Reports indicate that the terrorist TPLF conducted another rampage, looting a UNICEF warehouse located in Gayint, South Gondar Zone, where food meant for children and mothers is stored.
Sources told the ENA that such recurrent atrocities and criminal actions perpetrated by terrorist TPLF vividly indicate its nonchalance for the wellbeing of children and their mothers, the sources said.
It was recently reported that the TPLF conducted similar lootings on USAID warehouses in areas it has taken over in Amhara Regional State. (ENA)
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Some 3 billion birr raised to support ENDF
Ethiopians have so far raised some three billion Birr to support the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in its fight against the terrorist TPLF, according to Ministry of Defense.
The Minister, Kenea Yadeta (PhD) said in a press briefing on Wednesday that Ethiopians across the nation including the Diaspora community have been actively mobilizing resources to support ENDF.
Accordingly, Ethiopians have so far raised more than three billion birr, which is 100 percent of the plan, he stated.
In Addition to the financial support, Ethiopians across the nation have provided supports in various kinds including 6,679 oxen, more than 10,000 goats and sheep, Kenea indicated.
According to Kenea, the ongoing resource mobilization for the national defense force is historical, which has involved all Ethiopians both outside and inside the country, with people very much eager to thwart the current challenges being orchestrated by the terrorist TPLF. (ENA)
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Ethiopia, Germany sign joint declaration to establish partnership on digital economy, digital policy
Ethiopia and Germany signed a Joint Declaration to forge Institutional Partnership on digital economy and digital policy in Ethiopia to foster Economic and Trade cooperation through institutional partnership focusing on digital economy and policy under the Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy.
The partnership, among other things, is said to be instrumental in increasing private investment through developing stable structures and contributing to the G20 initiative “Compact with Africa.”
During the signing ceremony, it was said that the two parties are committed to facilitate a favorable digital economic climate and enhance the role of the private sector in the progress of the Ethiopian economy.
Small and Medium enterprises have been given due attention by the partnership agreement, it was said on the occasion.
A Special Envoy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia on behalf of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Ethiopia signed the Joint Declaration with Marco Wanderwitz, Parliamentary State Secretary representing the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) of the Federal Republic of Germany. (FBC)
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NEBE, authority allocate airtime for contending political parties in coming election
National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Ethiopian Media Authority announced today airtime allotted to contending parties that take part in the coming election will be held on September 30, 2021.
The election will take place in Somali and Harari regions, and in some parts of SNNP regional state.
Briefing journalists, NBE Communication Advisor Soliana Shimelise said the Board allocated the air time for those political parties that missed the 6th General Election on June 21, 2021 and compete in this election.
The air time is allocated based on number of candidates, female candidates and candidates of persons with disability in the political parties, she added.
Ethiopian Media Authority Media Regulation Director, Deresa Terefe said the air time allocated is 66 hours on television, 60 hours on radio, and 45 columns of newspapers.
Some 9 media outlets will provide air time for the election campaign starting from September 7 to 24, 2021.
Some 22 political parties will take part in the election that takes place on September 30, 2021. (ENA)
Somali security agency blames employee’s disappearance on al-Shabab
Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said that the terrorist group al-Shabab had killed a female employee who was abducted in Mogadishu in June. But close family members question the claim.
Ikran Tahlil Farah, 24, worked with the agency’s cybersecurity department. She was abducted on June 26 near her home in Mogadishu’s Abdulaziz district, which is close to NISA headquarters.
The agency posted a brief statement on its website on Thursday saying its investigation had determined that the young woman’s kidnappers handed her over to al-Shabab militants, who later killed her.
The agency did not release details about when or where it believed Ikran was killed.
Al-Shabab has not publicly acknowledged any role in Ikran’s disappearance. The Islamist extremist group has previously publicly executed people it accused of spying for the Somali government and for Western countries, including the United States.
The security agency issued its statement several hours after VOA’s Somali Service aired a radio program that focused on Ikran’s disappearance. (VoA)
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African Centre: Sudan must do more to protect detainees from COVID-19
The Sudanese government must urgently develop a comprehensive plan to prevent and respond to a COVID-19 outbreak in detention facilities across the country, says the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).
The COVID-19 pandemic “has placed a light on the urgent necessity to reform the penitentiary system in Sudan,” the New York based NGO stated in an alert on Thursday.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important it is to guarantee the Right to HealthCare in detention facilities. Overcrowded conditions that may be unhygienic and poorly ventilated, together with stressful environments and, in some cases, the poor nutritional status of individuals, can make COVID-19 an even more dangerous disease for people in prison,” the alert reads.
The government has not done much so far to improve the situation, ACJPS said.
“The only effort to protect detainees has been the release of 4,633 prisoners from overcrowded prisons all over the country, hosting more than 21,000 detainees. UNICEF reported that 883 children were also released from reformatory centers across the country.” (Radio Dabanga)
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Eritrea slams U.S. interference in Ethiopia’s affairs
Eritrea’s ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) Party expressed its support for Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and urged the Biden administration not to meddle in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs.
PFDJ also denounced the destructive attempts of a special interest group in the US administration to keep the Horn of Africa region volatile and unstable.
This came from PFDJ Secretary, Alamin Mohammed-Seid’s remark to the state-run media in connection with the 60th Anniversary of Eritrean start of armed struggle on Wednesday.
The secretary noted that the policy which the US government pursues in the Horn of Africa is wrong and its unwarranted attempts of meddling have caused ensuing conflicts that have ravaged different nations in the region.
“The U.S. wants to destabilize the Horn of Africa. Look at what they have done in Somalia and what they are currently doing in Ethiopia. What is happening in Ethiopia now is an internal matter of Ethiopians.”
He further highlighted that the Biden Administration has turned to arm twisting, realizing its attempt to resurrect the crushed TPLF clique, was rejected by the people and governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea. (The Ethiopian Herald)
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African Union seeks UN Backing for Somalia peacekeeping effort
The AU deployed its Amisom peacekeeping force to Somalia in 2007 to fight the insurgents, known as al-Shabab, a task it hoped would be taken over by the Somali security forces. But with al-Shabab continuing to carry out suicide bombings and other attacks despite being the target of frequent U.S. drone strikes, the Somali government has remained heavily dependent on the African forces to keep the militants in check.
Amisom, which has almost 20,000 troops in Somalia, will require new funding to extend its mandate beyond the end of this year. The AU wants its mission to be extended until 2027, and for the UN to provide additional backing, Bankole Adeoye, the continental body’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, told reporters on Friday.
“We are calling on the UN, we are calling on all partners to continue to support Somalia knowing full well that we should not be thinking of the Afghanistan scenario on our continent,” he said. Officials in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, however oppose UN involvement in the peacekeeping effort, he said. (Bloomberg)
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