The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday, in honor of what the Nobel committee described as “his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.” Abiy, the 43-year-old…
While much attention is rightly focused on the perils of Mediterranean Sea crossings, the Human Rights Watch organization is calling attention to the conditions faced by Ethiopian migrants as they take other routes across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. “A combination of factors, including unemployment and other economic…
Ethiopians from all walks of life turned out Monday to plant trees in a national quest to counter the climate consequences of deforestation, while aiming for a new Guinness World Record with a goal of 200 million planted trees. The Green Legacy project, an initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed,…
International aid organization Oxfam says more than 15 million people in the Horn of Africa region need assistance because of an ongoing drought, with lives at risk because lessons learned from drought conditions earlier this decade are being ignored. Parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are affected again after sparse…
In Addis Ababa, the memorial for Ethiopian chief of staff Gen. Seare Mekonnen and retired Major Gen. Gezai Abera on Tuesday was a somber affair with crowds gathering around the venue amid tight security. They came in solidarity as Ethiopia reels from a regional coup attempt in Amhara that left…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Ethiopian officials say the military leader behind Saturday’s coup attempt in the Amhara region was killed Monday, as the country honored a national day of mourning. Brigadier General Asamnew Tsige, who served as head of the Amhara region’s Peace and Security Bureau, was killed by security forces in Addis Ababa….
Population trends continue to put a number of African nations at the top of countries seeing the biggest increases by 2050, according to “The World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights” report released Monday by the United Nations. Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt all are among the…
The Eritrean government responded on Thursday to a letter sent earlier this week by more than 100 Africans seeking dialogue on democratic space, calling them “a motley network of African writers and journalists” they say chose a “rather inappropriate” communication strategy in their outreach. Asmara acknowledged the letter in a…
More than 100 African thought leaders have appealed to the Eritrean president to allow a delegation to visit the isolated Horn of Africa nation, meet with its leaders and citizens, and open a dialogue with a view toward democratic reforms. The letter to President Isaias Afwerki was created on May…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Humanitarian workers say they’re working to repatriate Somali and Ethiopian refugees who are trapped in Yemen, but problems with the flight permissions necessary to evacuate them were hampering the effort. “The flight delays are putting thousands of migrants’ lives at further risk,” said Mohammed Abdiker of the International Organization for…
President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, speaking at Independence Day celebrations in Asmara, acknowledged that “a new era” has come to the Horn of Africa nation but it is not a time for sweeping change. “Before prematurely charting out new and permanent sustainable development programs, it is imperative that we conduct…
Ethiopia has the lowest wages for garment industry workers in the world, and the companies they work for are supplying H&M, Hanes and other top globally recognized clothing brands. That’s according to a new study from the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University. Ethiopia has…
Human Rights Watch has launched an eight-part series on changes in Ethiopia since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power a year ago. While there’s been much progress, there also remain many challenges in an increasingly tense political atmosphere. “With elections scheduled for May 2020, the next year will be a…
The weeklong United Nations Environment Assembly began in Nairobi on Monday with a moment of silence for the 157 victims aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302, which crashed near its origination at Addis Ababa on Sunday with dozens of UN staffers, global delegates and participants on board. Acting UN Environment director…
On Monday morning at 10 a.m., the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) based in Nairobi will begin the first plenary session of the UN Environment Assembly – and they’ll do so with empty seats. That’s because according to estimates, up to 50 passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302, which crashed…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times