Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 http://www.aljazeera.com//favicon_aje.ico Sudan braces for up to 200,000 fleeing Ethiopia fighting WWW.ALJAZEERA.COM No sign of a lull in fighting that has reportedly killed hundreds of people over the past week. Quote As many as 200,000 refugees could pour into Sudan while fleeing the deadly conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, officials say, as more than 8,000 people have already crossed the border. Communications remain almost completely severed with the Tigray region a week after Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a military offensive in response to an alleged attack by regional forces. He insisted there will be no negotiations with a regional government he considers illegal until its ruling “clique” is arrested and its well-stocked arsenal is destroyed. The United Kingdom and the African Union have urged Abiy for an immediate de-escalation as the conflict threatens to destabilise the strategic but vulnerable Horn of Africa region. Abiy is not listening to requests for mediation, diplomats and security officials in East Africa have said. “We won’t rest till this junta is brought to justice,” Abiy wrote on Twitter late on Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 The peace prize committee seems to be not so amazing at picking winners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I'd say it's as much a function of that as it is giving a peace prize to a person engaged in a historied conflict is likely to actually add to the instability of the relationship between those parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 Yep - things are going swimmingly. Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed rejects talks WWW.BBC.COM "We don't negotiate with criminals," a senior aide to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tells the BBC. Ethiopian military warns Mekelle civilians ahead of assault on city | World news | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM ‘No mercy’ ultimatum stokes international concerns as conflict enters third week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 Ethiopia: Tigray people 'ready to die' as leader rejects call to surrender | World news | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PM Abiy Ahmed had set 72-hour deadline for Tigrayan forces to surrender or face offensive on Mekelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Ethiopia's military to begin 'final offensive' against Tigray capital | World news | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PM Abiy Ahmed makes order after dissident local leaders reject ultimatum to surrender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Is there somewhere to find a good tl;dr of this conflict and what led up to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 40 minutes ago, Fizzzzle said: Is there somewhere to find a good tl;dr of this conflict and what led up to it? Just assume that it traces back to a decision by the French or English to draw a line on the map somewhere it shouldn't have been, and you'll probably be correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 8 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said: Just assume that it traces back to a decision by the French or English to draw a line on the map somewhere it shouldn't have been, and you'll probably be correct. Ethiopia was never colonized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Not entirely true. Italy DID eventually conquer them, it just took 2 wars and tens of thousands of Italian dead (hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, many of them civilians). Then they lost it again like 3 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Just now, Fizzzzle said: Not entirely true. Italy DID eventually conquer them, it just took 2 wars and tens of thousands of Italian dead (hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, many of them civilians). Then they lost it again like 3 years later. THAT'S A TECHNICALITY! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Technically correct is the best kind of correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 33 minutes ago, Fizzzzle said: Not entirely true. Italy DID eventually conquer them, it just took 2 wars and tens of thousands of Italian dead (hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, many of them civilians). Then they lost it again like 3 years later. No wonder the place is screwed up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 On 11/26/2020 at 11:16 AM, Fizzzzle said: Is there somewhere to find a good tl;dr of this conflict and what led up to it? The conflict largely involves the desire of the Ethiopian PM to shift the country's governing structure away from ethnicity-based federalism. Tigray conflict - Wikipedia EN.M.WIKIPEDIA.ORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 BBC News - Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: PM claims capture of regional capital Mekelle Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: PM claims capture of regional capital Mekelle WWW.BBC.CO.UK Abiy Ahmed says the army has taken full control of Mekelle from the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Air_Delivery Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 These kind of conflicts just show how Americans are giant obese pussies when it comes to our internal strife. Those canvassers in Michigan should have got the guillotine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 In the year since this was posted: - The rebels launched a series of lightning counteroffensives and pushed the Ethiopian army out of Tigray (June 2021) - The rebels subsequently invaded the neighboring Ethiopian regions of Afar and Amhara which prompted still other Ethiopian regions to join the conflict and ethnic groups within those regions to declare independence and side with the Tigrayan forces (July 2021) - The Tigrayan forces and another group called the Oromo Liberation Army formed an alliance with the intent of overthrowing the central government in Addis Ababa and the Tigrayans advanced further into Amhara (August 2021) - The central government launched a counter-counteroffensive (?) in early October which by all accounts appears to have been a failure. - The Tigrayan-Oromo alliance have seized more territory in Amhara which places them about 300km/186mi from the capital Addis Ababa Tigrayan forces claim control of two cities on road to Ethiopia’s capital | Ethiopia | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PM says federal troops fighting on four fronts, and US urges ceasefire negotiations This conflict his spilled over into neighboring states as there have been clashes between Sudanese forces and Ethiopian military/militias and between African Union forces and Ethiopian troops in Somalia. In addition, there have been the standard atrocities against civilians (massacres, rapes, torture, etc.) by every side in the conflict. In summary: this is a helluva mess where everyone's hands are thoroughly stained in blood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 Eritrea -- Ethiopia's former enemy -- used the conflict as an opportunity for its regime (widely-regarded as one of the most repressive in the world) to exact revenge upon its opponents who had fled into the Tigray region as refugees: In Ethiopia’s war, Eritrea's army exacted deadly vengeance on old foes WWW.REUTERS.COM When Eritrea sent troops into the Tigray region, the secretive nation seized a double opportunity: It detained thousands of Eritrean refugees as it battled Ethiopia’s former rulers. Spearheading the bloody campaign: a colonel nicknamed ‘Son of Bread’ Quote Over two decades, Eritreans poured across the border into Ethiopia, fleeing forced military service, torture, and prison in one of Africa’s most repressive states. By last November, around 20,000 of them were living at two refugee camps here in Ethiopia’s Tigray province, finding haven in their more prosperous neighbour. That month, rebellion broke out in Tigray, pitting the region’s rulers against Ethiopia’s central government. The Eritrean military sent in tanks and troops to aid its ally, Ethiopian leader Abiy Ahmed – and to settle old scores. Within days, truckloads of soldiers from the 35th Division of the Eritrean Army arrived at the two refugee camps, Hitsats and Shimelba. The soldiers had lists of names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 2, 2021 Author Share Posted November 2, 2021 Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigrayan rebels gain ground | Ethiopia | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PM urges citizens to arm themselves as Tigray People’s Liberation Front considers marching on the capital Quote Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency after forces from the northern region of Tigray said they were gaining territory and considering marching on the capital Addis Ababa. The declaration came as Joe Biden accused the government of “gross violations of internationally recognised human rights” and said he that he was removing Ethiopia from a key US trade program, clearing the way for further economic sanctions over its failure to end the nearly year-long conflict. Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, warned that the US would take further measures against the Abiy government within days rather than weeks if it does not end the conflict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 What are the odds the water crisis on the Nile ends up tangling with this and turns all of East Africa into a warzone for the next few decades? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 2, 2021 Author Share Posted November 2, 2021 3 minutes ago, Fizzzzle said: What are the odds the water crisis on the Nile ends up tangling with this and turns all of East Africa into a warzone for the next few decades? Definitely non-zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 4, 2021 Author Share Posted November 4, 2021 Ethiopia-Turkey pact fuels speculation about drone use in Tigray war | Ethiopia | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Reports say Ethiopia wants to buy Bayraktar TB2 drones after military cooperation agreement was signed with Ankara Quote Ethiopia’s government has forged an alliance with Turkey, amid reports that it wants to deploy armed Turkish drones in its bitter war against forces from the region of Tigray. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, signed a military cooperation agreement on a visit Ankara in August with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The details of the agreement have not been published, but officials told Reuters in October that Ethiopia had requested Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones, considered to be the most effective munitions of their type in the world. The Turkish TB2 drones were used to great effect by Azerbaijan in its recent conflict with Armenia. Those drones pretty much devastated Armenian armor and infantry forces and practically single-handedly won the war for Azerbaijan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Alliance of Ethiopian factions puts government at risk of overthrow | Ethiopia | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Bloc includes Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which has been fighting Abiy Ahmed’s forces for a year Quote Nine anti-government factions in Ethiopia have said they had formed an alliance amid growing fears that they will attempt to overthrow the government of Abiy Ahmed by marching on the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. The alliance, the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces, includes Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and brings together members of previously rival ethnic groups, including the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). “There is no limit for us,” Berhane Gebrechristos, a former foreign minister and Tigray official, told reporters at an event announcing the alliance in Washington. “Definitely we will have a change in Ethiopia before Ethiopia implodes.” The US, meanwhile, advised its citizens to “leave the country as soon as possible” on Friday, and warned that the “security environment is very fluid”. People had multiple options to leave via commercial flights, the state department added. Ethiopia urges ex-soldiers to join fight against Tigray rebels WWW.BBC.COM The army calls on former military personnel to join it, as rebel forces advance on the capital. Quote Ethiopia's military has called on former soldiers to re-join the army, as it battles to hold off a rebel advance. The appeal comes as rebel forces - spearheaded by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - make advances towards the capital, Addis Ababa. The US embassy has told all US citizens to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible amid a "very fluid" security situation. Hours earlier, nine anti-government groups forged an alliance to dismantle PM Abiy Ahmed's administration. The government has said it will continue to fight what it calls an existential war. The conflict has entered its second year, with millions displaced and more than 400,000 on the brink of famine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 Even though the primary focus is on the Russian imperialist aggression in Ukraine, it's helpful to remember that the tragedy of the civil war in Ethiopia is still ongoing: New front in Ethiopian war displaces thousands, hits hopes of peace talks by Tiksa Negeri WIDERIMAGE.REUTERS.COM A new front in Ethiopia's war in the Afar region is imperilling efforts to get enemies to sit down to peace talks, three regional officials and three diplomats said, and a ceasefire declared last week may have been breached in some places. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signifyin(g)Monkey Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 47 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Even though the primary focus is on the Russian imperialist aggression in Ukraine, it's helpful to remember that the tragedy of the civil war in Ethiopia is still ongoing: New front in Ethiopian war displaces thousands, hits hopes of peace talks by Tiksa Negeri WIDERIMAGE.REUTERS.COM A new front in Ethiopia's war in the Afar region is imperilling efforts to get enemies to sit down to peace talks, three regional officials and three diplomats said, and a ceasefire declared last week may have been breached in some places. Brown people; no one cares. Now, in more important news, Will Smith smacked Chris Rock in the head… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodporne Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 55 minutes ago, Signifyin(g)Monkey said: Now, in more important news, Will Smith smacked Chris Rock in the head… I just had this conversation with my girlfriend last night. I'm absolutely guilty of picking and choosing what I'm apparently upset by but this is definitely an outrageous absurdity over the past few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 I had been wondering what wound up happening with this conflict. It truly disappeared from news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris- Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 hour ago, Bloodporne said: I just had this conversation with my girlfriend last night. I'm absolutely guilty of picking and choosing what I'm apparently upset by but this is definitely an outrageous absurdity over the past few days. I gave this some thought the other day, and I think it is a simple function of desensitization. For example, I came of age during the Forever Wars; for most of my life the Middle East has been embroiled in conflict, whereas conflict in Europe has been comparatively sparse. That doesn’t mean one is more horrifying than the other or deserves more attention, but people will naturally be captivated by stories that are more novel. In the end, the media has done us a disservice by not consciously working against that instinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 hour ago, Chris- said: I gave this some thought the other day, and I think it is a simple function of desensitization. For example, I came of age during the Forever Wars; for most of my life the Middle East has been embroiled in conflict, whereas conflict in Europe has been comparatively sparse. That doesn’t mean one is more horrifying than the other or deserves more attention, but people will naturally be captivated by stories that are more novel. In the end, the media has done us a disservice by not consciously working against that instinct. I think there’s also the notion that in the west, we’re used to seeing Europe portrayed as a place of modernity, cultural significance, and beauty. The Middle East is usually portrayed as an uncivilized desert, South America is a cocaine filled jungle, etc. This kind of feeds into your impression… there have been military conflicts in Europe in just about every year of the 20th and 21st centuries, the US projects its power in the Middle East differently than it does in Europe. And in general we just don’t care about Africa at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaku3 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 29 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said: I think there’s also the notion that in the west, we’re used to seeing Europe portrayed as a place of modernity, cultural significance, and beauty. The Middle East is usually portrayed as an uncivilized desert, South America is a cocaine filled jungle, etc. This kind of feeds into your impression… there have been military conflicts in Europe in just about every year of the 20th and 21st centuries, the US projects its power in the Middle East differently than it does in Europe. And in general we just don’t care about Africa at all. Could have just summed it up with racism and ignorance. Plus our media are kinda sorta propaganda arms of the state and Russia is basically telling the US to fuck off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 First food aid for 100 days enters Tigray under ‘humanitarian truce’ | Global development | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Besieged region has an estimated 2 million people suffering from an extreme lack of food Quote A convoy of aid trucks has arrived in Tigray, the first emergency food supplies to reach the besieged region of northern Ethiopia by road for more than 100 days. Two weeks after Abiy Ahmed’s government declared an immediate “humanitarian truce” with rebel Tigrayan forces to allow aid in, the World Food Programme said it had received the assurances it needed to dispatch 20 trucks containing vital supplies of food. Since mid-December no aid has reached Tigray on the land route from Semera, in neighbouring Afar, to Mekelle, the capital of Tigray. In a video posted online earlier on Friday, WFP said the convoy contained 500 metric tons of food and nutrition supplies “for communities on the edge of starvation”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 Rights groups accuse Ethiopian forces of committing war crimes in Tigray WWW.FRANCE24.COM Security forces and their allies in a disputed part of conflict-hit northern Ethiopia committed abuses against Tigrayans that amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, two rights groups sai… Quote Security forces and their allies in a disputed part of conflict-hit northern Ethiopia committed abuses against Tigrayans that amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, two rights groups said Wednesday. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tigrayan civilians had been targeted in "a relentless campaign of ethnic cleansing" in the long-contested western Tigray region since the outbreak of Ethiopia's war in November 2020. Over the ensuing months, several hundred thousand Tigrayans were forcibly expelled from western Tigray in a "coordinated" manner by security forces and civilian authorities through ethnically-motivated rape, murder, starvation, and other serious violations. "These widespread and systematic attacks against the Tigrayan civilian population amount to crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes," Amnesty and HRW said in a joint report titled "We Will Erase You From This Land". Over 15 months, HRW and Amnesty interviewed more than 400 people including refugees who fled into Sudan, and witnesses to the violence still living inside western Tigray and elsewhere in Ethiopia. They documented the sexual enslavement and gang rape of Tigrayan women, including a victim whose attackers said they were "purifying" her blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 24, 2022 Author Share Posted August 24, 2022 The truce appears to have ended: 'Large-scale' fighting shatters lull in Ethiopia's Tigray | AP News APNEWS.COM NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s military has launched a “large-scale” offensive for the first time in a year in the northern Tigray region, Tigray authorities alleged Wednesday, while the government countered that Tigray forces attacked first. Quote Ethiopia’s military has launched a “large-scale” offensive for the first time in a year in the northern Tigray region, Tigray authorities alleged Wednesday, while the government countered that Tigray forces attacked first. It’s a significant setback to mediation efforts as millions of people remain starved of food and other needs. The conflict began in November 2020, killing thousands of people in Africa’s second-most populous country. Now, as then, both sides have acted at a moment when the world was focused elsewhere — the U.S. presidential election in 2020 and the six-month mark of the Ukraine war Wednesday. The conflict calmed in recent months amid slow-moving mediation efforts. But last week, the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asserted that Tigray authorities were “refusing to accept peace talks,” and this week, Ethiopia’s military warned the public against reporting troop movements. For their part, an Aug. 23 letter signed by Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael and shared with The Associated Press said Tigray leaders had “conducted two rounds of confidential face-to-face talks with senior military and civilian officials” — the first confirmation of direct talks. But it said “unacceptable conditions have been inserted into the peace process,” and urged the international community to step in quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted October 10, 2022 Author Share Posted October 10, 2022 Tigray rebels tortured and killed civilians in renewed fighting, survivors claim | Global development | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Witnesses claim the attacks in Amhara region last month were carried out on those the TPLF suspected of supporting Ethiopian federal forces Quote Tigrayan rebel forces have killed dozens of civilians during their latest occupation of a town in the Amhara region, survivors claim, after fighting resumed last month in the northern area of Ethiopia. The alleged killings took place in the town of Kobo, located along the highway to the capital, Addis Ababa. Between 13-15 September, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters shot dead unarmed civilians they suspected of supporting federal forces and local militias, survivors have told the Guardian. In one district of Kobo alone, witnesses counted 17 bodies of people killed over two days. Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan rebels erupted again in late August, shattering a six-month humanitarian truce. On 4 September the TPLF announced it had captured Kobo but in the past week rebels withdrew from the town amid fierce fighting with federal troops and Amhara militias. Meanwhile, fighters were killing people and looting in Kobo, residents said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatoneshere Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 Another war that's been going on for over 4 years now with no end in sight. I don't even see how this one could end without annihilation of one side or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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