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Global NGO Save the Children says more than 1.7 million children and adults are displaced as a result of Ethiopia's Tigray conflict.
He replaces Debretsion Gebremichael, whose immunity from prosecution was removed Thursday.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Thursday that scores of civilians were killed in a \"massacre\" in the Tigray region, that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party.
The \"massacre\" is the first reported incident of large-scale civilian fatalities in a week-old conflict between the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
\"Amnesty International can today confirm... that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the southwest of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November,\" the rights group said in a report.
Amnesty said it had \"digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.\"
The dead \"had gaping wounds that appear to have been inflicted by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes,\" Amnesty said, citing witness accounts.
Witnesses said the attack was carried out by TPLF-aligned forces after a defeat at the hands of the Ethiopian military, though Amnesty said it \"has not been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings\".
It nonetheless called on TPLF commanders and officials to \"make clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks on civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes\".
Abiy ordered military operations in Tigray on November 4, saying they were prompted by a TPLF attack on federal military camps -- a claim the party denies.
The region has been under a communications blackout ever since, making it difficult to verify competing claims on the ground.
Abiy said Thursday his army had made major gains in western Tigray.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled across the border into neighboring Sudan, and the UN is sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
Nigeria must urgently address its failure to protect and provide education to an entire generation of children in the Northeast, a region devastated by years of Boko Haram atrocities and gross violations by the military, Amnesty International warned today in a chilling new report.
The 91-page report, 'We dried our tears': Addressing the toll on children of Northeast Nigeria's conflict, examines how the military's widespread unlawful detention and torture have compounded the suffering of children from Borno and Adamawa states who faced war crimes and crimes against humanity at the hands of Boko Haram.
Between November 2019 and April 2020, Amnesty International interviewed more than 230 people affected by the conflict, including 119 who were children when they suffered serious crimes by Boko Haram, the Nigerian military, or both.
Military detention
Children who escape Boko Haram territory face a raft of violations by the Nigerian authorities, also including crimes under international law.
A 14-year-old boy whom Boko Haram abducted as a young child before he fled and was placed in detention by the Nigerian military, said: \"The conditions in Giwa are horrible.
[New Republic] The Liberian government on Saturday said it has set up a commission to probe an attack on two opposition leaders in Grand Gedeh county, a statement from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said.
[DW] Hundreds have died in the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region and thousands more have fled. As the TPLF and Ahmed trade jabs, thousands of refugees are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Sudanese camps.
But the now-familiar scenes of U.S. police officers in riot gear clashing with protesters at Lafayette Park across from the White House and in other cities have police critics charging that the weaponry too often escalates tensions and hurts innocent people.
Protesters in Denver arrived at the hospital with injuries from police projectiles that caused one person to lose an eye and left three other people with permanent eye damage, said Prem Subramanian, a physician who operated on some victims following demonstrations late last month.
A protester takes a knee in front of San Jose Police officers during a protest on East Santa Clara Street in San Jose, Calif., on May 29, 2020, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Seattle’s mayor and police chief early this month banned tear gas for 30 days before a federal judge ordered the city to stop using pepper spray, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets.
In New York City, the nation’s largest police department has not used rubber bullets or tear gas during protests.
ZIMBABWE’S PRESIDENT has pledged to “flush out” those seeking to “divide” the country as anger...
The post Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa issues warning to critics appeared first on Voice Online.
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in a London court on Monday to fight a U.S. extradition request, at a high-stakes hearing that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Assange, who has spent almost a year and a half in a British prison, sat in the dock at the Old Bailey criminal court and formally refused the U.S. demand he be extradited to face trial on espionage charges. He wore a dark suit, white shirt and maroon tie, with glasses perched atop his neatly trimmed white hair. Several dozen supporters, including fashion designer […]
The post WikiLeaks' Assange in UK court to fight US extradition bid appeared first on Black News Channel.
The United Nations' food agency has said it has agreed to a deal with Ethiopia to expand access for aid workers and “scale up” operations in the war-hit Tigray region.
July 10: Hachalu’s ‘murders’ arrested
The Ethiopian government says it has identified three people believed to have been behind the killing of Hachalu Hundessa. According to the federal attorney general, Adanech Abeibe, the suspects have confessed to their crimes.
Two of the suspects are in custody whiles one is on the run. Tilahun Yami is identified at the gunman while Abdi Alemayehou is accused of being an accomplice. The suspects held three meetings with a their ‘instructors’ as they planned the murder, the attorney general added.
Authorities say that they were given instructions to undertake the killing by a group called Shane, which broke away from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). OLF is a former rebel group currently registered as a political party. It is one of the main opposition parties in the Oromia region.
The region was the epicenter of protests that killed over 230 people demanding justice for the famed musician who was shot dead in Addis Ababa. The government cut internet as protests began to spread last week.
The capital Addis Ababa also recorded significant violence. Calm has been restored by the government has kept an internet outage in place since July 30. Over 3,500 people were also arrested for their roles in instigating violence.
TPLF tells Ethiopia PM to face challenges, stop scapegoating
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July 2: Hachalu buried in Ambo, blast rocks Addis
The funeral of Oromo protest singer Hachalu Hundessa has been held in his hometown of Ambo in the Oromia regional state, the BBC reports.
The event was under heavy security as a sparse crowd joined the final rites for the artist whose killing earlier this week sparked spontaneous protests in parts of the country leading to at least 80 other deaths.
Pictures on national television show the funeral procession at a stadium in the singer’s hometown of Ambo, about 100km (62miles) west of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Photos courtesy: BBC Africa LIVE page
Meanwhile there are reports of a deadly blast in the capital Addis Ababa with most people on Twitter citing local police. It will be the fourth blast in the last few days. Police confirmed three blasts during protests against Hachalu’s murder on Tuesday.
“Reports coming in of blast in Ethiopian capital Addis. Possibly hand grenade. Scores killed,” Rashid Abdi, a researcher and analyst of the Horn of Africa tweeted.
A Reuters report also said police fired in the air to prevent mourners entering the Ambo stadium for the funeral. Members of the military, federal police and regional police were out in force, and two residents said police were firing in the air to deter mourners.
A live broadcast showed sparse numbers of people seated inside. One resident said large crowds had been turned away by police.
The slain singer’s wife, Santu Demi
[DW] Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said the government will launch more military attacks on the Tigray region. His announcement comes amid international calls for an end to hostilities.
Dear Editor,
Your excellent editorial of 30th August 2020 - entitled `The Death Penalty’ - states that, “Amnesty International has found, for example, that the murder rates in US states which do not have the death penalty are no higher than in those which do”.
The article Capital punishment reduces respect for sanctity of human life appeared first on Stabroek News.
Four weeks of hostilities in Ethiopia's Tigray region came to an end this week, according to the nation's head of state. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed […]
UNICEF said some 2.3 million minors are struggling to access treatment for malnourishment, critical vaccines, emergency medicines, water and sanitation.
Threats to kill women and babies, while corpses of fighters paraded in grotesque incidents
Banned anti-personnel landmines planted in civilian homes, with Russian military company Wagner implicated
'Commanders must publicly condemn these acts' - Diana Eltahawy
New evidence obtained by Amnesty International indicates that war crimes and other violations may have been committed between 13 April and 1 June by warring parties in Libya during the latest surge in fighting near Tripoli.
Amnesty is calling on all warring parties and associated forces in Libya to immediately halt attacks against civilians and other violations of international humanitarian law, including those being carried out to punish civilians for their perceived affiliations with rival groups.
In another video posted on social media on 30 April, again verified by Amnesty, a Government of National Accord-affiliated fighter is seen threatening \"Kaniyat forces\" (aligned with the Libyan National Army) that they would \"not to leave a single woman alive\" when they capture the town of Tarhuna, south-east of Tripoli.
Amnesty verified one video showing the Libyan National Army first infantry brigade parading fighters' corpses in a pick-up truck, while calling a captured Government of National Accord fighter a \"Syrian dog\" on 18 April.
Witnesses and a medical source confirmed to Amnesty that an attack launched by Libyan National Army forces on Souq Al-Talat on 31 May left at least three civilians dead and 11 wounded, including a child whose leg was amputated.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Fiery Tanzanian politician Godbless Lema, who was arrested in Kenya while fleeing persecution has been freed.
[Norwegian Refugee Council] Reacting to the ongoing access challenges into Ethiopia's Tigray region, Norwegian Refugee Council's Secretary General, Jan Egeland, said:
… and a virtual meeting with African American faith leaders. In the morning …
EIGHT CURRENT and former employees of Amnesty International UK (AIUK) have spoken out about their...
The post Former Amnesty staff ask bosses to stand down due to racism appeared first on Voice Online.
Protests against police brutality in Lagos turned bloody on Tuesday despite a state-wide curfew, with eyewitnesses telling CNN that multiple demonstrators have been shot by soldiers. Demonstrators have taken part in daily protests across the country for nearly two weeks over widespread claims of kidnapping, harassment, and extortion by a police unit know as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Tuesday […]
… ? No. I believe 25% of Black Americans and 50% of Hispanic Americans … own people,” Murray said. “The African American vote is going up for …
State reckons that several players, including Egypt with whom it is entangled in a row over the Grand Renaissance Dam, may have had a hand in fanning recent unrest.
Citing a 'continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts,' Amnesty International has shut its ...
Tension between Amhara and Tigray, two of Ethiopia's most powerful regions, is increasing as the country approaches elections next year, says a new International Crisis Group report.
But it is the dispute between the Amhara and Tigray regions, the new report says, that “is arguably the bitterest of these contests, fueled in part by rising ethnic nationalism in both regions.”
William Davison, the Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Ethiopia, tells VOA that Amhara citizens believe that several key zones, notably the Wolqait and Raya areas, were annexed by Tigray when the current Ethiopian federation was mapped out in the early 1990s.
Plans to hold a vote have led political elites in Tigray and Amhara to adopt increasingly hardline stances toward each other, the report says, noting a recent warning from Prime Minister Abiy that any such act would “result in harm to the country and the people.”
But Dessalegn Chanie Dagnew, chairman of the opposition National Movement of Amhara, said via a messaging app that Ethiopia’s regional map based on ethnic territories has been the root cause of many tensions, not just between the Amhara and Tigray regions, but many others.
Main opposition parties in the Oromia region – Abiy’s home region – have kicked against the HoF decision calling it a unilateral and illegal extension of the term of government.
“A political consensus whereby the views of the opposition political parties were taken into consideration and a climate of trust and fruitful collaboration was promoted would have been more likely to create an environment where the promised peaceful and comprehensive democratic transformation of Ethiopia would have been possible,” their statement read in part.
He has serially insisted that he did not fear elections and was ready to hand over power if he loses
\tThe Council of Constitutional Inquiry held public hearings last month on possible next steps, though critics said these were insufficiently inclusive of opposition voices.
Dawud Ibsa, chairman of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front, told AFP Wednesday that the House of Federation vote “does not have any constitutional basis”.
If major opposition parties reject the recommendations from the Council of Constitutional Inquiry, “protests or election boycotts could become a reality, reducing the chances of successful competitive polls in 2021,” said William Davison of the International Crisis Group (ICG), a conflict-prevention organisation.
A Full-Blown Air Attack
The “first round of operations\" against the forces of the state of Tigray in the well-armed northern region has been carried out in the form of airstrikes — as announced by Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday evening. Abiy also asserted that the offensive in multiple locations in the capital, Mekele “completely destroyed rockets and other heavy weapons\" in order to render any retaliatory attack impossible. The airstrikes were the Ethiopian government's military response to the recent attack on federal troops by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front ruling party — the \"last straw\" for the Prime Minister following months of political defiance and mounting regional tensions.
First Blood of Civil War?
There has been no mention of casualties as of yet nor has there been an immediate response from the Tigray government. The region continues under a six-month state of emergency imposed by the federal government.
Experts say that this marks a significant escalation in the inter-regional conflict that could result in an all-out civil war in one of Africa’s most powerful and populous countries.
Aid groups warn a humanitarian disaster is in the making if fighting continues, with the COVID-19 pandemic one of several crises.
It was not clear what mediation efforts might be underway and the African Union — based in Ethiopia, has not issued a statement.
As Ethiopia's 2021 election nears, a territorial dispute has flared between Amhara and Tigray, two northern regions.
Tigray and Amhara, the powerhouse regions of northern Ethiopia, are locked in a bitter land dispute exacerbated by national politicking that pits their elites against each other.
In late 2018, in north-western Amhara, local Amhara killed hundreds and displaced thousands of Qimant, an ethnic minority pursuing greater autonomy within the region, amid regional officials' claims that Tigray's ruling party is funding the self-rule campaign.
Were Tigray willing to instead grant political representation and language rights to minority populations in the territories, some Amhara officials have suggested this could help lead to an acceptable outcome.
The Amhara not only assert historical ownership of the land but also charge that TPLF rebels killed and uprooted Amhara in the disputed areas, thus altering the demographic balance in favour of Tigrinya speakers and laying the basis for a TPLF claim to the lands under Ethiopia's ethnic federal system.
[UN News] The dire shortage of food, water, fuel and cash in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia is seriously affecting people there, including aid workers, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, citing its humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
[The Conversation Africa] Ethiopia's government, under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is carrying out a military offensive in Tigray, Ethiopia's most northern state. A six month state of emergency has been declared in the region. Dozens of casualties have been reported amid fears that nine million people are at risk of being displaced.
[African Arguments] The war against the TPLF will not be quick or easy, and it already looks to be going badly for Eritrea's president.
