Horn Highlights: Refugees flee fighting in Benishangul Gumuz, Italy ends military agreement, AU president calls for peace

In this week’s Horn highlights: Tens of thousands flee fighting in the Benishangul Gumuz region; Tigrayan forces try to reach Djibouti-Ethiopian corridor, states BBC report; Ethiopian opposition parties say dialogue commission is unrepresentative; Italy suspends armaments agreement with Ethiopia; Tigray scholars call on AU to step up; ICRC plane lands in Mekelle, more to come; new clashes in Darfur, Sudan; military wants proportional system in Sudan; and African Union holds its annual assembly.

News Highlights: Preventable civilian deaths in Tigray, EU’s continued support to the Libyan coast guard, Hunger crisis in Greek camps

This week news highlights: 5,000 blockade-related deaths in Tigray, states report by Tigray health bureau; Eritrean refugees in Tigray at dire risk due to deteriorating conditions; Tigrayan forces expanding into the Afar region; Evidence points to the use of a Turkish drone in an attack that hit 58 civilians in Tigray; The ICRC returns to Tigray with aid after months of absence; Four dead in protests in Sudan against the military rule; Sudanese women’s rights activist detained in Sudan capital; WHO chief criticized by Ethiopian representative; EU calls for continuation of controversial Libyan coast guards training program; Hunger crisis in refugee camps in Greece; Refugees could be prevented from joining close families in the UK due to new rules; Ministerial conference in Vilnius to debate the challenge of EU’s border control

News & Horn Highlights: Tigray forces withdraw and call for peace, Resolution on rights probe in Ethiopia adopted, 164 people drown off Libya

Dear readers, as the year draws to a close, the News and Horn highlights will take a break. We will return in the second week of January. We wish you happy holidays to those that celebrate, and we express our sincerest hope that 2022 will start with concentrated efforts for peace building and negotiation.

This week news highlights: Tigray forces announce withdrawal in a bid for peace; Reports of bombings in Tigray; UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution to implement human rights probe in Ethiopia; Experts call for renewed international pressure on Ethiopia; Allegations of rape during Sudan protests; Hamdok may resign; Refugees drown in shipwrecks off Libya; UN team was unable to enter restricted Belarus-Poland border zone; Increase in asylum applications by Syrians in Europe; Migrants in Germany important for the labor market says study; Failure of rescue operation may have contributed to channel deaths; Empathy and safe passage for refugees arriving in Britain; Call to protect children on the move; Refugees in UK hotels cannot distance amidst Omicron; and IOM says Female migrants face more challenges reintegrating than men