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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government could easily recruit one million new fighters but wants to foster a period of "silence" in the country's war-hit Tigray region.
He replaces Debretsion Gebremichael, whose immunity from prosecution was removed Thursday.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Thursday that scores of civilians were killed in a \"massacre\" in the Tigray region, that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party.
The \"massacre\" is the first reported incident of large-scale civilian fatalities in a week-old conflict between the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
\"Amnesty International can today confirm... that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the southwest of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November,\" the rights group said in a report.
Amnesty said it had \"digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.\"
The dead \"had gaping wounds that appear to have been inflicted by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes,\" Amnesty said, citing witness accounts.
Witnesses said the attack was carried out by TPLF-aligned forces after a defeat at the hands of the Ethiopian military, though Amnesty said it \"has not been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings\".
It nonetheless called on TPLF commanders and officials to \"make clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks on civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes\".
Abiy ordered military operations in Tigray on November 4, saying they were prompted by a TPLF attack on federal military camps -- a claim the party denies.
The region has been under a communications blackout ever since, making it difficult to verify competing claims on the ground.
Abiy said Thursday his army had made major gains in western Tigray.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled across the border into neighboring Sudan, and the UN is sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Thursday that the grave humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region is deteriorating, with no sign of Eritrean troops withdrawing and alarmingly widespread reports of systematic rape and other sexual violence mainly by men in uniform.
The family have been running out of food since the school feeding scheme was suspended.
SECTION27 and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) have approached the court on behalf of a number of learners, parents, teachers and school governing bodies in an attempt to get the government to feed millions of children who have gone hungry since the schools closed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
It was hoped that, once schools started re-opening, the school feeding schemes, which are planned and budgeted for, would resume in full.
SECTION27 and EELC have filed a number of affidavits on behalf of their clients - Equal Education and the School Governing Bodies of two schools.
Maverick Citizen has been given access to affidavits from the SECTION27 and EELC clients and they make for harrowing reading.
About two months ago we launched the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program to focus on supporting African communities and young people, as well as young people and the indigenous communities in Canada, to support them and their needs as they evolve during this COVID-19 reality.
So under the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program we've moved quickly to partner with a range of actors that have experience, influence and reach for building robust public responses to the COVID-19 situation.
READ: Mastercard Foundation Commits $5M to Protect Kenya Health Workers
And if you allow me, we are not just focusing on outreach or just providing equipment; we also see an opportunity here to support businesses in the countries we are working in, that can actually play a role and participate in solutions.
READ: Mastercard Foundation Supports Ethiopia MSEs Affected by COVID-19
An unprecedented demand for flexibility
AllAfrica: And Daniel, on that specifically—the gender-based violence —have you been seeing it across the region, or is it more localized in some countries, and is it more an urban scourge, or is it also prevalent in the countryside?
Can you give us an example of what the foundation is doing to respond to the current economic crisis in your region, and also if there are more long-term activities the foundation is doing to help the continent be resilient and come back in full force if I may give a disclaimer, I'm sharing with you the work we are doing that I am responsible for in East and Southern Africa.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Ethiopia's security forces shot at and detained United Nations staffers as they tried to reach part of the embattled Tigray region, a senior official said yesterday, and he blamed the US staffers for trying to reach areas where 'they were not supposed to go'.
The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly has demanded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to terminate Youth Minister Kirsty Coventry's membership.
\"We urge the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights and IOC Ethics Committee to revoke the status of Ms. Kirsty Coventry as an International Olympic Committee member due to her participation in the continued brutalisation and abuse of the Zimbabwean and the widespread human rights abuses carried out by the government which Ms Coventry is an essential component.
\"Revoke the status of Ms Coventry as an IOC member due to her ongoing enforced eviction and illegal expropriation of land in Zimbabwe which violates basic human and international rights.
\"Examine the extent to which IOC member Kirsty Coventry has been complicit in the participation in human rights violations in Zimbabwe,\" said Sthole.
Sithole added: \"The MDC Youth Assembly wishes to alert the IOC to the existence of serious risks of human rights abuses surrounding IOC member Ms Kirsty Coventry and it is our wish that the relevant authorities take up the issues with seriousness and gravitas human rights violations deserve.\"
The Ethiopian government said on Monday it had not asked any country to mediate in a conflict in its northern region as the federal air force bombed the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, according to diplomatic and military sources.
Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni had tweeted a call for the conflict to stop. Mr Museveni's tweet would later be deleted.
Kenya and Djibouti urged a peaceful resolution and the opening of humanitarian corridors while former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo went to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced Tuesday that the ongoing military operation in the breakaway region of Tigray (North) will enter its \"final\" phase in the \"coming days\".
On November 4, Abiy sent the federal army to attack the northern region after months of tensions with the regional authorities of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
The fighting has left several hundred people dead, according to Addis Ababa, and has forced more than 25,000 people to flee to neighboring Sudan.
According to the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF), more than 7,000 captive Ethiopian soldiers have walked from Abdi Eshir, about 75 km southwest of Mekele, streets of the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray for four days.
Ms Gadaheldam has been an almost permanent fixture on the sides of President Museveni in regional meetings to deal with relations with Sudan under former President Omar-al-Bashir and current military leader Gen Abdel Fatah al-Burhan.
Najwa Gadaheldam, a senior adviser to Sudan's leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, died Wednesday, about 24 hours after the plane that had intended to transport her back to Israel for treatment landed in the Arab country.
Times of Israeli in a lead article titled; 'Israeli MDs fly to enemy Sudan in failed bid to save diplomat behind secret ties', said despite the two countries still being technically at war, Israeli officials went to great length to send \"a plane with medical staff and equipment to Sudan in an attempt to save the life of a diplomat sick with Covid-19, who managed the clandestine ties between Jerusalem and Khartoum\".
The controversial Uganda link
Ms Gadaheldam was said to have first met President Museveni in Vienna, Austria at the UN conference on water in early 2000s when the relations between Uganda and Sudan were fragile.
Ms Gadaheldam's last 'official' function involving Uganda was said to have been on February 22 in Juba, where she attended a meeting between Lt Gen al-Burhan, the chairman of the Sovereign National Council of Sudan, and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who was representing President Museveni at the inauguration of the new government of national unity of South Sudan.
Timber! Trees are Coming Down in Sudan
At the Um Raquba reception camp in Eastern Sudan, dozens of trees are being torn down by bulldozers to create space to build shelters and provide firewood for displaced Ethiopians fleeing the violent conflict in the Northern region of their country, Tigray. One of tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees is 65-year-old Zayet Wali, who is building a wooden shelter to protect her sick husband from the blazing sun.
Wali shares how she is getting by way of the wood supply, \"I got the wood from a person who was building his house and I collected another pile myself. The machine chops them up for us so they can be ready to use.\"
A Blow to the Environment
According to the head of Gedaref state health department, Amira Elgada, the equivalent of 65 square metres of trees disappears each day. Their destruction is a serious blow to the environment that has harmful consequences for several plant and animal species. But desperation can sometimes precede ecology. Abadi Grazdier, another displayed Ethiopian, explains that options are limited, \"In my country, I have never cut a branch, it is forbidden, but here I don't have any other solution. We get the wood from over there and use it to make fires. There isn't anything other than the wood to use.\"
An Urgent Political Crisis
Indeed, Gedaref has a desert climate and in these semi-arid regions, acacia trees are important from an ecological standpoint but for the tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees making camp at Um Raquba, their main concern to survive by way of a wooden roof over their heads and firewood to cook their meals. Department head Elgada says the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Sudanese Commission for Refugees have been asked to provide shelters that do not use wood - such as tents and to deliver gas bottles to avoid using logs.
Since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military offensive on November 4 against Tigrayan authorities - vowing to install \"legitimate\" institutions, over 45,000 people have fled the region.
Sipho Ntuli made his first appearance in the Ubombo Magistrate's Court on Friday.
On Wednesday, the truck Ntuli was driving crashed into pedestrians and vehicles leading to multiple deaths and dozens of injuries.
Police have confirmed that Ntuli had traces of alcohol in his blood.The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KZN, Natasha Kara, said Ntuli would remain in custody until 19 June, when he would be expected to apply for bail.
Relatives of the victims have called for Ntuli to face stiff punishment.
KZN Transport MEC Bheki Ntuli, who visited the crash site on Wednesday, said he was \"appalled\" that the driver may have been drunk at the time of the incident.
A joint report by the International Labor Organization and U.N. Children’s Fund warns that millions of children are likely to be pushed into forced labor because of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two agencies launched a report, titled, “COVID-19 and Child Labor: A Time of Crisis” to mark World Day Against Child Labor, June 12.
Authors of the report warn the global pandemic is likely to reverse decades of steady progress made in reducing the number of child laborers.
The report warns that millions of children are likely to be forced into the worst forms of labor as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the economy and families have no means of support.
The senior researcher and ILO lead author of the report, Lorenzo Guarcello, told VOA evidence is growing that child labor is rising as schools close during the pandemic.
South Africa has the most reported cases – 83,890, with deaths numbering 1,737.
Other most-affected countries include Egypt (50,437 cases), Nigeria (18,480), Algeria (11,385), and Ghana (12,929).
The numbers are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (world map) using statistics from the World Health Organization and other international institutions as well national and regional public health departments.
For the latest totals, see the AllAfrica clickable map with per-country numbers.
Also see: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization Africa and African Arguments.
He said the Green Legacy project which begins Tuesday will continue until September and October. Minister for Agriculture Omar Husen said that over 10 billion trees were planted in the first two years of the ‘’Green Legacy’’ project.
Unsurprisingly, the US government's own findings reveal racial disparities in sentencing as well, with Black prisoners' sentences nearly 20 percent longer than those of white prisoners.
The Guardian's database of police killings in the US revealed that the number of young Black men killed in 2015 was five times higher than that of white men of the same age.
As noted in the 1968 landmark report by the Kerner Commission, convened after the 1967 unrest in Detroit, racial disparities in the US criminal justice system go hand in hand with \"culturally embedded forms of racial discrimination\" in Black communities seen in inadequate housing, high unemployment, voter suppression and access to upward mobility.
Rather this article is meant to illustrate that should Black Americans seek international protection, they could very well receive it given their country's disastrous human rights record and the pervasive institutional discrimination they suffer.
The US may pride itself on being a bastion of human rights, but it is clear Black Americans are not receiving their fair treatment, access or share.
Just one day after putting out a dire emergency warning, Ethiopia's federal government has agreed to allow the United Nations "unimpeded" humanitarian access to parts of the northern Tigray region, according to a UN spokesperson.
“I am urging people with the disease symptoms to come to the medical facility and avoid infecting other Muslims,” Sheikh Mohamed Bali, a senior al-Shabab official and a member of the group’s ad hoc COVID-19 response committee, said in a speech broadcast by the group’s radio arm Andalus.
For months, Somali health officials have warned that areas controlled by al-Shabab in central and southern Somalia could be at high risk for the virus’ spread.
Confirmed cases = 2,513
\t\tNumber of deaths = 85
\t\tRecoveries = 532
\t\tActive cases = 1,896
\t
\tJohn Hopkins Uni stats valid as of June 12, 2020
May 15: Somalis outraged over ‘fleeing compatriots, officials’
\tA local radio station in the country reported that a number of Somalis including government officials had left the country in the wake of COVID-19 spread especially in the capital Mogadishu.
Total confirmed cases = 1,284
Total recoveries = 135
Total deaths = 53
Active cases = 1,096
\tFigures valid as of close of day May 15, 2020 10:00 GMT
May 5: Probe into mishap involving Kenya coronavirus jet
\tSomalia case stats as of May 5, 2020: Total confirmed cases: 835, Total recoveries: 75, Total deaths: 38.
Officially, however, Somalia has recorded 601 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 28 deaths and 31 recoveries according to John Hopkins University tallies valid as of May 2, 2020 at 9:30 GMT.
[Nation] A bridge over Tekeze River, which has been a crucial gateway to supplying food aid to many parts of Tigray region, has been destroyed.
[The Conversation Africa] Oromia, one of the regions in Ethiopia's ethnically constituted federation and the country's most populated one, also happens to be the political constituency of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Jano Admasi, a resident of the small farming village of Bisober, said soldiers killed escaping civillians, including her son.
The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Thursday that the grave humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region is deteriorating, with no sign of Eritrean troops withdrawing and alarmingly widespread reports of systematic rape and other sexual violence mainly by men in uniform.
The post UN: Tigray's Humanitarian Crisis Worsens, No Eritrean Exit appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
Nairobi — World Marathon record holder and the only man to run the 42km distance in under two hours, Eliud Kipchoge, says he will continue supporting Tottenham Hotspur despite Kenya captain Victor Wanyama's departure.
Kipchoge at the same time also believes Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer on earth.
While responding to a question on whether age matters to an athlete during a Webinar organized by the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) on Thursday evening, Kipchoge said he believes Cristiano is the best player because of his work ethic.
There is still a 19-year old kid in Juventus who cannot match Ronaldo even with his age,\" Kipchoge further stated.
#RunAsOne https://t.co/9nGkolvNAk- Eliud Kipchoge - EGH🇰🇪 (@EliudKipchoge) June 4, 2020
Meanwhile the London Marathon champion says he will continue supporting Tottenham Hotspur even after Wanyama left to join Canadian outfit Montreal Impact in February.
Global NGO Save the Children says more than 1.7 million children and adults are displaced as a result of Ethiopia's Tigray conflict.
Gauteng's Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is self-isolating after two staff members tested positive for Covid-19, Premier David Makhura revealed on Friday.
\"Like all other patients, affected staff and their family members are receiving care and treatment in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols,\" he added.
Staff members who were in contact with those who contracted the virus have been tested and would follow protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
\"Once a staff member tests positive, we also trace their contacts.
\"It is everyone's responsibility to play our part and take the necessary precautionary measures to stop the spread of Covid-19,\" he concluded.
Nairobi — Only the disciplined ones in life are free - This is a famous quote, attributed to marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.
On Wednesday, as part of a web seminar organized by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), Kipchoge couldn't say this enough times.
Another important aspect of discipline as highlighted by Kipchoge is being humble in victory and learning to move on and not over-celebrate.
While the world always remember their faces upon success, Kipchoge and Wanja have both stated that they have had to learn with their losses even when the world and critics have pinned them on the walls.
Kipchoge reflected on missing out on an Olympic spot in 2012, stating it was one of the lowest moments in his career.
As Ethiopia's 2021 election nears, a territorial dispute has flared between Amhara and Tigray, two northern regions.
Tigray and Amhara, the powerhouse regions of northern Ethiopia, are locked in a bitter land dispute exacerbated by national politicking that pits their elites against each other.
In late 2018, in north-western Amhara, local Amhara killed hundreds and displaced thousands of Qimant, an ethnic minority pursuing greater autonomy within the region, amid regional officials' claims that Tigray's ruling party is funding the self-rule campaign.
Were Tigray willing to instead grant political representation and language rights to minority populations in the territories, some Amhara officials have suggested this could help lead to an acceptable outcome.
The Amhara not only assert historical ownership of the land but also charge that TPLF rebels killed and uprooted Amhara in the disputed areas, thus altering the demographic balance in favour of Tigrinya speakers and laying the basis for a TPLF claim to the lands under Ethiopia's ethnic federal system.
She is also a parent to two children attending school at Vhulaudzi Secondary School.
In her affidavit she explains how her family's life has been affected by her children not receiving any meals through the NSNP at their school during this lockdown.
