The AU Peace and Security Council has convened an emergency session in Ethiopia under the title, ‘update on the situation in Northern Ethiopia,’ as the national defence force called on former army officers to register and “contribute with their knowledge and experiences in order to thwart the ongoing assault”.
Tigray forces are advancing towards Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, as the humanitarian crises escalates, while the UN has offered help by starting a dialogue with Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, who earlier declared a state of emergency.
On November 9, 2021, thousands of demonstrators flocked to a pro-government rally on Meskel Square, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa’s main gathering place.
U.S. Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman travelled to Addis Ababa in response to “the continued escalation of armed conflict and civil unrest in Amhara, Afar and Tigray regions of Ethiopia”, the State Department said.
But calls for a national dialogue as a way out of the crisis are not gaining traction. Murithi Mutiga of the International Crisis Group, says both sides have decided that they can settle the conflict militarily. Tigrayan forces have gained strength while the federal has stepped up its war rhetoric.
Update by African Union Peace and Security Council
The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) convened an emergency session today, November 9. During the session, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) called for “the immediate cessation of hostilities, the full respect for the life and property of civilians, as well as state infrastructure.” The statement additionally called on the parties to urge their supporters against acts of reprisal against any community, and refrain from hate speech and incitement to violence and divisiveness.
It further reminded them of their obligations regarding compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law, with particular regard to the protection of civilians and ensuring access to humanitarian assistance by communities in need. The statement called on the parties to engage with the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President H.E Olusegun Obasanjo.
Civilians asked to take up arms
In another worrying development, government officials in several Ethiopian regions have recently called on civilians to take up arms to repel the ongoing Tigray People’s Liberation Front offensive. In the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, government officials asked civilians to organise themselves to safeguard their surroundings, and to register arms or hand them to neighbours if they are unable to use them themselves. Similar calls have been made by the Amhara, Oromia and Somali regional governments.
This call to arms puts people’s rights and lives at risk by encouraging the formation of untrained and unaccountable militias. Such groups have already committed war crimes in this conflict – including unlawful killings, rape and other sexual violence targeting people on the basis of their ethnicity.
It can be recalled that Kenya also issued a statement appealing to the parties on the urgent need to bring an end of the conflict in Ethiopia. On Friday 5th November, the UN Security Council held a meeting on the situation and issued a statement, expressing deep concern about the intensification and expansion of military clashes and the impact of the conflict on the humanitarian situation, stability of the country and the region.
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