WORLD

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is investigating these incidents, which impacted vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly Deadly clashes between gov’t forces, Fano fighters leave civilian casualties across three zones in Amhara region A similar conflict occurred in the East Gojjam zone, where fighting reportedly began in the town of Mota on 27 October and continued until Monday, 28 October. A resident in the area recounted that “heavy artillery and gunfire were heard around Mota, with rounds landing in residential areas,” which reportedly led to disruptions in transport and other local services. He added that he had heard reports of civilians being killed by stray bullets and mentioned that some of the bodies have not yet been buried. This is the late...

More than one in three species of trees are at risk of extinction worldwide, threatening life as we know it on Earth, according to a report published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species The report published on Monday has warned that over 16,000 tree species are at risk of extinction. More than 47,000 species were assessed for the IUCN study, out of an estimated 58,000 species thought to exist in the world According to the report, trees are felled for logging and to clear land for farming and human expansion. Climate change also poses an additional threat through worsening drought and wildfires. Over 5,000 of the species on the IUCN Red List are used for construction timber, and more than 2,000 species for medicines, food and ...

Millions of adolescents in Africa could be living unknowingly with asthma as cases go undiagnosed, researchers find. Millions of adolescents across Africa may unknowingly be battling asthma because they have not received a diagnosis from a clinician and, therefore, are not receiving the necessary treatments, a new study has found. Published last week in the research journal The Lancet, the study’s findings are critical for a continent that has produced little data about the scale of asthma despite the condition being one of the most common causes of chronic respiratory deaths on the continent Asthma, which affects the lungs and causes difficulties in breathing, often starts in childhood or adolescence. It is a condition that affects many adolescents worldwide with an estimate...

Landmark trial is first time a Lord’s Resistance Army member has been brought to justice in the East African country. A court in Uganda has sentenced Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of violence. The sentence was announced on Friday by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case, at a court in the northern city of Gulu Justice Duncan Gasagwa, one of four judges on the case, said “the convict played a prominent role in the planning, strategy and actual execution of the offences of extreme gravity”. He added that “the victims have been left with lasting physical and mental pain and suffering”. Kwoyelo was found guilty in August of 44 offe...

People around the world are “paying a terrible price” for inaction on global warming, with time running out to correct the course and avoid climate disaster, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. A new United Nations report released on Thursday says current climate policies will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, more than twice the rise agreed to nearly a decade ago The annual Emissions Gap Report, which takes stock of countries’ promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces as much as 3.1C (5.6F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 if governments do not take greater action on slashing planet-warming emissions. Governments in 2015 signed up to th...

Democratic backsliding in Africa reflects global trend towards ‘strongman politics’ emboldening autocrats. Progress in democratic governance in Africa has ground to a halt, according to a new report issued by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The latest edition of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, published on Wednesday, found that progress in governance across the continent came to a halt in 2022 following four years of “almost complete stagnation Backsliding in 21 countries means that nearly half of Africa’s population lives with standards of governance that have declined over the past decade, according to billionaire philanthropist Mo Ibrahim. “It’s not pretty,” he said before the release. “If there is deterioration in governance, if there is corruption, if there is marginal...

The Federal Government of Somalia has condemned the terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) facility in Kahramankazan, near Ankara, which killed 5 people and injured more. "We send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, standing by the people and the government of Turkey at this difficult time," said a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia. The Somali government said that this attack is not only a threat to Turkey, "but it is a blow to the peace and security of the world." "Terrorism in any form is a threat to the stability of countries and the safety of all people. Somalia, which has been fighting terrorism for a long time, deeply sympathizes with its Turkish brothers and shares their grief," said the statement of...

Addis Abeba – In the labyrinth of Ethiopia’s political landscape, an age-old rhythm of resistance and centralization replays itself. Fano, the self-styled guardian of Amhara’s identity, stands now as one of the latest actors in this evolving drama. Their defiance against the Ethiopian Federal Defense Forces echoes both the historical echoes of valour and the grievances born of marginalisation. And while skirmishes flare along the edges of the Ethiopian heartland, the looming question haunts the horizon: Can the insurgent Fano forces truly challenge Ethiopia’s military juggernaut, or is the march toward confrontation a prologue to eventual defeat or compromise? The answer is buried in the layers of Ethiopia’s complex political, social, and geopolitical fabric. What follows is an anal...