United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council warned Thursday of “cost and consequences” for any side in South Sudan that blocks a new regional peace initiative set to open next week in Ethiopia. In a unanimous statement, the council said a high-level forum organized by the …
Read More »US condemns deadly Ethiopia clashes
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The United States on Wednesday said it was “troubled and saddened” by clashes in Ethiopia that local reports said has left at least 18 people dead. The violence was reported to be most intense in the eastern town of Chelenko, near the volatile border between …
Read More »Facing dissent from abroad, Ethiopia turns to spyware
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | As soon as Ethiopian opposition activist Henok Gabisa read the email, he knew something was not right. With the subject line “Democracy in Ethiopia: Can it be saved?”, the message seemed tailor-made for him. Yet the US-based academic, who teaches law at Washington and Lee …
Read More »GLOBAL COMMENT: Freeing Africa’s internet
Governments issue orders to cut off Internet but telecoms reserve ability to hit the `kill switch’ COMMENT | KIZITO BYENKYA & ALEX HUMPHREY | Much to the dismay of the government in Addis Ababa, “Zone 9” has become a household name in Ethiopia. Since 2012, this small group of journalists-turned-online activists …
Read More »Ethiopia parliament speaker says ‘disrespect’ made him quit
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The speaker of Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament, who resigned last week, said Saturday that he quit because of “disrespect” of his ethnic group. Abadula Gemeda, a member of the Oromos, the country’s largest ethnic group, announced last Sunday that he was stepping down after …
Read More »Ethiopia devalues currency in competitiveness bid
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia will devalue its currency by 15 percent in a bid to boost demand for its major exports, a state-run media outlet reported Tuesday. Africa’s second most-populous country is also one of its best economic performers, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimating in …
Read More »Ethiopia parliament speaker resigns
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The speaker of Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament announced his resignation without giving any reason on Sunday. Abadula Gemeda was the speaker of the House of People’s Representatives from 2010 and was previously army chief of staff and president of the country’s most-populous region, Oromia. …
Read More »Ethiopia’s Oromo denounce govt on stampede anniversary
Bishoftu, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group on Sunday staged a peaceful anti-government protest at their biggest festival, where dozens were killed a year ago during a tear gas-induced stampede. Clad in traditional white, tens of thousands of Oromo people who gathered for the Irreecha festival, chanted “Down, down …
Read More »Sudan’s Bashir aims to ease Egypt concerns over Nile dam
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir said Thursday that the construction of Ethiopia’s controversial Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River would not impact water supplies to Egypt as feared by Cairo. Visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, for his part, said the project was a “win-win” for …
Read More »At least 56 dead as smugglers throw 300 African migrants into Yemen sea
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | At least 56 people have drowned over the past 24 hours, and dozens remain missing, after human traffickers forced 300 African migrants off two Yemen-bound boats and into the sea. Survivors — all Ethiopian and Somali migrants — managed to make their way to …
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