Ethiopian conflict forces thousands of refugees into Sudan
NAIROBI, Kenya— Ethiopia’s deadly conflict with its northern Tigray region spilled over the border Tuesday as several thousand people fled into Sudan, along with soldiers seeking protection, while the Tigray regional leader accused Eritrea of attacking at the request of Ethiopia’s federal government.
Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, rejected international pleas for dialogue with the Tigray regional leaders, saying there would be no negotiations until the “law enforcement operation” is over. He seeks to arrest the heads of a regional government his administration regards as illegal while destroying its well-stocked arsenal.
Even as Britain and the African Union urged an immediate de-escalation, Abiy vowed the military would bring a speedy end to the fighting. But experts warned the conflict could drag on and destabilize one of Africa’s most powerful nations.
The flow of refugees is the first visible sign of a growing humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people at the heart of the Horn of Africa. Tigray remains almost completely cut off from the world nearly a week after communications were severed and Abiy announced a military offensive in response to an alleged attack on a military base.
The United Nations and partners in Sudan are preparing for 20,000 refugees, at least initially.
Hundreds of people have been reported killed on both sides of the conflict so far, one diplomat in the capital, Addis Ababa, said. It remained difficult to confirm either side’s claims. Each blames the other for sparking the conflict.
The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, joined the pressure on Abiy, saying he spoke with the prime minister and urged a de-escalation of the conflict: “Civilians and humanitarian access must be protected.”
The AU Commission chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, called for an immediate cease-fire and stood ready to support an “inter-Ethiopian effort in the pursuit of peace.”
Budget battle: Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a governmentwide, $1.4 trillion spending bill Tuesday, a largely bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington.
The GOP-drafted measure contains funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall and other provisions opposed by Democrats, but top leaders in both parties want to try to mount a drive to enact the unfinished spending bills — which, along with a separate COVID-19 relief effort and annual defense policy bill, represent the bulk of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business for the year.
Success depends on getting the signature of Trump, however, whose unpredictability and toxic relationships with Democrats threaten to doom the effort. The recent history of lameduck sessions conducted as the White House is turning over has been that unfinished spending bills get kicked into the next year, with existing funding simply left on autopilot.
Vaccine trial halted: Brazil said Monday that it had halted a late-stage trial of a Chinese vaccine that had been considered a global front-runner in the race to develop a protective shot for the coronavirus, after a “serious adverse” reaction in a participant.
The Brazilian health regulator provided little information on its decision, including whether the reaction was related to the vaccine, called CoronaVac and produced by the Chinese company Sinovac, or coincidental.
The suspension provoked a political outcry as critics of President Jair Bolsonaro accused the federal government of putting lives in peril by politicizing a vaccine trial. The Brazilian institute assisting with the Corona Vac trial is run by the state of São Paulo, which is led by Gov. João Doria, a political rival of Bolsonaro. NC concession: Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded to incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina on Tuesday, saying “the voters have spoken” and it was clear Tillis had won.
With Cunningham’s concession, all eyes turned to Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoff races in January are likely to determine the balance of the upper chamber.
With votes still uncounted and the races in North Carolina and Alaska still too early to call Tuesday, the Senate remained tied 48-48. Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan is favored for another term against Al Gross, an independent running as a Democrat. If the Senate ended up tied 50-50, Democratic Vice President-elect K am ala Harris would wield the tiebreaking vote.
Georgia is closely divided, with Democrats making gains on Republicans, fueled by a surge of new voters. But no Democrat has been elected U.S. senator in 20 years.
New Peruvian leader: Peru swore in a new president Tuesday who is unknown to most and was recently accused of trying to secure the military’s support for a congressional effort to boot the nation’s last leader out over unproven corruption allegations.
Businessman and former head of Congress Manuel Merino placed his hand on a Bible and swore to carry out the remainder of the current presidential term, which is set to expire in July of next year.
Merino’s swearing-in was met with protests on the streets of Peru’s capital a day after Congress voted to oust popular President Martin Vizcarra, who had campaigned against corruption. Peruvians widely distrust legislators and decried Vizcarra’s removal as an overt power grab.
Analysts warn the country could be thrown into a new period of instability at the same time as it grapples with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
Arms sale to UAE: The Trump administration formally notified Congress on Tuesday that it plans to sell 50 stealth F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader arms deal worth $23 billion aimed at deterring potential threats from Iran despite concern in Israel.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had authorized the sale in keeping with the administration’s Middle East peace efforts.
The notification to lawmakers follows the signing of the Abraham Accords among Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, under which the Arab states have agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale because it could affect the balance of military power in the region. But Pompeo said it would be “fully consistent” with the long-standing policy of maintaining Israel’s qualitative military advantage.