“There is no media censorship or intimidation of journalists” – Kedir Mamo

Kedir Mamo, deputy head of the Prosperity Party Office in the #Oromia region, told regional media that media freedom in Ethiopia has increased “significantly” and that there is no censorship or intimidation of journalists.

His remarks contrast with a recent Fojo Media Institute study highlighting persistent challenges for #Ethiopian journalists amid security fears, political pressure, and ethical dilemmas. In August 2025, Abdulsemed Mohammed, host of the Saturday Market program on Ahadu FM, and Yonas Amare, senior editor at Reporter newspaper, were abducted and detained for more than ten days.

The Committee to Protect Journalists later warned of continued pressures. Reporters Without Borders ranks Ethiopia 140th of 180 globally, while 14 diplomatic missions recently voiced concern and urged greater protection.

Scientists identify new mammal species in #Ethiopia weighing just three grams

In the Ethiopian Highlands, scientists have identified a new mammal — Crocidura stanleyi — a shrew weighing just 3 grams.

First collected in 2015 by researcher William T. Stanley during his final fieldwork, the tiny shrew has now been confirmed as a species new to science, according to a study published on Aug. 20 in the Journal of Vertebrate Biology.

Researchers say the discovery highlights Ethiopia’s rich biodiversity and the Highlands’ status as part of the Eastern Afromontane hotspot — home to mammals found nowhere else on Earth.

The shrew is described as a “tiny bicolored” mammal with dark brownish-gray fur above and lighter gray below, a flat head, and a short bristled tail.

Ethiopia continues to be a frontier for unique species — reinforcing calls for conservation of its fragile ecosystems.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/public/latest-news/jydr7d/picture311870767/alternates/FREE_480/Ethiopia%20Shrew.png

#Ethiopia: New fertilizer factory to tap into #Calub and #Hilala natural gas reserves in #Ogaden basin

The $2.5 billion investment agreement signed between Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) and Dangote Group to build a urea fertilizer production complex in Gode, Somali Regional State will utilize natural gas from the Ogaden basin, specifically the Calub and Hilala reserves.

EIH CEO Brook Taye (PhD) said the natural gas, a key input for urea fertilizer, will be supplied through a 108–109 kilometer pipeline connecting the reserves to Gode, where the factory will be established.

Beyond fertilizer production, he noted, the project is designed to serve as a gateway to a wider petrochemical industry, with the gas also providing feedstock for future plants.

#Kenya mulls reforms as 'bribery culture' faces scrutiny

A war of words over corruption has rattled Kenya's political class after Kenyan President William Ruto accused MPs of pocketing bribes — a bombshell claim that landed as a fresh survey revealed graft-ridden ministries and reignited public anger.

The 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey paints a grim picture of daily life in Kenya, showing that citizens are still forced to grease palms just to access basic services — a practice so routine that most victims never bother reporting it.

Despite a decline in average bribe amounts, the practice remains entrenched, with most cases going unreported, according to the survey.

At a joint parliamentary group meeting on August 18, President Ruto claimed that lawmakers were among those taking bribes — sparking outrage in Kenya's parliament but also drawing support from citizens weary of unfulfilled promises on graft.


https://www.dw.com/en/kenya-mulls-reforms-as-bribery-culture-faces-scrutiny/a-73799089

#Huawei, #Ethio_Telecom deploy solar-on-tower sites in #Ethiopia

Chinese vendor Huawei has paired with Ethio Telecom to deploy solar panels at some of Ethio's tower sites.

Ethio's installation enabled the site to generate and use its own solar power within just two days.

Based on the first deployment, the solar power supply at the sites can last up to four hours, while diesel generator use is correspondingly reduced from six hours to two hours – a 40 percent reduction in fuel consumption per site, said Huawei.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/huawei-ethio-telecom-deploy-solar-on-tower-sites-in-ethiopia/

#Somali cabinet approves defense deals with #Jordan, #Qatar and #Pakistan

Somalia’s cabinet has approved a series of defense agreements aimed at strengthening the country’s armed forces through international partnerships, officials said Thursday.

The memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed with the Ministries of Defense of Jordan, Qatar and Pakistan, according to a statement from the Council of Ministers following its weekly meeting, chaired by Acting Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama.

Officials said the agreements will boost Somalia’s defense capabilities through training programs, resource sharing and modernization of the national army, which is engaged in an intensified campaign against al-Shabaab and ISIS-linked fighters.

The cabinet also reviewed the country’s evolving security landscape, underscoring efforts to build a resilient security sector capable of addressing both internal and external threats.

https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Aug/202708/somali_cabinet_approves_defense_deals_with_jordan_qatar_and_pakistan.aspx

News: Bajaj owners protest #Mekelle downtown ban; municipality defends move as long-term restructuring

Mekelle – Bajaj owners in Mekelle staged protests on 25 and 26 August 2025 against a municipal directive banning the three-wheeled vehicles from the city’s downtown. The restriction, first introduced on the eve of the #Ashenda festival, has remained in place beyond the holiday, prompting outrage among drivers who say their livelihoods are now at risk. “This decision has devastated my livelihood,” said Gidey Hailu, 29.

Protesters marched through central Mekelle before gathering at government and party offices, including the municipality, zone police, the #Tigray president’s office, Dimtsi Weyane media, and TPLF headquarters. Several drivers said police used force and gas to disperse them. “During the war, we kept the city moving when no other transport was functioning. Now we are being discarded,” said Tesfay Abrha, 41, who added that he cannot repay his vehicle loan.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52176

#Israel confirms strike on #Houthis in #Yemen, marks second time this week

Israel confirmed on Thursday that it carried out an attack on a Houthi target in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, marking the second such strike in less than a week.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Houthis were operating under Iran’s direction to harm Israel and its allies. The IDF also blamed the Houthis for "undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation."

"As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: 'After the plague of darkness comes the plague of death.' Whoever raises a hand against Israel, their hand will be cut off," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after Thursday’s strike.

The Thursday strikes, which were launched after Israel intercepted two drones from Yemen, occurred during a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, according to YNet. Additionally, the Israeli outlet reported that the speech went on without interruption.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-confirms-strike-houthis-yemen-marks-second-time-week

News: Residents in #Maichew hold a peaceful protest against the leadership reshuffle in Southern #Tigray

Residents of Maichew, Southern Tigray, staged a peaceful protest today, 29 August 2025, opposing the recent leadership reshuffle by the Tigray Interim Administration. The move came after Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede, president of the interim administration, appointed Zenabu Gebremedhin, a #TPLF central committee member, as chief administrator of the South Tigray zone on 24 August, replacing Haftu Kiros. Zenabu and his deputy formally assumed office on 26 August.

Protesters denounced what they described as imposed governance and called on the interim administration to respect self-rule. The reshuffle has stirred public dissatisfaction since its announcement, with critics accusing authorities of centralizing power and disregarding local voices. “He promised he would consider the people’s will when he elects an administrator.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52180

#Op_ed: #Ethiopia's Impunity Machine: Repression as system, violence as strategy

The #US State Department’s recently released 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia reads like “a haunting déjà vu,” writes Getachew Gebrekiros Temare in this op-ed. He notes that, for the fifth consecutive year, Washington has documented “extrajudicial killings, mass displacement, arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence as a weapon of war,” adding that while the details shift with each report, the overarching pattern remains constant: “Ethiopia’s crisis has not been cyclical—it has been sustained, engineered, and perfected into a system of governance.”

Getachew highlights the report’s accounts of atrocities in #Amhara, #Oromia, and #Tigray, where security forces and allied militias are implicated in mass violence, and political opponents and journalists face intimidation, detention, or exile “under the pretext of national security.” He states that the current administration has transformed this “perpetual emergency” into an “Impunity Machine,” employing violence, divisions, and legal manipulation to consolidate power. As the author emphasizes, “Ethiopia’s human rights abuses are not the residue of instability—they are the architecture of the state itself.”

Looking ahead to Ethiopia’s upcoming national election cycle, the article outlines five plausible scenarios—rigged elections, military-backed rule, escalation of regional geopolitical tensions, deepening economic crisis, and accelerating separatist sentiment—“none of which point to a credible democratic transition.” Getachew underscores that “the absence of accountability for mass atrocities today all but guarantees their recurrence tomorrow.”

The author argues that dismantling the impunity machine will require a fundamental shift in strategy: the cultivation of “a political will to see beyond the fictions of reform” and a willingness to confront the architecture of repression for what it truly is: “deliberate, calculated, and entirely unsustainable.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52173

#US Reaffirms Support for ‘One Somalia’ Policy, Dismisses Talks on #Somaliland Recognition

The United States is not in any formal discussions geared towards recognition of the northern state of #Somalia — Somaliland, despite existing calls by several stakeholders, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is pushing for the agenda.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News that there were no engagements for recognition of Somaliland, noting that the US supports the Single Somalia policy, where emphasis is put on respect towards Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"The United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which includes the territory of Somaliland. The State Department is not in active discussions with Somaliland’s representatives about a deal to recognize Somaliland as a state," the spokesperson said.

The latest confirmation is an affirmation that the US could not take the matter as thought by Cruz, a senior GOP politician who is also in charge of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He is a close ally of President Donald Trump. Earlier, Ted Cruz, the senator for Texas, told Fox News that "There is a very real opportunity that President Trump will recognize Somaliland during this administration."

Cruz added, "President Trump is bringing a new era of clarity in American national security, after four years of the Biden administration rewarding our enemies and punishing our allies, and recognizing Somaliland should be part of this new era."

https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/us-reaffirms-support-for-one-somalia-policy-dismisses-talks-on-somaliland-recognition

Three killed, many displaced as clashes continue along #Oromia–#Somali border

Clashes along the Oromia–Somali border have left three people dead, including a seven-year-old child, and many displaced in Wachille, Arero, and Dhaas districts of East Borana Zone. Residents told Addis Standard that armed groups from the Somali Region carried out multiple attacks in recent days, killing a child in Arero, a 56-year-old man in Wachille, and a young man in Garbii Didisa, while several others were injured. Local officials confirmed the killings and said federal forces intervened to restore temporary calm.

The violence has forced households to flee to towns such as Wachille and Borbor, where displaced families face hunger, cold, and lack of support. Residents warn of worsening humanitarian conditions, with women and children most at risk. Officials say limited aid is being delivered, but many displaced remain in temporary shelters. The clashes follow the Somali Region Council’s controversial decision to restructure administrative units, a move denounced by opposition parties as an attempt to claim land and deepen instability along the border.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52187

#Sudan: Barrier being built around besieged #Sudan city, satellite images show

An extensive earthen wall is being built around the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher and is intended to trap people inside, according to research from Yale University.

From satellite images, the university's Humanitarian Research Lab has identified more than 31km (19 miles) of "berms" - as the raised banks are known - constructed since May in territory outside the city occupied by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

El-Fasher, under siege for more than a year, is the last major foothold in Darfur for the army, which has been battling the RSF since April 2023.

The Sudan Doctors Network has told the BBC the RSF is intensifying its offensive there and deliberately targeting civilians.

"Yesterday there was a shelling in a civilian area down in the city centre that ended up killing almost 24 civilians and injuring 55 people, among them five women," Dr Mohamed Faisal Hassan, from the medics association, told the BBC's Newsday programme.

The attacks on the central market and a residential area were "deliberate" and "heinous", he said.

"Three days ago they targeted one of the biggest hospitals in el-Fasher and resulted in a massive massacre of patients and medical staff."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gz1ekdee3o

#Ethiopia: Heavy rains, windstorms trigger floods affecting 125,000; further flooding expected

Ongoing heavy rainfall and windstorms during the current rainy season have triggered flooding that has affected at least 125,000 people across Ethiopia since July, with forecasts warning of additional flooding in the coming weeks.

According to the #European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the floods have impacted populations in #Oromia Region’s Southwest #Shewa and West Guji zones, in the Shire area of #Tigray, and in #Amhara’s North Shewa Zone, particularly the Jara IDP camp. Authorities and aid agencies reported extensive damage, including the destruction of IDP shelters, food stocks, crops, and livestock.

Displaced communities in Amhara and northwestern Tigray are considered particularly vulnerable .......

https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02YqvnAmb2gz651gnct8dUedAsVgb3mHnEFd8L5nTFPd7TmvT6kHAmPkbfe9QXoL2gl

News: #Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority to launch inter-regional air transport service

The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) has unveiled plans to launch an inter-regional air transport service starting in September 2025, aiming to improve connectivity across Ethiopian cities and regions.

The initiative comes amid growing challenges in road transport, particularly in #Oromia and #Amhara, where insecurity, abductions targeting buses, and multiple checkpoints on commercial trucks have made road travel both costly and unsafe.

ECAA Advisor for Air Transport and International Affairs, Endeshaw Yigezu, said the service will operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights. “The new program will connect cities and regions, expand accessibility, and increase the number of air transport users,” he stated.

Planned routes include Mizan Teferi–Jimma–Gambella–Assosa, Dire Dawa–Harar–Bale Robe….

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52193

News: ENDF says operations intensified against ‘anti-peace’ armed forces near #GERD

The #Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) said its Western Command’s Renaissance Corps divisions have intensified operations against what it described as “anti-peace forces” operating in and around areas surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Major Aklilu Wolde Giorgis, Deputy Commander of the Renaissance Corps First Division, told defense media that the unit, deployed in Guba district of the #Metekel Zone, #Benishangul Gumuz region, has “taken extensive measures” against armed groups during recent operations.

Metekel Zone experienced a new wave of insecurity, which began in May 2025, that has disrupted the relative calm that followed the devastating conflicts that plagued the region between 2019 and 2022. Weeks-long attacks by heavily armed, unidentified militiamen have rocked several woredas,.....

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52196

#Opinion: Exclusion by Tradition: How #Sidama’s progress bypassed Dara’s #Hadicho community

The Sidama people achieved self-rule in 2019, becoming Ethiopia’s tenth regional state—an important milestone in their long struggle for self-determination. Yet, the author of this opinion piece argues that for communities such as the Hadicho in #Dara district, “the vision for progress, equitable and comprehensive development becomes elusive” due to “the continued dominance of old ideologies” and “group favoritism.”

To support this claim, the author highlights two major highways—the #Hawassa-#Negele and Hawassa-#Moyale—which, he notes, “were rerouted bypassing Dara’s principal towns, #Teferi_Kela and #Kebado.” The consequence, he writes, is that “local coffee farmers face persistent challenges due to limited market access,” leaving the district’s agricultural and business sectors underdeveloped.

The article further contends that administrative decisions have compounded this exclusion. It highlights, for instance, the transfer of #Dilla and surrounding kebeles to the #Gedeo Zone “without consulting Dara residents,” a move that severed the Hadicho community from crucial economic and urban networks. The author also emphasizes that the exclusion extends beyond infrastructure and agriculture, noting that “Individuals from the Hadicho community are rarely appointed to government positions within the Sidama region, even when they possess the requisite skills, experience…” while “officials from non-Hadicho communities are routinely assigned to key roles in Dara…”

The author concludes by arguing that "the allocation of development resources must be grounded in actual need and anticipated impact, not lineage or group affiliation." He further states that “Establishing transparent mechanisms for public oversight will be essential to ensure that development benefits are distributed fairly and equitably."

https://addisstandard.com/?p=52190