Year: 2017
- #StateOfEmergency
News: Despite nationwide state of emergency, several border incursions leave more than 100 dead in east and south east Ethiopia
Addis Abeba, March 03/2017 – Despite a six month nationwide state of emergency declared in Oct. 2016 and was hoped to restore a military style law and order throughout the country, weeks-long cross border incursions by armed militiamen into many localities in eastern and southern part of Oromia, (bordering the Ethiopian Somali regional state, in east and south east Ethiopia)…
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News: Ethiopia prosecutors bring multiple criminal charges against opposition leader Dr. Merera Gudina, two others
Mahlet Fasil Addis Abeba, Feb. 23/2017 – Ethiopian prosecutors have brought multiple criminal charges against prominent opposition leader Dr. Merera Gudina, Chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC). Criminal charges include an attempt to violently overthrow the constitutional order. The 19 pages charge constitutes four separate charges, of which Dr. Merera is indicted in charges number one, three…
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News: prosecutors present clips of interview and a public speech as evidence of terrorism charges against Bekele Gerba
Addis Abeba, Feb. 17/2017 – After several delays and more than a year in detention, prosecutors have today presented two video clips as evidence against Bekele Gerba, first secretary general of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), who is facing terrorism charges in the file name under Gurmesa Ayano. Bekele Gerba was charged in April 2016 along with 21…
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Analysis: Nile diplomacy: Cunning arm twists and turns, but whose losing game?
Zecharias Zelalem, Special to Addis Standard Addis Abeba, Feb. 10/2017 – On January 9, 2017, South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, arrived in Cairo, Egypt, to meet with his counterpart, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and discuss, according to media reports, “bilateral ties.” With most media either unable or unwilling to go beyond the official transcript, details of what exactly has prompted…
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New Research: Forcing Local Peoples off Their Lands Drives Almost Two-Thirds of Conflicts Between Companies and Local Communities in Africa
Experts at Dakar event point to a significant cause of investment losses, work stoppages and violence across Africa: the failure of governments and companies to respect the land rights of indigenous and local communities DAKAR, SENEGAL (9 February 2017)—Sixty-three percent of disputes related to private sector land and natural resource investments in Africa began when communities were forced to leave…
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News: Deprived of a day in court, detained Ethiopian journalists reach out to UN’s chief in a letter
Mahlet Fasil Addis Abeba, Feb. 02/2017 – Deprived of their day in a court of law, journalists Elias Gebru and Anania Sori have written a letter to the UN’s chief, António Guterres (wrongly mentioned by his predecessor’s name Ban Ki –moon) and the international community detailing their ordeals since they were placed under police custody following Ethiopia’s declaration of the…
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News: UK Minister launches Economic Development Strategy on visit to Ethiopia; “trade and jobs at heart”
Addis Abeba, Feb. 01/2017 – Helping poorer countries trade more with the UK and the rest of the world is key to ending poverty, the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development announced this week on a visit to Ethiopia. “Priti Patel set out how Britain will work with African partners to create jobs, build livelihoods and agree new trade…
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Opinion: Ahmed Abba is a victim of Cameroon’s war on terror
Peter Nkanga Cameroon has remained in a protracted battle with the Boko Haram Islamist militant sect since 2014 when the group began attacking the government. The International Crisis Group reports that there have been no fewer than 460 attacks and scores of suicide bombings leading to at least 15,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons.…
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Opinion: Somali Elections and the external interferences
Mohamed Shire for Addis Standard Addis Abeba, January 31, 2017 – A little-known think-tank in Ethiopia has recently raised a storm in the Somali political scene. It is striking how an analytical piece published by the Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation (CDRC) formerly Institute for Advanced Research (IAR)- a monthly publication in Addis Abeba- dominated the public space in…
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News: A court in Ethiopia jails thirteen Muslims accused of killing prominent Sheik from three to sixteen years
The thirteen were also accused of working to ‘establish an Islamic state’ in Ethiopia; one of the accused has died while in jail Mahlet Fasil Addis Abeba, January 26, 2017 – Ethiopia’s federal High Court 19th criminal bench has today sentenced 13 Muslims accused of killing Sheik Nuru Yimam, a prominent Islamic leader in Dessie town, 387kms North of…
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