#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

#Somaliland President Endorses #Trump for #Nobel_Peace_Prize

Somaliland President Dr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro has publicly endorsed U.S. President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, praising his efforts to resolve some of the world’s most pressing conflicts.

Speaking in Buroa second capital of Somaliland, President Irro said he would “add his voice” in support of awarding Trump the prestigious prize, highlighting Trump’s push to end wars ranging from Russia–Ukraine to the escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Iran.

“I would like to thank the President of the United States for considering the recognition of the Republic of Somaliland. Today, I hereby declare that, as the President of Somaliland, I join global leaders in supporting President Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing his efforts to resolve conflicts and promote peace across the world.” President irro remarked.

The statement comes amid growing speculation about a possible U.S. policy shift in the Horn of Africa under Trump’s leadership, with Somaliland seeking international recognition after more than three decades of self-rule.

https://www.horndiplomat.com/2025/08/somaliland-president-endorses-trump-for-nobel-peace-prize/

Ministry of Labor, ILO launch app to support #Ethiopians working abroad

The Ministry of Labor and Skills, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has launched a new application, LeMengede, aimed at assisting Ethiopian workers deployed abroad.

At the launch yesterday, Nebiha Mohammed, State Minister of Labor and Skills, said the platform provides information on pre-departure preparations and the rights and responsibilities of citizens seeking employment overseas. She added that the app also allows workers to file complaints with relevant authorities if they encounter problems while abroad.

Khumbula Ndaba, ILO Country Director for #Ethiopia, Djibouti, #Somalia, Sudan, and #South_Sudan, welcomed the initiative, noting its potential to provide practical support for labor migrants. He said the organization will continue collaborating with the ministry on similar efforts.

The ministry said the enhanced application will be accessible in #Amharic, #Arabic, and #English through Telebirr.

#AS_Editorial: From mirage of victory to the abyss: Why the incumbent must end its dance with fragmented adversaries

“The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.” – Robert Lynd

Robert Lynd’s century-old warning, drawn from the wreckage of Europe’s wars, remains painfully relevant for Ethiopia today. His caution against illusions of “short decisive wars” underscores a lesson repeatedly ignored by leaders who assume brute force and the systemic fragmentation of adversaries can quickly settle political disputes.

History, from the trenches of World War I to Vietnam, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Libya, demonstrates that such illusions breed only immense human suffering, prolonged instability, and, often, outright state collapse.

Ethiopia has outlived the hope of swift resolutions to its metastasizing militarized conflicts. What has emerged instead is a cycle where no side secures decisive victory, while the Prosperity Party itself cultivates and celebrates the fragmentation of its adversaries, both in the battlefield and in peaceful politics, as if it were a measure of progress…

This publication believes this is grim news for Ethiopia: a tried-and-failed strategy that strikes at the very core of lasting peace.

But a different path is still possible…
https://addisstandard.com/?p=52011

#UN says attacks by #RSF paramilitaries in #Darfur killed 89 #civilians in 10 days

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights on Friday said it was appalled by “brutal” attacks by Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, which killed at least 89 civilians, including 16 who were summarily executed, in a span of 10 days this month.

The attacks occurred between Aug. 11-20 in the city of el-Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk displacement camp, Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for commissioner Volker Türk, said in a Geneva briefing. He said the death toll is likely higher.

The dead include at least 57 who were killed in attacks on Aug. 11, he said. Another 32 were killed between Aug. 16-20, Laurence said. Among the dead were 16 civilians, mostly from the African Zaghawa tribe, who were summarily executed in the Abu Shouk camp, he said.

Another one was killed in el-Fasher by RSF fighters when he said he belonged to the African Berti tribe, Laurence said.

“This pattern of attacks on civilians and willful killings, which are serious violations of international humanitarian law, deepens our concerns about ethnically motivated violence,” he said.



https://www.newarab.com/news/un-says-attacks-rsf-darfur-killed-89-civilians-10-days