#WFP warns of pipeline break in #Ethiopia by June; further ration cuts reported amid funding gaps

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says “further cuts may be necessary” as it is “anticipating a pipeline break in June 2025,” warning that ongoing funding shortfalls are constraining its ability to sustain food assistance in Ethiopia.

In its April country brief, WFP stated it was “compelled to reduce ration size back to 65 percent of the standard ration from 80 percent in February,” following a temporary increase. The current ration consists of “9 kg of cereals, 1 kg of pulses and 1.1 kg of oil.”

Ration reductions have also been applied to refugee operations. WFP said it “will reduce the ration size from 60 percent of the standard food basket in April to 50 percent in May” due to funding constraints.


Read more: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1928011176845139971

#Ethiopia: #CBE denies media report of 7 billion birr theft, says attempted fraud “thwarted within minutes”

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has denied a media report claiming that over 7 billion birr was stolen from its internal account, calling it an “attempted theft of a large amount of money” that was “thwarted within minutes.” In a statement issued following a broadcast by Ethiopian Media Service (EMS), the bank said it was “compelled to provide a brief statement” after the report “falsely claimed” that funds were stolen, suspects were not apprehended, and that the case was “covered up” by the bank. CBE insisted that “no money was actually stolen” and that the suspicious transaction was “detected early.”

According to the statement, the suspects “attempted to gain illegitimate benefits” but the act “was not carried out by breaching our system.” The bank said it reported the case to “the relevant legal authorities” after “protecting the money,” and confirmed that the suspects are “currently in police custody” under “intensive investigation.” It added that the case remains under “strict legal monitoring” and pledged to release “detailed information once the legal process is concluded.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50490

#Opinion: Silent Edit, Redacted Reality: Why U.S. Embassy in #Addis erased call to halt drone strikes — implications for justice

In a world where truth is routinely twisted, erased, or repackaged for convenience, a quiet act of revision has become a powerful symbol of moral decay, writes Alene Yenew in this opinion piece. He's referring to a statement the #US Embassy in Addis Ababa issued on 23 May, 2025. The original version included a direct call: "…we call for the federal government to immediately cease the use of drone strikes against its own people."

Yenew notes, "It was a rare moment of honesty, a flash of recognition of the violence that has claimed countless lives." Yet, within hours, that crucial line was deleted. The revised statement read, "…we call on the federal government to continue seeking peaceful resolutions without violence." The author argues that this revision was made as if "the original words had never been written, as if the truth had never been spoken at all."

He contends that "This wasn’t just a bureaucratic slip—it was a reversal of conscience," emphasizing that "The U.S. has long known about the devastation caused by Ethiopian drone strikes....” He adds that "For those suffering under state violence, especially the Amhara people, it felt like a betrayal—not just of them, but of the very idea that truth matters." Alene elaborates, “This is not just an American problem” but “a global symptom of a deeper rot: the collapse of moral clarity in a world governed by convenience.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50479

#Sudan reports 70 deaths from cholera in #Khartoum in 2 days

Sudan’s Health Ministry announced on Thursday that at least 70 people have died from cholera in Khartoum within just two days. According to a statement cited by the local Sudanakhbar outlet, authorities are facing major challenges in controlling the outbreak due to limited resources and poor health capabilities.

The ministry noted that on Wednesday alone, there were 942 confirmed cholera cases, including 25 deaths. Just a day earlier, 1,177 infections and 45 deaths had been recorded. Cholera was officially declared a national epidemic by Sudanese authorities in August 2024, as the number of cases continued to surge.

The country’s already fragile health infrastructure has been severely damaged by the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (#RSF), which began in April 2023.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-reports-70-deaths-from-cholera-in-khartoum-in-2-days/3583146

#Somaliland President meets Kenyan President, opens diplomatic office in #Nairobi

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro met with Kenyan President William Ruto during his official visit to Nairobi this week as part of efforts to strengthen ties between Somaliland and Kenya.

Speaking at the inauguration of Somaliland's new office in Nairobi on Thursday, President Irro said they had a productive discussion focused on bilateral relations, noting that they had reached a "good understanding."

However, he did not disclose further details about the location of the meeting or specific agreements reached.

President Irro has been in the Kenyan capital for several days, holding meetings with various officials and stakeholders. His visit comes amid ongoing efforts by Somaliland to build international partnerships despite its unrecognized status on the global stage.

https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/May/201676/somaliland_president_meets_kenyan_president_opens_diplomatic_office_in_nairobi.aspx?utm_source=hiiraan&utm_medium=SomaliNewsUpdateFront

#US moves to dismiss #Boeing fraud case involving #Ethiopia, #Indonesia crash victims

The U.S. Justice Department has formally asked a judge to dismiss a criminal fraud charge against Boeing and cancel an upcoming trial related to two deadly 737 Max crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, which killed 346 people.

The agreement would require Boeing to pay over $1.1 billion, including “an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families,” in exchange for dropping the case. The crashes occurred off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018 and near #Addis_Abeba in March 2019.

Nadia Milleron, whose daughter died in the Ethiopia crash, rejected the government’s framing of the deal. In an email, she said “there will be no accountability as a result of the NPA,” adding that it “hurt her to read” the Justice Department’s assertion that the agreement would bring “meaningful accountability” and “public benefits.”

https://tinyurl.com/3kxa4msv

#Ethiopia: Drivers Association reports over 30 truck drivers kidnapped in two weeks, cites growing insecurity in war-hit #Amhara region

More than 30 truck drivers have been abducted in Ethiopia’s Amhara region over the past two weeks, according to the Tana Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association, which attributed the increase to what it described as “growing insecurity” and “a lack of accountability for armed groups” amid the ongoing war between federal forces and #Fano militias. A senior official from the Association, who spoke to Addis Standard on condition of anonymity, said that while abductions began in 2017, “the incidents have worsened recently,” and added that kidnapping has become “a risk-free occupation” due to the absence of “effective control.”

The same source identified the Checheho–Gayint–Debre Tabor–Woreta route as “a dangerous corridor,” and noted that although the Gondar–Chilga–Metema road had reopened after a two-month closure, “within the first week of reopening, an Isuzu FSR truck driver was kidnapped, and another escaped after gunfire was opened on him.” He also recounted a separate attack on 28 May near Michbiny, in which “the driver was shot and is now being treated at Bahir Dar Hospital,” while “his assistant was kidnapped and taken to an unknown location.” According to the official, ransom demands range from “50,000 to one million” birr.

Solomon Zewdu, Executive Manager of the Ethiopian Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association, said that driver safety is relatively stable in regions with government presence, such as Afar and Somali, but that “the situation in Amhara has deteriorated over the past two years.” He pointed to parts of Gayint, North and South Gondar as danger zones where drivers face “open robbery.” He said attackers “stop vehicles with explosives and weapons, rob the drivers, and shoot them if they resist.” Solomon added that the Association is in talks with authorities and is advising drivers “not to travel at night” and to “move in groups.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50572

#Commentary: Worse Than Evil: How stupidity fueled #Ethiopia into a raging inferno

Ethiopia has been gripped by relentless violence and atrocities across its regions over the past six years, writes Ezekiel Gebissa, the author of this commentary. He cites examples ranging from mass murder in #Tigray to indiscriminate killings in #Oromia, drone strikes in #Amhara, and the assassination of high-ranking government officials and prominent public figures. He notes, "The country is descending into an unfathomable underworld where life is nasty, brutish, and short."

Drawing on German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s concept of "cultivated stupidity"—a rejection of reason and critical thinking that enables ordinary people to follow immoral orders without question—Ezekiel argues that many Ethiopians have endorsed this "state-sanctioned violence." He points out that even "bishops and imams, otherwise paragons of peace and reconciliation, publicly preached violence and viciousness." The author adds that dehumanizing rhetoric from top government officials, calling opponents “nocturnal beasts and invasive weeds,” has normalized brutality.

The article states, “Ethiopian politics became violent because Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed allowed governance to be driven by a contrarian logic and exercised power by convulsive methods. In other words, policies were adopted if they were contrary to those of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), extreme violence was deployed to divide, muzzle, and neutralize alternative voices, and the public was corralled into aiding and abetting death and destruction.”

The author asserts that Prime Minister Abiy’s choice of "contrarian, corrosive, and convulsive politics has produced chaos, conflict, and an imminent collapse of the political order," effectively turning Ethiopia into "a land of blood for the last six years." He urges Ethiopians to heed Bonhoeffer’s call to view history “from the perspective of the outcasts, the suspects, the maltreated, the powerless, the oppressed and reviled, in short, from the perspective of the suffering” as a way to break free from this entrenched “cultivated stupidity.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50466

#CPJ, 31 others call for #UN scrutiny of #Eritrea’s human rights record

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 31 other non-governmental organizations in calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn grave human rights violations in Eritrea, including arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention of journalists, violations of the rights to a fair trial, torture, and extraterritorial attacks on critics.

Ahead of the Council’s forthcoming session, which opens on 16 June, the rights groups also called for an extension of the mandate of the independent U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, which expires in July.

As of December 1, 2024, Eritrea remained the worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, with 16 behind bars without charge or trial, according to CPJ’s latest annual global prison census. Of these, 13 have been in detention since 2000 or 2001.

In 2024, the Special Rapporteur Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker expressed concern about prolonged, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in the Horn of Africa nation and described the imprisoned Eritreans as the “longest-detained journalists in the world.”

https://cpj.org/2025/05/cpj-31-others-call-for-un-scrutiny-of-eritreas-human-rights-record/

#Ethiopia: “We are invited to share the gospel’s message of peace and transformation with a generation longing for change” - PM Abiy

Addressing a gathering of evangelicals from across #Europe and beyond at the 2025 “European Congress on Evangelism”, which opened on 28 May in #Berlin, #Germany, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the world today is “in desperate need of hope,” and that “carrying forward the legacy of those before us is a shared responsibility.

“We are invited to share the gospel’s message of peace and transformation with a generation longing for change,” he told the gathering, which was hosted by, Franklin Graham, as per a report by Christian Daily.

PM Abiy’s address to the “followers of Christ” included a message on the importance of love through action. “We are called to be the salt of the earth, demonstrating love through actions and deeds.”

The Prime Minister delivered the speech during the final leg of his tour, which was preceded by official visits to France and Italy.

#Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Admin seeks explanation from federal gov’t over cargo trucks halted in #Afar, #Amhara regions

The Tigray Interim Administration has requested clarification from the federal government after trucks transporting goods to the region were halted at multiple checkpoints in Afar and Amhara regions, Tigray Television reported. In a letter to Kassahun Gofe, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, the region’s Trade and Documentation Agency said it had “learned from various sources” that cargo trucks heading to Tigray via Afar have been “prohibited from going to Tigray” at Serdo checkpoint since May 26. The agency called on the ministry to “take appropriate measures” and provide “an explanation as to why they were prohibited.”

Tigray Television stated that “light and heavy trucks” from different parts of Ethiopia and Djibouti were stranded at three locations in the two regions. It noted that vehicles on the Afar route were stopped at Serdo Meda, where drivers and companies had received “no solution” despite having “documentation” showing legal clearance. The broadcaster reported concern among business actors in Tigray, while drivers told the BBC that they had been halted on May 24 and were told “we cannot pass” due to what they described as an “order from above.” The BBC also reported that trucks using the route to Mekelle via Woldia in Amhara were similarly stopped.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50587

#Ethiopia, #IMF staff agree program review that could unlock $260 million

Ethiopia and the International Monetary Fund have reached a staff-level agreement on the third review of the country's $3.4 billion loan program from the lender, the Fund said on Friday.

Once approved by the IMF's Executive Board, Ethiopia will gain access to another $260 million in financing.

"The (Ethiopian) authorities' policy actions in the first year of the program have yielded strong results. The transition to a flexible exchange rate regime has proceeded with little disruption," the IMF statement said.

Macroeconomic indicators have performed better than expected, with substantially better outcomes than forecast for inflation, goods exports and international reserves."
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethiopia-imf-staff-agree-programme-review-that-could-unlock-260-million-2025-05-30/

#Ethiopian Health Professionals Association calls for halt to vacancy announcements targeting striking health workers, urges negotiated resolution

The Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (#EHPA) has urged the government to “immediately stop” issuing what it described as “vacancy announcements targeting professionals who are making demands,” amid a continuing nationwide strike by healthcare workers. In a statement released on 30 May, EHPA reiterated its support for what it called a “just and peaceful demand,” and stated that it had long called on authorities to give “an appropriate response.” However, the association said the lack of such a response has now resulted in a work stoppage that is causing “various hardships” to the wider public.

EHPA said it “welcomes and recognizes” the efforts of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (#EHRC) to mediate between the government and the striking professionals, and expressed hope that “the problems will find peaceful solutions.” It affirmed its commitment to “continue and strengthen” engagement with the Commission. The statement followed preliminary discussions between members of the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement (#EHPM) and the Ministry of Health. According to EHPM, although no agreement was reached, “some level of understanding” had been achieved in a separate conversation with EHRC, which offered to “mediate with the Ministry.”

EHPA also called for the “complete and unconditional release” of detained health workers, describing the charges against them as “fabricated” and based on “unreasonable suspicion.” EHPA argued that the arrests violate rights to organize and collectively bargain, protected under international labor conventions ratified by Ethiopia. It also demanded “an immediate stop” to “dismissals from work,” the use of “threats and intimidation,” and vacancy postings aimed at replacing striking professionals.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50596

Exclusive: #Somaliland president says recognition of state ‘on the horizon’ following #Trump talks

The new president of Somaliland says his state, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, is on the brink of securing international recognition – a development that would inflame tensions in the already tumultuous Horn of Africa.

In an interview in the presidential palace in the capital, Hargeisa, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi tells the Guardian it is “likely” that Somaliland will finally win acceptance of its right to self-determination, which has eluded the territory since it declared independencefrom Somalia 34 years ago.

“Recognition is on the horizon,” says the 69-year-old.

Such a move would infuriate Somalia, which would view it as an attack on its sovereignty, unsettle regional powers in the strategic peninsula and fan broader concern that it sets a precedent for secessionist movements across the African continent.

Despite its relative stability and regular democratic elections, Somaliland, a territory of about five million people, has yet to be recognised as independent by a single nation.

“It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” says Abdullahi.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/may/30/exclusive-somaliland-president-says-recognition-of-state-on-the-horizon-following-trump-talks

#Sudan #RSF leader vows push to #Khartoum, #Darfur governor denies retreat

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deputy leader, Abdel Rahim Daglo, on Friday vowed his fighters would continue their eastward advance towards the capital Khartoum, adding that all the armed groups members of the Tasis coalition are now fighting along with his paramilitary group. While the army’s ally and the Darfur governor downplayed recent battlefield setbacks for the army as “reorganization.”

The RSF’s deputy leader told a gathering of his troops at an undisclosed location that they had achieved “great victories” in Al-Dubaibat and Al-Hammadi in South Kordofan state, and Al-Khawi in West Kordofan.

The RSF stated on Thursday that it had retaken Al-Dubaibat, Al-Hammadi, Kazgail, Al-Khawi, and Umm Samima in the Kordofan region. However, army-aligned soldiers later released video footage purportedly showing their control over Umm Samima, west of El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital.

https://sudantribune.com/article301466/

#Ethiopia: CPJ dismayed by two-year sentence of Somali journalist; says conviction based on post he “did not write”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it is “dismayed” by the sentencing of Somali journalist Ahmed Awga, founder of #Jigjiga Television Network, to two years in prison over a Facebook post the organization said he “did not write.”

In a statement issued on May 30, CPJ said the Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga, capital of Ethiopia’s Somali Region, found Ahmed guilty on May 22 under the 2020 anti-hate speech law. He had been detained since April 23, following what CPJ described as charges “initially related” to an interview he conducted with a man whose son had reportedly died “after an alleged police beating,” and “commentary” published on Ahmed’s Facebook page.

According to CPJ, the journalist was first charged with incitement, but the charge was later amended to “propagation of disinformation and public incitement,” as stated in the charge sheet reviewed by the organization.

https://addisstandard.com/cpj-dismayed-by-two-year-sentence-of-somali-journalist-says-conviction-based-on-post-he-did-not-write/?amp=1