of food insecurity in Tigray and also assist our efforts in rehabilitating and rebuilding the region.

I thank you!

******************* 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen and State Minister Ambassador Redwan brief the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa on unilateral Humanitarian Ceasefire

Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, and State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussein gave a briefing to ambassadors and representatives of international organizations on the rationale of declaring a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire in Tigray.

In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister highlighted the various challenges that threatened to stall the multifaceted reform process in the country, including the unruly behavior of the TPLF which was culminated in its defeat.

He also said the Government of Ethiopia tackled all the challenges in the electoral process and managed to have a peaceful and credible election under the auspices of the Independent Electoral Board.

Speaking about the recently declared unilateral humanitarian ceasefire, Mr. Demeke said it was a bold and magnanimous decision that would benefit the people of Tigray.

The Deputy Prime Minister said, although the government’s declaration for the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire in Tigray took many by surprise, the decision was not taken abruptly.

He said the current government of Ethiopia if elected, was contemplating the importance of declaring a ceasefire and holding an inclusive dialogue with relevant stakeholders after the election, including innocent members of the TPLF.

In this regard, he said the international community should push with a concerted effort for the realization of the humanitarian ceasefire and urge the other side to abide by it.

The Government of Ethiopia expects the international community to understand the context that the ceasefire has been made and act neutrally to address problems that might further be exacerbated by provocative statements.

The international community should understand that the Government of Ethiopia has invested a lot in rebuilding destroyed infrastructure and restoring basic services in the region, despite the criminals took the lives of many people who were involved in such restoration and rehabilitation works.

In this regard, unless the terrorist element in the region is forced to accept the ceasefire, the government of Ethiopia cannot afford to lose more lives and guarantee the protection of the lives of service givers and humanitarian operators.

What the government guarantee at this time is to make sure that all of the humanitarian supports are safely delivered to humanitarian actors to the borders of the Tigray region.

Although a ceasefire has been declared, the government is still committed to supporting the UN-EHRC joint investigations on the alleged atrocities committed in the region, in addition to reiterating its call to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to resume the joint investigation with the Federal Government of Ethiopia.

The Deputy Prime Minister also expressed his profound appreciation for humanitarian operators who have been supplying all the necessary support to those in need in the Tigray region and pledged to work closely with them in their noble mission.

Ambassador Redwan, on his part, listed out the main reasons that the government of Ethiopia decided to evacuate its troops from Tigray and declare the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire.

According to Ambassador Redwan, the Government of Ethiopia has decided to withdraw its soldiers from Tigray assessing that most of the political and military leaders of the TPLF have been either killed or imprisoned.

As neutralizing or apprehending the criminals was one of the objectives of launching the law enforcement operation in the region, he said protracting the conflict just to upend the remaining few TPLF leaders is not feasible.

A few months into the law enforcement operation, many people, including children, have been used as human shields to cover the TPLF leaders, which made it dangerous to make a surgical operation in neutralizing the wanted criminals and the Ethiopian government had to call on the ceasefire to save innocents.

Given the irresponsible nature of the terrorist group, he said, the federal government should also show magnanimity and declare the ceasefire, understanding that the people in the region should use the farming season undisturbed.

Although the frequent calls of humanitarian operators for unfettered access in the region were caused by the atrocious acts of the criminal group, the government has to declare the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire to give chances for humanitarian actors to save more lives, he added.

According to Ambassador Redwan, the government also needed to declare the ceasefire, understanding that the first receivers of the brunt of the conflict are the people of Tigray who deserve peace and seek a peaceful solution to the problem.

Before the TPLF attacked the Northern Command of ENDF, they were funding and masterminding conflicts in many parts of Ethiopia, which caused untold suffering on the people of Ethiopia, he said.

We want the international community to know that we are dealing with a rogue element who, despite the ceasefire, publicly vowed to attack the Amhara region and pursue Eritrean forces crossing the borders, he said, although the group continued to lament that the Eritrean troops didn’t leave the Region.

According to our sources, after the withdrawal of our forces, he said, the TPLF has made ethnically motivated killings that took the lives of 70 people in Mekelle, most of whom were working under the interim administration of Tigray.

Although the media have been caught up with the destruction of a bridge over Tekeze River, pointing fingers on the government as usual, he said the fact is that there were two more bridges destroyed by the group.

We cannot force organizations to continue giving their services, such as flights, banking, and telecommunication if we fail to guarantee the protection of their lives. The other party has to stop belligerence for that to happen.

According to data found from the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia, 400,000 quintals of seeds and fertilizers had been stored in Mekelle, well beyond the needs of the farmers in the Tigray region, he said.

In finalizing his briefing, Ambassador Redwan reiterated the federal government’s commitment to work closely with the humanitarian operators, addressing their quest for access to communication equipment, visa and others through proper channels of the government which has already been set up.

The ambassadors, the diplomatic community, and representatives of international agencies have participated in a question and answer session raising some of their concerns and also appreciating the government of Ethiopia for declaring the humanitarian ceasefire and conducting peaceful and credible elections.

*******************

State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien and General Bacha Debele briefed media on unilateral ceasefire in Tigray

State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien and General Bacha Debele have jointly briefed the media on Wednesday (June 30) regarding the unilateral ceasefire that the government declared in Tigray.

Ambassador Redwan said the ceasefire considered the objectives of the law enforcement operation, survival of the nation, concerns of the people of Tigray, and the international community.

During the operation, he said, the government aimed to neutralize TPLF militarily, recapture or destroy looted ammunition, set  Ethiopian troops free from TPLF, and hold criminals accountable for their impunity.

In this regard, Ambassador Redwan said the government met the objectives, and despite its propaganda, TPLF is no longer an existential threat to the well-being of the nation.

Although TPLF’s capacity to launch conventional war was neutralized within three weeks and many insurgents were decimated through time, the government declared the ceasefire because the Ethiopian army was not ready to exchange fires with people in Tigray who have been misled by the ethnically charged propaganda of the TPLF.

He said the ceasefire would help the people of Tigray to reflect on the pros and cons of colluding with a terrorist group to fight the Ethiopian troops who were providing protection and humanitarian aid in the region.

The law enforcement operation also costs the government about 100 billion birr for rehabilitation and humanitarian works, said the state minister adding that the ceasefire is a pragmatic approach to avoid this financial quagmire too.

The unilateral ceasefire is also an attempt to address the major concerns of the international community for cessation of hostility, unimpeded access to the region, and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, he said.

In line with the government’s decision, he said the international community now is expected to scale up much-needed humanitarian support to the people of Tigray and give due attention to the recent TPLF bravado belittling the ceasefire and threatening to launch attacks against the Amhara region and Eritrea.

General Bacha Debele, on his part, said the Ethiopian army was evacuated from Mekelle because Mekelle has ceased to be the center of gravity that is capable of posing a threat to the nation and the federal government.

He also downplayed the claims of TPLF and its sympathizers that said the Ethiopian army was dislodged by the TPLF from Mekelle.

He said the group was defeated in a 3-weeks swift conventional war while it was armed to teeth but now its military, administrative and organizational structure is obliterated and could not make the Ethiopian forces leave the city by force.

He also said the army has to refocus its attention to protecting the country from another national threat, this time an external one, rather than fighting the already incapacitated TPLF.

General Bacha further said the army is ready to respond accordingly if unduly provoked by attacks that compromise the spirits of the ceasefire.