News in Brief

TPLF: Beating War Drums Again

Paving the Roads for Ethiopia’s Re engagement Policy

Priorities for implementing Ethiopia’s national dialogue (Excerpts from Chatham House Africa Programme online Panel) Part 1/2

Ethiopia joins the few in Africa with 5G Mobile Internet Network

Africa and the African Union

The 14th Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS) kicked off in Addis Ababa on Monday (May 09). African Ministers of Defense, Internal Affairs, and Heads of National Institutions in Charge of Safety and Security, high official representatives from the AU Member States, as well as from the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms have participated in the four days session. The session considered the report of the chairperson of the AU Commission which outlines the commission’s continued effort in the enhancement of the African Standby Force (ASF) and deployment of peace support operations, to address conflicts, terrorism and violent extremism as well as broader peace and security challenges in the continent.

African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki expressed condolences for the victims of the terrorist attack in Sinai, Egypt on Monday (May 9). He stated “The African Union condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Sinai that resulted in the death of 11 soldiers. Our sincere condolences to the bereaved families, in full solidarity with President Al Sisi , the Government and the people of the Arab Republic of Egypt.”

The Republic of Cameroon assumes the Chairship of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) for the month of May 2022. The seventh since the creation of the Council in 2004, the Cameroon Chairship comes within the frame of the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union to be held on 28 May 2022, devoted to Governance and Security challenges in the Continent namely, Unconstitutional Change of Government, Humanitarian crises and terrorism.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will host a high-level ministerial meeting this Friday (May 13), on the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa and the actions urgently needed. The event will be preceded by a meeting of experts on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya.

The 4th Technical Committee Meeting of the IGAD Security Sector Program-Development of a Regional Strategy to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to the Threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) was held in Djibouti on Tuesday (May 10). Speaking at the meeting the Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh says “Overall, IEDs have become an increasingly serious and significant…threat in our region, especially as they have become the preferred weapon of choice for insurgent and terrorist organisations.” Besides the direct devastation of human life, IEDs also directly affect the economy and livelihoods in the region when they destroy critical infrastructure such as water, sanitation and energy networks, roads, markets, schools, hospitals and social places,” he added.

IGAD’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, discussed on Monday (May 09) with the U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ambassador David Satterfield, Special Advisor for Africa Strategy, Mr. J Davermont, the US-Africa Command Department commander, US Ambassadors to the region, Assistant Administrator of the USAID. Dr. Workneh briefed later on “we discussed our shared priorities and agreed to deepen partnerships to advance peace, responding to disasters such as drought & displacement.”

Similarly, IGAD held discussions with the UK Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa (May 10). Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu. He said, “The UK has been a steadfast partner of IGAD with tremendous commitment and support to our efforts in multilateral diplomacy, climate early warning, food security and cooperation in the Red Sea arena.”

Ethiopia

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Saturday (May 07) presided over the launch event for the ‘Let Ethiopia Produce’ movement. The movement, as part of the 10-year development plan for the industry sector intends to address the challenges that producers at all levels confront during the manufacturing process. During the event, 81 micro, small, medium, and large scale industrial enterprises were recognized for their outstanding performance in the sector. Prime Minister Abiy urged industries.

Ethiopia and China held a joint Investment and Trade Cooperation Forum on Thursday (May 12) in Addis Ababa. The Forum saw the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on investment promotion and facilitation between the two countries which will serve as a new cooperation mechanism for investment. Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister noted in his keynote address that China has proven to be Ethiopia’s most trusted economic and political partner and that its support continues to sustain Ethiopia’s economic growth trajectory. Aside from the MOU signed between the two governments, Ethiopian and Chinese partners inked five other cooperation agreements in the manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and other sectors.

Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister appears on the first of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia television program on Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) on Thursday (May 12) to discuss crucial topics and the future of Ethiopia’s foreign policy. The conversation spanned several themes. (See article)

The warmongering and belligerent attitude of the TPLF that may eclipse the encouraging peace-building measures of the Government of Ethiopia should be checked before it is too late. (See article)

Ethiopian Coffee export hit a record-breaking 1 billion USD following multifaceted efforts made by the government and stakeholders to penetrate the international market. The record-breaking revenue has been earned from the export of close to 300,000 tonnes of coffee to the international market. The Agriculture Minister, Oumer Hussein on Thursday (May 12) congratulated Ethiopians for the great achievements gained in the coffee export sector. The Minister added that Coffee has continued to be the major export item of Ethiopia, citing China as the leading destination for the market.

Chatham House Africa Programme on Wednesday (May 11) hosted an online discussion inviting experts to discuss challenges and priorities in shaping an inclusive and effective national dialogue in Ethiopia. (See article)

The 5th East African Financial Summit took place on Wednesday (May 11) in the presence of over 300 finance sectors, stakeholders, international organizations, technology providers, researchers and other key actors in East Africa finance sectors. The summit aimed to foster collaboration, discuss current challenges, develop market strategies, share knowledge and identify solutions to shape the future of finance in East Africa and Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian telecommunications corporation, Ethio-telecom, launched on Tuesday (May 10) a 5G mobile internet service across a selected six mobile stations in Addis Ababa in a bid to provide advanced network services and as part of the Ethiopian government’s digital transformation aspirations. (See article)

A consultation forum was held on Thursday (May 12) in Addis Ababa with about nine stakeholders who had signed various agreements with Brazilian institutions representing Ethiopia. The forum aimed to review the status and implementation of those agreements besides highlighting the current state of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Brazil. The conference was attended by representatives from the Sugar Corporation, the Investment Commission, the Ministry of Urban Development and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Institute of Agricultural Research.

Eritrea

Eritrea’s delegation composed of Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh, and President Adviser Yemane Gebreab met on Monday (May 9, 2022), with the President of the Military Council, General Mahamet Idris Deby of Chad. The Delegation delivered a message from President Isaias Afeworki and stressed Eritrea’s readiness to consolidate bilateral and regional cooperation. General Mahamet thanked President Isaias for his initiative and stated that Chad shared Eritrea’s commitment to foster relations. He briefed the Delegation about developments in Chad & his country’s determination for an inclusive national dialogue.”

Somalia

President Mohammed Farmaajo announced a decision to run for the President’s office again. “…I have decided to run for president again in response to the Somali people’s call,” he said on Monday (May 9). “I am committed to continuing on the path of progress and development that we embarked on. The Somali people deserve a government that represents them and their needs first and foremost. This is why I am seeking a second term as President to continue our country’s successful transformation.”

The Minister of Defence of the United Kingdom, James Heappey visited key defence partners in East Africa over the week to discuss joint efforts to promote regional stability and build security in Somalia. Mr. James Heappey visited Somalia, where the UK is working with allies from across East Africa to help the Somali state take over responsibility for security from international forces. The UK provides pre-deployment training for African Union (AU) troops from partner nations as they prepare to deploy to support Somali forces in protecting civilians from Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups under the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

South Sudan

President Salva Kiir received Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday (May 8). The two leaders held a meeting on a wide range of bilateral & multilateral issues concerning the Republic of South Sudan & DRC.

Kenya Special Envoy to South Sudan Kalonzo Musyoka had a three-day visit in Juba over the week for engagement on on-going Peace Process and the unification of the Military. During his visit Musyoka held meetings with the Country’s President Salva Kiir, Mayardit , First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and Fourth Vice President Rebbecca Garang over the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The Advance Team mission for preparation of the 3rd LAPSSET (the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport Corridor Project) Ministerial met in South Sudan on Monday (May 09). The Government of South Sudan reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of the LAPSSET Corridor Project as well as the upcoming LAPSSET Ministerial due to be held in Juba, South Sudan. Ethiopia also reaffirms its commitment to continuously support the revitalization and operationalization of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Project.

Sudan

That “national dialogue” in Sudan, to be held from May 10 to May 12, facilitated by the African Union and the IGAD secretariat will be postponed, reports indicated. According to media reports, further agreements are necessary.

A U.S. press statement on Tuesday (May 10), reaffirmed the U.S support for Sudan’s tripartite Political process. Spokesperson, Ned Price, announced “We strongly support the tripartite political process of UNITAMS, the African Union, and IGAD Secretariat to restore democracy in Sudan. The transfer of power to a credible civilian government will open the door to the resumption of international assistance.”

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TPLF: Beating War Drums Again

The warmongering and belligerent attitude of the TPLF that may eclipse the encouraging peace-building measures of the Government of Ethiopia should be checked before it is too late. The conflict was not the choice of the Government of Ethiopia but made inevitable due to the orchestrated and simultaneously executed “pre-emptive” attacks of the TPLF forces on the military posts of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces in the Tigray region. The TPLF launched the attack without any plausible reason than its erroneous perception of threat from all sides bordering Tigray. What made the unwarranted attack worse is that it came after the TPLF had persistently rejected a series of peace overtures offered to it by the Government of Ethiopia and concerned citizens. The paranoia and bravado of the group have continued to cost the people of Ethiopia dearly.

Being cognizant of the concerns of the then interim administration of Tigray, the federal Government of Ethiopia evacuated its forces from the region in June 2021 by declaring a Unilateral Humanitarian Ceasefire. The Government made the decision to allow farmers to till their land and humanitarian operators engage in their activities without the presence of military troops. The TPLF sensed that as a weakness of our forces and chose to expand and escalate the conflict in adjacent regions. Had the group chosen a different path, the situation of the people in the Tigray region would have been different today. Regrettably, the TPLF has failed to learn from its mistakes since it has started beating war drums recently by recruiting and deploying military forces in areas bordering the Tigray region.

The Government of Ethiopia does not want to engage in another round of destructive conflict. It has ceased all offensive military operations after the military forces pushed the TPLF out of many of the areas it had occupied in the Amhara and Afar regions. The Government troops did not enter Tigray pursuing the TPLF militants, despite the urge by Ethiopians who were appalled by the atrocities of the TPLF in the Amhara and Afar regional states. The Government intended to give the people of Tigray the peace they deserved and deny the TPLF a pretext to prolong the conflict.

The Government of Ethiopia even declared an indefinite Humanitarian Truce in March 2022 to let humanitarian partners get unimpeded access to their operation. The result was encouraging, and the international community acknowledged it. However, the TPLF was not at ease with the deserved recognition of the efforts of the Ethiopian government. The group just announced the withdrawal of its forces from occupied areas in adjacent regions pretending to accept the Humanitarian Truce. The truth, however, is that the TPLF militants are still in occupation of areas bordering Tigray and accepted the humanitarian truce just “in principle”.  At the moment, the TPLF is trumpeting the Tigray siege and victimhood narrative afresh as a pretext to launch another round of attacks against all people living in areas adjacent to the Tigray region.

It was the Ethiopian Government that officially accepted to implement the recommendations of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) joint investigation into alleged human rights violations and abuses in Tigray. The Government set up a ministerial committee comprising law enforcement bodies to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. Indeed, even members of the Ethiopian Defense Forces were prosecuted for participating in the human rights abuses in the Tigray region. Contrary to the Ethiopian Government’s commitment to bring perpetrators to justice and redress victims, the TPLF categorically denied the legitimacy and findings of the joint OHCHR-EHRC investigation.  The group, even out of common human decency, has never been heard of regretting the inhumane atrocities its troops committed while occupying the Afar and Amhara region.

The TPLF is beating war drums while the Government of Ethiopia has been taking critical steps to reconciliation and peace. The Government has accepted and fully cooperated with the peace initiatives of Olusegun Obasanjo, High representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa. The Government of Ethiopia allowed Obasanjo to frequently meet the leaders of the TPLF in Mekelle to give peace a chance. The Government also paved the way to an all-inclusive national dialogue in the country. It has lifted the State of Emergency, set free prominent political figures from prison, including senior members of the TPLF, and established a National Dialogue Commission to address the age-long ills of the country. Regrettably, the TPLF and its sympathizers got obsessed with explaining why the proposed national dialogue will not work than deliberating how to make it succeed.

If we are to be judged by our actions, the Government of Ethiopia hopes the international community would see the extra mile the Government of Ethiopia travelled to end the conflict peacefully and bring stability to the country. We cordially ask the international community to name any measurable effort exerted by the TPLF to end human suffering in Ethiopia, including the Tigray region. The TPLF is still obsessed with the “Tigray Siege” mentality, failing to take accountability for its actions that put the lives of many people in danger and made security in the region more precarious. More than 20 million of our citizens are grappling with drought, while many more are trying to make ends meet due to the senseless conflict.

The international community needs to seriously look into the danger posed by the reckless actions of the TPLF on the people of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Ethiopians deserve peace and are not left with the patience to stomach the bravado and military adventurism of the irresponsible group.

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Paving the Roads for Ethiopia’s Re-engagement Policy

Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, appears on the first of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia television program on Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) on Thursday (May 12) to discuss crucial topics and the future of Ethiopia’s foreign policy. The conversation spanned several themes. Here are the excerpts:

Reducing internal vulnerabilities

Ethiopia’s foreign policy is clearly designed to preserve national interests while also upholding the rights and dignity of its citizens. We want to shape Ethiopia’s international posture in line with its long and rich history by advancing our diplomatic engagements and inviting others to join us in this endeavor. Strong diplomatic efforts, on the other hand, require strong internal circumstances. Internal peace and development are considered to be favorable domestic settings. 

Focusing on serious work within the country to restore national unity and tolerance is key to achieving success in foreign relations and national security. The difference in our diplomacy is noticeable in both regional and worldwide arenas if we chart our own course of peace and development by involving all people and resources. As holders of Ethiopian passports, our citizens also sense pride and strength. 

The Horn, Africa, and the World: In that order

So while devoting the prime focus to activities at home, we want our foreign policy geared toward strengthening cooperation and collaboration and creating Friendship at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels

Ethiopia’s diplomatic relations with its neighbors will continue to be our highest priority. As a result, pays close attention to changes and developments in the region and works to contribute positively.

We use neighboring countries as a springboard to reach the rest of the continent. Ethiopia has been a key player in the fight for African independence and against colonialism and apartheid. The progenitor of the African Union, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), has been working to find an African solution to Africa’s challenges. This is only going to get stronger. In the contemporary global setting, we aim to promote Pan Africanism.

We must also strengthen our bilateral and multilateral contact with the rest of the world in order to shape Ethiopia’s worldwide standing.

Getting proactive and owning narratives

We learnt vital lessons over the last year and a half as we battled a misinformation and disinformation campaign. We’ve paid a high price for correcting purposely spread incorrect information. So, with our potential and well-equipped citizens, we should shift from a reactive to a proactive position, claiming the driver seat in telling our own story.

Individuals from all around the world can now share information and ideas instantly and collaborate to solve common problems in an era of unparalleled interconnection. Traditional diplomacy, which is solely between the institutions of two or more governments, has undergone considerable changes. International relations have become more reliant on digital diplomacy.

Except if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign missions perform a leadership role, every Ethiopian in the world is an ambassador. As a result, the ministry will concentrate on maximizing the enormous potential of its citizen diplomats. Taxi drivers, tour organizers and others could promote Ethiopia while working for their livelihood.

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Priorities for implementing Ethiopia’s national dialogue (Excerpts from Chatham House Africa Programme online Panel) Part 1/2

Chatham House Africa Programme on Wednesday (May 11) hosted an online discussion inviting experts to discuss challenges and priorities in shaping an inclusive and effective national dialogue in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is dealing with a number of sensitive national issues, including continuous violence in several parts of the country, which highlights the importance of large-scale dialogue and reconciliation efforts to resolve the country’s deep-rooted social and political divisions. Ethiopia’s newly constituted National Dialogue Commission, comprised of 11 commissioners appointed in February 2022, has begun a four-staged process of dialogue preparations, with the first stage focusing on stakeholder engagement and local knowledge mobilization.

Panellists discussed how to shape an effective national dialogue in Ethiopia, including goals for establishing a credible National Dialogue Commission and the roles and duties of other national, regional, and local-level players, at this public event.

Speaking on the success so far and the importance of the National Dialogue Dr. Yonas Adaye, commissioner of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission, emphasized the cyclical nature of violence and conflict in Ethiopia, which stifled significant political, social, and economic change in the country for over a century. This brings the case again, which makes a critical moment to come together and find out why this has happened. ‘’So we have this national dialogue at the top beginning exactly in mid-February 2022,” He said. Explaining what has been done so far, Dr. Yonas Adaye identified the following:

1. ‘Knowing each other’ appointed members of the national dialogue commission have been working for 67 days now, acquainting each other and learning from each other who they are. This is mainly because literature and experience show that in some national dialogue processes, when those peer heading or leading group do not know each other, they come with different baggage and party interests, and this happens to block the very primary goal of the national dialogue.
2. Performing Ethiopia’s rituals: Getting blessings from the elders, religious leaders, and peace mothers. This is mainly out of the belief that this represents the entire society, and getting their blessing has a huge legitimacy impact at the same time as a representation factor. This is how the group appears in public for the first time. This included most of all the elderly blessings in the country, which were broadcast live on national TV.
3. Talking to civil societies to discuss the burning issues and make sense of them, because they represent the majority of Ethiopians. This was done primarily to see the situation from their perspective and to see what it looked like!
4. Spoke with National Electoral Board members and commissioners, including Birtukan Midekisa and others to learn how to network, how to reach out to the grassroots, and learn from their failures and successes. This could help to understand things better because their job required them to study or map across Ethiopia, nations, nationalities, language groups, and identities. The commission will use such data but at a meta-analysis level.
5. Talking to the media, including digital and print media across the country,
6. Talking to opposition party members and leaders, particularly, Ethiopian Political Parties Joint Council, the very office that leads the parties, both the ruling and opposition parties. Some of the dialogues are still going on!

“This achievement helped to have a clear understanding of the very context, for context is fundamental here,” he added.

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Ethiopia joins the few in Africa with 5G Mobile Internet Network

The Ethiopian telecommunications corporation, Ethio-telecom, launched on Tuesday (May 10) a 5G mobile internet services across a selected six mobile stations in Addis Ababa in a bid to provide advanced network services and as part of the Ethiopian government’s digital transformation aspirations.

Added to the benefit of having a 20 fold speed in connectivity than the predecessor 4G technology, the fifth generation, 5G, technology offers a wide range of benefits including boosting the business and economy sectors, communications, manufacturing, and public sector advancement as well as improving the lives of the people of a country.

During the launching event, Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio-Telecom underlining the 5G role in digitalizing a country noted, “We are pleased and honored to launch the world’s advanced fifth-generation network. We are committed to seeing a digital Ethiopia, which will uplift our people’s overall living conditions”.

“Ethio-Telecom will expand its pre-commercial trial service across the capital and regional cities, reaching up to 150 sites over the coming 12 months”, She added.

Elaborating the wider impact and connectivity advantages of the technology to our country, the Ethio-telecom chief during the event stated, “with high speeds, superior reliability, and negligible latency, 5G will impact industries such as critical services requiring real-time decisions, manufacturing plants, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, as well as facilitate the Internet of Things (IoT).”

The main cross-cutting technological advantages of the 5G include, but are not limited to, a greater speed in the transmissions, lower latency and therefore greater capacity of remote execution, a greater number of connected devices, and the possibility of implementing virtual networks providing more adjusted connectivity to concrete needs.

As one of the largest diplomatic hubs, Addis Ababa and the international community residing in the city will take advantage of the ultrafast speed of the newly launched technology in their lives and daily diplomatic engagements. The concerns of tourists concerning internet connectivity during their stay in Ethiopia will also be addressed with the advent of the 5G technology.

As the rising Manufacturing hub in the region with dozens of Industrial parks currently operating in the country, the new network technology with its communication efficiency will have additional value by speeding up productivity with its long-distance machinery connectivity capabilities and industry’s daily operations.

Ethio-telecom also reassured us to work towards 5G full commercialization depending on the demand and readiness of players in the eco-system. “This 5G service will provide our customers with best-in-class solutions, improve their experience and allow our enterprise customers to boost productivity, enhance operational efficiency, and introduce new solutions to their customers”, the CEO also noted.

With this rollout, Ethiopia has become one of the few African countries that have launched the fifth-generation network. Regarding the expansion of the trial and the full-fledged service throughout the country,  Ms. Frehiwot underlined that Ethio-Telecom will expand its pre-commercial trial service across the capital and regional cities, reaching up to 150 sites over the coming 12 months.

The Ethiopian Telecom Corporation already has about 25 million data and Internet users and has more than 60.8 million subscribers currently.