Ruto Talks With #US  Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Agree on New #UN plan for #Haiti

President William Ruto held talks with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in a phone call hours after the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi issued a travel alert on Kenya.

The talks, according to Ruto, centred around several issues, especially how the U.S. and Kenya can collaborate to support the Haiti peacekeeping mission, which remains unpredictable as of August 2025.                     

"I had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues," Ruto revealed in his statement.

According to the Head of State, the two agreed on the importance and need of establishing a United Nations support office for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti to aid efforts to help stabilise Haiti.

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/115427-ruto-haiti

Salsay Weyane #Tigray withdraws from interim advisory council over mandate failures

Salsay Weyane Tigray (SaWeT) has withdrawn from the Interim Advisory Council of Tigray, accusing the body of failing to uphold its mandate and questioning its legitimacy.

In a statement issued on Monday following a two-day leadership meeting, SaWeT said political engagement in Tigray has increasingly relied on coercion, undermining dialogue and democratic competition. The party also cited rising killings, kidnappings, theft, and other unlawful acts as factors behind its decision.

Explaining the withdrawal, Birhane Atsbeha, SaWeT’s communication head, told Addis Standard that the party joined the council only after clarifying its mandate, duties, and duration. “But after Lt. Gen. Tadesse Woreda came to power, the council abandoned its responsibilities, and its institutional existence was put in jeopardy. We found it effectively closed to political struggle,” he said.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51983

#Ethiopia: #Boro_Democratic_Party condemns ‘political’ verdict as council member sentenced to nearly six years rigorous imprisonment

BDP condemned the sentencing of Yohannes Tessema, an elected member of the #Benishangul_Gumuz Regional State Council, to five years and 10 months of rigorous imprisonment and a 15,000 birr fine. The Assosa City High Court’s verdict on 9 August 2025 was based on a five-year-old land lease case that had previously been discontinued, the party told Addis Standard.

Yohannes was arrested on 9 March 2025, shortly after BDP petitioned Ethiopia’s Council of Constitutional Inquiry over amendments to the regional constitution and council seat allocations.

“The police and prosecutor’s office lacked evidence for the terrorism charge, so they decided to reinstate the previously discontinued land lease case against Yohannes,” a BDP official said, calling the verdict “inappropriate” and describing the regional justice system as “politicized.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51987

#US-led mediators ‘appalled’ by worsening #humanitarian crisis in #Sudan

A US-led coalition of mediators on Wednesday said it was “appalled by the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan” and urged warring parties to take steps to protect civilians and allow aid access.

The Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group -- comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the UN -- cited “the growing number of people in situations of severe malnutrition and famine, and the wide range of access impediments that are delaying or blocking the response in key areas.”

“Civilians continue to pay the highest price for this war,” it said in a statement, stressing that humanitarian needs have reached “critical levels.”

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-led-mediators-appalled-by-worsening-humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan/3664888

#Ethiopian Meteorological Institute issues new flash #flood warning for last week of #August

The Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI) announced that favorable conditions for summer rainfall will intensify and become more widespread during the last eleven days of August.

The Institute warned that central, southwestern, western, and northeastern areas may experience heavy downpours strong enough to trigger flash floods. It noted that many of these areas have already received normal to above-normal rainfall in the preceding rainy months.

Earlier this month, the institute cautioned that several parts of the country would face moderate to heavy rainfall, with the potential for hailstorms and flash floods.

Subsequently, flooding caused by the overflow of the Awash River displaced thousands of people across West Shewa and Southwest Shewa zones of the Oromia region, destroying crops and killing livestock.

https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1958435535544107174

#Japan proposes ‘economic zone’ linking Indian Ocean to #Africa, seeks greater role in the region

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday proposed an economic zone connecting the Indian Ocean to Africa as the country seeks to play a greater role in the African continent while America’s presence there decreases and China’s influence rapidly grows.

Ishiba, kicking off the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), pledged to strengthen business and investment in the region and promote free trade by connecting the Indian Ocean region to the African continent.

“Japan believes in Africa’s future,” Ishiba said. “Japan backs the concept of African Continental Free Trade Area,” which aims to bolster the region’s competitiveness.

This year’s summit comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war and drastic cuts in foreign-aid programs have negatively affected development projects in Africa. Meanwhile, China has been expanding its foothold in the area since 2000 through infrastructure building and loan projects.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-africa-summit-aid-us-china-93ea8610e82963ee17e64241d01885b7

#CPJ alarmed over #abduction, #arbitrary arrest and #incommunicado detention of journalists in #Ethiopia

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed alarm over the abduction of Reporter newspaper editor Yonas Amare, the arbitrary detention of Somali Regional Television journalist Khadar Mohamed Ismael, and the incommunicado detention of radio host Abdulsemed Mohammed.

In a statement released yesterday, the CPJ detailed the circumstances of their arrests. Yonas was abducted on 13 August by masked men in military uniforms from his home in Sheger City, on the outskirts of Addis Abeba, according to colleagues and news reports.

On 5 August, Khadar was arrested in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State and remains in detention without charge.

Abdulsemed, a host on Ahadu Radio and operator of the YouTube channel Salon Tube, went missing in Addis Abeba on 11 August . He was later seen on 14 August accompanying police officers during a search of his office, but his whereabouts are still unknown.

“Ethiopia, a country that already has a stained press freedom record, is increasingly becoming a hostile environment for journalists,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo, urging authorities to investigate Yonas’ disappearance and release Khadar and Abdulsemed.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51991

#Tigray Public Diplomacy Forum facilitates ‘conducive environment’ of reconciliation between sanctioned #military commanders, Interim Admin

The Tigray Public Diplomacy Forum announced that it has “created a conducive environment” for three senior military commanders, previously sanctioned by Tigray army leaders, to reconcile with the region’s interim administration and resume cooperation. The commanders, Maj. Gen. Gu’ush Gebre, Gen. Kebede Fikadu, and Col. Gebreyohannes Yohannes, had walked out of a January 2025 meeting in protest against a resolution condemning the interim administration led at the time by Getachew Reda.

The Forum said it had resolved the disagreement by “facilitating an understanding” with Lt. Gen. Tadesse Worede, President of the interim administration, and creating a platform for the two sides to work together. “On behalf of our peace-loving people, we express our respect and gratitude to all,” the Forum stated, welcoming the reconciliation.

It is recalled that Brigadier General Gebregebreal Beyene, another commander sanctioned in January, has since claimed to have organized his own force of “four divisions” operating along the Afar–Tigray border areas.

The Forum said it is “working to peacefully resolve the comprehensive problems in the Tigray region” and pledged to advance dialogue, peace, and stability.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51995

#Kenya in talks with #China to convert #dollar rail loan into #yuan

Kenya is in talks with China to convert a dollar-denominated railway loan into Chinese yuan, an aide to the Finance Minister John Mbadi told Reuters on Wednesday.

China is Kenya's biggest bilateral lender, and the country took on the debt to construct a $5 billion high-speed railway, one of the country's largest infrastructure projects to date.

Bloomberg News reported the plans to convert the loan earlier on Wednesday, saying it would save money due to lower interest rates in China compared with the United States.

Kenya has been working to reduce its debts, as investors and the International Monetary Fund say it remains at high risk of debt distress.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenya-talks-with-china-convert-dollar-rail-loan-into-yuan-2025-08-20/

#Somaliland President lays foundation for #UAE-funded hospital

Somaliland President Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro on Thursday launched the construction of a new multi-specialty hospital in the city of Burao, a project funded by the United Arab Emirates and named in honor of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Referral Hospital is expected to be the largest medical facility in Somaliland and will serve patients from across the Horn of Africa. Officials said the multi-specialty hospital will deliver advanced medical services and reduce the country’s reliance on sending patients abroad for treatment.

“This project will have a profound impact on the people of Somaliland, particularly the communities of Burao and the eastern regions, who will gain access to world-class care in their own country,” President Irro said at the ceremony.

https://www.horndiplomat.com/2025/08/somaliland-president-lays-foundation-stone-for-uae-funded-hospital-in-burao/

#CETU president calls for minimum #wage as #manufacturing workers earn as low as 1,000 birr (≈US$7) per month

Kassahun Follo, president of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU), has urged the government to urgently implement a minimum wage, citing the extremely low earnings of manufacturing workers.

In an interview with state-affiliated media, Kassahun welcomed the government’s recent decision to increase civil servant salaries and noted that manufacturing workers earn between 1,000 birr (≈US$7) and 3,000 birr (≈US$22) per month, which he said is far below a living wage. He stressed that immediate action is needed to address the issue and called on the government to establish a minimum wage.

Kassahun added that there is a clear legal basis for this, pointing to the 2019 Labor Proclamation, which for the first time mandated the establishment of a minimum wage.

#Amhara region Peace #Council says member killed by armed groups in North #Gojjam

The Amhara Regional State Peace Council has announced that one of its leaders, Melake Mihret Nekatibeb Genet, head of the Peace Council in the North Gojjam Zone, was killed by armed groups while “carrying out his responsibilities to promote peace and reconciliation.”

The council stated the circumstances surrounding the killing saying that on the evening of 8 July 2025, armed groups “abducted Melake Mihret from a church where he was serving” and took him to their stronghold in Dahna Mariam, where he was “subjected to mistreatment”. He was later killed on 12 August 2025.

Last year, footage circulated online showing armed groups forcing elders, identified in captions as members of the peace council, to crawl on their knees. Four of them were later killed, an act condemned by the regional government as “brutal.”

This week the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) has confirmed the abduction and subsequent killing on 14 August of its staff member, Honelegn Fantahun, by armed groups in the region, marking the latest in a pattern of deadly attacks against humanitarian workers and assets across Ethiopia.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51998

#Sudan's army denies #bombing #convoy taking aid to famine-hit area

Sudan's army has denied bombing a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy taking aid to a famine-hit area in the country's Darfur region.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had blamed the army for Wednesday's air strike in the town of Mellit, which is under RSF control.

A UN agency said a drone hit the convoy, and three lorries in the 16-vehicle convoy caught fire and were destroyed. All staff travelling in the convoy were safe, it added.

Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious power struggle erupted between the army and the RSF, creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Sudan's army has denied bombing a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy taking aid to a famine-hit area in the country's Darfur region.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had blamed the army for Wednesday's air strike in the town of Mellit, which is under RSF control.

A UN agency said a drone hit the convoy, and three lorries in the 16-vehicle convoy caught fire and were destroyed. All staff travelling in the convoy were safe, it added.
The convoy was headed towards a village near Mellit, a "famine-affected area" some 90km (56 miles) north-west of el-Fasher, the WFP said. The city, the army's last foothold in the Darfur region, has been besieged by the RSF for more than a year.

It is one of the main areas of conflict in the civil war, and the RSF has intensified its battle for control of el-Fasher in recent weeks.

Both sides have previously been accused of using starvation as a weapon of war by obstructing the delivery of aid and looting food


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3elnv5d91o

#Egypt intensifies lobbying African states on ‘water security’ #Red_Sea stability’ as counter to #Ethiopia’s stance

Addis Abeba – Egypt has launched a new round of diplomatic lobbying across Africa, positioning its outreach as a counterweight to Ethiopia’s policies on the Nile.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Thursday with his counterparts in #Sudan, #South_Sudan, #Djibouti, #Uganda, #Kenya, and #Somalia, Egyptian media reported.

In the conversations, Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s categorical rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law in the Eastern Nile Basin,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Egyptian diplomatic push comes despite Ethiopia’s repeated assurances and the formal entry into force of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), a landmark legal instrument governing equitable use of the Nile since October 2024.

The lobbying comes as Ethiopia prepares to inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Abdelatty’s push to rally regional support underscores Egypt’s bid to frame the issue beyond a bilateral dispute, linking it to international laws and “regional stability.” Egypt firmly opposes both Ethiopia’s sovereignty over the GERD and its presence in the Red Sea.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52004

#Uganda agrees to deal with #US to take in deported #asylum seekers

Uganda has agreed to take in nationals from third countries who may not get asylum in the United States but do not wish to return to their countries of origin, Kampala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry said on Thursday that the agreement is based on the conditions that those seeking asylum do not have criminal records and that they are not unaccompanied minors, adding that details of the deal are still being worked out.

US President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, with his administration seeking to increase removals to third countries, including by sending convicted criminals to South Sudan and the southern African kingdom of Eswatini.

At roughly 1.7 million, Uganda already hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, according to the United Nations, and is the latest East African country to announce such a deal with Washington, joining Rwanda and South Sudan.

“This is a temporary arrangement with conditions including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said in a statement.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/21/uganda-agrees-to-deal-with-us-to-take-in-deported-asylum-seekers

#Ethiopia: Local administration says armed group attack injured over 20, destroyed government offices in West #Gondar

Armed groups have reportedly carried out a large-scale attack on the town of Gelegu in the Quara district, West Gondar Zone of the Amhara region, causing extensive damage to government institutions and leaving at least 20 people with serious injuries, according to the district’s communication office.

In a statement released on Thursday, the office said the groups it described as “extremist” destroyed 74 offices across 24 different government sectors, burned three vehicles, and seized another. The attack also left at least 20 people with serious injuries, the statement added.

The institutions affected include the education, peace and security, justice, and health offices, as well as the chief administrator’s office, the council, police, revenues, finance, agriculture, and trade and market development offices. Also reported damaged were the Quara First Instance Court, Tsehay Bank’s Gelegu branch, and the Altash government employees’ loan and savings office.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52008

#Opinion: Meles Zenawi’s Legacy: Lessons for #Ethiopia’s current leaders and beyond

This week marks the 13th anniversary of the passing of Ethiopia’s former Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. In this opinion piece, Mulugeta Gebregziabher reflects on Meles’s legacy, noting that his life offers “vital lessons for Ethiopia's current leaders.” He contends that Meles Zenawi’s career provides crucial lessons in peace, integrity, and visionary governance—qualities from which many contemporary African leaders could greatly benefit.

Mulugeta underscores Meles’s deep aversion to conflict, quoting his powerful remark: “We are tired of war. We know war not from TV but from the war front.” This firsthand understanding of war’s toll, the author argues, shaped Meles’s unwavering commitment to peace. Mulugeta emphasizes, “The most pressing lesson today, particularly in light of recent escalations in war rhetoric, is the imperative to prioritize peace and stability and to avert conflict at all costs.” He further notes that Meles was “unflinchingly honest about Ethiopia’s challenges,” particularly during humanitarian crises, when he instructed authorities to publish accurate data on those in need.

The article highlights that Meles’s development strategy, rooted in the concept of a “democratic developmental state,” prioritized state-led economic transformation and smallholder agriculture, thereby “driving significant economic growth and infrastructure expansion.” Furthermore, on the global stage, Meles is recognized as a skilled diplomat who adeptly balanced relations with #China, #India, and Western powers to safeguard Ethiopia’s sovereignty. However, the piece acknowledges his shortcomings, stating, “Meles was not perfect.” His state-led development model faced criticism as "deeply authoritarian." Policies such as the leasing of large-scale agricultural land to foreign investors were seen as “prioritizing foreign interests over local livelihoods.” Another widely cited critique concerned “the fusion of party over and state under his leadership.” Additionally, his administration was accused of exercising “centralized power, which lacked mechanisms for accountability and transparency.”

Yet, the author states, “His belief in peace and justice has been an essential element of his governance.” He underscores that Meles Zenawi’s legacy serves as a powerful reminder that “integrity, humility, and the relentless pursuit of peace can shape a nation’s destiny,” offering invaluable guidance for current leaders.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52001