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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Monday the Tigray region's dissident leaders had fled west of the regional capital after weeks of fighting but indicated federal forces were monitoring them closely and would attack them soon.
Abiy, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, this month ordered military operations against leaders of Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in response to what he said were TPLF-organised attacks on Ethiopian federal army camps.
More than three weeks of fighting between federal soldiers and pro-TPLF forces has left thousands dead in the northern region, and prompted tens of thousands of refugees to flee across the border into Sudan.
"I want them to hear me: yesterday evening, around midnight, we saw them from the situation room in the area between Hagere Selam and Abiy Addi," Abiy said in remarks to lawmakers, referring to two towns west of the Tigray capital Mekele.
"We didn't attack them at night because as they retreated they took their wives, children and abducted soldiers... But this will not continue."
The fighting has been a dramatic escalation of tensions between Abiy and the leaders of the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before anti-government protests swept Abiy to office in 2018.
Abiy said on Saturday the military operations were "completed" after federal forces claimed control of the Tigray regional capital Mekele.
The TPLF leaders, however, have repeatedly vowed to fight on as long as federal forces are on Tigrayan soil.
Their exact whereabouts remain unknown.
'Mekele is ours'
As the Ethiopian military bore down on Mekele last week, global concern mounted about a possible bloodbath in a city that, before the conflict, had a population of half a million.
A communications blackout in Tigray has made it difficult to verify claims from both sides about how the fighting is going.
On Monday, Abiy claimed soldiers did not kill any civilians as they took over Mekele and other cities in Tigray.
"Mekele is ours, it was built with our own resources. We are not going to destroy it," he said. "Not even a single person was harmed by the operation in Mekele."
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday that hospitals in Mekele were flooded with trauma patients, though it did not specify how the injuries were sustained.
Abiy also dismissed claims from TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael that airstrikes had resulted in many civilian casualties.
As Abiy tries to shift towards helping Tigray recover, the national human rights body called Monday for telecommunications to be restored and for water, electricity, and health services to resume.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is government-affiliated but independent, also noted "complaints of ethnic profiling" including "forced leave from work" and travel restrictions.
"EHRC is gravely concerned that while there is no government policy nor legal framework condoning ethnic profiling, security measures designed t
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.
It's been a year since the earliest-known COVID-19 transmission took place - and looking back at the first news reports on the virus is a haunting exercise.
The interesting thing about this pandemic is that, unlike a friend’s choice to go vegan or buy a dog from a breeder, this is temporary. Very temporary. It might be a shame to make a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance.
[DW] African leaders are trying to alleviate tensions in Tigray as Ethiopia said it had seized another town. But Addis Ababa said mediation was a long way off and denied suggestions it had targeted civilian locations.
Armed criminals killed 60 people in a string of attacks on villages in the restive northwest of Nigeria, medics and residents said Thursday.
Dozens of gunmen — described locally as “bandits — riding motorcycles raided five villages in Sabon Birni district in Sokoto state late Wednesday, the sources told AFP.
“We received a total of 60 dead bodies and several people with gunshot injuries from the villages attacked by the bandits last night,” a nurse at the general hospital in Sabon Birni said.
On Monday 18 people were killed when gunmen raided five other villages in Sabon Birni district, local officials said.
Nigeria’s armed forces last week launched bombing raids against “bandit” camps in neighbouring areas of the northwest as part of the latest efforts to curb attacks.
THE team which is set to represent Zimbabwe in the 2020 men’s Under-17 Cosafa Championship has been presented with a golden opportunity to prove its mettle, following Cosafa’s announcement that two top performing players will be rewarded with a life-changing trip to Spain for training and rehabilitation at selected La Liga Santander teams. BY TERRY MADYAUTA The Cosafa tournament is set to commence on Thursday, ending on November 29. The same opportunity was extended to the Under-17 girls whose tourney ended last week, with Zimbabwe performing dismally. However the boys hope to do better and get the chance to be trained in Spain. Eddie Mashiri leads the team as head coach, and though his selection has been questioned, the former Dynamos player hopes to silence his critics. Cosafa secretary-general Sue Destombes said the initiative marked the beginning of developmental engagements with La Liga. “This experience will be much more than just in the sights and sounds of Spain, it will show the two girls and two boys what it takes to be a professional player overseas. “For most of the players who took part in the tournament, the dream is to be a professional footballer and for women across our southern African region, that is now an attainable goal. “La Liga is one of the most prestigious football competitions in the world and learning on their experience and expertise will be a huge benefit for our members. “But it takes hard work and dedication as well as skill and so a first-hand glimpse of what is required,” she said. La Liga managing director for southern Africa Marcos Pelegrin said: “For La Liga, it is a great pleasure to provide the platform for both the boys and girls to go to Spain and get experience on how development football is for our Santander teams. “They will get a chance to train with some teams and to compare themselves with Spanish equivalents. “Also, if COVID-19 allows, we are hoping that they will get to watch one live La Liga Santander game. “This trip will be great for their football development but even greater for their personal development. “They will get to experience a different culture and expand their knowledge. “This is the first project that we run with Cosafa since the signing of our agreement and we are looking forward to running more projects with them.” Follow Terry on Twitter @madyautatpm
[Nation] The Covid-19 pandemic has handed Kenyan fishermen an unexpected boon after fish imports from China dropped to Sh993.62 million in the last nine months of the year, compared to the Sh2.03 billion in 2019.
… , she would be the first African American to lead the CEA. NPR … she would be the first African American to head the council.
GARCIA … is - a couple of African Americans, a lot of women. Again …
Born on the Grest Farm in Liberty County, Georgia, on August 6, 1848, Susie Baker King Taylor was raised as an enslaved person. Her mother was a domestic servant for the Grest family. At the age of 7, Baker and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Savannah. Even with the strict laws against formal education of African Americans, they both attended two secret schools taught by black women. Baker soon became a skilled reader and writer.
By 1860, having been taught everything these two black educators could offer, Baker befriended two white individuals, a girl and boy, who also offered to teach her lessons even though they knew it violated Georgia law and custom.
The Civil War brought Baker her freedom but not immediately. On April 1, 1862, at age 14, Baker was sent back to the country to live with her mother around the time Federal forces attacked nearby Fort Pulaski. When the fort was captured by the Union Army, Baker fled with her uncle’s family and other African Americans to Union-occupied St. Simons Island where she claimed her freedom. Since most African Americans did not have an extensive education, word of Baker’s knowledge and intelligence spread among the Army officers on the island.
Five days after her arrival, Baker was offered books and school supplies by Commodore Louis M. Goldsborough if she agreed to organize a school for the children on St. Simon’s Island. Baker accepted the offer and became the first black teacher to openly instruct African American students in Georgia. By day she taught children and at night she instructed adults. Baker met and married her first husband, Edward King, a black non-commissioned officer in the Union Army, while teaching at St. Simon Island.
For the next three years, Susie Baker King traveled with her husband’s regiment, working as a laundress while teaching black Union soldiers how to read and write during their off-duty hours. She also served as a nurse, helping camp doctors care for injured soldiers.
In 1866, the Kings returned to
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to cancel interest-free debt owed by \"relevant\" African countries as part of Beijing's move to help the continent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a speech to a group of African leaders Wednesday, Mr Xi indicated that he will work with other international lenders to cushion African countries most affected by the novel coronavirus to enable them ride out the crisis.
Mr Xi spoke directly to African leaders via video link for the first time since the virus broke out.
\"Within the FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) framework, China will cancel the debt of relevant African countries in the form of interest-free government loans that are due to mature by the end of 2020,\" Xi told his audience, among them South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta and Senegal's Macky Sall, as well as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
\"For those African countries that are hardest hit by the coronavirus and are under heavy financial stress, China will work with the global community to give them greater support, by such means as further extending the period of debt suspension, to help them tide over the current difficulty,\" he added.
Ethiopia has said that forces loyal to the ruling party in the Tigray region had fired into neighbouring Amhara region.
Cotton appeared on Fox News where he offered, “[I]f necessary, the president should use the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military forces to these cities to support our local law enforcement and ensure that this violence ends tonight . . .not one more night.”
In cartoonish fashion, the president announced the unleashing of thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers on the community of Washington, D. C. to, as he proclaimed, “Stop the violence. . .”
In other words, the military was being deployed in Washington, D.C. where a large Black community exists with no real political leverage because succeeding Congresses—during both Democratic and Republican administrations—have failed to work for its statehood in any meaningful way.
Instead, governors are relying on local law enforcement and National Guard resources on active duty within their respective states to support local police; unfortunately, because Washington, D. C. is not a state and does not have a governor, it is at the mercy of the president in this regard.
Readers may recall the antics of former Republican President George W. Bush during the Katrina disaster when he allegedly tried again and again to convince former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco to agree to a similar action and surrender command of her state’s National Guard troops to the federal government.
However, there are statutory exceptions—like the Insurrection Act—which allow the president to use military force to suppress insurrection or to enforce federal authority, as well as exceptions that permit the Department of Defense to provide federal, state, and local police with information equipment, and personnel.
… rights laws as the first African-American assistant attorney general for civil … century. He was the first African-American member of the group. He … him to be the first African American Assistant Attorney General for the …
It has been widely reported that up to 50 Black British people are at risk of deportation on a flight to Jamaica tomorrow. In the midst of all the headlines, the people whose lives could massively change tomorrow are sometimes overlooked. Movement for Justice, a campaign group is in touch with a number of them. They have sent us information about them, and we wanted to share it with you here.
[HRW] Nairobi -- The Ethiopian government and Tigray regional authorities should protect people and property at risk from the fighting, Human Rights Watch said today. Amid credible reports of increasing casualties, the authorities on both sides should facilitate access for humanitarian groups, stop interrupting essential services, and immediately restore communication services in the region.
A tribute to Argentine legend Mardona at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris just before Seria A game Parma against Genoa.
At the end of 90 minutes, it was Parma's night with a brace for Ivorian star Gervinho.
The 33 year old putting up an impressive display to give Parma a 2-1 win.
Gervinho put Parma ahead 10 minutes in, latching on to a through ball from Juraj Kucka before firing beyond Alberto Paleari.
Two minutes into the second half, the former Arsenal forward doubled the lead.
The victory ensured Parma climbed to the 16th spot on the Serie A table after gathering nine points from nine games.
Mali Still Under Plagued by a Jihadist Presence
Islamist jihadists launched several attacks in the North of Africa. French army bases in Kidal, Gao, Ménaka in northern Mali were targeted by rocket and shell fire on Monday.
According to the French army spokesman Thomas Romiguier, only the base of (Minusma) located near the French camp in Kidal suffered some damage.
The attack — claimed by the Sahel branch of Al-Qaeda was condemned by the United Nations whose source from within their mission in Kidal reported about ten shells.
This was one of several Al Qaeda-linked terrorist affronts in the North of Africa as Barkhane forces were simultaneously targeted on Monday morning in northern Mali — which has been the setting of jihadist violence since 2012 in spite of the efforts from the UN and foreign allies to subdue the crisis.
[Nation] Two former Mayors of Nairobi have said they support the city's current special status, where the national government, through the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), has control of four key functions previously under the county government.
[Africa Check] Claims
