Factual Reporting From The Ground

Good Day,

My name is Jemal Countess, a journalist with over 20 years of experience covering events in North America and Africa. I have reported on the war in East Africa over the past two years with six separate trips to the Amhara, Afar and Tigray regions. In light of the Peace Agreement signed between the Ethiopian Government and the TPLF this week, I fear a lot of facts on the ground run the risk of being skewed and lost in the confusion and continuing propaganda around current events in the country. I am writing to ask for help in returning to the country within the coming week to report through my writing, and visual reports filed to international news agencies as I have done in the past. In light of the tenuous situation on the ground, especially in the Amhara and Afar regions close to the border with Tigray and within the Tigray itself, I will need to purchase more comprehensive body armor to replace the small kevlar plates I currently have. I intend to stay for two to three weeks covering developments in newly liberated areas and areas still struggling to deal with limitations and damage to infrastructure during the war. I propose to leave within the next two weeks, depending on when the government permits me to cover the areas I desire to cover. Thank you for your support in the past, and I hope you can help me reach my goal of giving the world and the Ethiopian diaspora a clear look at what's needed to repair damaged and broken systems and rebuild the country in the aftermath of this war.