Ethiopia

Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its 13th-century cliffs in Ethiopia's Amhara region, was taken over by rebels from the nearby Tigray region, residents said on Thursday. The development came when a senior Amhara official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the rebels, known as the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), pushed "deep" into Amhara territory and hinted at possible reprisals. "I think now, enough is enough. Because TPLF is no longer in Tigray. TPLF is moving deep into…

About 50 bodies have been found floating in the river between Ethiopia's Tigray and Sudan, according to a Sudanese official in Kassala province. The Setit River separates Sudan from Ethiopia and serves as a de facto boundary between the conflicting Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian-backed Amhara forces. "They were shot in the chest, abdomen, legs ... and also had their hands tied," said Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who fled the nearby town of Tigray in Humera to Sudan. The doctor told the Associated Press…

On Saturday, the French president summoned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Abdallah Hamdok, the head of the Sudanese government. Two interviews to underline, according to the Élysée, France's concerns about the rise of fighting in northern Ethiopia and the development of the humanitarian situation in Tigray. Emmanuel…

The UN children's agency warned that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia's struggling Tigray region could face the most extreme and life-threatening form of malnutrition next year, as humanitarian aid is still blocked from some 6 million people. The UN estimate, a tenfold increase over the usual cases in Tigray, is based on "mainly the scenario we see now, where the conflict is escalating and access to food is limited", says Marixie Mercado with UNICEF's emergency team to The Associated Press (AP).…

More than eight months after the start of the conflict, the former regional power and its forces have conquered much of the province and have now entered the neighboring province of Amharara. The rebels claim several successes and promise to continue their breakthrough. The rebels claim they are continuing their progress in the Amhara Territory. This weekend, they claimed to have captured a first city, Adi Arkay, without stopping there. Their spokesman now says that resorts more than 100 km south, such as Bere Mariyam,…

Protesters block Ethiopia-Djibouti rail link as conflict escalates NAIROBI, Kenya - The vital rail and road link to Djibouti was destroyed on Wednesday, which could now cut essential supplies to Addis Ababa, which depends on the port of Djibouti for imports and exports, essential to the Ethiopian economy. A senior government official said the railway had been partly uprooted and some sections…

As fighting continues between government forces and Tigrayan rebels, it is a new concern for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed: a new front was opened last weekend between Afars and Issas. It is a strategic and controversial sector between the Afar and Somali regions. Somali authorities accuse Afar militia members of committing a massacre in a city and reviving an already protracted conflict between these two neighboring peoples in the northeast. The battlefield is a long corridor that crosses the Afar region from south to…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The United States has raised concerns over attacks on Eritrean refugees in Tigray, adding that "such aggression should end immediately." A number of Eritreans are living in Tigray after being displaced from their homes. A spokesperson for the Stage Department said Tuesday that Washington was extremely "concerned" about the attacks, calling them "unnecessary and backward" in a statement. "We are deeply concerned by credible reports of attacks by military forces affiliated with the Tigray Defense…

Understanding the complex conflict in Ethiopia as the ENDF prepares the assault on TDF NAIROBI, Kenya - For decades Ethiopia has been under a dictatorial rule primarily as a reason why conflict was rare, and even in its presence it was generally small in scale compared to what the world is currently experiencing. Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, the country has first…

The president of the Somali regional state, Mustafa Mohammed Omar, said on Wednesday that an important road and rail trade connecting the landed capital Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti has been blocked. The majority of goods entering Ethiopia, a country of about 110 million people, are transported through that corridor. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reported block. The Ethiopian Prime Minister's office and authorities in Djibouti could not be immediately reached for comment.…