Trio of yellow, blue and green lakes in #Ethiopia stuns in striking satellite image

A trio of technicolor lakes in Ethiopia, each one a different color from the others, is visible in stunning detail in a satellite image recently released by #NASA. The unusual colors are the result of numerous factors, including water chemistry, depth and inhabiting wildlife.

The three lakes are Lake #Shala, which has a deep blue hue; Lake #Abijatta, which is green in color; and Lake #Langano, which has a sandy-yellow hue similar to the surrounding land. The lakes are located in Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley, around 124 miles (200 kilometers) south of the capital, #AddisAbeba.

https://www.livescience.com/trio-of-multicolored-lakes-ethiopia

#Ethiopia - #Oromia: Drought pushes more and more girls into child marriage, but not for girls like Fiinxee

Meet 17-year-old Fiinxee. She was married off at the tender young age of 13. She does not even know how old her husband was.

“My family married me off because of the drought and they had no income,” said Fiinxee. “They needed the dowry, so they sold me off.” Fiinxee is from an area in Oromia region which experiences recurrent drought. This year, Ethiopia has been hit by the worst drought in 40 years.

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“I was so stressed and scared on the day of the marriage,” said Fiinxee. “As soon as the marriage began, I could not cope. I could not survive in the house and could not even manage basic household duties.”

But Fiinxee was lucky. After, being stuck in the marriage for 8 months, she heard from her neighbors that she could get help and get out of the marriage. She went to the local authorities, and they immediately helped her and a few weeks later, her marriage was legally cancelled in court.

https://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/stories/drought-pushes-more-and-more-girls-child-marriage-not-girls-fiinxee

News: Member of #OLF central committee, author Moibon Bekele shot dead in Addis Abeba

By Natnael Fite

Moibon Bekele, a member of the central committee of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and an author, has been shot dead near his residence in Addis Abeba on the night of 12 October.

Moibon was taken to Abet Hospital for life-saving treatment after being shot by unidentified men around his residence in Sansusi area on the evening of Wednesday, but could not be saved, his friend Lelisa Idris told Addis Standard.

“I don’t know exactly what the circumstances were but he was hit sometime between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM [local time]. When I was told he had been shot, I ran to Abet Hospital. He was alive when I arrived. He was pronounced dead at about 11:30 PM.” His body was taken today to his hometown in Nekemte city, east Wollega zone of Oromia regional state, Lelisa said, adding “so far, nothing is known about who actually shot him. Burayu police has taken up the case.”

The OLF has issued a statement late yesterday as soon as the news of his shooting was heard, saying it had information that Moibon had been shot and was in hospital for treatment. “Many of our members and officials have been subjected to similar situations in this country,” the statement said, and condemned such acts “specifically against its members and officials”.

https://addisstandard.com/news-member-of-the-olf-central-committee-author-moibon-bekele-shot-dead-in-addis-abeba/

#Ethiopia: One student killed in Debre Tabor university violence, more than 12,000 examinees walk out on national exam

By Biruk Alemu

Yesterday, the Ministry of Education announced that one student was killed, and many examiners taking national school leaving exam and security forces were injured in a violence caused by the students at Debre Tabor University.

More than 500,000 students were admitted to all state universities located in various parts of the country to take the exams in the first round alone, which was completed on Wednesday. This is the first time the Ministry has administered school leaving exams inside several universities to avoid exam leaks, which had become repeated pattern in the past years.

https://addisstandard.com/news-one-student-killed-in-debre-tabor-university-violence-more-than-12000-examinees-walk-out-on-national-exam/

#Indian national arriving from #Ethiopia arrested with 16 kg gold at #Mumbai airport
The Customs department at Mumbai airport arrested an Indian national with 16 kg of gold worth Rs 8.40 crore, said officials on Thursday.

The man was arriving from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia to Mumbai.

“The Customs Department of Mumbai Airport arrested an Indian national arriving from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia to Mumbai, with 16 kg of gold worth Rs 8.40 crore,” said the Customs.

https://t.co/qJt048hFdy

News: #Ethiopia puts #Ireland on notice, threatens to cut ties for alleged “attack against its sovereignty, territorial integrity”

Ethiopian Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen wrote a letter to the Irish government threatening to cut diplomatic ties if the country does not refrain from undermining Ethiopia’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Ethiopia also accused Ireland of having the “intent on emboldening the TPLF and calling for coercive actions against Ethiopia using its membership in the UNSC.”

This is the second diplomatic rupture between the two countries in a span of a year. In November last year the Ethiopian government had informed Ireland’s Embassy in Addis Abeba that four of the six Irish diplomats serving at the Embassy must leave the country within one week.

https://addisstandard.com/news-ethiopia-puts-ireland-on-notice-threatens-to-cut-ties-for-alleged-attack-against-its-sovereignty-territorial-integrity/

#Ethiopia: Four people died as #Cholera outbreak reported in #Bale zone #Oromia, #Somali region bordering areas

As of 10 October, 191 cholera cases were reported in three woredas of Bale zone (Harana Buluk, Berbere and Delo Mena) with four associated deaths (Cumulative Case Fatality Rate – CFR – of 2.09 per cent1). The use of unsafe water from contaminated water points is the most likely cause of this outbreak. Limited access to water and sanitation (WASH) services, poor hygiene practices, including open defecation and lack of water treatment options are among the factors that have contributed to the rapid spread of the disease across these three woredas.

Bale zone remains one of the most drought-affected areas with increasing malnutrition cases and report of measles’ outbreak. Since the beginning of 2022, 21 measles outbreak waves have been confirmed in Oromia. In the first week of October, Bale zone registered 219 new meningitis cases (10% of the total meningitis cases reported in Oromia). https://addisstandard.com/news-four-die-after-cholera-outbreak-in-bale-zone-oromia-somali-region-bordering-areas-un/

News: Journalist Meaza Mohammed, author Asaye Derbe released on bail; court reverses bail for journalist Gobeze Sisay

By Biruk Alemu

Journalist Meaza Mohammed and author and activist Asaye Derbe were released on Thursday 13 October on a bail of 10,000 ETB each. However, at a hearing held today, federal judges at the Supreme Court denied journalist Gobeze Sisay the right for bail, his lawyer Henok Aklilu told Addis Standard.

During previous hearing, Amhara Voice internet based media owner and founder journalist Gobeze Sisay was granted a bail for 20,000 ETB, but was banned from leaving the country, and his release from detention was delayed until after the immigration procedure was completed. However, in today’s hearing, the Supreme Court reversed the bail grant and rescheduled another hearing, according to Henok.

The release on bail of Meaza and Asaye itself came a week after the Federal High Court granted the bail. It was last week, on 07 October that the Federal High Court’s Lideta criminal division trial decided to ruled to release all three defendants on bail. But “the police told us that they cannot release them because the prosecutor was appealing at the federal Supreme Court”, which resulted in the defendants being held in custody for a week.

https://addisstandard.com/news-journalist-meaza-mohammed-author-asaye-derbe-released-on-bail-court-reverses-bail-for-journalist-gobeze-sisay-2/

#NewsAlert: #Ethiopia Central Bank orders banks to freeze LC issuance for import of 38 products

The National Bank of Ethiopia has informed banks to freeze issuance of Letters of Credit (LC) to import 38 types of products as of Monday 17 October. The ban will last indefinitely.

Accordingly, prohibited products include drinks (whiskey or beer and other alcoholic beverages), chewing gum, chocolate, water, cigarettes, artificial accessories and related materials, among others. It also applies to cars that are imported by private individuals.

https://addisstandard.com/news-alert-central-bank-orders-banks-to-freeze-lc-issuance-for-import-of-38-products/

'Where is humanity?' ask the helpless doctors of #Ethiopia's embattled #Tigray region

One of the greatest casualties of the brutal civil war in Ethiopia has been its health care. With the country's northern Tigray region under blockade and cut off from most communications, a disastrous humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in a war that has become the world's unseen war.

Dr. Fasika Amdeslasie, a surgeon at Tigray's Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, says, "Our patients are not getting basic medicines like antibiotics, IV fluids, [and] oxygen." Without these kinds of supplies, he's watched patients die.

"Seeing the hopelessness in their eyes," he says, "and being the one to tell them that you cannot help them, that they are going to die soon, as a firsthand witness as a physician is very heartbreaking."

"You cannot do anything for them and you tell them to pray," adds Fasika, who was dean of Mekele University's medical school before the war. (Per the Ethiopian custom, we are using first names for subsequent references.)

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/10/14/1128363867/where-is-humanity-ask-the-helpless-doctors-of-ethiopias-embattled-tigray-region

#Ethiopia: OFC rejects #AddisAbaba, #Oromia Special Zone admin demarcation; urges #AfaanOromo to be city admin’s working language alongside #Amharic

By Natnael Fite

The opposition party, Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), rejected the recently conducted administrative demarcation between Addis Ababa city and Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne. The party rejected the decision, which was hailed “historic” by Addis Abeba Mayor Adanech Abiebie, and said it was “unacceptable as it does not respect the interests and demands of the Oromo people.” The party also urged “Afaan Oromo to be a working language alongside Amharic in Finffine city administration.”

OFC communications officer Tiruneh Gemta told #AddisStandard, that the party has been closely following the boundary issue and has been fighting for it for many years. “We cannot remain silent under any circumstances, we took a longer time as we have a detailed investigation to conduct on the matter. Now we have something concrete and our goal is not only to issue a statement and express our opinion but also to prepare our people for the next struggle,” Tiruneh said.

https://addisstandard.com/news-ofc-rejects-addis-ababa-oromia-special-zone-admin-demarcation-urges-afaan-oromo-to-be-city-admins-working-language-alongside-amharic/

News: #US calls on #Eritrea, #Ethiopia to halt #Tigray “joint military offensive”; #UN humanitarian chief confirms shelling in Shire injures two aid workers

Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the latest concern of the U.S. government “over reports of increasing violence, loss of life, indiscriminate targeting of civilians, and destruction in the conflict in northern Ethiopia, particularly around Shire in the Tigray region.” The U.S. also called on “the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Eritrean Defense Forces to immediately halt their joint military offensive and for Eritrea to withdraw its forces from northern Ethiopia.”

Blinken also called on “the Tigrayan Defense Forces to cease provocative actions.”

The statement came shortly after Martin Griffiths, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, confirmed that “two frontline staff were injured in shelling today” in Shire. He described the situation as “increasingly tense.”

https://addisstandard.com/news-us-calls-on-eritrea-ethiopia-to-halt-tigray-joint-military-offensive-un-humanitarian-chief-confirms-shelling-in-shire-injures-two-aid-workers/

#Ethiopia: Two civil servants, a teacher accused of financially supporting #OLA, #TPLF appear before court in #Sidama region

By Mhret G/Kristos

Addis Ababa: Two civil servants and a teacher have been brought to a court in Sidama regional state for the second time on 12 October after being accused of financially supporting the armed group Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), commonly referred to as “OLF/Shene”, and the TPLF.

Both the OLA and the TPLF have been labelled as terrorist organizations by the parliament of Ethiopia.

The suspects, Kanbata Kiwi, an employee of Science and Technology Agency of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) region, Tesfatsion Legesse, an employee of Construction and Design Supervision Authority of the SNNP, and Mitiku Belayneh, a principal at Tabor Mekaneyesus school, were first brought to the court of law on 30 September, according to a family member and an informant who asked to remain anonymous for fear reprisal.

Police said it suspected the individuals of financially supporting the OLA and the TPLF, a party ruling the Tigray Regional state. https://addisstandard.com/news-two-civil-servants-a-teacher-accused-of-financially-supporting-ola-tplf-appear-before-court-in-sidama-region/

#Ethiopia: #AlmazAyana runs fastest ever women's marathon debut with 2:17:20 in #Amsterdam

Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana ran 2:17:20 to achieve the fastest ever women's marathon debut and win a high-quality clash at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (16).

Setting a Dutch all-comers’ record, Almaz won the head-to-head against her fellow global track gold medalist and compatriot Genzebe Dibaba, who was also making her marathon debut, while Tsegaye Getachew made it an Ethiopian double, winning the men’s race in a PB of 2:04:49.

The women’s race in Amsterdam featured a trio of notable debutants and despite going up against some more experienced opponents when it comes to marathon running, the spotlight was on Ayana, Dibaba and their compatriot Tsehay Gemechu.

https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-label-road-races/news/amsterdam-marathon-2022-ayana-getachew

Business: #Akobo Minerals kicks off #Ethiopia mine development

Akobo Minerals, the Scandinavian-based Ethiopian gold exploration and boutique mining company, today announced that its mining contractor, IW Mining Pty (Ltd), has arrived at site.

The Scandinavian-based Ethiopian gold exploration and boutique mining company is currently engaged in ongoing exploration and boutique development in the #Gambella region and #Dima Woreda, in #southwest Ethiopia.

https://addisstandard.com/business-akobo-minerals-kicks-off-ethiopia-mine-development/

#NewsAnalysis: As fears grow for civilians in #Shire, #AU, #Tigray region echo need for immediate, unconditional ceasefire; Federal gov. to continue “defensive measures”

**The federal government says it will continue to take defensive measures against what it said was “repeated attack of the #TPLF and its active collusion with hostile foreign powers”

Among growing global concerns and condemnations over recent intensified attacks on civilians by the joint Ethiopian and Eritrean military offensives in and around Shire, a city in northwest Tigray regional state, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has called for “an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and resumption of humanitarian services” in the Tigray Region.

The Chairperson' statement also signaled that talks will be “convened in South Africa by a high-level team led by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa, and supported by the international community,” but he did not give a specific time frame or mention the stakeholders among the international community.

https://addisstandard.com/news-analysis-as-fears-grow-for-civilians-in-shire-au-tigray-region-echo-need-for-immediate-unconditional-ceasefire-gov-to-continue-defensive-measures/

Opinion: War is not #African! – A shift from colonial development aid approach to global a solidarity

By Siyane Aniley

Solidarity has become a global buzzword in the development sector and even more in the recent context of global pandemic. However, Solidarity is not a new way of doing things in Africa.

In Africa, we have a philosophy called Ubuntu; meaning, ‘I am, Because We are’.

https://addisstandard.com/opinion-war-is-not-african-a-shift-from-colonial-development-aid-approach-to-global-a-solidarity/

#Kenya-#Ethiopia power buy deal to vary after five years

Kenya will buy power from Ethiopia at 6.5 US cents per kilowatt for the next five years before it can be allowed to renegotiate.

Ethiopian Electric Power (ECC) has revealed a clause in the power purchase agreement that says Kenya Power can only seek a review of the tariff after that period.

Kenya signed a 25-year deal with the Horn of Africa’s nation to start importing electricity from next month in a bid to edge out the expensive power from the national grid and ensure buffers to meet peak demand.

The clause allowing tariff renegotiation is a key plank for the State-owned utility to get cheap energy that will then be passed on to consumers in the form of lower bills.

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/kenya-ethiopia-power-buy-deal-to-vary-after-five-years-3987396

#Ethiopia: "Today at 11:50 a.m. EST Antonio Guterres will address the media at the Security Council stakeout on the situation in Ethiopia. This will be followed by our regular noon briefing."

Source: #UN Spokesperson

For live feed: https://media.un.org/en/webtv/

#Ethiopia: Key points raised by #UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in his address to the media at the Security Council stakeout:
*The situation in Ethiopia is spiraling out of control.
*Violence and destruction have reached alarming level.
*The Social fabric is being ripped apart.
* Hostilities in the #Tigray region must end now, including the immediate withdrawal and disengagement of Eritrean armed forces from Ethiopia.
*There is no Military solution
* Civilians paying horrific prices
*Indiscriminate attacks including in residential areas are killing more innocent people everyday, damaging critical infrastructure
* Disturbing accounts of sexual violence & other forms of brutality against women, children & women
* The level of needs is staggering
* Even before the resumption of hostilities, 13 million people required humanitarian aid in #Amhara, #Afar, and Tigray
* The is UN is ready to support the #AU to end this nightmare.
* The international community must rally together now for peace

Ethiopian soldiers take strategic city in Tigray amid civilian exodus

Thousands of terrified inhabitants fearing a repeat of previous atrocities — including gang rapes and mass killings — began streaming out of the opposition-held city of Shire over the weekend, said an aid worker who was among a group of people evacuated from the city.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/17/ethiopia-tigray-eritrea-war-shire/