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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government could easily recruit one million new fighters but wants to foster a period of "silence" in the country's war-hit Tigray region.
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.
Disturbing details of mass killings are being reported in the northern region of Ethiopia after an ongoing feud between opposing political groups escalated to violence in recent days. While much of the details about the violence has been difficult to confirm due to a communication blackout in the area, Amnesty International said dozens of people, potentially hundreds, were stabbed or hacked to death on Monday in the town of Mai-Kadra in the Tigray region. According to CBS News, tensions escalated last week when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an attack on local officials in Tigray, accusing them of attacking a military base in the region. Civilians are now caught up in the ongoing violence between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. With roads blocked in the area and journalists unable to get access, Amnesty International used its Crisis Evidence Lab to digitally verify graphic photographs and videos of dead bodies in Mai-Kadra. "We have...
She is also a parent to two children attending school at Vhulaudzi Secondary School.
In her affidavit she explains how her family's life has been affected by her children not receiving any meals through the NSNP at their school during this lockdown.
SECTION27 and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) have approached the court on behalf of a number of learners, parents, teachers and school governing bodies in an attempt to get the government to feed millions of children who have gone hungry since the schools closed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
SECTION27 and EELC have filed a number of affidavits on behalf of their clients - Equal Education and the School Governing Bodies of two schools.
Maverick Citizen has been given access to affidavits from the SECTION27 and EELC clients and they make for harrowing reading.
\"Serious violations of international law, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, may have been committed,\"- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned a \"surge in murders of women and children\", after the body of a young woman was found dumped under a tree in Dobsonville, Soweto, on Friday.
Since the country entered alert Level 3 of the Covid-19 lockdown on 1 June, there has been a surge in gender-based violence and femicide, the president said in a statement on Saturday.
During these visits they will be engaging with communities on this upsurge in gender-based violence, Ramaphosa said.
Citing the case of 36-year-old Sibongiseni Gabada from Khayelitsha who was found murdered last month, the president said survivors of gender-based violence believe the criminal justice is failing them.
The president has urged communities to work with the police and report any information they may have to Crime Stop on 08600 10111, send an anonymous SMS to Crime Line at 32211 or call the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre at 0800 428 428.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonSunday show preview: Congress debates police reform legislation after George Floyd killing Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use 'force with compassion' The Hill's Coronavirus Report: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan says there will be consequences from fraying US-China relations; WHO walks back claims on asymptomatic spread of virus MORE said Sunday that arguing over President Trump Donald John TrumpMelania Trump is 'behind-the-scenes' but 'unbelievably influential': book Police unions face lobbying fights at all levels of government Ernst challenger leads by three points in tight Iowa Senate race MORE’s claim that he’s the best president for African Americans since former President Lincoln “is not productive.”
ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos George Robert StephanopoulosPelosi: Presidents should not 'fuel the flame' National security adviser defends Trump tweets: The president 'wants to de-escalate violence' Sanders pushes back on doubts supporters will back Biden MORE asked Carson whether he stands by the president’s claim in a Thursday Fox News interview that he's “done more for the black community than any other president” besides Lincoln.
Carson responded by citing some of the administration's accomplishments, including promoting opportunity zones, prison reform, and regular and increased funding for historically black colleges and universities.
Stephanopoulos pushed the secretary, asking if Trump should \"stop making that comparison.\"
The ABC host noted that other presidents have also taken steps to benefit the black community, including former President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act and former President Eisenhower sending troops to enforce the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
Tigray forces entered the Amhara town of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site for its rock-hewn churches, on Thursday
Ethiopian forces blocked people from the country's embattled Tigray region from crossing into Sudan on Thursday at the busiest crossing point for refugees, Sudanese forces said.
Their account follows allegations by refugees in previous days of Ethiopian forces stopping people from fleeing the month-old deadly conflict in Tigray.
The Sudanese forces, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the events, said people tried to cross from Ethiopia around 6 a.m. to Hamdayet in Sudan but were stopped, and refugees waiting on the Sudan side became upset and began throwing rocks.
The Sudanese forces then cleared the area, and on Thursday evening they confirmed that the border crossing remained closed.
Tensions have been rising at the border in recent days as the flow of Ethiopians crossing has slowed to hundreds per day from several thousands.
A senior Ethiopian government official who has served as spokesman during the conflict did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
End fighting
The European Union's crisis management commissioner Thursday urged the Ethiopian government to restore communications in its northern Tigray region and called on both sides to cease hostilities.
\"I urge... the Ethiopian authorities to lift the communication blockade,\" Janez Lenarcic said at Um Raquba camp in neighboring Sudan, where he spoke with Ethiopian refugees who had fled their homeland over the last month.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last month ordered military operations against the northern Ethiopian region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in response to what he said were attacks on Ethiopian federal army camps.
Tens of thousands of refugees have since poured into eastern Sudan, with many complaining that they have not been able to re-establish contact with those left behind or lost on the scramble to leave due to a communications blackout.
\"I spoke with a number of refugees in this camp today and what is perhaps most painful to hear is that they have zero information... about their relatives and friends who stayed behind,\" Lenarcic said.
Abiy on Saturday claimed the conflict was over after federal troops took control of the Tigrayan capital, Mekele, but the TPLF threatened a full-scale counter-offensive on Wednesday.
Lenarcic also urged Ethiopia's government to provide access for humanitarian workers and goods, while calling on both sides to \"cease the hostilities\".
Ethiopia has formally granted the United Nations access to deliver aid to Tigray.
AFP
Gauteng's Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is self-isolating after two staff members tested positive for Covid-19, Premier David Makhura revealed on Friday.
\"Like all other patients, affected staff and their family members are receiving care and treatment in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols,\" he added.
Staff members who were in contact with those who contracted the virus have been tested and would follow protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
\"Once a staff member tests positive, we also trace their contacts.
\"It is everyone's responsibility to play our part and take the necessary precautionary measures to stop the spread of Covid-19,\" he concluded.
The United Nations said Friday fighting is ongoing in several parts of northern Tigray despite victory statements by the Ethiopian federal government.
The UN says the development is complicating its efforts to bring aid to the northern Ethiopian region. Spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Addis Ababa, Saviano Abreu described the situation as ‘’worrying and complex’’.
Tigray has been cut off from supplies since November 4. The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent federal army to attack forces of the ruling TPLF in the region.
On Wednesday, the UN signed a deal with the Ethiopian government and gained unrestricted access to the region to provide badly needed humanitarian relief.
A week ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed claimed victory. He said that military operation was successful, adding that the fighting was over after capturing the regional capital of Mekele.
Four weeks of fighting has forced some 45,500 people to flee to neighboring Sudan. And an unknown number of men, women and children have been displaced inside Tigray.
June 15: Technical teams continue meetings
\tFollowing the first day of talks between Somalia and Somaliland, technical teams led by the respective leaders have entered talks as of today, according to reports.
Whiles the host, Djibouti president Omar Guelleh is sitting through the talks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia – who was part of the opening ceremony over the weekend, has since returned home.
June 14: Djibouti hosts Somali – Somaliland summit
\tDjibouti president said it was time for a rebirth of the Somali nation as leaders of Somalia and Somaliland met in Djibouti city on Sunday.
Djibouti president confirms Farmaajo – Bihi meeting, Abiy invited
\tDjibouti president Ismail Omar Guelleh has confirmed the meeting between Somalia and Somaliland leaders.
Somalia, Somaliland leaders to meet in Djibouti next week
\tPresident Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo of Somalia will meet with Somaliland leader Muse Bihi next week in neighbouring Djibouti, multiple sources have confirmed.
[Nation] French President Emmanuel Macron has called for dialogue between the Ethiopian government and a rebel group, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), in order to get a lasting solution to the conflict in the Tigray region, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
UNICEF said some 2.3 million minors are struggling to access treatment for malnourishment, critical vaccines, emergency medicines, water and sanitation.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Ethiopia's security forces shot at and detained United Nations staffers as they tried to reach part of the embattled Tigray region, a senior official said yesterday, and he blamed the US staffers for trying to reach areas where 'they were not supposed to go'.
Dina Mufti says \"sanctions are not necessary for the US to send its message across the country\" and that it is Ethiopia that has to \"deal with its internal affairs.\"
A company called R Investments is working on the two major crises that America is facing today, systemic racism and COVID-19, by transforming the process of education and preparing a new workforce that is ready to begin careers after learning a trade.
His training program makes its investment into human capital first and after those dividends are cashed life changes in the community for the individuals whose lives have been transformed.
Over the last 14 years, the “R Academy” has been training homeless people while investing in the lives of convicted felons who are re-entering society and the workforce by arming them with trades that give them a sense of empowerment.
Through the R Investments program, Rankins became a trained electrician and is now self-sufficient living in Nashville, TN.
Gordy is currently the National Material Manager for R Investments where he oversees the procurement of supplies for work sites in four cities.
[VOA] Mekelle, Edaga Hamus, Ethiopia -- Fifteen-year-old Beriha lost one eye in the war and was permanently blinded in the other.
June 13: Mauritius lifts lockdown, beaches to reopen
\tMauritius has been cited as an example in the fight against the COVID-19.
VIDEO
May 30: Mauritius ends lockdown
\tMauritius’ lockdown will be lifted midnight Saturday, May 30 per Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s announcement on Friday.
Confirmed cases = 335
Number of deaths = 10
Recoveries = 322
Active cases = 3
\tAll stats valid as at May 30, 2020 07:00 GMT
May 12: Mauritius virus-free after total recoveries
\tMauritius declared total recoveries from coronavirus infections as of May 11, 2020.
May 4: No new case in 8 days amid lockdown extension
\tMauritius recorded no new COVID-19 cases for the past eight days, according to statistics provided by the National Communication Committee on Monday 4 May.
The sanitary curfew put in place on March 20, and which should have ended today, has been extended until June 1, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced last Friday.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said he had ordered a military response to a deadly attack by the ruling party of the Tigray region on a camp housing federal troops.
