Ethiopia must lift internet outage in eastern region - Coalition
A group of internet rights bodies, #KeepItOn have appealed to the Ethiopian government to restore internet access to areas in the country’s eastern region. We have received reports that your government has shut down the internet in Jijiga, Dire Dawa, andHarar cities in Ethiopia. “On behalf of the more than 150 organizations from over 50 countries that make up the #KeepitOn Coalition, we implore you to keep the internet on in Eastern Ethiopia,” their letter read in part. The coalition cited among other reasons the harmful effects of such shutdowns on human rights and on a country’s economy. Internet Sans Frontieres (ISF), Internet Yetu, NetBlocks, OpenNet Africa, Pan-African League of Bloggers and Cyberactivists for Democracy and Reporters Without Borders.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 08, 2018 11:03 UTC
Internet in Eastern Ethiopia Shut Down After Regional Violence
REUTERS/Mike Theiler/File Photo ReutersNAIROBI (Reuters) - Authorities have shut off Internet access in eastern Ethiopia amid an outbreak of violence there, residents said on Wednesday, a sign of the challenges facing reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in containing ethnic tensions in parts of the country. Violence broke out on Saturday in Jijiga, the capital of Ethiopia's Somali region, with mobs looting properties owned by ethnic minorities. Since replacing Desalegn in April, Abiy has turned politics and the economy on its head in the country of 100 million people but continuing ethnic violence poses a challenge to his reform drive. Nearly 1 million Ethiopians are currently displaced from their homes due to ethnic violence in the Somali and Oromia regions and elsewhere, according to the United Nations. The government's move to shut down the Internet amid the latest violence over the weekend suggests a continuation of a knee-jerk reaction to unrest in recent years.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 08, 2018 08:16 UTC
Djibouti airlifts citizens from Dire Dawa, affirms ties with Ethiopia
Djiboutian Foreign Minister has reaffirmed the country’s ties with neighbouring Ethiopia in the wake of attacks on some nationals in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa. He said the government was in constant communication with Addis Ababa with respect to securing the lives of Djiboutians in Ethiopia. The two peoples of Djibouti and Ethiopia have always been living together in harmony. The security crisis in Dire Dawa escalated as part of a federal and regional government clash in the Somali regional state. The national army had been deployed to Jijiga as Addis Ababa sought to intervene in affairs of the state on request by local authorities.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 08, 2018 03:56 UTC
Ethiopia signs deal with Oromo rebels to end hostilities
Ethiopia's government has signed an agreement to end hostilities with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which it had previously labelled a "terrorist movement". The deal signed in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on Tuesday appeared to be another step by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to improve security and diplomatic relations, reform institutions and open parts of the state-controlled economy. Since the 1970s, the rebels have fought a low-level battle for self-determination for the Oromia region, which is Ethiopia's largest and home to the Oromo ethnic group. "The agreement further states that ... the OLF will conduct its political activities in Ethiopia through peaceful means," he said on Twitter. Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow reporting from neighbouring Djibouti, said that the agreement is a "huge boost for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed".
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 20:15 UTC
Former Ethiopian Somali State President in Federal Custody - Report
Former Ethiopian Somali State President in Federal Custody - ReportAugust 7, 2018 - There are unconfimed reports indicating that former president of Somali regional state of Ethiopia, Mahamoud Omar, a.k.a. “Officials from Ethiopia’s Somali region told the Ethiopian Somali region media that Abdi Mahmud Omar who resigned August 6 as a governor, was arrested by Ethiopia’s federal military,” ESTV website reported. “Officials from the Somali region in Ethiopia have confirmed to us reports of the arrest of Abdi Mahmud Omar,” the report added. According to previous reports, the former Somali region president resigned his post on August 6, but kept the chairmanship of his regional party, the Somali People’s Democratic Party (SPDP). Abdi Illey has been president of the regional state since 2005.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 18:56 UTC
OPDO Considering Name Change - Report
OPDO Considering Name Change - ReportAugust 7, 2018 - The Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO) is reportedly considering changing its name to Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), according to FBC. The need for this name change or when this may be decided was not given. Addisu Arega, head of OPDO’s rural political mobilization sector, also disclosed that the Organization also tabled a suggestion to change its logo. According to him, the Organization has proposed three types of logos for choice. Rumor has been circulating in social media about this name change but not confirmed until now.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 18:33 UTC
Ethiopian Government, OLF Sign Peace Agreement
Ethiopian Government, OLF Sign Peace AgreementAugust 7, 2018 - A delegation led by the President of the Oromia regional state of Ethiopia, Lemma Megersa, met leaders of the Oromo Leberation Front (OLF) in Asmara, Eritrea, and reached an agreement to reconcile. Lemma Megersa and the leader of OLF, Dawd Ibsa, signed a reconciliation agreement. The agreement states that the OLF will conduct its political activities in Ethiopia through peaceful means, according to the report. The Ethiopian delegation also met President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea yesterday. During the meeting, they exchanged views on implementation of recently signed peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 18:33 UTC
Ethiopian army takes over Somali region security
By ANDUALEM SISAYMore by this AuthorEthiopian army has taken over the security of the volatile eastern Somali region after heavy fighting over the weekend left an unknown number of civilians dead and thousands displaced. "Officials from the Somali region in Ethiopia have confirmed to us reports of the arrest of Abdi Mohamoud Omar,” ESTV reported. Following uprisings in the region, the army and the federal police were ordered to enter the region to maintain peace at the invitation of the Somali Regional Council, the government said. "They distrusted his reform agenda, concluded he was intent on disrupting the cosy arrangement that allowed the (Somali region) leader untrammelled power," he said. Rights groups have repeatedly accused the Somali regional government led by president Abdi Iley of committing rights abuses.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 18:22 UTC
Address by the Hon’ble President of India Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of inauguration
I am happy to be here for the inauguration of the sathyaprayan or the centenary celebrations of St Thomas’ College. In October 1927, I am told that Mahatma Gandhi had come and spoken of the role of St Thomas’ College in the national movement. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dear StudentsEvery resident of Kerala, irrespective of background, is a stakeholder in the sustained success and the march of St Thomas’ College. In 2017, I had travelled to Ethiopia, as part of my first state visit after becoming President of India. Educational institutions like St Thomas’ College are critical to that journey.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 15:56 UTC
UK launches largest tax partnership programme to help Ethiopia transition from aid
The International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has today launched the UK’s biggest ever tax partnership programme to help Ethiopia generate more tax during her visit to the country. Ethiopia is rapidly industrialising, and with this new partnership the UK will support the country to meet its ambitions to develop its economy. Extra tax revenues will help the country tackle poverty, invest in its own services, boost economic growth and move beyond aid. This is a win for Ethiopia and a win for the UK, including British businesses such as Hela which are thriving in East Africa. Notes to EditorsThe Ethiopia Tax Transformation Programme (£35 million), DFID’s largest bilateral tax programme, is building on progress achieved so far to help Ethiopia increase revenue generation so that it can better finance its own services and development.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 15:11 UTC
Ethiopian Government Signs Deal With Oromo Rebels to End Hostilities
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia's newly elected Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses the members of parliament inside the House of Peoples' Representatives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia April 19, 2018. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo ReutersBy Aaron MaashoADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's government has signed an agreement to end hostilities with the Oromo Liberation Front, which it had previously declared a terrorist movement, state television reported on Tuesday. The deal appeared another step in a drive by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to improve security and diplomatic relations, reform institutions and open parts of the state-controlled economy. Since the 1970s, the rebels have fought a low-level insurgency for self-determination for the Oromiya region, which is Ethiopia's largest and home to the Oromo ethnic group. "The agreement further states that ... the OLF will conduct its political activities in Ethiopia through peaceful means," he said on Twitter.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 14:59 UTC
Ex-president of Ethiopia's Somali region arrested, flown to Addis Ababa
Former president of Ethiopia’s Somali regional state, Mahamoud Omar, a.k.a. “Officials from Ethiopia’s Somali region told the Ethiopian Somali region media that Abdi Mahmud Omar who resigned yesterday [6 August] as a governor, was arrested by Ethiopia’s federal military,” the state-run ESTV website reported. “Officials from the Somali region in Ethiopia have confirmed to us reports of the arrest of Abdi Mahmud Omar,” the report added. Despite his resignation, the former leader according to reports maintained his position as leader of the ruling party in the region, Somali People’s Democratic Party (SPDP). The Somali region has been plagued by violence for the last two decades.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 14:26 UTC
Ethiopia govt agrees peace deal with Eritrea-based 'ex-terror' group
The Ethiopian government has agreed a reconciliation agreement with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), an ex-terror group that operated in the Oromia region of the country. The delegation arrived in Asmara on Monday and met with Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki. The terms of the agreement according to the Eritrean Minister are as follows:i) Termination of hostilities;ii) That OLF will conduct its political activities in Ethiopia through peaceful means. The Front has for years been fighting for self-determination of the Oromo region – Oromos, PM Abiys ethnic group, are the majority ethnic group in the East African country. At a point the protests were tagged as ‘Oromo protests.’ Political watchers admit it was crucial to political reforms that have since changed the country’s democratic field.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 13:13 UTC
Abdi Iley’s resignation ushers in new era for the Somali region
Abdi Iley had previously refused to quit despite months of protests in the region and the weekend’s military intervention. A meeting organised on July 10 in Addis Ababa’s Friendship Hotel ended in altercation, after Abdi Iley’s loyalists disturbed. Essentially the army has intervened to thwart Abdi Iley’s manipulation of the article 39 to call for secession of the region and put himself in control of the region, according to sources. Abdi Iley’s departure appear to usher in a new era for the region in the midst of uncertainty. Ahmed Abdi Mohamed “Ilkacase has a reputation as Abdi Iley’s enforcer and was implicated in some of the worst human rights abuses of the rule, according to Mohamed.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 11:56 UTC
Ethiopia falls short on cement export target
Ethiopia: Ethiopia has failed to meet its cement export target for the 2017 – 2018 financial year that ended on 7 July 2018. It planned to raise US$42m in revenue from cement exports, according to Cement and Related Industry Research Development Technology Director Simegn Degu, who was quoted by the Ethiopian Herald newspaper. However, its exports only rose by 47% year-on-year to US$25m from US$17m. Degu blamed the shortfall on shortages of input materials and a lack of foreign currency.
Source:Ethiopian News
August 07, 2018 11:37 UTC