By Paul Schemm WashingtonpostPeople attend a prayer ceremony for protesters who died recently in the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, during the Irreecha festival for the Oromo people. The government blames social media for exaggerating the loss of life. (Tiksa Negeri/Reuters) The annual U.N. General Assembly meeting provides an unparalleled opportunity for world leaders to take to…
At the heart of the protests is the fundamental question of how to build a modern nation-state on the back of ethnic fault lines that have been exploited over centuries. Aleksandra W. Gadzala Since November 2015, Ethiopia has been beset by an unprecedented wave of protests. They began as a rebuke to a government plan…
German chancellor Angela Merkel is received with military honours in front of the presidential palace next to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11 October 2016. Source: PA Key Points The proposals seek to offer a more representative electoral system and military institutions and will be spearheaded by the prime minister, but…
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi denied on Thursday Ethiopian accusations that his country was supporting the opposition after a wave of violent protests that left hundreds dead. Ethiopia accused “elements” in Eritrea, Egypt and elsewhere on Monday of being behind protests over land grabs and human rights that prompted the government to…
Women carry water back to their makeshift homes in Aydora, Ethiopia, in February. (Aida Muluneh /For The Washington Post) Regarding the Aug. 10 editorial “Ethiopia’s violent silencing”: It is true that, as the editorial board put it, “the United States has long relied on Ethiopia as a partner in the fight against al-Shabab’s terrorism in…
A state of emergency has been imposed and the government accuses foreign forces of instigating unrest. Ethiopia It has been hailed as an oasis of political stability and a model of growth in Africa but for the past year, Ethiopia has been in the news not because of its economic successes, but because of insecurity…
Press Statement John Kirby Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, Bureau of Public Affairs The United States takes note of the Government of Ethiopia’s October 8 declaration of a State of Emergency in response to recent protests and violence in the Oromia and Amhara regions. We are troubled by the potential impact of the decision to authorize detention…
By Alemante Gebre-Selassie The country’s deadly protests stem from ethnic division, endemic corruption and high youth unemployment. The world must support calls for a new government ‘A further factor fuelling the protests in Ethiopia is youth unemployment and the sense of hopelessness it has engendered.’ Photograph: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters The deadly protests that have rocked Ethiopia over…
Biftu Bole Lutheran Church holds a prayer and candle ceremony for protesters who died in the town of Bishoftu. (Tiksa Negeri/Reuters) By Editorial Board ETHIOPIA’S RULERS have redoubled a repressive policy that is failing. Instead of looking for ways to alleviate the pent-up frustrations of the ethnic Oromo and Amhara populations that spilled out in…
FILE – Ethiopian soldiers try to stop protesters in Bishoftu, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. VOA- At a European Parliament subcommittee meeting on human rights and development, Human Rights Watch called on the European Union and international community to take strong action against Ethiopia. The international community has largely looked the other way when it…