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☆ Ethiopia Extends State of Emergency in Amhara
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's parliament on Friday extended by four months a state of emergency declared in August to respond to an insurgency in the northern region of Amhara that has resulted in hundreds of deaths and drawn accusations of widespread human rights abuses. Fighting erupted in Amhara last July between federal forces and a local militia called Fano, which has accused the government of undermining the region's security. The state of emergency handed the government powers to impose curfews, restrict people's movement and ban public gatherings. The state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has documented a range of alleged abuses in the Amhara conflict, most of which it has attributed to government forces. EHRC head Daniel Bakele said on social media on Friday that his organisation was "gravely concerned" about the implications of the extension for human rights and the humanitarian situation.

Persons: Fano, Abiy, Daniel Bakele, Dawit Endeshaw, Bhargav Acharya, Aaron Ross, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ADDIS ABABA, Reuters, Ethiopian Human Rights Locations: ADDIS, Amhara, Fano, Tigray

☆ Kenyan Court Says Police Cannot Deploy to Haiti Mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Friday blocked the government from sending police officers to Haiti to lead a U.N.-approved mission aimed at helping the Caribbean nation tackle gang violence. An opposition party in October challenged the government's decision to send 1,000 officers to address a deepening crisis in Haiti, where gangs have forced around 200,000 people to flee their homes. High Court Judge Chacha Mwita said Kenya could only deploy officers abroad if a "reciprocal arrangement" was in place with the host government. "Any further action or steps taken by any state organ or state officer in furtherance of such a decision, contravene the Constitution and the law and is therefore an unconstitutional, illegal and invalid," Mwita said. (Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Aaron Ross)

Persons: Chacha Mwita, Mwita, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Aaron Ross Organizations: Kenyan Locations: NAIROBI, Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya

☆ Kenya to sell 35 state companies as Africa seeks to jumpstart IPOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto said on Thursday the government was poised to privatise 35 state companies after enacting a law last month to guide the process. Kenya last privatised a state-owned company in 2008 with an initial public offering (IPO) for 25% of the shares in telecommunications firm Safaricom (SCOM.NR). "We have identified the first 35 companies that we are going to offer to the private sector. Kenya's President William Ruto speaks during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit at United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 18, 2023. "If well harnessed, stock exchanges can be the engine that transforms Africa into a global economic powerhouse and financial centre of the world," the president said.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Njuguna Ndung'u, Ndung'u, Caitlin Ochs, Bourses, Thapelo, Ducan Miriri, Marc Jones, Aaron Ross, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: African, Nairobi . Finance, Reuters, Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Botswana Stock Exchange, Bharti Airtel, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Nairobi, New York City , New York, U.S, Africa, Uganda, London

☆ Britain's King Charles visits Kenya with colonialism's scars in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] Britain's King Charles inspects the honour guards as he is hosted by Kenya's President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya October 31, 2023. Accompanied by Queen Camilla on his first visit as monarch to a former colony, Charles arrived in the capital Nairobi overnight. Charles' visit comes at a time when former colonies are demanding that Britain do more to recognise the abuses of its colonial past. Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei led a decade-long rebellion until he was assassinated by a British colonel in 1905. Charles also plans to meet entrepreneurs from Kenya's bustling tech scene, tour wildlife facilities and travel to the southeastern port city of Mombasa.

Persons: King Charles, William Ruto, Arthur Edwards, Queen Camilla, Charles, Kenya's Nandi, Buckingham, Kenya's, Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei, Samoei's, Kipchoge araap Chomu, Aaron Ross, Hereward, Hereward Holland, Michael Perry, John Stonestreet Organizations: Kenya's, State House, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kenyan, Commonwealth, Kenya Human Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI, Uhuru Gardens, Barbados, Jamaica, British, Mombasa, Hereward Holland

☆ Britain's King Charles begins Kenya visit steeped in 'painful' colonial history
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Britain's King Charles is hosted by Kenya's President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Acquire Licensing RightsNAIROBI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles begins a four-day state visit to Kenya on Tuesday, his first to a former colony, during which he plans to acknowledge "painful aspects" of a shared history that included almost seven decades of colonial rule. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, Charles arrived in the East African country overnight and will be received by Kenyan President William Ruto in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday morning. Buckingham Palace says the visit is a reflection of the two countries' close cooperation on economic development, climate change and security issues. The most notorious period of British rule came near the end, during the 1952-1960 Mau Mau revolt in central Kenya.

Persons: King Charles, William Ruto, Thomas Mukoya, Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Charles, Buckingham, Camilla, Queen Elizabeth, Nandi, Koitalel Arap Samoie, Samoie's, Kipchoge araap Chomu, Aaron Ross, Hereward, Hereward Holland, Michael Perry Organizations: Kenya's, State House, REUTERS, Rights, Kenyan, Kenya Human Rights, Commonwealth, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI, East, Mombassa, Barbados, Jamaica, British, Hereward Holland

☆ Dispossessed Kenyans demand compensation ahead of King Charles' visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Aaron Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Before Elizabeth could make it to Lake Victoria, word came that her father, King George VI, had died. More than 70 years later, Elizabeth's son, King Charles, will visit Kenya this week on a state visit. Buckingham Palace has said Charles' visit, which begins on Tuesday, will acknowledge "painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history". The colonial administration took hundreds of square kilometres of land that communities in western Kenya had lived on for generations and handed it to British settlers. The British government has not been receptive in the past to requests by the Kipsigis and Talai to discuss compensation.

Persons: Britain's King Charles ', Camilla's, King Charles, Princess Elizabeth, Kibore Cheruiyot Ngasura, Elizabeth, King George VI, Elizabeth's, Ngasura, Charles, Kenya's, Joel Kimetto, “, Talai, Aaron Ross, Michael Holden, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Kenyan, British, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office, Thomson Locations: Britain's, Kenya, Tugunon, Kericho County, KERICHO, Lake Victoria, Gwassi, London, Buckingham, British, Kericho, Nairobi, Mombasa

☆ Mediation collapses between Meta and Kenyan moderators, rights group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNAIROBI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Settlement talks have collapsed between Facebook's parent company Meta (META.O) and Kenyan content moderators over a lawsuit alleging unfair dismissal, a tech rights group working with the moderators said on Monday. British tech rights group Foxglove said in a statement on Monday that the negotiations had broken down, accusing Meta and Sama of making "very little attempt to address core issues raised by the petitioners". The moderators also allege that Meta is trying to terminate their contracts in defiance of an earlier court order. A hearing on their petition to find Meta and Sama in contempt of court is scheduled for Oct. 31, Foxglove said.

Persons: Yves Herman, Meta, Foxglove, Mercy Mutemi, Sama, Majorel, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Meta, Facebook, Kenyan, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights NAIROBI, British, Sama, Kenya, Ethiopia

☆ Kenyan Court Throws Out Challenge Seeking to Block GM Crops
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan court threw out on Thursday a case challenging the importation and cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops, saying the government had taken appropriate measures to regulate their use. In October 2022, Kenya lifted a 10-year ban on GM crops in response to the East African region's worst drought in 40 years. Kenya's decision to lift the ban of GM crops prompted farmers' groups to say it was rushed and failed to address health concerns. Farmers were also concerned that reliance on GM crops would lead to dependence on seeds from big foreign companies that own patents to them. In its ruling, the Environment and Land Court said the Law Society had not proven Kenya's laws about GM crops violated its constitution.

Persons: Humphrey Malalo, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Rod Nickel Organizations: Kenyan, Law Society of Kenya, Farmers, Environment, Land, Law Society Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, United States

☆ Netflix to end Kenyan free access plan after two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Acquire Licensing RightsNAIROBI, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Netflix (NFLX.O) said on Monday it is ending its free mobile plan in Kenya, which has allowed users to access a quarter of its shows and movies without paying over the past two years. "We definitely learnt a lot from the test," a Netflix spokesperson told Reuters, without giving details. Netflix is rolling out an advertisement-supported plan, offering subscribers a monthly plan at 4.99 pounds ($6.07), but the spokesperson did not comment on its availability in Kenya. Although low middle-income economies like Kenya offer streaming services big opportunities for subscriber growth, they also pose challenges as purchasing power dwindles due to inflation, industry executives said. Under the free plan, which will end on Nov. 1, viewers were able to watch Western-produced shows like "Money Heist" and "Bridgerton", and African ones like "Blood & Water".

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Alexander Smith Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Rights NAIROBI, Kenya, Africa

☆ UN-Mandated Investigation Into Ethiopia Atrocities Lapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N.-mandated investigation into continuing atrocities in Ethiopia faces closure after a U.N. website on Wednesday showed that no motion has been received to renew it. Both sides accused each other of atrocities, including massacres, rape and arbitrary detentions, but each denied responsibility for systemic abuses. The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, created by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2021 after a motion submitted by the European Union, said last month that war crimes and crimes against humanity were still being committed in Ethiopia. "Having no resolution is scandalous in the face of the report of the experts that was just published," said Lucy McKernan from Human Rights Watch, responsible for advocacy work at the Human Rights Council and other UN human rights mechanisms. Ethiopia, which denies committing widespread abuses, has strongly opposed the probe and tried to cut its work short.

Persons: Lucy McKernan, Emma Farge, Aaron Ross, William Maclean Organizations: International Commission of Human, Human Rights, European Union, Human Rights Watch Locations: GENEVA, Ethiopia, Tigray, Amhara

☆ Kenya panel urges shutdown of Worldcoin's crypto project within country
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Worldcoin was rolled out in various countries around the world by Tools for Humanity, a company co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The project still has a virtual presence in Kenya and can be accessed via the Internet, even after the August suspension. It also called for the suspension of the companies' "physical presence in Kenya until there is a legal framework for regulation of virtual assets and virtual services providers." The panel also asked government ministries to develop regulations for crypto assets and firms that provide crypto services and called on the police to investigate Tools for Humanity and take any necessary legal action. Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Aaron Ross and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Annegret, Sam Altman, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Humanity Corp, Kenyan, Humanity, Communications Authority, Humanity GmbH, National Assembly, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, NAIROBI, Britain, France, Kenya

The second senior EU official confirmed that. A third source, also an EU official, said the Commission was "cooperating actively with WFP to resolve systemic defects" but said no aid was suspended at this stage. Last year, it contributed more than half of the $2.2 billion of funding that went to the humanitarian response there. The U.N. report did not attempt to quantify the amount of aid that was diverted but said its findings "suggest that post-delivery aid diversion in Somalia is widespread and systemic". In all, investigators collected data from 55 IDP sites in Somalia and found aid diversion in all of them, the report said.

Persons: Ayenat, Balazs Ujvari, Antonio Guterres, Devex, Jessica Jennings, gatekeepers, Gabriela Baczynska, Michelle Nichols, Aaron Ross, Emma Farge, Daphne Psaledakis, Joe Bavier, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, European Union, Food Programme, Reuters, European Commission, EU, WFP, U.N, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, European, Somali Disaster Management Office, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Dollow, Somalia, NAIROBI, GENEVA, Ethiopia, United States, Nairobi, Geneva

☆ Hundreds of millions pledged for African carbon credits at inaugural climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Companies Climate FollowVitol SA FollowNAIROBI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An initiative to boost Africa's carbon credit production 19-fold by 2030 drew hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges on Monday as Kenyan President William Ruto opened the continent's first climate summit. In one of the most anticipated deals, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) committed to buying $450 million of carbon credits from the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI). "There hasn't been any success for an African country in attracting climate finance," said Bogolo Kenewendo, a United Nations climate adviser and former trade minister in Botswana. Many African campaigners have opposed the summit's approach to climate finance, and about 500 people marched in downtown Nairobi on Monday to protest. They say carbon credits are a pretext for continued pollution by wealthier countries and corporations, who should instead pay their "climate debt" through direct compensation and debt relief.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Bogolo Kenewendo, Bogolo, Kevin Kariuki, Patricia Scotland, Esa Alexander, we've, Hassan Ghazali, Britain, Sultan Al Jaber, COP28, Duncan Miriri, Simon Jessop, Jefferson Kahinju, Aaron Ross, Hereward Holland, Angus MacSwan, Susan Fenton Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Africa Carbon Markets, United, African Development Bank, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Climate Asset Management, HSBC Asset Management, Debt, Green, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, UAE, Nairobi, Africa, United Nations, Botswana, Muloza, Mozambique, Blantyre, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Germany, Kenya

☆ Uber rolls out electric bike fleet in Kenya, its first in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Uber boda boda riders prepare to ride the first fleet of the company's electric product during their launch in Nairobi, Kenya, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Uber Technologies Inc FollowNAIROBI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber (UBER.N) on Thursday launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, its first in Africa, as the company seeks to make its global platform emissions free by 2040. Uber's new green product in Kenya, dubbed Electric Boda in a nod to the Swahili term for motorbike taxis, will comprise 3,000 bikes within six months, or just under a fifth of its fleet. The growth of the electric vehicles market in Africa has been slowed by a lack of adequate electric charging infrastructure and associated equipment. Motorbike transport is a big employer in Kenya, absorbing millions of people who are unable to secure formal jobs.

Persons: Monicah, Uber, Kagiso Khaole, Khaole, William Ruto, Duncan Miriri, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Technologies, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, NAIROBI, Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Saharan Africa

☆ African climate summit seeks to shift focus to finance from floods, famine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A report last year by the non-profit Climate Policy Initiative found Africa has received only 12% of the finance it needs to cope with climate impacts. The thousands of delegates are expected to debate solutions ahead of a U.N. climate summit next month in New York in September and the COP28 U.N. summit in the United Arab Emirates from the end of November. The summit's organisers also say they expect deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be concluded in Nairobi. In June, it hosted an auction where companies from Saudi Arabia bought more than 2.2 million tonnes of carbon credits. One project generating carbon credits in Kenya is BURN Manufacturing's production of clean cooking stoves to replace heavily polluting wood and charcoal-based fires.

Persons: Finbarr O'Reilly, Soipan Tuya, Amos Wemanya, Chris McKinney, Joseph Ng'ang'a, Duncan Miriri, Christophe Van Der, Aaron Ross, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Initiative, Kenyan Environment, United, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Africa Carbon Markets, Thomson Locations: Haute Uele, Congo, Rights NAIROBI, Africa, Nairobi, New York, United Arab, Gabon, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Egypt

☆ Fighting in Ethiopia's Amhara kills at least 183, UN says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Fighting between Ethiopia's military and militiamen in the Amhara region has killed at least 183 people, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday, providing the most comprehensive independent death toll to date of the month-long conflict. The conflict has been fuelled by accusations among many in Amhara, Ethiopia's second most populous region, that the government is trying to undermine its security. At least four people were killed in fresh fighting that erupted in the town of Debre Tabor on Sunday, two doctors said. The clashes broke out about a week after Ethiopia's military entered the town, one of the doctors said. The other doctor said at least seven people had died - three civilians and four police officers, who were fighting in support of the military.

Persons: Emma Farge, Dawit, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Nick Macfie Organizations: UN, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Amhara, Ethiopia's, Fano, Debre Tabor, Geneva, Addis Ababa

☆ Exclusive: First Ugandan charged with 'aggravated homosexuality' punishable by death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KAMPALA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with "aggravated homosexuality", an offence punishable by death under the country's recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said. It prescribes life in prison for same-sex intercourse. According to a charge sheet seen by Reuters, the defendant was charged on Aug. 18 with aggravated homosexuality after he "performed unlawful sexual intercourse" with a 41-year-old man. She said she was not aware of anyone else having been previously charged with aggravated homosexuality. Balya said four other people have been charged under the law since its enactment and that her client was the first to be prosecuted for aggravated homosexuality.

Persons: Jacqueline Okui, Okui, Justine Balya, Balya, Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Aaron Ross, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, High Court, World Bank, United, Thomson Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, Magistrate’s, United States

☆ Safaricom launches M-Pesa mobile money service in Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A customer displays the package of a Safaricom Ethiopia sim card during the service launch in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsADDIS ABABA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Safaricom's (SCOM.NR) M-Pesa mobile money service went live in Ethiopia on Wednesday, in a boost to the Kenyan telecoms operator as it seeks to kickstart growth in one of Africa's biggest economies. The company also faces stiff competition from Ethio Telecom, whose profits more than doubled in its latest financial year. In July, Ethio Telecom reported having more than 34 million subscribers to its mobile money service Telebirr. Mobile money services are common in East Africa, allowing customers to send and receive money and pay for goods and services.

Persons: Safaricom, Stanley Njoroge, Dawit, Elias Biryabarema, Aaron Ross, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, South Africa’s Vodacom, Britain’s Vodafone, Democratic, Ethio Telecom, Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, ADDIS ABABA, Horn of Africa, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mobile, East Africa

☆ Uganda president defiant after World Bank funding suspended over LGBT law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attends a session of the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2023. The World Bank has an existing portfolio of $5.2 billion in Uganda, although these projects will not be affected. "It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. He added he hoped the World Bank would reconsider its decision. In June, the United States imposed visa restrictions on some Ugandan officials in response to the law.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Museveni, Joe Biden, Elias Biryabarema, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, KAMPALA, Uganda, Western, United States

☆ Uganda president defiant after World Bank suspends funding over LGBT law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attends a session of the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2023. The World Bank said on Tuesday that the law, which imposes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts, contradicted its values and that it would pause new funding until it could test measures to prevent discrimination in projects it finances. The World Bank has an existing portfolio of $5.2 billion in Uganda, although these projects will not be affected. "It is, therefore, unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty, using money. He added he hoped the World Bank would reconsider its decision.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Museveni, Henry Musasizi, Musasizi, Joe Biden, Elias Biryabarema, Hereward Holland, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Bernadette Baum, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Agency, REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, KAMPALA, Uganda, Western, United States

☆ Ethiopian military pushes back militiamen in two Amhara towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri//File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's military has pushed local militiamen out of two towns in the Amhara region, residents said on Wednesday, in its first big battlefield breakthroughs since fighting erupted last week. A local official in Gondar said the military was "almost in full control of the city". Another Gondar resident said he had seen the military enter the city centre on Tuesday afternoon. Two Lalibela residents told Reuters that ENDF troops entered the town on Wednesday morning following intense fighting on Lalibela's outskirts the previous day.

Persons: Amhara's, Africa's, Spokespeople, Fano, ENDF, Bahir Dar, Aaron Ross, William Maclean, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Ethiopian Airlines, Bahir, Reuters, Fano, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Gondar, Lalibela, Fano, Tigray, Lalibela's, Bahir

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. In that war, federal forces faced battle-hardened fighters loyal to Tigray's ruling party, who at one point advanced hundreds of kilometres towards the capital Addis Ababa. Following the Tigray deal, his government held preliminary talks with rebels in the Oromiya region, Ethiopia's largest, about ending a decades-long insurgency. But anger was building in Amhara, where the Tigray deal deepened existing suspicions of Abiy's government. It said the status of lands claimed by both Amhara and Tigray, which Amhara forces captured during the war, should be resolved "in accordance with the constitution".

Persons: Abiy, Tewodrose Tirfe, Temesgen, Ethiopia's, Fano, Addisu Lashitew, Befekadu Hailu, Aaron Ross, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Fano, Amhara Association of America, Brookings Institution, Protesters, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, NAIROBI, Tigray, Amhara, Fano, Africa, Eritrea, Sudan, Addis Ababa, Oromiya

☆ Ethiopia accuses Amhara militia of trying to overthrow government
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A senior Ethiopian official accused militiamen in the Amhara region of seeking to overthrow the regional and federal governments following days of fighting that led the authorities to declare a state of emergency. Clashes between Fano militiamen and the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) continued over the weekend. The conflict has quickly become Ethiopia's most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in Tigray region, which neighbours Amhara, ended in November. Fano is a part-time militia that draws volunteers from the local population and was an ally of the ENDF during the Tigray war. Violent protests erupted across Amhara in April after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered that security forces from Ethiopia's 11 regions be disbanded and integrated into the police or national army.

Persons: Abi Adi, Amhara's, Temesgen Tiruneh, Temesgen, Legesse Tulu, Abiy Ahmed, Dawit Endeshaw, George Obulutsa, Aaron Ross, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ethiopian National Defence Force, Amhara Special Forces, REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian, Fana Broadcasting, Protesters, Thomson Locations: Tigray, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Fano, Gondar, Ethiopia's

☆ Ethiopia declares state of emergency following militia clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. Picture taken January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's federal government on Friday declared a state of emergency following days of clashes in the Amhara region between the military and local militiamen. The statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office announcing the state of emergency did not say whether it applied only in Amhara or across the country. Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abiy, Dawit Endeshaw, Aaron Ross, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Fano

At least 300 people were arrested, including several senior opposition leaders, and several people were reported shot, some possibly fatally, in clashes with police on Wednesday. The demonstrations, planned for Wednesday to Friday, are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month. Protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day, according to a private sector lobby group. Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga did not make a public appearance on Wednesday or Thursday as he did during previous protests. A Kenyan court froze the tax hikes late last month, pending a ruling by senior judges.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Ruto, Odinga, William Ruto, Paul Ongili, Aaron Ross, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Monicah Mwangi, Anne Mawathe, Joseph Akwiri, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Conor Humphries Organizations: Kenya Alliance, REUTERS, NAIROBI, La, NTV Kenya, Kenyan, Civic, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera, Mombasa, Kisumu, Isiolo, Ruto's

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