TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ethiopia

  • Ethnic violence in southern Ethiopia kills 21, wounds 61

    Ethnic violence in southern Ethiopia kills 21, wounds 61

    Heavy fighting between ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia has killed at least 21 people and wounded 61, its state news agency said on Saturday.

    The Ethiopia News Agency said violence escalated and sent hundreds fleeing across the border to neighbouring Kenya.

    Outbreaks of violence in the south between the Oromo and other groups have escalated since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the first leader from the Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia’s modern history, assumed office in March.

    Fighting broke out between Somalis and Oromos in Moyale, a town bordering Kenya, on Thursday and Friday, the agency reported, citing Suraw Mohammed, Deputy Spokesman of Somalia Regional State.

    Mohammed said some of the displaced had fled to Kenya, while those who had stayed in Ethiopia were receiving humanitarian aid.

    The two groups have been engaged in a prolonged conflict that has intensified in recent months.

    Earlier in the year, at least 5,000 Ethiopians were forced to seek refuge in Kenya after several civilians were killed in what the Ethiopian military said was a botched security operation targeting militants in the country’s south.

    “People have been killed, business premises bombed and torched, houses have also been set ablaze in the fight between Oromo and Somali Garre fighters,” said Wario Sora, a human rights activist from Moyale on the Kenyan side.

    Patrick Mumali, Moyale Sub-County Deputy Commissioner, confirmed late on Friday that hundreds of Ethiopians had crossed the border to Kenya.

    An internal UN report dated Dec. 13 and reviewed by Reuters also confirmed the fighting, with heavy artillery being used, and said there was likelihood the conflict could spill over into Kenya.

    An Ethiopian source in the capital with sources in Moyale, said at least dozens had been killed in the fighting, which was more intense than previous clashes this year.

    In the Oromiya Region, the largest in the country and home to the largest ethnic Oromo, there are at least four separate conflicts along ethnic lines in addition to a border dispute that risks erupting into new violence, aid groups say.

  • Ethiopia appoints first female president

    Ethiopia’s parliament has approved senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, proceedings on state television showed, cementing another shift in the country’s political system from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
    Zewde is at present UN under-Secretary-General and special representative of its Secretary General to the African Union.
    She replaces Mulatu Wirtu, who tendered his resignation to parliament earlier on Wednesday.
    The president’s post is a ceremonial one in Ethiopia. The prime minister, who is the head of state, holds executive power.
    “In a historic move, the two Houses has elected Amb. Shalework Zewde as the next President of Ethiopia.
    “She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Abiy’s chief of staff, said on Twitter.
    “In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life.”
    Recently, when the prime minister reshuffled his cabinet, he appointed 10 female ministers, making Ethiopia the third country in Africa, after Rwanda and Seychelles, to achieve gender parity in their cabinets.
    “When there is no peace in the country, mothers will be frustrated. Therefore, we need to work on peace for the sake of our mothers,” Zewde told parliament after her approval.
    Wirtu, who had held the office for five years, departed one year ahead of his term ending, saying he wanted to be part of change and reforms.
    Zewde became the fourth president since the ruling EPRDF coalition came to power.
    Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a raft of reforms that have turned the region’s politics on its head, including the pardoning of dissidents long outlawed by the government.
    Earlier, the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses in a joint extraordinary session on Thursday approved the resignation request by Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome.
    Teshome, who has been the East African country’s head of state since October 2013, on Wednesday submitted his letter of resignation as the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses are scheduled to consider his resignation.
    Reuters/NAN

  • Nigerian Christians not as committed as Ethiopian Christians

    The world’s most committed Christians live in Africa, and Ethiopia ranks highest for Africa in a new study report released by the Pew Research Center (PRC).

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Ethiopia, with 98% committed Christians, toppled Nigeria that has 82% committed Christians and Ghana with 89% committed Christians in the world’s most committed Christians report.

    “Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with a big presence in most parts of the globe. But not all Christians share the same levels of religious commitment,” PRC noted.

    According to the recent PRC study, “Christians in Africa and Latin America tend to pray more frequently, attend religious services more regularly and consider religion more important in their lives than Christians elsewhere in the world”.

    The study analyzed 84 countries with sizable Christian populations. In 35 of those countries, at least two-thirds of all Christians say religion is very important in their lives. All but three of these 35 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America.

    The four standard measures of religious commitment used for the study are affiliation, importance of religion, worship attendance and frequency of prayer.

    Findings reveals that Honduras is having 94% committed Christians, Philippines 91% committed Christians, Ghana 89% committed Christians, Colombia 80% committed Christians, Ecuador 80% committed Christians, South Africa 79% committed Christians, Brazil 77% committed Christians and Peru with 74% committed Christians.

    Among Christians, religion most important in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the United States

    Findings also revealed that “at least four out of five Christians in Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Cameroon and Chad pray every day” and that more than 60% of Christians in every African country surveyed, said they attend church at least weekly.

    The study indicates that Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa is growing the fastest than any other part of the world.

    “These findings reflect the broader pattern of Christianity’s “march southward” from wealthy countries to developing ones.

    “This phenomenon is particularly evident in sub-Saharan Africa, where Christianity is rapidly growing,” the report stated.

    The study attributed the rapid growth of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa to high fertility rates.

     

  • Authorities shut down internet in eastern Ethiopia amid regional violence

    Authorities have shut down the Internet in eastern Ethiopia amid an outbreak of violence in the region, a local resident said on Wednesday.

    The resident, speaking from the city of Harar, some 100 km from Jijiga, the capital of the region of Somali, said the connection had been off for three days.

    Rights group Access Now confirmed the shutdown in a statement.

    Violence broke out in Jijiga on Saturday, with mobs looting properties owned by ethnic minorities, in unrest that the government said had been stoked by regional officials at odds with central authorities.

    Security forces in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region on Monday shot dead four people protesting against the looting of their shops and homes.

    The attacks forced thousands to seek refuge in an Ethiopian Orthodox church from Friday, residents told Reuters.

    On Monday, some of them staged a protest.

    “They blocked a road surrounding the church to demonstrate, before security forces arrived and began firing indiscriminately,” one resident of the town told Reuters.

    The witness, who declined to be named, said he saw four bodies on the ground after the crowd dispersed. Gunfire rang out throughout the day.

    At least two Ethiopian Orthodox churches were also burned down over the weekend, other residents told Reuters.

    Amid the violence, the region’s president Abdi Omer stepped down late on Monday, state-owned media outlets said. The agencies did not offer any explanation for his resignation.

    But earlier, government spokesman Ahmed Shide had said regional officials were stoking violence at a time when attempts were being made to address rights abuses in the region.

    He said the officials claimed the government was illegally forcing them to resign, and that a regional paramilitary force had taken part in the attacks under their orders.

    “Infrastructure was destroyed and civilians were subjected to killings and lootings. Religious centres were also attacked and banks looted,” he said at a news conference.

    “These acts were carried out by gangs of youths that were organised by some members of the region’s leadership.”

    Witnesses told Reuters that soldiers were deployed as early as Friday evening.

    But Ahmed said orders were given only on Monday and that they would soon “start operations” to restore calm.

    The Somali region has seen sporadic violence for three decades.

    The government has fought the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front since 1984 after the group launched a bid for secession of the province, also known as Ogaden.

    Since 2017, clashes along its border with Oromiya province have displaced tens of thousands of people.

    In July, the region’s officials were accused by the government in Addis Ababa of perpetrating rights abuses. Last month, authorities fired senior prison officials there over allegations of torture.

    The unrest in the province marks a first test for new prime minister Abiy Ahmed, who has pledged transparency and a crackdown on abuses by security services.

     

  • After 20 years of border war, Ethiopia appoints ambassador to Eritrea

    Ethiopia has appointed its first ambassador to Eritrea in 20 years in the latest sign of rapprochement after a border war, the state-affiliated Fana news agency said on Thursday.

    An online report from Fana said Redwan Hussien, formerly Ethiopian ambassador to Ireland, had become Addis Ababa’s representative in Asmara.

    Since signing an agreement in Asmara on July 9 to restore ties, Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders have moved swiftly to sweep away two decades of hostility since conflict erupted between the two neighbours in the Horn of Africa in 1998.

    The rapprochement was triggered by the coming into office of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in April who announced he wanted to implement a peace deal that ended the war.

    Both leaders have visited each other and Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki this week reopened his country’s embassy in Addis Ababa.

    Ethiopia’s national carrier Ethiopia Airlines on Wednesday made its first flight to Asmara in two decades and was greeted by dancers waving flags and flowers as families separated by the war and the ensuing hostilities made an emotional reunion.

     

  • After 20 years, first Ethiopia-Eritrea commercial flight takes off

    The first commercial flight from Ethiopia to Eritrea in 20 years took off early on Wednesday, sealing a stunning reconciliation between the former enemies a week after they ended their military standoff.

    More than 400 passengers boarded two Ethiopian Airlines planes in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, many of them waving the countries’ flags and wearing T-Shirts with slogans celebrating the rapprochement.

    Ethiopia’s former Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, told Reuters on board that he felt “heartfelt joy”. “There has been hatred between us (Ethiopia and Eritrea) for the last 20 years but now, that has been reversed.”

    A Boeing 787 with 315 people on board and a 737 with 154 passengers were due to land in Asmara about one hour and 25 minutes later.

    The flights cemented peace efforts pushed by Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to office in April and announced a series of reforms that have turned politics on its head in the region.

    With the 41-year-old former intelligence officer at the helm, the ruling coalition has ended a state of emergency, released political prisoners and announced plans to partially open up the economy – including letting foreign investors take stakes in state-run Ethiopian Airlines .

    In his boldest move, Abiy offered last month to make peace with Eritrea, 20 years after the neighbors started a border war that killed an estimated 80,000 people.

    Full-blown fighting had ended by 2000, but their troops have faced off across their disputed frontier ever since.

    Abiy has since visited Asmara and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki reopened his nation’s embassy in Addis Ababa on Monday.

     

  • Direct telephone connection restored between long-time foes Ethiopia, Eritrea

    Direct telephone connection restored between long-time foes Ethiopia, Eritrea

    Direct international telephone connection has been restored between Ethiopia
    and Eritrea “for the first time after two decades”, an Ethiopian official said.

    The Ethiopian Prime Minister’s chief of staff wrote the statement on Twitter after a summit between Prime
    Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afkwerki began.

    The meeting was the first of its kind between the leaders of the two neighbours and bitter rivals in the
    Horn of Africa, who went to war with each other and broke off diplomatic relations in 1998.

    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet Prime Minister Ahmed on Monday evening in Addis Ababa.

    UN sources in the Ethiopian capital said, the meeting comes the day after Ethiopia and Eritrea heralded an end
    to a near 20-year military standoff.

    Abiy and Afkwerki announced they would re-open their embassies in each other’s capitals, hailing a stunningly
    swift rapprochement between bitter regional enemies.

    The two leaders personally symbolised the breakthrough, embracing warmly and swaying side by side to live
    traditional music at a lavish state dinner in the Eritrean capital.

    The talks were the product of an unexpected peace initiative by Ethiopia’s new reformist
    Ahmed, which could transform the Horn of Africa region, ending decades of animosity during which both
    countries remained isolated and dominated by their security forces.

    Eritrea’s long-time leaderAfwerki welcomed Ahmed at Asmara’s airport in the morning before they departed
    for the State House for talks that lasted all day.

    The men exchanged hands and a hug there, before departing for the State House for talks. Along the way,
    they were cheered by thousands of Eritreans who flooded the streets and waved flags of both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

    The two embraced again at the state dinner, hosted by Isaias and broadcast on both countries’ state television.

    The meeting was the first of its kind between leaders of the two Horn of Africa neighbours since their war
    of 1998 to 2000 in which around 80,000 people died.

    Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia amicably in 1993 but the two countries swiftly became bitter enemies.

    However, the sides did not make clear whether the most immediate issue — Abiy’s pledge to finally implement all
    terms of a 2000 peace deal with Eritrea — had been addressed.

    In early June, Ethiopia announced it would honour all the terms of the 2000 peace deal, suggesting it might be
    ready to settle the border dispute.

    Eritrea responded positively, sending a delegation to Addis Ababa for a meeting at which Abiy announced that
    Ethiopian Airlines would resume flights to Eritrea.

    Abiy, a 41-year-old former intelligence officer who took office in April, is pushing other bold reforms to open
    Ethiopia up to the outside world after decades of security-obsessed isolation.

    He has pardoned dissidents, lifted a state of emergency and pledged to partly privatise key state-owned firms.

    Across the border, Eritrea is one of the world’s most isolated and repressive nations and has long used the
    Ethiopian threat to justify hefty military spending and long-term military conscription, which has caused
    hundred of thousands of young men to flee, mostly to Europe.

  • Ethiopia fires senior prison officials for failing to respect rights

    Ethiopia fires senior prison officials for failing to respect rights

    Ethiopia has fired senior prison officials hours before the release of
    a Human Rights Watch report detailing torture and other abuses in one notorious prison and urging the
    government to hold officials to account.

    Attorney-General Berhanu Tsegaye’s announcement of the dismissals and the appointment of new officials was
    broadcast late on Wednesday on state-affiliated television Fana.

    He said the new officials should respect human rights in accordance with the constitution.

    Prisoners in a notorious jail in the Somali region of the country were systematically abused for years with
    little access to medical care and at times to food, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in its
    report released on Thursday.

    The dismissals come weeks after new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke before parliament with unprecedented
    frankness about the extent of abuses by security forces on his predecessor’s watch.

    “Police flogged. This is unconstitutional. Police are terrorists,” Ahmed told parliament on June 19.

  • Gunmen kill Dangote’s manager

    Unidentified gunmen killed the manager of a plant owned by Nigeria’s Dangote Industries Limited in Ethiopia on Wednesday after he was attacked in the restive Oromiya region while returning to the capital from the factory, officials said.

    Oromiya, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa, was plagued by violence for over two years, largely fueled by a sense of political and economic marginalisation among its young population.

    Hundreds died in the violence that was triggered in 2015 by demonstrations over land rights, before they broadened into rallies over freedoms that spread to other regions.

    “The company’s director died following an attack by unknown gunmen that took place while returning from the factory alongside two company employees,” a government statement said.

    “Security forces are currently pursuing the assailants,” it added.

    The statement called on residents in the area to help gather details.

    Representatives of the company in Nigeria were not immediately available for comment.

    It was not immediately clear whether it was the company’s country representative or the plant manager who died in the attack.

    During the unrest, some vehicles belonging to the firm were torched by protesters.

    Company heads have been in discussions with the region’s authourities to boost employment opportunities.

    The plant – Ethiopia’s largest cement producer – was inaugurated in May 2015.

    The country remains under a state of emergency imposed in February, a day after prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned.

    Former army officer Abiy Ahmed has since replaced him.

    Since taking over amid the unrest that threatened the ruling coalition’s tight grip, Mr. Ahmed has vowed “a new political beginning” including more democratic rights.

    Thousands have been released since January, including journalists and dissidents who have been jailed for a variety of charges including terrorism.

  • Ethiopia Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn resigns

    Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said on Thursday he had submitted his resignation as both premier and the chairman of the ruling coalition in an effort to facilitate reforms following a period of mass unrest.

    Hundreds of people have died in violence sparked initially by an urban development plan for the capital Addis Ababa.

    The unrest spread in 2015 and 2016 as demonstrations against political restrictions and human rights abuses broke out.

    “Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many,” Hailemariam said in a televised address to the nation.

    “… I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy,” he said.

    Hailemariam said he would stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity until the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the country’s parliament accepted his resignation and named a new premier.