News highlights: Political reshuffle in Ethiopia, 45 people drown in largest 2020 shipwreck off Libya’s coast, Report on Greece’s refugee expulsions
21 Aug 2020

News highlights: Political reshuffle in Ethiopia, 45 people drown in largest 2020 shipwreck off Libya’s coast, Report on Greece’s refugee expulsions

by | posted in: Abiy Ahmed, Africa, African Union, Al-Shahaab, Asylum Seekers, COVID-19, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU funding, European Politics, Germany, Greece, Hitsats camp, Horn of Africa region, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugee Camps, Refugees in the EU, United Nations, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopian political prisoners arbitrarily held since end of June; Political reshuffle in Ethiopia; Uncertainty over closing of Hitsats refugee camp in Ethiopia; More attention for ‘deliberate starvation’ in Eritrea; Unconfirmed reports state Eritrea releases religious prisoners due to crowded prisons and COVID-19 fears; Tribal conflict in Sudan kills 25 people; Violence and flooding threaten South Sudanese displaced people; 45 migrants and refugees killed in largest shipwreck of 2020 off the Libyan coast; Greece accused of illegally expelling over 1000 refugees; Italy gives Tunisia 11 million euros to curb migration; Refugee relocation ban sparks political stand-off in Germany; and First island COVID-19 cases in Greek refugee camp Vial.

News Highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants, COVID-19 spike in Ethiopia, Malta waits 30 hours to rescue distressed refugees
31 Jul 2020

News Highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants, COVID-19 spike in Ethiopia, Malta waits 30 hours to rescue distressed refugees

by | posted in: Africa, African Union, Asylum Seekers, COVID-19, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Politics, European Union, FAO, Finland, Forced labour, Germany, Greece, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking, IOM, Italy, Libya, Malnutrition, Malta, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU, Search and Rescue Operations, South Sudan, Sudan, Trafficking, United Nations | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants; 200 children intercepted and detained in Libya; Widespread human rights violations on route to Mediteranean; COVID-19 a significant threat to Ethiopia; Millions at risk in South Sudan; Human rights abuses and trafficking in South Sudan; Appeal against Eritrea’s conflict preparations; Malta waits 30 hours to rescue migrants and refugees; 100 vulnerable asylum seekers relocated from Greece; Hundreds try to flee Italian overcrowded asylum centers; And Migrants and refugees to be transferred from Lampedusa.

Hachalu Hundessa: Ethiopia’s ghost of the past, the present and the future
15 Jul 2020

Hachalu Hundessa: Ethiopia’s ghost of the past, the present and the future

by | posted in: Abiy Ahmed, Africa, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa region | 0

On June 29th prominent Oromo singer and activist Hachalu Hundessa was murdered by gunmen in the capital of Ethiopia. Hachalu Hundessa’s life, death and the events following his death are deeply tied to the path Ethiopia is taking as a nation. The remnants of the former dictatorial regime, ethnic tensions, in/out group politics, regional versus national power and the power and abuse of state actors delineate the character and struggle of politics in Africa’s second most populous country. When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was elected in 2018 he opened up the political system towards more inclusion for ethnic groups and regional authorities. Powerful political opponents counter these new narratives of inclusiveness with their own narratives of ethnic/regional autonomy and self-rule. The response of Abiy Ahmed’s government after Hachalu Hundessa’s death are illustrative of botched responses that undermine Ahmed’s path towards an inclusive government.