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☆ Drones have turned the tables in recent African wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Drones recently supplied to Sudan by Iran are already making an impact in that country's brutal civil war. Similar types of drones played decisive roles in turning the tables in two previous African civil wars in recent years and could do so again. "It should come as no surprise that these drones are being used in wars around the world," Rogers told BI. In this context, drones are useful to achieve specific objectives, but they will not win the war alone," Rogers said. RANE's Dodd also credited Ethiopia's drone procurements for decisively "turning the tide" of the Tigray War.

Persons: —, Remi Dodd, RANE, it's, Dodd, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Turkey's TB2, Loong, Debretsion Gebremichael, RANE's Dodd Organizations: Service, Business, Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces, United, Ethiopian, Tigray, Libyan National Army, Cornell Brooks Tech, Institute, Cornell University, American Warfare, Anadolu, Getty, Democratic Locations: Sudan, Iran, Iranian, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Libya, Tripoli, Omdurman, Tehran, Red, Yemen, Ukraine, Tigray War, Tigray, Addis Ababa, Ukrainian, New York, Donetsk, Nigeria, DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso

And now, a lack of food stemming from the region's drought has left the youngest of the children she is raising malnourished. But she recently resorted to traveling to the nearby Finarwa health center in southeastern Tigray to try to keep the 1-year-old baby alive. But months after the end of the conflict, the U.N. and the U.S. halted food aid for Tigray because of a massive scheme by Ethiopian officials to steal humanitarian grain. Food deliveries to Tigray in the second half of last year, but only a small fraction of needy people in Tigray are receiving food aid, humanitarian workers say. A widow named Serawit Wolde with 10 children was in tears as she recounted that five of them were falling ill from hunger.

Persons: NEBAR, Tinseu Hiluf, ”, Tadesse Mehari, Serawit Wolde, Hayale, ” Havale, Haile Gebre Kirstos, “, Melinda Gates Organizations: Tinseu, Ethiopian, AP, Associated Press, Melinda Gates Foundation Trust Locations: NEBAR HADNET, Ethiopia, Tigray, Nebar, U.S, Amhara, Messebo, Africa, AP.org

☆ 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

☆ Ethiopians Celebrate 'Timket' Festival That Marks Jesus' Baptism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Dawit EndeshawADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Thousands of Ethiopian Orthodox followers gathered in the capital Addis Ababa on Friday and Saturday to celebrate Epiphany, also called Timket, a religious festival commemorating Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. Although the religious festival was celebrated across the country, in some areas it was disrupted by conflict in the Amhara region. Gondar, Amhara region's second-biggest city, usually attracts many people during the Timket festival. But a few days prior to the festival clashes broke out between government forces and Fano, a local militia. "Many who planned to attend Timket in Gondar have already cancelled their plan," a resident of Gondar told Reuters.

Persons: Jesus, Jan Meda, Abune Mathias, Ethiopia's, Fano, Elias Biryabarema, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ADDIS ABABA, Reuters, UNESCO, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Locations: ADDIS, Addis Ababa, Jordan, Ethiopian, Ethiopia's, Tigray, Amhara, Gondar, Fano

It will see suspended payments repaid from 2027 to 2029 after a grace period from 2025 to 2026, the Paris Club said in a statement, noting that the deal was reached on Nov. 23. If Ethiopia does not get an IMF staff-level agreement by March 31, the official creditor committee "reserves the right to declare the suspension null and void", the Paris Club said. The Paris Club said 10 of its members were on Ethiopia's official creditor committee, which is co-chaired by France and non-Paris Club member China. Other non-Paris Club committee members are India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. "We welcome the recent announcement of an interim standstill agreement with official creditors," the IMF spokesperson added.

Persons: Tellimer, Patrick Curran, Rachel Savage, Rodrigo Campos, Alex Richardson, Toby Chopra, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Paris Club, French Treasury, Ethiopian, IMF, Club, OCC, China, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, China, Addis Ababa, Tigray, Ethiopia, France, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

☆ Opinion | We Know War Is Awful, So Why Is It Making a Comeback?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A third war, which has dominated the news lately, might also have been set in motion by a costly mistake, as I’ll explain. To economists, this raises a question: If wars are so awful, why do we keep blundering into them? Battle-related deaths exceeded 100,000 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and 81,000 in Ukraine, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo. The war that’s in the news now is the Hamas terror attack on Israelis on Oct. 7 and the Israel Defense Forces counterattack, which it says is necessary to root Hamas out of Gaza. There were spasms of heavy fighting from November 2020 to November 2022, charges of war crimes by both sides and famine.

Persons: There’s, “, Eli Berman Organizations: Peace Research Institute, Israel Defense Forces, West Bank, Ethiopian Army, University of California Locations: Ethiopia, Ukraine, Tigray, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Gaza, San Diego

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The United States Agency for International Development will restart food aid deliveries across Ethiopia in December, five months after it halted its nationwide program over a massive corruption scheme by local officials. Political Cartoons View All 1247 ImagesUSAID officials said it could be the largest-ever theft of food aid. The suspension affects 20.1 million Ethiopians who rely on food aid because of conflict and drought. The U.S. aid agency did not say if Ethiopian officials are still involved in the delivery of food. The WFP also restarted aid to refugees in Ethiopia in October but is yet to resume food aid nationwide.

Persons: Jessica Jennings, ”, Jennings Organizations: United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Food, Associated Press, WFP Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Tigray, The U.S

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s federal government says the future of contested land in its northern Tigray region will be settled by a referendum, and hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people will be returned. The disputed status of western Tigray, a patch of fertile land bordering Sudan, was a key flashpoint in the two-year conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, and the federal government. Western Tigray belongs to Tigray under Ethiopia’s constitution. A referendum will then be held to reach “a final determination on the fate of these areas,” the statement said. Suggestions that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed might return western Tigray and other disputed land to Tigray helped fuel the violence, which has turned into a rumbling insurgency in the countryside.

Persons: Abiy Ahmed Organizations: —, United Nations Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Tigray, Sudan, Western Tigray, Amhara, Fano, Ethiopia's, Adet

GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-backed human rights experts say war crimes continue in Ethiopia despite a peace deal signed nearly a year ago to end a devastating conflict that has also engulfed the country's Tigray region. The violence has left at least 10,000 people affected by rape and other sexual violence — mostly women and girls. The violence erupted in November 2020, centering largely — though not exclusively — on the northern Tigray region, which for months was shut off from the outside world. Citing consolidated estimates from seven health centers in Tigray alone, the commission said more than 10,000 survivors of sexual violence sought care between the start of the conflict and July this year. The commission said it knows of only 13 completed and 16 pending military court cases addressing sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Persons: — U.N, Abiy Ahmed, Mohamed Chande Othman, ”, ” Othman, Radhika Coomaraswamy Organizations: GENEVA, Human Rights, Ethiopian Locations: Ethiopia, Tigray, Amhara, Eritrea

☆ BRICS expansion is a big win for China. But can it really work as a counterweight to the West?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The summit was the largest the BRICS have ever held, with more than 60 countries attending alongside member nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “This makes China the clear winner,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. Helena Legarda, lead analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a think tank in Berlin, said it is unclear to what extent the BRICS expansion will increase the value and influence of the group. The BRICS expansion is also likely to fuel competition – and potential friction – between China and India, whose ties have already been strained by a simmering border conflict. “Sino-Indian competition for the leadership of the Global South is now bound to sharpen with China having a clear advantage,” said Jacob in New Delhi.

Persons: Xi Jinping, United Arab Emirates –, Xi, ”, Steve Tsang, “, ” Happymon Jacob, Yun Sun, Helena Legarda, Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Jacob Organizations: CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, SOAS China Institute, University of London, Moscow, US, United Nations, Security Council, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Xi, New, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Stimson, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Indian, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Johannesburg, Beijing, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab, Moscow, United States, Ukraine, Washington, Tigray, UAE, America, Berlin, New Delhi, “

CNN —Saudi border guards killed “hundreds” of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023, Human Rights Watch alleged in a report released Monday. Several videos purportedly recorded near an informal migrant camp appear to show Saudi border guard posts, and newly constructed fences next to one. “Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons indiscriminately and shot people at close range, including women and children, in a pattern that is widespread and systematic. But despite a reduction in abuses, human rights groups say violence has continued, and some migrants HRW interviewed said they had fled because of the recent conflict. Interviewees described being attacked by Saudi border guards, describing their uniforms and describing the explosive weapons being “like a bomb.”“We were fired on repeatedly.

Persons: HRW, ” HRW, ” Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Maxar Technologies CNN, Saudi, Human Rights, Reuters, United Nations Locations: Saudi, Yemen, Al Raqw, Horn of Africa, Aden, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia’s, Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Djibouti, Houthi, Saada, United States, Iran

☆ 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

☆ Hunger haunts Ethiopia's Tigray region after years of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MEKELLE, Ethiopia, July 10 (Reuters) - Curled up on a hospital bed in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, an emaciated little girl struggles to breathe, as her father softly strokes her gaunt face and her mother sits crying. Her doctor says she is dying, a new victim of an acute food shortage in a region blighted by two years of war and struggling with drought. [1/9]Woldegebrial Abadi, 36, holds the hands of his severely malnourished newborn son Berhanu Woldegebrial at the Samre Hospital, in Samre, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriAid flows to Tigray resumed after the November ceasefire but were temporarily halted earlier this year. The Ethiopian government spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on rising levels of hunger in the Tigray region or the resumption of aid flows to the area.

Persons: gaunt, Tsige Shishay, Teklay Hagos, Mekelle, Abadi, Berhanu Woldegebrial, Gebrehiwot, Getachew Reda, Gebremiskel, Woldesilassie Gebremedhin, gesturing, Giulia Paravicini, Estelle Shirbon, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, Food Programme, Samre, REUTERS, Tiksa, WFP, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Disaster Risk Management, Ethiopian, Twitter, Tiksa Negeri, Thomson Locations: MEKELLE, Ethiopia, Ethiopia's, Tigray, Tigray's, Samre, Tigray Region, Tiksa Negeri, Mekelle, Nairobi

☆ An Iraqi historian was slain after being labeled a spy on Facebook. Exclusive emails show catastrophic delays in removing threatening posts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Tekendra Parmar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Hisham al-Hashimi reached out to his friend Aws al-Saadi, a Meta Trusted Partner, to ask him to take down posts endangering his life. "One of the reasons for his killing was Meta," al-Saadi told Insider. "Mainly because they assumed that the slow response times had to do with a high volume of cases." Aws al Saadi, a Meta trusted partner, outside the Erbil Citadel in Iraq. Internews hopes this might help create a trusted-partner channel with improved communication, more transparency, and faster response times.

Persons: Hisham al, Hashimi, Saadi, Saadi Al, Meta, al, Saadi isn't, Meta's, Internews, Paul Barrett, University's, Barrett, Rafiq Copeland, Internews Rafiq Copeland, Copeland, Thaier, Sudani Internews, Copland, Meareg Amare, Reem Makhoul Organizations: ISIS, Facebook, Meta, Center for Business, Human Rights, NYU Stern School of Business Meta, Partners, University's Stern School of Business, Global, Internews, Ukrainian, Ethiopian, Erbil Citadel Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, al, Myanmar, Ethiopia, New, Ukraine, Tigray, Hashimi, Iraqi, Erbil, Netherlands

[1/2] Internally displaced Ethiopians queue to receive food aid in the Higlo camp for people displaced by drought in the town of Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia, April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoNAIROBI, June 19 (Reuters) - The U.N. World Food Programme hopes to resume some food aid distribution in Ethiopia as soon as next month once it has received greater control over how beneficiaries are selected, a senior WFP official said on Monday. It paused food aid to the northern Tigray region in May and then to all of Ethiopia this month in response to widespread theft of donations. The WFP has been providing emergency food assistance to nearly 6 million of them. Valerie Guarnieri, WFP assistant executive director for programme and policy development, said the agency wanted to reduce the authority of local and regional government officials to decide who qualified for food aid.

Persons: Valerie Guarnieri, Guarnieri, Aaron Ross, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, WFP, Reuters, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Ethiopian, Thomson Locations: Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia, NAIROBI, Tigray, States

☆ Many culprits stole food aid in north Ethiopia, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Giulia Paravicini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, June 15 (Reuters) - Regional and federal government officials as well as Eritrean soldiers were involved in the theft of food aid in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, the head of an investigation by the Tigrayan authorities said on Thursday. The U.N. World Food Programme and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) paused food distribution last month in war-scarred Tigray because they said significant amounts of aid had been stolen. The two agencies then suspended food aid across all of Ethiopia last week for the same reason. An internal humanitarian memo said USAID believes food has been diverted to Ethiopian military units as part of a scheme orchestrated by federal and regional government entities. Ethiopia's army has denied its forces benefited from any stolen food aid.

Persons: General Fiseha Kidanu, Tigrai, Giulia Paravicini, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Food, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Ethiopian, WFP, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Ethiopia's Tigray, Tigray, Ethiopia

☆ US suspends food aid to Ethiopia, says it's not reaching needy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Giulia Paravicini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/Pool/File PhotoNAIROBI, June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Thursday it was suspending food aid to Ethiopia because its donations were being diverted from people in need. The USAID spokesperson said the agency intended to resume food assistance as soon as it was confident in the integrity of the system. USAID and the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) had already suspended food aid to the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray last month in response to information that large amounts of aid there were being diverted. In the 2022 fiscal year, USAID disbursed nearly $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, most of it food aid. WFP is also investigating "systemic" food diversion across Ethiopia, according to an email sent last week by the agency's deputy director to staff in Ethiopia.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Sean Jones, Finance Ahmed Shide, Demeke Mekonnen, Blinken, Giulia Paravicini, Doina Chiacu, Christina Fincher, Mark Potter Organizations: Logistics Center, USAID, Ethiopian, Finance, REUTERS, Tiksa, U.S . Agency for International Development, Reuters, Resilience, Spokespeople, The State Department, Food Programme, WFP, Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, NAIROBI, United States, Tigray, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopian, Washington

[1/4] Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki shake hands as they attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/PoolBEIJING, May 15 (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Qiang told visiting Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Monday their countries should "deepen mutually beneficial win-win cooperation and continuously enrich their strategic partnership" at a meeting in Beijing. Eritrea also shares a border with Djibouti, where China's People's Liberation Army set up its first overseas military base in 2017. The "marginalised continent of Africa and the rest of the world will heavily defend and expect more contributions from the People's Republic of China," Afwerki said. Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: How big is the aid crisis caused by the Sudan fighting?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SUDAN* More than 330,000 people have been displaced in Sudan since April 15, according to the International Organization for Migration. An internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters shows this figure is expected to increase by 5 million, including 2.5 million children. * A $1.75 billion U.N. aid programme for Sudan in 2023 is 15% funded. SOUTH SUDAN* Some 240,000 people are expected to flee from Sudan to South Sudan, UNHCR says. * The country's $1.7 billion U.N. aid programme for the year is 26% funded.

☆ WFP suspends food aid to Ethiopia's Tigray over reported thefts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary WFP, USAID suspend aid distributionTigray government urges rethink, says to investigateNAIROBI, May 4 (Reuters) - The U.N. World Food Programme has paused food distribution in Ethiopia's war-ravaged Tigray region in response to reports that significant amounts of aid were being diverted, the agency said. Neither organisation gave details of the source of the reports and the WFP did not say who was responsible for the diversions or when they had taken place. He said he had set up a task force to investigate, calling the reported theft a crime against children, the elderly and the disabled. A spokesperson for Ethiopia's federal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government and Tigray forces agreed to end hostilities in November, which has allowed additional aid to reach the region and for some services to be restored.

☆ USAID pauses food assistance to Tigray region of Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on Wednesday the temporary suspension of its food assistance to the Tigray region of Ethiopia. While describing the move as a "difficult decision", USAID Administrator Samantha Power said the agency recently discovered that food aid intended for people of the region, who are suffering under famine-like condition, was being diverted and sold on the local market. The agency referred the matter to its Office of the Inspector General, which launched an investigation, and sent leaders from its Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to Ethiopia before deciding to on a temporary pause in food aid, she said. The government and Tigray forces agreed to end the hostilities in November, which has allowed additional aid to reach the region and for some services to be restored. "While food aid to the Tigray Region is paused, other vital assistance not implicated in the diversion scheme will continue, including life-saving nutritional supplements, safe drinking water, and support for agricultural activities and development," she said.

☆ Scholz's East Africa trip to address regional conflict, green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, May 2 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to discuss the conflict in Sudan, signal his support for the peace process in Ethiopia and explore cooperation on green hydrogen with Kenya during his trip to East Africa this week, officials said on Tuesday. On Friday, he will meet the president of Kenya, East Africa's biggest economy, to discuss trade and other issues. On Saturday, Scholz will visit Africa's biggest geothermal plant, at Lake Naivasha, in the geologically active Great Rift Valley, which is key to Kenya's plans for producing green hydrogen. The German officials played down the possibility of any imminent deal on cooperation on green hydrogen. Kenya was interested in producing green hydrogen to use in fertilizer production but could potentially export to Germany in future if supply was extensive, the officials said.

☆ Ethiopia to begin negotiations with OLA rebel group
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 23 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government will begin negotiations with rebel group the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Tanzania on Tuesday. "A negotiation with Oneg Shene will start a day after tomorrow in Tanzania," Abiy said on Sunday, using another name for the OLA. The OLA is an outlawed splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front, a formerly banned opposition party that returned from exile after Abiy took office in 2018. In October, the OLA and another Oromo group blamed the Ethiopian government for airstrikes they said had killed a number of civilians. The fighting between the OLA and the federal government is separate to the fighting in Tigray, but the OLA forged an alliance with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in 2021.

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