#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 

Schools in Ethiopia’s Tigray region pillaged, occupied: HRW

Prominent human rights group says all warring sides implicated in the attacking, looting and occupying of schools since start of conflict.

A looted classroom at Ksanet Junior Secondary School in Wukro, north of Mekelle [File: Eduardo Soteras/AFP]

28 May 2021

A quarter of all schools in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have been damaged during a months-long conflict, according to a prominent human rights group, which accused all fighting sides of looting and occupying educational facilities.

Thousands of people, if not more, are estimated to have been killed and almost two million displaced in the northern region after fighting broke out in November 2020 between its then-ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and the Ethiopian military. Forces from neighbouring Eritrea and the adjacent Ethiopian region of Amhara entered the conflict in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal government.

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In a report released on Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented attacks on schools after conducting more than a dozen interviews with residents, teachers, parents and former students.

“All warring parties have been implicated in attacking, pillaging and occupying schools across the Tigray region,” Laetitia Bader, HRW’s Horn of Africa Director and one of the report’s authors, told Al Jazeera.

“This has an impact not only on children’s ability to receive an education now, but it also has a much longer impact on schoolchildren’s ability to receive the education they have been missing for the past six months,” said Bader.

Citing one example, Bader said Ethiopian troops occupied, fortified and used as a watchtower the Atse Yohannes preparatory school in the regional capital, Mekelle, destroying much of the property inside.

HRW said it was able to confirm – via the usage of satellite imagery, videos and photos – the presence of military vehicles inside the school in December and March.

After Ethiopian troops left the school, Mekelle residents found widespread damage to classrooms and offices, as well as destruction of electrical installations and water pipes, according to the United States-based rights group.

In April, Tigray’s government-appointed interim administration presented aid groups with a list of damaged and pillaged property at the school – from pens and student records to 288 burned chairs and three destroyed science labs.

“I have given my life and service to the school,” one teacher told HRW. “There is now nothing left to try and begin again, to resume classes. The school won’t be functional even for next year, because of the damage. Everything was taken,” the teacher said.

HRW further said recent government efforts to reopen schools have partly been hampered by ongoing insecurity, damage to schools and protection concerns for students and teachers.

“There is real fear to return to school because forces that have been abusing and using these schools are still around,” Bader said.

In western Tigray, where the United States has asserted that ethnic cleansing has taken place, fighting has displaced many teachers and left shortages of learning materials, according to HRW.

Education ministry estimates say that 48,500 teachers are in need of psychosocial and mental health support, while some teachers at private schools are struggling to feed their families due to unpaid salaries.

Now in its seventh month, the conflict has sparked fears of a protracted war with devastating effects for the civilian population.

This week, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official warned that urgent measures are needed to avoid famine, while reports of massacres, rape and other atrocities continue to emerge.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

The Oromo political prisoners will not attend future scheduled court dates until those acquitted by the court are released. Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Borana et al. will join the hunger strike with Tigray for the next two days, says Jawar Mohammed in court today. 

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The court started today with Hamza Borana leading the one minute moment of silence and prayer by all political prisoners for the teenager Amanuel Wondimu who was extrajudicially executed in the public square in front of his mother, father, brothers, sisters, and mass crowd in Dembi Dollo. 

 

During today's court hearing, Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba said that the Oromo nationalists are being tortured in the deserts such as Awash Arba, even though they are said to be free in court. They added, "we have respect for you judges, but you, the judges here, cannot make a difference on your own because you are part of the system.” They said that they will not come to court until the release of those who have been acquitted. 

 

Another matter Jawar Mohammed addressed in court today is that they will go on a hunger strike for two consecutive days. The reason is to show their solidarity and support for the people of Tigray, who are fighting against genocide, rape and starvation. As is known, the people of Tigray have closed their homes and are on a hunger strike in protest of the massacre, rape and widespread abuses since yesterday. They said that Oromo political prisoners in Kaliti also stand by the people of Tigray, who are making harsh sacrifices for their rights.

 

The prosecutor asked a long period of adjournment to provide its statement of claim regarding the hearing of witnesses behind the curtain, in accordance with the last remand of Federal Supreme Court. Then Jawar Mohammed et al. accepted the long period of adjournment asked by the prosecutor. Since court orders and rulings are not being obeyed by the executive branch of the government, particularly on account of the superior order, the political prisoners asked for a 2-5 years long adjournment. However, the court adjourned to June 7th and June 17th for the statement of claim and statement of defense, respectively, and advised the political prisoners not to be absent from the hearings.

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#AbiyMustGo

 

Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Biden demands ceasefire and end to abuses

Source BBC

Mr Biden demanded an end to "large-scale human rights abuses". The fighting, now in its seventh month, has killed thousands and forced two million from their homes.

The US president also highlighted the possibility of famine.

The conflict pits the Ethiopian army and its Eritrean allies against a regional Tigrayan force.

It began last November, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an attack on forces loyal to the region's former ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), after they had overrun federal army bases.

Mr Abiy declared an end to the conflict after just a month, with the capture of Tigray's capital, Mekelle.

But more than half a year later, the picture looks very different as fighting continues.

There is no accurate death toll, but it is thought that thousands of people have been killed. More than five million need food assistance, according to the UN.

Ethiopian, Eritrean and TPLF soldiers have all been accused of human rights abuses.

What are the abuses being referred to?

In his statement on Wednesday evening, Mr Biden specifically mentioned "widespread sexual violence". In April, the head of the UN's humanitarian office, Ocha, Mark Lowcock said that it was being used as "a weapon of war" with women and girls being targeted.

The abuses were "unacceptable and must end", the US president said.

Earlier this week, hundreds of people displaced by the fighting were detained after being rounded up by soldiers, eyewitnesses said. Ethiopian military officials dismissed the allegations, calling them fabricated.

The Ethiopian government has accused the TPLF of killing aid workers and looting food.

The US president also said he was "deeply concerned by the escalating violence and the hardening of regional and ethnic divisions in multiple parts of Ethiopia". There are numerous conflicts across the country as Ethiopia prepares for national elections on 21 June.

What has the Ethiopian government said?

The government has not yet responded to Mr Biden's statement.

It did react on Monday to the US decision to impose visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials and others who were accused of atrocities.

The foreign ministry said the move was "regrettable" that could "seriously undermine" US-Ethiopia relations.

In a long Twitter thread on Tuesday, the government argued that while it was rebuilding Tigray, "remnants" of the TPLF continued to destroy the new infrastructure.

What are Eritrean troops doing in Ethiopia?

Mr Biden called on Eritrean forces to withdraw from Tigray, as well as fighters from the neighbouring Amhara region.

In March, Mr Abiy acknowledged for the first time that Eritrean soldiers were in Tigray following months of denial from both countries. The prime minister told MPs that Eritrea had been concerned about attacks from TPLF fighters.

There is a long-standing animosity between Eritrea and the TPLF which stretches back to the 1999-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. At the time the TPLF was the leading party in Ethiopia's governing coalition.

Rights groups allege Eritrean soldiers have committed atrocities in towns like Aksum, which include killing unarmed civilians, raping women and the widespread looting of public and private properties.

Two months ago Mr Abiy said the Eritreans would leave, but they have still not withdrawn.

#AbiyMustGo

 

NEWS ALERT: USAID ADMINISTRATOR CONFIRMS PARTNER AID WORKER KILLED IN TIGRAY; SAYS HIS & OTHER AID WORKERS’ DEATH “WILL NOT BE IN VAIN”

 addisstandard /  May 26, 2021

https://addisstandard.com/news-alert-usaid-administrator-confirms-partner-aid-worker-killed-in-tigray-says-his-other-aid-workers-death-will-not-be-in-vain/?fbclid=IwAR1BtcHWFcjDv-KQ8RBdFZRM1twQm0cDunFmoruYbeEcDjB9a-G2K61lC1I

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 #Ethiopia: Safaricom drops interest in Ethio Telcom after securing license

Yesterday, Safaricom said it was now awaiting for clearance before rushing to have a slice of the market currently boasting over 50 million mobile phone users.

"We don't have the exact date when we will enter the market but we are ready,'' Ndegwa said.

The company aims to attract 21 million users for the service in its first year of operations, rising to 33 million in five years.

https://www.the-star.co.ke/.../2021-05-26-safaricom.../

Gutu Abera-Hawanawa-New Ethiopian Oromo Music 2021(Official Video)

OROMIA11: MARII Dr. HEENOOK GABBISAA WALIIN HAALA YEROO IRRATTI TAASIFNEE.

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 

The Nobel Peace Prize winner who's presiding over a humanitarian catastrophe

Opinion by Michelle Gulino and Malaak Jamal

 (CNN)In 2018, after a two-year conflict, two historically warring nations — Ethiopia and Eritrea — at last signed a peace agreement. The following year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who brokered the peace, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malaak Jamal

Michelle Gulino

In the two years since, Abiy joins the ranks of controversial Peace Prize recipients and nominees, as his record now includes overseeing what may amount to war crimes. Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for example, was awarded the prize in 1991 "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights;" shortly thereafter, her government was accused of genocide against the Rohingya minority. Joseph Stalin, head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was twice nominated for the prize.

When Abiy received his Nobel Prize, he faced two clear paths: the path of democracy that could reconcile deep-rooted internal ethnic divisions and bring lasting peace to Ethiopia, or that of authoritarianism and renewed ethnic grievances.

Sadly, he has failed to heal a persistent national rift. Ethiopia is in crisis, as an escalating armed conflict between Abiy's federal Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and forces of the previously dominant political party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), has ballooned into a humanitarian catastrophe. This power struggle came to a boiling point last year during a constitutional dispute when the Tigray region held its own elections, refusing to recognize Abiy's administration.

Following an alleged attack by the TPLF on an Ethiopian military camp, Abiy then deployed troops into the Tigray region and, as some international observers believe, joined forces with Eritrean troops, who slaughtered Ethiopian citizens. This act of betrayal fueled the Tigrayans' long-simmering sense that Abiy had abandoned them. After months of denying the presence of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia, Abiy finally admitted to their involvement in perpetrating abuses against the Tigrayans, but couched their involvement in the conflict by stating that Eritrea had acted in self-defense of its border.

Gruesome accounts of decapitated bodies, the use of rape and starvation tactics as weapons of war, and mass extrajudicial executions have surfaced since November. More than 500 cases of rape — including rape by armed forces, gang rape, and forced rape of family members — have been reported in Tigray.

The ENDF, regional forces, and Eritrean soldiers have destroyed food supplies and targeted civilian areas with fire — bringing upon the Horn of Africa probable famine and incalculable death.

More than 2.2 million Ethiopians have been displaced by the ongoing conflict and violence. In one week alone last December, at least 315,553 Ethiopians were displaced. International pleas for a ceasefire by aid agencies, the African Union, and the United States have been rejected. This crisis could destabilize not only Africa's second-most populous country, but the entire Horn of Africa.

Palestinians deserve the same security, equality and right to a homeland as the Israelis

After assuming power, Abiy made steps toward democratic reform, but in the face of renewed conflict, these have given way to increasingly repressive rule. In an effort to stifle dissent, for example, Abiy shut down phone and internet communication, and detained journalists and dissidents on politically motivated charges. His government also began a state-sponsored propaganda campaign to conceal abuses in the Tigray region.

Allowing Abiy to continue this repressive course sends a signal to other countries that authoritarian regimes can operate with impunity, perpetuating mass killings, rape, famine, and displacement — all of which we have a collective interest to end. But what can the international community do to avert further authoritarian ascendance and deescalate the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia?

First, democratic leaders should refuse to engage formally with Abiy, and bar him from participating in global events such as the World Economic Forum while mass killings in Ethiopia continue. Democratic governments should boycott events — like World Press Freedom Day and the African Union Summit — hosted or sponsored by Ethiopia's regime. Doing so will let authoritarian rulers like Abiy know that the international community will not tolerate their abuses. Notably, the US State Department imposed travel restrictions on Ethiopian officials on Sunday.

Second, business leaders and institutions can refuse to trade with or provide financial bailouts to Abiy's government, which would only grant Abiy undeserved legitimacy in global markets. As Africa's second-most populous nation, Ethiopia is an important trade and investment partner. Refraining from further trade would represent a blow to Abiy's propaganda campaign and increase pressure on him to end rights abuses in his own country.

Many business leaders consistently cite their commitment to human rights standards, while doing the bare minimum to enforce these standards. They need to ensure tangible actions by governments to address abuses before moving forward with partnerships with the likes of Abiy. They should follow the example of a number of companies that have called out China's oppressive regime and refused to support the exploitation of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region, whose forced labor supplies dozens of international brands.

Third, international journalists must continue to report on the humanitarian disaster Abiy's agenda has wrought, as Abiy attempts to portray an image of democratic reform abroad. Abiy helped create an information blackout in Ethiopia by jailing domestic journalists and restricting foreign reporting. The global media has a responsibility to expose human rights abuses and hold authoritarian rulers accountable.

Abiy has, of course, capitalized on the authority that the Nobel Peace Prize confers, to enhance his standing in the global community. Petitions asking the Nobel Committee to rescind the prize have garnered tens of thousands of signatures. But the Nobel Committee says the Prize, which is awarded for past accomplishments, cannot be revoked. It is essential, however, that anyone who prizes peace push to stop the displacement and killing of Ethiopian civilians immediately.

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 May 25, 2021

AfricaEritrean and Ethiopian soldiers detain hundreds in Tigrayhttps://www.reuters.com/world/africa/eritrean-ethiopian-soldiers-detain-hundreds-tigray-

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Ethiopian soldiers ride on a truck near the town of Adigrat, Tigray region, Ethiopia, March 18, 2021. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers forcibly detained more than 500 young men and women from four camps for displaced people in the town of Shire in the northern region of Tigray on Monday night, three aid workers and a doctor told Reuters.

The soldiers arrived at around 11 p.m. and loaded hundreds of people onto trucks, the humanitarians and the doctor said, citing witnesses' accounts. Several men were beaten, their phones and money confiscated, one of the aid workers said.

One man who lives in one of the camps, and hid during the incursion, said soldiers broke in and beat men with sticks.

"The soldiers surrounded our camp at night, broke the main gate and started to beat every man using sticks, they hit a 70-year-old and kidnapped a blind one. Only from our camp, Tsehaye elementary school, 400 (people) were taken," he said, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Ethiopia's military spokesman, the head of a government task force on Tigray and the Tigray regional head did not return messages seeking comment. Tewodros Aregai, interim head of Shire’s northwestern zone, told Reuters he had few details but confirmed "hundreds" had been taken.

Eritrea's Information Minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, said he saw no reason to "round up IDPs" and described the claims as propaganda by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the region's former political party, which has been fighting the federal government since November.

Thousands of people have been killed since the conflict erupted, 2 million have been forced from their homes and 91% of the population of nearly 6 million are in need of aid, according to the latest report by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of relatives of those taken protested in front of the offices of the U.N. refugee agency, according to footage viewed by Reuters.

Monday's incident comes two months after the March 26 announcement by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that Eritrean soldiers would leave Tigray after repeated reports of major rights abuses, including looting, gang rapes, and mass killings of civilians. read more

The Eritreans deny any rights abuses. The United States has repeatedly called for the Eritreans to withdraw. read more

The town of Shire hosts hundreds of thousands of people who have fled western Tigray, which is now being administered by the neighbouring Amhara region. Ethnic Tigrayans say they are being driven out by Amhara forces.