FEBRUARY 25, 2021 MARTIN PLAUT ERITREA, NEWS

FEBRUARY 24, 2021 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY

FEBRUARY 24, 2021 MARTIN PLAUT ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY

Haavisto told journalists that Ethiopia’s leadership had failed to provide a “clear picture” of the situation in Tigray — including the widely documented involvement of forces from neighbouring Eritrea. “The question of Eritrean troops is extremely sensitive, so we don’t get the clear answer about the whereabouts or magnitude of the Eritrean troops,” he said.

Source: Euractiv

File photo. An Ethiopian refugee woman with her child from Tigray region wait to receive aid at the Um Rakuba refugee camp, the same camp that hosted Ethiopian refugees during the famine in the 1980s, some 80 kilometers from the Ethiopian-Sudan border in Sudan, 1 December 2020. [Ala Kheir/EPA/EFE]

Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto warned Tuesday (23 February) that the crisis in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region appears “out of control”, after visiting the country on behalf of the EU.

“You have come to the situation which is militarily and human rights-wise, humanitarian-wise very out of control,” Haavisto told journalists in Brussels.

Tigray has been the theatre of fighting since early November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), accusing them of attacking federal army camps.

He declared victory after pro-government troops took regional capital Mekele in late November, though the TPLF vowed to fight on, and clashes have persisted in the region, hampering efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance.

“This operation has lasted more than three months, and we do not see the end,” Haavisto said.

Finland’s top diplomat visited Addis Ababa this month — including meetings with Nobel Prize winner Abiy — on a fact-finding mission for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

He briefed foreign ministers from the bloc’s 27 nations on the crisis at a meeting on Monday.

Haavisto told journalists that Ethiopia’s leadership had failed to provide a “clear picture” of the situation in Tigray — including the widely documented involvement of forces from neighbouring Eritrea.

“The question of Eritrean troops is extremely sensitive, so we don’t get the clear answer about the whereabouts or magnitude of the Eritrean troops,” he said.

Addis Ababa and Asmara both deny that Eritrean forces are involved in the conflict, contradicting eyewitness reports from civilians, aid workers and some military and government officials in Tigray.

The EU has joined the United States in demanding Eritrean troops withdraw.

Haavisto repeated urgent calls from the international community for the Ethiopian government to grant full humanitarian access to Tigray, including areas beyond its control.

“What we need from the Ethiopian government is the greenlight to the humanitarian community to negotiate access to the Eritrean-controlled areas, to the opposition-controlled areas,” he said.

The UN says that areas where 80% of the region’s population live remain cut off from assistance and tens of thousands have fled across the border into neighbouring Sudan.

Haavisto warned that Sudan is struggling to cope with the influx and that it risked spiralling into a new driver for refugees towards Europe.

“We are seeing the beginning of one more potentially big refugee crisis in the world,” Haavisto said.

“If you don’t influence it now then the circumstances will build so that there are more and more refugees coming.”

In December, Brussels announced it was postponing some €90 million in aid to Ethiopia over its failure to grant full humanitarian access to Tigray.

FEBRUARY 22, 2021 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY

Message from patriot Mesfin Hagos the regarding current situation

Honored people of Eritrea, it is to be remembered that we have repeatedly stated that the lawless Isayas regime, has moved you from one danger to another. By involving you in the Ethiopian civil war, which is not our business, he is exposing our people and our country to unwanted danger.

At the end of January 2021, a statement condemning the war waged by federal government of Ethiopia and its collaborators on peace loving people of Tigray as well as entry of Eritrean army into Tigray was released, which was signed by more than 80 Eritrean scholars and professionals.

The bad lack that has befallen the people of Eritrea has also happened to the people of Tigray and as such on its own land was made to disperse, to be hammered, to be humiliated by being deprived of its basic rights and honors. We would like to thank those Eritreans who saw this and voiced their protest. Their voice is befitting and reflective of the kind of brotherly relationship and collaboration that’s desire by the oppressed people of Eritrea.

We have to realize the fact that the injustice that’s being inflicted by the army of Abiy Ahmed and Isayas regime is the continuation of the injustices that were and continue to be committed on Eritrea and Eritrean citizens by dictator Isayas and his followers.

Injustice

Since the root cause of the suffering and injustice that’s being inflicted on the two neighboring peoples, the appeals that are being made on behalf of the people of Tigray not only influences us Eritreans but is also on our behalf too. While more than half of the injustice that was committed on Eritreans remains unknown to the outside world, when it crossed the border and occurred on another country, the world has started to pay attention to it.

Those of us who are able to move and speak have the moral and civic responsibility to speak up on behalf of our people who have been pinned from moving and silenced from speaking.

In November, a failed campaign was undertaken by Asmara that called “let us show our solidarity with our army.” Now Isayas and his allays are using similar trickery with a campaign (motto) “let us defend the sovereignty of our country” to attempt to hide the fact that they are exposing our people to danger and placing our sovereignty for bargain.

The two attempts are efforts to rationalize the actions of the regime and suppress the truth. However, while the people of Eritrea are being kept from utilizing the wealth within its reach and is starving, Isayas has agreed for Abiy to use Assab port without any restrictions and protocols.

Federation with Ethiopia

What is worse, sources from Asmara are indicating and warning that he has made a deal to suppress the sovereignty that we have secured by paying huge sacrifice and to unify, once again, our country Eritrea with Ethiopia through federation.

It is the people of Eritrea who have paid and continues to pay for such irresponsible actions of Isayas and his followers.

Those who are main culprits of these actions are high level commanders of the army and few of their colleagues that have become confused with narrow interests and who are vying to show their allegiance to Isayas and save themselves.

These are the ones that have made mid-level officials and youth members of the army, who gain no benefit out of this, victims of Arab (interests). Since our brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren are not able to make their voices heard, we have the responsibility to speak up on their behalf. History is calling us to stand against the death and destruction that has been occurring, is and continues to occur.

Eritrean Army

Honored army of Eritrea, even though you have been forced to engage in wrongful deeds by military command and disciplinary entanglements, you will be made accountable not only by your conscience, but also by law, for the actions that you are committing.

People of Eritrea  - inside the country and abroad - you have seen that unless you disobey in a unified and open manner, the regime of Isayas will not end.  Since the price we pay by our disobedience is much less, let us all collectively say ‘enough’ so that the intervention of the regime that took away thousands of our children and grandchildren ends in the Ethiopian civil war.

High-level officers of the Eritrean army: it is important for you to know that once you are finished sacrificing your comrades and children, Isayas will pluck you one by one.

Today, the number one enemy of our people and the primary source of danger to our sovereignty is Isayas.

You need to contribute your share now by standing with your people and bringing down this regime in order to heal and compensate for the destruction you have participated in up to now.

Thank you
“Message from patriot Mesfin Hagos regarding current situation,”

ATV Assena Youtube account, 22/02/21, 5 hours ago

To:

H.E. Mr. Pekka Haavisto,

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland,

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Helsinki, Finland

Dear Mr. P. Haavisto,

February 16, 2021

We the     undersigned     allied     Eritrean     Political     Forces     in exile are deeply saddened by the rapid escalation of a deadly conflict between the Federal Ethiopian Government with unwarranted support of the Government of Eritrea on the one hand and Regional State of Tigray on the other. In particular the indiscriminate air strikes and ground attacks directed to Tigray occurs at a challenging time as the people struggle to contain the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and a massive locust infestation overwhelming the region during the time of the annual harvest season. Human Rights Watch has rightly said in a report published on February 11 that the apparently indiscriminating shelling of urban areas was a violation of the laws of war.

The world is by now receiving reports of the devastating effect of war on the economy and livelihood of the people and its negative impact on peace and security of the entire region. We continue to witness catastrophic humanitarian crisis with millions of internally displaced people and new waves of refugees fleeing to neighboring Sudan.

Dear Sir,

We Eritreans are particularly worried about the fate of the 172 000 Eritrean refugees most of them in Tigray and Afar regions who have fled enforced military conscription, indefinite national service, lack of freedom  of  speech  and  movement  and  political  persecution  and imprisonment. The invading Eritrean army which still exerts control over two of the refugee camps, namely Shimelba and Hitsaats, has destroyed most of the buildings in the camps and abducted thousands Eritrean refugees and sent them back to Eritrea. The camps are now closed by the Ethiopian government, and the whereabouts of their residents still unacounted.

This  is  done  in  broad  day  light  and  in  flagrant  violation  of international laws and norms. Unfortunately, the UNHCR High Commissioner  Fillipo  Grandi’s  appeal  to  the  prime  minister  of Ethiopia to address the situation as a matter of urgency has not been fulfilled.

Yours excellency,

Our allied forces in exile are aware that the Government of Finland had supported and continues to support the reforms and democratization policies initiated by PM Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia and  that  Finland along  other Nordic  countries works  for  regional peace, security and integration in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, we eagerly  await  the  result  of  the  ongoing  European Union  initiated dialogue and engagement under your leadership.

Our allied forces in exile also strongly believe that interests of the peoples of the Horn of Africa are complimentary and never mutually exclusive and building regional peace requires the acceptance by all of democratic values and norms and the belief in cooperation, dialogue and compromise in conflict resolution.

We would like to express our concern for the wellbeing of the civilian population of Tigray and Eritrean refugees in the area and appeal to Your Excellency and through you, to the European Union to:

    To ask the Ethiopian Government to guarantee the protection of Eritrean refugee in Tigray and Afar regions as well as in urban centers and allow the UNHCR to continue providing its services.

     Demand the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops fromTigray and impose sanctions on the members of government and impose an arms embargo of Eritrea.

    Put pressure on the    Ethiopian    Government    to    allow unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray and find ways of providing emergence food, water and, medical and sanitary supplies to the affected population;

    Condemn the Eritrean Government for its interference in the internal affairs of Ethiopia and demand its immediate withdrawal of its invasion forces;

    Send an independent group to Tigray to investigate the alleged indiscriminate killings including that of Eritrean refugees, the looting of property including church heritages and old manuscripts, systematic rape of women and wanton barning of crops.

    To  call  upon  the  Ethiopian  government  the  to  halt  the violence and resolve the conflict peacefully and engage in a genuine,   inclusive   and   credible   dialogue   under   the auspicious of a neutral international body;

Your Excellency,

A  delegation of  our  allied forced  is  willing explain to  your excellency’s    government,    our    understanding    of    the    recent developments  inside  Eritrea  and  the  region  as  a  whole  and  our endeavors  to  establish  a  constitutional  and  democratically elected government in  Eritrea that  abides by  the  rule  of  law  in  a  digital meeting at a time of your convenience.

Sincerely Yours,

For/ the Chairpersons:

ENCDC (Eritrean  National Council for Democratic Change) ENF (Eritrean National Front)

EPDP (the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party)

UDC (Organization of Unity for Democratic Change)

UEJ (United Eritreans for Justice)

RSADO (Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization) ENF-Hidri (Eritrean National Salvation Front) Copy

Mrs. Theresa Zittling

Director for Unit for the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Helsinki.

FEBRUARY 19, 2021 ERITREA HUB ETHIOPIA, NEWS, TIGRAY