Photo : Eduardo Soteras, AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Eduardo Soteras, AFP
IN BRIEF
by Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prerana P
Ethiopia: 26 civilians killed in clashes in Amhara
On 14 August, Al Jazeera reported that at least 26 people were killed in Ethiopia's Amhara region in a suspected airstrike by Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF). The new wave of clashes erupted on 7 August after Amhara regional militia Fano accused the Ethiopian government of trying to weaken Amhara's defences by incorporating the regional militia with the ENDF. The clashes in the Amhara region erupted nine months after the end of a two-year conflict in the neighbouring Tigray region. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) raised "grave concern" over the "deadly hostilities" and called on "conflicting parties to immediately end" all alleged human rights violations. Previously on 4 August, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had announced a six-month state of emergency across the region. (“Suspected air strike kills two dozen people in Ethiopia’s Amhara region,” Al Jazeera, 14 August 2023)
Sudan: Army general accuses RSF and Dagalo of committing war crimes
On 14 August, the Sudanese Army’s General Abdel Fattah al Burhan in a televised speech accused the RSF and its General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of committing war crimes. Burhan stated: “How can you bring about democracy by committing war crimes, which have been committed in Khartoum, El Geneina, Kutum, Tawila, Sirba, Slileira, Munawashi, Kèss and every inch stepped upon by the rebels in the country since their ill-fated mutiny.” (“Sudan's Burhan accuses rival RSF of 'war crimes',” Africanews, 14 August 2023)
Ghana: Dissent rises against the deployment of Ghanaian soldiers in Niger
On 14 August, Africanews reported on the opposition’s dissent to deploy Ghanaian soldiers in ECOWAS’s proposal of military intervention against Niger in response to the coup. According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of the foreign affairs committee’s interview with the BBC: “Resorting to military intervention is not the optimal course of action.” Ablakwa emphasized: “Our valiant Ghanaian soldiers should be kept removed from the impending risks of violence and the escalating geopolitical tensions, which could lead to extensive destabilization in an already precarious region.” (“Ghana opposition warn president on Niger troop plans,” Africanews, 14 August 2023)