When Congress adjourned in September, it had failed to vote on resolutions on Ethiopia.
When it returns, it should pass them without delay.Ethiopia, an important security partner and ally, is heading for crisis. The country is suffering its worst unrest in years in response to the government’s intensifying abuses and restrictions on freedoms, as documented by Freedom House. On Oct. 8, for the first time in the ruling government’s 25-year history, a state of emergency was declared. Thousands of people have since been detained. The pending resolutions condemn the killing and arrests of protestors and journalists by security forces and call on the U.S. government to review security assistance and democracy strategies for Ethiopia. They are an important first step in addressing the crisis in Ethiopia, and a needed pivot from current inaction by the U.S. government.......See More
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When anti-government protests rocked Gondar city in northern Ethiopia in July, ethnic Tigrayans living in the Amhara region started fleeing. For a quarter of a century, the Tigrayans, who make up only 6% of the country’s over 100 million population, have enjoyed disproportionate influence and representation in government.
But as the latest wave of protests intensified, ordinary Tigrayans in the Amhara region were now reportedly saying that their homes and businesses were being attacked because of their perceived affiliation with the government. The protests, which started in Nov. 2015, were largely fronted by the Oromo and Amhara communities, and the ruling party was yet to budge on both communities’ demands for expanded political, economic and human rights.......See More The state of emergency is helping restore stability in Ethiopia, the government has said.
"Violence has been contained and we have created a situation where people can go about their lives without the fear of being attacked," Communications minister Getachew Reda said. "Many investments and factories are back in business and security and stability have been restored in many parts of the country." The state of emergency was declared on October 8, following a series of anti-government violent protests. Getachew said the police unit charged with enforcing the state of emergency, was holding 1,500 people involved in the chaos. "Their rehabilitation could take a week or two," the minister said, adding that illegal weapons had been found in violence-prone areas.....See More ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian human rights activists, members of opposition parties and those working in the media say their freedom of movement has been severely limited since the government declared a state of emergency three weeks ago. Many are afraid to speak out while others had to stop working.
Ethiopia’s government has insisted the six-month state of emergency — declared so authorities can deal with protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions — does not affect the constitutional rights of citizens......See More U.S. citizen whose communications were monitored by Ethiopian agents from afar is appealing his case, on the grounds that Ethiopia must be accountable for illegal spying that relied on state-sponsored malware to infect his home computer.
The Electric Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit focused on defending civil liberties and digital rights, has assisted in the Kidane v. Ethiopia case since 2014. This week, the EFF again argued that Ethiopia is not immune from liability in a case that demonstrates how digital surveillance of journalists, dissidents and political opponents extends beyond the borders of nations with poor human rights records like Ethiopia...... See More Nearly a year of protests against land reform issues and heavy-handed government policies is starting to take its toll on Ethiopia, who earlier this month announced a six-month state of emergency. Often hailed as a rising star and economic stronghold of Africa, the growing discontent highlights the limits of authoritarian development as well as the hypocrisy of the West when it comes to human rights abuses.
The protests started last November following the announcement of the government’s new plan to expand the capital of Addis Ababa into the surrounding countryside that is mainly inhabited by the Oromo ethnic group. Despite being the largest ethnic group in the country, the Oromo have long complained that they are economically marginalized in favor of the Tigray, who make up less than 10 percent of the population but dominate the government. Because of this, the plan to expand the capital was viewed as a naked land grab by the government, designed to marginalize the Oromo even further.......See More When Congress adjourned in September, it had failed to vote on resolutions on Ethiopia (S.Res. 432/H.Res. 861).
When it returns, it should pass them without delay. Ethiopia, an important security partner and ally, is heading for crisis. The country is suffering its worst unrest in years in response to the government's intensifying abuses and restrictions on freedoms, as documented by Freedom House.......See More Saga Holidays is among a number of major UK tour operators to cancel trips to Ethiopia as a wave of unrest spreads across the African country.
The Foreign Office (FCO) is advising against all travel to some regions in the east and all but essential travel to central parts that include places such as Lalibela, popular with tourists for its rock-cut churches......See More To Canada’s Brian Stewart — the veteran journalist who helped uncover the Ethiopian famine of 1984 to the world, long before Bob Geldof made it an infamous milestone in the world of charity-giving and imprinted extreme poverty as synonymous with Ethiopia — the East African country is still a country the world cannot stop worrying about.
Then again, how could the world not do that, when the images of young famine-stricken faces are still fresh in our minds after so many decades? Because of this tragedy, the world has made Ethiopia a popular destination for its pity and charitable gestures; yet extreme poverty still remains high. There are still millions in need of emergency food aid and many suffering from extreme poverty. The award-winning journalist has since observed, despite some dotted positive advancements, that “Ethiopia cannot yet feed itself without the help of the rest of the world” and the “unpredictability of this help means the threat of severe food crises, even famine, is never far away.” That is a sad reality. See More |
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October 2022
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