Photo : Themba Hadebe, AP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Themba Hadebe, AP
IN BRIEF
by Anu Maria Joseph and Apoorva Sudhakar
Ethiopia: Government and Tigray forces signed ceasefire agreement
On 3 November, Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front reached a ceasefire agreement halting the two-year conflict which led to thousands of deaths and warnings of famine. The deal comes after the AU led formal peace talks which were held in South Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said: “The commitment to peace remains steadfast and our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong.” The head of the Tigray delegation said: “Ultimately, the fact that we have now signed an agreement speaks volumes about the readiness on the part of the two sides to lay the past behind them to chart a new path of peace.” A spokesperson to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “It is very much a welcome first step, which we hope can start to bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians that have really suffered during the conflict.” (“Five key takeaways from the Ethiopia peace deal,” Al Jazeera, 3 November 2022)
South Sudan: UN says more than one million affected by floods
On 3 November, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said that over one million people are affected by floods caused by torrential rains across South Sudan. Ocha said that lack of funds, damaged infrastructure, renewed violence, insecurity and inaccessibility are hampering the flood responses in the region. (“More than a million hit by flooding in South Sudan - UN,” BBC, 3 November 2022)
South Sudan: Millions at risk of food shortage in upcoming lean seasons, say UN agencies
On 3 November, UNICEF and WFP warned that 7.8 million people, or two-thirds of the population, are at the risk of facing food shortages in the 2023 lean season from April to June. The two UN agencies said the shortage may persist because of a “combination of conflict, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme climate events, and spiralling costs of food and fuel.” A joint statement outlined that despite these developments, funding towards humanitarian assistance for South Sudan has declined. (Waakhe Simon Wudu, “Two thirds of South Sudan population risk severe hunger in 2023 - U.N.,” Reuters, 3 November 2022)