#Ethiooia: Developing story…

News: #Gonder city security command post imposes restrictions on firearms, movements a day after mass protest

The announcement came just a day after the city saw massive protests against the federal government’s plans to abolish regional special forces in favour of reintegrating them into the army or the police structures

Restrictions include ban against obstructing “the law enforcement mission of security forces” by covering up for suspects, conceal and/or give false information.

https://addisstandard.com/news-gonder-city-security-command-post-imposes-restrictions-on-firearms-movements-a-day-after-mass-protest/

News: Foreign nationals from 23 countries who flee violence in #Sudan arrive in West #Gonder, #Amhara region

*Nearly 1,200 people – including 744 United Nations staff and diplomatic employees, relocated to Port Sudan, he said, adding “Our relocation and evacuation do not mean that the United Nations is abandoning Sudan.”

*The UN estimated that more than 400 people are killed and more than 3,700 are injured since the violence broke out and more than 20 hospitals are forced to close.

*Among the casualties are Ethiopian nationals, according to #Ethiopia’s embassy in #Khartoum. The embassy told media yesterday that at least eight Ethiopians are known to have been killed so far.

“The reports from Khartoum paint a devastating picture: people are trapped indoors, terrified, with dwindling supplies of food, water medicines and fuel, health services are near collapse and several hospitals are being used by armed groups,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told council members.

https://addisstandard.com/news-foreign-nationals-from-23-countries-who-flee-violence-in-sudan-arrive-in-west-gonder-amhara-region/

Over 1,600 #Turkish citizens taken from conflict-torn #Sudan to #Ethiopia by bus: Diplomatic sources

Using buses, over 1,600 Turkish citizens have been transported to Ethiopia from Sudan, where fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support has left hundreds of people dead, Turkish diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry's efforts to evacuate Turkish citizens in Sudan to #Türkiye via Ethiopia continue, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Sources said the Turkish citizens are first transferred from the Sudanese-Ethiopian border to the airport in the border city of #Gonder with vehicles provided by the Turkish Embassy in Ethiopia’s capital, #AddisAbeba.

They then fly to Addis Abeba by planes leased from Ethiopian Airlines and will be brought to Türkiye via the Addis Ababa-Istanbul route, added sources.

The first plane carrying 164 Turkish citizens from Gondar has already arrived in Addis Abeba, it added.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/over-1-600-turkish-citizens-taken-from-conflict-torn-sudan-to-ethiopia-by-bus-diplomatic-sources/2881225

News: #UN urges emergency humanitarian assistance for majority of 12,000 people who arrived in #Ethiopia from #Sudan

The UN said as of 05 May, more than 12,000 people have arrived in Ethiopia from Sudan via the border town of #Metema in West #Gonder Zone of #Amhara Region since 21 April.

According to a report by OCHA, more than 1,000 daily arrivals have been recorded over the past three weeks, with 1,113 people arriving at the border town on 04 May.

Ethiopians account for more than 50 per cent of the arrival on Thursday while other nationalities included #Sudanese, #Eritreans, #Somalians, #Americans, #Syrians, #Ghanaians and others in descending numerical order, the report added.

“Most foreign nationals, after securing relevant visas, have left the border area and gone to either their respective countries/destinations or to settle in Ethiopia. Similarly, Ethiopian returnees are also moving to their places of origin within the country,” the report noted, adding that, “the majority of those who remain at the border, however, require emergency humanitarian assistance”.

https://addisstandard.com/news-un-urge-emergency-humanitarian-assistance-for-majority-of-12000-people-arrived-in-ethiopia-from-sudan/

Innovation: Nine Uni students represent #Ethiopia in 7th Huawei ICT competition Global Final in #China

Following the completion of various national and regional contests, nine talented university students from Ethiopia have the opportunity to represent their country in the 7th Huawei ICT Competition 2022–2023 Global Final in China.

The students were selected based on their outstanding performance in various national and regional contests, and they got the chance to showcase their skills and knowledge on a global stage.

University of #Gonder, #Wachemo, #AddisAbeba Science and Technology, #Adama Science and Technology, and Addis Abeba Universities are represented by nine students. Two teams of three will participate in the practical track (which encompasses datacom, security, WLAN, big data, storage, AI, OpenEuler, and OpenGauss) and one team in the innovation track. In the innovation track, students compete with their own invention ideas, with the title “#Geez Character Classifier” as the title of their innovation.

https://addisstandard.com/innovation-nine-uni-students-represent-ethiopia-in-7th-huawei-ict-competition-global-final-in-china/

#ASDailyScoop: 31,000 asylum seekers, refugees arrive in #Ethiopia as fighting in #Sudan displace nearly 1.4 million people

The entry points are in #Metema, West #Gonder Zone of #Amhara Region, #Kurmuk and #Pagak/ #Burbley in #Benishangul_Gumuz and #Gambella regions respectively.

Nearly 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and are now displaced inside and outside the country, according to a UN report.

https://addisstandard.com/asdailyscoop-31000-asylum-seekers-refugees-arrive-in-ethiopia-as-fighting-in-sudan-displace-nearly-1-4-million-people/

Family of #Israeli held for ransom in #Ethiopia pleads for help in getting him freed

*Kidnappers demanding $44,000 for release of Francis Adbabayi, 79, who was snatched last week in #Gonder

An Israeli man who is being held for ransom in Ethiopia was identified Wednesday as Francis Adbabayi, 79, as his family revealed details about the kidnapping last week.

Adbabayi’s relatives received a recorded message in which he pleaded for them to secure his release. Kidnappers also sent a short video clip and a photos of Adbabayi in which he could be seen bound hand and foot and guarded by an armed man.

Adbabayi, 79, from Rishon Lezion, traveled to his home country of Ethiopia a few weeks go. He planned to stay a month and was due to leave next Monday. However, last week he was kidnapped from the Gonder... in the north of the country.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/family-of-israeli-held-for-ransom-in-ethiopia-pleads-for-help-in-getting-him-freed/

#Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines cancels weekend flights to the cities of #Gonder, #Lalibela, and #Desse in #Amhara regional state.

The domestic flights cancellation will affect customers who booked their flights on Saturday and Sunday to the three cities.

The Airlines said that it is ready to accommodate its customers whose flights are affected by the cancellation as soon as the flights resume.

Earlier today, Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers (CoM) in its 23rd regular meeting passed a unanimous decision giving to declare a state of emergency in the Amhara region in a bid to contain the growing security crisis.

#Ethiopia: Several #Israelis said rescued, larger operation mulled, as Ethiopia clashes heat up

13 Israelis and 7 others whisked from town north of #Gonder as National Security Council reportedly meets to discuss possibility of sending in armed convoy

Over a dozen Israelis in war-torn northern Ethiopia were transported out of danger by rescuers, according to Hebrew media reports late Monday, amid speculation that Jerusalem may step in to whisk its citizens to safety as clashes between locals and the military intensify.

Some 50 Israeli nationals are thought to be in the Gonder area of northern Ethiopia, along with another 60 people eligible for citizenship, according to a Foreign Ministry statement on Friday, urging them to shelter in place, as Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency in the region.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/several-israelis-said-rescued-more-operations-mulled-as-ethiopia-clashes-heat-up/

Intense fighting continues in #Ethiopia's #Amhara state

Residents in the two biggest cities in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, the state capital #Bahir_Dar and the historic #Gonder, have told the BBC that intense fighting between local militias and government troops has continued on Tuesday as violence shows no sign of abating.

The clashes include the firing of heavy weaponry, according to the residents, raising concerns over the safety of civilians. The state-run radio station in Bahir Dar has stopped transmission, residents said.

Fighting has also continued in the industrial city of #Debrebirhan, 130km (80 miles) north of the country’s capital #Addis_Abeba, where residents reported seeing drones hovering. https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0Fc89xnvexMtZ3PmpifVB4H63upAJgXrTRfTFff8v2ppSwRtkzD5rw97cEhMJYkbvl

#Ethiopia: #Amhara state emergency command imposes curfew in multiple cities, orders resumption of businesses after claiming local militia retreats

The Command Post imposed curfews in major cities and towns, and issued notice public service providers, government, community and commercial establishments in #Bahir_Dar, #Gonder, #Debre_Birhan, #Debre_Markos, #Showa_Robit and #Lalibela cities to resume work as of tomorrow 10 August.

Shortly before announcing the curfew with movement restrictions, the Command Post announced that "measures has been taken and the rule of law has been restored" in the aforementioned cities against the #Fano militia that was engaged in military hostilities with government forces for the last five days. Calling the local militia “bandit group”, the Command Post claimed it has received support from the local communities to drive out the Fano armed combatants from the city centers.

https://addisstandard.com/news-amhara-state-emergency-command-imposes-curfew-in-multiple-cities-orders-resumption-of-businesses-after-claiming-local-militia-retreats/

#Sudanese arriving in #Ethiopia flee from war to war

Bakri El Ajmi said they lived through “hard days” in #Bahir_Dar after roads, restaurants, & shops were closed for about a week. “Water &food were unavailable, and the telephone and internet network was cut off.”

He said asylum seekers were staying in makeshift centers until they were deported to two camps, one fifteen minutes from the border and the other adjacent to #Gonder.

“Most Sudanese people crossed the land border into Ethiopia after the war broke out in Sudan on April 15 in search of security,” said Bakri El Ajmi. “Authorities were giving them the choice of seeking asylum or obtaining a visa to enter the country.”

More than 23,200 people had crossed the border into Ethiopia by the end of July to the #Gambela and #Benishangul_Gumuz regions, #Amhara, and #Tigray. Most of them pass through the #El_Matama crossing, adjacent to #Galabat in Sudan.

https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudanese-arriving-in-ethiopia-flee-from-war-to-war

'I love #Israel and I love my sisters in #Ethiopia but it's hard to reconcile the two'

Asras Damalash has been fighting for about a decade to get her two sisters, who are staying at a transit camp in war-torn Ethiopia, to Israel. "My biggest fear is that my grandmother will never get to see her other granddaughters," she shares and laments what she says is a dire lack of help on the state's behalf.

***

An estimated 9,000 people are waiting at the transit camp in #Gonder to immigrate to Israel, as well as another 3,000 in the capital #AddisAbeba. They are the descendants of #Jews who converted to Christianity – some were and some did so willingly – in the second half of the 19th century, and as such, are not eligible to make aliyah under the Law of Return.

https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/08/23/i-love-israel-and-i-love-my-sisters-in-ethiopia-but-its-hard-to-reconcile-the-two/

#Ethiopia: Latest #UN operational highlight on humanitarian assistance to war-torn #Tigray region:

*Delivery of life-saving commodities through #Gonder-#Shire and #Kombolcha-#Mekelle corridors still encounter unpredictable security concerns.

*In the last month, support letters from the Information Network Security Agency (#INSA) were still required to transport #IT equipment to #Tigray.

• In July, the number of arrival reports for partner trucks has shown a slight decrease from the month of June 2023.

Full report https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-northern-ethiopia-response-operation-overview-july-2023

Photo Credit: ©UNHCR/Olga Sarrado Mur/Arcive

#Ethiopia: #Amhara region Public Health Institute said that a #Cholera outbreak in the region has claimed the lives of 76 people in West #Gonder zone in #Qwara district alone.

The outbreak, including in areas where there are ongoing clashes between government security forces and the non-state #Fano militia are happening, further compounds reports of more than one million people who are in need of emergency food assistance due to #drought.

Abraham Amsalu, Director of the Institute for Prevention and Control of Public Health Disasters, said that "the cholera outbreak is spreading" and is testing a region gripped by conflict and drought. He added that the latest cholera outbreak is reported in Debre Birhan city over the last last three days. https://addisstandard.com/Amharic/?p=1901

#Ethiopia: #Gonder City restricts movement of three-wheeled Bajajs effective today

The Police Department in the historic city of Gonder, in Amhara regional state, has announced a new restriction on three-wheeled vehicles (Bajajs) due to what it said were "increasing trends of kidnappings" by armed forces.

Accordingly, effective today at 6:00 PM local time, Bajajs, which are critical means of public transport, will be prohibited from operating in the city.

The City's Police Department head, Assistant Commissioner Ayelign Taklo, stated that there has been a recent "surge in kidnappings by criminal groups in the city." To combat this "serious security threat to the community" the government is implementing various measures, Gonder City Communication Bureau said.

Some 27 three-wheeled vehicles are detained "suspected of involvement in various crimes" including lack of license plates.

Read more at: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1804517222980735364

#Op_ed: Beyond Visible Infrastructures: Untold success stories of #Addis_Abeba corridor development

In this op-ed, Miessa Elema Robe (PhD), head of the Press Secretariat at the Addis Abeba City Administration, explores the successes of Addis Abeba's corridor development initiative. The piece highlights how this project, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Mayor Adanech Abiebie, has transformed the city beyond just physical infrastructure.

According to the author, the corridor development has significantly changed the working culture in Addis Abeba. The op-ed claims that city leadership, contractors, and laborers have shown unprecedented dedication, working around the clock to ensure the project's success.

The piece also emphasizes how the initiative has reconciled previously conflicting infrastructures. Miessa states that electricity, telecommunications, and water services have been integrated in a way that saves resources and improves efficiency.

The op-ed lastly suggests that this development model is inspiring other Ethiopian cities. The author notes that cities like #Gonder, #Adama, and #Shashamanne are now considering or implementing similar projects, potentially sparking an urban renaissance across Ethiopia.

https://addisstandard.com/beyond-visible-infrastructures-untold-success-stories-of-addis-abeba-corridor-development/