This week, Amnesty International released a damning report on the status of human rights in Ethiopia. It highlights some of the positive reforms that have taken place in the last few years, but also focuses on the “horrendous human rights violations in inter-communal clashes and armed skirmishes”.

Leah Mehari is the head of Students Career Development Unit, CLGS at Addis Ababa University as well as an assistant lecturer of its School of Law.

Suraphel Mathewos Alemu is a young medical doctor based in the capital. He is also the co-founder of a new organization that is intent on promoting public health within Ethiopia

In the era of COVID-19, the head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Julien Lerisson, converses with Samuel Getachew of The Reporter on the ICRC’s recent effort to help curb the devastation of the virus, on the history of the organization, how it has affected its operation and on some of the efforts in the Somali region where ICRC returned two years ago after more than a decade of absence. Excerpts:

It has been months since COVID-19 impacted the globe in so many ways. This pandemic is challenging the world’s social, economic and political order.

In the midst of COVID-19, the Jack Ma Foundation has stood out for its timely and swift assistance in contributing needed and scarce medical supplies to many nations, including to Ethiopia.

In the midst of the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19), the World Health Organization’s Ethiopia country representative, Boureima Hama Sambo, reflects with Samuel Getachew of The Reporter on the work of the internatioal entiry in Ethiopia, on the challenges, on how to be best prepared and the support it provides. Excerpts:

Eskinder Nega is the founder and chairman of Balderas for True Democracy, a recently formed political party, a noted political activist as well as an award winning journalist.

Yasmin Abdulwassie is the Regional Director for Farm Africa. Here, she shares with Samuel Getachew of The Reporter on the work of the organization, on some of the impact it has made towards conservation of ecosystems and agriculture development in Ethiopia together with its partners and the government in a nation that is still agriculture dependent and finally reflects on how the coronavirus might affect local agriculture.

Kojo Bentum-Williams is the Publisher-VoyagesAfriq Travel Media and United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Senior Expert for Communications in Africa.