A peace agreement has been signed between the Government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front (EUPF).
The Front that has been in armed struggle agreed to abide by the constitution, operate peacefully and stand for the benefit of the country.
The Front inked an 8-point peace agreement with the government following the successive discussions both sides held since 2011.
Minister of Defense, Siraj Fegessa, said various organizations that have been in armed struggle against the government are entering into peaceful activities and EUPF is one of them.
The government is always ready to welcome those who want to lay down arms and operate peacefully, he added.
Military Wing Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front, Tot Pol Choi, said his Front decided to operate peacefully as nothing could be obtained from war.
“We will bring our members to home and make peaceful struggle as the current situation in Ethiopia is conducive to do so,” he said. (FBC)
Kenya withdraws troops from UN mission in South Sudan
Kenya has said it is withdrawing its troops from the United Nations mission in South Sudan, a day after Ban Ki-moon sacked the Kenyan commander of peacekeeping forces in the country for failing to protect civilians.
In an angrily worded statement, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that it was “dismayed” by the UN secretary-general’s decision to dismiss Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki.
Continued deployment of Kenyan troops in South Sudan “is no longer tenable”, the ministry said, saying Kenya would “withdraw, immediately” its forces there.
Kenya has more than 1,000 troops deployed in South Sudan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the UN mission in the country, known as UNMISS, suffered from “systemic dysfunctionality” and that Ondieki was not to blame for violence that killed dozens of people.
“What is clear is that UNMISS suffers from fundamental structural and systemic dysfunctionality, which has severely hindered its ability to discharge its mandate since its inception,” it said. (Aljazeera)
Power dams get back to regular generation
Dams whose power generation capacity had been reduced due to the El-Niño caused drought have started their regular power generation as they retained sufficient water during the rainy season.
According to Engineer Azeb Asnake, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the drought which occurred last year affected the water volume of the dams.
This in turn created shortage in the supply of power for domestic consumption and neighboring countries, according to Fana Broadcasting Corporate.
But now they are generating power with their full capacity. Gibe-III hydropower plant is also supplying power to the national grid, Engineer Azeb Asnake said.
According to the Chief Executive Officer, the country is currently supplying power to the neighboring countries so as to compensate the income it missed last year as a result of the drought.
Engineers Azeb said that the country will begin the development of alternative energy sources as of next year so as to cope with similar challenges. (FBC)
Companies affected by recent violence return back to business
Companies, which were affected by the unrest occurred in some areas of the country, are returning back to business, according to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC).
They began production within a short period of time after the unrest as a result of the consultation held with pertinent government institutions, investors and ambassadors of countries where the investors came from, Teka Gebreyesus, Deputy Commissioner of the Commission, said.
Companies engaged in horticulture development in Bahir Dar town and Oromia Regional State have started exporting their products to the global market, he said.
Moreover, manufacturing companies whose machinery damaged partially and fully during the unrest have been importing machines to replace the damaged ones, he said.
Since the unrest is temporary and memoranda of understanding were signed with companies from America, China and other nations. These companies are preparing to enter into production, he said.
He further said the government is organizing symposiums, workshops and business conferences to promote Ethiopia’s investment opportunities and attract additional new investors. (FBC)
