Dear friends,
This circular letter addresses the changing military situation in Tigray and the consequences for the humanitarian situation (section
1), the status of land preparation for the next cropping season (section
2), the international investigations of war crimes in Ethiopia (section
3), media (section 4) and opinion articles (section
5).
The military situation in Tigray is changing rapidly.
On 19 June, people mentioned more pressure from the soldiers in Mekelle. Suddenly, mobile phones were checked by them.
They were looking for photos and videos of
Tigray leaders, starving or wounded people. Telephone communication to rural areas such as Tembien also has stopped.
On 21 June, the frontline is not far from Mekelle (near Giba River). Places like Mahbere Dego, Enticho, Abiy Addi, Yechila, Hagere Selam are now again under control of the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF). The government has
suddenly restricted flights to Mekelle, has confined travel by foreigners, and has stopped giving permits for aid operations outside the city.
On 22 June, the Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers left Adigrat overnight, and the road between Adigrat and Mekelle seemed under control of the TDF. In the day, Eritrean tanks came in from the north and the very mobile TDF
moved out, after having resupplied itself in the army base.
Reports from the TDF are that a force of 15,000 ENDF was destroyed; that the TDF chose to attack the ENDF (Ethiopian army) as a softer target than the EDF; and that a fiercer fight with the EDF is the next prospect. In
any case, in many towns in Tigray, the people celebrated and are hoping that the war will soon come to an end. Yet, it is not over, as we were reminded on 22 June, when the
Togogwa market in Dogu’a Tembien was bombarded by the Ethiopian Air Force, and 30 civilians killed; ambulances were prevented by ENDF from picking the wounded people.
We are yet to hear how this all affects the humanitarian access and hence the humanitarian response. It is to be reminded that according UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, there were 131 incidents of access violation
in May 2021, out of which one was conducted by the TDF, and the 130 others by ENDF and allies.
Related information
Much has been discussed about the challenges for the Tigrayan farmers when they want to plough their land. We did an objective investigation using satellite imagery and telephone interviews, pertaining to the land preparation
in April and May. Whereas plantation farms have not been ploughed, most irrigation schemes with smallholder farming are operational, with an overall increase in irrigated land by 6% as compared to 2019-2020. A partial shift from commercial crops to cereals
has taken place, which requires less human presence on the fields, and hence involves less risk for the farmers to encounter soldiers and get killed. The same processed Sentinel imagery shows little tillage of rainfed farmland in western and NW Tigray, but
relatively good ploughing progress in the rest of the region, with often more land ploughed than in 2020, despite less spring rainfall. The situation in western Tigray is particular, as there has been ethnic cleansing of the population and often the 2020 rainfed
crops even have not been harvested. Many lands have remained unploughed, and irrigation along the Tekeze River has been abandoned. Overall in Tigray, war conditions have made ploughing very challenging. Oxen have been looted and deliberately killed, and farm
inputs and farm tools have been destroyed by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers. Furthermore, farmers who want to plough feel vulnerable out in the open; in many places, Eritrean soldiers forbid the Tigrayan farmers to plough. While trying to produce, in any
case, the Tigrayan farmers evaluate all risks involved with ploughing and organise lookouts verifying that no soldiers are approaching. However, there is still hope that a large part of the land will be sown timely, in difficult conditions, with crops that
require minimal management, and without fertiliser, as the Tigrayan smallholder farming system, and farmer-led irrigation schemes are resilient, thanks to the remarkable ability of self-organisation by the local farming communities.
The preprint of the article may be obtained through ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351516150_Ploughing_in_the_Tigray_War
Related information
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Brussels confirmed on 2 June 2021 that it has opened a file on various war crimes and crimes against humanity in Tigray, Ethiopia. Several
Belgian victims of the war in northern Ethiopia had submitted testimonies to the Prosecutor's Office. Their relatives were executed and properties looted.
Thousands of civilians have been killed by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops. Human rights organisations have observed ethnic persecutions,
torture and mass executions. The Ethiopian army's aggression against the Tigray minority has further increased in recent months. Gang rape is still widely used as a weapon of war. The United Nations also accuse the Ethiopian regime of deliberately delaying
food aid to the region.
The Union of Tigrayans in Belgium supports the complaint of the Belgian-Tigrayan
war victims. Five relatives of victims asked the Federal Prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation into the war criminals within the Ethiopian and Eritrean regimes. It is possible in Belgium to prosecute crimes against humanity, even if they did not
take place in Belgium, on the condition that some of the victims are Belgian.
Noteworthy, Ethiopia does not recognise the International Criminal Court. The investigation by the Federal Prosecutor's Office
would be the first to lead to a trial for crimes against humanity by members of the regime of Abiy Ahmed.
Contact: Gebrehiwot Abera, Union of Tigrayans in Belgium (warcrimestigray@gmail.com)
Related information
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Jan Nyssen
Professor of Physical Geography
Department of Geography
Ghent University
Belgium
(0032) 9 264 46 23
http://geoweb.ugent.be/staff/802000198480
Blog article:
From Apologies
to Atrocities: How to make sense of leadership statements in Ethiopia
(World Peace Foundation, June 19, 2021)