#RSF carried out deliberate killings and sexual violence in El Fasher, #Amnesty says citing survivors
Survivors who escaped El Fasher in #Sudan’s North #Darfur State have detailed to Amnesty International how fighters with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) executed scores of unarmed men and raped dozens of women and girls as they captured the city.
Amnesty International researchers interviewed survivors who described witnessing groups of men shot or beaten, and taken hostages for ransom.
Female survivors described how they were subjected to sexual violence by RSF fighters, as were some of their daughters. Many interviewees described seeing hundreds of dead bodies left lying in El Fasher’s streets & on the main roads out of the city.
The harrowing testimonies are some of the first from eyewitnesses who fled El Fasher after the fall of the city. Amnesty International...
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/11/sudan-el-fasher-survivors-tell-of-deliberate-rsf-killings-and-sexual-violence-new-testimony/
Survivors who escaped El Fasher in #Sudan’s North #Darfur State have detailed to Amnesty International how fighters with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) executed scores of unarmed men and raped dozens of women and girls as they captured the city.
Amnesty International researchers interviewed survivors who described witnessing groups of men shot or beaten, and taken hostages for ransom.
Female survivors described how they were subjected to sexual violence by RSF fighters, as were some of their daughters. Many interviewees described seeing hundreds of dead bodies left lying in El Fasher’s streets & on the main roads out of the city.
The harrowing testimonies are some of the first from eyewitnesses who fled El Fasher after the fall of the city. Amnesty International...
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/11/sudan-el-fasher-survivors-tell-of-deliberate-rsf-killings-and-sexual-violence-new-testimony/
#Opinion: Faith Under Fire: How Social Media fuels rising attacks on religions, followers in #Ethiopia
Ethiopia, long known for its religious diversity and strong social values, is facing a growing rise of extremism within religious communities, writes Zerihun Hailu. “Incidents targeting religious groups, their leaders, and their followers have become increasingly frequent,” he notes, including the recent killing of over 25 civilians in #Oromia’s #East_Arsi Zone, described as a “religion-based attack” on church followers.
Zerihun explains that social media “has become a major platform for hate speech and hostile exchanges,” with “name-calling, insults directed at religious leaders, and inflammatory content… widely shared and promoted by millions of users.”
Unless the government enforces “meaningful legal action against those who openly attack religions,” he warns that the trend could have “catastrophic consequences.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53836
Ethiopia, long known for its religious diversity and strong social values, is facing a growing rise of extremism within religious communities, writes Zerihun Hailu. “Incidents targeting religious groups, their leaders, and their followers have become increasingly frequent,” he notes, including the recent killing of over 25 civilians in #Oromia’s #East_Arsi Zone, described as a “religion-based attack” on church followers.
Zerihun explains that social media “has become a major platform for hate speech and hostile exchanges,” with “name-calling, insults directed at religious leaders, and inflammatory content… widely shared and promoted by millions of users.”
Unless the government enforces “meaningful legal action against those who openly attack religions,” he warns that the trend could have “catastrophic consequences.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53836
News: Volcanic eruption near #Erta_Ale in #Afar expected to have only minor global climate impact as ash plume disrupts flights – experts
The recent eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano is expected to have only a marginal impact on the global climate, while its ash plume has disrupted international flight operations as far as #India, according to experts cited by Russian news agency TASS & the BBC.
Climatologist Alexey Kokorin, from the Nature and People Foundation, told TASS that ash emissions from Hayli Gubbi are unlikely to cause a pronounced cooling effect because the plume did not reach the stratosphere.
He estimated that the eruption could lower the global average surface air temperature by about 0.05°C during the 2025–2026 winter, compared to projections without the eruption, describing the impact as “negligible.”
According to the BBC, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the ash plume has now reached northern India, including #Delhi, prompting...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53842
The recent eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano is expected to have only a marginal impact on the global climate, while its ash plume has disrupted international flight operations as far as #India, according to experts cited by Russian news agency TASS & the BBC.
Climatologist Alexey Kokorin, from the Nature and People Foundation, told TASS that ash emissions from Hayli Gubbi are unlikely to cause a pronounced cooling effect because the plume did not reach the stratosphere.
He estimated that the eruption could lower the global average surface air temperature by about 0.05°C during the 2025–2026 winter, compared to projections without the eruption, describing the impact as “negligible.”
According to the BBC, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the ash plume has now reached northern India, including #Delhi, prompting...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53842
News: #Salsay_Weyane Tigray accuses federal government of breaching #Pretoria deal, backing armed groups in Western Tigray
Salsay Weyane Tigray has accused the federal government of breaching the Pretoria Peace Agreement by supporting armed groups and unlawful authorities in #Western_Tigray, alleging that federal actors are training and backing #Tekeze_Zeb militias that obstruct the return of displaced Tigrayans.
In a statement released on Monday, the party said some Ethiopian National Defense Forces (#ENDF) generals are “overstepping their mandates” in ways that violate both the Pretoria Agreement and the FDRE Constitution. According to the statement, Tekeze Zeb — also referred to as the “Tekeze River Guards” — is linked to ENDF structures and is being deployed to prevent the repatriation of internally displaced persons (#IDPs) and refugees.
Salsay Weyane Tigray also called on #Amhara political actors and the broader political community to reject attempts to inflame...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53845
Salsay Weyane Tigray has accused the federal government of breaching the Pretoria Peace Agreement by supporting armed groups and unlawful authorities in #Western_Tigray, alleging that federal actors are training and backing #Tekeze_Zeb militias that obstruct the return of displaced Tigrayans.
In a statement released on Monday, the party said some Ethiopian National Defense Forces (#ENDF) generals are “overstepping their mandates” in ways that violate both the Pretoria Agreement and the FDRE Constitution. According to the statement, Tekeze Zeb — also referred to as the “Tekeze River Guards” — is linked to ENDF structures and is being deployed to prevent the repatriation of internally displaced persons (#IDPs) and refugees.
Salsay Weyane Tigray also called on #Amhara political actors and the broader political community to reject attempts to inflame...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53845
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News: #Somali Region frees ‘121 unlawfully detained’ people, ‘pardons’ two jailed journalists, Rights Commission says
The #Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (#EHRC) has confirmed that 121 people who were “unlawfully detained” in various police stations across the Somali Region “have been released”, alongside two journalists who were “serving sentences” in correctional facilities and were freed on pardon.
The Commission said today that it has “verified” that the Somali Regional Government has begun “implementing practical measures to address longstanding concerns over prolonged pre-charge detention, access to justice, & treatment of persons in custody.”
However, the Commission expressed concerns over what it said were “unresolved issues” requiring immediate attention. These included ensuring accountability for human rights violations linked to conflicts in the Dewa’aley area bordering Fafen & Jarar zones, rehabilitating affected victims, improving detainee treatment...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53852
The #Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (#EHRC) has confirmed that 121 people who were “unlawfully detained” in various police stations across the Somali Region “have been released”, alongside two journalists who were “serving sentences” in correctional facilities and were freed on pardon.
The Commission said today that it has “verified” that the Somali Regional Government has begun “implementing practical measures to address longstanding concerns over prolonged pre-charge detention, access to justice, & treatment of persons in custody.”
However, the Commission expressed concerns over what it said were “unresolved issues” requiring immediate attention. These included ensuring accountability for human rights violations linked to conflicts in the Dewa’aley area bordering Fafen & Jarar zones, rehabilitating affected victims, improving detainee treatment...
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53852
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#Ethiopia, #US military officials discuss Red Sea access and regional security
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior Ethiopian military leaders held talks on Tuesday with General Dagvin R.M. Anderson of the U.S. Africa Command, with both sides highlighting Ethiopia’s bid for sea access and broader regional security cooperation.
Abiy said on his social media accounts that he had welcomed General Anderson in the morning for “a constructive exchange on regional security & opportunities for enhanced cooperation.” He did not provide further details on the discussions.
According to a statement from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense, General Anderson later met Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, for talks focused on peace and stability in the Horn of Africa & the future of Ethiopia–U.S. military cooperation.
Field Marshal Birhanu was quoted telling...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid033yTVCQkrKVmmPF6sobRmwzf6vzLkj8RKNRHj4LCGn6TVQXRozcyeFdaakhWQCjXhl
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior Ethiopian military leaders held talks on Tuesday with General Dagvin R.M. Anderson of the U.S. Africa Command, with both sides highlighting Ethiopia’s bid for sea access and broader regional security cooperation.
Abiy said on his social media accounts that he had welcomed General Anderson in the morning for “a constructive exchange on regional security & opportunities for enhanced cooperation.” He did not provide further details on the discussions.
According to a statement from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense, General Anderson later met Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, for talks focused on peace and stability in the Horn of Africa & the future of Ethiopia–U.S. military cooperation.
Field Marshal Birhanu was quoted telling...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid033yTVCQkrKVmmPF6sobRmwzf6vzLkj8RKNRHj4LCGn6TVQXRozcyeFdaakhWQCjXhl
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#Somalia's president says Al-Shabaab instructing members to seek national IDs
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Tuesday that security agencies have informed him that the extremist group #Al-Shabaab has ordered its members to register for the country's new national identification card.
Speaking at a meeting on the rollout of the ID system, Mohamud said he welcomed the development, noting that biometric registration would help authorities identify anyone involved in terrorism.
"Let them take it — their fingerprints and their faces will be recognized," he said with a laugh. u They are Somali citizens who have become terrorists." Mohamud said the national ID program will strengthen security, boost the economy and help curb terrorism, money laundering and other crimes. It will also help prevent criminals from traveling abroad and posing risks to other countries, he added.
https://www.somaliguardian.com/news/somalia-news/somalias-president-says-al-shabaab-instructing-members-to-seek-national-ids/
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Tuesday that security agencies have informed him that the extremist group #Al-Shabaab has ordered its members to register for the country's new national identification card.
Speaking at a meeting on the rollout of the ID system, Mohamud said he welcomed the development, noting that biometric registration would help authorities identify anyone involved in terrorism.
"Let them take it — their fingerprints and their faces will be recognized," he said with a laugh. u They are Somali citizens who have become terrorists." Mohamud said the national ID program will strengthen security, boost the economy and help curb terrorism, money laundering and other crimes. It will also help prevent criminals from traveling abroad and posing risks to other countries, he added.
https://www.somaliguardian.com/news/somalia-news/somalias-president-says-al-shabaab-instructing-members-to-seek-national-ids/
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#Sudanese army says repelled paramilitary forces' attack after unilateral truce declaration
The Sudanese Armed Forces (#SAF) said Tuesday it had repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) on the city of Babanusa in southern West Kordofan State, a day after the RSF declared a unilateral three-month humanitarian truce.
In a statement, the SAF said it had killed a number of RSF field commanders and hundreds of fighters, seized several combat vehicles, and destroyed others.
Meanwhile, the volunteer group Sudan Doctors Network accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North and the RSF of attacking the Al-Zallataya mine in South #Kordofan State and forcibly abducting more than 150 young men as well as several minors.
The network said the attack violated international humanitarian law and the RSF's unilateral humanitarian truce, urging immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, ...
https://english.news.cn/africa/20251126/36e06c0fa1344f1d9b8b8eb43352a5b3/c.html
The Sudanese Armed Forces (#SAF) said Tuesday it had repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) on the city of Babanusa in southern West Kordofan State, a day after the RSF declared a unilateral three-month humanitarian truce.
In a statement, the SAF said it had killed a number of RSF field commanders and hundreds of fighters, seized several combat vehicles, and destroyed others.
Meanwhile, the volunteer group Sudan Doctors Network accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North and the RSF of attacking the Al-Zallataya mine in South #Kordofan State and forcibly abducting more than 150 young men as well as several minors.
The network said the attack violated international humanitarian law and the RSF's unilateral humanitarian truce, urging immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, ...
https://english.news.cn/africa/20251126/36e06c0fa1344f1d9b8b8eb43352a5b3/c.html
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#India meteorological department says Ethiopia volcano ash cloud has fully cleared Indian airspace
India’s Meteorological Department says the ash cloud from the recent volcanic eruption in #Ethiopia has fully cleared Indian airspace, easing earlier concerns over aviation safety, Indian media outlets report.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said its latest satellite imagery at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday showed the ash plume had completely exited India after drifting west to east across parts of the country. The plume, from a rare volcanic eruption in Ethiopia, had earlier triggered alerts for high-altitude aviation, Indian outlets including the Hindustan Times reported.
Before the plume moved away, the IMD had warned that the ash column had risen to nearly 45,000 feet, affecting upper air routes and disrupting flight operations. Flight schedules across India were significantly ....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02Gn63B1VaWCSRyL6uH25BdTz3y3TzmCQthb2RJGWXWgTnHkHAA9kGgjQr33McRKjEl
India’s Meteorological Department says the ash cloud from the recent volcanic eruption in #Ethiopia has fully cleared Indian airspace, easing earlier concerns over aviation safety, Indian media outlets report.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said its latest satellite imagery at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday showed the ash plume had completely exited India after drifting west to east across parts of the country. The plume, from a rare volcanic eruption in Ethiopia, had earlier triggered alerts for high-altitude aviation, Indian outlets including the Hindustan Times reported.
Before the plume moved away, the IMD had warned that the ash column had risen to nearly 45,000 feet, affecting upper air routes and disrupting flight operations. Flight schedules across India were significantly ....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02Gn63B1VaWCSRyL6uH25BdTz3y3TzmCQthb2RJGWXWgTnHkHAA9kGgjQr33McRKjEl
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#Just_In: #Ethiopia appoints FM Gedion Timothewos as #COP32 President-designate after securing 2027 Summit host role
Addis Abeba - Ethiopia has named Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos as President-Designate of COP32, the Prime Minister’s Office said. The announcement came after Ethiopia was confirmed as host of the 2027 UN climate summit.
The PM’s Office said today that Ethiopia “expresses deep gratitude to all UNFCCC member states for entrusting the country with this responsibility,” adding that FM Gedion will “lead the preparatory process for COP32, in coordination with national authorities, UNFCCC bodies, and international partners.”
The announcement follows a competitive continental process in which Ethiopia secured the African Union’s endorsement to host the 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Read more: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1993614843220267320?s=20
Addis Abeba - Ethiopia has named Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos as President-Designate of COP32, the Prime Minister’s Office said. The announcement came after Ethiopia was confirmed as host of the 2027 UN climate summit.
The PM’s Office said today that Ethiopia “expresses deep gratitude to all UNFCCC member states for entrusting the country with this responsibility,” adding that FM Gedion will “lead the preparatory process for COP32, in coordination with national authorities, UNFCCC bodies, and international partners.”
The announcement follows a competitive continental process in which Ethiopia secured the African Union’s endorsement to host the 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Read more: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1993614843220267320?s=20
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#Op_ed: Dissonance Between Policy and Reality: Women, war, and peace in #Tigray
This op-ed, written on behalf of GEMTigray (Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray), argues that #Ethiopia’s commitments to peace education, gender equality, and civil-society engagement “stand in stark contrast to the lived reality in Tigray.” Despite national pledges, “a profound gap between policy and practice” remains due to attacks on education, shrinking civic space, and widespread rights violations.
Women-led groups, youth networks, and community reconciliation efforts have become “essential to sustaining peacebuilding, justice, and recovery,” yet women were excluded from “key peace agreements,” and survivor support is underfunded.
The author urges Ethiopia to conduct independent investigations, rebuild education, “guarantee survivor-centered services,” and protect activists, arguing that “only by bridging the gap between policy and practice” can lasting peace be achieved.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53856
This op-ed, written on behalf of GEMTigray (Gender Empowerment Movement Tigray), argues that #Ethiopia’s commitments to peace education, gender equality, and civil-society engagement “stand in stark contrast to the lived reality in Tigray.” Despite national pledges, “a profound gap between policy and practice” remains due to attacks on education, shrinking civic space, and widespread rights violations.
Women-led groups, youth networks, and community reconciliation efforts have become “essential to sustaining peacebuilding, justice, and recovery,” yet women were excluded from “key peace agreements,” and survivor support is underfunded.
The author urges Ethiopia to conduct independent investigations, rebuild education, “guarantee survivor-centered services,” and protect activists, arguing that “only by bridging the gap between policy and practice” can lasting peace be achieved.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53856
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As the #UAE expands military footprint in Africa, #Algeria draws line in the sand
"Why are you interfering in our internal issues?" Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's question addressed to an unspecified "Gulf" state last month has brought back into the spotlight the latent tensions between the #North_African country and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The problem starts when someone comes and messes with you in your own home, with suspect motivations. Getting involved in issues we don’t allow even great powers to get involved in […] We have wonderful relations with all the fraternal Gulf countries - except one," he told a room of the country's most powerful military leaders in October.
For Algerians, there was no doubt who Tebboune was referring to. The UAE has featured prominently in the Algerian political and media discourse for some time now, with increasing hostility....
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-expands-its-military-footprint-africa-algeria-draws-line-sand
"Why are you interfering in our internal issues?" Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's question addressed to an unspecified "Gulf" state last month has brought back into the spotlight the latent tensions between the #North_African country and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The problem starts when someone comes and messes with you in your own home, with suspect motivations. Getting involved in issues we don’t allow even great powers to get involved in […] We have wonderful relations with all the fraternal Gulf countries - except one," he told a room of the country's most powerful military leaders in October.
For Algerians, there was no doubt who Tebboune was referring to. The UAE has featured prominently in the Algerian political and media discourse for some time now, with increasing hostility....
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-expands-its-military-footprint-africa-algeria-draws-line-sand
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#Premiering_now: Rethinking #Ethiopia’s #Eritrea Doctrine: Professor Ezekiel Gebissa on what FM Gedion said, and left unsaid
In this conversation Professor Ezekiel Gebissa joins Tsedale Lemma to unpack the latest foreign policy speech by Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos; what he strategically omitted, and why those omissions matter for Ethiopia’s credibility, regional integration ambitions, and moral authority. Join the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFboamF9PFU
In this conversation Professor Ezekiel Gebissa joins Tsedale Lemma to unpack the latest foreign policy speech by Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos; what he strategically omitted, and why those omissions matter for Ethiopia’s credibility, regional integration ambitions, and moral authority. Join the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFboamF9PFU
YouTube
The Standard Signal | Ep.03: Rethinking Ethiopia’s Eritrea Doctrine | Prof. Ezekiel Gebissa Explains
On 13 November, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos delivered a speech outlining a sweeping vision of the country’s Horn of Africa posture. In his telling, Ethiopia appears as a principled and restrained actor navigating a hostile neighborhood defined…
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Soldiers in #Guinea-Bissau appear on state television saying they have seized power
Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau appeared on state television Wednesday saying they have seized power in the country, following reports of gunshots near the presidential palace, three days after national elections. The president told French media he had been deposed and arrested.
It is the latest of several coups in recent years in West Africa.
“The High Military Command for the re-establishment of national and public order decides to immediately depose the president of the republic, to suspend, until new orders, all of the institutions of the republic of Guinea-Bissau,” spokesperson Dinis N’Tchama said in a statement.
He said they acted in response to the “discovery of an ongoing plan” that he said aimed to destabilize the country by attempting to “manipulate electoral results.”
The “scheme was set up by some national..
https://apnews.com/article/guinea-bissau-presidential-palace-unrest-election-2a1371eb1ceb25596b99c4cc4062bc95
Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau appeared on state television Wednesday saying they have seized power in the country, following reports of gunshots near the presidential palace, three days after national elections. The president told French media he had been deposed and arrested.
It is the latest of several coups in recent years in West Africa.
“The High Military Command for the re-establishment of national and public order decides to immediately depose the president of the republic, to suspend, until new orders, all of the institutions of the republic of Guinea-Bissau,” spokesperson Dinis N’Tchama said in a statement.
He said they acted in response to the “discovery of an ongoing plan” that he said aimed to destabilize the country by attempting to “manipulate electoral results.”
The “scheme was set up by some national..
https://apnews.com/article/guinea-bissau-presidential-palace-unrest-election-2a1371eb1ceb25596b99c4cc4062bc95
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Marburg case confirmed in #Hawassa as #Ethiopia’s death toll reaches seven – Health Ministry
Addis Abeba – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health has confirmed a new Marburg virus infection in Hawassa City Sidama Region, as the country’s death toll from the outbreak rises to seven.
In a briefing on the current status of the outbreak, Health Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba said an individual who had returned from Jinka City was confirmed to be infected with Marburg in Hawassa.
She said contact tracing and medical care for the patient and their contacts are ongoing, alongside intensive preparatory work to ensure treatment can be provided in parts of the country where the virus has not yet been detected.
According to the Ministry’s latest Marburg Virus Disease Situational Report, issued on 26 November 2025, a total of 78 laboratory investigations have been carried out since the outbreak was first ....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02ETm1kxotT5ahaYDZhRPUFPzjeWQL1VwSTSp2dbrZcpcxn8sN7kQ5bgd7s1J38Ma6l
Addis Abeba – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health has confirmed a new Marburg virus infection in Hawassa City Sidama Region, as the country’s death toll from the outbreak rises to seven.
In a briefing on the current status of the outbreak, Health Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba said an individual who had returned from Jinka City was confirmed to be infected with Marburg in Hawassa.
She said contact tracing and medical care for the patient and their contacts are ongoing, alongside intensive preparatory work to ensure treatment can be provided in parts of the country where the virus has not yet been detected.
According to the Ministry’s latest Marburg Virus Disease Situational Report, issued on 26 November 2025, a total of 78 laboratory investigations have been carried out since the outbreak was first ....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02ETm1kxotT5ahaYDZhRPUFPzjeWQL1VwSTSp2dbrZcpcxn8sN7kQ5bgd7s1J38Ma6l
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Analysis: GEM #Tigray warns of deepening protection crisis for women and girls as 16 Days Campaign begins
As global attention turns to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, women-led organization #GEM_Tigray has released a comprehensive compendium of its 2025–2026 submissions to UN human rights mechanisms, warning that women and girls in Tigray continue to face severe, overlapping, and unresolved protection needs in the aftermath of the two-year war.
The report’s release comes just weeks after a landmark October publication by the Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide (#CITG) documented “war-induced genocidal sexual and gender-based violence” across the region. According to CITG, out of 481,201 women and girls surveyed, 286,250 suffered at least one form of gender-based violence, while 166,621 (58.2%) experienced sexual violence.
The report further reveals that 152,108 (53.14%) survivors were raped, 70% of them gang-raped by between two ....
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53859
As global attention turns to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, women-led organization #GEM_Tigray has released a comprehensive compendium of its 2025–2026 submissions to UN human rights mechanisms, warning that women and girls in Tigray continue to face severe, overlapping, and unresolved protection needs in the aftermath of the two-year war.
The report’s release comes just weeks after a landmark October publication by the Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide (#CITG) documented “war-induced genocidal sexual and gender-based violence” across the region. According to CITG, out of 481,201 women and girls surveyed, 286,250 suffered at least one form of gender-based violence, while 166,621 (58.2%) experienced sexual violence.
The report further reveals that 152,108 (53.14%) survivors were raped, 70% of them gang-raped by between two ....
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53859
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#Ethiopia’s Birr erodes at record pace amid policy shift
The Ethiopian birr has experienced an unprecedented depreciation following the government’s July 2024 shift from a crawling-peg to a market-based exchange rate. The official rate surged from 56 to over 150 birr per dollar by mid-November 2025—a 165% drop in 15 months.
Forex bureaus and the black market report rates near 177–180 birr per dollar, highlighting the currency’s rapid erosion. This marks the sharpest loss of purchasing power in Ethiopia’s history.
A recent Addis Standard commentary argues the decline triggers “short-term inflationary pressures” and “fuels inflation indirectly” by raising costs for imports and industrial inputs.
Click the link below to read the full commentary.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53783
The Ethiopian birr has experienced an unprecedented depreciation following the government’s July 2024 shift from a crawling-peg to a market-based exchange rate. The official rate surged from 56 to over 150 birr per dollar by mid-November 2025—a 165% drop in 15 months.
Forex bureaus and the black market report rates near 177–180 birr per dollar, highlighting the currency’s rapid erosion. This marks the sharpest loss of purchasing power in Ethiopia’s history.
A recent Addis Standard commentary argues the decline triggers “short-term inflationary pressures” and “fuels inflation indirectly” by raising costs for imports and industrial inputs.
Click the link below to read the full commentary.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53783
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#Ethiopia: The village enduring climate catastrophe as #Trump’s aid cuts bite
For the 900 residents of #Kebena village, in the northeastern #Afar region of Ethiopia, 2025 has been a year of one calamity after another.
First, there were earthquakes at the start of the year, tearing through homes and forcing families to relocate to a camp four miles down the road. “The health facility, school, and homes were all destroyed, and a lot of the communities remain traumatised by what happened,” explains Mehamed Ali-Sisa, the village leader.
After the community’s initial evacuation to the camp, drought conditions, caused by a lack of rainfall during the February to May rainy season, meant villagers had to travel far and wide with their cattle, camels and sheep in search of pastures.
When the rains finally came during the second rainy season, which runs from June to September, they came too ...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02Tr8k7jDiEAW1fJejmbkfxbDs5NrszdobrJVzMfFBoSg8fzeNNVUpm67GwsNPEdGJl
For the 900 residents of #Kebena village, in the northeastern #Afar region of Ethiopia, 2025 has been a year of one calamity after another.
First, there were earthquakes at the start of the year, tearing through homes and forcing families to relocate to a camp four miles down the road. “The health facility, school, and homes were all destroyed, and a lot of the communities remain traumatised by what happened,” explains Mehamed Ali-Sisa, the village leader.
After the community’s initial evacuation to the camp, drought conditions, caused by a lack of rainfall during the February to May rainy season, meant villagers had to travel far and wide with their cattle, camels and sheep in search of pastures.
When the rains finally came during the second rainy season, which runs from June to September, they came too ...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02Tr8k7jDiEAW1fJejmbkfxbDs5NrszdobrJVzMfFBoSg8fzeNNVUpm67GwsNPEdGJl
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#Op_ed: #Ethiopia’s Unheeded Oracle: How Huntington’s blueprint presaged #EPRDF rise, fall
After the Marxist #Derg’s collapse in 1991, the EPRDF sought a framework for stability, commissioning Samuel P. Huntington’s 1993 confidential report, “A Peasant-Based Dominant-Party Democracy.” The author of this op-ed, Mohammedawel Hagos, calls the report a "prophetic text" to understand "the spectacular rise… and disintegration of the political project that would define modern Ethiopia."
He explains that Huntington’s proposed a six-pillar, dominant-party system, warning that Western-style democracy was "desirable but improbable" in an ethnically fragmented, poor country. Yet the EPRDF contradicted his advice, turning politics into an "existential ethnic struggle."
The article contends that the Prosperity Party #(PP) inherited this flawed system, showing that “changing the party in power cannot overcome a system designed around division.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53864
After the Marxist #Derg’s collapse in 1991, the EPRDF sought a framework for stability, commissioning Samuel P. Huntington’s 1993 confidential report, “A Peasant-Based Dominant-Party Democracy.” The author of this op-ed, Mohammedawel Hagos, calls the report a "prophetic text" to understand "the spectacular rise… and disintegration of the political project that would define modern Ethiopia."
He explains that Huntington’s proposed a six-pillar, dominant-party system, warning that Western-style democracy was "desirable but improbable" in an ethnically fragmented, poor country. Yet the EPRDF contradicted his advice, turning politics into an "existential ethnic struggle."
The article contends that the Prosperity Party #(PP) inherited this flawed system, showing that “changing the party in power cannot overcome a system designed around division.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=53864
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#China-based bank pledges US$500 million for #Ethiopian Airlines’ Bishoftu mega-airport – CEO
Addis Abeba – A China-based bank has pledged US$500 million towards the development of the planned #Bishoftu International Airport in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines Group (EAG) CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele has said, in what he described as a significant step forward for the multi-billion-dollar project, Ecofin Agency reported.
Mesfin disclosed the pledge in #Rabat, #Morocco, on the sidelines of the 2026 edition of the Africa Investment Forum. He did not identify the institution, but said the commitment adds to growing interest from global financiers in the project, which is led by Africa’s largest carrier.
The new airport, to be developed near Bishoftu town, is estimated to cost US$12.5 billion, including land acquisition, resettlement and financing costs. According to project estimates, the ...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid033NcvxEGwrGxNhTmTfijhk7vZSK2f2nX4oAmnM4qfeUbywSzEJybK5u1zETBzb8mal
Addis Abeba – A China-based bank has pledged US$500 million towards the development of the planned #Bishoftu International Airport in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines Group (EAG) CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele has said, in what he described as a significant step forward for the multi-billion-dollar project, Ecofin Agency reported.
Mesfin disclosed the pledge in #Rabat, #Morocco, on the sidelines of the 2026 edition of the Africa Investment Forum. He did not identify the institution, but said the commitment adds to growing interest from global financiers in the project, which is led by Africa’s largest carrier.
The new airport, to be developed near Bishoftu town, is estimated to cost US$12.5 billion, including land acquisition, resettlement and financing costs. According to project estimates, the ...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid033NcvxEGwrGxNhTmTfijhk7vZSK2f2nX4oAmnM4qfeUbywSzEJybK5u1zETBzb8mal
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