#Ethiopia: Bank employee slain in public in South Ethiopia region; police say suspect in custody

Addis Abeba - Police in the South Ethiopia Regional State said a bank employee was killed in an attack carried out in “public” in #Gedeb town, #Gedeo Zone, on 21 April.

In a statement, regional police said the victim, Temesgen Daniel, was an employee of the Bank of Abyssinia. He was attacked at around 8:00 a.m. while on his way to work. The police described the killing as “horrific.”

A suspect, identified as Abush Tadese Hutesa, has been taken into custody and an investigation is ongoing, according to the regional police.

Citing preliminary findings, the police suggest the attack was “motivated by revenge”. The suspect is alleged to have had a prior relationship with the victim’s wife and reportedly carried out the attack.

Temesgen had married two months prior to his killing.

https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02h8oYA95uqaNaxtUaoTZ9msMUXgWU9qhugAiPKqEqrFkEMPa87K88V8dReLMEabf1l

News: Fed. prosecutors drop three charges against former state minister; defense says charges can be reinstated

His lawyer, Abera Nigus, clarified the termination of the charges to #Addis_Standard saying: “he was sentenced to four years in a separate case. This charge was in addition to the one for which he had already been convicted.”

Taye, who was first arrested in December 2023 following public criticism of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He was subsequently charged with the crime of “supporting anti-peace forces and being in possession of unauthorized weapons”.

His case has seen multiple legal turns, including a Federal Supreme Court decision in December 2024 ordering a retrial after overturning earlier acquittals.
https://addisstandard.com/?p=56607

#Iran says it collects first revenue from tolls on ships transiting #Strait_of_Hormuz

Addis Abeba - Iran has collected its first revenue from tolls imposed on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy shipments, according to senior Iranian officials.

Parliament Deputy Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei said on Thursday that the initial proceeds from the transit fees have been deposited into the country’s central bank account. His remarks were carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
“First revenues from transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited into the Central Bank account,” he said.

Separately, lawmaker Alireza Salimi told Tasnim that authorities have begun collecting fees from ships transiting the strait, citing what he described as “reliable sources.”


https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0Uo3NAK6GaQVe119p4WWNYEA1EuErjQhGU19C5ECqEr7LYQJMWSoRy8T5dqVttHQrl

News: #Amnesty flags impunity, forced eviction, and shrinking civic space in #Ethiopia’s 2025 human rights record

Amnesty International has raised alarm over ongoing human rights violations in Ethiopia, citing entrenched impunity, continued armed conflict, and a tightening grip on civic space throughout 2025.

“Impunity for past and ongoing violations persisted,” Amnesty said, pointing to systemic failures to investigate and prosecute abuses.

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#Coming_UP: The Standard Signal | Ep.17: From Newsroom to Frontline: Mistresillasie on Power, War & Resistance

#TsedaleLemma speaks with #MistresillasieTamrat.

From her striking statement, “politics took journalism away from me,” to her defense of possible participating in upcoming elections, Mistresillasie speaks with clarity.

Premiers at: 7:30 PM EAT tonight.

Subscribe to watch: https://www.youtube.com/@AddisStandard

#TheStandardSignal #EthiopiaPolitics #Misteresillasie #ElectionDebate
#PoliticalVoices #WomenInPolitics

News: #US weighs sanctions relief, diplomatic reset with #Eritrea: WSJ

Citing current and former officials, the report said the initiative, still under review, aims to reopen high-level diplomatic channels with the long-isolated state, which controls more than 1,120 kms of #Red_Sea coastline.

U.S. officials believe Eritrea’s geographic position could prove pivotal in safeguarding alternative maritime routes critical for global trade and military transit, the WSJ report noted.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=56615

#Premiering_now: From Newsroom to Frontline: Mistresillasie on Power, War & Resistance

#TsedaleLemma speaks with #MistresillasieTamrat.

Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCF8w7rEYhQ


#TheStandardSignal #EthiopiaPolitics #Misteresillasie #ElectionDebate
#PoliticalVoices #WomenInPolitics

#Sudan's #RSF sentences defecting commander Al-Qubba to death in absentia, strips military rank

Addis Abeba- The commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemetti” Dagalo, on Thursday stripped defected Major General Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as “Al-Qubba,” of his military rank and sentenced him to death in absentia.

The decision follows accusations of desertion and collaboration with the Sudanese army. Al-Qubba defected earlier this month following internal disputes regarding his exclusion from the military leadership of North Darfur after the RSF took control of El Fasher in October 2025.

Internal sources cited by Sudan Tribune described Al-Qubba’s frustration over the appointment of Gedo Ibnshook as commander in North Darfur, rather than him. He also reportedly complained of discrimination against his specific forces and a lack of logistical support.

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#Ethiopia: Ahmed is throttling free expression in #Ethiopia: The Economist

“Bold are the pens that remain unshaken.”

In today’s Ethiopia “journalists often disappear mysteriously nowadays, taken by unidentified men to undisclosed places on suspicion of unspecified crimes.”

The latest victim is Million Beyene, managing editor of the Addis Standard, a prominent newspaper and one of the few local outlets still brave enough to criticize the government. On April 15th masked men in civilian clothes abducted Mr Million from the newspaper’s office in Addis Ababa, the capital, saying he was “needed for questioning”. No one has heard from him since.
The police deny that Mr Million is in their custody. But in February the government had revoked the Standard’s license, accusing it of violating unspecified laws and endangering “the national interest”. Last year security forces raided the paper’s office and detained its journalists. Many have resigned for fear of government reprisals.

Scores of Ethiopian journalists have been arrested, beaten or forced into exile. Many foreign reporters have been expelled. In 2024 one was arrested while meeting an opposition politician and then deported. The politician was assassinated a few weeks later.

The government promises more persecution. In February an official at the media regulator claimed that the Standard and others were waging a “co-ordinated information war” against Ethiopia. Fighting them was a matter of “national survival”. Ethiopia’s “sword remains unsheathed”, he added.

Bold are the pens that remain unshaken. https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0XEUAL17WeumygXCeoqw4eRFZpALqdCfsBinQVHeVRL4XVDxWki22gEk5EdTgn9ztl

#China says #Iranian ship intercepted by #US was not a ‘gift’

China’s foreign ministry has rejected the claim by Donald Trump that an Iranian-flagged cargo ship intercepted by US forces was a “gift from China”, adding that the accusation was not based on facts, according to Al Jazeera.

Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also told reporters that trade between countries should continue as normal.

The US has enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports and controlled shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for more than a week. In response, Iran has effectively shut the strait, captured commercial vessels and threatened to halt all regional Gulf trade.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has intercepted and redirected three Iranian-flagged oil tankers in waters near India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Reuters reported citing shipping sources, potentially heating up the conflict after Iran reportedly seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Wednesday despite an extended ceasefire.

News: #Tigray Interim Admin says 8.5 billion birr budget shortfall has triggered severe financial crisis

The Tigray Finance and Resource Cooperation Bureau has warned that an 8.5 billion birr budget shortfall has plunged the region into a severe financial crisis, disrupting salary payments for civil servants and halting development projects, according to a formal letter sent to #Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance.

In the letter, the bureau said funds expected to be disbursed between October and March have not been released, creating “an acute fiscal pressure that is affecting core government functions” across the region.

#Mihret_Beyene, head of the bureau, confirmed the letter to Addis Standard and said it followed several earlier appeals by the interim administration seeking release of the withheld funds.

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#Op_ed: #Ethiopia’s electoral crossroads, quest for legitimate democracy

Ethiopia nears elections while facing a “humanitarian challenges unfolding in #Amhara, #Tigray, and #Oromia,” writes Abel Tewodros. He emphasizes that “understanding the interconnection between ongoing violence, civilian suffering, and political constraints is essential” to evaluating the vote’s legitimacy.

The author notes that in Tigray, a lack of accountability “reinforces perceptions… that the electoral process will not address their grievances.” Meanwhile, Amhara’s displacement crisis makes elections seem like a “distant abstraction,” and Oromia’s climate of fear “directly undermines the preconditions for free and fair elections.”

Abel cautions that without security and inclusion, “elections risk becoming merely a procedural exercise rather than a transformative democratic moment.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=56628

News: #HRW urges stronger #EU action on Ethiopia, warns against “premature normalization” amid ongoing abuses

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has renewed its call for the #European_Union to adopt clearer and enforceable human rights benchmarks in its engagement with #Ethiopia, warning that recent diplomatic and financial normalization risks undermining accountability efforts in the country.

The warning comes amid continuing concerns over violations linked to past and ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia, including in Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara regions, as well as growing political tensions ahead of the country’s scheduled elections in June.

In an interview with Addis Standard, Laetitia Bader, Deputy Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, said the EU’s decision to resume budget support to Ethiopia despite unresolved accountability concerns raises “serious questions” about its commitment to previously stated conditions tied to the 2022 #Pretoria peace agreement.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=56623

News: #NRC warns global aid under strain as war on Iran drives costs up; alarm a caution for #Ethiopia’s humanitarian needs

The warning carries particular urgency for Ethiopia, where humanitarian needs remain among the highest globally.

Between 15.0 and 15.9 million people, around 10 to 15 percent of the population, are expected to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity by mid-2026. Ethiopia is also projected to account for more than 10 percent of global food assistance needs among monitored countries.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=56627

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝

RSF Death Sentence | Ethiopia Press Freedom Concerns | Tigray Financial Crisis Deepens
Click here to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxF5LRSrjOc

“They are ready to defend it by any means”: Lavrov says #US interventions in #Iran, #Venezuela driven by oil

Addis Abeba - Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the United States of pursuing military interventions in resource-rich countries such as Iran and Venezuela to secure control over oil, warning that such actions are eroding international law.

In an interview with Russian state television, which was also published on the Russian Foreign Ministry website on Friday, Lavrov said Washington prioritizes its own interests above all else.

“The United States has officially declared that no one can dictate to it. It cares only about its own well-being and is ready to defend that well-being by any means - coups, kidnappings or assassinations of leaders of countries that possess natural resources the Americans need,” he said.

Lavrov added that US actions in countries such as Iran and Venezuela are openly tied to energy interests.

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Pirates hijack oil tanker off the coast of #Somalia

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with 17 crew that was sailing near the Somali coast, according to multiple security officials who spoke to the BBC.

The ship, Honor 25, was overrun late on Wednesday by six gunmen, when it was approximately 30 nautical miles (55 kms) offshore, the officials said.

Until three years ago piracy had almost disappeared in this stretch of the Indian Ocean once notorious for hijackings, but it has since made a comeback with fishing trawlers or container ships targeted.

The seizure of a tanker headed for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is likely to increase anxiety in the city where petrol prices have already tripled since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

It was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, security officials from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region told the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78l26yn981o