On 31 October 2023, two staff members of the African Development Bank (AfDB) based in Addis Ababa were arrested by Ethiopian security forces. According to the institution, which has its headquarters in Abidjan, the employees were physically assaulted and detained for several hours without being given any official explanation. There's more to this story Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Subscribe Now cancel anytime Already a a subscriber Sign In

The refugee reported that humanitarian organizations have commenced evacuations since the previous Sunday, which has resulted in refugees feeling exceedingly vulnerable and without protection. In light of the escalating threat, the Tigray Association in Sudan issued a statement yesterday, underscoring the precarious circumstances faced by these refugees. The association called upon the Tigray Interim Administration to assume responsibility for the protection of Tigrayans in Sudan. It was reported that close to 15 Tigrayans have succumbed to the conflict in Sudan due to the scarcity of medical resources and services, a situation exacerbated by the conflict. The association cautioned that the ongoing conflict in Khartoum could potentially extend to the refugee camps, where tens of thousands of Tigrayans are currently seeking asylum.

America suspended Ethiopia from the free trade act in late December 2021, because of the ongoing civil war with the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). America suspended Ethiopia from the AGOA free trade act in late December 2021, because of the ongoing civil war with the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). This is despite the roll-out of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which was launched in 2018. “African countries only play a minor role,” in the country’s clothing and textile trade, the economist told Just Style. A UN Development Programme (UNDP) report released in December (2023) revealed the extensive impact of Ethiopia’s suspension from AGOA trade pact.

Less than ten months after winning the 2023 Dubai Marathon, Ethiopian star Dera Dida has confirmed she will return to the UAE to defend her Dubai crown on January 7. Earlier this year, Dida – wife of former Dubai Marathon winner and Marathon World Champion Tamirat Tola – stormed through with two kilometres remaining to take the women’s event in 2h:21:11 at EXPO City Dubai, while her brother-in-law Abdisa Tola made it a unique family double by clinching the men’s title. It’s familiar ground for Dida who competed over the route in both 2018 and 2020 finishing seventh and fifth respectively. “When I took the lead in Dubai, I was sure I’d win,” said Dida, a two-time Ethiopian National Champion at 5,000 and 10,000m and a two-time World Cross Country Championship silver medallist. The 2024 Dubai Marathon is supported by adidas, Dubai Duty Free, EXEED by Al Ghurair, the Channel 4 Radio Network, the ITP Media Group, Bisleri Water, Biofreeze, the Dubai Sports Council, Dubai RTA, Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality and SIRO One Za'abeel, the first fully integrated Fitness + Recovery hotel in Dubai.

NEW YORK -- A local female-owned small business is getting a bit of spotlight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And Red Fox Spices, a local artisan with Ethiopian roots, is one of the products visitors get to see in the gift shop if interested in walking away with tangible memories. "With Red Fox it's that, um, preserving ancestral heritage through the power of food. So my mom learned to blend this stuff for recipes and she's using that original recipe to produce all the recipes for red fox," Kelkay said. This is all full circle for the Red Fox Spices family.

The U.S. military command in Africa, AFRICOM, confirmed that the strike near Jilib killed one al-Shabab militant and said there were no civilian casualties. The U.S. identified Ayman as the leader of Jaysh Ayman, an al-Shabab unit that conducts terrorist attacks and operations in Kenya and Somalia. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the Manda Bay attack and published purported video of the group’s emir, Ahmed Umar Abu Ubaidah, personally meeting the attackers before the operation. Ayman is the second al-Shabab commander connected to the Manda Bay attack who has been killed in a U.S. strike. In March 2020, the U.S. reported an operation that it said had killed Bashir Qoorgaab, who was linked to the planning of the operation.

The Jewish people’s 3,800-year history in and tie to their ancestral homeland is memorialized in the Hebrew Bible and other writings. Archaeological findings throughout this tiny land confirm the centuries of history of the Jewish people in their land. An overview must suffice here.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s leader slashed the fees during the holiday season for several public transport routes in half and offered free train rides starting Thursday, hoping to ease — at least temporarily — some of the economic hardship caused by his government’s austerity measures. Elected in May to lead Africa’s most populous country, President Bola Tinubu has introduced several economic changes, including removing decadeslong gas subsidies. The impact of the measures has worsened the cost of living for millions already struggling with record inflation. In big urban places such as the economic hub of Lagos, transport fares have more than tripled since the government removed gas subsidies. ___Associated Press writer Dan Ikpoyi in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Ethiopian security agencies on October 31, 2023 arrested, assaulted and detained for four hours two employees of the multilateral organization, the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Addis Ababa. The employees were working in the East African country as diplomats. Following the incident, the AfDB has decided to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia. “This is a very serious diplomatic incident, and the African Development Bank has since lodged a formal complaint with the Ethiopian authorities. These decisions follow the recent breach of diplomatic protocol and assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of the African Development Bank’s international members of staff,” the Bank said in a statement this week.

The AfDB lodged a formal complaint with Ethiopian authorities last month, calling the physical assault and hours-long detention of two of its employees on Oct. 31 a “very serious diplomatic incident”. The bank sent a high-level delegation to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Nov. 22 to meet with the Ethiopian government and bank staff, Wednesday’s statement said. The delegation’s assessment was that the situation had not been resolved, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said in the statement. The AfDB’s ongoing portfolio in Ethiopia comprised 22 projects totalled $1.24 billion as of Sept. 30, it said in the statement. Its office in Addis Ababa will remain open, and the decision to withdraw international staff will not affect locally recruited employees.

The African Development Bank has decided to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia immediately, following an attack by the country’s security forces. “These decisions follow the recent breach of diplomatic protocol and assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of the African Development Bank’s international members of staff,” said AfDB in a statement on Wednesday night. The African Development Bank formally communicated with the government of Ethiopia through an official note verbale on 6 November requesting a full and transparent investigation into the incident. The Bank President said, “the October incident continues to cause much anxiety across the African Development Bank Group and especially among staff at the Ethiopia country office. He said that the African Development Bank remains committed to supporting the country’s socio economic development.

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 21 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Ministry of Labor and its Innovation Authority announced plans to finance programmes for the training and placement of Ethiopians in the country's high-tech industry. Israel is known as a centre of high-tech entrepreneurship, so much so that the country has been dubbed "Startup Nation." The winners are: 8200 Alumni Association, Tech-Career and a program in collaboration with Reichman University. This, said the ministry, is part of the government's employment goals in the field of integrating Ethiopians into quality employment as well as its goals in the field of responding to the shortage of skilled manpower in the high-tech industry. Israel Ozan, Director General of the Ministry of Labor: "Our future depends to a large extent on the ability of people from different sectors to find themselves in positions with high wages and productivity" (ANI/TPS)

At a time when the general economy was ailing, drone exports have helped the defence industry keep growing. Drone exports are a source not just of export revenue but of national pride. In Africa ... Türkiye’s drone exports appear to align with its diplomatic, trade and security initiatives in what some Turkish defence analysts refer to as “drone diplomacy”. In Africa, too, Türkiye’s drone exports appear to align with its diplomatic, trade and security initiatives in what some Turkish defence analysts refer to as “drone diplomacy”. More broadly, the war in Ukraine has boosted Türkiye’s drone business in the Eurasian neighbourhood.

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, 20 December 2023 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-The African Development Bank has decided to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia immediately. These decisions follow the recent breach of diplomatic protocol and assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of the African Development Bank’s international members of staff. The African Development Bank formally communicated with the government of Ethiopia through an official note verbale on 6 November requesting a full and transparent investigation into the incident. The Bank President said, “the October incident continues to cause much anxiety across the African Development Bank Group and especially among staff at the Ethiopia country office. He said that the African Development Bank remains committed to supporting the country’s socioeconomic development.

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