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Tuesday, November 24, 2020 2:31:30 AM
Anxiety in Australia as conflict ravages Tigray region of Ethiopia
"Sudan Will Decide the Outcome of the Ethiopian Civil War
"Mali’s President Exits After Being Arrested in Military Coup
"Civilian deaths and atrocities escalate as chaos builds in Sahel
"Esper says ‘no decisions’ have been finalized on AFRICOM changes
"AFRICOM: Wrong for Liberia, Disastrous for Africa"""" "
By Max Walden
Posted Yesterday at 5:40am, updated Yesterday at 8:34am
The UN is expressing concern that the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region could lead to war crimes and genocide.
(Reuters: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)
As a situation described by the United Nations as a "full-scale humanitarian crisis" unfolds in Ethiopia's Tigray region, members of the community say at least 50 Australians are stuck in the conflict zone.
Key points:
* Members of the Ethiopian community in Melbourne have told the ABC at least 50 Australians are stuck in the Tigray region
* Many others are stuck in other parts of the country, with limited travel options due to COVID-19
* Both sides of the conflict have been accused of deliberately killing civilians
Australians in the Ethiopian diaspora have told the ABC they are worried about the country's continued slide into civil war .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-20/ethiopias-latest-airstrike-hits-tigray-university/12903112 .. and the wellbeing of family members not only in the affected Tigray region, but across Ethiopia, amid reports of civilians being massacred.
Making matters worse, the Ethiopian Government cut off telecommunications in the Tigray region .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-war-crime-fears-abiy-ahmed/12883090 .. in early November, meaning Australians have been unable to contact their families there.
Civilians in and around Tigray's highland capital Mekelle have been urged to "save themselves .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/ethiopian-civilians-asked-to-save-themselves-tigray-mekelle/12909212 ", and rebel forces have been given 72 hours to surrender, as government troops prepare for an offensive to take the city.
But the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which is refusing to give up its rule of the northern region, says rebel forces are digging trenches and standing firm.
"People have [lost] connections with their families now for 19 days," said Saba Alemayoh, a Tigrayan woman from Melbourne.
"We're talking about uncles, and cousins, and daughters."
The UN has warned of possible war crimes, including the mass killing of civilians, in the Tigray region.
Melbourne Tigray woman Saba Alemayoh smiles at the camera
[...]
From Nobel Peace Prize winner to alleged war criminal
Just over a year ago, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-11/nobel-peace-prize-ethiopian-pm-abiy-ahmed-wins-in-oslo/11593346 .. for ending a conflict with neighbouring Eritrea that spanned two decades.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's election in 2018 brought an end to 27 years of Tigray-dominated rule at the national level
in Ethiopia. (AP)
But now he's encouraging Ethiopians to "stand for the honour" of the country's military as it launches airstrikes on the Tigray region, with missiles fired at Eritrea's capital Asmara during the fighting.
"There were so many of us speaking out against his Nobel Peace Prize reception because we were saying 'all of this is false'," said Manal Younus, who was born in Eritrea and lives in Adelaide.
"But the world applauded him, they celebrated him,
and they made him invincible."
She told the ABC the conflict was "terrifying" for Eritreans, as "we're already part of the war … we have to expect to be attacked from Tigray".
[...]
"I declare that we Ethiopians should unite and we will do all we can to shame and destroy this force," Mr Abiy said in early November, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation Front — the ruling party in the Tigray region.
The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for 27 years until the election of Mr Abiy in 2018.
Mr Abiy recently ordered an assault on the TPLF-run regional government of Tigray after they held September elections in defiance of a national order to suspend elections due to the pandemic .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-04/ethiopia-sends-army-into-opposition-tigray-region/12849766 .
President of the Tigray region Debretsion Gebremichael has accused Mr Abiy's Government of punishing the region for the elections.
[...]
Ethiopian refugees rest in Qadarif region, eastern Sudan. (AP: Marwan Ali)
"Restricted access and the ongoing communication blackout have left an estimated 2.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance and out of reach," Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF told reporters last week.
Ms Alemayoh said "we're not asking for any outcome that favours either party", just a stop to the bloodshed.
[...]
The UN refugee agency says 4,000 women, men and children have been fleeing into Sudan — a country already home to nearly 1 million refugees — every day since early November.
The agency is planning for a total of 200,000 people to end up there.
[...]
Members of the Ethiopian community in Australia have collected the details of some 50 Australians thought to be in the Tigray region.
They want the Federal Government to do more to ensure the safety of Australians stuck in Ethiopia.
Australian NGOs assisted Ethiopia during severe famine in the mid-1980s.
(Supplied: World Vision/Steve Reynolds)
This includes urging the Ethiopian Government to lift the telecommunications blackout in Tigray so that they are able to contact loved ones.
"We're not dual citizens. All these people are just Australian
citizens," Ms Alemayoh said.
The Federal Government last month announced eight charter flights would be repatriating some 5,000 Australians stuck in the UK, India and South Africa before March next year.
"Our families give up any kind of official connection to our home countries to be Australian," Ms Zewdie said.
"When something like this goes down, what do we need to do to be seen as Australians?"
Posted Yesterday, updated Yesterday
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/community-in-australia-responds-to-ethiopia-conflict-tigray/12907450
"Sudan Will Decide the Outcome of the Ethiopian Civil War
"Mali’s President Exits After Being Arrested in Military Coup
"Civilian deaths and atrocities escalate as chaos builds in Sahel
"Esper says ‘no decisions’ have been finalized on AFRICOM changes
"AFRICOM: Wrong for Liberia, Disastrous for Africa"""" "
By Max Walden
Posted Yesterday at 5:40am, updated Yesterday at 8:34am
The UN is expressing concern that the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region could lead to war crimes and genocide.
(Reuters: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)
As a situation described by the United Nations as a "full-scale humanitarian crisis" unfolds in Ethiopia's Tigray region, members of the community say at least 50 Australians are stuck in the conflict zone.
Key points:
* Members of the Ethiopian community in Melbourne have told the ABC at least 50 Australians are stuck in the Tigray region
* Many others are stuck in other parts of the country, with limited travel options due to COVID-19
* Both sides of the conflict have been accused of deliberately killing civilians
Australians in the Ethiopian diaspora have told the ABC they are worried about the country's continued slide into civil war .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-20/ethiopias-latest-airstrike-hits-tigray-university/12903112 .. and the wellbeing of family members not only in the affected Tigray region, but across Ethiopia, amid reports of civilians being massacred.
Making matters worse, the Ethiopian Government cut off telecommunications in the Tigray region .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-war-crime-fears-abiy-ahmed/12883090 .. in early November, meaning Australians have been unable to contact their families there.
Civilians in and around Tigray's highland capital Mekelle have been urged to "save themselves .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/ethiopian-civilians-asked-to-save-themselves-tigray-mekelle/12909212 ", and rebel forces have been given 72 hours to surrender, as government troops prepare for an offensive to take the city.
But the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which is refusing to give up its rule of the northern region, says rebel forces are digging trenches and standing firm.
"People have [lost] connections with their families now for 19 days," said Saba Alemayoh, a Tigrayan woman from Melbourne.
"We're talking about uncles, and cousins, and daughters."
The UN has warned of possible war crimes, including the mass killing of civilians, in the Tigray region.
Melbourne Tigray woman Saba Alemayoh smiles at the camera
[...]
From Nobel Peace Prize winner to alleged war criminal
Just over a year ago, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-11/nobel-peace-prize-ethiopian-pm-abiy-ahmed-wins-in-oslo/11593346 .. for ending a conflict with neighbouring Eritrea that spanned two decades.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's election in 2018 brought an end to 27 years of Tigray-dominated rule at the national level
in Ethiopia. (AP)
But now he's encouraging Ethiopians to "stand for the honour" of the country's military as it launches airstrikes on the Tigray region, with missiles fired at Eritrea's capital Asmara during the fighting.
"There were so many of us speaking out against his Nobel Peace Prize reception because we were saying 'all of this is false'," said Manal Younus, who was born in Eritrea and lives in Adelaide.
"But the world applauded him, they celebrated him,
and they made him invincible."
She told the ABC the conflict was "terrifying" for Eritreans, as "we're already part of the war … we have to expect to be attacked from Tigray".
[...]
"I declare that we Ethiopians should unite and we will do all we can to shame and destroy this force," Mr Abiy said in early November, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation Front — the ruling party in the Tigray region.
The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for 27 years until the election of Mr Abiy in 2018.
Mr Abiy recently ordered an assault on the TPLF-run regional government of Tigray after they held September elections in defiance of a national order to suspend elections due to the pandemic .. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-04/ethiopia-sends-army-into-opposition-tigray-region/12849766 .
President of the Tigray region Debretsion Gebremichael has accused Mr Abiy's Government of punishing the region for the elections.
[...]
Ethiopian refugees rest in Qadarif region, eastern Sudan. (AP: Marwan Ali)
"Restricted access and the ongoing communication blackout have left an estimated 2.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance and out of reach," Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF told reporters last week.
Ms Alemayoh said "we're not asking for any outcome that favours either party", just a stop to the bloodshed.
[...]
The UN refugee agency says 4,000 women, men and children have been fleeing into Sudan — a country already home to nearly 1 million refugees — every day since early November.
The agency is planning for a total of 200,000 people to end up there.
[...]
Members of the Ethiopian community in Australia have collected the details of some 50 Australians thought to be in the Tigray region.
They want the Federal Government to do more to ensure the safety of Australians stuck in Ethiopia.
Australian NGOs assisted Ethiopia during severe famine in the mid-1980s.
(Supplied: World Vision/Steve Reynolds)
This includes urging the Ethiopian Government to lift the telecommunications blackout in Tigray so that they are able to contact loved ones.
"We're not dual citizens. All these people are just Australian
citizens," Ms Alemayoh said.
The Federal Government last month announced eight charter flights would be repatriating some 5,000 Australians stuck in the UK, India and South Africa before March next year.
"Our families give up any kind of official connection to our home countries to be Australian," Ms Zewdie said.
"When something like this goes down, what do we need to do to be seen as Australians?"
Posted Yesterday, updated Yesterday
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/community-in-australia-responds-to-ethiopia-conflict-tigray/12907450
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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