Ethiopian Citizen

                                           ADDIS ABABA – Thousands of Muslims gathered today for the funeral of Anwar Surur, Zubair Mudasir, Ibrahim Danbal and Jemil Redwan killed by police in Addis Ababa following Juma'a Friday Prayers at the Grand Anwar Mosque. Three of the four Zubair, Anwar and Ibrahim were killed yesterday after the Juma'a prayers were completed at the Grand Anwar Mosque while Jemil Redwan, was among those who were seriously injured in last week’s crackdown and has since been receiving medical treatment before he succumbed to his injuries. Their bodies were laid at Addis Ababa Kolfe Muslim Cemetary. And from yesterday's shooting Mukerem Asrar, Yonatan Mulugeta and Tadele Wabada are said to be in a critical condition at AaBET hospital, Addis Ababa. Reports also indicate that Yonatan and Tadele were shot while heading to work. Siraj Mohammed and Abubaker Elias were killed by police last week, May 26, when Muslims protested the demolition Mosques in Sha

                                             ADDIS ABABA - After completing their Friday Prayers (Juma'a) at the Grand Anwar Mosque, Addis Ababa, Muslims were received with bullets and tear gas. Dozens were reported to have been shot and there are also reports of casualties. There are still many Muslims under siege at the Grand Anwar Mosque, unable to leave the compound. Among them are the injured needing immediate medical assistance. Police fired live shots at worshippers at the Grand Anwar Mosque today as they completed their Friday (Juma'a) Prayers. There were no cause for police to shoot at the worshippers because there were no reports of protests today unlike last week. “Violent actions are not acceptable by any standard,” said Ambassador Ustaz Hassen Taju The Ambassador said the actions being taken by government security forces is causing injury and death of civilians and this is not acceptable by any standard. “This will only escalate the crisis and cause the people to b

                                        ADDIS ABABA - The Addis Ababa Islamic Affairs Supreme Council released a statement  yesterday urging Muslims to refrain from protesting in today's Friday (Jum'a) Prayers. Last week, hundreds of Muslims in Addis Ababa protested the demolition of more than 30 Mosques around the newly formed Shaggar City in Oromia. The result was a confrontation with police leading to the death of three. "The government led by His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed has freed Muslims from previous oppression, established good relation between government and Muslims and prevented Muslims from being taken advantage of by others. This government has also made the legal establishment of the Islamic Affairs, interest-free banking and legalization of religious places," said the Addis Ababa Islamic Affairs Council in the statement. In the statement, the city's Islamic Affairs Council said there is a committee of nine members being established to go over the is

                  ADDIS ABABA – A new study shows that majority of Ethiopians want to amend the Constitution especially the powers of ethnic groups as sovereign owners of the nation, the ethnic-territorial system and the controversial Article 39 which grants ethnic groups the right to secession.  The research team led by Dr. Tilahun Tefera and his colleagues from Addis Ababa University briefly reported their findings to the audience. They explained that the Ethiopian Constitution, adopted in 1995, establishes a federal democratic republic and sets out the rights and duties of citizens and the structure of government. However, certain provisions and articles, especially those related to ethnic issues, have been the subject of repeated debates and disputes over the years. They said that although the Constitution contains various articles, they mainly focus on the articles that receive much attention in the literature. In other words, the study focused specifically on the ethnic-related

                                      ADDIS ABABA – Oromia Regional Government said in a statement today that the demolishing of illegal housing taking place in the newly formed Shaggar City does not target Mosques. This statement came amid the destruction of another Mosque at Ajamba, at the outskirt of west Addis Ababa. In the statement, the regional government stated that the demolishing of illegal houses is planned to take place around 600 cities in Oromia. "Some groups are painting as if the demolishing of illegal houses targets one single religion", said Hailu Adugna, Communication Office Head, Oromia region. "When we are implementing this decision, many interest groups are disseminating information as if we are targeting one ethnicity and one religion. This is wrong.", said Hailu Adugna. The Ethiopian Institute for the Ombudsman has reported that it has received over one hundred thousand complaints from individuals whose homes were destroyed by Shaggar City a

Addis Ababa – As Ethiopian Muslims completed their Friday (Jum'a) Prayers, May 26, they began denouncing government decision to demolish more than 30 Mosques in the newly established Shaggar City, formerly Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne. Addis Ababa Police attempted to storm the Anwar Grand Mosque amid protests on Friday. But the police angered the Muslims inside who saw the police's move as an attempt to desecrate the holy place. This forced the Muslims to throw stones at the police pushing them out of the Mosque. In a statement released on Friday, Addis Ababa Police said that two were killed. Although the statement did identify the victims, they were later identified as Siraj Mohammed and Abubaker Elias. Addis police said only four individuals, 37 police officers as well as 15 different police backup forces were injured. Many expected better years when the Oromia Regional government decided to establish the Shaggar City with a promise of ensuring equal growth and

  ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 25, 2022 — The Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced the appointment of Mr. Mesfin Tasew Bekele, as Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, effective March 23, 2022. Mr Mesfin has been a successor to the former CEO of the Airline group, Tewolde GebreMariam whose early retirement request due to health issues has been approved by the board. Mr. Mesfin has 38 years of experience in airline management and operations in the areas of aircraft maintenance and engineering, procurement, information technology, flight operations, capability development, capacity building, development of corporate strategies, airline operation management, and corporate leadership. He earned Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Open University in the UK, MSc degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Communications Engineering from Addis Ababa University, and BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Addis Ababa University. The Board Chair

Tigrayan refugees in Sudan [Picture: UNHCR] ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 24, 2022 — In a statement released today, Ethiopian government declared a humanitarian ceasefire and called on rebels in Tigray to take heed and withdraw from neighboring regions which they have occupied. The federal government said the decision is taken to ensure the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid to all those in need of assistance.  But in order for this to be successful, the government said the insurgents in Tigray must desist from all acts of further aggression and must withdraw from areas they have occupied in neighboring regions. The Ethiopian government appeared to have gone soft with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) by referring to them as insurgents although they still remain a terrorist group as declared by the Ethiopian parliament in May last year.  Moreover, their acts of aggression against neighboring Afar was defended only through drone strikes and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces

ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 23, 2022 — Ethiopian Airlines announced in a statement today the "early retirement" of Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group Chief Executive Officer, due to health concerns. In the statement Ethiopian Airlines said Tewolde GebreMariam has been under medical treatment in the USA for the last six months. "As he needs to focus on his personal health issues, he is unable to continue leading the airline as a Group CEO, a duty which demands closer presence and full attention round the clock. Accordingly, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam requested the Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group (the “Board”), for early retirement in order for him to focus his full attention to his medical treatment", read the statement. The Board, in its ordinary meeting held on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, accepted Mr. Tewolde’s request for an "early retirement".  Tewolde GebreMariam was appointed by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as Group Chief Executive Offi

ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 20, 2022 — The United Arab Emirates has sent a plane carrying 30 tonnes of food items to Mekele, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, as part of humanitarian efforts to airlift supplies to the Tigray people. The assistance will benefit more than 7,000 people, including 5,600 women and children. It will support the growing needs of families, especially women and children, due to the current situation. Mohamed Salem Al Rashidi, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, said: "The UAE is keen to support the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region, and to meet the needs of the population in light of food shortages," noting that these supplies align with the UAE's humanitarian approach, to provide emergency relief to countries and its peoples in need. He added: "The UAE has consolidated its global position in providing support and humanitarian aid. It is at the forefront of extending a helping hand, and taking swift action to provide emergency relief to countries a

 PRESS RELEASE New Jersey’s American Ethiopian Community Protest Outside Congressman Malinowski’s Office Airplane Banner Flies Over Congressman’s District Calling on Malinowski to Stop Supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front Somerville, New Jersey (March 11, 2022) – American Ethiopian residents of New Jersey protested outside Congressman Tom Malinowski’s office on Thursday (March 10). Coordinated by AEPAC, its New Jersey and New York State Campaign Elections Committees and AEPAC’s partner New York/New Jersey Tristate Hope 4 Ethiopia, the protestors called on the Congressman to withdraw legislation he sponsors that would damage the long-time US-Ethiopia relationship, devastate Ethiopia’s economy, provide support to a recognized terrorist group and put the lives of millions of people in East Africa at risk. Simultaneous to the protest, an airplane banner flew over Congressman Malinowski’s district to raise awareness of the harmful impact of this bill and how it provides suppor

ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 11, 2022 — The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has, on March 11, 2022, published its 110 pages Report on Violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Afar and Amhara Regions of Ethiopia conducted between September and December 2021. The report, which provides a detailed account of widespread human rights violations against civilians committed by parties to the conflict including its gender dimensions, calls on all actors and institutions to support justice and redress initiatives for victims and the rehabilitation of conflict affected areas. With regards to torture and inhuman acts committed during the conflict, EHRC narrated the story of a man in Gashena town (Amhara Region) on November 12, 2021 when armed members of Tigray Forces beat, and tortured him for merely having the suspicion that he owned large sums of money. They first beat him and tortured him by drowning him in the river, they then hammered nails into his leg and sliced his

  ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 10, 2022 - This morning the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa posted on its facebook page thanking its Ethiopian friends and subscribers for the words of support it is receiving but gained backlash from German Embassy in Addis. The Russian Embassy expressed its pride in the Ethio-Russian "solid, long-lasting, friendly ties, manifested in mutual help and assistance in times of need". It said Russia highly appreciates support from Ethiopians and for choosing to #StandwithRussia when it is fighting Nazism. But the West, represented through German Embassy in Addis, was quick to respond to Russian Embassy's post saying Russia's intention to intervene in Ukraine was not at all about fighting Nazism. It claimed it is more familiar with Nazism although it did not mention Russia was also familiar with brutal impacts of Nazism when, during the Soviet Union, it lost millions of its people due to it. And a surge of Nazi sentiment near its borders and an oppress

ADDIS ABABA, MARCH 03, 2022 — A day after Ethiopia skipped voting on Ukraine at the United Nation's General Assembly, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the multilateral institutions and international norms the world has built collectively need not be a site of isolation when actually they were designed to be a mechanism for problem solving, heightened diplomacy and collective development. "Let not the failure of diplomacy be the reason millions of fives are uprooted and global shock waves felt throughout when the tools of creating international harmony are within our means", said PM Abiy Ahmed. The West attempted to isolate Ethiopia last year just like it attempted to isolate Russia at the international arena yesterday. It is to be recalled that on December 17, 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) brought a resolution under the pressure of European countries to force Ethiopia to conduct an investigation on Tigray despite the fact that it has alre