African Union – Communique of the 797th meeting of the PSC on the State of Peace and Security in Africa and the Initiatives and Steps for Promoting African Solutions to African Problems – 26 September
- The African Union has published a report of decisions, initiatives and conclusions held at the 797th meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) on 24 September. Item 9 focuses on recent developments in the Horn of Africa.
- The PSC welcomed Eritrea’s rapprochements with Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti, which will “promote good neighbourliness, enhance peace, security, stability and advance regional integration,” and commends the leaders of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia for “their steadfast efforts and commitment to promote the interests of their people and the region as a whole.”
- The PSC requests that the Commission take “necessary steps with a view to supporting the new dispensation, towards promoting peace, security and development in the Horn of Africa.”
Eritrea Hub: Eritreans fleeing to Ethiopia in rising numbers – 26 September
- Writing in Eritrea Hub, Martin Plaut reports on the dramatic exodus of Eritreans to neighbouring Ethiopia.
- After the opening of the border on 11 September, great numbers of Eritrean asylum seekers have been registered with Ethiopian authorities, with nearly 4,000 Eritreans crossing in just five days. A further 1,500 are said to be waiting to cross.
- The UNHCR has previously said that up to 5,000 Eritreans were crossing into Ethiopia monthly. It is supporting Ethiopian Authorities, alongside the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to improve facilities at the Ethiopian Endabaguna camp.
- If asylum seekers continue to cross the 18 entry points of Ethiopia, numbers could reach 20,000 a month.
Quartz Africa: The once-troubled Horn of Africa is now a positive note on the UN’s busy agenda – 25 September
- Quartz Africa reports on the Horn of Africa’s swift and crucial diplomatic turnaround.
- Omar Mahmood, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, believes that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has “ushered in a new administration that has prioritized regional integration, and provided an opportunity to pursue new relationships without the legacy of historical baggage.”
- The role of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the peace process illustrates another shift in political relations but also raises concerns of new power struggles in a geostrategic region charged with competing political influences.
Africanews: Photos: Everyday Eritreans through lens of its famed photographer — 25 September
- Africanews published a set of 20 pictures by Eritrean photographer Ghideon Musa in a special feature.
- Mr Musa strives to project the ordinary Eritrea from the capital Asmara and across the Red Sea State’s regions. He also captured the embrace of Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afwerki on 9 July during the signing of the peace agreement.
- Africanews comments on the importance these snaps of everyday life in Eritrea, which depict “the people who play quotidian roles with the aim of contributing to national development. These are the people respective governments are supposed to work to serve.”
