Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday called on the African continent to ensure economic recovery from the brunt of COVID-19 pandemic as the New Year begins.

"As we mark the end of the year 2020, we also mark the end of one of the most extraordinary and challenging years in living memory," the chairperson of the 55-member pan-African bloc said in a statement.

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the recent armed attack in western Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz regional state has risen to 207, the country's federal rights group confirmed late Friday.

Among the victims were 133 adult men, 35 adult women, some 20 elderly persons as well as 17 children, one of them a six-month-old baby, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a rights group established by the Ethiopian parliament, said in a statement late Friday.

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 25 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Ethiopian Defense Forces killed some 42 “anti-peace elements” as part of the crackdown on perpetrators of the latest “gruesome” attack that killed at least 100 civilians in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz regional state, local government officials said.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Ethiopia will hold a parliamentary election on June 5, 2021, the National Electoral Board said on Friday, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tries to quell outbreaks of deadly political and ethnic violence in several regions.

Abiy’s Prosperity Party, a pan-Ethiopian movement he founded a year ago, faces challenges from increasingly strident ethnically-based parties seeking more power for their regions.

Africa’s second most populous nation has a federal system and 10 regional governments, many of whom have border disputes or face low-level unrest.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia’s military killed 42 armed men accused of attacking a village in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region, state-affiliated Fana TV reported on Thursday, as the government sent in more troops to contain ethnic tensions.

Government forces seized bows and arrows and other weapons from the armed men, Fana said in its report that cited unnamed regional officials. It did not say when the clash took place or which group was involved.

23 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that Addis Ababa and Khartoum reached a final accord to resolve the ongoing border crisis.

The announcement followed negotiations between an Ethiopian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Yemek Mekonnen, and the authorities in Sudan.

According to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Dina Mufti, the border dispute between the two countries is to be resolved peacefully, through dialogue.

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the Horn of Africa finds itself in "a very particular situation," as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, is experiencing "tough challenges."

The chairperson of the 55-member pan-African bloc made the remarks during the 38th IGAD Extraordinary Meeting, which brought together east African leaders in the Red Sea nation Djibouti late Sunday.

19 Dec 2020; MEMO: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Thursday that the "incident" involving a local militia on the border with Sudan "will not lead to a strained relationship with Khartoum."

The Ethiopian leader stated: "These incidents will not break the ties between our two countries because we are engaged in a permanent dialogue, that is our choice to settle problems," Ahmed tweeted.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Rebellious soldiers used government tanks to attack their former comrades in a military base in the first chaotic days of Ethiopia’s month-long war in the region of Tigray, according to two soldiers caught in what they described as a 10-day siege.

Forces still loyal to Tigray’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), surrounded the Sero base near the northern border with Eritrea on Nov. 4, according to the two men. Within days, food and water were running low, forcing those inside to ration supplies, they said.

08 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen announced on Saturday that his country is working with the Sudanese government to return refugees and displaced persons to their homes.

This came in a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Jeppe Kofod, reported the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).