The vaccines were delivered by #EthiopianAirlines and arrived at Bole International Airport this morning, where they were received by the Minister of Health, Dr. Lia Tadesse, state ministers, representatives of World Health Organization, World Bank, UNICEF, African CDC and others.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Lia Tadesse congratulated everyone on the arrival of the vaccines and thanked the partners for their cooperation in getting the vaccine into the country.

The vaccine will be available for the most vulnerable groups in society: to health workers and staff, people with chronic illness and older people.

The immunization schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

#MoH

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Demeke Mekonnen briefed Ambassadors and representatives of members of the United Nations Security Council in Addis Ababa on the current situation in Tigray.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said the Government has intensified its efforts to fully and effectively address the humanitarian needs in the Tigray region and enormous progress achieved since the law enforcement measure has come to a successful conclusion.

He indicated that unfettered humanitarian access, including to international media has been granted, issuance of clearance to the region for humanitarian actors has now been expedited by addressing bureaucratic hurdles and the process of carrying out joint investigation on human rights violations is underway.

Participants welcomed the measures that the Government has taken to address the humanitarian situation and human rights issues, and raised some concerns with regards to the challenges that some journalists and translators faced, coordination in terms of delivering humanitarian aid to some places, and the presence of foreign troops in the region.

In responding to the questions and concerns expressed by some members, Mr. Demeke pointed out that more than 3.5 million beneficiaries of the humanitarian assistance have now been reached through a cluster-based approach, with infrastructures that were destroyed by the TPLF forces are now being rebuilt and have resumed services.

Mr. Demeke also added that so far the Government has disbursed more than 40 billion Birr which amounts to 70 percent of resources from its coffer to address the humanitarian needs in the region while only 30 percent came from the international community.

If the Government and international humanitarian organizations need to respond in a swifter and sustained manner, the international community should scale up its efforts of garnering adequate resources for the task at hand, he said.

Journalists are now granted access to report developments in the region and those who were detained in the past few days are released, said the Minister.

In clarifying the incidents, Mr. Demeke said that just as the Government is tirelessly working to address coordination problems and other few impediments, journalists and humanitarian workers also need to respect their professional code of conduct.

Mr. Demeke also said forging peace and partnership will always remain the emblem of Ethiopia’s foreign policy, governed by principles of international law, and further added that Ethiopia has never allowed any foreign country or troops to stay in its land, and is determined to keep it that way.

He also expressed the appreciation of the Ethiopian Government to all partners for their support and reassured them of Ethiopia’s commitment that the existing longstanding partnership that Ethiopia has always enjoyed with them will further be enhanced and strengthened.

#MoFA

Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia
March 3, 2021
Addis Ababa

I. Context
====
On November 4, 2020 the Federal Government of Ethiopia initiated a rule of law operation in the northern part of the country – the Tigray Region. The objectives of the rule of law operations have been clearly articulated on several occasions, as has the genesis and history of Constitutional transgressions by the criminal TPLF clique that necessitated a Federal government intervention. The deliberate and heinous attack on the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, which brutally killed the ultimate guardians of the Constitution, is a crime of high treason under the laws of the land. No individual or entity, nationally or internationally, is above the laws of the land. The Government of Ethiopia realizes its duties of upholding the law and protecting the country.

The objective of the intervention by the Federal government in the current phase of the rule of law operations in Tigray remains two-fold:

1) To rebuild the region by ensuring that humanitarian needs are addressed; damaged infrastructure are repaired and administrative and governance functions are restored to effectively provide public services to citizens, and

2) To complete the process of bringing to justice the perpetrators of crime still actively operating in the region

The Federal Government of Ethiopia is committed to deliver on its Constitutionally mandated primary responsibilities of enforcing law and order and will pursue the two objectives to their completion.

II. Situation Update
====

Humanitarian Situation
====

Further to the February 24th 2021 update on the Tigray region, current humanitarian assistance has increased to 780,534.6 quintals of food items distributed by the Federal Government to 3.8mil beneficiaries.

The Federal Government has thus far spent Birr 1.87 billion in humanitarian assistance to the Tigray region by reallocating spending other priorities within its budget. Non-food items estimated at more than Birr 80 million have also been distributed in the region by the Federal government.

Considering damages to water lines, around Birr 31million has been allocated to fulfil the requisite spare parts are available for maintenance of water lines, as well as provision of water trucks to areas where service is disrupted. Similarly, extensive work has been undertaken and is ongoing in the health sector, with 20 hospitals and 71 health facilities that have now become operational again. Medical supplies worth close to Birr 199 million have been made available in addition to other materials like emergency vehicles and computers. In the education sector, preparations have been finalized to resume normal school activities at the cost of more than Birr 96million for repair work and procuring the necessary teaching materials.
On humanitarian access, it is to be recalled that Ethiopia announced unfettered access for humanitarian agencies last week. Per consultations held today with UN agencies and other international organizations, further amendments have been made based on consensus on the modality of operations. Humanitarian agencies can operate in the region with unfettered access unhindered mobility, by simply providing a notification of operations to the Ministry of Peace, and at their own risk in region wide movement.

All entities are expected to abide by the laws of the land and any entity or individual abetting criminality under the guise of provision of aid, will be held accountable.

Human Rights Situation
=====
The Government of Ethiopia has also taken concrete steps to address human rights abuses that have occurred within the context of the conflict triggered by the TPLF. The first major human rights abuse and atrocity to be reported in this regard has been the atrocity committed in Maikadra, resulting in the death of hundreds of civilians by youth organized, enabled and assisted by the TPLF militia. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has conducted a thorough investigation of the matter and has released its preliminary findings in a report.

Furthermore, the Federal Police and federal prosecutors have also conducted a criminal investigation relating to the atrocities that have been committed in Humera and Maikadra. Based on this criminal investigation in which more than 250 witnesses have given their testimony, investigators have identified around 200 suspects. Although most of the suspects have fled to Sudan, 21 suspects have been apprehended and criminal charges will be pressed against them in the coming weeks.

In line with the government’s commitment to uphold rule of law and bring to account anyone who is responsible for committing such heinous crimes, federal investigators are conducting investigations in relation to other credible allegations of atrocities and serious human rights abuses in other parts of the region, including in Axum. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is also conducting its own independent investigation in relation to such incidents and allegations in other parts of the Tigray Region including in Axum. The Commission has also signalled its willingness to collaborate with relevant UN agencies for the purpose of these investigations.

The Attorney General Office is also committed to conduct its own independent investigations. Based on thorough, on the ground investigations, the Government of Ethiopia is committed to discharge its obligation of ensuring accountability for any serious human rights violations.

Media Access
=====
The Federal Government has recently granted full access for international and local media to travel to and report from the Tigray region. As such so far eight international media are already active.

Media operating in the region are to be bound by operating protocols that ensures understanding of the context, legal operations and mobility as established by the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority. The Government of Ethiopia believes the allegiance of journalists must always be to the facts, the nuances of history, and to a sober analysis of facts. We caution the media from simply confirming the considerable misinformation and disinformation campaign of TPLF operatives that is conducted by influencing witness testimonies.

The Ethiopian National Defence Force will ensure the security of media personnel in areas that the ENDF are stationed in within the Tigray region. Any media wishing to venture out of ENDF stationed areas will not be hindered from mobility, but will do so at their own risk. The Federal Government will not be responsible for risks endured by media personnel that function outside of the established operating protocols.

The Federal Government welcomes the work of international and local media to cover events and activities in the Tigray region. Nevertheless, any media entity or personnel that breach national laws, including by aiding and abetting criminal entities and perpetrators, will be held accountable per the laws of the land.

Law Enforcement
=====
The government is also supporting the strengthening and operationalization of law enforcement bodies within the region. Having completed training, the regional police force is now operational in six zones of the region. Correctional facilities in Mekelle and Adigrat have become operational again to deal with criminal offenders. And courts in Mekelle have begun to attend to cases with efforts underway to operationalize the judicial system region wide.

Infrastructure Repairs
=====
The region has sustained heavy infrastructure damage by TPLF forces in the past few months, resulting in telecom line, electricity and transportation access disruptions. Since then, the Federal government has been making a concerted effort to undertake repairs.

Telecommunications
=====
Video footage retrieved from Ethio Telecom Mekelle site shows perpetrators tampering with the data centre equipment which led to telecom service interruption in early November 2020. Transmission lines and fibre optic cables were also damaged by TPLF militia retreating into the mountains, further cutting off from communication the entire region. Efforts by Ethio Telecom and other stakeholders to repair damaged infrastructure have enabled 363 mobile sites have been restored with mobile voice and fixed services actively running in more than 26 areas in the region. Some areas have been reconnected with temporary transmission lines and therefore some service interruptions are possible.

Electricity
====
Electricity transmission lines and conductors have also been tampered with and damaged by TPLF militia which resulted in an electricity blackout in the region. Ethiopian Electric Power undertook extensive technical audit of damages to 18 transmission as well as 17 power distribution centres lines in the North. Damages sustained are estimated at more than Birr 240 million with repair efforts underway.

Roads
====
Based on initial damage assessments undertaken by the Ethiopian Roads Authority in the Tigray region, specific places along 195kms of roads have been damaged by retreating TPLF militia since November 2020. Efforts to repair the damage has been initiated with an estimated budget of Birr 11million required to maintain damages caused by TPLF on public roads in the region.

Banking Services
=====
Banking services have also become operational in many parts of the region, following a disruption of services due to damages to telecom infrastructure. With the resumption of fixed broadband service by EthioTelecom, most banks in the region have already resumed services, with the exception of a few that have sustained damages.

III. State of Emergency Leadership
======
It is to be recalled that following the enactment of the State of Emergency in Tigray Region on November 4, 2020 by the Council of Ministers in their 21st Extraordinary Session, the State of Emergency Task Force was being led by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. As of March 3, 2021, the State of Emergency Task Force will be led by General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfariam.

IV. Conclusion
====
The Federal Government of Ethiopia encourages international partners interested in supporting our efforts of rebuilding the Tigray region to engage constructively. Engagements need to be based on ensuring that the people of the region receive the assistance they need for life to fully return to normalcy.

Ethiopia rejects any partisan interventions and politically motivated campaigns against the country and government, aimed at undermining the rule of law measures it has taken and will continue to take in bringing the criminal clique and other perpetrators to justice. The Ethiopian people, in all corners of the country, have paid sacrifices over a span of three decades due to the criminality of the TPLF and are now intent on forging ahead on to the path of democratization, enduring peace and development.

The Federal Government of Ethiopia welcomes partnerships that will support it to deliver on these aspirations and those embodied in the reforms journey undertaken since 2018.
//

On 4 March 2021, the Embassy and the Ethiopian Airlines Benelux Area Office, co-organized a virtual event that focused on tourism titled as “Ethiopian’s Tourism Potentials: Promoting Ethiopia as a Preferred Destination for Tourists”. The aim of this event was to promote Ethiopian tourism to the tour operators based in Belgium and Luxembourg, connect Ethiopian tour operators with Belgian and Luxembourger counterparts, and create a platform for discussions on the prospects and challenges of the sector.

The promotion event was chaired by H.E. Amb. Hirut Zemene, Ambassador of Ethiopia to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU institutions, and was attended by the CEO of Tourism Ethiopia, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Ethiopia, Ethiopian tour operators’ associations (ETOA & TETOA), Benelux Area Manager of the Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Hotels Association, and owners of travel agencies from Ethiopia, Belgium, and Luxembourg, among others.

At the opening of the occasion, H.E. Mr. Sileshi Girma, CEO of Tourism Ethiopia – a federal government office in charge of tourism promotion-, stated that Europe, along with the United States and Asia, is one of our main sources of tourists. Specifically, with over 80 percent of its population having a culture of spending their holiday seasons outside of the country, Belgium remains an important source of tourists to Ethiopia. He further noted Belgium is one of the top destinations for Ethiopian Coffee; and also extended his warm invitations to all Belgians and Luxembourgers to come and visit Ethiopia and taste coffee from its origins. Mr. Sileshi also called up on the Belgian and Luxembourger tour operators who have not yet been to Ethiopia, to go to Ethiopia and explore the vast potential of the country’s tourism and to include Ethiopia in your tour packages. The CEO also declared Ethiopia’s readiness to receive tourists with the necessary COVID conscious protocol at airport, destination sites, and lodging.

The occasion further encompassed presentations about Ethiopia’s tourism potentials made by Mr. Weldegebrial Berhe, Director of Tourism Destination Marketing, followed by presentations made by the tour operators from both sides- Ethiopia and Belgium. Mrs. Ilse Dehandschutter, Sales Manager at Benelux Area Office of the Ethiopian Airlines also presented about the attractive offers and services provided to tourists from ET, the largest Airline in Africa.

During the discussion session, following the presentations, different important points such as issues of cost of travel, accommodation & local transportation, COVID situation, and security issues were raised and discussed accordingly.
Making a concluding remark, H.E. Amb. Francois Dumont, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Ethiopia, congratulated the Ethiopian Embassy and the Ethiopian Airlines for organizing this successful event, and highlighted the importance of tourism for people-to-people relations, besides its economic importance. He also recommended Belgian tourists to visit Ethiopia not only for the coffee, but also beautiful nature, culture, history, and welcoming people are there.

The Spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, has presented the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing today (March 03, 2021) focusing on political diplomacy, the Humanitarian situation in Tigray, issues related to the GERD, and major activities related to Economic and citizen-centered Diplomacy. Please find here is the Summary of the Press Briefing.

I. #Political Diplomacy

• The ambassadors appointed recently by H.E. President Sahle-work Zewde took an oath before the President on Thursday (February 25). President Sahle-Work Zewde and H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia have expressed their hope that the ambassadors would do their level best in carrying out their responsibilities and creating stronger ties between Ethiopia and the countries that they are assigned to. They are assigned to Australia, Italy, Turkey, Senegal, Ghana, DRC, Saudi Arabia, African Union and South Sudan.

• H.E. Mr. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia had addressed last week on Wednesday 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.

• Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia H.E. Demeke Mekonnen had a phone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Norway Her.E. Ine Eriksen Søreide. The two sides talked about the status of the GERD negotiations and the Humanitarian support in Tigray. Mr. Demeke said although more than 3 million people have been reached for the relief support so far, the government is taking the lion’s share in covering 70% of the delivery of food and non-food items, and support from the international community is much welcomed, including the government of Norway. Regarding some of the concerns over the violation of human rights in the region, Mr. Demeke said the government of Ethiopia is ready to address the issues where it showed its commitment by deploying experts from the Attorney General office and the Federal Police Force to investigate the matter.

• H.E. Demeke Mekonnen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia had participated at a panel on the 125th victory of #Adwa organized by Ethiopian Embassy in Uganda. In delivering a speech, he highlighted the importance of unity among people to solve problems as daunting as the Adwa battle.

N.B. Ethiopian Embassies all over the World have been organising panel discussions over the Adwa battle and its impact on Pan-Africanism movements. The victory has been celebrated in our missions understanding the unifying factor and important lessons of the victory.

• State Minister, H.E. Ambassador Redwan Hussein received a copy of the credential of the newly appointed US ambassador to Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Geeta Pasi on Monday (March 01) at his office. During their conversation, Ambassador Redwan underlined that despite the unfettered access to the Tigray region that the international community gets recently, the humanitarian support that the government is not getting encouraging supports. He said criticisms alone would not meet the demands for humanitarian support in the region. Ambassador Geeta Pasi, on her part, thanked the State Minister for the briefing and affirmed that she would do her level best to scale up the relationship between the two countries. In their discussion about the situation of the tripartite talks over the GERD, Mr. Demeke reiterated how Ethiopia has been faithfully negotiating with Sudan and Egypt so far and expressed hope that with the Congolese leadership the way forward will be sorted out.

II. The Situation in #Tigray

A. #Access

• Unfettered access has been given to Humanitarian organizations
• However, the government is still continuing to cover 70% of aid demands despite the unfounded criticism and insignificant support from international bodies.
• The government of Ethiopia strongly believes that criticism alone without support helps neither the affected people nor the government in any way.
• As the World Food Program Head, Mr. David Beasley said meeting the humanitarian demands in the region requires 107 million dollars in funds
• The Government needs assistance and calls on the international community to respond to Mr. David Beasley’s call in this regard
• A total of 135 international organizations and staff who have applied to assist in the humanitarian aid in Tigray have been granted access to Tigray region.
• Of the 135 international organizations, 11 are international media outlets
• So far, the government has identified 2.5 million people, including 1.8 million who were previously supported by the Safety Net program, in need of support under the coordination of the Emergency Coordination Committee (ECC) of Ministries.
• Support has been provided to 3.5 million people in need of assistance.

B. Human rights #violations

• The Federal Police Force, the Attorney General, Ethiopian Human Rights commission together in collaboration with the Interim administration of Tigray will carry out independent investigations on alleged crimes committed in the region
• Based on the results of the Investigation and the recommendations of the independent investigative teams, the government will make sure that perpetrators are brought to justice
• If the investigation process needs assistance along the way, the Government may consider to invite external bodies to investigate the matter
• As we have already said in a statement on Amnesty’s report, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission,in its earlier reports including preliminary findings on Axum, confirm looting, and sexual violence as well as damages to civilian infrastructures in various parts of the region. The outcome of the investigations by the competent Ethiopian authorities and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission will be publicized to the Ethiopian people and the international community in due course.

III. On the #GERD

• The construction of the dam is progressing well and public involvement in advocacy, financial and professional support is highly encouraged
• Ethiopia believes the AU-led negotiation over the GERD will bring win-win solution to all
• The tendency to invite various parties as mediators to the issue while the AU-led negotiation has not been finalized is demeaning the efforts of the AU and the portrayals of some parties as if Ethiopia has postponed the on-going negotiation is also unfounded
• We have been negotiating in good faith and in deep belief that we have got the right to utilize our water resources without significantly harm the downstream countries, in accordance with international law principles of fair and equitable utilization of the water resources
• We thank South Africa for trying to bridge the gap between the Tripartite and we hope the Congolese will do the same

IV. #Economic and #CitizenCentred Diplomacy
• Ethiopian missions in Jakarta, TelAviv, Nairobi, Dubai and Rabat participated in discussions, trade fairs and exhibition of Ethiopian products so as to promote business and investment in Ethiopia.
• 1053 Ethiopians were repatriated from Jeddah (600), Riyadh (338) and Muscat (115) over the week.

#MoFA