Ethiopia, more or less, has an established cross border trade with its neighboring countries particularly countries in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, with countries such as Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, as well as Kenya, has been exchanging a number of commodities via cross border trade.

The Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek) – a coalition of four political parties which conducted its 15th general assembly a week ago – has asserted that the ongoing political problems and disarray in the country will not be solved by the lone efforts of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and called for the establishment of a national unity government.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has appointedNebiatGetachew as its spokesperson. The trilingual veteran diplomat is set to replace MelesAlem who was appointed as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya.

The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar made an official three-day visit to Ethiopia this week looking to expand the partnership beyond foreign aid, and met with the political leadership of the nation, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President SahleworkZewde announcing a new partnership in Lalibela UNESCO Heritage site and  visited a refugee camp in Tigray region.

Followed a three-day meeting of the Defense Council headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of Military Operations, Berhanu Jula (Gen.) faced journalists on January 11, 2019 to reply to questions raised on the current security situation of the nation from his office located off Churchill Avenue in which he appeared to be assertive about the roles of the military in restoring peace and stability in the conflict-riddled Ethiopia.

A new draft bill to repeal the existing restrictive Civil Society and Charity Proclamation has been tabled before the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) on Thursday proposing a resolution to lift the restriction imposed on CSO’s source of finance and the associated status of these organizations as resident or foreign Charities.

In the wake of a clash between defense forces and local residents in Western Gondar, Amhara Regional State, on Wednesday fuel tanker trucks which were transporting gasoline from Sudan to Ethiopia have been stranded in Western Gondar.

The Global alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians, a human rights advocacy group based in the US—better known for lobbying the US congress regarding the human rights track record of the Ethiopian government— is going to open its office in Addis Ababa next week, The Reporter has learnt.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and Head of Military Operations, Berhanu Jula (Gen.), told reporters yesterday that life is returning back to normal in West Wollega Zone of the Oromia Regional State after more than a month of complete breakdown of law and order and heavy fighting between armed groups and members of ENDF deployed in the area to restore peace and order.

The recent protests that are rocking the Arab Republic of Sudan initially emanated from frustration and anger regarding escalation in the prices of bread and fuel. Now, it looks like politics took center stage with different political groups, workers’ associations and civil societies joining the protest and calling for the Government of President Omar al-Bashir to step down.