Fleeing War – A Personal Experience
Europe External Program with Africa: Situation Report # 81
- Unconfirmed report received that a payment of 500mln US dollars was made by Ethiopia to President Esayas of Eritrea and that Eritrea was provided with weapons for its participation in the war in Tigray.
- Unconfirmed report that when the National Security director of Eritrea visited Addis, he requested that the Ethiopian government would make the second additional payment of 500 mln USD so that Eritrean
troops could do the ‘final offensive’ in Tigray. - The understanding is that reportedly PM Abiy promised 1 billion USD to President Esayas from Eritrea, to be paid in two parts.
- In exchange, President Esayas from Eritrea offered his Indefinite National Service recruits to serve in the war in Tigray.
- National service troops of Eritrea have also been serving as mercenaries in the war in Yemen, despite the UN sanctions that were in place to curb Eritrea participation in regional destabilization, until 2018.
- It is reported that the clashes between Ethiopia and Eritrea troops in Tigray a few weeks ago were caused by differences in the division of weapons between the two parties in the alliance. Reportedly
many soldiers were killed on both sides. - Ethiopia has closed two camps which previously sheltered internationally recognized Eritrean refugees in Tigray, Shemelba and Hitsats. Satellite footage shows the camps were completely destroyed. 20.000 refugees from the camps have disappeared and 10.000 are alleged to have been abducted to Eritrea.
- One year ago, President Esayas from Eritrea pressurised Ethiopia to close the four camps in Tigray. Many of the Eritrean refugees sheltered in the camps have fled the indefinite national service in
Eritrea. It is a cruel practice which, according to the UN, constitutes a Crime against Humanity.
