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Ethiopia has swept up thousands of ethnic Tigrayans into detention centers across the country on accusations that they are traitors, often holding them for months and without charges, The Associated Press has found
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.
Your Excellency,
Re: Immediate and urgent measures to protect the rights of prison detainees in Tanzania
We the undersigned non-governmental human rights organizations, welcome your government's measures to halt the spread of COVID-19, including closing schools, discouraging public gatherings, informing the public, and establishing three Cabinet committees to lead the response.
As other countries' experiences show, the failure to take measures to decongest prisons can lead to prison riots In response to COVID-19, and the threat to prison populations, neighboring countries like Uganda, in addition to pardoning certain convicted persons, have undertaken to urgently review cases of pre-trial detainees.
Currently, while measures are in place for courts to continue to hear some criminal matters through video conferencing, there has been no publicized directive or collaboration between the offices of the Prosecutor General, the Judiciary, or the legal profession to prioritize reducing the number of detainees, particularly those in pre-trial detention.
We therefore respectfully urge that you consult with relevant stakeholders, including the Honourable Minister of Health, the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Honourable Chief Justice, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Inspector General of Prisons, the Tanganyika Law Society, and other civil society organizations, to put in place a comprehensive COVID-19 plan of action to decongest Tanzania's prisons.
Pending cases not previously scheduled for hearing can be expedited to facilitate early disposition of the case;
During this COVID-19 period, authorities should refrain from arresting people for crimes that do not involve serious offenses, and then only arrest if the person would pose a specific and known risk of harm to others, issuing citations instead;
Prisoners who do not meet the criteria for conditional or unconditional release should not be isolated from legal counsel or relatives.
[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.
"Abiy's government announcement of a unilateral cease-fire should be treated with the contempt - TPLF spokesperson
UN says most of the troubled region remains ‘inaccessible’ for aid workers amid growing hunger due to ongoing fighting.
Two international aid groups said Tuesday that the Ethiopian government had suspended part or all of their operations.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says the government wants a \"peaceful, democratic\" election
Attorneys and activists representing 10 ICE detainees at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, TX filed a petition in federal court last night demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately release detainees needlessly put at risk of severe injury or death from COVID-19 due to ICE officials’ careless detention policies.
In the midst of the worst pandemic in a century, ICE transported a plane of over 80 people, some of whom had already tested positive for COVID-19, to Prairieland without taking the necessary precautions to make sure those people and others who were exposed were safe.
Prairieland currently holds nearly 500 people and, as of May 14, ICE had confirmed 45 cases of COVID-19 among the detained population there.
“Despite repeated warnings from public health experts, ICE refuses to implement the most basic of steps to protect people detained at Prairieland and the result is a dangerous and scary reality for those detained there, those that work there, and the local community.
“Detention cannot and should not be a death sentence — not for the detainees, not for the people who work in ICE facilities, and not for the people in surrounding communities.”
Today, two U.S. lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., are asking the Department of Homeland Security to keep Constant detained until the Haitian government provides a plan to ensure the safety of his victims in Haiti and his prosecution under Haitian law.
The letter said, “There is substantial reason to believe that the Haitian government will not be willing to protect its citizens from Mr. Constant.”
“Sending Mr. Constant to Haiti at this time, without a credible plan by the Haitian government to prosecute him for his past crimes and protect the people of Haiti from potential future crimes, is dangerously irresponsible.
We, therefore, urge the Department of Homeland Security to detain Mr. Constant in the United States, in accordance with the law, until the Haitian government provides a plan to handle Mr. Constant’s arrival safely and prosecute him under Haitian law.”
They pointed out that similar convict, Jean-Robert Gabriel was convicted in absentia for the 2004 massacre in Raboteau, and is currently a member of the high command of Haiti’s army, made by current Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, who is currently governing by decree after the country failed to hold legislative elections on time.
[Monitor] The High Court in Masaka has informed the lawyers of two MPs; Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) and Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) that it's not ready to handle the bail application.
Pvt. Felix Hall was barely an adult when he was found hanging from a tree on a segregated Army base in Georgia in 1941. His killers were never prosecuted but 80 years later, the US Army has unveiled a memorial to honor the Black soldier who is the only known victim of a lynching on a US military installation.
Just one day after putting out a dire emergency warning, Ethiopia's federal government has agreed to allow the United Nations "unimpeded" humanitarian access to parts of the northern Tigray region, according to a UN spokesperson.
Tunis/Tunisia — The mobile microbiological laboratory under the Directorate General of Military Health in Douz, from May 2 to 16, 2020, conducted a total of 1,161 tests for Covid-19 in the Kebili governorate before leaving the region on Sunday.
The mobile military laboratory's role was to boost efforts of the public sector in the Covid-19 screening tests to stem the spread of the virus, especially in the Kalaa locality (north Douz), considered as \"a virus cluster.\"
In a statement to TAP, Head of the laboratory Colonel Major Pharmacist Mohamed Ben Moussa said the laboratory had conducted 1,161 tests during its mission in Kebili governorate.
The laboratory also took 581 swabs from citizens living mainly in the localities of Kalaa and Douz.
The laboratory also conducted 43 tests on the staff of the hotel accommodating the military and medical personnel and housing the mobile laboratory.
[Dalsan Radio] Somalia's new foreign minister, Mohamed Abdirqzak, has for the first time responded to the ongoing war in Ethiopia.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Thursday that President Donald Trump will resume campaign rallies on Juneteenth, a holiday marking the emancipation of slaves, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city with a history of a racial massacre.
She claimed Trump will “share some of the progress that has been made” for black Americans — but that explanation is being rejected by many African American leaders.
Texas congressman and Congressional Black Caucus member Al Green tweeted: “Trump rally with rebel flags (a symbol of slavery and racism) in Tulsa, OK (the place of #TulsaMassacre) on Juneteenth (a day of emancipation recognition) is more than a slap in the face to African Americans; it is overt racism from the highest office in the land.
The Tulsa rally, Trump’s first since March 2, comes amid a national reckoning on systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police officers, and a pandemic disproportionately impacting minority communities from both health and economic perspectives.
McEnany continued Thursday to make an illogical argument defending the President’s decision rejecting renaming 10 US military bases named after Confederate leaders, claiming Thursday that the bases are defined by people who serve there and not those they are named after.
Global NGO Save the Children says more than 1.7 million children and adults are displaced as a result of Ethiopia's Tigray conflict.
[The Conversation Africa] After two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later for logistical challenges, millions of Ethiopians go to the polls on Monday. Held in the midst of historic domestic challenges - not least a war in Tigray region and instability in Western Oromia region - this election will be significant for several reasons. Here is why.
This articles lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the articles talk page. (March 2010)
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; French: Organisation de lunité africaine (OUA)) was established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, with 32 signatory governments.[1] It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairperson, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union (AU).
The OAU had the following primary aims:
To co-ordinate and intensify the co-operation of African states in order to achieve a better life for the people of Africa.[1]
To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of African states.
The OAU was also dedicated to the eradication of all forms of colonialism and white minority rule as, when it was established, there were several states that had not yet won their independence or were white minority-ruled. South Africa and Angola were two such countries. The OAU proposed two ways of ridding the continent of colonialism and white minority rule. Firstly, it would defend the interests of independent countries and help to pursue the independence those of still-colonised ones. Secondly, it would remain neutral in terms of world affairs, preventing its members from being controlled once more by outside powers.
A Liberation Committee was established to aid independence movements and look after the interests of already-independent states. The OAU also aimed to stay neutral in terms of global politics, which would prevent them from being controlled once more by outside forces – an especial danger with the Cold War.
The OAU had other aims, too:
Ensure that all Africans enjoyed human rights.
Raise the living standards of all Africans.
Settle arguments and disputes between members – not through fighting but rather peaceful and diplomatic negotiation.
Soon after achieving independence, a number of
At least 16 people were knifed to death weeks after being taken hostage in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east, in bloodletting blamed on armed Islamists, military and local sources say.
Press Release - Government Should Step Up Release of Detainees
WASHINGTON, DC, United States (AP) — President Donald Trump said yesterday that his Administration will “not even consider” changing the name of any of the 10 army bases that are named for Confederate Army officers.
Name changes have not been proposed by the army or the Pentagon, but on Monday, Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy indicated in response to questions from reporters that they were “open to a bipartisan discussion” of renaming bases such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Benning in Georgia.
Supporters of disassociating military bases from Confederate army officers argue that they represent the racism and divisiveness of the Civil War era and glorify men who fought against the United States.
The US military recently began rethinking its traditional connection to Confederate army symbols, including the Army base names, mindful of their divisiveness at a time the nation is wrestling with questions of race after the death of George Floyd in police hands.
David Petraeus, a retired four-star army general, said the renaming move, which he supports, amounts to a “war of memory”, and that before deciding to rename bases like Fort Bragg, where he served with the 82nd Airborne Division, the Army must be ready to follow its own procedures for such change.
A United Nations migration official says at least five people, including a woman and a child, drowned when a boat carrying at least 45 Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya.
Even as the spotlight shone on the South Sudan political class over what was described as unbridled looting of state resources, a new report points fingers at military leaders, including former army chief of staff Paul Malong, accusing them of joining in the thieving band.
Four former army chiefs of staff — Gabriel Jok Riak, James Hoth Mai, Paul Malong Awan, and Oyay Deng Ajak — feature prominently in the report titled Making A Killing: South Sudanese Military Leaders’ Wealth Explained, just as military leaders close to President Salva Kiir such as Salva Mathok Gengdit, Bol Akot Bol, Garang Mabil, and Marial Chanuong.
The Sentry details each of these military figures’ corporate holdings in South Sudan with possible conflict of interest, connections to the international financial system, or indicators of corruption and money laundering
The import of the report is that military leaders who have blood and friendship links with President Kiir and those who have committed atrocities to deter the forces of former rebel leader Dr Riek Machar, have been awarded lucrative contracts and blank cheques to loot the country’s resources, in the face of weak oversight mechanisms in the military.
NIGHTTIME CASH WITHDRAWALS
According to documents reviewed by The Sentry, each one of the four former chiefs of staff has moved unexplained wealth through international banks and purchased luxury real estate properties abroad valued at far more than what public servant salaries would allow.
The report says that Gen Malong, who was the Chief of Staff from April 2014 to May 2017, would withdraw millions in foreign currency from the Bank of South Sudan after hours or on weekends on an almost weekly basis, for the purchase of “military equipment”.
[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.
Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation, coupled with a severe food crisis, hyperinflation and cash shortages paint the correct picture and the state of affairs in the barracks which Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri laid out in Parliament, is a microcosm of the larger situation in the country.
Given the situation on the ground, morale is very low in the barracks as much as it is low in hospitals, schools and all over and we can never be safe as a nation if the men and women in uniform charged with keeping us secure are hungry.
Put simply, we are a hungry nation and given an option, the men and women in uniform would do what the nurses are doing now: down tools to register their displeasure, but they cannot.
Muchinguri correctly represented her constituency and in doing so, confirmed that no one was taking care of the important men and women at the centre of protecting our territorial integrity, risking their lives in doing that.
If the soldiers are hungry and in a state of poverty, who then will defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of the country?
TACOMA, USA – U.S. Army Soldiers recently performed live-fire training at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in collaboration with the Braves Company in Washington on Feb. 19. In a recently released video, the Fourth Battalion and 23rd Infantry Regiment U.S. Army troops assigned to the Braves Company can be seen during a fire training in North Fort Lewis, which is a […]
The post VIDEO: US Army-Braves Company Execute Live Fire Training first appeared on The Florida Star | The Georgia Star.
Sudan has called for a ceasefire and dialogue in neighbouring Ethiopia, warning of regional instability, as fighting intensified in war-hit Tigray region across the border.
