#Ethiopia: Unidentified armed group kills eight, injures many in brutal attack in East Gurage Zone

Unidentified armed group kills eight individuals while injuring others in the East Gurage Zone’s #East_Meskan_Woreda.

Residents report the attack occurred on 2 October, 2023, targeting #Mareko residents.

Authorities investigating possible links to #Meskan Zonal Administration.

https://addisstandard.com/news-unidentified-armed-group-kills-eight-injures-many-in-brutal-attack-in-east-gurage-zone/

#Ethiopia: Ethiopian Securities Exchange unveils inaugural board ahead of launch

In a seminal move poised to shift the terrain of Ethiopia's economic landscape, the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) has unveiled its inaugural board of directors, with preparations set to finalize within the ensuing three months.

At the helm, former Zemen Bank VP, Hilaway Tadesse, will steer the institution as a chairman, joined by an assemblage of eminent professionals, including Eleni Gebremedhin (PhD), the progenitor of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), and Fikadu Petros, a distinguished legal expert. The announcement made by executives of Ethiopian Investment Holdings marks a step towards the inception of the ESX.

https://addisfortune.news/news-alert/ethiopian-securities-exchange-unveils-inaugural-board-ahead-of-launch/

#Ethiopia: Ethiopian Embassy in #Khartoum, #Sudan, sustained damages after the building was hit by heavy artillery today. The embassy's building and its property were damaged in the attack but no casualties were reported.

The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo blamed the attack on Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for “severely damaging the embassy building located in the area of Al-Amarat.”

In addition to the Ethiopian embassy, ​​the United Arab Emirates, Russian and South African embassies were also reported to have been attacked.

https://addisstandard.com/Amharic/?p=1892

#Ethiopia - #China to build electrical engineering center in #Addis_Abeba

The Civil Engineering Construction Corporation of China (CCECC) has agreed to build a “centre of excellence” in Addis Abeba to help train Ethiopian electrical engineers.

The facility would be for the national Ethiopian Electricity Utility (EEU).

EEU chief executive Shiferaw Telila said the centre would help make its service “reliable, efficient and advanced, compatible with contemporary technology”.

The $167m facility will have workshops and laboratories for training and research, a control centre, a meeting hall and dormitories for students and guests, as well as extensive sports facilities, including a football pitch and an athletics track.

https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/china-to-build-electrical-engineering-centre-in-addis-ababa/

#EU pledges delayed $680 million aid package for #Ethiopia

The European Union on Tuesday pledged a $680 million aid package for Ethiopia that was delayed due to a 2020-2022 civil war in its northern Tigray region.

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“Together, the EU and Ethiopia aim to gradually normalise relations through structured political dialogue and rebuild a mutual reinforcing partnership,” Urpilainen said.

The aid package had been due to be disbursed between 2021 and 2027.

The resumption of EU budget support, which was suspended in January 2021, was contingent on Ethiopia agreeing to a reform program with the International Monetary Fund, as well as achieving other “political conditions”, she said.

Ethiopia’s finance minister Ahmed Shide said the aid deal signified the “strategic importance” of Ethiopia’s partnership with the EU.

https://www.reuters.com/article/ethiopia-aid-eu-idUSKBN3131MQ

#Ethiopia: Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, #UN experts warn

Despite the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the Commission has determined that serious violations are continuing in the Tigray region.

It has confirmed the ongoing presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia, and continuing atrocities against civilians, in particular rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The Commission has also expressed alarm about the deteriorating situation in the #Amhara region, including emerging reports of extrajudicial killings and mass arrests. Most, if not all, of the structural drivers of violence and conflict remain unaddressed.

“One of the Human Rights Council’s most important roles is to help prevent human rights violations and respond to human rights emergencies,” said commission member Radhika Coomaraswamy. “The situation in Ethiopia clearly merits such attention and it is vital that this continues.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1141832

#Ethiopia: Hunger strike concerns for detained Ethiopians

Families of three Ethiopian politicians jailed in connection with violence in the north-western #Amhara region say they are concerned for the detainees’ well-being.

It comes after handwritten letters on social media appeared to indicate the politicians - Christian Tadele, Yohannes Buayalew and Kassa Teshager - were on hunger strike.

Christian is a member of Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament while Yohannes and Kassa are members of Amhara regional and Addis Ababa city councils respectively. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-66909040?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=651ba59a02d73c280f4a8688%26Hunger%20strike%20concerns%20for%20detained%20Ethiopians%262023-10-03T09%3A25%3A42.574Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:217290c3-dd76-4624-88dd-dacbae0e3882&pinned_post_asset_id=651ba59a02d73c280f4a8688&pinned_post_type=share

https:/#Feature: “I was waiting for seven years to hear my name on the list”: Chief Hospital Corpsman Weldekiros Aregawi

#Weldekiros_Aregawi has reached a point during his Navy career where the notion of service before self is even more pronounced than it was before.

Such reasoning is born from a Navy Medicine career of 19 and a half years which has always been predicated on helping deliver healthcare to those in need.

“At this stage of my career, I’m not here for myself. I’m here to help junior Sailors and the operational mission,” said Weldekiros, who professes he specifically joined the Navy to become a hospital corpsman and take care of patients.

Consider that original goal accomplished and then some. https://addisstandard.com/?p=38236

#Ethiopia: #Amhara region Public Health Institute said that a #Cholera outbreak in the region has claimed the lives of 76 people in West #Gonder zone in #Qwara district alone.

The outbreak, including in areas where there are ongoing clashes between government security forces and the non-state #Fano militia are happening, further compounds reports of more than one million people who are in need of emergency food assistance due to #drought.

Abraham Amsalu, Director of the Institute for Prevention and Control of Public Health Disasters, said that "the cholera outbreak is spreading" and is testing a region gripped by conflict and drought. He added that the latest cholera outbreak is reported in Debre Birhan city over the last last three days. https://addisstandard.com/Amharic/?p=1901

#Ethiopia: Sidama Federalist Party accuses regional government of unlawful arrests, calls for release of detained members

The Sidama Federalist Party (SFP) accuses the #Sidama regional government of unlawfully arresting three party members in Daye town.

The arrests were made without court orders, and the #SFP believes it is an attempt to hinder their investigation into corruption within the regional administration.

The party demands the immediate release of the detainees and fair legal procedures.

https://addisstandard.com/news-sidama-federalist-party-accuses-regional-government-of-unlawful-arrests-calls-for-release-of-detained-members/

#Nigerian government denies viral video allegations, seeks MoU with #Ethiopia for prisoner transfer

The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the allegations made in a viral video about the treatment of Nigerian inmates in Kaliti Prison in Ethiopia. The government stated that it is in the process of finalizing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with #Ethiopia on the transfer and exchange of prisoners.

Currently, there are 270 Nigerians incarcerated in Ethiopian prisons, with many of them serving sentences for drug-related offenses. To address these issues, the Nigerian government is working on the MoU that would allow Nigerian inmates to complete their jail terms in #Nigeria, where their families can support their well-being.

https://thenationonlineng.net/video-of-nigerian-inmates-in-ethiopia-not-true/

News: Despite several pleas, draft deadline to extend #UN rights experts’ #Ethiopia mandate expires

A well placed source with knowledge to the matter told Addis Standard that despite EU's decision to not submit the draft motion, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, wrote a letter to all EU member states that even if #ICHREE’s mandate was not renewed, its report should remind members states to give “a very clear signal to [the] Ethiopian government that we will continue to follow up on Human Rights situation in the country and importance of meaningful transitional justice system.”

ICHREE said on Tuesday that its latest detailed findings are based on an assessment of the risk factors for atrocity crimes, which are considered to be the most serious crimes against humankind. These crimes – including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – are identified in the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes. “The Commission’s report found that all eight of the common risk factors and the majority the specific risk factors are now present in Ethiopia.” https://addisstandard.com/?p=38251

#Ethiopia: Hailu Mergia: the spearhead of Ethiopia's musical revolution

Although pianist Girma Beyene was the band’s leader and principal arranger, keyboardist Hailu Mergia gave them a distinction among their peers. A keen experimental mind when it came to synthesiser technology, Hailu was one of the first Ethiopian musicians to use Moog synthesisers while becoming a master organist. “As soon as the organ came along I learned to play it,” Hailu later told journalist April Clare Welsh. “I had no choice, because I was playing in clubs and none of them had pianos. It’s just always been very comfortable for me to play the keyboard, and everyone loved the sound of the organ!”

Hailu was the band member who pushed for the group to emphasise funk instrumentals over original pop-adjacent songs. “When you sing or write lyrics you have to support the government, and if you don’t do that then you have a problem” …

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hailu-mergia-the-spearhead-of-ethiopias-musical-revolution/

#Ethiopia: Human Rights Council: #EU Fails Ethiopia’s Victims: Human Rights Watch (#HRW)

“European Union members abdicated their responsibility to ensure international scrutiny of grave abuses in Ethiopia by failing to renew the expert commission,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “For the numerous victims of atrocities in Ethiopia who placed their hopes in the Commission, this is a devastating blow.”

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“Ethiopia’s partners have allowed Ethiopia to drop off the Human Rights Council’s agenda despite the resumption of violence and the complete failure to address accountability,” Tirana said. “The EU’s inaction and lack of leadership for victims of serious crimes in Ethiopia will undercut its credibility as a proponent for justice around the world.”

https://hrw.org/news/2023/10/04/human-rights-council-eu-fails-ethiopias-victims