#Ethiopia: #Gurage zone residents stage fresh stay at home protests over unresolved statehood demand as #NEBE conducts referendum for new regional state

Gurage zone has been put under command post in November last year following similar protests since August, as part of the zone’s push for own statehood. The ongoing day long protest is in defiance of the command post who cautioned against such kind of protests.

Hayider Murad, a resident of Wolkite told #AddisStandard that there is no activity in the city except for the movements of the SNNP special forces and some ambulances. He said that the government has failed to respond to the right become a state by themselves of the Gurage people.

Andinet Anulo one of the organizers of the protests also told Addis Standard that people in all districts of the zone are staying at home boycotting their routine activities. He said activities would resume tomorrow but the peaceful struggle continues until the government responds to their demands.

https://addisstandard.com/news-gurage-zone-resident-stage-fresh-stay-at-home-protests-over-unresolved-statehood-demand-as-nebe-conduct-referendum-for-new-regional-state/

News Analysis: Clashes between #Orthodox faithful, local police claim “lives of many” in #Shashemene; Holy Synod, government in war of words as both stick to their positions over Church schism

Clashes lash between followers of Orthodox Christianity and the local police in West Arsi zone, Shashemene city of the Oromia Region on Saturday 04 February “claimed the lives of many people”, an eyewitness told Addis Standard. The clashes erupted at St. Michael Church during a reception ceremony for members clergy appointed by the new “Holy Synod of Oromia and Nations and Nationalities.”

According to the eyewitness, the clashes happened when Abune Paulos, who is appointed by the “Holy Synod of Oromia and Nations and Nationalities” to serve the West Arsi diocese, traveled to Shashemene city and group of the church’s followers started to protest that the “bishop and his team” would not be welcomed.

Earlier some of churches in the city rang the church bells to call out followers of the church, the eyewitness said, adding that, “in a clash between the protesters and regional special police, two people shot killed immediately.” Both were shot dead by the police.

https://addisstandard.com/news-analysis-clashes-between-orthodox-faithful-local-police-claim-lives-of-many-in-shashemene-holy-synod-government-in-war-of-words-as-both-stick-to-their-positions-over-church/

News: #ONLF condemns “unacceptable violations of press freedom” after recent media ban in #Somali Region

Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has condemned what it described as “escalated suppression of media freedom in the Somali Region” which according to the party has “devastating impact on Journalism and the right to information.”

ONLF said in a press release on Saturday that despite the services they have been providing to the state and to the people, the regional government has banned 13 major news outlets using the federal media authority as a pretext.

https://addisstandard.com/news-onlf-condemns-unacceptable-violations-of-press-freedom-after-recent-media-ban-in-somali-region/

News: Addis Police says 19 officers injured in confrontation with group gathered in #Orthodox church in #Oromia special zone; urges refrain from “actions to disturb peace”

The Addis Abeba Police said that “19 police leaders and officers sustained serious and light injuries” during a confrontation on Monday with a group of people who gathered at St. Lideta of the Orthodox Church, located in Philidoro, a location bordering Addis Abeba city and Oromia Regional State Special Zone Surrounding #Finnfine.

Following that the city police has urged “these parties to refrain from their actions that disturb the peace of our city and its residents.”

According to the statement from Addis Abeba Police issued last night, in the morning of Monday 06 February, “illegal acts of disrupting peaceful activities” were observed in Addis Abeba and Oromia Special Zone border area commonly known as Philidoro.

https://addisstandard.com/news-addis-police-says-19-officers-injured-in-confrontation-with-group-gathered-in-orthodox-church-in-oromia-special-zone-urges-refrain-from-actions-to-disturb-peace/

#Ethiopia: Court to rule on #Orthodox Church’s request to ban breakaway archbishops for three months as it prepares to press charges

The Federal High Court, Lideta division, fundamental rights, and freedoms bench on Monday has adjourned until today to issue a ruling on a request filed by the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) to ban the three breakaway archbishops and the 25 appointee episcopate they appointed from accessing the church’s possessions for three months until it prepares to file formal lawsuit against them.

The request was filed at the court on Friday, 03 February, but was adjourned until Monday when judges examined the request and listened to explanations given by the church’s lawyers.

The Church’s legal team said in a presser subsequent to the court proceeding on Monday that the request included a strict order particularly against Oromia Region’s law enforcement agencies to refrain from supporting the breakaway group and killing faithful who resisted their forceful takeover of churches and diocese offices in the Oromia Region. Adding that they also asked for an order against the law enforcement agencies to properly execute their mandate of protecting the church’s possessions.

https://addisstandard.com/news-court-to-rule-on-orthodox-churchs-request-to-ban-breakaway-archbishops-for-three-months-as-it-prepares-to-press-charges/

#Ethiopia: #Malta could soon get direct flights to Ethiopia, #USA through Ethiopian Airlines

Aviation was one of the key themes discussed in bilateral meetings that took place between Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali in a state visit by the latter to Malta.

During an official visit to Malta by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the two prime ministers outlined how increased cooperation in the aviation sector can be of benefit for both countries.

Both sides also discussed enhanced cooperation in the maritime sector, artificial intelligence, education, and science amongst others.

https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-02-07/local-news/Malta-could-soon-get-direct-flights-to-Ethiopia-USA-through-Ethiopian-Airlines-6736249476

#ASDailyScoop: #Ethiopia secures €182 million during PM Abiy’s latest visit to #Italy

As part of the Ethiopian Italian Cooperation Framework 2023-2025 which was announced during the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visit to Rome on 06 February, the two countries have signed agreements worth 140 million Euros (100 million soft loans and 40 million grant).

Two additional agreements for new programs; “Minimizing investment risk in the Ethiopian coffee sector and institutional support to the Ethiopian coffee authority (ECTA)” worth 10.5 million Euros, and another initiative, “WaSH, resilience, energy in Ethiopia’s lowlands” worth 31.5 million euros have also been signed during the visit, by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, and the Ethiopian Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide.

https://addisstandard.com/asdailyscoop-ethiopia-secures-e182-million-during-pm-abiys-latest-visit-to-italy/

Analysis: “Enough! Let them come to peaceful path”: #Oromia president wants to end fighting peacefully, but remains vague on how

In what appeared to be a sharp departure in tone and messaging, Shimelis Abdissa, President of Oromia regional state, said that he wants to end the fighting Oromia region that has pitted federal and regional forces against rebels from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), often referred by the government as “Shene”, for more than four years.

It is a far cry from an announcement by the regional government in November last year that the region will not sit down for talks with militants that it accused of having “no political agenda.” In his latest interview however, Shimelis said that the regional state authorities were working hard to make the peaceful path work, including with Abba Gadaas and Hadha Sinqees, religious leaders, scholars and other stakeholders. “We would like to thank them so much,” he said without delving much about the process.

The OLA, on their part have been saying that they will negotiate in the presence of a credible third party. The group has recently published a brief political manifesto: “From Armed Struggle to the Prospect for Peace”. In it OLA stated, among others, what their prospects for peaceful resolution of the conflict is.

https://addisstandard.com/analysis-enough-let-them-come-to-peaceful-path-oromia-president-wants-to-end-fighting-peacefully-but-remains-vague-on-how/