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In Ethiopia, a secret committee orders killings and arrests

 A REUTERS INVESTIGATION In Ethiopia, a secret committee orders killings and arrests to crush rebels    Warning : This story contains disturbing visual content. A secretive committee of senior officials in Ethiopia’s largest and most populous region, Oromiya, has ordered extra-judicial killings and illegal detentions to crush an insurgency there, a Reuters investigation has found. Reuters interviewed more than 30 federal and local officials, judges, lawyers and victims of abuses by authorities. The agency also reviewed documents drafted by local political and judicial authorities. These interviews and documents for the first time shed light on the workings of the Koree Nageenyaa – Security Committee in the Oromo language - which began operating in the months after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018. The committee’s existence has

Fano: Ethiopia's New Dawn of Defense for the Marginalized

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  Fano: Ethiopia's New Dawn of Defense for the Marginalized ( Mengistu Mussie , Phd ) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Over the past few years, a new force has emerged in Ethiopia's complex socio-political landscape and represents the hope and resilience of its marginalized populations. Fano, a burgeoning collective, is positioned as a protector against the turbulent tides of division after stepping onto the stage at a crucial moment. It has emerged as a symbol of resistance against the ethnocentric factions that have for a long time been in control of Ethiopian politics with an iron fist. Fano's beginnings are modest yet profound, having rooted themselves in the hearts and minds of those on the peripheries of society and considered enemies by the ethnocentric elite. The movement grew out of necessity, relying on a shared desire to protect the defenseless and give voice to the voiceless. It wasn't a spontaneous event but the

Ethiopia's bad year: From unending civil war to drought, default on Eurobond

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It has been a bad year for Ethiopia, a country with very low forex reserves, a double-digit inflation, high external debt, and just recovering from a civil war, and economists warn that it could be on the verge of economic crisis after it missed interest payment on its only sovereign bond this week.  Ethiopia formally defaulted on $33 million interest repayment on its $1 billion Eurobond, joining Zambia and Ghana, the other bond defaulters on the continent. The default followed weeks of discussions and on December 15, Eyob Tekalign, State Minister for Finance, held a global investor call, in which he explained that Addis was “seeking to ensure consistency and fairness by requesting other external creditors, including bondholders, to participate in similar debt arrangements”. Read more  here

‘Collective punishment’: Ethiopia drone strikes target civilians in Amhara

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  ‘Collective punishment’: #Ethiopia drone strikes target civilians in #Amhara Ethiopia’s latest conflict has intensified in recent months with a surge in drone attacks seemingly targeting civilians. https://aje.io/hir5rs via @AJEnglish #AmharaGenocide     Weeks after a deadly drone attack on November 30 killed five civilians in the town of Wegel Tena in Ethiopia’s Amhara region about 570km (350 miles) north of the capital, Addis Ababa, a witness is still reeling from the trauma. “It’s extremely difficult to even describe the scene of the aftermath,” said Gebeyehu, who requested use of his first name only for safety reasons. “Bodies were burned so badly they had turned to dust. I saw the finger bones of one of the victims still shaped as though it was still clutching a mobile phone.” Several witnesses told Al Jazeera that a drone fired on an ambulance as it approached the Delanta Primary Hospital in Wegel Tena and obliterated it. Hospital staff, including a doctor and t

Ethiopia: Justice for past abuses must be victim-centred and include criminal prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking and institutional reforms – UN report

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GENEVA (28 December 2023) – A new report issued today by the UN Human Rights Office and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) calls on the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that ongoing efforts to address the country’s legacy of human rights violations and abuses are grounded in applicable international human rights law, and consistently focus on the rights and needs of victims and their families.  The 90-page report sets out findings of 15 community consultations held from July 2022 to March this year with more than 800 participants, including 319 women, in Afar, Amhara, Harari, Oromia, Somali and Tigray regions, and in the Dire Dawa city administration. Participants included victims, internally displaced people, people with disabilities, traditional and religious leaders, and grassroot civil society organizations. “I welcome Ethiopia taking concrete steps to develop a national transitional justice policy in line with the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement,” sai

Regarding the large-scale and serious human rights violations caused by attacks on civilians in various areas in Ethiopia

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Regarding the large-scale and serious human rights violations caused by attacks on civilians in various areas in Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz and Oromia regions.     In Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz and Oromia regions, The killings, bodily injuries, destruction of property and displacement of civilians, which are happening to the people, including the confirmation of responsibility for the massive violation of human rights, requires the federal government and the governments of each region to take immediate, concrete and lasting solutions. Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in Amhara Region, Awi Ethnic Zone, Ayehu Guagusa District and West Gojam Zone, Bure District; Also in Benishangul Gumuz Region, Asosa Zone, Oda Bldglu District; In addition, based on the suggestions and complaints received regarding the attacks on civilians in Oromia region, RC zone, Sherka district and Kelem Welega zone, Gidami district, he has been contacting the victims' families, residents and the local gov