Renewed Fighting Ends Humanitarian Truce in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

Residents of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region told Reuters that fighting has resumed, violating a five-month-old cease-fire in the civil war that has killed thousands of people and plunged 2.4 million more into severe food insecurity. Both the government and Tigrayan rebels blamed each other for instigating the latest violence, putting plans for peace talks at risk.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged an end to the fighting (AP) amid new warnings of a prolonged humanitarian crisis. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he has been unable to send money to “starving” relatives because they are “completely sealed off” by the media and aid blockade (AP) in parts of the country. The UN humanitarian agency said that Tigrayan forces stole fuel tankers on Wednesday that were needed for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Analysis

“Whether the conflict spreads or not, things can hardly get any worse for Tigrayan civilians,” the Addis Standard’s Tsedale Lemma told the New York Times. “Whether they die of a bullet or of a siege, they are dying anyway. That’s what we need to focus on.”

“While [the Tigray People’s Liberation Front] is still undefeated, fighting elsewhere has expanded, especially in Oromia, [Prime Minister] Abiy’s home region,” the Economist writes.

For CFR’s Africa in Transition blog, Michelle Gavin discussed why Ethiopia’s truce was an uncertain prospect.

Pacific Rim

Report: Tokyo to Pledge Around $30 Billion in Aid for Africa

Japan is expected to make the announcement (Reuters) today at a conference on international development, the Sankei Shimbun reported.

Taiwan: On a visit to Taipei, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) promised support for Taiwan (SCMP) to “become an independent nation.” She leads the fourth high-level U.S. visit in a month.

CFR’s Manjari Chatterjee Miller traces the roots of the U.S.-China standoff on Taiwan.

South and Central Asia

Pakistan Declares National Emergency Due to Flooding

Islamabad called heavy rains (Dawn) a “climate-induced humanitarian crisis.” The flooding has killed more than nine hundred people and left over thirty million people without shelter.

India: Journalists at broadcaster NDTV told Reuters their editorial independence would be compromised in the event of a takeover proposed by Gautam Adani, India’s richest man.

Middle East and North Africa

U.S. Announces Fresh Strikes, Casualties in Syria

The U.S. military reported a new round of strikes (CNN) in Syria that killed four Iran-backed militants. The strikes were in response to a rocket attack on Wednesday that wounded three U.S. service members.

Saudi Arabia/Pakistan: On a call between the countries’ foreign ministers, Saudi Arabia pledged to invest $1 billion (ANI) in Pakistan.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Africa Seeks to Curb Immigration

Seeking to stem a surge in economic migrants, South Africa will allow special permits for Zimbabweans in South Africa to expire (Bloomberg) at the end of this year, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said. Permits for some ninety thousand people from Lesotho will expire in 2023.

Europe

Putin Orders Expansion of Russian Forces

President Vladimir Putin ordered the size of Russia’s army to increase by 137,000 soldiers (Moscow Times) to a total of 1.15 million. U.S. intelligence has estimated that 75,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured over the past six months of fighting in Ukraine.

This episode of the President’s Inbox podcast discusses Putin’s strategy in Ukraine.

Ukraine: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was disconnected (NYT) from the power grid yesterday, causing large-scale outages. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for additional safety guarantees at the plant, which the UN nuclear watchdog says poses a growing danger.

Americas

Colombia Changes Its Policy Targeting Rebels

Colombia’s defense minister said planned military actions against armed rebel groups will be called off (MercoPress) if there is suspicion or confirmation of children at target locations.

Brazil: Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he would renegotiate Brazilians’ household debts (AP) if he is elected president in October.

United States

Pentagon Unveils Plan to Curb Civilian Deaths in Air Strikes

The U.S. Defense Department pledged to install risk-mitigation specialists (WaPo) in its operations centers to improve oversight of drone strikes and other sensitive military operations.

In Foreign Affairs, Audrey Kurth Cronin writes that it’s time for a clean break with U.S. drone policy.

Friday Editor’s Pick

The Los Angeles Times explores clean-energy projects that are transforming cities across the western United States.

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