“#Tigray and the people of Tigray are aligned with nobody or for nobody. They are fighting for their own survival and dignity against forces who want them exterminated and vanquished.”, says President of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael in an open letter to the current President of the #UN Security Council, France and #UNSG Antonio Gutteres.
The letter dated Sept 7, 2022 is the second after the one written on Aug 23, 2022 a day before the resumption of the war. His new letter contains elements of cessation of hostilities and #peace process citing the first letter how previous processes were “setup to fail”.
If and what the UN’s response to the Aug 23 letter was is still unknown. Immediate and unconditional lifting of blockade and resumption of services, return to status quo ante on territories, and unfettered humanitarian access are among the elements of cessation of hostilities the President of Tigray included in his letter. High level international panel of mediators, accountability, verification, and timetable are included under the peace process elements listed in the letter from Tigray.
#AddisAbaba is getting ready to celebrate its New Year on Sunday with US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa @MikeHammerUSA in town while the country is under one of the deadliest wars in its recent history. Meanwhile the #UNSC will be reportedly meeting as early as Monday, Sept 12, 2022 to discuss on #Ethiopia.
The US Special Envoy, the fourth American to have that status since war broke out on Nov 4 2020 is in the region to “press for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the start of peace talks” according to @StateDept statement of Sept 2. He is said to be in the region from Sept 4 to 15.
It is not clear whether the UNSC discussion on Ethiopia will be under AOB.
Debretsion’s letter indicated that the war is still raging in multiple fronts with Ethiopian and Eritrean forces fighting against his forces.
He said “our forces have inflicted serious reverses on the forces that threatened us”.
