Security Updates

A year into the war in Ethiopia, and rebellious forces from the country’s Tigray region have pushed to within a day’s drive of the capital city Addis Ababa and are threatening to march on the city. The situation has been further complicated by the announcement late on 4 November 2021 by a broad coalition of Ethiopian armed groups and political actors who say that they will form a new alliance on Friday 5 November “in response to the scores of crises facing the country” and to fight against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. As fighting continues on the ground and concerns grow about the security situation in the capital, the United Nations Security Council is set to hold a public meeting on Friday afternoon about the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia as calls earlier in the week for a ceasefire by the East African bloc and the European Union have gone unanswered.  

During the early morning hours on Thursday 27 May, media reports, citing a military official, indicated that Malian soldiers had freed Bah N’Daw and Moctar Ouane, who resigned on 26 May as president and prime minister just two days after they were detained. Their release comes as Mali’s former junta leader Col Assimi Goïta announced on 27 May that he has declared himself the country’s transitional president. Currently, tensions remain heightened in Mali though the situation appears to be calm. There are also remaining questions about how this latest ‘coup’ will impact the country’s transition back to democracy after the August 2020 coup, and the overall security situation in Mali.

Security forces on Tuesday 20 April announced the death of President Idriss Deby Itno, 68. The Chadian army has disclosed that President Deby has died from injuries sustained in fighting at the frontline. The country’s army is currently combating rebel forces who have launched an assault north of the capital N’Djamena. The announcement of his death comes just a day after officials confirmed that he had won a sixth term in office after a presidential election was held on 11 April.  

Over the past several days, several foreign embassies have issued updated travel advice and warnings for Chad in response to the deteriorating security situation in the country. The warnings follow the movement of a rebel group into northern Chad from Libya on 11 April. On 17 April, local officials issued a statement claiming to have repulsed militants in the Kanem Region, located 350 km (217 miles) north of the capital N’Djamena. The heightened tensions in Chad come as the country held its presidential elections on 11 April, with incumbent Idriss Deby likely to win a sixth term in office.