Horn Highlights: UN SR says repression in Eritrea continues, Eritrea votes against UNGA resolution to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, No supplies in Tigray

In this week’s Horn Highlights: UN Special Rapporteur says repression in Eritrea continues; Eritrea one of four countries to vote with Russia over Ukraine invasion; OCHA reports to have run out of supplies in Tigray; Eritrean refugees isolated in Ethiopia; Ethiopian PM urges restraint in Ukraine after abstaining from UN vote; Ethio-Sudanese border crossing reopens; Ethiopian journalists publish open letter on press freedom regression; Mekelle university staff unpaid in over a year; 20 people killed in Benishangul Gumuz; UN warns of drought in Ethiopia; Sudan open to Russian Naval Base following Hemedti visit to Russia; UN High Commissioner oral update on Sudan;UN warns of global warming effects in Africa.

In this week’s Horn Highlights: UN Special Rapporteur says repression in Eritrea continues; Eritrea one of four countries to vote with Russia over Ukraine invasion; OCHA reports to have run out of supplies in Tigray;  Eritrean refugees isolated in Ethiopia; Ethiopian PM urges restraint in Ukraine after abstaining from UN vote; Ethio-Sudanese border crossing reopens; Ethiopian journalists publish open letter on press freedom regression; Mekelle university staff unpaid in over a year; 20 people killed in Benishangul Gumuz; UN warns of drought in Ethiopia; Sudan open to Russian Naval Base following Hemedti visit to Russia; UN High Commissioner oral update on Sudan;UN warns of global warming effects in Africa.

Greater Horn of Africa

Eritrea: Special Rapporteur says Eritrea’s systematic crackdown continues
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Eritrea told the UN Human Rights Council on 3 March 2022 that “Eritrea’s systematic crackdown on dissenting voices continues unabated.” The Eritrean government has continued to shut down and curtail basic freedoms of opinion, religion, and assembly, according to the Special Rapporteur’s most recent oral update. The National Service, an institution that has been described as slavery, has continued to be implemented with conscripts “routinely denied permission to visit their families, often for years.” The Special Rapporteur further added that he received multiple “credible reports” that the round ups of young children into the national service has intensified. He reports that 11 and 12 years old children are dropping out of school to avoid conscription. In addition, the Special Rapporteur expressed concern about the situation of Eritreans abroad, including in the conflict in Ethiopia, and in North Africa, where the refugees faced “arbitrary detention, kidnapping for ransom, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and dangerous collective expulsions and pushbacks at sea,” according to OHCHR’s news website. 

Eritrea: Eritrea one of the four countries that voted with Russia
Eritrea was one of only four countries that sided with Russia during the United Nations General Assembly vote on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It joined Syria, North Korea, and Belarus. The Eritrean leadership has had a longstanding relationship with Russia since before its independence in 1991, states journalist and Horn of Africa expert Martin Plaut. Eritrea was one of the first countries that sent an official delegation to Crimea after it was annexed by Russia in 2014. Since Eritrea has been put under heavy sanctions by Europe and the United States, the dependence has only grown. Furthermore, expert Prof. Mirjam van Reisen notes that Russia could potentially stop the persecution of Eritrean leadership for crimes against humanity, which were found to likely have been committed, as was concluded by a UN expert committee in 2016.  

Ethiopia: OCHA says no food distribution in Tigray due to lack of resources
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes in its most recent report that “[n]o food distribution [is] reported in Tigray between 17 and 23 February, as food and fuel in the region is almost entirely exhausted.” The organisation says that the humanitarian situation is “extremely concerning”. Since July 2021, only 8% of the necessary supplies have arrived in Tigray. The little aid that is arriving in Tigray, is arriving by air. OCHA reports that humanitarian aid has been provided in Amhara and Afar, although the number of people in need of aid has continued to increase. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is asking for 205 million US dollars in funding to aid displaced people in Northern Ethiopia. This funding includes funding needs for Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. 

Ethiopia: Eritrean refugees in Tigray have nowhere to go to
Refugees International warns that Eritrean refugees in Tigray have been targeted heavily in the conflict in Ethiopia since its inception, and the refugees have lacked the necessary protection. Two Eritrean refugee camps were confirmed to have been destroyed in 2021, with thousands of refugees being scattered across Tigray. These refugees have had no protection or access to humanitarian aid. According to Refugees International, aid groups still have difficulties locating thousands of refugees. Those that have been relocated to new camps remain in danger of further attacks, states the organisation. In February 2022, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported another attack on an Eritrean refugee camp in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Many refugees have started to flee to Sudan. Refugees International notes that there has been a lot of criticism of the UNHCR regarding its handling of the refugee crisis in Sudan, with many camp locations being unsuitable, prone to flooding, storms, or other extreme weather. 

Ethiopia/Ukraine: Ethiopian Prime Minister urges restraint
The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on all parties in Ukraine to exercise restraint. He said that conflicts leave lasting marks on the fabric of society and that conflict inflicts significant damage on families. The comments came a day after Ethiopia abstained from the United Nations General Assembly vote on Ukraine. 

Ethiopia/Sudan: Border crossing between Ethiopia and Sudan reopens

The Addis Standard reports that the Gallabat-Metema border crossing between Ethiopia and Sudan has reopened. It was closed by Sudan following a build-up of tensions between both countries over a disputed border. Meetings between officials from both countries have been taking place to find a solution to the border dispute. The border crossing was opened once before in July 2021, but closed again shortly after. 

Ethiopia: Ethiopian Journalists decry the loss of journalistic freedom in Ethiopia
African Arguments, a Pan-African news platform co-founded by The World Peace Foundation, has published a letter written by 16 Ethiopian journalists in which they state that they “stand in solidarity” with journalists in Ethiopia. In the letter, the authors say that the government of Ethiopia has restricted journalistic freedom, after several years of improvements that preceded. Two Ethiopian journalists were killed in 2021, news outlets were forced to close, and “local independent press has been all but scuppered”, states the letter. The authors say that the uplifting sentiments of the past few years have “long been replaced by disillusionment.”

Ethiopia: Employees of Mekelle University unpaid for over a year
According to the BBC, 7,000 employees of the Mekelle University in Tigray have not been paid since the conflict in Ethiopia started in November 2020. The University, a federal institution  based in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, is funded by the Ethiopian government. One staff member told the BBC that for many, it is hard to find food or fuel. Reportedly some staff members are collapsing while at work. 

Ethiopia: At least 20 people killed in an ambush in Benishangul Gumuz 
The Addis Standard reports that 20 civilians were killed on 2 March in the Benishangul Gumuz region of Ethiopia following an attack. The attack was carried out by armed men on a bus. Violence has been growing in the region over the last few years, with the United Nations saying that the instability has expanded to neighbouring districts. The conflict has led to over half a million IDPs, and 70.000 refugees. 

Ethiopia: Drought forces hundreds of schools closure in Oromia and Somali regions 
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns of severe drought in the Oromia and Somali regions of Ethiopia. OCHA says that Ethiopia is suffering a prolonged drought, following consecutive harvest failures three years in a row. Millions of people and their livestock are at risk. The organisation is also warning that hundreds of schools are at risk of closure. OCHA is urging action to provide a rapid response.

Sudan/Russia: Hemedti says Sudan remains open to Russian Naval Base
Sudan’s Deputy Chairman, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has said that Sudan does not have a problem with Russia, or any other country, opening a naval base in Sudan. An agreement for a Russian naval base in Port Sudan was signed in 2017 under Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s former leader, for a period of 25 years. In November 2020, Russian President Putin indicated that he had approved a proposal to set up a naval base in Sudan. On the situation in Ukraine, Hemedti indicated that Sudan supported a diplomatic solution.

Sudan: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights updates on Sudan
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet, gave an oral update on the human rights situation in Sudan on 7 March. She indicates that she is “deeply troubled by the sharp reversal of human rights achievements following the military coup in Sudan last October.” The oral update follows a visit to Sudan by UN human rights expert Adama Dieng. Bachelet expressed specific concern over arbitrary killings and arrests that have taken place in Sudan since the coup. 

Africa: UN body says Africa is already suffering from global warming
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that Africa has suffered some of the heaviest impacts of climate change. The IPCC released a 3600 page draft report as its sixth assessment report on the impacts of climate change. The continent of Africa is already suffering from climate related famines, droughts, and floods, indicates the IPCC. The continent already suffers from high levels of food insecurity, and this will only continue to increase as the effects of climate get worse, warns the panel. The Sahelian Belt and the Greater Horn of Africa are identified by the report as among the most vulnerable regions. Among one of the noted concerns is a significant decrease in fisheries output, warmer temperatures, and shorter rainfall periods.

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