Peace negotiations (per 24 March)
- Ethiopia dropped its draft motion to end the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) in the UN Human Rights Council’s 52nd session with the understanding that Western countries will not seek to renew the mandate after it expires, two sources told Reuters.
- ICHREE’s mandate is set to expire in half a year. If submitted, Ethiopia’s motion would have called to end the mandate six months early.
- ICHREE has already found reasonable grounds for war crimes committed in Tigray.
- ICHREE is still investigating and is currently the only independent probe into crimes committed in Tigray. It is also investigating serious violations committed after the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) Agreement.
- Getachew Reda, President of the Interim Administration of Tigray, gave his first televised address to the people of the region.
- He said “the sacrifices paid by the people for their survival have enabled us to reach where we are”.
- He stated that one of the core missions of the interim administration is ensuring peace and security for the people of Tigray and for the restoration of the “constitutional sovereign territories of Tigray”.
- He promised that his government will give special attention to solving the problems of families of martyrs and disabled fighters.
- He also stated that the interim government will work to repatriate internally displaced people to their home bases.
- He said “the crimes against the people of Tigray are continuing” and he called for the federal government and international community to address it with due attention.
- He also called on the Amhara forces to refrain from activities that oppose the CoH Agreement and he also called on the troops of Eritrea to withdraw from Tigray.
Situation in Tigray (per 24 March)
Situation in Ethiopia (per 24 March)
- Two Ethiopian opposition parties, Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (also known as EzEMA) and National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) reportedly agreed to take joint positions and meetings on national issues, says Addis Standard citing their separate statements.
- The parties denounced the removal of the TPLF from the list of terrorist organisations. EzEMA said this was “not timely and will not bring lasting peace and acceptance of TPLF to the entire Ethiopian people.”
- NaMA said the decision will lead to “another round of conflict and war in the foreseeable future.”
- The Federal government of Ethiopia and the Netherlands launched a water management initiative to improve water management for over 10 million people in the area of Addis Ababa.
- The initiative aims to decrease water loss, increase water quality, and improve access to water by using digital technology.
Regional Situation (per 24 March)
- About 6.5 million people are facing food insecurity in Somalia. At least 300,000 people fall under “catastrophe levels”, the most severe levels defined by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, and 2.2 million people are estimated to be at emergency levels, reports the World Health Organization.
- Between July 2022 and June 2023, an estimated 1.8 million children under the age of 5 are expected to experience wasting (weight too low for their height), of which 513.000 are likely to be severely wasted.
- Of the children in Somalia, 54.5% are reportedly facing a state of acute malnutrition.
- 90% of Somalia is experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions.
- An operation by Somali regional forces in Jubaland led to the death of 5 al-Shabaab militants and left several injured.
- Sudan has become one of the largest hosts of refugees in Africa receiving migrants from countries including Eritrea, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Chad, as well as Syria and Yemen, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
- While some of the refugees live in the total of 24 refugee camps, most of them stay outside camps, in host communities, and urban areas.
- South Sudan makes up over 76% of the origins of the refugees (802,748) followed by Eritrea at 8.2% (93,477) and Ethiopia at 6.3%, (71,658).
- In a statement, Khalid Omer Youssif, the spokesman for the political process in Sudan, said that the joint committee drafting the final agreement on a transitional Sudanese government conducted a first meeting on 23 March at the republican Palace in Khartoum.
- The drafting committee is composed of 11 members, of which nine are drawn from the civilian forces that signed the framework agreement, and one representative each from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Links of interest
Ethiopia scraps bid to end UN-ordered Tigray abuses probe early – sources
መግለፂ ፕሬዚደንት ግዝያዊ ምምሕዳር ትግራይ ኣይተ ጌታቸው ረዳ።
Restoring constitutional territory as key objective of Tigrai Interim Administration
Locust swarms in three districts of Northwestern Tigray threaten farmers reeling from war impacts
News: Ethiopia, Netherlands agree to launch water management initiative benefiting over 10 million people
EzEMA, NaMA hold a first consultative meeting, agree to take a common position on national issues of concern
Somalia: Health Cluster Bulletin, February 2023
Somalia: AlShabab suffers massive losses in Jubaland
Sudan: Population Dashboard – Overview of Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Sudan (as of 28 February 2023)
Sudan’s signatories launch final political agreement drafting
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