News in Brief

Smearing campaign intensifies as TPLF is on the back foot

Ethiopia Advocates Green Legacy Initiative at High-Level Climate Change Summit in Djibouti

Celebrating UN Day

Africa and the African Union

The African Union announced on Tuesday (October 25) that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, is pleased to announce the launch in South Africa of the first direct talks between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, as part of the ongoing AU-led process to support the parties in finding a political solution to the conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.

The first ever High-Level Dialogue between the African Union and the Government of Canada is being held in Ottawa, Canada. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, received the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, for the first high-level meeting conducted from October 26 to 27, between the two sides.

Ethiopia

On Monday (October 24), Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed mentioned that he held a productive phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a number of issues, including deepening bilateral ties between the two countries.

The 16th Ethio-Djibouti Joint Ministerial Meeting took place in Addis Ababa from October 25 to October 27, 2022. The meeting focused on the political, economic, infrastructure, and logistics cooperation between the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, met on Tuesday (October 25) with Rita Bissoonauth, newly appointed Director of UNESCO in Ethiopia, the African Union Commission, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Demeke appreciated UNESCO for its continued support for Ethiopia’s efforts to preserve and protect its national heritage in terms of resources and technical assistance. Rita Bissoonauth, for her part, said the two sides should strengthen their relationship in promoting education, culture, and science.

The Council of Ministers approved three draft regulations during its 14th regular session, chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday (October 26). The Council discussed three draft regulations: establishing the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute and Social Security Agency for government and private sector employees, as well as regulating the powers and responsibilities of the Ethiopian Construction Authority.

The TPLF launched a new round of hostilities in stark contrast to the Ethiopian Government’s repeated appeals for peace and goodwill. The only course of action left to the Ethiopian government was to implement defensive measures in order to safeguard people in the regions of Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. The Shire, Alamata, and Korem areas were recently freed by the valiant Ethiopian forces. Similar to the previous two years, when the TPLF was on the back foot, smearing campaigns and false accusations against Ethiopia dramatically increased. Let’s go over a few of the most recent unfounded accusations. (See article)

The United Nations Day was celebrated on October 24, 2022, by a flag-raising ceremony on the premises of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, commemorating the 77th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter. (See article)

The National Macroeconomic Committee reviewed on Tuesday (October 25) the current economic situation of Ethiopia in detail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The committee pointed out during the meeting that Ethiopia’s economy is resilient and capable of withstanding pressure. It has also set a direction to use domestic capacity to enhance the economy.

Russia has said on Monday (October 25) that the need for Russia-Africa interaction is becoming more urgent. Under today’s conditions of global turbulence caused by the neo-colonialist course of “the historical West” toward world supremacy, the need for Russian-African interaction is becoming even more urgent, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. In his video address to the Second International Youth Forum, “Russia-Africa: What’s next?” Lavrov said, “Viewing Africa as a distinctive, dynamically developing continent of the future, we are consistently advocating the strengthening of its status in a multi-polar world arrangement.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated on Monday (October 24) President Xi Jinping on his reelection as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). In his congratulatory message to President Jinping, Abiy stated that “your reelection as leader of the most successful party is conclusive proof of your effective leadership, as evidenced by multifaceted achievements from which the Chinese people have benefited directly.” Over the previous years of your leadership, you have played an important role not only in sustaining national economic development but also in safeguarding China’s global influence, overcoming significant global challenges and shocks, the premier pointed out.

Kenya

President William Samoie Ruto held bilateral talks with the President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, Peo Sánchez, on Wednesday (October 26) at State House, Nairobi. The two sides reaffirmed mutual commitment to stronger Kenya-Spain relations, characterized by shared values and strong economic ties. Kenya welcomes Spanish investment in our tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, water management, and renewable energy sectors. We will work with Spain to mitigate the effects of climate change and advance international peace and security.

President William Ruto congratulated Rishi Sunak on Wednesday (October 26) on his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This follows his election by the Conservative Party. The President said Kenya was proud of the achievements made over decades of collaboration between the two nations.

Somalia

Somalia has passed the first phase of joining the umbrella of the East Africa Community. The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, held a session on Wednesday (October 25) to discuss the plan to become part of the East African Community umbrella (EAAC).

The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheekh Mohamud, gave a speech at the regional conference on climate change in Djibuti on Sunday (October 23), and presented the plan of Somalia to prevent the situation.

The president of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, opened on Saturday (October 22) the national plan of greening Somalia, which includes planting 10 million trees.

Djibouti

“Climate Change and Research: The Path to Sustainable Adaptation and Resilience”, a High-Level Summit, was held in Djibouti from October 23–25, 2022. The climate summit convened on ways to devise feasible solutions to the existing climate crisis by finding a path to sustainable adaptation and resilience. President Ismail Guelleh launched the Summit in the presence of the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and representatives from East African countries and international organizations. In his official opening remarks at the summit, President Ismail Guelleh commended the strategic partnership between Ethiopia and Djibouti. He said, “The Republic of Djibouti has built an interconnecting line to harness clean hydroelectric power in partnership with Ethiopia.” (See article)

Somalia’s Defense Minister, Abdulqadir Mohamed Noor, had a fruitful meeting with his Djiboutian counterpart, Hassan Omar Mohamed , and Djibouti’s Armed Forces chief, Sakarie Sheikh Ibrahim, on Monday (October 24), amid Somalia’s fighting against the terror group Al-Shabab. The Somalia Minister of Defense, Noor, thanked the government and the people of Djibouti for their support and dedication to the people and the government of Somalia, given the importance of the two brotherly countries in cooperating closely in the eradication of terrorism to achieve peace, development and prosperity between the two brotherly nations and the region at large. For his part, the Djiboutian Defense Minister said that the government and the people of Djibouti are fully supporting the struggle of the people, and the forces of the Somali National Army are clearing out Al-Shabaab terrorists from the country.

South Sudan

President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Tuesday (October 25) met with Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, the Ruler of Ajman, United Arab Emirates, to exchange views on how South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates can strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in the areas of agriculture, energy, and infrastructure development in order to improve the welfare of their citizens. The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said His Royal Highness, Sheikh Humaid, expressed his country’s commitment to deepening the bilateral ties between South Sudan and the UAE to improve trade and investment for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit also on Wednesday (October 26) met with the UAE State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, who paid a courtesy visit to President Kiir. The visit aims to improve ties between the two countries. Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mayiik Ayii Deng, said the meeting discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation on investment and trade. He added that the two countries are expected to sign bilateral agreements.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit discussed it on Saturday (October 22) with the United States ambassador to South Sudan, Michael J. Adler. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the issue of subnational communal violence in the country and bilateral relations between South Sudan and the United States.

Sudan

The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ali Al-Sadiq, received today at the Friendship Hall the joint statement on the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation from the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Ma Xinmin, amid a qualitative presence. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said the idea was initiated by the People’s Republic of China to unify the visions of countries around a common charter, noting that the organization includes many countries, and within the terms of its founding charter, it will work to resolve internal conflicts of the organization’s countries, in addition to resolving disputes with each other. It also aims to get out of international hegemony, and it does not contradict international conventions. The Foreign Minister added that Sudan, through signing the agreement, has now become a founding member and that it will be active during the coming period, praising China’s efforts to develop relations between the two countries.

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Smearing campaign intensifies as TPLF is on the back foot

The TPLF launched a new round of hostilities in stark contrast to the Ethiopian Government’s repeated appeals for peace and goodwill. The only course of action left to the Ethiopian government was to implement defensive measures in order to safeguard people in the regions of Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. The Shire, Alamata, and Korem areas were recently freed by the valiant Ethiopian forces. Similar to the previous two years, when the TPLF was on the back foot, smear campaigns and false accusations against Ethiopia dramatically increased. Let’s go over a few of the most recent unfounded accusations.

‘Addis Ababa lacks the will for peaceful resolution’

This is one of the accusations that is most obviously false. The Federal Government has consistently offered an olive branch, proposing a peaceful conclusion to the TPLF-instigated conflict. This can be seen in both words and actions. Forget for a moment that the TPLF called the cease-fire offer sent to it a year ago a “sick joke,” and focus on the current situation.

The Federal Government was the first to declare an indefinite humanitarian truce in March in order to increase aid to those in need. Along with this, the special envoys from the AU, EU, UK, and US were given the good office to shuttle between Addis Ababa, Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.

Once more, the Federal Government made the announcement first that a committee would be formed to negotiate peace talks with the TPLF. Almost always, during public events and press conferences, the government reaffirmed its commitment to holding peace negotiations “anytime, anywhere” without any precondition. What was TPLF’s response?

TPLF leaders presented a slew of demands and declined to negotiate. One statement demands that the fictitious siege end. The following one requires Ethiopian National Defenses to return to pre-war areas. Then the third would object to Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU’s peace envoy, calling for a parallel channel for negotiation. Preconditions and statements were never-ending, save for the fact that they all threatened to restart the war. They believed they still had the military might to depose Ethiopia’s democratically elected government and impose their will once more.

And yes, the TPLF started the war. The international community is well aware that TPLF shattered the truce, even though some want to hide behind the excuse that TPLF “may have preempted an attack by federal forces.” The TPLF was supported by hostile foreign actors who repeatedly and severely violated Ethiopia’s airspace prior to the attack. Once the fighting had begun and the TPLF had suffered a crushing defeat on the ground, its digital army moved aggressively to portray the federal government as an opponent of peace. But it remains a futile endeavor.

‘Fear of further restrictions on humanitarian assistance’

TPLF’s history bears witness that it is a master of deceit when it comes to humanitarian support. It has a track record of using aid for military ends. Since the beginning of this conflict, the TPLF and its propaganda machineries have been accusing the government of Ethiopia of denying the region humanitarian assistance. To this end, it repeatedly turned corridors of humanitarian assistance into battlegrounds to exacerbate humanitarian situations and win propaganda battles. Let’s again focus on what happened in its latest attack.

The government’s humanitarian truce allowed hundreds of thousands of people in need to receive life-saving aid before the TPLF started the conflict. The delivery of humanitarian aid to Ethiopia’s Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions was made possible by the truce that reduced violence.

However, TPLF forces “forcefully entered” the World Food Programme warehouse in Mekelle early on August 24 (the same day it started the war) and “stole” 12 track tankers of oil (570,000 liters). These fuel reserves would only be used to distribute food, fertilizer, and other emergency relief supplies for humanitarian causes. Once more, the TPLF demonstrated its disregard for Tigrayans by using humanitarian aid for military purposes. The international community let the group go unpunished for this obvious crime.

With more and more territories liberated from the TPLF, the Government of Ethiopia is carrying out the necessary preparations and will coordinate with the relevant humanitarian agencies to provide humanitarian aid through these areas that have come under the control of the ENDF.

The government’s additional measures, which it has announced it will take, give genuine humanitarian organizations and operators additional confidence. In addition to the Kombolcha-Dessie-Woldiya-Kobo-Alamata, more humanitarian corridors are being opened via North Gonder-Shire. There is great significance in the new actions taken. First and foremost, more access will be given to genuine humanitarians so they can help the populace. Second, people-oriented aid won’t be diverted to support hostilities.

These developments, however, are not being covered by the mainstream media. Of course, the government doesn’t want praise for the work it does. It is just to highlight how blatantly biased the mainstream media is. The government is more concerned about the warmongering group’s use of the populace as a hostage to further its own nefarious objectives.

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Ethiopia Advocates Green Legacy Initiative at High-Level Climate Change Summit in Djibouti

Representing Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, the Minister of Peace, Benalf Andualem, attended the “Climate Change and Research: The Path to Sustainable Adaptation and Resilience” High-Level Summit in Djibouti.

The three-day High-Level Climate Summit, which recognized Ethiopia’s exemplary climate change prevention measures, particularly through its Green Legacy Initiative, convened on ways to devise feasible solutions to the current climate crisis by finding a path to sustainable adaptation and resilience.

President Ismail Guelleh opened the Summit in the presence of Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Vice President of the Sovereign Transitional Council of Sudan, and designated Ministers and Ambassadors of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, and Comoros, and representatives of various international and regional institutions.

Droughts, floods, destruction, food security issues, health issues, migration, and conflicts are all exacerbated by climate change, according to President Ismail Omar Guelleh. The President stated in his opening speech that, despite Africa’s small contribution to the climate crisis, 180 million Africans will be affected by climate change by the end of the century due to carbon emissions.

The president cited a step forward in the utilization of renewable energy to battle climate change as the fact that Djibouti and Ethiopia are working together to build a power transmission line that will utilize clean energy from Ethiopia’s hydroelectric power producing dams.

Minister of Peace of Ethiopia,  Benalf Andualem, Ministers of Rwanda, South Sudan, Comoros, and a member of the Sovereign Transitional Council of Sudan took part in a ministerial panel discussion. Panelists were able to deliberate the viewpoints of their respective governments’ efforts to combat climate change.

In his statement, Benalf Andualem noted that Ethiopia has a wealth of expertise in dealing with climate change, particularly due to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative, which allowed for the statewide planting of 20 billion seedlings during the previous four years.

He said that there are already 120,000 nurseries around the nation with the ability to grow 6 billion seedlings every year, adding that the government is trying to tackle climate change in a sustainable manner.

The Minister advanced the discussion on Ethiopia’s government’s commendable efforts to share the Green Legacy initiative with its neighbors, notably Djibouti. The three tree-planting ceremonies in Djibouti, where the Ethiopian government distributed a quarter-million seedlings, are proof that the two countries are working together to accelerate green economy integration, he said.

Getahun Garedew, Director General of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority, spoke at the Land Use and Agrosystems panel discussion on the second and third days of the summit, stating that Ethiopia has developed a land use system that focuses on agricultural productivity, environmental ecology, and climate vulnerability issues.

Participants in the three-day high-level summit in Djibouti pledged to cooperate in order to sustainably mitigate the effects of climate change.

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Celebrating UN Day

The United Nations Day was celebrated on October 24, 2022, by a flag-raising ceremony at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) compound in Addis Ababa, commemorating the 77th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter.

The event was attended by Catherine Sozi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia; Ayele Lire, Directorate General of the International Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Fathallah Sijilmassi, Director General at the African Union Commission; and Representatives of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations in Ethiopia.

At the event, Catherine Sozi read out a special message from UN Secretary-General, António Guterres: “The UN is the product of hope—the hope and the resolve following the Second World War to move beyond global conflict to global cooperation.” “As we mark UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity.”

In a speech at the event, Ayele Lire, representing Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of the UN by emphasizing its role in preventing another catastrophic world war and its ongoing remarkable service to humanity.

In his remarks, Ayele also commended the UN Country team in Ethiopia for their invaluable contributions to Ethiopia’s development endeavors and reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to the UN’s transformative agenda as set out in the SDGs.

The UN has contributed to world peace by resolving the most intractable conflicts around the world; its humanitarian workers have delivered lifesaving assistance to vulnerable people in dangerous conflict zones and its health workers have deployed to the frontlines to fight pandemics. Ethiopia, as a founding member of the UN, has demonstrated its contribution to global peace and collective security. Ethiopian men and women have continued to play a robust role from the early days of UN peacekeeping missions in the 1950s.

As a firm believer in multilateralism, Ethiopia continues to be committed to global common aspirations for development. Ethiopia is proud and privileged to have hosted the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa for over 60 years. However, Ethiopia believes that the UN needs to evolve and adapt to the new global realities to make itself fit for purpose.

It is not fair that Africa, with a population of more than 1.4 billion people and more than a quarter of the UN member states, does not have a chance to have a regular voice in the Security Council. That is also why the ongoing reforms are so critical to enable the organization to be much more inclusive and effective in delivering on its promises.

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