EVN (Sep 23) — The Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, a significant peace platform in Ethiopia, has announced the postponement of its annual gathering of African leaders, originally scheduled for October. The decision comes as ongoing clashes between the federal government and fighters from a major ethnic group continue to sow unrest and instability in the region, according to AP.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Tana Forum cited “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for rescheduling the event to April 2024.
The forum traditionally convenes in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, which has been marred by months of conflict. The federal government’s efforts to disarm local fighters, who were once allies during a two-year conflict in the neighboring Tigray region, have resulted in a protracted and volatile situation.
The Tana High-Level Forum is renowned for its commitment to finding “African-led solutions to the continent’s most pressing security challenges.” In recent times, some of these challenges have hit close to home as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government grapples with ethnic groups resisting efforts to centralize power.
Reports from Ethiopia’s second most populous region, Amhara, frequently highlight deadly drone strikes, shelling, and other acts of violence in towns like Lalibela. The town of Bahir Dar, where the peace forum traditionally convenes, has also witnessed confrontations. Bahir Dar residents disclosed to The Associated Press last month that they could hear military aircraft overhead and gunfire in the streets.
Efforts to reach the Tana Forum for comment on the postponement went unanswered on Friday. The non-governmental organization collaborates closely with Ethiopia’s government, the Ethiopia-based African Union, and the United Nations.
This week, a U.N.-backed international commission composed of human rights experts monitoring Ethiopia issued a stark warning. They cautioned that “violent confrontations are now at a near-national scale, with alarming reports of violations against civilians in the Amhara region and ongoing atrocities in Tigray.”
Last month, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in the Amhara region, and the experts highlighted accounts of “mass arbitrary detention of Amhara civilians,” including at least one drone strike allegedly carried out by government forces
The Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, a significant peace platform in Ethiopia, has announced the postponement of its annual gathering of African leaders, originally scheduled for October. The decision comes as ongoing clashes between the federal government and fighters from a major ethnic group continue to sow unrest and instability in the region, accorin to AP.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Tana Forum cited “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for rescheduling the event to April 2024.
The forum traditionally convenes in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, which has been marred by months of conflict. The federal government’s efforts to disarm local fighters, who were once allies during a two-year conflict in the neighboring Tigray region, have resulted in a protracted and volatile situation.
The Tana High-Level Forum is renowned for its commitment to finding “African-led solutions to the continent’s most pressing security challenges.” In recent times, some of these challenges have hit close to home as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government grapples with ethnic groups resisting efforts to centralize power.
Reports from Ethiopia’s second most populous region, Amhara, frequently highlight deadly drone strikes, shelling, and other acts of violence in towns like Lalibela. The town of Bahir Dar, where the peace forum traditionally convenes, has also witnessed confrontations. Bahir Dar residents disclosed to The Associated Press last month that they could hear military aircraft overhead and gunfire in the streets.
Efforts to reach the Tana Forum for comment on the postponement went unanswered on Friday. The non-governmental organization collaborates closely with Ethiopia’s government, the Ethiopia-based African Union, and the United Nations.
This week, a U.N.-backed international commission composed of human rights experts monitoring Ethiopia issued a stark warning. They cautioned that “violent confrontations are now at a near-national scale, with alarming reports of violations against civilians in the Amhara region and ongoing atrocities in Tigray.”
Last month, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in the Amhara region, and the experts highlighted accounts of “mass arbitrary detention of Amhara civilians,” including at least one drone strike allegedly carried out by government forces.
