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☆ France's Macron calls for talks to end conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com sentiment -0.97 time to read: +1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his statement at the end of the 5th France-Oceania Summit, held via video-conference, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 19, 2021. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERSPARIS, July 31 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron called for the opening of talks to end hostilities in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Saturday. The statement came after calls Macron held earlier in the day with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Sudanese counterpart Abdalla Hamdok. Macron also said all restrictions should be lifted to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid in Tigray, where thousands of children could suffer life-threatening malnutrition, according to the United Nations children's agency. read moreReporting by Mathieu Rosemain Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Yoan, Macron, Abiy Ahmed, Abdalla, Mathieu Rosemain, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Oceania, REUTERS, Ethiopian, United Nations, Thomson Locations: France, Paris, REUTERS PARIS, Ethiopia's, Tigray

☆ More than 100,000 children in Tigray at risk of death from malnutrition - UNICEF
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-30 | by ( Stephanie Nebehay | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

An Ethiopian refugee fleeing from the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her new born baby's foot at the Um-Rakoba camp, on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in the Al-Qadarif state, Sudan November 23, 2020. "UNICEF estimates that over 100,000 children in Tigray could suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition in the next 12 months – a tenfold increase compared to the average annual caseload," she said. Spokespeople for the prime minister and a government task for Tigray did not immediately respond to requests for comment on UNICEF's estimates. Fighting began between the Ethiopian central government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) last November. Children, women and other civilians bear the scars of the conflict and trauma endured, Mercado said.

Persons: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Marixie Mercado, Abiy Ahmed's, Billene Seyoum, Mercado, Tomson Phiri, Jens Laerke, Maggie Fick, Alison Williams, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, UNICEF, Children's Fund, Fighting, Ethiopian, Programme, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Sudan, Ethiopia, GENEVA, Geneva, Mekelle, Semera, U.N, Nairobi

☆ U.S. aid chief to travel to Ethiopia in diplomatic push on Tigray
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-29 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - Washington is sending USAID Administrator Samantha Power to Ethiopia this week while warning of punitive measures if aid is unable to reach the Tigray region, where hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be experiencing famine. Power is due to meet Ethiopia's national security adviser and hopes to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a senior USAID official said. Washington hopes she will secure unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray. Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June when the TPLF retook Mekelle. "All statements by Federal and Regional Government refer to the criminal enterprise that is TPLF and not the people of Tigray," a government-run Twitter account focused on Tigray tweeted this week.

Persons: Samantha Power, Jose Cabezas, Joe Biden's, Abiy Ahmed, Washington, Biden, Daphne Psaledakis, Mary Milliken, Howard Goller Organizations: United States Agency for International Development, Central American University, San Salvador , El, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, USAID, Ethiopian, Mekelle, Federal, Regional Government, Thomson Locations: El Salvador, San Salvador ,, San Salvador , El Salvador, Washington, Ethiopia, Tigray, Sudan, Mekelle, Addis Ababa

President of the Somali Region Mustafa Muhumed Omer attends a Reuters interview in Jijiga, Ethiopia January 14, 2020. Somali region President Mustafa Muhumed Omer said the road and rail had been blocked by local youth protesting against an attack on Saturday. "We are working to open the Djibouti rail and road today," Mustafa, the Somali region President, told Reuters in a text message. The most deadly violence, however, has emanated from the Tigray region. Getachew Reda, spokesperson for the TPLF, told Reuters on Wednesday its fighters were near Debark, about 102 km (63 miles) north of Gondar, one of Amhara's largest cities.

Persons: Somali Region Mustafa Muhumed Omer, Giulia Paravicini, Mustafa Muhumed Omer, Mustafa, Abiy Ahmed, Getachew Reda, Bahir Dar, Gizachew Muluneh, Maggie Fick, Dawit Endeshaw, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Reuters, Djibouti, Wednesday, Kobo, Abiy, Ethiopian, Thomson Locations: Somali Region, Jijiga, Ethiopia, NAIROBI, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Somali, Afar, Horn of Africa, Tigray, Debark, Gondar, Amhara, Bahir, Olbia, Italy, Nairobi

On the other side, Colonel Hussein Mohamed said he commanded 3,700 soldiers from the army's 11th division at Sheweate Hugum. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts of the fighting at Sheweate Hugum. Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June and declared a unilateral ceasefire on what the government said were humanitarian grounds when the TPLF retook Mekelle. Tesfay Gebregziabher, logistics coordinator for around 6,000 Tigrayan fighters who he said fought at Sheweate Hugum, said he saw around 350 Ethiopian soldiers retreat into the village school during the fighting. In the two-room schoolhouse in Sheweate Hugum, Reuters saw more than two dozen bodies in Ethiopian military uniforms, including women, lying among upturned desks and charred books.

Persons: Giulia Paravicini, SHEWEATE HUGUM, Addis Ababa, Sheweate Hugum, Fighting, Debretsion Gebremichael, Hussein Mohamed, Hussein, Spokespeople, Hugum, Mekelle, Tiebei Negash, Ahmed Abiy's, Tesfay, Maggie Fick, Katharine Houreld, Mike Collett Organizations: REUTERS, Ethiopian, Sheweate, Reuters, Mekelle, White, Thomson Locations: Abiy Addi, Ethiopia, Sheweate, Tigray, Mekelle, Addis, Sheweate Hugum, Nairobi

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoNAIROBI/ADDIS ABABA, July 26 (Reuters) - Residents of Ethiopia's Amhara region said on Monday some young men were responding to a weekend call to arms by their president, as Amhara's government denied that forces from neighbouring Tigray had advanced further into the region. On Sunday Agegnehu Teshager, president of the Amhara regional government, had called on "all young people" to take up arms against TPLF fighters, who say they are advancing deeper south into Amhara territory. "All those areas you mentioned are under the control of our army, Amhara special forces and the militia," said Gizachew. Western Tigray is currently controlled by Amhara forces, who say the land rightfully belongs to them.

Persons: Stringer, Teshager, Getachew Reda, Getachew, Adi Arkay, Gizachew Muluneh, Abiy Ahmed, we'll, Mai Tsebri, Dawit Endeshaw, Maggie Fick, Alex Richardson Organizations: Ethiopia's National Defense Force, Tigray Special Forces, REUTERS, Amhara, TPLF, Reuters, Ethiopian, Mekelle, Ethiopia's, Fano, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Humera, Ethiopia, NAIROBI, ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia's Amhara, Debark, Zarima, Amhara, Mekelle, Afar, Ethiopia's, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Gondar, Chew Ber, Nairobi

ADDIS ABABA, July 22 (Reuters) - Attacks from Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia's Afar region have forced more than 54,000 people from their homes, an official said on Thursday, as the eight-month-old conflict appeared to be spreading beyond Tigray in the north. Tigrayan fighters seized control of three districts in Afar this week, according to Afar regional spokesperson Ahmed Koloyta. Ahmed quoted some of the displaced people as saying Tigrayan fighters had burned houses, looted properties and killed civilians. Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigrayan forces, did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the accusations. Since then, Ethiopia's other nine regions announced they were sending forces to support the military against Tigrayan fighters.

Persons: Ahmed Koloyta, Ahmed, Getachew Reda, Debretsion Gebremichael, Abiy Ahmed, Alexi Mohamed, Dawit Endeshaw, Giulia Paravicini, Maggie Fick, Mike Collett Organizations: Reuters, Tigrayan, Getachew, Sunday, United, Food, White, Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia's Afar, Tigray, Afar, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's, Djibouti, Amhara, Mekelle, Tigray's, United Nations, Olbia, Italy, Nairobi

OLBIA, Italy July 17 (Reuters) - Forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region have released around 1,000 government soldiers captured during recent fighting, the head of its ruling party said, as both sides prepared for a showdown over contested land in the west of the region. Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters by satellite phone late on Friday that they have released 1,000 low-ranking soldiers. "More than 5,000 (soldiers) are still with us, and we will keep the senior officers who will face trial," he said. He said the soldiers had been driven to Tigray's southern border with the Amhara region on Friday, but did not say who received them or how the release was negotiated. On Friday, Ethiopia's foreign ministry issued a statement accusing aid groups of arming rebels.

Persons: Gebremichael, Abiy, Fighting, OCHA, Giulia Paravicini, George Obulutsa, Katharine Houreld, Frances Kerry Organizations: Forces, Reuters, Mekelle, The United, Tiksa Negeri, Thomson Locations: OLBIA, Italy, Ethiopia's, Tigray, Amhara, Mekelle, The United Nations, Olbia, Nairobi

☆ Three more regions reinforce Ethiopia army, Amhara against Tigray forces
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-16 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

A fourth region, Amhara, has already been locked in conflict with Tigray since the war erupted in November. Both Amhara and Tigray claim the fertile fields of western and southern Tigray. In the past week, Tigrayan forces have retaken much of the south, but the west is heavily militarised. "We have already deployed our special forces and they will join ENDF. It is the ENDF that is in charge where the special forces will be deployed," said Oromiya Region spokesperson Getachew Balcha.

Persons: Getachew Balcha, Abiy Ahmed, George Obulutsa, Alex Richardson Organizations: Southern Nations Nationalities, Peoples, Ethiopian National Defence Force, ENDF, Reuters, The Southern Nations Nationalities, Amhara Media Corporation, Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Tigray, Oromiya, Peoples ' Region, Amhara, Western Tigray, Peoples ', Debre Markos, Ethiopia, Mekelle

☆ Ethiopian regulator suspends Addis Standard news website
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-15 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +2 min

ADDIS ABABA, July 15 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's media regulator said it had suspended the news website The Addis Standard on Thursday and accused it of advancing the agenda of a terrorist group. The Addis Standard website - which has regularly criticised the government - was still visible in Ethiopia on Thursday, but its most recent stories were a day old. "The temporary suspension followed complaints and alarming trends in EMA’s (The Ethiopia Media Authority's) monitoring findings," the regulator said in an online statement. The Addis Standard's publisher, JAKENN Publishing, said on Twitter it was "deeply disturbed" by the regulator's decision to suspend its media licence. The Commission said federal police had told it that three of the journalists had since been released.

Persons: Abiy Ahmed, Abiy, Addis, Omar Mohammed, George Obulutsa, Katharine Houreld, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Addis, Ethiopia Media, Media, JAKENN, Twitter, Reuters, Ethiopian Human Rights, Awlo Media, Ethio, YouTube, Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Tigray, WhatsApp, Nairobi

☆ Ethiopia's Amhara region vows to go on offensive as new phase of civil war looms
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-14 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

Members of Amhara Special Forces stand guard along a street in Humera town, Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/StringerADDIS ABABA, July 14 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Amhara region said on Wednesday it will go on the offensive against forces from the neighbouring Tigray region, as advancing Tigrayans bear down on Amhara-held territory, potentially opening a major new phase in Ethiopia's civil war. A spokesman for the Amhara regional government said the authorities there were rallying their own forces for a counter-attack against Tigrayans. "The regional government has now transitioned from defensive to an offensive," Amhara spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh was quoted as saying by the region's state-run Amhara Media Corporation. On Tuesday the National Movement of Amhara, a major regional political party, called on irregular volunteer militia - known as Fano - to mobilise.

Persons: Stringer ADDIS, Abiy Ahmed, Abiy, Gizachew Muluneh, Tigrayans, Mai Tsebri, Getachew Reda, Dawit Endeshaw, Katharine Houreld, George Obulutsa Organizations: Amhara Special Forces, REUTERS, Amhara, Tigrayans, Amhara Media Corporation, National Movement of Amhara, Alamata, Reuters, UN, Food Programme, Ethiopian, WFP, Thomson Locations: Humera town, Ethiopia, Stringer ADDIS ABABA, Tigray, Amhara, Fano, Western Tigray, Mekelle, Nairobi

☆ Ethiopia conflict heats up as Amhara region vows to attack Tigray forces
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-14 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +5 min

A spokesman for the Amhara regional government also said the authorities there were rallying their own forces for a counter-attack against Tigrayan forces. "The regional government has now transitioned from defensive to offensive," Amhara spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh was quoted as saying by the region's state-run Amhara Media Corporation. "Amhara militia and special forces have been systematically trying to defend but now our patience has run out and as of today we have opened an offensive attack." On Tuesday the National Movement of Amhara, a major regional political party, called on irregular volunteer militia - known as Fano - to mobilise. One refugee from Adi Harush camp told Reuters Tigrayan militia were searching refugees' homes and confiscating cell phones.

Persons: Abiy Ahmed, Abiy, Gizachew Muluneh, Tigrayans, Mai Tsebri, Getachew Reda, Getachew, Adi Harush, TPLF's Getachew, Tesfahun Gobezay, Dawit Endeshaw, Katharine Houreld, George Obulutsa, Toby Chopra, Sonya Hepinstall Organizations: Tigrayan, Amhara, Amhara Media Corporation, National Movement of Amhara, Alamata, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Tigray, Amhara, Fano, Western Tigray, Mekelle, Ethiopia, Mai, Adi, Nairobi

☆ Tigray rebels say they capture main town, push south and west
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com sentiment -1.00 time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, July 13 (Reuters) - Rebels in Ethiopia's Tigray region said on Tuesday they had recaptured a main town from rival forces and were pushing to take back more territory. War broke out last November between Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and Ethiopian federal forces. But some parts in the west and south are also claimed by neighbouring Amhara region, which has sent fighters to the contested areas. "The Amhara forces were routed in the highlands north of Alamata and to the east of Alamata as well as the federal forces. But neighbouring Amhara region claims the land and its forces, along with Ethiopian troops and allies from neighbouring Eritrea, are stationed in the territory.

Persons: Mekelle, Getachew Reda, Getnet Adane, Getachew, Mai Tsebri, Abiy Ahmed, Maggie Fick, Emma Thomasson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, Ethiopian, United Nations, Food, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Ethiopia's Tigray, Tigray's, Tigray, Mekelle, Amhara, Alamata, Mai, Eritrea

Troops in Eritrean uniforms are seen on top of a truck near the town of Adigrat, Ethiopia, March 14, 2021. The push sparked calls from Amhara politicians for irregular militias to mobilise and arm themselves. The war pits Tigrayan forces - both formal and irregular - against the Ethiopian military and its allies from Amhara and the neighbouring nation of Eritrea. The aid worker, citing information received from colleagues there, said locals greeted Tigrayan forces with songs, cheers, and celebratory gunfire. The fighting started overnight, two refugees living in a camp adjacent to the town told Reuters, saying gunfire began around 1 a.m. and continued intermittently for about 14 hours.

Persons: Baz Ratner, Abiy Ahmed, Mai Tsebri, Tigrayan, Abiy, TPLF, Lotte Knudsen, Mahlet Hailu, Dawit Endeshaw, Emma Farge, Stephanie Nebehay, Omar Mohammed, Katharine Houreld, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Forces, National Movement of Amhara, Ethiopian, Donors, Reuters, Eritrean, EU, United Nations, Human Rights, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Thomson Locations: Adigrat, Ethiopia, Baz Ratner NAIROBI, Ethiopia's Tigray, Amhara, Africa's, Tigray, Tigray's, Eritrea, Mai, Ethiopia's, Mekelle, Geneva, Addis Ababa, Nairobi

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/StringerADDIS ABABA, July 12 (Reuters) - Forces from Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray said on Monday they were pushing south and had recaptured a town from government forces, underscoring their determination to keep fighting until the region's pre-war borders are restored. Conflict erupted in Tigray eight months ago between central government forces and the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Getachew, the TPLF spokesperson, said the group wants its pre-war borders restored and transport links open to allow people and humanitarian aid to move. read moreOn Monday, the United Nations' World Food Programme said that the first humanitarian convoy to enter the Tigray region in two weeks had reached Mekelle.

Persons: Stringer ADDIS, Getachew Reda, Getnet Adane, Abiy Ahmed, Getachew, Mekelle, Dawit Endeshaw, Maggie Fick Organizations: Ethiopia's National Defense Force, Tigray Special Forces, REUTERS, Forces, Reuters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopian, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Humera, Ethiopia, Stringer ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia's, Mekelle, Amhara, Alamata, Korem, Addis Ababa, Nairobi

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/StringerADDIS ABABA, July 12 (Reuters) - Forces from Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray said on Monday they were pushing south and had recaptured a town from government forces, underscoring their determination to keep fighting until the region's pre-war borders are restored. Conflict erupted in Tigray eight months ago between central government forces and the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Getachew, the TPLF spokesperson, said the group wants its pre-war borders restored and transport links open to allow people and humanitarian aid to move. read moreOn Monday, the United Nations' World Food Programme said that the first humanitarian convoy to enter the Tigray region in two weeks had reached Mekelle.

☆ How Local Guerrilla Fighters Routed Ethiopia’s Powerful Army
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-11 | by ( Declan Walsh | Finbarr O Reilly | ) www.nytimes.com + 0.79 time to read: +1 min

A scrappy force of local Tigrayan recruits scored a cascade of battlefield victories against the Ethiopian military, one of Africa’s strongest. Times journalists witnessed the decisive week in an eight-month civil war. SAMRE, Ethiopia — The Tigrayan fighters whooped, whistled and pointed excitedly to a puff of smoke in the sky, where an Ethiopian military cargo plane trundling over the village minutes earlier had been struck by a missile. For the Tigrayan fighters, it was a sign. A Tigrayan guerrilla army had been fighting to drive out the Ethiopian military for eight months in a civil war marked by atrocities and starvation.

Persons: we’re, ”, Azeb Desalgne, Abiy Ahmed Organizations: Ethiopian, . Times, AK Locations: SAMRE, Ethiopia, Tigray

☆ Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed wins election in landslide amid Tigray conflict and voting fraud concerns
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-11 | by ( Mia Alberti | ) edition.cnn.com sentiment -0.97 time to read: +1 min

(CNN) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling Prosperity Party (PP) overwhelmingly won general elections Saturday, meaning he will stay in power another term, according to CNN affiliate Nation Media Group. Abiy's party is expected take more than 410 of the 546 parliamentary seats in the first round of the contest, Ethiopia's sixth national election. Abiy, 44, took office in April 2018 following the resignation of his predecessor, becoming the first Oromo person to lead the country. Although he was a recipient of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, his administration has garnered negative criticism during the past year for delaying elections twice and its military action in the Tigray region, where thousands of civilians are believed to have been killedJUST WATCHED New video of Ethiopia massacre shows soldiers documenting executions Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH New video of Ethiopia massacre shows soldiers documenting executions 05:33Opposition movements have raised concerns about the integrity of the June 21 ballot, Ethiopia's first multi-party election in 16 years, albeit one riven with conflict, jailed opposition figures and parts of the country unable to vote.

Persons: Abiy Ahmed's, Abiy, Ethiopia's, Read Organizations: CNN, Ethiopian, Prosperity Party, Nation Media Group Locations: Tigray, Ethiopia

☆ Ethiopia PM Abiy's party wins landslide victory in parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com + 0.98 time to read: +1 min

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attends his last campaign event ahead of Ethiopia's parliamentary and regional elections scheduled for June 21, in Jimma, Ethiopia, June 16, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, July 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party won the most seats in Ethiopia's parliamentary election, the election board said on Saturday, a victory that assures him another term in office. Abiy's party won 410 of 436 parliamentary seats, election board deputy chairperson Woubshet Ayele told a news conference in the capital Addis Ababa. Abiy hailed the June 21 vote as the country's first free and fair election after decades of repressive rule. However, an opposition boycott, war, ethnic violence and logistical challenges overshadowed the election in some areas.

Persons: Abiy Ahmed, Abiy, Woubshet Ayele, Berhanu Nega, Dawit Endeshaw, Maggie Fick, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Ethiopian, REUTERS, Tiksa, Prosperity Party, Ethiopian Citizens, Social Justice, Nationalities, Thomson Locations: Jimma, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Addis Ababa, Amhara, Southern Nations

☆ Ethiopia says aid flights to Tigray allowed, but none appears to have taken off
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

A woman carries an infant as she queues in line for food, at the Tsehaye primary school, which was turned into a temporary shelter for people displaced by conflict, in the town of Shire, Tigray region, Ethiopia, March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Baz RatnerADDIS ABABA, July 7 (Reuters) - Ethiopia said on Wednesday that it had allowed humanitarian flights to its northern Tigray region this week, amid concerns that aid is not reaching people facing famine, but the civil aviation head said no such flights had yet left the capital. "Since Monday July 5, 2021, the Federal government has granted flight permission for all interested parties to provide humanitarian services in Tigray region," authorities said on Twitter. But Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw, director-general of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, said no such flights had taken off from Addis Ababa this week. read moreAlso on Friday, the government denied blocking humanitarian aid to Tigray and said it was rebuilding infrastructure amid accusations it is using hunger as a weapon.

Persons: Baz Ratner ADDIS, Abiy Ahmed's, Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw, Mekelle, Dawit Endeshaw, Omar Mohammed, Maggie Fick, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Federal, Twitter, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, The United Nations, Thomson Locations: Shire, Tigray, Ethiopia, Baz Ratner ADDIS ABABA, Mekelle, Addis Ababa

☆ Tigray rebel chief calls for political solution to conflict in Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-06 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/StringerNAIROBI, July 6 (Reuters) - The commander of rebel forces in Tigray on Tuesday called for a negotiated ceasefire with the Ethiopian government and a political solution to the conflict in the northern region, saying the government could not win the war. "We are restraining ourselves for a realistic political solution to the whole problem. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's spokesperson and the head of the government task force on Tigray did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Aid has not been to enter Tigray since Mekelle fell but the government denies it has prevented shipments.

Persons: Stringer, Tsadkan, Abiy Ahmed's, TPLF, Abiy, Getnet Adene, Maggie Fick, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Ethiopia's National Defense Force, Tigray Special Forces, REUTERS, Ethiopian, Reuters, Communist, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Humera, Ethiopia, Stringer NAIROBI, Mekelle, Eritrea, Amhara, Addis Ababa

☆ Blinken calls for negotiated, indefinite ceasefire in call with Ethiopia's Abiy
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com sentiment -0.68 time to read: 1 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on the release of the 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report at the State Department in Washington, U.S., July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/PoolWASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday stressed the need for all parties to commit to an immediate, indefinite, negotiated ceasefire, the State Department said. Blinken also urged Abiy to commit to steps outlined by the United Nations Security Council last week, including the withdrawal of both Eritrean and Amhara forces from Ethiopia's Tigray region, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Ken Cedeno, Abiy Ahmed, Blinken, Abiy, Ned Price, Daphne Psaledakis, Tim Ahmann Organizations: State Department, REUTERS, Ethiopian, United Nations Security, State, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Pool WASHINGTON, Amhara, Ethiopia's Tigray

☆ Ethiopia's Tigray demands troop withdrawals for ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com + 0.00 time to read: +2 min

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia's National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, July 4 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Tigray region wants a full withdrawal of troops from Eritrea and the neighbouring state of Amhara before it can engage in any talks with the federal government about a ceasefire, it said in a statement on Sunday. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional authority driven out last year by Ethiopian forces and troops from neighbouring Eritrea, returned to the region's capital Mekelle on Monday to cheering crowds. "Invading forces from Amhara and Eritrea must withdraw from Tigray and return to their pre-war territories," the statement said. His government has been battling the TPLF since late last year after accusing it of attacking military bases in Tigray.

Persons: Stringer, Abiy, Getachew Reda, Getachew, Duncan Miriri, David Clarke Organizations: Ethiopia's National Defense Force, Tigray Special Forces, REUTERS, Ethiopian, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Humera, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Eritrea, Amhara, Mekelle, United

Members of Amhara special forces stand guard on the Tekeze river bridge near Ethiopia-Eritrean border near the town of Humera, Ethiopia July 1, 2021. Eritrea and the Amhara region sent troops into Tigray to support the army in the first days of the war. Amhara officials say they have taken back a swathe of territory, equal to about a quarter of Tigray, that was historically theirs and have no intention of leaving. Residents and humanitarian officials pointed the finger at the military or Amhara forces. On Thursday, Humera was teeming with Ethiopian soldiers, Amhara regional police and local militiamen, who sat under trees in outdoor coffee shops, their rifles within arms' reach.

Persons: Stringer, Abiy Ahmed, Reuters couldn't, Getachew Reda, Getnet, Billene Seyoum, Abiy, Murithi Mutiga, Amare Goshu, Humera, Zewdu, Katharine Houreld, Giulia Paravicini, Maggie Fick, Dawit Endeshaw, Alexandra Zavis, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Forces, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Reuters, UN, Crisis, United Nations, Food, Eritrean, Prosperity Party, Amhara, Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Eritrean, Humera, Tigray, Government, NAIROBI, Mekelle, Adigrat, Addis Ababa, Eritrea, Ethiopian, Amhara, churchyards, Horn of, Shire, Amare, Nairobi

People cheer as they say Eritrean forces have left the northern town of Shire in Ethiopia's Tigray region, June 29, 2021 in this in this still image taken from video obtained by REUTERS. The former rulers of Ethiopia's Tigray region, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), said on Monday they were back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting, and the government declared a unilateral ceasefire. There were similar scenes in Shire in northern Tigray on Wednesday, after Eritrean troops had left, residents said. With electricity and phone and internet lines cut to the region, aid agencies are severely limited in their ability to access people in dire need of food and other services. “We are preparing for resumption of aid,” Abu Salah said, noting that 5.2 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in Tigray.

Persons: Mekelle, Dina Mufti, Hayat Abu Salah, Abu Salah, ” Abu Salah, Abiy Ahmed, Abiy, Dawit Endeshaw, Maggie Fick, Nick Macfie, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Foreign Ministry, United Nations, U.S . Agency for International Development, Humanitarian Affairs, Electricity, UNICEF, Ethiopian, birr, Thomson Locations: Shire, Ethiopia's Tigray, ADDIS ABABA, Tigray, Mekelle, Axum, Adwa, “, Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa, Addis Ababa, Nairobi

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