MINILIK SALSAWI

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 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 ...

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,”...

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 loca...

  by Mesfin Tegenu, (  thehill.com) AP photo Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In recent weeks, the world’s gaze has been intensely focused on a war halfway around the world. Intense fighting between Israel and Hamas has left thousands of people dead, including many children, and generated television images that make it hard to look away.  At the same time, just 1,500 miles south of Gaza City, a violent and escalating conflict is largely being ignored by the outside world. Earlier this month, in northern Ethiopia’s Amhara region, government soldiers unleashed heavy weapons fire that witnesses said endangered historic, rock-hewn churches that date as far back as the 12th and 13th centuries.   The fighting between troops loyal to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and civilians tied to the region’s Fano militia — fo...

 More than a year after the end of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, a severe humanitarian crisis continues to impact the area, with women being particularly affected, according to a new report by the nonprofit group Refugees International.    Senior fellow Sarah Miller, who conducted extensive research by interviewing civilians and health workers in the Tigray region, found that an estimated 40–50% of Tigray’s women experienced gender-based violence during the fighting between regional forces and the federal government. Of these victims, over 80% reported being raped, with nearly 70% reporting brutal gang rape by armed militia groups. The report also highlighted the lack of available support for the population of over seven million in Tigray, with only three clinical psychologists covering the entire area. This has led to many abused women facing untreated trauma, according to the report. Additionally, the report revealed that hundreds of thousands...

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) through its spokesperson Odaa Tarbii expressed its “unwavering commitment” to peace and dialogue, and said “its door to negotiation is always open”.   This comes following the collapse of the second round of talks between the armed group and Ethiopian  government earlier this week, for which the spokesperson accused the government of trying “to entice the OLA leadership with offers of power and position while failing to address the underlying issues”.  He added despite OLA upholding its commitment to de-escalation during the talks, the regime launched an offensive on its positions in Oromia midway through the negotiations. The government however said “the obstructive approach and unrealistic demands” of the OLA led to the collapse of the talks. On 20 November 2023, a day before the announcement of the conclusion of the talks without agreement, four civilians were killed amidst a fierce fighting between government forces ...

  Ethiopia : Amara region:- The context of the armed conflict that continued for months and its negative human rights implications Combatant forces should refrain from targeting civilian people and property, public services and infrastructure, and the government should create conditions for the continuation of social services. It is recalled that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ESMECO/Commission) has urged in various statements to take immediate measures to help prevent harm to civilians, including finding a peaceful solution to the large-scale human rights violations caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara region. The Commission continues to closely monitor the negative impact of the conflict on human rights and social movements. Based on this, he has be...

In Ethiopia, violent crimes are being committed in the country and this is a serious threat   The United Nations Human Rights Commission has warned that atrocity crimes are being committed in the country and this is a serious threat. The EU has dropped the diplomatic ball at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva – and turned their backs on the victims of atrocities in Ethiopia .   A group of international human rights experts, in a new report released on Tuesday, warned that serious atrocities have been committed in Ethiopia and that the problem may worsen, and called for an international independent investigation.     This report indicates that according to sources based on accurate information and evidence, brutal crimes have been committed against the citizens of the country in Ethiopia.   Atrocity crimes are serious crimes against humanity and according to the United Nations they are genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.     According t...

 A suspected air strike at the weekend in Ethiopia's Amhara region killed at least 26 people, a hospital official said on Monday, as a state-appointed rights group detailed widespread killings of civilians since fighting broke out this month. Federal forces managed late last week to push Fano militiamen out of most major towns in Amhara, but clashes continue in other parts of the region, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said in a statement.   The fighting, which has been fuelled by Fano accusations that the federal government is trying to weaken Amhara's defences, is Ethiopia's biggest security crisis since a two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region ended last November. Ethiopia's government denies the allegations by Fano, an informal militia that backed federal forces during the Tigray war. Spokespeople for the government, the military and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not respond to requests for comment on Monday about the suspected ...

Mobile internet access was down in parts of Ethiopia's Amhara region and flights to two cities were cancelled on Thursday, following days of clashes between the federal military and local militiamen. A simmering feud between the Fano militia and federal authorities, who were allies during the two-year civil war in the neighbouring Tigray region that ended last November, has burst into the open this week. The fighting was prompted by an operation by the military to push Fano fighters out of certain areas, according to a diplomatic source. Ethiopia's deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonnen, called the situation "concerning" on Wednesday. Two residents of Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar, and three in Gondar, its second-biggest city, said mobile internet services were unavailable on Thursday. They declined to be named for security reasons. Authorities in Ethiopia have repeatedly cut internet services over the past few years during bouts of conflict and civil u...

The war officially is started in the cities of Amhara region All roads in bahrdar debremarkos debrebirhan and other cities Gondar city have been ordered to be closed. At this time, the defense vehicle captured in Gondar city and the security guard army of the system are in this form of the Amara Fano in the Gondar Tedros Brigade army. A resident of the town of Kobo in northern Amhara said there were clashes between Fano fighters and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in the Tekulesh area, a 40-minute drive outside Kobo, between 1am and 9am on Tuesday. The work of public and private organizations in Debremarkos has been suspended. Entrance and exit doors are closed. Ethiopia's military has clashed with fighters from a militia in the Amhara region, residents said on Wednesday, in a sharp escalation of a simmering feud between the two former allies. The Fano militia backed federal troops in a two-year civil war in the neighbouring Tigray region that ended last ...

Dozens of drivers have been abducted in Ethiopia’s Oromia region by armed gunmen, multiple media reports indicate. It is known that the authorities of the Oromia region are in the hands of the drivers kidnapped in Alidoro in the Oromia region and they have a share in the millions of dollars obtained from the hostages. It has been repeatedly said that Oromia officials are behind the kidnappings carried out by the armed force called OLF Shene and the millions of dollars stolen. It has been pointed out that there is a risk that the families of businessmen who have millions of money in the commercial bank will not be kidnapped by suggestions. The drivers, who are estimated to number between 30 to 50, were reportedly abducted last week in Gerbe-Guracha area of North Shoa zone of Oromia region by fighters suspected to be affiliated to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group.   The abducted drivers’ families are reportedly being asked to pay ransom money by the abductors ...