Cairo, Egypt | XINHUA | Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday that Egypt will never stand idle in the face of the challenge posed by the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD). The minster’s statements came during a meeting held by parliament’s small and medium-scale enterprises …
Read More »Ethiopian gov’t restores partial internet access as normalcy returns in unrest-hit areas
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Ethiopian government on Wednesday restored partial access to the internet after a total shutdown since June 29 following deadly unrest that erupted in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country killing at least 166 people. Deadly protests erupted in the …
Read More »Egypt seeks urgent clarification on activity at Ethiopian dam
Cairo, Egypt | XINHUA | Egypt has asked Ethiopia for an official clarification if it has started filling its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) constructed on their shared Nile River as stated in some media reports, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Egypt has requested an …
Read More »Tension as 166 killed in Ethiopia riots over singer’s death
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | At least 166 people were killed in Ethiopia after a popular singer’s death sparked violent protests which resulted in riots in the country’s Oromia region and capital Addis Ababa, police sources said Sunday. Girma Gelam, Oromia region’s police deputy commissioner, told media on Saturday …
Read More »Egypt says no progress made in tripartite talks over Ethiopia’s Nile dam
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Egyptian water ministry said on Friday that no tangible progress has been made in the tripartite talks over the controversial Ethiopian Nile dam. There are still “fundamental differences at the technical and legal levels” between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian …
Read More »In midst of pandemic, East Africa braces for another locust invasion
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | East Africa is bracing for a third outbreak of desert locusts, with billions of the destructive insects about to hatch and threaten food supplies in a region already reeling from damaging rains and the coronavirus pandemic. Spurred by favourable weather conditions, the migratory pests have …
Read More »Egypt blames Ethiopia for stalling Nile dam talks
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi strongly rebuked Ethiopia on Tuesday, accusing Addis Ababa of stalling negotiations over a mega-dam being built on the Nile and moving ahead with plans to start filling the reservoir before reaching a deal. “A timeline must be set to finish up negotiations, so it does …
Read More »Ethiopia reports first two deaths from coronavirus
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia on Sunday announced the first two deaths of patients suffering from COVID-19, as officials ramped up testing to get a clearer picture of the outbreak there. The first victim was a 60-year-old Ethiopian woman who had spent six days in intensive care, a health …
Read More »The mighty River Nile, threatened by waste, warming, mega-dam
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Early one morning in Cairo, volunteers paddle their kayaks across the Nile, fishing out garbage from the mighty waterway that gave birth to Egyptian civilisation but now faces multiple threats. Egypt’s lifeline since Pharaonic days and the source of 97 percent of its water is …
Read More »Museveni calls for urgent meeting on River Nile
Museveni calls for equitable use of River Nile Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said all the countries that share the Nile, the world’s longest river should use her waters for the benefit of all, not at the detriment of others. Museveni was on Friday speaking …
Read More »