Six rescued, 15 missing after #Houthi attack on cargo ship in #Red_Sea

Six crew members have been rescued from a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea, according to a European Union naval force, after an attack claimed by #Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The assault, which sank the Greek-owned vessel on Wednesday, also killed at least four sailors and left 15 others missing, the Reuters news agency reported, citing maritime officials.

The Houthis said the attack on the Eternity C had been conducted on Monday using an unmanned boat and missiles, and was carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, to pressure the Israeli military to end its assault on the besieged enclave.

The group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said that the Eternity C had been headed towards Israel, and that the Houthis had also “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location”.

The rebels released a video they said depicted their attack on Eternity C. It included a call for the crew to evacuate and showed explosions on the ship before it sank.

The United States Mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping many surviving crew members from Eternity C and called for their immediate and unconditional safe release.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO), run by the British military, had said on Tuesday that the ship sustained “significant damage” and “lost all propulsion”.

https://aje.io/dl4nmi

#US slashes #Ethiopian visa validity, entry limit

Starting 8 July 2025, the U.S. has revised its visa rules for Ethiopian citizens, limiting “most nonimmigrant visas” to single-entry and a 3-month validity, the State Department announced.

Visas issued before this date will remain unaffected by the change, according to the announcement made through the U.S. Embassy in Addis Abeba.

Analysis: Renewed security crisis in #Metekel Zone, #Benishagul_Gumuz rekindles longstanding instability

The Metekel Zone of Benishangul-Gumuz is once again at the center of a growing security crisis. A new wave of violence that began in May 2025 has shattered the fragile calm the region had seen since 2022.

Most recently, on 06 July, at least one person was killed, several homes were burned, and civilians were reportedly raped and looted in Donbon Kebele, Debate Woreda. Local residents and a leader of the Boro Democratic Party who spoke to Addis Standard allege that the attacks are being carried out by fighters of the “Shene militants”, the term commonly used to refer to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

An OLA representative told Addis Standard the group is reviewing the reports and will respond in due course.

This resurgence recalls the brutal 2019-2022 crises in Metekel Zone, where hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced. The re-emergence and growing activities of “Gumuz militants” in Dangur and Guba woredas are also reported in connection with the current crises.

Earlier government attempts to stabilize Metekel, including peace deals and local militia recruitment, now appear to be unraveling. Residents say the current deployments of federal and regional forces are insufficient.

Addis Standard made repeated attempts to reach the head of the Debate Woreda Police Office and the regional Peace Building Bureau for comment, but both efforts were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=51364

#Trump presses #African leaders to take deported migrants, sources say

The Trump administration this week pressed five African presidents to take in migrants from other countries when they are deported by the U.S., two officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Thursday.

The plan was presented to the presidents of Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon during their visit to the White House on Wednesday, according to a U.S. and a Liberian official who both asked not to be named.

The White House and official spokespeople for the five nations did not respond to requests for comment. It was not immediately clear if any of the countries had agreed to the plan.

Since returning to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing to speed up deportations, including by sending migrants to third countries when there are problems or delays over sending them to their home nations.

On Saturday, eight migrants - from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam, according to their lawyers - arrived in South Sudan's capital after they lost a legal battle to halt their transfer.

Wednesday's meeting at the White House had been organised partly to talk about the deportation plan, the U.S. official said. Liberia's government was "preparing to accommodate" an effort to house migrants in its capital Monrovia, the U.S. official added.

The Liberian official confirmed that the deportation plan was a focus of Wednesday's meeting, but did not say whether Liberian President Joseph Boakai had agreed to it.

The Wall Street Journal reported, opens new tab on Wednesday that an internal State Department document sent to the African governments before the meeting called on them to agree to the "dignified, safe, and timely transfer from the United States" of third country nationals.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/trump-presses-african-leaders-take-deported-migrants-sources-say-2025-07-10/

News: #Tigray Orthodox Church leaders express concern over PM Abiy's remarks, assessment of reality of Tigray people

Religious leaders of the Tigray Orthodox Church have expressed concerns over recent remarks made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, cautioning that his assessment of the region's situation is “disconnected from the lived experiences of the people.”

In a statement released Wednesday, they said the Prime Minister’s speech risks deepening the humanitarian crisis and undermining the fragile peace process. They cited the ongoing failure to return displaced persons and restore essential services as evidence of the disconnect.

“The Prime Minister’s speech did not take into account the economic and social realities of Tigray,” the leaders said. “This raises serious concerns about the government’s commitment to fully addressing the needs of our people.”

The Church announced it will send a delegation of elders to meet the Prime Minister to convey the concerns of Tigrayans and push for a more responsive approach.

While PM Abiy called on religious leaders to help prevent renewed conflict during his parliamentary address last week, the Tigray Orthodox Church said true peace requires understanding and addressing the economic and social realities in Tigray. The leaders also urged international actors and religious institutions to amplify Tigrayan voices and ensure the government fulfills its obligations under the Pretoria Agreement.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=51369

#Turkey’s mediation stalls in #Somalia–#Ethiopia sea access dispute

Turkey’s year-long push to defuse the bitter dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia has reportedly stalled, Somali and Ethiopian diplomats said Wednesday, after negotiators broke off contact over Addis Ababa’s bid for direct sea access through Somaliland.

The mediation, launched in Ankara in February 2024, aimed to calm tensions sparked when landlocked Ethiopia signed a contentious memorandum of understanding with Somaliland on January 1, 2024, granting it a 20-kilometre naval and commercial corridor to the Gulf of Aden in exchange for potential diplomatic recognition of the self-declared republic. Somalia denounced the pact as “an open breach” of its sovereignty and began an aggressive diplomatic campaign to block it.

Three Ankara-hosted rounds culminated in a provisional “Ankara Declaration” on Dec. 11, 2024, in which both sides agreed to technical talks and pledged to respect each other’s territorial integrity. However, those expert-level meetings, held from February 2 to 4, 2025, faltered over the sequencing of maritime access and recognition, and no session has been scheduled since April, two officials familiar with the process told HOL on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed restated his country’s position to parliament on July 3, calling sea access “an existential matter”, echoing a Jan. 5, 2024, speech in which he warned Ethiopia could not remain “an island surrounded by water”. Somalia’s Foreign Ministry responded by labelling the Somaliland deal a “destabilizing land grab” and urged the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

Diplomats warn that the stalemate could hamper anti-piracy patrols in the busy Gulf of Aden and Red Sea corridor, complicate humanitarian deliveries across Somalia’s drought-hit north, and erode the fragile security gains made against al-Shabab. For now, no mediator appears ready to step into Turkey’s place, leaving the region’s most contentious maritime question unresolved.

https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/July/202138/turkey_s_mediation_stalls_in_somalia%E2%80%93ethiopia_sea_access_dispute.aspx

#Egypt, #Eritrea Foreign Ministers discuss #Horn_of_Africa, #Red_Sea current affairs

Egyptian and Eritrean foreign ministers, Badr Abdelatty and Osman Saleh, respectively, held a phone conversation on Thursday, reaffirming their “commitment to deepen” bilateral ties and regional coordination.

The call underscored both countries' desire to build on recent diplomatic gains and expand cooperation across multiple sectors, guided by the directives of Presidents Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Isaias Afwerki, Ahram online reported.

The report said the ministers agreed to maintain close coordination on Horn of Africa and Red Sea developments. There is no official readout from Asmara at the time of publication.

Their discussion came days after President el-Sisi met with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein and pledged intensified military support to Somalia and renewed Egypt’s interest in securing the Red Sea...

More: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1943612873499881530

#Ethiopia: Police allege Dr. Daniel leading health professionals’ movement ‘from prison using electronics’

Despite no recent activities from Ethiopian health workers, during Thursday’s hearing at the Bahir Dar City High Court, police alleged that Dr. Daniel Fantahun, a prominent gynecology resident and leading figure in the Health Professionals Movement, is “continuing and leading the struggle from prison using electronics.”

According to attendees who spoke with Addis Standard, the police from the Amhara Regional State Police Commission claimed he was supplied with electronic devices “with the cooperation of the prison administration” and maintained links with what they described as “extremist forces.” One officer told the court, “He is not just a doctor with simple salary demands… we have evidence linking him with external actors.”

The court granted a third five-day extension for police to continue investigating, citing ongoing digital forensics and witness protection concerns. Police also alleged that Dr. Daniel and his associates were intimidating the families of individuals who allegedly died as a result of the strike and that the Amhara Regional Health Bureau is still assessing institutional damages.

Dr. Daniel’s defense team strongly challenged the claims, arguing that if any devices entered prison, accountability lies with authorities, not their client. They also criticized the lack of tangible evidence despite repeated police promises. “The allegation is speculative and not ground enough to detain a public servant indefinitely,” they told the court.

During the hearing yesterday, health professionals gathered in solidarity with Dr. Daniel, while his colleagues raised alarm over possible evidence fabrication. “The accusations have no connection to Dr. Daniel’s reality,” one told Addis Standard, noting that his Facebook page appeared active despite his detention.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=51376

#Ethiopia: Fuel supply to #Tigray plummets by over 85%, officials warn of severe impact on humanitarian activities

Fuel supply to Tigray has plunged by over 85% in just one month, from 5.2 million liters in May to 2.09 million in June, far below the region’s 15-million-liter monthly quota. “This sharp decline is having a heavy impact on the overall functioning of the region, including transport, healthcare, and education,” Tekleshe Gebrehiwot, Communications Director of the Tigray Trade and Export Agency, told Addis Standard.

Locals are sounding the alarm. “I’m losing customers because of the price,” said Luel Hiluf, a bajaj driver. “Fuel now costs 300 birr per liter.” Henok Gebremedh added, “Every morning, my biggest concern is fuel… we buy from the black market, smuggled from Amhara and Afar.” Officials say the crisis is disrupting farming, as fertilizers remain out of reach.

Despite repeated appeals, regional authorities say there’s been “no proper response” from the federal government. “The people suffered during the war, they shouldn’t also suffer now,” Tekleshe stressed, urging urgent fuel dispatch.

The current shortage is happening at the time Tigray continues to face fallout from wartime blockades, which the UN previously described as a “de facto blockade.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=51378

#Ethiopia: #OLA denies involvement in #Metekel civilian Attacks, willing to review ‘any evidence’ presented by local party

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has denied allegations linking it to the 06 July attack in Donbon Kebele, Metekel Zone, where one person was killed and homes were burned.

In response to Addis Standard’s 10 July report, the group said it was “not aware of any incidents involving civilian casualties” in its recent engagements and instead accused ENDF forces of targeting members of local Benishangul Gumuz state militia under the pretext of failure to secure the area from the OLA.”

The OLA called the people of Benishangul-Gumuz “brothers and good neighbors” and expressed readiness to “review any evidence” presented by the Boro Democratic Party, which has accused the group of ongoing violence in the region.

In addition to blaming the OLA, the Boro Democratic party leader also admitted the presence and growing activities of “Gumuz militants” in Dangur and Guba woredas.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51382

#GERD: Giant Ethiopian dam promises greater flood control and water management

The idea of harnessing the Blue Nile’s potential for hydropower generation has a long history in Ethiopia, but neither the technology nor the financial resources existed back then to realize such an ambitious project. The modern conception of the GERD can be traced back to a series of studies and negotiations spanning several decades.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, for instance, the United States Bureau of Reclamation conducted a comprehensive study of the region and recommended several cascading dams along the Blue Nile for hydropower production. But the lack of financing stopped the implementation of such projects. Still, one of the proposed locations, called the border dam, corresponds to the current site of the GERD.

Unfortunately, controversy over the GERD project has overshadowed historical aspirations for collaborative water management among Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan in the Eastern Nile Basin. One attempt at collaboration that did come to fruition is the Cooperative Framework Agreement, which establishes principles for equitable and sustainable water use among some of the other Nile Basin countries.

The framework agreement, which officially went into effect in October 2024, after years of negotiations, was developed by the Nile Basin Initiative, an intergovernmental partnership of Nile Basin countries. This historic development establishes a permanent Nile River Basin Commission to coordinate transboundary water management, but Egypt and Sudan did not sign the agreement.

While the GERD will function as a non-water-consumptive hydroelectric dam that temporarily stores and releases water during power generation, Egypt and Sudan are concerned that this megaproject may jeopardize their water security. Consequently, although Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have considered various joint projects for the use of Nile water, these efforts all failed, leading the Ethiopian government to build the GERD on its own.

Multifunctional improvements
In addition to its primary function of power generation, the GERD serves multiple crucial purposes. As a flood control measure, it will help regulate the Blue Nile’s flow, mitigating devastating floods in downstream countries, particularly Sudan.

The dam’s improved water management capabilities are expected to increase agricultural productivity through irrigation, benefiting the region as well. Economically, the GERD presents a significant opportunity for Ethiopia to increase its foreign currency earnings by exporting excess power, thus driving overall economic growth.

Perhaps most importantly, from a national perspective, the GERD stands as a symbol of Ethiopian pride and self-reliance, demonstrating the country’s ability to undertake and finance large-scale infrastructure projects independently. This marked a significant shift from reliance on foreign aid to self-driven development.

https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/issues/magazine-issue/article/2025/07/giant-ethiopian-dam-promises-greater-flood-control-and-water-management

#GERD: #Egyptian premier urges #Ethiopian counterpart to finalize agreement on Blue Nile mega-dam

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly called on his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed to finalize an agreement regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that guarantees "no harm to Egypt.”

Madbouly made the remarks during a press conference in Egypt broadcast late Wednesday by the Prime Minister’s office on Facebook.

His comment came in response to a question about his meeting with the Ethiopian prime minister at the BRICS economic summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 6-7.

"There was a group photo of heads of state and government on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. There were protocol arrangements, including handshakes with neighbors, and it happened that Egypt was seated next to Ethiopia and Iran. The photo was cropped to focus on the bilateral image between the Ethiopian and Egyptian prime ministers," Madbouly said.

"Egypt maintains relations with all countries worldwide and does not antagonize anyone. Our relations with all African countries are based on mutual respect. We have repeatedly confirmed that we are not against development in any country, but not at the expense of Egypt’s rights to Nile waters. This is a firm stance,” he added.

The meeting between the two prime ministers occurred amid a longstanding crisis between the countries over Ethiopia’s refusal to sign an agreement on filling and operating the dam.
http://v.aa.com.tr/3626639

Sensational sweeps: #Ethiopia in the women's 5000m at the 2005 World Championships

The 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, holds particular significance in the history of sweeps. Not only were podium sweeps achieved in three events, but in two of those – the women’s 5000m and the men’s 200m – the top four spots were secured by athletes from the same nation: a feat never before achieved at the World Championships.

After leading an all-Ethiopian podium in the women’s 10,000m, Tirunesh Dibaba returned to head the first ever women’s World Championships 1-2-3-4 in the 5000m. At the age of 19, she became the first woman to complete the 5000m and 10,000m double.

As well as making history with its ‘foursweep’ and Tirunesh Dibaba double, the women’s 5000m featured one of the best rivalries in women’s international long-distance running. While notable Ethiopian women came before and after Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar, their legacies carry weight in the country today as thousands of young women began running after seeing their success on television or hearing about it on the radio.

After winning her first world 5000m noscript as a 17-year-old in Paris in 2003, Dibaba eyed the double in Helsinki. First up was the 10,000m final on 6 August, which she won ahead of her compatriots Berhane Adere and Ejegayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh’s older sister. Many, however, were more excited for her face off against Defar in the 5000m.

Meseret Defar wanted to claim the world noscript in her Olympic gold medal event, and Tirunesh wanted to become the first woman to prevail in both the 5000m – for which she had a wild card entry as the defending champion – and the 10,000m. https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/tokyo25/news/series/podium-sweep-world-championships-ethiopia-5000m-2005

They fled war in #Ethiopia. Then #American bombs found them

In April, U.S.-made bombs destroyed a detention facility that held Ethiopian migrants in #Yemen, crushing bodies and shredding limbs. Amid official silence, the survivors are left wondering why.

The men awoke in the middle of the night to the roar of warplanes.

Fear was nothing new to Fanta Ali Ahmed, who was trapped with more than 100 migrants in a rickety prison. After civil war reached his home region of #Tigray in Ethiopia in 2020, he had fled along one of the world’s most dangerous smuggling routes.

He had hoped to reach #Saudi_Arabia, across the Red Sea. Instead, as he passed through Yemeni territory ruled by the Houthi militia, he was arrested and sent to a migrant detention center in northern Yemen.

For weeks in March and April of this year, he heard American airstrikes nearby, targeting Yemen in a campaign against the Houthis, who are backed by Iran. But this was the closest the planes had ever come.

Then multiple 250-pound bombs hit the prison on April 28, tearing through the roof, Mr. Fanta fell to the ground, he recalled. At first, he thought he was the only one hurt. He later realized that he was one of the luckier ones. Ten people close to him were killed, while others were left with limbs hanging by shredded skin, he said.

“The place and everyone in it were mangled,” said Mr. Fanta, 32, who survived with two broken legs and a broken arm. “I don’t know why America bombed us.”
More than two months after the attack, which killed at least 60 people and injured 65 more, according to health authorities in the Houthi-led government, few answers have emerged.

The Houthis blamed the United States, and an investigationby The New York Times found that at least three U.S.-made GBU-39 bombs — relatively small, guided munitions that are typically intended to reduce collateral damage — had been used, suggesting that the United States was likely to have carried out the bombing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/world/middleeast/ethiopia-yemen-american-bombs.html

#Opinion: Allegations of #TPLF faction's outreach to #Eritrea: Strategic disarray or desperation?

Since mid-2024, reports have surfaced alleging a series of meetings between some Tigrayan political and military figures and representatives of the Eritrean government. The TPLF has categorically denied these claims, asserting that neither the party nor the Tigrayan military has engaged in “secret contact with the Eritrean government.” Perhaps as an attempt to seize on the opportunities these allegations created, #Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister last week accused Eritrea of collaborating with a “faction of the TPLF” to launch coordinated attacks.

Considering the intensity of these allegations, Tsegazeab Kahsu, the author of this opinion piece, asks, “Why then would a faction of the TPLF—a movement forged in war and hardened through decades of ideological rivalry and battlefield bloodshed with Eritrea—now engage with the very regime that unleashed unspeakable atrocities against the Tigrayan people?” He contends that the answer lies not in “grand strategic realignment or any newfound pragmatism,” but rather in “political exhaustion, internal fragmentation, and institutional existentialism.”

The author elaborates that following the signing of the 2022 #Pretoria Peace Agreement, which formally ended the war, the TPLF—"once dominant within Ethiopia’s federal structure"—has devolved into "a regional actor grappling with lost legitimacy, popular resentment, and internal decay." This vacuum of purpose and coherence, Tsegazeab notes, resulted in a “strategic drift.” Amid this drift, he states, “Some of the TPLF faction now view Isaias’s Eritrea not through the lens of history, but as a potential tactical lever—a counterweight to increasing pressure from the Ethiopian federal government, rival Tigrayan factions, or even popular unrest.”

The article warns that turning to Isaias’s Eritrea for tactical advantage is a “reckless gamble,” emphasizing that “it is an opportunistic regime that thrives on chaos and disunity among its neighbors.” The author cautions that “President Isaias does not pursue alliances; he engineers dependencies,” stressing that “to believe that such a regime could ever be a reliable ally for a wounded and divided #Tigray is not just politically naïve—it is suicidal.”

https://addisstandard.com/allegations-of-tplf-factions-outreach-to-eritrea-strategic-disarray-or-desperation/

#Tigray: ‘A threat of renewed genocide is unacceptable’: Opposition leader condemns PM's warning of new war in Tigray

Alula Hailu, Chairperson of the opposition party Salsay Weyane Tigray, has strongly condemned recent remarks by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warning that any future war in Tigray would be “far more severe” than the last.

At a presser on Friday 11 July held in Mekelle, Alula said: “The Prime Minister threatens that if war breaks out again in Tigray, it will be far more severe than what it was before,” said Alula. “To say that this intense war will continue means there will be another round of genocide… For a leader entrusted with responsibility to speak in such a manner is utterly unacceptable.”

#Ethiopia: #Tigray opposition #Salsay_Weyane slams PM Abiy’s warning of renewed conflict, urges Tigray-wide dialogue

Tigray opposition party Salsay Weyane Tigray Chairman Alula Hailu has condemned Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s recent remarks warning of a potentially more devastating war in Tigray, calling it a threat of renewed mass atrocities.

In his speech to the House of Peoples’ Representatives on 3 July, PM Abiy warned of another round of war in Tigray and called on religious leaders to “act now” to prevent renewed conflict. “Start your work now to prevent Tigray from entering war; it will be worthless if you speak after it begins,” he said.

Tigrayan religious leaders responded by announcing a delegation to meet the PM, but also criticized the PM that his “assessment is disconnected from the lived experiences” of the people.

Birhane Atsbha, head of communications for Salsay Weyane, also weighed in during the presser on Friday, saying the federal government should address its grievances with the TPLF through legal means rather than issue broad threats affecting the entire Tigrayan population. “While Tigray’s constitutional territory remains unrecovered, while IDPs languish in camps, and while the people continue to suffer, it is highly irresponsible to threaten war simply over TPLF’s legal status,” Birhane said.

The party reiterated calls for a Tigray-wide national dialogue to resolve tensions. The party also criticized both the federal government and TPLF for failing to prioritize the region’s suffering population.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51388