Ethio News

07/12/2023

Health Matters

This is a sign of:

- Truncal adiposity

- Visceral obesity

- A fatty liver

- A dysfunctional gallbladder

- Fertility and menstrual problems eg PCOS

- Insulin resistance and Prediabetes

Let us not normalize obesity. Call it out!

06/12/2023

ባለፈው ወር በኢትዮጵያ በተፈፀመ ጥቃት ከ50 በላይ ንፁሀን ዜጎች መገደላቸውን የሰብዓዊ መብት ተሟጋች ድርጅት ረቡዕ ገልፆ፣ ከሁለት ሳምንታት በፊት በመንግስት እና በሀገሪቱ የህዝብ ብዛት ያለው አማፂ ቡድን ውይይት ሳይደረግ ከተጠናቀቀ በኋላ።

የኢትዮጵያ ሰብአዊ መብት ኮሚሽን - ገለልተኛ የሆነ የመንግስት አካል - ከኦሮሚያ ክልል አዋሳኝ በሆነችው በቤኒሻንጉል ጉሙዝ ከኦሮሞ ነፃ አውጪ ጦር ወይም ኦላኤ ተዋጊዎች 17 ሰዎችን ገድለው መንደሮችን አቃጥለዋል ብሏል።

በአዲስ አበባ “አሸባሪ ድርጅት” ተብሎ የተፈረጀው ኦኤልኤ ከ2018 ጀምሮ ከኦሮሞ ነፃ አውጪ ግንባር ከትጥቅ ትግል ካቆመ በኋላ ከመንግስት ጋር እየተፋለመ ነው።

በኦሮሚያ አርሲ ዞን ማንነታቸው ባልታወቁ ታጣቂዎች በፈጸሙት ተከታታይ ጥቃት ሌሎች 30 ሰዎች መገደላቸውን የሰብዓዊ መብት ኮሚሽኑ ገልጿል።

የሰብአዊ መብት ኮሚሽኑ በሪፖርቱ "በአሁኑ ጊዜ ጥቃት ፈጻሚዎቹ ተጎጂዎችን ከቤታቸው ካወጡ በኋላ በመሰለፍ እንደገደሏቸው የታወቀ ሲሆን የተወሰኑት ደግሞ በቤታቸው ውስጥ ተገድለዋል" ብሏል።

"ከሟቾቹ መካከል ጨቅላ ሕፃን፣ ነፍሰ ጡር እናቶች እና የ80 ዓመት አዛውንት ይገኙበታል። ቁጥራቸው በውል የማይታወቅ የአካል ጉዳት የደረሰባቸው ሰዎች በአሁኑ ወቅት በህክምና ላይ ይገኛሉ" ብሏል።

"በተጨማሪም በኦሮሚያ ክልል በ ... ቄለም ወለጋ ዞን የሚገኘው የሀሞ-ቶኩማ ሀገረ ስብከት የሉተራን ቤተ ክርስቲያን ዘጠኝ አባላት ህዳር 25 ቀን ማንነታቸው ባልታወቁ ታጣቂዎች ተገድለዋል" ብሏል።

ጥቃቶቹ በሙሉ የተፈጸሙት እ.ኤ.አ ህዳር 23 እና 29 ባለው ጊዜ ውስጥ ሲሆን በታንዛኒያ ለአምስት ዓመታት የዘለቀውን ህዝባዊ ተቃውሞ ለማስቆም በተደረገው ውይይት እ.ኤ.አ. ህዳር 21 አብቅቷል ፣ እያንዳንዱም ወገን ሌላውን በመውደቁ ተጠያቂ አድርጓል።

ቅዳሜ እለት የኦሮሚያ ክልል ባለስልጣናት OLA በአርሲ ዞን "በብዙ ሰላማዊ ዜጎች" ላይ "አሰቃቂ እና አረመኔያዊ" ጥቃቶችን ፈጽሟል በማለት ወንጅለዋል፤ ጥቃቶቹ መቼ እንደተፈፀሙ ተጨማሪ ዝርዝሮችን ሳይሰጡ።

እ.ኤ.አ. በ2018 በጥቂት ሺዎች የሚገመተው የ OLA ጥንካሬ ከቅርብ ዓመታት ወዲህ ጨምሯል፣ ምንም እንኳን ታዛቢዎች በመንግስት ላይ ትክክለኛ ስጋት ለመፍጠር በበቂ ሁኔታ የተደራጀ ወይም በደንብ ያልታጠቀ ነው ብለው ቢያምኑም።

የኦሮሞ ብሄረሰብ በአፍሪካ ሁለተኛዋ በሕዝብ ብዛት ከሚኖሩት 120 ሚሊዮን ነዋሪዎች ውስጥ አንድ ሦስተኛውን ይይዛል።

ኦኤልኤ በመንግስት የጅምላ ጭፍጨፋን አስተባብሯል የሚል ክስ ቀርቦበታል፣ አማፅያኑ ግን አይክዱትም። ባለሥልጣናቱም በተራው የኦሮሞን ቂም የቀሰቀሰ ዘግናኝ እርምጃ ወስደዋል ተብለዋል። source VOA https://voanews.com/a/over-50-civilians-killed-in-ethiopia-attacks-rights-body/7386566.html

06/12/2023

New inscription on the List: Shuwalid festival, 🇪🇹.
An annual 3 day festival celebrated by the Harari people of Ethiopia, Shuwalid Festival marks the end of 6 days of fasting to compensate omissions during Ramadan.
Congratulations!

on.unesco.org/18ICH

28/09/2023

Exclusive: first colour photographs shed fresh light on Ethiopia's most treasured icon and its looting by an agent of the British Museum

An Art Newspaper investigation uncovers new details on the infamous seizure in 1868 by Richard Holmes of a 500-year-old painting of Christ, the Kwer’ata Re’esu, which never reached the London institution

Martin Bailey

25 September 2023

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The colour image of the Kwer’ata Re’esu (detail above, full image below) can be seen for the first time after The Art Newspaper tracked it down in Portugal, in the possession of an heir of Luiz Reis Santos, who bought the painting in 1950Image may be reproduced, with the credit: Martin Bailey (photograph), The Art Newspaper

Contact: [email protected]

Among the greatest Ethiopian cultural losses suffered at the battle of Maqdala in 1868 was a remarkable 500-year-old icon of the suffering Christ. It was looted by a British Museum agent, Richard Holmes, who had been sent to bring back manuscripts and antiquities from Ethiopia. On his return he failed to hand over the masterpiece to the museum, instead secretly keeping the painting, so the museum had no direct involvement in handling it. The heir of Holmes subsequently sold the picture at Christie’s in 1917.

The Art Newspaper tracked down the painting, known as the Kwer’ata Re’esu, in 1998, when it was in a Portuguese bank vault (at that point we reproduced the picture in black and white). This was probably the only occasion when the icon has been seen by anyone in living memory outside the owner’s immediate circle.

We can now finally name the owner, who personally showed me the work: the Coimbra-based Isabel Reis Santos, heir of the Portuguese art historian Luiz Reis Santos. When I travelled to see the Kwer’ata Re’esu, it was boxed and still in the wooden crate in which it had been shipped from London. Kept in a bank vault, the painting was wrapped in a 20 April 1950 copy of the London Evening News. In 1998 The Art Newspaper did not identify the owner, but does so now since she has been named in the official Portuguese government gazette.

The Kwer’ata Re’esu has an astonishing cross-cultural story. Painted in Europe in about 1520, either in Iberia or Flanders, it was probably sent soon afterwards to Ethiopia, where a religious inscription was added in Ge’ez, the ancient liturgical language. There it became the holy icon of successive Ethiopian emperors in what has been a Christian land since the fourth century. Nobles swore allegiance beneath the painting and on several occasions it was carried into battle when Christian forces were fighting Muslims. Although very little known outside Ethiopia, it is highly important in both historical and art

The painting itself is in good condition given its age and its patchy history of storage and movementImage may be reproduced, with the credit: Martin Bailey (photograph), The Art Newspaper

Contact: [email protected]

Painted on an oak panel (33cm x 25cm), the holy icon has survived in its original inner frame, which is of early 16th-century Flemish style, with a larger and more modern outer frame. On turning over the frame, I found that the reverse was covered with red silk damask with a stylised pomegranate pattern. Last month the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) textile curator Silvija Banić identified the silk from my photograph as Italian, dating from very roughly 1600 and possibly woven in Florence. How the silk reached Ethiopia remains unknown.

On the silk I found an unrecorded inked inscription in the handwriting of Holmes: “R.R. Holmes/ FSA [Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries]/ Magdala/13 April 1868/ taken from the palace of Theodorus.” Dated the day of the battle, this was conclusive proof that the painting had been looted.

The reverse of the Kwer’ata Re’esu is covered in red silk damask, which a textile expert has identified as being Italian, around 1600. It bears Holmes’s writing saying “taken from the palace of Theodorus”Image may be reproduced, with the credit: Martin Bailey (photograph), The Art Newspaper

Contact: [email protected]

Considering its astonishingly chequered history, the 500-year-old painting has miraculously survived in good condition.

The mystery artist

The Kwer’ata Re’esu is a representation of the blessing Christ, with a crown of thorns and with dripping blood. It was painted by a European artist in the Flemish style—or possibly even by a Portuguese painter working in Ethiopia. Based on the poor and only extant 1905 black-and-white photograph, art historians have made provisional attempts to attribute it to a named painter.

The Art Newspaper hopes that this new colour image will make it possible for specialists to make a secure attribution. Previous attributions include the Flemish artists Quentin Matsys, Adriaen Ysenbrandt, Aelbrecht Bouts and a pupil of Hans Memling; the Portuguese artists Lázaro de Andrade and Jorge Afonso; and the Spanish artist Bartolomé Bermejo.

Mystery surrounds the picture’s arrival in Ethiopia. It may have been brought by Jesuit missionaries or presented to an Ethiopian diplomatic mission visiting Portugal. By the early 17th century the inscription (now very faded) was added to the top left of the painting in Ge’ez: “How they struck the head of Our Lord”. This original Catholic image of Christ was worshipped by Orthodox Ethiopians.

The Kwer’ata Re’esu became increasingly revered and by 1700 a special tent protected it in the emperor’s camp. When a fire once swept through his camp, it subsided as soon as it reached the tent, giving the icon a reputation for performing miracles. In 1744 the painting was captured by Sudanese Muslims, but was later returned for a ransom.

James Bruce, a British visitor to Ethiopia in 1768-73, recorded that what he termed the “quarat rasou” had been “only a little profaned by the bloody hands of the Moors” and “all Gondar was drunk with joy” on its return. Bruce described the painting as “a relique of great importance… said to have been painted by St Luke [the patron saint of artists]”.

The Kwer’ata Re’esu’s importance can be gauged by the fact that from the early 1700s it was very widely copied in Ethiopian manuscripts and religious paintings—right up until today. In many of the early copies, the image is surrounded by a red border, suggesting that it may have already been encased in the Italian silk.

Deathbed drawing

Holmes played a most unseemly role in the story. After being dispatched by the British Museum as its agent he arrived on 13 April 1868 at the emperor’s bedside at Maqdala (Magdala) just minutes after Tewodros II (Theodore) had committed su***de, shooting himself with a pistol that had been given to him in better times by Queen Victoria. The emperor lay on his deathbed, his body still warm.

A deathbed sketch of Tewodros by Holmes inscribed “Theodorus, Emperor of Abyssinia, sketched immediately after the capture of Maqdala, 13 April 1868 by R.R. Holmes F.S.A., Archaeologist attached to the Expedition”The National Archives

The Kwer’ata Re’esu was apparently hanging just above the emperor’s bed. Holmes immediately grabbed it before it could be looted by one of the British troops. At this point he must have been mystified as to why what appeared to be a Flemish painting had ended up in this remote Ethiopian mountainside location. Having seized the icon, Holmes calmly sketched a deathbed portrait of the emperor.

There is another portrait that adds to the story. Frank James, a British soldier and amateur artist, made a deathbed watercolour, which includes a box-like structure hanging on the wall above the bed. Its proportions and apparent size suggest that it might well have served as a protective cover for the precious Kwer’ata Re’esu.

In addition to Holmes’s sketch, this watercolour of the emperor by Frank James, a British Army lieutenant, may show the protected icon on the wall behind him, in the upper-right corner of the sketchNational Army Museum

A few days later Holmes set off for London with his b***y: dozens of antiquities—and the Kwer’ata Re’esu, which he kept for himself. Two years later he was appointed by Queen Victoria as her royal librarian.

The Kwer’ata Re’esu remained a secret until 1905, when the May issue of The Burlington Magazine carried a short anonymous article on “A Flemish picture from Abyssinia”, probably written either by Holmes (who was on the magazine’s committee) or his nephew Charles John Holmes (its co-editor).

Holmes died in 1911. Six years later the Kwer’ata Re’esu briefly surfaced at Christie’s. It was not identified as having come from Ethiopia, but as “Bruges School”, and it sold for £420, going to a London buyer, Martin Reid. In 1950 Reid’s heir sold the picture, again at Christie’s, this time as painted by Ysenbrandt.

The highest bid was £131, but this was below the reserve, and the painting was later sold privately to Luis Reis Santos, a Portuguese art historian who had himself published an article on the Kwer’ata Re’esu in the July 1941 issue of The Burlington Magazine, arguing that it was not Flemish, but instead by a Portuguese painter. The painting later passed to his widow, Isabel.

An export ban

To continue the story, on 16 February 2002 the Portuguese ministry of culture published an order in the Diário da República gazette. This required that the painting should not be exported without permission.

The picture was then described as “possibly Portuguese-Flemish”, attributed to the Portuguese artists Andrade or Afonso. There was no mention of its Ethiopian origins or its title, the Kwer’ata Re’esu. This meant that it escaped the attention of Ethiopians and those interested in Ethiopian culture.

The gazette entry has finally been spotted by Andrew Heavens, who recorded it in his book The Prince and the Plunder (History Press, 2023), where the 1905 black-and-white photograph is reproduced. Heavens points out that the Kwer’ata Re’esu can “no longer be moved out of the country without the specific authorisation of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture”.

Since our 1998 article numerous attempts have been made to track down the Kwer’ata Re’esu in order to seek its restitution to Ethiopia. In 2000 the British Ambassador in Addis Ababa privately revived the idea of trying to return the Kwer’ata Re’esu, but this never materialised. Although the location of the Kwer’ata Re’esu is now public knowledge, restitution would require the approval of the Portuguese government.

In a separate development, the Scheherazade Foundation, led by Tahir Shah, has been campaigning for the restitution of Maqdala treasures. On 21 September it arranged the return of a sacred tablet and a lock of hair from Prince Alemayehu, the son of Tewodros. The two objects are from separate private collections.

Shah now wants the Kwer’ata Re’esu to be returned to Ethiopia: “Pilfered by British forces at Maqdala, it was acquired by Richard Holmes, the British Museum’s man on the scene. It’s just a matter of time before it arrives back in Ethiopia, with jubilant celebration.”

From the archive (1993): Where is the Kwer'ata Re'esu, the most revered icon of the Ethiopian empire?

From the archive (1998): How The Art Newspaper tracked down Ethiopia’s greatest imperial and national icon, 130 years after its looting by a British agent

An Art Newspaper investigation uncovers new details on the infamous seizure in 1868 by Richard Holmes of a 500-year-old painting of Christ, the Kwer’ata Re’esu, which never reached the London institution

13/09/2023

ANTIQUES Roadshow has sparked outrage after a guest was told to 'give items back to Ethiopia' in 'stupid' scenes.

Fiona Bruce revealed Sunday's episode's theme was "items that provide a fresh insight into Britain's role in Africa in the early 20th century and the contradictions and complexities of colonialism."

ANTIQUES Roadshow has sparked outrage after a guest was told to ‘give items back to Ethiopia’ in ‘stupid’ scenes. Fiona Bruce revealed Sunday’s episode’s theme w…

28/08/2023

Why is Ethiopia rushing to give up its full right over Nile water?

Ethiopia's full Nile water rights will be preserved by the fait accompli of the Renaissance Dam and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

Suddenly rushing to negotiate about the dam in Cairo is perplexing, particularly when Ethiopia is almost finished filling the renaissance dam.

Ethiopia faces absolutely no pressure from Western nations this time. Nine European countries and the U.S. embassies in Cairo have clearly informed Egypt that their attention is focused on other international crises like Ukraine and Sudan. Their support for Egypt is no longer a given. Additionally, South Sudan is on the schedule of ratifying the Entebbe Agreement, and the internal issues in Sudan offer no advantages to Egypt.

So, the real question remains: What's the rush?

31/03/2023

Ethiopia confirms mass entry of Ugandans fleeing 'doomsday'
" የዘመን ፍፃሜ " ደርሷል በማለት ብዙ ኡጋንዳውያን ኢትዩጵያ ገብተዋል።

The Ethiopian government on Thursday confirmed that hundreds of Ugandans had recently fled their home to Ethiopia over 'doomsday' fears.The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Ugandans belonging to a religious cult in eastern Uganda fled from their villages to Ethiopia during the past few wee...

23/03/2023

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_yxPQsYIH.html

China's national online news service

20/03/2023

US: War crimes on all sides in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Monday that it has determined all sides in the brutal conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The move carries no immediate U.S. policy implications but lends weight to calls for such all...

19/03/2023

https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cwlw3xz047jt/ethiopia

All the latest news about Ethiopia from the BBC

04/09/2022

Ethiopia caught Chinese involved in gold smuggling

The Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia said foreign nationals mainly Chinese were found involved in smuggling of gold out of Ethiopia in collaboration with artisan miners.
This is indicated by the Minister of Mines, Takele Uma, who briefed media on Friday. He indicated that the Ministry has conducted two weeks of operations to seize the foreign nationals involved in gold smuggling out of Ethiopia.

The mining areas the foreign nationals were collaborating to smuggle the gold are found in Oromia, Benishangul Gumz, and South West regions of Ethiopia, according to the Minister. It is indicated that currently those captured while smuggling gold are being investigated by the Government of Ethiopia.

Reports show that artisan gold miners in Ethiopia have been contributing more a lot for the increase of the country’s export earnings from gold.

In recent years Ethiopia’s gold export earnings has been increasing and generated $546 million last year concluded July 7, 2022. Last year it was the second top commodity in terms of generating huge amount of forex for Ethiopia next to coffee, which generated $1.43 billion.

The latest crackdown of gold smugglers by the Ministry is expected to increase hard currency income of Ethiopia from gold at the end of current budget year.

Latest media report shows that over the past years many Chinese are found engaged in unethical and illegal mining and timber businesses in African countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, among others.
https://newbusinessethiopia.com/crime/ethiopia-caught-chinese-involved-in-gold-smuggling/

Crime  Ethiopia caught Chinese involved in gold smuggling September 3, 2022September 3, 2022 NBE 713 Viewsartisan miners, Chinese gold smugglers in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, illegal gold trade, Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia 1 min read The Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia said fore...

04/09/2022

Ethiopia has New Plans for Crypto Businesses

In June this year, Ethiopia’s central bank issued a statement saying that crypto business in the country is illegal. Less than three months later, the country seems to have reversed this decision, instead requiring cryptocurrency operators to register with the national cybersecurity agency —the Information Network Security Administration— within 10 days. This move by the government to acknowledge the industry is driven by a desire to be proactive in protecting citizens from crypto-related cybercrime. While African countries acknowledge the rising threat of cyber insecurity in the continent, none has laid down measures to mitigate against cyber attacks hidden in online crypto marketplaces. Ethiopia wants to lead in this front. And though a laggard in the adoption of crypto in Africa, Ethiopia is fast catching up with dominant players such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt. With 1.8 million Bitcoin traders, Ethiopia ranks seventh in Africa in crypto holding capacity. The latest Chainalysis report indicates that losses arising from cryptocurrency scams rose by 60% in the first seven months of this year to $1.9 billion, propelled by a surge in funds stolen from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

https://iafrica.com/ethiopia-has-new-plans-for-crypto-businesses-2/

In June this year, Ethiopia’s central bank issued a statement saying that crypto business in the country is illegal. Less than three months later, the country

29/08/2022

https://thepremierdaily.com/google-maps-ghost-plane/?rCBd=5kaHGD

It's not the first time eagle-eyed users have spotted a downed aircraft 😲✈️

29/08/2022

Ethiopia eyes export income surpassing $5 billion as coffee, gold prices increase.
During the current budget year started July 8, 2022, the Government of Ethiopia expects increase of annual commodity export income by 30 percent reaching $5.4 billion mainly as a result of increasing global prices of coffee and gold.
Last budget year concluded July, 7, 2022 Ethiopia’s export earnings has surpassed $4.1 billion for the first time mainly due to global prices for coffee and gold. Coffee Arabica prices in July-August 2022 were already 25 percent higher than the 2021-22 average. During the previous year concluded July 7, 2021, Ethiopia’s annual total export income was $3.6 billion.

The east African country is likely to boost its export revenue for the current budget year as the demand and price for the coffee is likely to continue increasing, according to a new research paper by Cepheus Invest Advisory, an investment firm that released analysis about the export of Ethiopia on Friday.

The contributing factors for the likely increased of Ethiopia’s export income according to the paper by Cepheus also include: “the volume growth in the flowers and fruits/vegetables sectors (reflecting new investments and expansion in cultivated hectares), the on-going expansion of electricity exports to neighboring countries, and the likely improvement of exports—such as meat—that are mainly geared towards the Middle Eastern market”.

Meanwhile the analysis indicated that the export income of Ethiopia from export for this year may not exceed 20 percent. “At the same time, the export growth prospects for what were previously large export categories—such as oilseeds, pulses, and chat—will likely remain somewhat restrained owing to unsettled conditions in parts of the relevant producing regions.”

“Reflecting the latter factors, and an increasingly cloudy global economic environment, particularly in Europe, we think export growth of closer to 20 percent is more realistic and thus anticipate total exports reaching just under $5bn for this fiscal year,” the papers forecasted.

Notable Surprises
The paper by Cepheus also stated that besides coffee (which benefitted from high global prices), three export categories—textiles, flowers, and meat showed unexpected strength in registering double-digit volume increases.

“Textile exports dipped slightly in the first two months of 2022 but have trended upwards beginning March 2022, seemingly overcoming the impact of US Government’s Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA)-related sanctions,” it said.

While it is too early to be definitive, “the resilience shown by textile exports may be reflecting the shipment (in early 2022) of carryover stock from end-2021, or possibly some manufacturers’ continued ability to sell into the US market even with some minimal tariffs (as exports to the US were up 28% year on year), or also potentially some re-direction of textile products to alternative markets (as exports to destinations such as China, Canada, and Turkey were up 2.3 times versus year-ago levels though from low starting bases)”.

For flowers, the paper indicated that the strong performance seen last year reflects “continued large land/hectare expansions among existing and new investors (boosting volumes by 12%), favorable transport costs/links, and still-strong import demand from European markets; there also appears to have been a boost provided by the greater diversification of flower exports to non-European destinations, as the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are now collectively buying 19 percent of Ethiopia’s flower exports versus just 10 percent five years ago”.

With respect to meat, Ethiopia’s has reversed years of decline in this area, with a bounce back seen from a low of just $67 million two years ago to over $100 million of meat exports this past year due to strong Middle Eastern demand in line with the high oil prices and much stronger economic activity that is benefiting that region, according to Cepheus.

Basic facts: main markets
The top destinations for Ethiopia’s exports during the year 2021/22 were Switzerland ($549 million, 13% of total), Netherlands ($387 million, 9%), the United States ($358 million, 9%), Somalia ($343mn, 8%), Saudi Arabia ($280 million, 7%), and Germany ($279 million, 7%).

All six of these countries purchased at least a quarter billion dollars worth of Ethiopian goods, while an additional seven countries (UAE, Japan, Djibouti, Belgium, Israel, South Korea, and China) bought at least $100 million of Ethiopian products. Taken together, these 13 countries make up Ethiopia’s most important export markets, with the rest of Ethiopia’s 27 export destinations each making up no more than 2 percent of total exports.

Sources of incremental demand
Looking at where the near $500mn increase in exports came from this past year, the biggest sources of incremental demand were neighboring Somalia (+132 million, mostly due to chat), Germany (+115 million, mostly coffee) and Netherlands (+93 million, mostly flowers). These three countries accounted for 70% of Ethiopia’s export increase in the just completed fiscal year.

Product mix:
For the second year in a row, the top three export products were coffee ($1.4 billion), gold ($546 million) and flowers ($544 million). Taken together, these three products now make up just over 60 percent of Ethiopia’s exports ($2.5 billion out of $4.1 billion), a high concentration ratio compared to past norms when the top three products rarely made up more than 40 percent of total exports.

Dollar ranges
Looking at dollar values, Ethiopia’s export structure now shows one product with more than a billion dollars of annual sales (coffee), two products earning at least half a billion dollars (gold, flowers), two more earning at least a quarter billion dollars (chat, oilseeds), and another three (pulses, textiles, meat) with at least $100 million in exports.

Outside of these eight large- value export products, the export proceeds from the remaining 10 main product categories remain below $100m on an annual basis.

Ethiopia’s total hard currency earnings in 2021/22
The total foreign exchange inflows were close to $22.7 billion in the just completed fiscal year, as per the estimate of Cepheus exports still represent less than one-fifth (18%) of Ethiopia’s gross foreign currency earnings.

It stated that based on balance of payments flows (for which National Bank of Ethiopia data is available up to end-March 2022 and estimates possible for the full-year figures), the other main sources of Ethiopia’s forex inflows in 2021-22 were service receipts ($6.2bn), remittances ($5.3 billion), FDI ($3.2 billion), loans ($1.1bn, counting both Government plus state owned enterprises borrowing) and grants ($1 billion).

“Collectively, the gross forex inflows of near $23 billion in 2021-22 were only slightly higher than the prior year’s outturn of $22.3 billion, reflecting better performance in exports, service income, and remittances. At the same time, forex inflows were lower for government’s foreign borrowing (down by $100mn), state owned enterprises foreign borrowing (down by $900 million), and grants (down by $300 million),” the paper stated.

“Reflecting the latter declines plus the much higher forex outflows due to increased imports ($18 billion for the year, or an extra $4 billion), we estimate that the overall balance of payments showed a large deficit of near $2 billion in 2021-22,” Cepheus paper stated.

“This balance of payment deficit has been covered by a drawdown of National Bank of Ethiopia forex reserves, which fell by $1.4 billion from $2.9 billion in June 2021 to an estimated $1.5 billion in June 2022, as well as by the use of $0.7 billion in commercial banks’ forex reserves over the same period,” it said.

https://newbusinessethiopia.com/trade/ethiopia-eyes-export-income-surpassing-5-billion-as-coffee-gold-prices-increase/

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24/08/2022

Survivors of sexual violence face untold stigma in Ethiopia

On edge and isolated, Betty (not her real name), sits in a dark corner of her house near a broken window. Her hands are trembling and lips quivering as she narrates her experience with sexual violence.

"They had their way with me. After one guy finished, another one followed. The ground I fell on had thorns, so it hurt. They played me like a toy," says Betty, as she struggles to suppress tears.
Betty was gang-r***d on her way to the market, and her three-year-old son watched it happen. She kept it to herself, fearing ridicule from her community. But her worst fear became a reality when her story eventually came out.

"No one knew [apart from my son]. I did not say anything after they r***d me. Somehow, people found out and now I have become the laughing stock of my town," she explains.

Between her deep breaths, she tells the story of how she has faced stigma from her family and community since then. Betty does not understand why she is being rejected and abandoned by society, when it was never her fault. Society has tormented and ridiculed her because of her misfortune.

In Ethiopian communities like Betty's, sexual violence is traditionally a taboo and has driven families apart. It happens in different communities across the country, but the situation is particularly worrying in areas affected by conflict.

"Some say I deserved it. It hurts when they say that. It is very hard for us to move around freely because of something we had no control over," she says.

The prevailing stigma means victims of sexual violence, like Betty, cannot open up to seek life-saving care. Often, they hide it. And many cases are not reported or investigated.

"It is very hard to speak about," says Betty.

Another survivor, a 40-year-old single mother of four, was already struggling to care for her children alone after the death of her husband. She relied on her small business, selling tea and bread. But was forced to close her business when conflict hit her town in northern Ethiopia. She was r***d and assaulted at gunpoint by unidentified men who broke into her home at night. Her 10-year-old son who witnessed the act was also assaulted by her rapists. Now she cannot resume her small business because the community has isolated her.

"Four days after, I was not able to walk or speak. When neighbours asked my daughter with autism, she told them that I was r***d. Then they began to mock at me," narrates the survivor.

The conflict and other situations of violence in parts of the country have intensified this harmful practice, causing immense suffering for survivors, and driving families apart. Men also experience sexual violence, but the prevalence of stigma in these communities has prevented most of them from disclosing it. Male survivors find it even harder to reveal or discuss their experiences in these Ethiopian communities where societal expectations are that men should not appear to be weak or vulnerable.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working to mobilize more resources and make the changes that will guarantee the safety, protection and dignity of survivors of sexual violence and their families both in the immediate and long-term.

The costs of conflict are high; the price paid by women and girls is immeasurable. Conflict-related sexual violence takes an untold toll on survivors, and societal stigma prevents victims from coming forward and getting the help they
"Sexual violence such as r**e and assault can be life-threatening. It is important to seek medical care preferably within the first three days," says Hanna Persson, ICRC's Sexual Violence Operations Manager in Ethiopia. "Although it is never the survivors' fault, many of them feel ashamed to seek life-saving care because of the stigma in their community."

Sexual violence has serious humanitarian consequences even in the long term and the scale of humanitarian needs is aggravated by the soaring stigma. The horrific mental and physical wounds suffered by survivors are appalling.

"I was infected with a sexually transmitted disease. I eventually got treated but still, I am unable to control my urine. Sometimes I wish they had just finished me," says Betty.

The ICRC works in a range of ways to prevent and adequately respond to sexual violence in Ethiopia, including in areas affected by conflict; supporting victims to safely access medical services, receive cash assistance, food and non-food items. Our services also include helping survivors to identify and reunite with their families when separated. The ICRC also works to create awareness about sexual violence among different members of the society so that they can help survivors recover, by being kind and respectful to them and helping them to access medical care.

Although sexual violence is never the survivor's fault, many are ashamed to seek medical attention for fear of being stigmatized by the community. You can play an important role in ending this stigma

The ICRC supports 16 One Stop Centers across the country that provide medical care, mental health and psychosocial support, legal support, and the opportunity for survivors to meet a social worker. The organization also supports 6 safe houses and an additional 22 health facilities in conflict-affected areas with medicines, basic materials, dignity kits, food, rents, and capacity building to facilitate urgent medical care for survivors of sexual violence.

https://www.icrc.org/en/document/survivors-sexual-violence-face-untold-stigma-ethiopia?amp

"They had their way with me. After one guy finished, another one followed. The ground I fell on had thorns, so it hurt. They played me like a toy," says Betty, as she struggles to suppress tears.Betty was gang-r***d on her way to the market, and her three-year-old son watched it happen. She kept it....