An Ethiopian Airlines visualization of the new Bishoftu International Airport, now under construction. The ceremony in Abbuu Seeraa, Bishoftu, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh, Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa, and Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew. He added that the project would bolster the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and enhance Ethiopia's global competitiveness. According to the OLF, residents were forced to leave without harvesting crops, moving property, or selling livestock, and were resettled in Dhibaayyuu, Bishoftu. The OLF argued that without equity and essential infrastructure--such as schools and clinics at resettlement sites--the project risks being seen as a symbol of "human rights violations" rather than national progress.

Source: Ethiopian News January 11, 2026 11:33 UTC