Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza took another step towards becoming a global outlier on Tuesday. The controversial leader signed a decree to quit the International Criminal Court (ICC), following a parliamentary vote to that effect earlier in October. The decree retracted Burundi’s participation in the Rome Statute, on which the court’s authority is founded. The Burundian…
EPRDF’s list of banned activities for Ethiopians (CNN)Ethiopia has imposed severe regulations under a new six-month “state of emergency” as it faces unprecedented levels of unrest across the country, a first in the government’s 25-year rule. The government says the state of emergency was put in place to prevent further loss of life and property,…
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban ETHIOPIA Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations has called on the Ethiopian government to end the crackdown on peaceful opponents. She also called for an end to mass arrests citing particularly the rearresting of Blen Mesfin, a member of the opposition who was first detained in…
New restrictions are part of a six-month state of emergency declared by the government eight days ago. Ethiopia has also banned access to foreign-based opposition media [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters] Ethiopia has restricted foreign diplomats’ travel, in new provisions of a state of emergency as part of its response to an unprecedented wave of anti-government protests. Inside Story –…
A protest in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, on Oct. 2. No place exposes the cracks in the narrative of Africa’s rising better than Ethiopia, which is one of the continent’s fastest-developing but most repressive nations. ASSOCIATED PRESS By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN NAIROBI, Kenya — For decades Africa was eager for a new narrative, and in recent years it got a…
Demonstrators chant slogans while flashing the Oromo protest gesture during Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival of the Oromo people, in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia, on Oct. 2. (Tiksa Negeri/Reuters) The Washington Post The October 11 World article “Ethiopia imposes state of emergency amid unrest” highlighted the widespread and proactive dissent that the undemocratic government is…
If we were to ask a priest where religion originated, his response would most likely be rooted in his theology. The same would hold true for a rabbi, imam, yogi and so forth. We believe that the roots of our personal faith provide an answer to questions of creation. As Arthur Schopenhauer put it, “Everyone…
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban with EUROPEAN UNION EXTERNAL ACTION ETHIOPIA The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, has tasked the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to respect democratic principles and civil rights in the country. Mogherini, who is also Vice-President of the European Commission said there…
By Jeremy Luedi Mounting violence in Ethiopia has seen over 500 killed, as protests against the government’s economic and human rights policies continues. The tensions at the heart of the crisis are systemic ones, yet what makes the violence particularly worrisome is that foreign investors have become prominent targets. Foreign businesses are being systematically attacked…
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…