a request to investigate war crimes
and abductions continue into 2025
Hi there,
I went to see Negari over the past week – an exhibition on the life of women in conflict settings across Ethiopia. The exhibition is being shown at the Goethe-Institut and will be open until April 4. Check it out if you have time.
My name is Maya Misikir, and I’m a freelance reporter based in Addis Abeba. I write Sifter, this newsletter where I send out the week’s top 5 stories on human rights and news in Ethiopia.
Now, to the news.
Parliament: glass half empty
The prime minister was in parliament last week Thursday, responding to questions from parliamentarians on the federal government’s half-year report. During this session, he made a few headline-grabbing statements; one that Ethiopia has no desire to invade Eritrea for a port.
Here’s an excerpt on that from Addis Standard:
“Our desire is to negotiate based on the principle of give and take,” Abiy said, adding that Ethiopia seeks a solution that “benefits people” and aligns with “market principles.” He warned that avoiding discussions on the issue could have long-term consequences.
The second is that the interim administration in Ethiopia’s Tigray region will probably be extended for another year until elections can be held in the region.
In his address, the prime minister said that the head of the interim administration in Tigray, Getachew Reda, despite going to war with him a few years ago, has since played an important role in the implementation of the Pretoria peace deal (which ended the two-year Tigray war).
Despite the job well done though, he also said that there might be changes in the leadership of the interim administration for the coming year. He added that the federal government is in discussions with parties in the region including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
While the prime minister didn’t answer all the questions raised and touched on others, he outright condemned the negative attitude of some parliamentarians, whom he accused of constantly complaining about the country’s problems.
To understand the political tensions in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, between the interim administration and the region’s main political party, the TPLF, you can check out the breakdown from last week, here. I also suggest checking out Wegahta Facts on X to get the latest updates from Tigray.
The full parliamentary address, in Amharic, here, the story on Addis Standard, in English, here, and on Ethiopia Insider, in Amharic, here.
Tigray: survivors file criminal case
Eight survivors from the Tigray war have filed the first-ever criminal complaint against senior Ethiopian and Eritrean officials.
The survivors, which include a ‘former humanitarian aid worker and a former interim government official’ have filed the complaint, ‘alleging that twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and military officers committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict’.
Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
These survivors, like hundreds of thousands of others, are victims and witnesses of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, and starvation, and thus far have been denied access to justice for their suffering.
As one of their only hopes for accountability, these survivors, some of whom currently reside in Germany, have requested the German Federal Public Prosecutor open an investigation into these crimes.
The complaints request that the German Federal Public Prosecutor open an investigation under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which in the past has proven successful for atrocity crimes committed in Syria, The Gambia, and Iraq.
The full press release from the legal firms representing the survivors, here.
Security: we don’t know her (XLI)
The conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region has been active since August 2023, between the region’s informal militia, the Fano, and the federal government.
Last week, fighting between the two parties intensified, with both sides claiming to have made gains. The army claims that ‘317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 injured’.
What do the Fano say?
Here’s an excerpt from a story on Reuters:
Yohannes Nigusu, spokesperson for Fano in Gondar, Amhara region, said 602 federal army soldiers were killed in the fighting and 430 wounded, while 98 soldiers had been captured and weapons had been seized by the militia.
Independently verifying the number of those killed in the fighting may be hard, but what is certain is that international companies in the region are leaving because of the insecurity this is causing.
Here’s an excerpt from a story Semafor:
International flower companies are fleeing Ethiopia because of a worsening conflict in the northwestern Amhara region, a key flower-growing hub, dealing a blow to one of the country’s major exports.
Ethiopia's number one export commodity is coffee followed by flowers, which brought in, ‘more than $500 million in revenues last year’.
The full story on Reuters, here, and on Semafor, here.
This is the 41st update on the security situation since August 2023. You can find all previous updates on the security in the region compiled here.
Drugs: Addis Abeba is (becoming) a hub
I wrote an update when Ethiopia (along with Kenya) was listed as ‘one of the main transit zones for trafficking cocaine worldwide’, back in April 2023, when the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released the report.
Drug trafficking through Ethiopia’s Bole International Airport has since been on the rise according to a story by The Continent.
The airport, which can ‘handle as many as 22-million international travellers and two million domestic ones’, doesn’t have the staff, equipment, or resources to stop drug mules passing through.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
“Bole does not have any sniffer dogs to assist us in our operation,” Abebe Tadesse, the chief inspector of the Addis Ababa Police narcotics department, told The Continent.
“While we are catching drug mules regularly, we know there are many who are successfully proceeding to their next destination because we lack the tools to catch them.”
Instead of strengthening on-site checks, the recent decision has been to profile Nigerian travelers, adds the story.
The full story, on The Continent, here.
Oromia: as many as 50 people
Abductions in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where the federal government is fighting off another insurgency, against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), have become common over the past few years.
In July last year, over 100 people including students, were taken by the armed fighters, and later held for ransom.
Last week, dozens of people were abducted in the same area, while traveling from Addis Abeba, according to a story on BBC.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
According to one report by a local media organisation, the passengers were heading to Debre Markos, a town in the country's Amhara region, when they were attacked by the armed men, who exchanged fire with local security forces.
The details of what happened are still emerging says the story but while local authorities and survivors blame the OLA, the armed group has denied these allegations.
The full story on BBC, here.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more updates!
In the meantime, feel free to share this with anyone you think can benefit from keeping up with what’s going on in Ethiopia.
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Thank you, Maya.