News Highlights: Ethiopia states Eritrea will withdraw troops, Ethiopia acknowledges atrocities committed in Tigray, Eritrea to be sanctioned by EU  

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopia states Eritrean troops will withdraw; Ethiopian Prime Minister confirms the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray; Health facilities in Tigray incapable of providing for IDPs; Ethiopian Head of State meets with US representative, Senator Coons, to discuss Tigray; Somali leaders should adopt electoral model, say international partners; New Libyan government introduced to UNSC, while numbers of refugees in detention continue to grow; 60 people feared dead, others rescued off the coast of Libya; EU to sanction four entities and eleven countries, including Eritrea; EU ministers discuss EU-Turkey relations; ‘MED 5’ states ask fellow EU members for more cooperation on migration; Prosecutors recommend  Italian Prime Minister to be tried on charges of migrant kidnapping; French Coast Guard intercepts two vessels; UN launches knowledge-sharing platform on migration.

News Highlights: Report on massacre in Aksum by Amnesty, EU Envoy warns Tigray situation “out of control”, Illegal pushback in the Aegean

In this week’s news highlights: Amnesty International reports on massacre in Aksum; EU Special Envoy warns situation in Tigray is out of control, urges for mandate to negotiate humanitarian access; Witness report on events in Shimelba refugee camp; Refugees from Benishangul-Gumuz flee to Sudan; Tigrayan peacekeepers in South Sudan fear ethnic targeting; Migration from the HoA to Gulf countries down 73%; Human traffickers arrested in Kufra; Press remarks from the EU High Representative on the situation in Ethiopia; At least 41 deaths in a shipwreck, while 45 others rescued in Central Mediterranean; Illegal pushbacks from Greek island reported; Scrutiny over private contractor hotels hosting asylum seekers in the UK; MSF calls to ensure vaccinations for undocumented migrants in EU; New UN Network centre on migration in Turkey; Open letter to G20 for financial support to developing countries amidst COVID-19.

For frequent updates about the situation in the Horn, please see the EEPA Horn situation reports.

European Parliament debates the situation in Tigray, urges humanitarian access and investigation of crimes

On Thursday 11 February, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen met in a plenary session, debating on “The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia”. The Commissioner opened the debate underlying that the European Union (EU) is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region. The EU is calling for the end of hostilities, full humanitarian access to be exercised independently from the Ethiopian administration, and investigations over alleged human rights violations. MEPs focused largely on the severe human rights abuses, presence of Eritrean soldiers on the ground in Tigray and the EU approach to the conflict.