Ethiopia Update- UN’s Mine Action Service Works in Tigray & more –1st June 2023

st of June: 2023

More than six months have passed since the civil war between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front ended. However, numerous mines planted during the war haven't been neutralized. Recall that more than a thousand active mines were found in schools alone. Active mines are injuring civilians and just last month killed four. The African Union revealed that the Ethiopian government has permitted the deployment of the UN's Mine Action Service to neutralize active mines in Tigray. The Service will open its head office in the region's capital Mekelle and will send personnel to areas where the war took place to try and find, and also neutralize these mines.

Peace efforts in Tigray are steadily progressing and it seems that things are getting back to normal. On Friday the 26th, The Ethiopian Press Agency launched the first rehab program for combatants a few miles away from the region's capital in accordance with the Pretoria Agreement. The federal government said that it will support combatants in Tigray in their journey back to normal life.

Speaking of going back to normal, the Amhara region's finance bureau said that to rebuild establishments affected by the war, more than five hundred billion birr or ten billion dollars are needed. The bureau said that more than a million internally displaced people are in the region and more than ten million residents of the region are in severe socio-economic pressure. The bureau added that although about ten billion dollars are required, the amount of money the bureau has been able to put together was very low.

Outside of news regarding the aftermath of the Tigray war, it was a busy week elsewhere. Recall that the muslim community in Ethiopia was enraged at the government as tens of mosques were demolished in the newly established Sheger city. Muslims in Addis took to the streets to protest against the government. The protest at the renowned Anwar Mosque in the heart of Addis has been the most important of the city. In the protest the Addis Ababa police used force, two civilians died and more people sustained injuries. The police said that almost fifty officers were injured and government property was damaged, adding that the situation eventually was under control.

The muslim community is not the only religious community at odds with the government. There is a widening rift between the executive and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (or EOTC). Recall that last week, the Ethiopian Mass Media Authority suspended the license of the Mahibere Kidusan TV station alleging that the station transmitted divisive content. This decision caused backlash - the EOTC and opposition political parties renounced the decision and called on the authority to lift the suspension. Heeding their calls, on Friday the 26th, the authority lifted the ban. The next day, the Church released a statement thanking the authority and expressing Her willingness to work together.

Speaking of the Church, the Patriarch, His Holiness Father Mathias went to Dubai on Thursday the 1st of June. The Patriarch went to the center of tourism and trade in the middle east to bless the Church’s followers living in Dubai, to open a Church built in Abu Dhabi and initiate the construction of another Church in Dubai.

Ethiopia’s president Sahle-Work Zewde was in Nigeria on Monday the 29th. She went there mainly to attend the inauguration of new Nigerian president Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. During her stay, Ethiopia’s president also held talks with the leaders of other African countries present at the inauguration. She also visited the Ethiopian Embassy and Cultural Center in Nigeria.

The Fincha Sugar Plant owned by the national sugar industry group was attacked on the 20th of May. The group recalled that there was a similar attack this time last year but this year's was more severe. Aside from the casualties, the attackers injured civilians, vandalized and looted property, and destroyed financial documents. They asked the group who was responsible for the attack but couldn't say. The defense forces arrived in the area but there are concerns that there are assailants in farms close to the factory.

On Thursday the 25th, the Kality Prison told news outlets that it had found ten prisoners, convicted with aggravated robbery, trying to escape. The prisoners tried to escape by digging a tunnel. One of these prisoners had successfully escaped from prison before and was detained by Interpol in Italy. The prison added that it will continue to monitor closely so as to avoid such incidents.

There’s been an increasing rift between members of the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Party. Recall that recently, one of the founders Andualem Arage left the party because of internal disagreements. Many more founding members including Yeshiwas Assefa followed Andualem through the exit door citing similar concerns. The resigning members said that they tried to resolve differences within the party and continue their struggle. However, this became unbearable as they said many members are trying to advance the agenda of the incumbent party - Prosperity. They concluded that because their attempts to get the party ‘back on track’ failed, they willingly left the party.

Renowned newspaper Reporter revealed on Sunday the 28th that the Ethiopian Fuel Enterprise said that it needs almost four and a half billion US dollars to import gas for the coming budget year, which is more than four million metric tons. The Enterprise said that it had conducted an international auction to pick which company is going to provide gas for the coming year and last year’s supplier, Bahrain-based Vittol won the auction. The company will supply all of the imported regular gas and forty percent of gasoil. The required budget for the import of gas has increased by eight percent compared to last year.

On that note about foreign companies, Abu Dhabi-based telecom services provider Etisalat expressed its interest in entering the Ethiopian market. After the Ethiopian government’s issuance of a license to the first and only private foreign telecom service provider Safaricom, another license is up for grabs. So far, France’s Orange and the Netherlands Veon have expressed their interests and Etisalat is the latest addition to this group. The company’s CEO held talks virtually with representatives of the Ethiopian government on Tuesday the 23rd. In the meeting, participants agreed to sustain correspondence over the coming weeks, and hold a meeting in Addis.

Zemen Bank inaugurated its new headquarters on Saturday the 27th. The Bank is one of the many local private banks and is almost fifteen years old. The new head office is built around the financial district of Addis with other private banks’ headquarters as its neighbors. The building is constructed on an area of more than two thousand square meters and has thirty six floors. The Bank spent more than a billion birr or almost twenty million US dollars to build this headquarters.

Aaaaaand that's it for this week! You may not know it but we do updates for some other countries too. If you know anybody who might be interested, let them know. Ready? Here they are, West to East: Argentina, Venezuela, Spain, Nigeria, Poland, Serbia, Turkey, Malawi, Georgia, Japan. Think of anybody?

Ciao!