Demonstrator Protest, Police Officers Detain Them & more –14th Sep 2023

Salaam salaam from BA! This is the Rorshok Ethiopia Update from the 14th of September twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Ethiopia.

To kick off this week's edition, let's update you on the planned demonstration in Tigray's capital that didn't get approval from the regional government. Recall that the demonstrators, some of the political parties of the region, wanted to stage a protest on Thursday the 7th but the government said that day wouldn’t let them because of security concerns. The parties were adamant, repeatedly saying that they would go forward with the demonstration.

The day arrived and in the morning, leaders of the parties went to Tigray's main square, Romanat, where they said they would hold the protest. Only a few supporters showed up. Police came and detained the leaders of the parties and their supporters. Local police later said in a press release that forty-nine individuals had been detained, saying that protestors had already been warned of the consequences of demonstrating. On the other side, a deputy chairman of one of the parties told the media that more than a hundred and fifty have been detained, further alleging that the police treated demonstrators inhumanely. He also said that such oppression can only subside if the Tigray People's Liberation Front (or TPLF) is removed from power.

On Saturday the 9th, the Tigray Justice Bureau sent a letter to the region’s police and the region's Peace and Security Bureau saying that they had to respect the fundamental human and constitutional rights of the detainees. All of the parties’ leaders were released by Tuesday the 12th.

However, violence didn’t quell as the Social Affairs head of the Southern Tigray zone was shot dead on Tuesday the 12th. The deceased served as the mayor of Maychew city for three years. The person responsible for the death of the former mayor remains at large.

In lighter news…

For the past decade or so, Ethiopia has been building the biggest dam in Africa - the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (or GERD). On Sunday the 10th, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took to social media to announce “the successful completion of the fourth and final filling of the Renaissance Dam.”

Seleshi Bekele, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the USA, said that the filling had been completed but took into account the lower basin countries so they wouldn't be in a disadvantaged position. Two turbines have already begun generating power, and more are set to operate in the coming budget year. The lower basin countries that have repeatedly protested Ethiopia’s actions are Sudan and Egypt. After the news of the fourth filling, Egypt said that Ethiopia’s unilateral actions haven’t considered the rights of the lower basin countries. Although Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have sat down several times to amicably resolve the issue, an agreement is yet to be reached. Ethiopia remains resolute on using its own resources (in this case, the Nile River), without any other country’s permission.

A member of Ethiopia’s negotiating team of the GERD said in response to Egypt’s allegations that the fourth round filling was legal and in keeping with previous agreements The team member said that Egypt’s statement was nothing more than content for local media.

Moving on, one of the numerous government agencies that doesn't have a good reputation among the public is the Immigration and Citizenship Service. The agency has been put into question due to corruption and bureaucracy. On Friday the 8th, The agency's head said that people have a hard time at the immigration and citizenship service because there aren't enough passport prints. The director said that in order to solve this problem, the agency printed almost two hundred thousand passports which will be distributed shortly. The agency recalled that some of these citizens have been waiting for their passports for more than six months. The prints won't be enough as about three hundred thousand people are waiting in line for their passports. The agency added that, in relation to corruption and illicit activities, suspects have been detained and are under investigation. Authorities suspect that the detainees have forged documents, passports, and even the agency's website.

Next up, the Ethiopian New Year was celebrated on Tuesday the 12th and two days earlier, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, His Holiness Father Mathias, sent out a message to the public, asking everyone to end conflicts, division, hatred and separation. Father Mathias also said that it is necessary for weapons to go back to the warehouse and to resolve issues peacefully.

The holiday was celebrated all over the country but it was much less vibrant in the Amhara region. Residents are dealing with the aftermath of the clashes between the government and youth movement Fano. They told media outlets that there’s no internet access and that food prices have gone up.

The international community called on the government to reopen internet services in the Amhara region. Various activists and civil organizations shared this call and said that restricting internet access limits information flow and prevents citizens from getting essential information. Internet in the region has been shut down since August, around the time clashes between Fano and the government reached a fever pitch.

On international affairs, Special Envoy of the US to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Mike Hammer was in Addis Ababa on Monday the 11th. Hammer talked with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Getachew Reda, the president of the interim administration of Tigray. The ambassador talked to the Reda about the complete implementation of the Pretoria agreement, a peace deal that, among other things, ended the armed conflict between the TPLF and the federal government. Before Hammer’s arrival in Addis, the US State Department released a statement saying that the special envoy would head to Ethiopia to exert pressure so that conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia region are resolved peacefully and civilians are not attacked.

In some education news, in Ethiopia, in order to finish high school and be admitted to local universities, students have to pass the national university entrance exam. This year students took the entrance test between late July and early August. During the time the exam was held, almost fifteen thousand registered examinees in the Amhara and Gambella regions weren't able to sit for the test because of civil unrest. On Friday the 8th, the National Educational Assessment and Examination Agency revealed that it is ready to readminister the exam to these students. The agency said that it plans to administer the test from the 19th to the 22nd of September. The results of candidates who have already taken the exam will be released together with the second round of examinees. The Ministry of Education predicts that they will announce the results by late September.

And to close this edition, Ethio Telecom, one of the two telecom services providers in Ethiopia, revealed on Saturday the 9th that it has launched 5G internet. The government-owned company said more than six hundred thousand of its subscribers can now use 5G internet, even though the access is currently limited as it is only available in a few parts of Addis Ababa. The company said it provides 5G at a slightly higher price - three hundred gigabytes per month at one thousand and two hundred birr or twenty-two US dollars.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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