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
There may be a sliver of a silver lining for Ethiopian migrants in Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations agency for refugees and migrants. More of them want to go home. The IOM Djibouti staff says that a tragic accident in January near Godoria…
A team of medical researchers are calling attention to the links between liver disease in sub-Saharan Africa and the role of chewing khat, the plant commonly known as miraa in East African nations. In a letter to The Lancet medical journal, the researchers from Norway, the UK and Ethiopia praise…
In Addis Ababa, President Sahle-Work Zewde met with his German counterpart Monday, and told President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that it was the right time for his nation to come to Ethiopia. That seemed evident when Steinmeier also participated in signing ceremonies with Volkswagen, as the German automaker announced an assembly plant…
The United States says 52 al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike on Saturday that targeted them near the town of Jilib in Somalia’s Middle Juba region. The airstrike came in response to an al-Shabaab attack against Somali National Army Forces, according to the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). The AFP…
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Thursday, as Wang continues a tour that takes him on official visits to African Union headquarters as well as Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Senegal this week. Abiy noted China’s “immense contribution to Ethiopia,” his office said. “Prime…
Last month, Ethiopia officially announced plans to launch its first earth observatory satellite, with China footing 75% of the $8 million bill and providing technical assistance. Such comprehensive assistance is of course welcome news for Ethiopia’s burgeoning space program, but it’s an open question to what extent the government is aware…
Monica is a freelance journalist based in Kenya
Ethiopia’s rapid reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appear to be paying dividends in tourism and international travel, with Addis Ababa becoming the new “gateway to Africa.” That’s according to data from industry analysts at Forward Keys, who found an “extraordinary rise” for Ethiopia as a destination and transfer hub…
More than 400 Ethiopian migrants who have been stranded in Yemen are headed home, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) begins flights to take them to Addis Ababa. The first group of 102 Ethiopians landed in Addis Ababa on Monday, with another 316 arriving by Thursday through a Voluntary…
Eritrea, isolated by UN sanctions for a decade until they were lifted on 14 November 2018, is now working to regain its place in Africa and the international community. The sanctions were lifted after Eritrea made steps towards peace with its neighbours after being locked into deadly conflict for decades—Eritrean…
I am a London-based researcher specialized in security issues and environmental protection. He is currently writing a book about the role lobbying plays in keeping African leaders in power.
The government of Eritrea responded to Wednesday’s United Nations Security Council decision to lift international sanctions with a sharply worded statement that reflected both its acceptance of the decision and its longstanding defiance over the sanctions. “The Government of Eritrea welcomes this belated decision to redress injustice, almost a decade…
Ethiopian athlete Feyisa Lilesa, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in Rio de Janeiro, has returned home to a country he placed in the international spotlight with his crossed-arm protest gesture on behalf of the Oromo people and human rights. Feyisa, born in the Oromia village of Jeldu, arrived…
The Dubai-based DP World says construction has begun on its new facility in the Somaliland port of Berbera. President Muse Bihi Abdi and DP World Group CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem launched the first phase of work during a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. The project includes a 400-meter quay and 250,000…