Ethiopia
It has been covered in several previous newsletters but we begin with Ethiopia again today. When the UN says that hundreds of thousands of people may starve to death, when women and girls are being raped in huge numbers and when a war threatens the stability of an entire region, I think it should be the biggest story in the world. The UN estimates that a staggering 90 percent of people in the Tigray region, which is the center of the country’s conflict, need food aid. Today, the BBC spoke to residents who said they had nothing to eat and that their crops and livestock had been looted.
You can read the BBC piece here. Separately, this recent Reuters investigation on a massacre and the bloodletting that followed is one of the most deeply-reported pieces on the conflict so far. Warning: It is a distressing read.
Syria-Saudi Arabia
“The political mood within the House of Saud has changed, many senior royals, particularly Mohammad bin Salman himself, are keen to re-engage with Assad”.
Interesting exclusive from Al Jazeera today. It appears that Saudi Arabia is extending an olive branch to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. The Saudis have been major backers of several anti-Assad armed groups since the war began 10 years ago.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Israel-Palestine
You’ll remember that during its 11-day bombardment of Gaza last month Israel destroyed a tower block that housed Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, as well as many businesses and apartments. The Israeli military said at the time that it believed Hamas had a presence in the tower - but provided no evidence. Israel’s US ambassador today issued a statement in which he said Hamas had been using the tower as part of an attempt to disrupt Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. The statement came just a day after a meeting between Ambassador Gilad Erdan and AP’s top editors. The Israelis again offered no evidence for the claim.
More from AP here.