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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has held phone conversation with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on various issues including national and regional security issues.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the conversation he held with his Canadian counterpart was productive.

“Canada has always been a strong partner of Ethiopia and we will continue to build on the existing partnership”, underlined the premier.

Executive Director of UN World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley has commended the progress of humanitarian activities in Tigray region.

The Executive Director said that he is back on the ground in Ethiopia with WFP’s team to getting updates and continuing to address everyone in need in Tigray with humanitarian support.

“Important is progress being made, but much more to do to scale up WFP’s operations”, the Executive Director said.

H.E. Mr. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has addressed the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council today via a pre-recorded video message. Mr. Demeke’s speech highlighted why the law enforcement operation in Tigray was an absolute necessity given the belligerent attitude of the TPLF clique that threatened to hijack the reforms registered under the new political administration in the country. He also emphasized that the focus of the government is now on the rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance works underway in the region. He reaffirmed the Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to take all allegations of human rights violations seriously and give proper attention to the findings of Independent institutions, such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in this regard. Please find the whole speech below.

Madam President,

Allow me at the outset to congratulate you on your election to preside over the work of the Human Rights Council. I wish to take this opportunity to express the full support and cooperation of my country to you and members of the bureau in the effective discharge of your responsibilities.

With the change and reform that opened a new chapter in our country’s political and socio-economic dispensation three years ago, Ethiopia has made significant strides but also faced complex challenges from the global pandemic to domestic political problems. We were not, of course, oblivious of the daunting challenges of managing a transition in Ethiopia with the existing longstanding and complex socio-economic and political problems. One of such challenges was the deliberate and calculated efforts aimed at derailing the reform process through multi-faceted measures, including economic sabotages, disinformation campaign, incitement of violence and ethnic strife in many parts of the country. These anti-reform acts and campaigns were spearheaded by TPLF, which had dominated Ethiopian politics with brutal force for much of the past three decades but lost its power with the reform initiatives. TPLF’s authoritarian rule, which stifled and punished political dissent, suffocated the political space in the country as well as its rampant corruption and mismanagement of resources, was the cause of the popular uprisings which forced it out of power.

Despite TPLF’s long history of abuses and corruption, the new reformist administration in Ethiopia opted for peaceful co-existence and moving forward than criminal prosecution except for grave human rights violations and grand scale corruption by some top TPLF members. Even when TPLF and its acolytes launched both covert and public campaign as well as subversive efforts to derail the reform process, the new administration patiently sought all possible avenues for a peaceful resolution of the matter, including through several interlocutors.

TPLF rebuffed all these peace gestures; instead, it publicly escalated war rhetoric and public show of force, which ultimately culminated with a sudden and brazen military attack on the northern command of Ethiopian National Defense Forces stationed in the Tigray region, killing scores of the force members, and looting the armament. TPLF’s attack against the federal forces, including mid to top level command officers was particularly heinous as unsuspecting officers were massacred along ethnic lines in their own military camps. Thousands of the force members along with some of the force commanders were also kidnapped and detained by TPLF.

Following this heinous attack on the 4th of November 2020, and seizing of large number of weapons, TPLF publicly and unashamedly boasted about its “lightning strike” against the northern command and threatened to attack major cities including the capital city Addis Ababa. Indeed, it launched some rocket strikes in nearby cities leading to further deaths and destruction.
That is why the Ethiopian government was left with no option but to take legitimate law enforcement measures to reverse the unwarranted attack by TPLF, to free kidnapped federal force members, to restore law and order, and to recover looted weaponry. These operations were completed in less than a month with all the efforts to minimize civilian casualty.

Madam President,

Our priority currently is rehabilitation of affected areas of the Tigray region, including delivering much needed humanitarian assistance, rebuilding damaged infrastructure, and resuming social services, establishing law and order, and restoring full peace and stability. On the other hand, several senior civilian and military leadership of TPLF have either been arrested or surrendered and they have been brought to a court of law. The rest of TPLF leaders and accomplices who still remain at large and launch sporadic fighting in small pockets of Tigray are given a chance to peacefully surrender. Otherwise, the federal security forces will continue to pay all the sacrifice to bring them to justice.

In the meantime, we are mobilizing all the necessary efforts to provide urgent humanitarian response to people in dire need of assistance working closely with local and international partners. Admittedly, the humanitarian response effort was fraught with many challenges. There was a complete breakdown of law and order in the region. Critical infrastructure, including airports, roads, bridges, telecom, and electric installations were damaged. TPLF opened the doors for more than ten thousand prisoners some of whom are violent criminals. This has directly contributed to rising number of criminalities, including rape, and looting in the region.
TPLF remnants have also been ambushing humanitarian convoys. Therefore, full return to stability is a work in progress but there is no doubt the situation keeps on improving allowing better movement of humanitarian operations, except for few pocket areas, where there is sporadic shooting by these remnants. Emergency humanitarian assistance is being delivered in 36 Woredas of Tigray Region at 92 food distribution centers.

So far, we have reached out to two million beneficiaries in the region and all possible effort is being made to reach out to every single person in need. Some of the senior UN officials who visited the region recently have witnessed this fact. The hostile propaganda by the TPLF supporters in the diaspora and sensationalized reporting by some media, which appears to have filled the airwaves of social media, is by no means a reflection of the reality on the ground. My government is committed to facilitating unhindered access to humanitarian assistance. We are moving with urgency to approve request for international staff movements into and within Tigray. We are also committed to facilitating access to both local and international media and the relevant government departments are working with media representatives.

Madam President,

We have not also forgotten our nationals who crossed the border to Sudan to seek refuge. Most of them fled from the border town of Humera and the surrounding areas. We believe it is now possible to facilitate the safe, voluntary, and dignified return to their homes and the support of development partners in re-establishing their lives is critical. We have already prepared four temporary sites to accommodate those returnees as well as other internally displaced persons. While many of the refugees are innocent civilians affected by the military operations, it is also important to keep in mind that some of those in the Sudan refugee camps are the perpetrators of the Mai Kadra massacre and other crimes who should be brought to justice.

Ethiopia is also host to large number of refugees, some of whom have been affected by the military operation in the Tigray region. We are committed to the safety and well-being of Eritrean refugees and we duly appreciate the concerns of the international community in this regard. I want to assure this Council that Ethiopia, as a host country to hundreds of thousands of refugees, takes its responsibility to all refugees very seriously. We are working very closely with all relevant agencies to address their needs, including the delivery of the necessary humanitarian assistance.

Madam President,

Allegations of human rights violations including sexual violence is no doubt a matter of big concern for my government. We are fully committed to undertaking the necessary investigation and ensuring full accountability of all perpetrators. I wish to remind the Council that Ethiopia now has an independent, credible, and effective national human rights institution. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has already been investigating and reporting on human rights issues, including the Mai Kadra massacre, civilian casualties, sexual violence, and allegations of discriminatory treatment.

My government takes all of its findings very seriously and we are committed to working closely with the Commission to implement its recommendations to improve the human rights situation. This Council and the human rights agencies will do well to work with the Commission and further strengthen its capacity for the promotion and protection of human rights in Ethiopia. We believe supporting the work of the Commission is the sustainable way towards a credible, transparent, independent, and impartial investigation of all allegations of violations by all parties.

Finally, Madam President, despite the complicated challenges and the aforementioned setbacks, hopes remain high of our reform agenda and we are determined to pursue it with all the necessary vigor and commitment. We will continue to work tirelessly to fulfill the promise of a democratic and pluralistic political order based on the rule of law, respect for human rights for all. Let me conclude by thanking you for all your support so far and calling for your continued support and understanding as we strive to build a peaceful, democratic, inclusive, pluralist, and prosperous Ethiopia.

I thank you. 

The Spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia , H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, has presented the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing today (February 23) focusing on political diplomacy, the current situations in Tigray, the Ethiopia-Sudan border issue, including major activities related to Economic Diplomacy, citizen-centered diplomacy and activities in capacity building. Please find the summary report below:

I. Political Diplomacy

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, paid an official visit to India from 17-19 February 2021. The Deputy Premier held bilateral talks with the External Affairs Minister of India, h.E. Dr. S. Jaishankar during his visit. He has inaugurated the newly built Ethiopian embassy and residence building and participated in a business forum that aimed to strengthen relations between the two countries. The visit was accompanied by the signing of visa waver agreement for diplomatic passport holders and a Memorandum of Understanding between educational two institutions.

H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Turkey had a discussion last week in Ankara on ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. On the occasion, Mr. Demeke appreciated the all-weather friendship of Turkey and Ethiopia and called on to expedite the growth momentum of the Ethio-Turkish cooperation and strategic partnership. The two senior officials had participated in an inauguration ceremony of the newly built Ethiopian embassy and residence building in Ankara.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen had a phone conversation on February 11 with State Councillor & Minister of Foreign Affairs of China H.E. Mr. Wang Yi about current humanitarian supports in the Tigray region, cooperation against the COVID19 pandemic, the negotiations over the GERD and the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Demeke Mekonnen received at his office on February 10 the #EU Envoy and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, H.E. Pekka Haavisto. At the meeting, Mr. Demeke briefed the Envoy on the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the Tigray region. Mr. Pekka Haavisto, following his visits in Ethiopia said (on his twitter page) that he has spent two intensive days in Ethiopia, held substantive meetings with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, President Sahle Work and and other key ministers mainly on the issue of humanitarian access to Tigray. He said, International humanitarian organizations are doing good work.

State Minister H.E. Ambassador Redwan Hussein had a meeting with resident Asian Ambassadors on the pertinent issues of national and regional significance. In the meeting, border issues, GERD and Current affairs are covered. Regarding the humanitarian support in Tigray, he said, all the assistance coming from partners is less than 1/3 of what is required. What the Ambassador underlined was that “real partners” should help the government take care of its citizens providing all the necessary support rather than being taken away by disinformation and other negative campaigns that add nothing to lessen the suffering of affected people.

Ethiopia and Israel held a fruitful and productive political consultation virtually on February 15, 2021, reaching a common understanding to intensify their long-standing and historical relations in bilateral, regional, and multilateral fields. The Political Consultation was held on a special occasion to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of the opening of the Ethiopian Embassy in Israel with the spirit of the 3000 years of historical friendship and partnership.

H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti gave a briefing last week to South Sudan based local and international media outlets regarding the GERD negotiations, the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute and the humanitarian assistance efforts underway in Tigray.

II. Situations in Tigray

Humanitarian Support

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• Over the past three months, 75 members of international organizations who have applied for access to the Tigray Regional State have been granted access to support the humanitarian and rehabilitation process.

• Emergency humanitarian assistance is underway in 36 Woredas of Tigray Region at 92 food distribution points.

• 70% of food items covered by the Ethiopian government and 30% by development partners and NGOs.

• So far we have reached out to 2,007,000 beneficiaries in the region.

• Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali and the regional presidents and city administrators launched a solidarity initiative for the Tigray Regional Provisional Administration and the people of the region. The solidarity initiative aims at mobilising the contribution of regions and federal institutions as well as other stakeholders in supporting humanitarian efforts underway.

• Ethiopian Red Cross has refuted AFP’s misquoted report issuing a statement that said, “the President was not referring to geographical location. He was rather expressing lack of capacity and shortage of resources we are currently encountering. The fact that we have so far reached close to 400, 000 beneficiaries in Tigray, even less than 20% of the total beneficiaries in need of assistance is what our president alluded to…”

Power Supply

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• One of the two Electricity power lines in the Tigray region (i.e., Alamata-Mehoni-Mekelle power line) was cut off by members of the TPLF clique in the Adigudom area. The line had been badly damaged in the past, and it took a long time to repair. The other power line in the region (the Tekeze-Axum line) is under construction. Ethiopian Electric Power is working to rehabilitate the damaged infrastructure. The clique has shown to the world, once again, that it has a complete disregard to the wellbeing of the people of Tigray.

Continued Allegations

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• There are various allegedly committed atrocities and crimes in Tigray (such as the killings of many people in Axum, sexual violence against women, denial of access to the region, the presence of Eritrean troops and many other).

• Although the Government of Ethiopia has officially refuted the claims of using ‘hunger as weapon,’ it also understands that rape, plunder, callous and intentional mass killings, as observed and verified in Mikadra, and every other imaginable crime could have happened in Tigray where many are illegally armed, the legal and administrative structure compromised and 13000 prisoners are intentionally released.

• The government of Ethiopia has been diligent to end the impunity in Tigray achieving notable results so far. Any serious offense committed against the rights of citizens, including refugees in the region will be investigated and perpetrators will be brought to justice. To this end, the Interim government in Tigray, the Federal Police and the Attorney General will independently investigate any allegedly committed crime.

III. Ethiopia-Sudan Border

• We have issued a statement on Thursday (February 18) condemning the “provocative behavior”, of the Sudan on the joint border adding that it will cause damage to the two countries. We have stated that the Ethiopian government strongly believes that the conflict being trumpeted by the Sudanese government’s military wing could only serve the interests of a third party at the expense of the Sudanese people.

• Our standing has always been consistent, the Sudanese army has to withdraw from our land, then we will start to negotiate and solve the issue through existing mechanisms.

IV. Economic Diplomacy

• Coordinated by our embassy in Djibouti, a delegation comprised of more than 21 people from Djibouti Tourism, Tour Operators’ Association, and Hotel Owners as well as scores of Ethiopian have had a three-day business forum in Addis Ababa. It was aimed at reviving intraregional tourism at the time where COVID-19 has depressingly affected the sector.

V. Citizen-centered Diplomacy

• 1669 citizens were repatriated from Jidda and Riyadh from February 8-22.

VI. Capacity Building

• The Ethiopian Foreign Service Training Institute has organized and gave a two-week long diplomatic training for newly appointed Ambassadors and deputies. The training covered topics, among others, Diplomacy and International relations, international conventions, Ethiopian Foreign Policy, political, economic, and public diplomacy, including digital diplomacy.