Ethiopian Government Advances in Tigray as UN Warns of Conflict ‘Spiraling Out of Control’

Ethiopia’s government said it captured three towns (AFP) in the country’s Tigray region, escalating a two-year war between government forces and Tigrayan rebels after mediation attempts by the African Union fell through earlier this month. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the conflict is “spiraling out of control,” with violence reaching “alarming levels.”

The recent clashes sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from around the city of Shire, Tigrayan rebels said. Guterres urged forces from neighboring Eritrea, which is assisting the Ethiopian government’s attacks in Tigray, to immediately withdraw. Eritrea recently began a forced conscription campaign (Bloomberg) to increase its manpower against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group, a longtime foe.

Analysis

“[International policymakers] need to help build the will to make [peace talks] successful, by clarifying for all relevant actors–a list that goes far beyond [Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s] government and the Tigrayan leadership–what the costs of continued war will entail, and what dividends peace could bring,” CFR’s Michelle Gavin writes for the Africa in Transition blog.

“Besides finally vanquishing the TPLF, a military conquest would help consolidate [Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s] power in the region, open up trade with Ethiopia and further cement his already close ties with Abiy,” journalist Simon Marks writes for Bloomberg.

Pacific Rim

Hong Kong Announces New Visa Rules to Attract Foreign Talent

Facing a shrinking local workforce, Hong Kong announced a two-year visa (SCMP) for graduates of the world’s top one hundred universities.

North Korea: The country fired more than three hundred artillery shells (Yonhap) into waters off its west coast. The move comes during a week of live-fire South Korean military drills.

South and Central Asia

Gandhi Family Loyalist Elected Head of Indian Opposition Party

The Indian National Congress party elected a leader from outside the Gandhi family for the first time in over twenty years. Party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge defeated (Nikkei) diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor by a wide margin.

Pakistan: Officials said recent flooding caused $40 billion (Bloomberg) worth of damage, exceeding an earlier estimate by as much as 25 percent.

Middle East and North Africa

WaPo: Hundreds of U.S. Military Retirees Helped Grow UAE’s Military

At least 280 military retirees have sought U.S. permission to work for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last seven years, the Washington Post reported, far more than for any other country. Their expertise helped build what many experts call the strongest military in the Arab world.

France/Syria: French cement company Lafarge pleaded guilty (Politico) to paying the self-declared Islamic State for permission to keep a plant operating in Syria.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Four UN Peacekeepers Killed in Mali Bomb Attack

An improvised explosive device hit the peacekeepers’ vehicle (Reuters) in the northern region of Kidal. Three other peacekeepers were seriously wounded.

Europe

Evacuation of Russia-Annexed Kherson Begins Amid Ukrainian Advance

A Russia-installed local leader said up to sixty thousand civilians would evacuate (BBC) four towns in the region ahead of a new Ukrainian offensive.

CFR’s Thomas Graham discusses what Russia’s annexations mean for the war in Ukraine.

Germany: The country’s top cybersecurity official was fired (The Guardian) over his links to an industry association with ties to a Russian cybersecurity company.

Americas

Venezuelan Exodus Tops Seven Million People

New UN data showed that 7.1 million people have fled (BBC) Venezuela since 2015 amid a political and economic crisis in the country. More than half of the emigrants are struggling to find adequate food, housing, and employment, the United Nations said.

This Backgrounder tracks Venezuela’s rise and fall.

U.S./Cuba: The United States announced that it will provide $2 million (Reuters) to Cuba to assist with relief efforts following Hurricane Ian.

United States

White House to Release Fifteen Million More Barrels of Oil From Strategic Reserve

Officials said another major release in addition to the fifteen million barrels could come (Bloomberg) this winter if necessary to reduce gasoline prices. They also announced plans to replenish the oil stockpile, which can hold over seven hundred million barrels but currently contains around four hundred million.

This Backgrounder looks at the state of U.S. strategic stockpiles.

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