The massacre in Oromia, the nation’s largest region, came as the country grappled with a grueling civil war and the worst drought in decades.
Tag Archives: ethiopia
‘We Buried Him and Kept Walking’: Children Die as Somalis Flee Hunger
The worst drought in four decades, and a sharp rise in food prices caused by the war in Ukraine, have left almost half of Somalia’s people facing acute food shortages.
Fitting Into His Schedule, Then Into Her Royal Family
Jamal Akil Robinson offered just 30 minutes for his first get-together with Edna Tafari Makonnen, an Ethiopian princess. When the meeting ran to an hour, he saw it as a good sign.
War in Ukraine Compounds Hunger in East Africa
The conflict has driven up the cost of food in a region that depends heavily on crops from Russia and Ukraine and is facing what could be its worst drought in four decades.
Ethiopia Declares ‘Humanitarian Truce’ in War-Ravaged Tigray Region
The conflict, now lasting 17 months, has left thousands dead, millions displaced and has hindered aid from reaching those going hungry in the country’s northern region.
Who Killed Three Aid Workers for Doctors Without Borders in Ethiopia?
Three employees of Doctors Without Borders set out to rescue the wounded in a war zone in northern Ethiopia. Their fate shows the treacherous path for many aid workers in conflict zones.
U.S. Warns Americans Abroad Not to Count on a Rescue
In Ukraine and Ethiopia, Biden officials have made clear that the 2021 Kabul airlift was a “unique” operation that won’t be repeated.
On Day Biden Calls Ethiopia’s Leader to Urge Peace, a Drone Strike Kills 17
The attack came days after over 50 people were killed in a strike on a refugee camp, highlighting the growing role of armed drones in a destructive war.
Jawar Mohammed to Be Released From Prison by Ethiopian President
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the amnesty on Orthodox Christmas and offered to start a dialogue with some opponents after 14 months of war.
Sara Menker and Gro Intelligence Are Tackling Global Hunger
The Ethiopian entrepreneur Sara Menker founded Gro Intelligence, which uses artificial intelligence to forecast global agricultural trends and battle food insecurity.
Foreign Drones Tip the Balance in Ethiopia’s Civil War
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pulled off a stunning reversal in the year-old conflict with the help of armed drones supplied by the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran.
The Nobel Peace Prize That Paved the Way for War
This is the story behind how Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, won a Nobel Prize for making peace with his country’s longtime enemy — and then used the alliance to plan a war.
Tigray Rebels Executed Dozens of Civilians, Report Says
The report from Human Rights Watch adds to the mounting violations committed by the warring parties since the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region began over a year ago.
Ethiopia Says It Recaptured 2 Strategic Towns From Tigray Rebels
The government said it took back the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha, the latest in a string of wins Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has claimed in recent days.
Ethiopian Leader Vows to Lead Troops as War Threatens to Widen
Two years after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s claim that he was going into battle reflected both resolve and vulnerability.
Intractable African Crises Flare as Biden’s Top Diplomat Visits Kenya
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hoped to ease the turmoil engulfing Sudan and Ethiopia in his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. Both worsened on his first full day.
Mass Detentions of Civilians Fan ‘Climate of Fear’ in Ethiopia
An ethnically motivated detention campaign largely targeting Ethiopians of Tigrayan descent threatens to further unravel Africa’s second-most populous country a year into a civil war.
Blinken Heads to Africa as U.S. Tries to Avert Ethiopia Disaster
The conflict between rebels and the country’s government has already featured numerous alleged atrocities, and experts say it threatens the stability of all of East Africa.
Ethiopian Civil War Sparks Rancorous Debate Over Immigration to Israel
Thousands of relatives of the remnants of Ethiopian Jewry are waiting to be airlifted to Israel. For now, the Israeli government sees no urgency.
Ethiopia’s War Is Tearing the Country Apart
The war is spiraling out of control, but peace is still possible.
Ethiopia Seizes 16 UN Workers Amid Efforts to Halt Tigray War
The detentions aggravated the already tense relations between the United Nations and the Ethiopian government over war and famine in the country’s northern Tigray region.
Eight Groups Join Tigray Rebels Vowing to Oust Ethiopia’s Leader
The government calls the new coalition, announced in Washington, a “publicity stunt,” as intermediaries try to negotiate a peaceful solution to a year of conflict.
Crackdown Sweeps Ethiopia’s Capital as War Draws Near
Government forces were going to door to door in the Ethiopian capital, rounding up ethnic Tigrayans, members of the same ethnic group as the rebels closing in.
Atrocities on All Sides in Ethiopia’s War, U.N. Says as Rebels Advance
The United Nations report, released during a state of emergency as rebel forces near the capital, was written under significant constraints imposed by the government.
Ethiopia Declares State of Emergency as Rebels Advance Toward Capital
In a milestone in the yearlong conflict, the government called on civilians to pick up arms and prepare to defend Addis Ababa after Tigrayan forces captured two key towns about 160 miles away.
Haile Gerima Is Having a Hollywood Moment. It’s Left Him Conflicted.
The director, an eminence of American and African indie cinema, is being recognized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Netflix. But he has long rejected the industry.
Ethiopia Attacks Rebels in Tigray as Famine Threatens
Western officials confirmed Tigrayan reports of an assault on several fronts. Aid workers said it will intensify a dire humanitarian crisis.
Ethiopia Plans to Expel U.N. Officials Leading Aid Response in Tigray
The move came days after the U.N. aid chief accused Ethiopia of mounting an aid blockade that is pushing the region into famine.
Biden Threatens New Ethiopia Sanctions as Tigray War Widens
In an executive order, President Biden targeted all sides of the widening conflict in Africa’s second most populous country, demanding an end to fighting and safe passage for aid.
How Will the Taliban Govern? A History of Rebel Rule Offers Clues.
Insurgents who seize power tend to be authoritarian but pragmatic, desperate for legitimacy and ruthless toward classes they see as hostile.
Ethiopian Rebels Looted American Aid Stores, U.S. Official Says
The top American aid official in Ethiopia accused forces from Tigray of taking food supplies as Ethiopia’s ruinous civil war spills into new areas and a famine threatens.
‘My Blood Is Boiling’: War Fever Surges in Ethiopia as Its Civil War Spreads
A government drive to enlist civilians in the war effort threatens to widen the conflict, forcing ethnic groups to take sides and potentially spilling into the broader region.
WhatsApp and other social media platforms restricted in Zambia amidst ongoing elections
Several users from Zambia have taken to Twitter informing the general public that WhatsApp has been restricted in the country amidst ongoing general elections holding today.
The president and parliamentary elections culminate in a face-off between current President Edgar Lungu and opposition Hakainde Hichilema.
Internet monitoring organization Netblocks further corroborated these reports adding that multiple internet providers in Zambia had restricted access to the American social messaging platform. Some of these networks include Zambian government-owned Zamtel, Airtel Zambia, Liquid Telecom, and MTN.
Confirmed: WhatsApp messaging app restricted in #Zambia on election day; real-time network data show loss of service on multiple internet providers as polls get under way, corroborating widespread user reports; incident ongoing #ZambiaDecides2021
https://t.co/HZOMpYXdSX pic.twitter.com/9b2GZ87UHO
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) August 12, 2021
Just this week, reports circulated that the Zambian government had threatened to shut down the internet if Zambians “failed to use the cyberspace during this year’s election correctly.” The reports say the government intended to go through with its plans from Thursday, the polling day, till Sunday, when vote counts are expected to have ended.
However, the Zambian government, via its Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga, came out to deny the reports, calling them ‘malicious.’ Nevertheless, he mentioned that the government would not tolerate abuse of the internet and if any mischief occurred, there would be no hesitation to take appropriate measures.
“The government, therefore, expects citizens to use the internet responsibly. But if some people choose to abuse the internet to mislead and misinform, the government will not hesitate to invoke relevant legal provisions to forestall any breakdown of law and order as the country passes through the election period,” Malupenga said.
Zambia isn’t the first African country to witness this during an election as social media restrictions and internet shutdowns are now a recurring theme for most African states.
Countries like Cameroon, Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Guinea, Togo, Benin, Mali, Mauritania have faced social media restrictions and internet shutdowns during elections. A handful of others like Chad, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, on the other hand, have experienced similar restrictions for unrelating events.
Most governments argue that they carry out social media restrictions and internet shutdowns to maintain security during elections; however, it’s glaring to see the process as a means to curb the spread of vital information among voters and the media within and outside the country.
Today’s event shows that despite denying reports about an imminent internet shutdown, the Zambian government is heading in that direction by first cutting off WhatsApp. While writing on the WhatsApp restriction, Netblocks also reported that the Zambian government has proceeded to restrict other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Twitter.
Still, internet users in Zambia are now using VPN services to bypass the restrictions on WhatsApp and these other social media platforms. Yet, it remains to be seen if the government will enforce a full internet shutdown.
How Local Guerrilla Fighters Routed Ethiopia’s Powerful Army
A scrappy force of local Tigrayan recruits scored a cascade of battlefield victories against the Ethiopian military, one of Africa’s strongest. Times journalists witnessed the decisive week in an eight-month civil war.
Captured Ethiopian Soldiers Marched Through Tigray to Prison
The scale of the loss suffered by one of Africa’s most powerful armies was on vivid display on Friday as thousands of government troops were paraded through Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray.
‘I Didn’t Expect to Make It Back Alive’: An Interview With Tigray’s Leader
The leader of the restive Ethiopian region presented the rebels’ side of a conflict that plunged the country into chaos after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began a military operation there in November.
Ethiopia Leader, Stung by World Condemnation, Denies Troops Were Defeated
A day after his troops withdrew from the Tigray region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed defended the military campaign but said it was no longer bearable.
Jubilant Tigray Capital Greets Insurgents After Ethiopian Retreat
The capture of the capital, Mekelle, by Tigrayan forces was a major blow to Ethiopia’s leader, eight months into a war that has resulted in widespread famine and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Ethiopian Forces Retreat in Tigray, and Rebels Enter the Capital
After months of civil war and government occupation, Tigrayan rebels have pushed a counterattack that quickly brought them to Mekelle’s doorstep. Times journalists are there.
Dozens Killed in Market Airstrike in Ethiopia, Witnesses Say
The attack hit a busy market in Tigray, where there has been fierce fighting as Ethiopian forces pursue the region’s former leaders.
From Nobel Hero to Driver of War, Ethiopia’s Leader Faces Voters
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed plunged Ethiopia into a war in the Tigray region that spawned atrocities and famine. On Monday, his country goes to the polls.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, Is Tearing the Country Apart
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is preparing to govern an Ethiopia neither respected nor whole.
Don’t Turn Away From These Images and These Crimes
Ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia began with murder, rape and pillage, and now moves to mass starvation.
The War in Tigray
Not long ago, Ethiopia’s leader was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Now, he’s leading a military campaign that has killed thousands and displaced millions. How did the country get here?
Famine in Ethiopia Becomes Worst Hunger Crisis in a Decade
United Nations agencies said the crisis in Ethiopia’s conflict-ravaged Tigray region had plunged it into famine. “This is going to get a lot worse,” a top aid official said.
Famine Looms in Ethiopia’s War-Ravaged Tigray Region, U.N. Says
The top humanitarian official at the United Nations warned that parts of Tigray are one step from famine, as the government hinders relief shipments.
Changing Tack, U.S. Sanctions Ethiopia Over Abuses in Tigray War
The measures signal a tougher American approach to a war in which Ethiopian forces are accused of atrocities. Ethiopia accused the U.S. of “meddling.”
Ethiopia Expels New York Times Reporter
The government gave no explanation for the expulsion of the reporter, Simon Marks, who had extensively reported about the war and human rights abuses in the Tigray region.
As Ethiopia Fights in Tigray Region, a Crackdown on Journalists
Authorities have detained journalists without charges and revoked the accreditation of a reporter for The New York Times.
As Locusts Swarmed East Africa, This Tech Helped Squash Them
A hastily formed crowdsourcing operation to contain the insects in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia could help manage climate-related disasters everywhere.