Ethiopian leaders representing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government met with Tigrayan officials on Monday in Mekelle, for talks viewed as a milestone in ending more than two years of catastrophic conflict in which up to 600,000 people have died. The delegation led by Tagesse Chaffo Dullo, speaker of Ethiopia’s parliament,…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Isaias Afwerki, authoritarian leader of Eritrea, defended both Russia and China while holding the West responsible for the situation in Ukraine, during a speech marking Independence Day in the Horn of Africa nation. Afwerki, in office since 1991—a tenure that places him among Africa’s longest-running leaders—drew parallels to his…
Eritrea’s forced conscription policies, which are a key driver for young people migrating from the Horn of Africa nation, are rooted in the country’s educational system – where students say they feel trapped rather than trained for the future, according to a report released Friday by Human Rights Watch (HRW)….
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
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…
Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo welcomed a delegation from Eritrea on Monday, as the Horn of Africa neighbors move forward in re-establishing diplomatic relations. The official visit to Mogadishu, which included Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Yemane Gebreab, top adviser to President Isaias Afwerki, sought to advance a comprehensive cooperation…
Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo arrived in Asmara on Saturday to begin a three-day visit with President Isaias Afwerki and members of his administration. The visit to the small Horn of Africa neighbor is the first for a Somali leader since Eritrea declared its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and represents…
No sooner did Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki return from his historic three-day visit to Ethiopia on Monday, than Ethiopian officials planned their own journey – this time, aboard the inaugural Ethiopian Airlines flight to Asmara. Flight 0312 leaves Addis Ababa at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, with an expected arrival time…
It’s easy to understand why one might linger over the images coming from Asmara on Sunday, and wonder – dare to hope, even – about the future between the bitterly divided Ethiopia and Eritrea. The streets are lined with well-wishers, the leaders are taking tea, their statements speak of brotherly…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Both the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments confirmed early Sunday that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has left Addis Ababa to continue negotiations between the two nations long separated by a border dispute. Yemane Meskel, the Eritrean information minister, said Abiy was expected to arrive in Asmara during the morning. “This historic…
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed the Eritrean foreign minister to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, as the two countries meet for the first time since Ethiopia’s June 5 decision to accept a long-disputed border decision. Osman Saleh, whose delegation also included Eritrean presidential adviser Yemane Gebreab, was welcomed at Bole…
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said Wednesday he will send a delegation to Ethiopia to assess how to move forward, following the latter’s June 5 announcement that it will accept the terms of a long-disputed border agreement between the two countries. Afwerki, speaking to the nation during Martyr’s Day events, broke his…
Ethiopia’s decision to end its border dispute with Eritrea has, so far, been met with silence from Asmara on whether the small Horn of Africa nation is ready to move forward on the long-delayed ruling, and how and when that might be implemented. President Isaias Afwerki has not made any public…
Senior United States official for African Affairs Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto, the country’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, is making a rare visit to the politically isolated Eritrea Monday before moving on to Djibouti and Ethiopia. In Asmara, Yamamoto is meeting with U.S. embassy staff as well as the wider diplomatic…