Kichuu

18/02/2024

US Signs Agreement to Build Bases for Elite Somali Army Force

The United States and Somalia's government on Thursday signed a security pact that they presented as a road map toward building a functional Somali army, capable of taking over security responsibilities and the fight against al-Shabab militants.

In a ceremony presided over by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of five military bases for Somalia’s National Army.

According to a statement from Somalia’s National News Agency, SONNA, the bases will be for the Danab Brigade, the U.S.-trained elite unit of the army.

“Within several months we are looking forward to reaching the 3,000 Danab personnel target set in 2017. The Danab also is being prepared to take over many of the essential functions required to sustain and grow the force, and it is already taking on a greater responsibility for recruiting and training,” said Molly Phee, U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

Phee, who was at the ceremony, said the U.S. is supporting Somalia so its army can take on al-Shabab.

“We recognize that reliance on temporary and often inadequate camps hamper the Danab’s preparedness and could represent an obstacle to the brigade’s sustainability and growth,” she said. “Our shared goal is to have the [Somali National Army] exercise full control over base operations when the facilities are completed, and the MoU just provides the blueprint to do that,” she said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-signs-agreement-to-build-bases-for-elite-somali-army-force/7489376.html

18/02/2024

Oromia makes up a third of Ethiopia’s landmass and is key to its fortunes: expert unpacks its significance
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1293403/oromia-makes-up-a-third-of-ethiopias-landmass.html

18/02/2024

17/02/2024

Somalia Accuses Ethiopia Of Trying To Block AU Summit Access
ADDS details, background

Somalia and Ethiopia, already at odds over a controversial maritime pact, locked horns again on Saturday over Somali claims that Ethiopian security forces tried to block President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud from accessing the African Union summit.

Mogadishu described the incident as "outrageous conduct" and called for a full investigation by the pan-African body which is headquartered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

But Ethiopia insisted Mohamud was warmly welcomed and said that the Somali delegation was blocked when its security detail tried to enter a venue with weapons.

Tensions have been running high between the two countries since Addis Ababa in January signed a memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland giving it long sought commercial and military access to the sea.
https://www.barrons.com/news/somali-president-accuses-ethiopia-security-of-trying-to-block-access-to-au-summit-3dfee1ae

17/02/2024

Somalia president accuses Ethiopia of trying to annex part of its territory
President Mohamud ‘categorically objects’ to Ethiopia’s Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, territory Somalia claims as its own.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has accused Ethiopia of trying to annex part of his country’s territory by signing a sea access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Speaking at the African Union summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa on Saturday, Mohamud also said Ethiopian security forces tried to block his access to the summit amid a dispute between the two countries.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/17/somalia-president-accuses-ethiopia-of-trying-to-annex-part-of-its-territory

17/02/2024

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.

Bradley Whitford

17/02/2024

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has accused Ethiopia of trying to annex part of his country’s territory by signing a sea access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused Ethiopia on Saturday of trying to annex part of his country's territory by signing a sea access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

The agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland signed Jan. 1 “is nothing more than annexing part of Somalia to Ethiopia, and changing the borders of Somalia,” Mohamud told reporters. “Somalia categorically objects to that.”

Neither side has made the terms of the deal public, but it appears to give Ethiopia the right to build a port in Somaliland in exchange for recognition. Somaliland has enjoyed de facto independence for three decades, but Somalia still claims sovereignty over it.

Mohamud claimed senior officers from Ethiopia’s military were in Somaliland “preparing the ground" for the territory’s annexation. It was not possible to verify his allegation.

Somalia has suggested it would be prepared to go to war to stop Ethiopia from building a port in Somaliland.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/somalias-president-accuses-ethiopia-annex-territory-somaliland-sea-107315424

16/02/2024

A peaceful and democratic handing over ceremony of Abbaa Gadaa power is taking place in Guji Oromos, Oromia!

16/02/2024

Ethiopia to set up large data centre amid reported bitcoin mining surge

NAIROBI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Ethiopia has signed a preliminary agreement to develop infrastructure for data mining and artificial intelligence training operations, the government's strategic investment arm said.
Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) initially said in a social media post on Thursday that a memorandum of understanding for a $250 million project had been signed with a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based West Data Group, but it later removed references to the value of the deal and the identity of the company.
The EIH, West Data Group and an official from the Information Network Security Administration, which oversees data mining in Ethiopia, did not respond to requests for comment about the deal.
Bloomberg reported last week that Ethiopia has become a leading destination for bitcoin mining - which an Ethiopian official referred to in a statement to the news agency as "data mining" and "high-performance computing" - since the government authorised the practice in 2022.
The report said bitcoin miners, whose computers compete to solve complex algorithms and consume large amounts of electricity, are attracted by low power costs in the East African nation.
China banned crypto trading and mining in 2021 to control financial risks and reduce energy consumption.
Ethiopia has about 5,200 MW of installed generation capacity, with around 90% of it coming from hydropower and the remaining 10% from wind and thermal sources.
It is also finalising construction of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), which has a projected installed capacity of 5,150 MW.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/ethiopia-set-up-large-data-centre-amid-reported-bitcoin-mining-surge-2024-02-16/

15/02/2024

How is it possible?

1. Ethiopia is under brutal dictatorship, which is killing innocent people all over the country.
2. People are arrested, including members of parliament and opposition parties, with no freedom.
3. Money is being spent on expensive projects that do not create sufficient jobs to employ people.
4. Project managers are hired based on connections rather than efficacy, leading to inefficiency and corruption.
5. There is a lack of leadership and accountability.

15/02/2024

Ethiopia rejects allegations its forces massacred civilians as the West urges an investigation

Ethiopia is dismissing allegations its soldiers massacred dozens of civilians last month in the restive Amhara region

Ethiopia’s government on Thursday dismissed allegation its soldiers massacred scores of civilians last month in the country's restive Amhara region as the West is demanding an investigation into the killings.

A rebellion broke out in Amhara — Ethiopia’s second-biggest province — last year when the government moved to dissolve regional forces and absorb them into the federal army. Later, rebels captured several towns across the region before retreating to the countryside.

Rights monitors have documented a range of human rights abuses by government forces during the conflict, including alleged extra-judicial killings.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ethiopia-rejects-allegations-forces-massacred-civilians-west-urges-107257314

15/02/2024

Addis summit raises questions about AU’s muted stance on Ethiopia rifts

For years, AU officials have refrained from addressing atrocities in Ethiopia. Analysts say this is strategic.

From Thursday, African leaders will gather in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, home of the African Union (AU), for the continental body’s annual summit. According to AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, regional integration and “maintaining momentum in addressing issues of peace and security” is high on the agenda.

But in an ironic twist, the host of the summit has either initiated or been involved in multiple conflicts in the last three years. Ethiopia’s two-year civil war with the state of Tigray may have ended in November 2022 after a Pretoria pact, but federal troops are currently upping drone strikes against rebels known as Fano militia in the state of Amhara, next door to Tigray. This week, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council said “at least 45 civilians” had been killed by federal troops in Amhara.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/2/14/addis-summit-raises-questions-about-ethiopias-many-conflicts

14/02/2024

Brazilian President Lula da Silva Visits Egypt and Ethiopia
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Brazilian-President-Lula-da-Silva-Visits-Egypt-and-Ethiopia-20240214-0006.html

14/02/2024

Ethiopia: The government proposes to include Amharic among the official languages ​​of the African Union
https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/Ethiopian-government-proposes-to-include-Amharic-among-the-official-languages-%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8Bof-the-African-Union/

12/02/2024

US Raises Alarm About 'Targeted Civilian Killings' In Ethiopia

The United States said Friday that it was deeply concerned by reports of "targeted civilian killings" in a northern Ethiopian town, urging the authorities to allow human rights monitors into the region.

The reported killings in the town of Merawi in the Amhara region follow months of clashes last year between Ethiopia's military and an ethnic Amhara "self-defence" militia known as Fano.

The fighting prompted the federal government to impose a state of emergency in August that was extended by four months by lawmakers last week.

Details about the alleged killings in Merawi are scarce but local media said dozens of civilians were killed by government forces conducting door-to-door searches for Fano supporters.

Media access to northern Ethiopia is heavily restricted by the authorities, making it impossible to verify the situation on the ground.

On Friday, the US embassy in Addis Ababa released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, from the ambassador, Ervin Massinga, saying: "The US government is deeply concerned by reports of targeted civilian killings in the town of Merawi in Amhara regional state.

"We call for unfettered access by independent human rights monitors as well as an impartial investigation to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice."

The statement also drew attention to "numerous disturbing reports of other violations and abuses... elsewhere in Ethiopia, reports which implicate government and non-state actors alike," urging all sides to enter into dialogue.

Contacted by AFP, the federal government communications service declined to comment on the matter.

Ethiopia's human rights body, which has previously sounded the alarm about abuses in Amhara, told AFP on Friday that it was "still investigating the issue".

"At this stage of the process, we do not have additional details available for disclosure," the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said.

The Amhara violence reignited concerns about the stability of Ethiopia months after a peace agreement was signed in November 2022 to end a two-year conflict in the neighbouring region of Tigray.

Amhara regional forces fought alongside federal government troops against Tigrayan rebels, and the peace deal fuelled a sense of betrayal among the Amhara, with the two regions sharing a history of land disputes.

Tensions escalated in April last year when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government decided to dismantle regional forces across the country which triggered protests among Amhara nationalists who said it would weaken their region.

In September, the EHRC accused federal government forces of carrying out extra-judicial killings in Amhara, and mass arbitrary detentions in the region and elsewhere.
https://www.barrons.com/news/us-raises-alarm-about-targeted-civilian-killings-in-ethiopia-d76d632e

12/02/2024

More than 20 miners trapped in Ethiopia cave for three days

Rescue operations are ongoing in a remote village in northern Ethiopia after a cave collapse trapped over 20 artisanal miners.

According to reports, the incident occurred three days ago in the Delanta district while the miners were searching for opal gemstones.

It is however not clear the exact number of individuals trapped, and the challenging terrain has made rescue efforts difficult, according to local officials in a report by the BBC.

Hundreds of locals are trying to dig openings for the miners, as the village’s landscape has made it difficult to get support from machines.

Rescue attempts have so far been unsuccessful, but the authorities remain hopeful of finding survivors.

The officials said that in a previous incident, a miner was found alive after he was buried inside the cave for seven days.
https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/12/more-than-20-miners-trapped-in-ethiopia-cave-for-three-days/

10/02/2024

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants."
- Isaac Newton

09/02/2024

Ethiopian Refugees in Somalia Fear Violence Over Deal With Somaliland

Ethiopians living in Somalia have become the subject of physical violence, verbal threats and intimidation since Somaliland consented to give Ethiopia access to its coastline at the beginning of this year, members of the Ethiopian community tell VOA Somali Service.

Under the deal, reached on New Year's Day, Ethiopia will be able to lease 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, with access to the Red Sea for its naval and commercial shipping needs for 50 years. In exchange, Ethiopia would consider recognizing the self-declared republic of Somaliland as an independent country and give Somaliland’s government an undetermined share in state-owned Ethiopian Airlines.

The deal has drawn harsh criticism from Somalia's federal government, which sees Somaliland as a part of its territory. Mogadishu called the deal “an act of invasion” and promised to protect the country’s sovereignty. There have also been pro- and anti-deal demonstrations in Somaliland.
https://www.voanews.com/a/ethiopian-refugees-in-somalia-fear-violence-over-deal-with-somaliland/7481530.html

09/02/2024

Alleged civilian massacre reported in Ethiopia as US calls for investigation

The U.S. is calling for an investigation into an alleged massacre of civilians in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where a local rights group says more than 80 people were killed last week following clashes between soldiers and armed groups.

The U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga, said Friday that the "U.S. government is deeply concerned" by the reports from the town of Merawi and called for "unfettered access by independent human rights monitors as well as an impartial investigation to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice."

Massinga said in a statement that the reported killings of civilians in Merawi followed "disturbing reports of other violations" in Amhara and elsewhere in Ethiopia, which is gripped by several internal conflicts.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/alleged-civilian-massacre-reported-ethiopia-us-calls-investigation

09/02/2024

News: Women-led civil societies in Ethiopia call for sustained dialogue with armed groups, inclusion of women in peace talks

Addis Abeba – A group of Women-led and women-based Civil Society Organizations in Ethiopia have called for sustained negotiations between the government the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), and commencement of talks with other armed groups in the country.

In a joint presser on Wednesday, more than a dozen civil society organizations said despite armed conflicts “disproportionately affecting women”, the exclusion of women from the Pretoria negotiation and the two rounds of talks in Tanzania, is a matter of “great concern”.

The organizations, Community Empowerment for Local Development (CELD), Adoye Center for Ethiopian Women Empowerment, Fratello Humanitarian Association and Birmaji Youth Association, among others, urged inclusion of women in negotiations and as implementing partners and beneficiaries should an agreement be reached.
https://addisstandard.com/news-women-led-civil-societies-in-ethiopia-call-for-sustained-dialogue-with-armed-groups-inclusion-of-women-in-peace-talks/

09/02/2024

It is high time the AU takes a firm stance against Ethiopia’s aggressions

What Africa needs from the African Union is not empty statements about ‘unity’ and ‘brotherly relations’, but the resolve to uphold the rule of law.
On January 23, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud spoke to Al Jazeera and warned that Ethiopia should not attempt to fulfil a controversial memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed with the breakaway region of Somaliland on New Year’s Day.

Under the preliminary agreement, Somaliland would lease landlocked Ethiopia 20km (12 miles) of its coastline around the Port of Berbera for commercial and military purposes for 50 years. In return, Ethiopia would give Somaliland an undisclosed ownership stake in state-owned Ethiopian Airlines and, according to Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi, formally recognise the region’s independence from Somalia.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/2/9/it-is-high-time-the-au-takes-a-firm-stance-against-ethiopias-aggressions

09/02/2024

‘At the door of death’: desperation in Ethiopia as hunger crisis deepens

Agencies warn ‘starvation and death are inevitable’ as war, drought and a halt to aid leave Tigray warning of famine

Supported by
theguardian.org
About this content
Reporter in Yechila
Fri 9 Feb 2024 09.00 EST
The grain stores are empty in the village of Tseykeme, where eight-year-old Gebremichael and his little brother, Gebreyohannes, spend their afternoons collecting small orange berries from the trees behind their home. The branches are too thorny to climb, so they knock down the berries by throwing stones.

Nothing goes to waste. After eating the flesh, they grind down the pits to get to the seeds inside. Each handful is enough to stave off hunger for a few more hours.

“We’ve been picking them for the last month,” says Abadi Adane, the boys’ father. “After they are finished, I don’t know what we will eat.”

The family planted their small patch of land in June, but the rains did not come and nothing grew. They survived for several months by selling their livestock. When that cash dried up, they turned to neighbours for donations of cups of grain. Now, though, no one has anything left to give.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/09/tigray-ethiopia-war-drought-aid-suspended-hunger-crisis-death-desperation

07/02/2024

World Food Program ramping up aid to reach 3M Ethiopians. Millions more in need

The U.N.’s World Food Program says it is aiming aims to reach up to 3 million Ethiopians affected by climate change and conflict in the coming weeks
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/world-food-program-ramping-aid-reach-3-million-107016277

05/02/2024

UK Pledges £100M Aid for Ethiopia's Humanitarian Crisis

Government announces new aid to save the lives of mothers and babies in Ethiopia as UK warns of growing risk of humanitarian catastrophe.
The funding comes as the UK's Development and Africa Minister, Andrew Mitchell, returns from a 2-day visit to the country, witnessing the humanitarian crisis first hand
UK calls on the international community to step up efforts to prevent a major crisis

https://www.miragenews.com/uk-pledges-100m-aid-for-ethiopias-humanitarian-1167693/

05/02/2024

Ethiopia food crisis threatens ‘humanitarian catastrophe’

UK development minister says 3mn people face acute food shortage because of drought and civil war

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https://www.ft.com/content/7f2656fd-1dcd-4f5e-9ea9-5554710899c6

Ethiopia is sliding into a “humanitarian catastrophe” with more than 3mn people facing acute hunger in the north of the country, the UK government has said in a warning that will invite comparisons with the 1984 famine in which half a million Ethiopians starved to death.

Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s development minister, stopped short of using the word “famine”. But after a visit to Tigray region in the north, he compared the situation to a football heading straight for a plate-glass window. “If we don’t head the ball away, it’s going to smash the glass,” he told the Financial Times.

Mitchell said the UK government was making £100mn available to help 3mn people, including pregnant mothers, in combating malnutrition and gaining access to life-saving medical care. The crisis, he said, had been provoked by drought as well as by a two-year civil war fought between Tigray and the federal government in Addis Ababa.
https://www.ft.com/content/7f2656fd-1dcd-4f5e-9ea9-5554710899c6

05/02/2024

Ethiopia: UK warns of food crisis triggered by war and drought

In Ayder hospital in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, the corridors are filled with the hubbub of any busy medical facility. But in the paediatric wing, there is a stillness to the wards.

For here lie children numbly bearing witness to the latest food crisis to ravage northern Ethiopia. Mostly babies, they are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Their mothers sit silently at their beds, staring into the middle distance, clutching their infants to their breast, hoping what milk they have can deliver the salvation for which they yearn.
For they and Ethiopia are suffering once again from a devastating legacy of conflict and drought, twin evils that in recent years have destroyed farms and crops and forced millions from their homes.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68198484

05/04/2022

New post added at Wolkait mass graves - Eritrean refugees in Egypt -Govt soldiers join OLA-Wollo Fano - https://kichuu.com/wolkait-mass-graves-eritrean-refugees-in-egypt-govt-soldiers-join-ola-wollo-fano/

05/04/2022

New post added at ODUU AMEE: Tuffii Fanoon, Bilxiginan Oromoofi qabdu, WBO - https://kichuu.com/oduu-amee-tuffii-fanoon-bilxiginan-oromoofi-qabdu-wbo/

05/04/2022

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