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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Demeke Mekonnen had a telephone conversation today with James Swan, the United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

During their conversation, they exchanged information and views on the current situation in Somalia and the region in general.

James Swan briefed Demeke on the election process in Somalia, hopes and challenges, current political situation, security threats by the extremist group al-Shabab, and related concerns.

The two sides appreciated the efforts made by the Federal Government of Somalia and the Federal Member States and commended the achievements so far while stressing the need to continue dialogue and negotiation to resolve the remaining issues of differences.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement yesterday claiming that a freelance journalist named Lucy Kassa was physically attacked by unidentified men “with the clear aim of intimidating her in connection with her reporting”.

The statement also included that she “reports for several foreign media including the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera and the Norwegian monthly Bistandsaktuelt.”

The Ethiopian Broadcast Authority (EBA) requires all journalists to register and hold a press pass before reporting for foreign media. The Ethiopian Broadcast Authority does not have a Lucy Kassa on the list of legally operating correspondents. Thus, the statement issued by Reporters Without Borders is incorrect.

Their claims should have been cross checked with EBA, the public office with the mandate of handing journalist accreditation issues in Ethiopia.

While all individuals need to be free from any form of harm to their person, Reporters sans frontières / Reporters without Borders / RSF hurried conclusion without determining legal status has aided the spread of disinformation. The State of Emergency Media Task Force calls upon for the immediate correction of the claims made by the organization against the government.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen gave a briefing today (February 10) to Resident Ambassadors and Diplomats of African countries in Ethiopia regarding the current status of the humanitarian assistance process in the Tigray region and the preparations for the upcoming general elections in Ethiopia.

Along with Mr. Demeke, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia, H.E. Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Woineshet Taddesse, have also delivered briefings on the current status of the GERD negotiations and the Ethiopia-Sudan Border dispute respectively.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, about 26 International humanitarian organizations are working on the ground in Tigray by getting all the necessary access that they need to properly function, while the government has not been willing to accept questions to access the region without proper notifications, documents, and contrary to the agreement that the Ethiopian government has already consented to.

He said salary has started to be properly being paid to civil servants, financial access through banks is improving and markets in the region are gradually opening up making life in the region go back to normalcy.

Reconstruction, rehabilitation works coupled with the government plan to smooth up the post-conflict normalization process with continuous dialogues with elders, the Interim government, and political parties are going well too, he said.

Regarding the Eritrean refugees in Tigray, Mr. Demeke said, the government is trying to gather scattered refugees from the already plundered and destroyed Hitsats and Shimelba camps and relocate them to safer camps.

In his briefing about the upcoming election, the Minister recalled the resilience and shock-absorbing capacity of the Ethiopian government and its preparations to have fair, free, and democratic elections withstanding all the critical issues that it is facing today.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also touched upon the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute saying that the government of Sudan has continued its illegal moves in expanding its military base deep into Ethiopian territories, dislocating and plundering Ethiopian citizens.

Mr. Demeke urged the Ambassadors of the African countries to put all the necessary pressure on the government of Sudan to refrain from its belligerent attitude that defied international law and failed to reflect the longstanding fraternal relationship that exists between the people and governments of the two countries.

Explaining pivotal issues regarding GERD, Dr. Eng. Sileshi said the construction of the dam is going on as planned and there is no way that the filling of the dam’s reservoir in the coming July could be escaped.

He appreciated the government of South Africa and its leaders for tirelessly trying to bridge the gaps between the negotiating parties and reiterated the Ethiopian government’s unparalleled political will and commitment to give the issue a viable solution by sticking to the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization of the river basin without causing significant harm to downstream countries.

Ambassador Woinshet Tadesse, on her part, stated how the Sudanese army encroached into the Ethiopian borders while Ethiopia was deploying its military force in Tigray for the law and enforcement operation and she reiterated the Ethiopian government position to solve the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute amicably through applying existing mechanisms between the two countries.

She specifically raised the 1972 Exchange of Notes between the two countries that clearly stated the agreement between the two to keep the status quo until an amicable solution is reached to solve the dispute and she called on the Sudanese government to respect the agreement and leave the area that it has forcefully occupied by displacing Ethiopian farmers.

The ambassadors appreciated the Ethiopian government’s initiative to brief them on crucial issues of the country which will enable them to understand the matters clearly and better communicate with the leaders of their respective countries.

Permanent representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations, Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie discussed with Gilles Michaud, Under Secretary-General for Safety and Security on current developments in Tigray.

The two exchanged views on Under Secretary General’s recent visit to Ethiopia including his trip to Tigray Regional State.

Ambassador Atske Selasse commended the Under Secretary General’s approach and discussed streamlined clearance process for humanitarian staff.

More than 800 Ethiopians living in the United States yesterday held a zoom discussion on current national issues.

Participants of the discussion were drawn from all states of the US and included religious leaders, representatives of organizations, scholars, advocacy and other groups.

The discussion took place following the call made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for all Ethiopians to fights against spread of false information about their country of origin.

In a statement issued after the discussion, the participants denounced the wrong information being disseminated via social and mainstream media by supporters of TPLF groups to deceive the international community, governments, and international institutions.

They agreed to join hands to counter the disinformation being released by these groups and to provide support to rehabilitate those who were displaced from Tigray and other parts of the country.

They further denounced the wrong information being spread regarding the tripartite negotiation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and pledged to provide financial support until the completion of construction of the dam.

At the end of the discussion organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, the participants also asked Sudan to withdraw its forces from Ethiopian land.