1) The Tigray interim regional administration said Tuesday it was set to hold discussions with the representatives of the African Union (AU), mediators and the Federal Government "in the forthcoming weeks" on the 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. In a press briefing, the administration's communication head, Redae Halefom, said the discussions would address the major challenges hindering the full implementation of the Agreement. Three weeks ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the administration's delegation, led by interim President Getachew Reda, discussed the progress of the Agreement in Addis Ababa. Getachew had then hinted that there would be another round of discussions in March 2024 in which the representatives of the AU, the UN and the US would participate. The interim administration has repeatedly urged the Federal Government to ensure the return of IDPs and the complete withdrawal of the Amhara forces and Eritrean troops from the "occupied" territories.
2) The independent Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) Tuesday called on the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Oromia regional government to end the killings and arrests of civilians in Oromia and bring the perpetrators to justice. In a statement, EHRCO called on the Oromia regional government to secure the release of the civilians kidnapped by armed groups in various areas. Killings and arrests were rising, EHRCO said, blaming the government for failure to stop them. It also urged the government to ratify the international Convention on the Prevention of Enforced Disappearance.
3) Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will visit Tanzania for three days starting Thursday, the Tanzanian Foreign ministry announced on it’s X (formerly Twitter) page. The ministry said Abiy was invited by President Samia Suhulu. Tanzanian media reported that the purpose of the visit was to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries, including in the energy sector. The Ethiopian Electric Power recently revealed that negotiations with its Tanzanian counterpart were finalised to export electricity via Kenya.
4) The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, the government's rights watchdog, disclosed Wednesday that at least 138 civilians were killed and 113 injured in conflicts and attacks in Itang’ special woreda and other areas in Gambella from May 2023 to January 2024. In a report, EHRC said the conflict started between two kebelles in Itang’, the home of the historically-rival Anyuak and Nuer communities, in May 2023. Conflicts and attacks also occurred in Gog and Gambella woredas and the regional capital Gambella, resulting in several casualties, injuries and destruction of properties, according to the report. South Sudanese refugees were also killed or injured by armed groups and individuals in and outside the refugee camps, the report revealed, adding that the refugees also directly participated in some of the conflicts and attacks.
5) Ethiopian government's deputy spokesperson Selamawit Kassa revealed Wednesday that police detained French journalist Antoine Galindo for gathering information on internal political affairs without having press credentials. In a press briefing, Selamawit said Galindo was interviewing various opposition leaders and activists in Addis Ababa. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Amnesty International earlier urged Ethiopian authorities to release Galindo "immediately" and "without any preconditions". Amnesty also called on the authorities to stop using arbitrary detention to silence journalists. Galindo, who works for the Paris-based website African Intelligence, was arrested in Addis Ababa last Thursday while interviewing an Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) politician in a hotel.
6) The rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) said the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was the "primary suspect" in the recent killing of the four clergy and monks at the Ziquala Monastery of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in East Shewa zone, Oromia region. The group said the international community was now aware of the government's "secret security committee" that orders the killing of civilians in the region, adding that the committee also oversees smaller armed groups outside the government's security structure. The group condemned the killing of the monks and called for an "independent international investigation" into these and other killings. It also urged some parties to refrain from asking the government to investigate the killings.
7) The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has strongly condemned the ongoing "confiscation of goods and livestock and the indiscriminate shooting at civilian vehicles" in Somali region. "These actions severely undermine economic stability and violate human and legal rights, resulting in significant loss and distress," ONLF said. The party also called for an "end to these practices" and demanded that the government respects the rule of law and ensures fair treatment and protection of the people of Somali region. The party did not clarify who was firing shoots at the civilian vehicles and confiscating livestock and goods from the people.
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