Berhanu Nega, one Ethiopian opposition leaders, say prevention work against COVID 19 should be a priority, supports measures taken on the part of government

borkena
April 13, 2020

Last week, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in a bid to enforce COVID 19 prevention measures, including social distancing, as the number of confirmed cases increases in the country daily.  

From Ethiopia’s experience in the recent past, the declaration of a state of emergency usually draws criticism from the opposition and the public. Not this time. 

On Saturday last week, Berhanu Nega, the leader of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Party (EZEMA in its Amharic Acronym), appeared on state TV, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).  

“We support the state of emergency because it is intended to protect citizens from an impending worst challenge,” he said. For him, the business of working on COVID 19 prevention should be a priority for the opposition, and that undivided attention needs to be given to it. 

“We can not talk about politics after the people are exterminated,” he said. 

Yeshewas Assefa is the chairperson of EZEMA. Appearing on state TV on Monday, he reiterated that his party supports what the government is doing to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “if anything, the state of emergency is late.” He said.  

Oromo Federalist Congress is an ethnic nationalist political organization with a considerably big support base in the Oromo region of Ethiopia and has accepted the radical activist Jawar Mohammed as a member in late December 2019.  Bekele Gerba, secretary of the party, said on Monday that his party supports the State of emergency legislation. 

Likewise, other opposition parties have supported the measure that the government is taking along the line of preventing the spread of the virus. And there are no, so far, opposition parties that are opposing the new legislation. 

There has been confusion as to what the State of emergency measures entail as detailed guideline was not spelled out. A day after the announcement, the attorney general, Adanech Abebe, appeared on state TV to explain about it. 

One key aspect of the emergency legislation is that it restricts human rights law for the duration of the bill, which is five months, to empower law enforcement bodies more power to enforce prevention measures like social distancing, among other things. 

Legal experts in the country tend to have a positivist view of the legislation too. 

Simeneh Kiros teaches law at Addis Ababa University.  Speaking about the legality of the State of emergency, he said that the constitution granted the Council of the cabinet (ministers) the right to come up with emergency legislation under certain circumstances.  But the House of People’s Representatives needs to approve it before it goes into effect.  

The Council of the Minister prepared a guideline to implement the State of emergency legislation. Practices that are not allowed under the State of emergency legislation and actions that are needed to enforce preventive measures are informed by the need to prevent the spread of the virus, Simeneh Kiros said in an interview with Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).  There are things that citizens need to do, and there are also things that citizens are not supposed to do to prevent the spread of the virus; the State of emergency seeks to enforce both. 

The House of People’s Representatives has established a Board under the chairmanship of Petros Woldesenbet to follow up with the implementation of the State of Emergency. 

One of the major challenges in implementing social distancing was a religious gathering. Leaders of major religions in the country acted decisively and closed churches and mosques advising worshipers to practice their faith from home until something is done about the COVID19 situation.  Days later, the Ethiopian religious Council declared a month-long national prayer.  

The Ethiopian government is pursuing a policy of prevention concerning COVID 19, given the reality that the country’s health care system is so weak to withstand a situation of massive infection rate in the country. As it turns out,  the government is getting a positive response not just in its legal response to the situation but also in terms of resource mobilization for the campaign to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. 

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borkena
April 14, 2020

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday that eight more persons have tested positive for Coronavirus disease. A total of 447 samples were examined over the past 24 hours. 

The total number of confirmed COVID 19 cases, as of April 14, is 82. 

Five of the latest confirmed COVID 19 patients are Ethiopians. And the remaining are from three countries, namely, Eritrea, Somalia, and the United Kingdom. 

The Ethiopians who tested positive did not have a recent travel history but were exposed to COVID 19 infected persons.  The rest had a travel history.

Agewise, the oldest is 62 (three of them), and the youngest is 14. 

The Ministry called on Ethiopians to observe social distancing while shopping for the Easter celebration this coming Sunday. 

So far, the total number of samples tested to determine COVID 19 status is 4557.  

The number of patients who recovered from the virus, as reported by the Ministry of Health, is 14. And three patients have died from it. 

This week, Ethiopia has started door-to-door temperature scans in some parts of the country: in  Addis Ababa, Tigray, and Oromo regional states. 

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Police confirm that a man who was trying to preach social distancing in Worabe town, Silte zone, in South Ethiopia is beaten to death.

borkena
April 14, 2020

An Ethiopian man is killed as he attempted to preach social distancing as part of Coronavirus prevention. It happened in the Worabe town of Silte Zone in southern Ethiopia. 

DW Amharic service cited Worabe town police to report that the incident happened in 02 kebele locality. 

The man who tried to advocate for social distancing, whose identity is undisclosed, happened to be in a tailor shop in the town where he saw several people sitting together inside. 

He told them that they should not sit together like that and to maintain a safe distance between them, which is what triggered the exchange of words that escalated to a full-fledged fight, as reported by DW Amharic service, which cited police as a source. 

And he was beaten to death. Worabe town police investigator, Sajin Mustafa Rahmato, confirmed it. He said police are investigating it to lay charges against four suspects whose identity is withheld.  

Another serious attack was related to advocacy for social distancing was reported last week in southern Ethiopia, but the person, who was shown soaked in blood in a picture that circulated on social media, survived the attack. 

As the Ethiopian government is mobilizing the country for prevention against the spread of coronavirus, implementing social distancing measures has become challenging. 

Last week, a state of emergency was declared to give law enforcement bodies more power to enforce COVID 19 preventing measures. It banned a gathering for four or more people. 

Churches and Mosques are closed in the country as worshipers are instructed by religious leaders, presumably with pressure from the government, to practice their faiths from home until the Coronavirus situation is resolved. 

By April 14, 2020, the Ministry of Health confirmed that 82 people are infected with the virus, but 14 of them have already recovered from it. 

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borkena
April 15, 2020

Getachew Reda was one of the most powerful man in the post-Meles TPLF led Ethiopia. Circumstances changed in April 2018 as an alleged “reformist” group within the ruling coalition introduced a series of reform measures. The process resulted in marginalization of what was once the most powerful political actor in the ruling coalition, TPLF.

As TPLF leaders resisted the reform movement that transformed the ruling coalition into a single unified party (Prosperity Party), its leaders had to retreat to Tigray where they claim to have support base. Getachew Reda is one of the TPLF leaders who have confined themselves to Mekele.

Andafta Media claims that he is now going through a mental challenge. Take a listen to the reportage below (in Amharic)

Video : embedded from Andafta media YouTube channel
Cover photo : screenshot from the audio file

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borkena
April 15, 2020

Four hundred and thirty-one individuals were tested for COVID virus over the past twenty-four hours, and only three are confirmed to have contracted the virus, the Ministry of Health disclosed on Wednesday. 

Ethiopia confirmed the first case of Coronavirus sometime in the first week of March 2020, and so far, a total of 85 cases are reported. Based on information from the Ministry of Health, 15 COVID 19 patients have fully recovered from the virus. And three people have died from it. 

The latest three patients (43, 30, and 25) are Ethiopians, and they are all men. 

Data released by the Ministry indicates that only one of the patients had a travel history.  He arrived from the United States of America and was in quarantine for two weeks after arrival in Ethiopia. 

The remaining two patients reportedly had exposure to COVID 19 infected persons in unspecified circumstances. 

As of April 15, 2020, a total of 65 patients are in designated coronavirus patients treatment centers, and no patients are in the intensive care unit. 

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Ethiopian Airlines has won a 10 million dollars contract for cargo service to deliver supplies useful to prevent COVID 19 

borkena
April 19, 2020

The aviation industry is experiencing unprecedented economic challenges the world over due to the COVID 19 impacts. Ethiopian Airlines is not an exception. 

It has grounded over 90 planes, suspended passengers’ flights to over 90 destinations around the world. In early April, Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO, reported a  550 million US dollars in revenue loss. 

Yet, the airline has found a new way to cope with economic challenges, the likes of which are unknown in recent history.  The cargo service and maintenance services are bringing in trickles of revenues as the airline is bracing for three months of economic hardships. 

According to the CEO, Ethiopian Airlines has made ten 777  and two 737 planes available for cargo service across the world. Currently, it is even expanding the cargo service flying from Asia to Europe, and different parts of Africa. Eight of the planes were used for passengers before the economic downturn. 

This week, the airlines got a ten million dollars contract from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Program (WFP) to deliver medical equipment and supplies to different parts of Africa. 

In the views of the CEO, three factors contributed to the selection of Ethiopian Airlines to deliver those supplies.  

The number of planes it has made available for cargo service and the number of destinations, the experience to coordinate delivery in a short period effectively, and it’s cargo terminal facility, which has a capacity of storing up to one million tonnes per year. 

Steven Were, WFP representative and country Director seem to agree with that. Explaining why Ethiopia Airlines is selected to deliver supplies to African countries, he said “In terms of handling cargo sorting it and distributing it across the continent through Ethiopian airlines, really there is only one place that could happen and that’s here in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa,” as quoted by Ethiopian Airlines. 

In late March 2020, Ethiopian delivered to over 49 African countries test kits and protective devices donated by the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma. 

Last week, the airline disclosed that it “has repatriated over 1000 Canadian residents and diplomats from various countries including, Nigeria, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Keyna, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Turkey and Mozambique.” 

Asked if Ethiopian Airlines is seeking financial support from the Ethiopian government, Mr. Tewolde said that the airline is bracing for three months, without laying off employees. However, if the slowdown continues for an extended time, he said: “we will consult with our government.” 

The main challenges for the airline at this time, Mr. Tewolde pointed out, are debt repayment for purchased planes and rental charges for planes – which are now grounded. 

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Saudi Arabia is doing so to honor a formal request form the government of Ethiopia to suspend repatriation temporarily

borkena
April 15, 2020

Saudi Arabia reportedly suspended repatriating Ethiopian migrants temporarily. According to a report by VOA Amharic service, on Wednesday,  the decision came following a request by the Ethiopian government. 

This week, the United Nations urged Saudi Arabia not to repatriate Ethiopian migrants at this time, for it risks spreading the Coronavirus disease, as reported by the Reuters.  So far, Ethiopia has only 85 confirmed cases of COVID 19, while Saudi Arabia has more than 5000 confirmed cases of the pandemic. 

Ethiopian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz Ahmed, told VOA Amharic service Saudi Arabia did not repatriate Ethiopians in the past three days after the Ethiopian government requested more time to make necessary arrangements to receive them. After COVID 19, all people who are arriving in the country are required to be quarantined for two weeks.

Over the past three weeks, nearly 2900 Ethiopian migrants who reportedly entered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from Yemen were deported to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has closed all its borders in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. But that did not hamper human traffickers from their illegal practices.  

Before the pandemic, between 200 and 300 Ethiopian migrants used to enter Saudi Arabia with the agency of illegal traffickers. The situation got worse after the pandemic, says Ethiopian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. 

As many as 5000 Ethiopians have entered the port city of Jazan after the Coronavirus pandemic. And there are also tens of thousands of Ethiopian migrants in Yemen, some of whom are being armed by the rebels in the country, Mr. Abdulaziz said during a phone interview with VOA Amharic service. 

Mr. Abdulazis blamed human traffickers for what Ethiopian migrants are going through in Yemen and Saudi’s port city of Jazan.  

Ethiopian migrants follow a risky and dangerous route to find themselves in a problematic situation in Saudi Arabia after crossing the borders of three countries: Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen. 

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borkena
April 16, 2020

Ethiopia’s confirmed Coronavirus case grew by seven on Thursday after 401 people were tested for the disease over the past twenty-four hours, the Ministry of Health reported. 

One of the latest patients is identified as a 14 years old girl with no travel history. The government said that it is working to establish the circumstances under which she was infected and trace people she was exposed too. The update from the Ministry of Health unspecified if her parents or relatives are quarantined.  

The rest of the newly confirmed individuals did have a travel history—two patients to the United States of America, one patient to Germany, two patients to Sweden and one patient to Japan, according to a report by the Ministry of Health.  They were in quarantine for two weeks after arrival in the country, as required by the new regulation. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to over 90 countries across the world. 

Although the land borders to six neighboring countries are closed as a prevention measure against the spread of  Coronavirus disease, the Ethiopian government did not ban passenger flights coming to the country. 

The total number of confirmed cases is now 92. As reported on Wednesday, 15 patients have recovered, and three patients have died from it.  Seventy-two patients are still in COVID 19 treatment center, and no patient is in the Intensive Care Unit. 

On Thursday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his wife, Zinash Tayachew, visited Coronavirus patients treatment center in the northern outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa. 

So far, a total of 5389 suspected cases of COVID 19 are tested in the country. About eight testing centers have been organized across the country. 

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borkena
April 17, 2020

Last week, the Ethiopian government announced that it is closing the Eritrean refugee camp in Tigray, Hitsats, which was operational for more than seven years.

According to a report by AFP last week,  Hitsats refugee camp was home to well over 13,000 Eritrean refugees. The government intended to close it sometime in March but was delayed because of the outbreak of Coronavirus disease in the country. 

Following the closure, Eritrean refugees are to be relocated to other camps in the country, or they can work and live freely. 

The Ethiopian government’s decision to close the camp has something to do, in part, funding cuts from the refugee agency said AFP report, which cited Eyob Awoke, deputy director-general of Ethiopia’s Agency for Refugee and Returnee Affairs. 

Eritrean refugees do not seem to subscribe to arguments. They think that the Eritrean government is behind Ethiopia’s decision to close the camp. 

“We are not clear why we are needed to leave the camp where we lived for years and years. There is an Eritrean government hand behind the action,” DW Amharic service cited what it called Eritrean refugees. 

If there is an Eritrean government behind the decision, as the refugees claim, what is the motive in doing so? It is unclear. 

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borkena
April 17, 2020

Over the past four weeks or so, Ethiopia took several measures as part of precaution against human to human transmission of Coronavirus. It has even gone to the extent of declaring a state of emergency. 

Part of the reason for the state of emergency was to give authorities the power to take measures that they deem useful to prevent the spread of the virus. 

On Friday, government introduced measures to restrict driving. The way it is going about it is by organizing a schedule for private car owners, as reported by state media Ethiopian News Agency (ENA). 

It is the Ministry of Transportation that introduced the new regulation and will be enforced across the country. 

Those whose license plate ends with even numbers are allowed to drive on the first day after the introduction of the regulation.  Drivers with a license plate that end with odd numbers are not allowed to drive on that day. They can only drive the next day after the even numbers. And then it will rotate until the ministry calls off the regulation. 

Those drivers who need to drive without the designated day due to the work-related activity will be issued with special permission from the ministry, said Abdissa Yadeta, who is Director of the Federal Transport Authority, as reported by ENA. 

Concerning public transportation, trans-region or city buses are regulated to operate with only 50 percent of their carrying capacity. But they will be charging 50 % more than the regular rate. Operation hours for the service start at 6 a.m. local time and end at 9 p.m. 

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borkena
April 20, 2020

Seven-members of Ethiopian church Choir reportedly found dead on the eve of Ethiopian Easter. The bodies were found at St Yohannes Church in Dibibisa Kebele of Adama district in East Shoa,Oromo regional state of Ethiopia,  said a report by DW Amharic service on Monday. 

The bodies were discovered around 3 a.m. 

The source cited Tesfaye Etana, a police commander in the district, who confirmed that six of those who were found dead are female while one of them is male.  According to DW Amharic report, one died later in hospital. All are under the ages of 20.

An investigation is underway to establish the cause of their death.

“There was a power outage, and the generator was on. They [the Choir] slept in the generator room,”  Commander Tesfaye Etana told DW Amharic over the phone. 

Asked as to what he thinks is the possible cause, the commander said: “We do not determine that before we get the result of the autopsy investigation.” But he said it could be because of carbon monoxide as all the doors and windows of the room were closed. 

The issue is already being discussed among Ethiopians on social media platforms.  Some question, “How can they sleep with the noise if the generator was already on?” 

Others say the Church was closed due to Coronavirus prevention measures. 

At this writing, the Ethiopian Church has not issued a statement concerning the incident. 

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The post 7 Choir members of Ethiopian Church reportedly found dead in Nazret area appeared first on Borkena Ethiopian News.

borkena
April 20, 2020

Landslide in the Gamo zone of SNNPR has claimed the eight lives, DW Amharic reported on Monday. 

The tragic incident happened on Saturday night, the eve of Ethiopian Easter, around 2 a.m. local time, Commander of Gerese police, inspector Lisho Limo DW Amharic. 

Five of those who lost their lives were from the same family. W/O Tikishi Dicha, mother, lost her life along with her two sons and two daughters.

A three years old child of the same family members miraculously found alive.

His body below his neck was entirely buried in the mud. Villagers rescued him, and he is currently getting medical attention. Inspector Lisho Limo spoke with the tone that the condition of the toddler is not life-threatening.   

The three districts of the Gamo zone affected by the heavy rain are Gerese, Chencha, and the surroundings of Arba Minch city. 

There has been heavy rain in the zone since last Saturday, according to authorities in the region. Metrologists anticipate that heavy rain will continue. 

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borkena
April 21, 2020

Ethiopia says it has seized 21 million birr worth of contraband goods in a span of one week. 

The Ministry of Revenue said on Tuesday, as reported by state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC),  the goods were seized in Humera, Metema, Mojo, Bole Airport, Adama, Bahir Dar, Jijiga, Galafi, Dire Dawa, Harar, Awash, and other customs offices in the country. 

Among the items seized are ammunition for machine guns, AK 47, and Turkey made handguns. 

Moreover, children and adult clothes, cigarettes, gold mine machines, and vehicles have been seized. 

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Illegal entry from Djibouti reportedly complicating Ethiopia’s COVID 19 prevention strategy in the eastern parts of the country

borkena
April 21, 2020

As Djibouti’s confirmed case of COVID 19 surpasses well over 900, illegal entry to Ethiopia from the Horn of African country has become a concern for Ethiopian authorities. 

Illegal entry at this time means those who do it are bypassing required arrangements medical examination and two weeks quarantine before they are guaranteed free movement if their results show negative for COVID 19 test. 

The development has made Ethiopia’s policy and strategy on COVID 19, which emphasizes prevention, a complicated undertaking. It has become more challenging in Afar, Somali, and Dire Dawa regions of Ethiopia. 

How is the government responding to it? 

A report by state-affiliated media Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) cited Lemlem Bezabih, Head of Dire Dawa city Health Office, 

as saying that the office is working with community members to tackle the challenge. 

Several COVID 19 cases are confirmed from Dire Dawa. Lemlem said that her office is tracing those individuals who had contact with the infected person, as part of the prevention work. However, she did not hide that the entry from Djibouti that bypassed the arrangements in place is thwarting the prevention work. 

According to the FBC report, Dire Dawa city administration and security office, which is involved in the COVID 19 prevention work, said that there are limitations in terms of controlling illegal entry to Ethiopia from Djibouti. The office is striving to coordinate with Somali regional state officials, Musa Teha, head of the city’s administration, and security said. 

Somali region administration has confirmed that it is working with Dire Dawa authorities. It is also working with federal authorities.  The region’s acting president, Mustafa Mohammed, reportedly said that his administration is making arrangements to create isolation centers at the border with Somalia and Djibouti. Some of the challenges in the region require support from the Federal government, and work is in progress, he added. 

In a similar development, the Afar regional state is seeking the support of stakeholders in the adjacent regions. Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) cited Awol Arba, head of the region’s administration, as saying that the region is undertaking regulatory works in Elidar, Afambo, and Galafi districts.   

The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency over the Coronavirus pandemic situation in the country, and the Federal law takes precedence, as stipulated in the state of emergency regulations. 

Ethiopia has closed land borders with six neighboring countries weeks before even declaring a state of emergency. 

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In 2017, a US based Ethiopian News outlet reported most of those who appropriated land for agri-business in Gambella region were TPLF affiliated mean for whom a loan was arranged from Development Bank of Ethiopia

borkena
April 21, 2020

Since about ten years ago, Gambella regional state-granted agribusiness license and land for nearly 705 investors. Almost 40 percent of them failed to honor their investment commitment so much so that some have not even started work in nine years. Now the region’s government is acting on it.   

Two hundred eighty-five investors who appropriated land for agri-business in the Gambella region of Ethiopia are expropriated, and the regional authority cancels their business license, state media Ethiopian News Agency reported on Tuesday. 

The region’s top authority, Umod Ujulo, told journalists that the business license is revoked because they did not start active investment nine years after appropriating land for agribusiness and getting licenses. 

“The regional government was compelled to take the measures because the investors have not started development work in the appropriated land which is over 210,570 hectares of land,” Umod Ujulo is cited as saying. 

Some of them have started some work. Others have not started work at all and did not pay a land tax for a long time. 

Moreover, Gambell regional state president said 36 of the “investors” took a loan from the Development Bank of Ethiopia and disappeared without a trace. 

Ujulo Umod is the Director of the Investment Agency in the region. He said his office repeatedly tried to reach out to the investors, whose licenses are now canceled, to inform them that they need to start working on their investment project but to no avail. 

Now the regional state is calling on those investors who have an interest in investing in the region in a wide range of sectors.   

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Wogene Debele, a mother of three before she contracted COVID 19, was expecting her fourth baby, and almost due. She did not live to see her last baby. Ethiopian Community in Maryland and beyond is shocked with the news.

borkena
April 22, 2020

COVID 19 has brought tragedy to hundreds of thousands of families around the world. But one family in Silverspring, Maryland, is struck hard.

Wogene Debele, a mother of three, was approaching her due date when she contracted COVID 19 disease. Unfortunately, she lost the battle with the disease, but her baby was delivered before she passed away.  She did not get a chance to see him. 

Her husband Yilma Asfaw Tadesse, and her beloved children Mihret (17 years old), Naod (10 years old), Asher (4 years old) and  Levi, the newborn, are in the dark due to the tragedy.  

Her friends are grief stricken too.  Roman Gadissa Megra said she knew Wogene since childhood. She wrote on the facebook :

“I can’t believe she is gone. Wegene was one of my very few childhood/old friends whom I considered as true friend. I can tell that we will both become more mature and wise as we get older and our friendship, when we reconnect, will be deeper. I am saddened. I know now she’s in a better hand. One thing I belive is what Jesus told us to belive according to

‘John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ ” 

Faya Mulualem Schmidt  wrote : 

“Wegenya I am still in shock,😪😪 hard to accept it , rest in peace in heaven..😪😪 this COVID-19 is evil and heartless, it’s after each one of us, may God protect us all.” 

Friends have organized fundraising on GoFundMe to support the family, and aim to raise 200,000 US. 

The family needs support. You can change their circumstances by donating directly to the GoFundMe account.

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The post A mother lost battle to COVID 19 before she sees her new baby appeared first on Borkena Ethiopian News.

borkena
April 22, 2020 

A fight between two individuals has reportedly left seven people dead in the Mekdela district of South Wollo, in north central Ethiopia.

Four of the victims are police officers who arrived on scene responding to the reported fight, state media Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported on Wednesday.

Tefera Molla, head of the district, told Ethiopian News Agency that the incident happened on Tuesday starting at 2 p.m. local time in the afternoon in Koreb neighbourhood. 

The news report by state media is murky.  A fight between two unnamed individuals led to the death of one person. Brothers of the deceased, as reported by EBC, were angered by police who were on the scene to respond to the escalation of the fight. They opened fire and killed four members of the police. In the ensuing escalation, three other people were killed. 

The Head of the district is cited as saying that police provide details of the incident once the investigation is completed. It is unclear, however, if those who opened fire on police are among those killed during the incident. 

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Mesafint Tesfu reportedly agreed to end his armed Fano movement. Government committed to provide security protection

borkena
April 23, 2020

The mediation effort to convince the leader of the Fano movement to end his armed activity  in Amhara regional state of Ethiopia is bearing fruit finally.  

Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) reported on Thursday that Mesafint Tesfa, the leader, has reached an agreement with government authorities to end his armed activity. Fifteen other members of the Fano group gave in along with him. 

Worku Lemlemu, head of central Gonder zone, is cited as saying that the process leading to the agreement caused no casualty.  

Much of the details of the agreement between authorities in the region and Arbegna Mesafint is unclear. However, Mr. Work said that the regional government has committed itself to provide  Mesafint with security protection. 

The government has been criticized by some activists from the region and by the National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) for deploying forces against the Fano movement. Some went to the extent of claiming that the government intended to do away with the Fano structure in the region. 

However, the government denies it saying that the accusation is meant to paint the government in a negative light. It rather describes the military activity in the central Gondar region as a move to enforce the rule of law. Some elements exploited the Fano movement, regional authorities argued,  as a shield while engaging in kidnappings and robbery – among other illegal practices. 

Fano as an armed movement has roots in Ethiopian history whenever the sovereignty of  Ethiopia was challenged by foreign invaders.  The movement got a rebirth in northwestern Ethiopia about three years ago as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated federal government moved to deepen repression following widespread protest movements across the country.

Some political pundits argue that the downfall of TPLF as the master of the Federal government would not have happened without armed resistance from the Fano movement. 

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In his Ramadan Message, Abiy Ahmed encouraged Ethiopian Muslims to practice social distancing and other COVID 19 prevention measures

borkena
April 23, 2020

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has conveyed Ramadan message, live video,on Thursday for the Muslims’ Holy Month of Ramadan which is starting on Friday. 

Expressing his best wishes and noting that Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islamic faith, he said “The great Ramadan month is holy. A month of prayer and spirituality.”

Through his message, Abiy demonstrated that he has a good grasp of the basics of the faith. “The night the Holy Quran was sent down from Heaven is called ‘Yemewosegniyiyatu lelit’  [Night of Decree]. A good deed during that night is worth more than good deeds of thousands of months,” he said. 

His video message is longer than 12 minutes.  Normally, best wish message on the occasion of Ramadan would have focused on Ramadan only, he said.  “This year’s Ramadan is happening at a time when the world is affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and practicing social distancing, staying at home and avoiding  handshakes”

He recalled that places of worship closed the world over,  citing that Islamic teaching authorities have  okayed prayer from home until the pandemic is eradicated. 

Moreover, he said that Prophet Mohammed has taught about precaution measures in the event of a pandemic like Coronavirus, and we need to strictly practice it at this time. 

“I have full confidence that followers of the Islamic faith will cooperate with health professionals to isolate infected persons,” he added. 

The prime minister also conveyed economic messages. Pointing out the economic slow down due to the Coronavirus, he said that citizens need to play their part to support the government’s effort to minimize the negative economic impacts of the pandemic and that the Holy month of Ramadan is a good opportunity for that. For him, practices like that are in line with the concepts of Zakat and Sadaqah. 

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Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is being portrayed as a prestige project in some Egyptian media outlets. Ethiopian experts say the dame is a matter of survival issue for Ethiopians.

borkena
April 24, 2020 

As Egyptian media stir sensationalism on the issue of the Ethiopian dam by painting it as a project of prestige and power, Ethiopian experts deconstruct such a narrative. 

Abebe Zerihun is a member of Ethiopian delegates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been part of the negotiation. He said, as reported by state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation, completing the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam is not just a matter of development. It is more of a matter of survival. 

Elaborating his point, he said Ethiopia’s total surface water resource is about 112 cubic meters per annum. Abay (Nile) will all its tributaries Tekeze, Baro, and Akobo river basins, all together, constitute about 72 percent of it. 

Six of the nine regional states of Ethiopia are within that river basin system, Abebe Zerihun says. Up to 50 million people in those regions directly depend on the Nile river basins, according to his analysis. 

In terms of power generation, he noted that more 65 million Ethiopian people do not have electricity. However, he said, the dam is framed as a prestige and power project in the Egyptian narratives which he says is a misrepresentation.  Their narrative might have been informed by various assumptions but the dam is a question of survival as far as Ethiopia is concerned, he underscored.  

Mekdelawit Messay is an engineer and climate advocate who studied at home and in the Netherlands. She has numerous publications regarding the Nile river and the Ethiopian dam.

She told FBC the Nile River and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is crucial for the survival of Ethiopia. Furthermore, she noted the level of abject poverty in the country and highlighted that the project is relevant to meet 17 of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. The task of bringing electricity for over two-thirds of Ethiopia’s 110 million people is dependent on the project, she added. For her, not completing the dam harms not just this generation but generations to come. 

Meanwhile, project manager of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Kifle Horo, said on Friday that the metal works needed for the pre-power generation work of the dam is completed and the concrete filling is underway.  But the overall metal work related to the project is at 26 percent. The entire project is completed 73 percent according to the manager. 

Ethiopia is intending to start filling the dam during the rainy months of July and August of this year, and two of the turbines are expected to start generating power once that is completed. During the initial phase, 4.9 billion cubic meters of water will be filled in the dam. 

It is to be recalled that the series of negotiations that the United States of America initiated, and in which it took part as an “observer,” failed in February 2020. Ethiopia did not attend the last round of the negotiation. The United States wanted Ethiopia not to start filling and operating the dam without signing an agreement with Egypt first – a position to which Ethiopia expressed disappointment. 

Rumors in social media this week indicate that Gulf countries are interested in mediating Egypt and Ethiopia. However, political pundits tend to think that Ethiopia should not allow mediators from outside of Africa and that all Nile riparian countries need to be part of the conversation. 

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