Ethiopia: The Cry of the Imburi.
Featured Image by Steve Evans from Citizen of the World, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
By Rene Wadlow.
The Imburi are spirits that are said to inhabit the forests of Gabon in Equatorial Africa; and who cry out for those who can hear them at times of impending violence or danger. The Imburi have been crying out over the increasing dangers of the conflict in Ethiopia which began on 3 November 2020. However during the past year, the conflict has spread to other parts of Ethiopia and has impacted neighboring countries.
The fighting in Tigray becomes more complex each day as Ethiopian Defense Forces, Eritrean Defense Forces and ethnic militias face Tigrayan forces. There is a build up of Sudanese government forces on the Ethiopian-Sudan border where refugees flee into Sudan. The whole Horn of Africa, already fragile, is in danger of greater destabilization.
You might be interested in reading: Urgent Appeal for Ceasefire in Ethiopia Armed Conflict.
For the moment, all efforts for mediation proposed by the United Nations, by the African Union or individual states such as the U.S.A. have been refused by the Ethiopian central government. Many of the former officials of the Tigray Province have fled to other countries. Thus it is not clear who is in a position to negotiate for the Tigray factions were negotiations to be undertaken.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has sent representatives to Ethiopia to collect information on human rights violations related to the conflict in Tigray. With great difficulty some information on massive human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law has been collected. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet has spoken out on these violations involving mass killings, rapes, and the abduction of civilians when presenting the report on 3 November 2021 in Geneva.
Official Portrait of Mrs. President of the Republic Michelle Bachelet Jeria, Period 2014-2018. By Gobierno de Chile, CC BY 3.0 CL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/cl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons.
However she stressed the difficulties of collecting information and the impossibility to visit certain areas where massive violations were said to have taken place. Amnesty International has also tried to collect information by telephone since its representatives were not allowed to enter the country.
On 2 November 2021, a state of emergency covering all of Ethiopia was declared by the federal government. Arrests of Tigrayans living in the capital Addis-Abeba followed. Travel within the country is limited and heavily controlled by the police and the military. There is talk of a wide-spread roundup of Tigrayans living in Adddis-Abeba and other large cities and placing them in camps. There is an increase in local self-defense groups as fear grips the country.
You might be interested in reading: Ethiopia’s Tigray, a New Biafra?.
There are few signs of compromise or a willingness to deal with the deep consequences of the armed conflict. There might be some possibilities for non-governmental, Track II type efforts to see where some progress might be made. The Association of World Citizens, knowing the fragile nature of the confederation of provinces which make up the Ethiopian State had made a first appeal for a ceasefire and negotiations in good faith shortly after fighting had started in early November 2020.
However, for the moment, possibilities for mediation either by governments or NGOs have not been acted upon. A situation which needs to be follow carefully.
You might be interested in reading: Negotiation Appeals for to end The Armed Conflict in Ethiopia.
Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens.
Presidente, Asociación de World Citizens (AWC).
Cursó Estudios de Relaciones Internacionales en La Universidad de Chicago.
Cursó Estudios en el Programa Especial de Civilización Europea en
La Universidad de Princeton
Here are other publications that may be of interest to you.
Prevenir la expansión del conflicto de Gaza: ¿Son posibles las brigadas de paz?
Antony Blinken, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, ha estado nuevamente en Medio Oriente trabajando para evitar que la violencia de la Franja de Gaza se extienda a gran…
Ciudadanos del Mundo Piden un fin Inmediato a las hostilidades entre Israel y Hamás, y por un esfuerzo auténtico de construcción de Paz en Oriente Medio.
Imagen destacada: El impacto del bombardeo israelí sobre un edificio civil en Gaza (2021). Por Osama Eid, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. La Asociación de Ciudadanos del Mundo,…
Transformación del Populismo en Europa y las Américas: Historia y Tendencias Recientes.
Imagen de portada: Caricatura de juez de 1896 que muestra a William Jennings Bryan/Populismo como una serpiente que se traga a la mula que representa al Partido Demócrata. Por la…
Día Internacional de los Océanos.
Imagen destacada: Foto de Marek Okon, Unsplash. Es necesario avanzar en las delimitaciones marítimas asiáticas. . El 8 de junio ha sido designado por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas como…
Siria: El Comienzo de una noche de dolor.
Featured Image: Photo by Ahmed akacha: https://www.pexels.com/es-es/foto/gente-demostracion-rally-protesta-7183546/ Por Rene Wadlow. El 13 de marzo de 2011 en Derra, en el sur de Siria, 15 adolescentes fueron arrestados por la policía…
Yemen: Aún se necesita Acción Positiva.
Imagen destacada: El Reino Unido acogió la reunión de Amigos de Yemen el 27 de septiembre de 2012 en Nueva York junto con los coanfitriones del Reino de Arabia Saudita…
Medidas para crear Confianza en Asia-Pacífico: Revertir la Deslizamiento hacia la Violencia.
Imagen destacada: Foto de wu yi, Unsplash Con los militares estadounidenses y chinos comprometidos cerca de Taiwan, un error de cálculo podría conducir a la violencia armada. El conflicto armado en…
Enfoque de la ONU sobre las consecuencias del Cambio Climático.
Imagen destacada: Foto por William Bossen, Unsplash El 20 de marzo de 2023, el Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC) publicó un Informe de síntesis basado en sus tres informes…
Medidas efectivas para proteger nuestros océanos
Imagen destacada: Foto por Dave Hoefler, Unsplash. El 4 de marzo de 2023, en las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York, se dio un paso importante hacia la protección de los océanos…
Ruido de Sables en el Mar de China Meridional.
Imagen destacada: El USS John S. McCain realiza una patrulla de rutina en el Mar de China Meridional, el 22 de enero de 2017. El destructor de misiles guiados apoya…