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

News Highlights: Ethiopia ramps up war efforts, Frontex’s role in returns to Libya, International call for vaccine equality in Africa

In this week news highlights: Ethiopian government recaptures ground; The Elders call for ceasefire; Report on spreading of sexual violence beyond Tigray; Arrests of nuns and deacons in Addis; Secondary schools in Ethiopia to close to assist war efforts; Tensions at Sudan/Ethiopia border; Hemedti warns EU and US to support government or face refugee influx; Millions displaced due to heavy floods in South Sudan; Report on Libya detention centres; NGOs find Frontex collaborated in returning migrants to Libya; 32 Somalis returned from Libya through voluntary return mechanism; Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum put in hotels in UK; NGOs urge restoration of human rights and dignity at European border; Austrian authorities arrest 15 suspected smugglers; Refugees facing hunger in Greek camps; Amnesty International accuses Greece of illegally detaining migrants and refugees; 120 refugees transferred to Italy through humanitarian corridor; International academics and leaders call for vaccine equality; and UNHCR calls for greater protection of displaced women and girls.

News Highlights: Protesters met with violence in Sudan, Concerns over Ethiopian integrity, UK pushback strategy challenged

In this week news highlights: FAA warns pilots arriving in Addis of potential ground fire; US is worried about integrity of Ethiopia; Ethiopian Rights Commission raises concern about State of Emergency arrests; Chinese drones identified in Ethiopia; Ethiopian ceasefire difficult to achieve; More UN Staff members released by Ethiopia; EHRC Chief Commissioner comments on joint report; 63 refugees brought to Italy from Ethiopian camps through humanitarian corridor; Fifteen killed in Sudan as EU condemns violence against protestors; Sea-Watch 4 threatened with kidnapping by Libyan authorities; Facebook misused by human traffickers to extort money; Increased worry over potential Tunisia-France agreement on migrants repatriation; Moroccan authorities say picked up over 300 individuals at sea; Greece criminalizes aid workers and asylum seekers to deter migration; UK Home Secretary pushback strategy opposed by border force Union; Seven alleged human traffickers arrested in Serbia; Cyprus will present a request for asylum applications suspension; 14-year-old dies at Polish-Belarusian border; and UNHCR says the number of displaced persons worldwide reaches 84 million.