Month: April 2016
- Africa
The US “deeply concerned” by Ethiopia’s decision to charge opposition members with terrorism
Mahlet Fasil The United States on Friday April 29 said it was “deeply concerned by the Government of Ethiopia’s recent decision to file terrorism charges against Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) First Vice-Chairman Bekele Gerba and others in the Oromia region.” Bekele Gerba On April 22 federal prosecutors have charged 22 individuals, including prominent opposition member Bekele Gerba, first secretary…
Click Here to read more. - Africa
Four missing Oromo Federalist Congress members, co-defendants appear in court this morning
Mahlet fasil Twenty two defendants, including four missing senior members of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) have appeared at the Federal High Court 19th Criminal Bench this morning. The court adjourned the next hearing, which will be a defense hearing, until May 10th. Federal prosecutors have charged 22 members of the OFC on Friday April 22nd with…
Click Here to read more. -
Commentary – What was troubling Konso?
How Konso people’s demand for constitutional self-determination was met with state violence Abate Seyoum, from Konso Undoubtedly, Ethiopia is going through nervous times. The much publicized massive anti-government protests by the Oromo, the country’s largest ethnic group, since the last five months reveal the depth and length of the government’s intolerance for dissenting voices. But unconcerned by a…
Click Here to read more. - Africa
Breaking – Ethiopia charges prominent opposition member Bekele Gerba, others with terrorism
Mahlet Fasil Prosecutors have today charged 22 individuals, including prominent opposition member Bekele Gerba (pictured), first secretary general of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), with various articles of Ethiopia’s much criticized Anti Terrorism Proclamation (ATP). Addis Standard could not obtain details of the charges as of yet. However, charges include, but not limited to, alleged membership of the banned…
Click Here to read more. -
From Survivance all the Way to Reconstruction: The Oromo Pursuit of Equaliberty
By Tsegaye R Ararssa Introduction A lot is happening in our part of the world. The last five months have been immensely eventful. We witnessed a series of tragic events unfolding successively one after the other, each more saddening than the one preceding it. These are truly hard times. Such times signal the urgency of prudent action. Reflexive action is…
Click Here to read more. -
Breaking: More than 200 killed in Gambella after attacks by “heavily armed group”
Joint Military Action across Border might follow Heavily armed grouped attacked the Jakawa area in Gambella Regional State Friday and claimed the lives of 142 civilians. As of now, there is no information linking the armed group with any of the oppositions or neighboring South Sudan, reports the state affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation. However according to Sudan Tribune…
Click Here to read more. - Africa
5th Tana Forum kicks off today, security top in the agenda
The 5th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, under the theme “Africa in the Global Security Agenda”, will take place on 16-17 April 2016 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. According to the organizers, in coming up with this year’s theme is “the impetus is to grasp the reasons why Africa’s security challenges are attracting substantial global attention whereas the continent’s…
Click Here to read more. -
Op-Ed: Africa and the Jihadist threat
By Olusegun Obasanjo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Wolfgang Ischinger Addis Abeba – The list of places in Europe and Africa that have suffered from jihadist terrorism is rapidly growing: the seaside town of Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire, nightspots in Paris, and transport hubs in Brussels, to name just a few. In Europe, recent investigations suggest that the Islamic State (ISIS)…
Click Here to read more. - Africa
US State Department report highlights sever rights abuses in Ethiopia but barely scratched recent Oromo protest
Report’s minimal attention on massive rights abuses and killings during the Oromo Protests angered activists The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor released the latest country report including for Ethiopia on April 13, 2016. Much to its usual details, the Ethiopia report identified harassment and intimidation against opposition members and supporters as well as journalists…
Click Here to read more. - Africa
Munich Security Conference convenes first meeting in Africa today
The Munich Security Conference (MSC) is convening its first event on the African continent as part of its MSC Core Group Meeting series. The meeting, which is expected to attract the attendance of several high level officials, is opening this afternoon at the Sheraton Hotel here in Addis Abeba. According to a statement from the organizers, the joint fight against…
Click Here to read more.