Author: Abdihakim Kalale

Plans to launch a national carrier in association with the Nigerian government and institutional investors have come to an end, according to Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew. Former aviation minister Hadi Sirika announced the #Nigeria Air initiative in May 2023, but it was met with legal obstacles and opposition from domestic airlines. Concerns over the ownership structure were raised by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), especially after Ethiopian Airlines was declared the preferred bidder. Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s minister of aviation, put the national carrier proposal on hold in August last year. A federal high court in Lagos subsequently…

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed Visits Port Sudan to Support Relief Efforts On Thursday, Amina J. Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, arrived in Port Sudan for a meeting with the Transitional Sovereignty Council. According to a news statement from the Secretary-General’s Office, Mohammed is accompanied by senior officials and the UN country team, including Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Sudan. The primary goal of the visit is to strengthen relief efforts in Sudan. Following her visit to Port Sudan, the Deputy Secretary-General and her delegation will travel to Adré, Chad, to address the country’s numerous…

Pasta in Italy is one of the items that Yonas Alemu, the creator of Lovegrass Ethiopia, has successfully brought to worldwide markets using teff. The ex-investment banker gave up her job in London to launch a healthy food business in her home country of Ethiopia.Yonas explained his choice to go back to Ethiopia by saying, “I’ve been planning it and I’ve been wanting to do this for pretty much decades.” He persisted, establishing a factory outside of Addis Ababa despite the early doubts of his friends.Lovegrass Ethiopia had various obstacles, such as political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused…

Muse Bihi Abdi, the president of Somaliland, has charged anonymous opponents of the impending election with planning acts of insurrection in the Sool and sanaag region’s including Erigabo city. President Bihi said in a statement that recent clan disputes are a part of a calculated attempt to sabotage Somaliland’s elections and jeopardize the unity and governance of the area. “The goal of the fight in Erigabo today is to sabotage our elections. Somaliland needs to be developed by every elected individual, but this development is being hampered. We are all concentrating on the election today,” stated President Bihi. Since Wednesday’s…

Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, has praised the spirit in which the peace process headed by Kenya is moving forward, pointing out that the restoration of peace and stability is necessary for economic growth and recovery. South Sudan’s Minister of Information, Michael Makuei Lueth, said in a statement aired on state-owned television (SSBC) that President Kiir met and conferred with the opposition, civil society organizations, and faith-based groups involved in the Tumaini peace process in Nairobi, Kenya.In Nairobi, His Excellency President Salva Kiir supported former prime minister Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga in her bid to become chairperson of…

Floods Render Thousands Homeless in Jonglei State Since last week, floods in parts of Uror County, Jonglei State, have left thousands of people homeless. The disaster was preceded by days of intense rainfall and the overflow of water bodies in the nearby Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA). According to media reports from Uror County Commissioner James Gatkhor Gatluak, nearly the entire county has been inundated, displacing 30,000 people. The affected villages include Motot, Pulchuol, Karam, Patahai, Pamai, Tiam, and Panyok. Commissioner Gatluak reported that 27,000 people and 18 communities have been impacted overall. He noted that these displaced individuals have…

New Refugee Site Established in Amhara Region Following Closure of Previous Camps Following the closure of the Kumer and Awlala camps due to security concerns, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in collaboration with Ethiopia’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), has developed a new refugee site in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Nearly 3,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived at this new site, named Aftit. The UNHCR reports that Aftit is located in the Amhara region and has the capacity to accommodate up to 12,500 people. The organization has implemented improved security measures at the new location in collaboration with the local…

The government has partnered with Saudi Arabia in an effort to improve relations between the two nations in the fields of higher education and research by exchanging skills and talents.Beatrice Inyang’ala, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Higher Education and Research, stressed at a two-day seminar that the alliance will aid in addressing the issues facing the education sector. PS Inyangala stated that the partnership is a positive move because Saudi Arabia has provided scholarships to the nation for many years.She remarked, “As a government, we are grateful to Saudi Arabia for supporting our efforts to offer relevant and…

The African Union transition mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is ending, and the Ethiopian government expressed fear that the new peace support mission will be “fraught with dangers” for the area.”Cannot stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilize the region,” Ethiopia said as well. Ethiopia is keeping a close eye on regional events that can jeopardize its national security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The announcement was made the day after Egypt, as part of a larger deployment that may have involved up to 10,000 Egyptian soldiers in Somalia, dispatched military leaders and heavy…

Kenyan government officials are undergoing cloud computing security training through a partnership with Huawei Technologies. This collaboration is part of a long-term initiative to enhance the skills of government employees and improve the application of global cybersecurity standards. The training aligns with Kenya’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, which aims to mitigate cyber risks that could jeopardize sensitive data and critical infrastructure. “Cloud adoption is becoming a global necessity for enterprises, organizations, and governments; it is no longer optional. However, these advancements also introduce increased risks to data integrity, security, and privacy. As 200 government employees graduated from the program, Interior Principal…

Risk of Natural Disasters for 400,000 People in Amhara Region During Rainy Season According to the Amhara Disaster Prevention and Food Security Commission, up to 400,000 people in eight zones and 34 districts across the region may be at risk of natural disasters during this year’s rainy season. Commissioner Tesfaw Batable reported that districts including North Gondar, South Gondar, and Wag Hemra zones have experienced landslides and flooding due to severe rainfall. A recent landslide in the Tselemti region of the North Western Tigray zone resulted in ten deaths and displaced 2,949 people. Tesfaw noted that the Amhara regional government…

1,223 cholera cases—including 48 fatalities—were registered across five states by Sudan’s health ministry.Five suspected cases of cholera were reported in seven towns in Khartoum state, but since the first case on July 23, no additional verified cases have been reported, according to a spokesman for the health ministry. Furthermore, there have been 47 reports of conjunctivitis, or pink eye, throughout Khartoum, the most of which are located in Jabal Aulia, Karari, and Ombada. The spokesman guaranteed that most patients recover in a week and that the illness is self-limiting. In order to look into cases of malnutrition brought on by…

For their actions in the ongoing fight, two generals from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) may face sanctions from the UN Security Council. This would be the first time penalties have been applied to the present war. Diplomats told Reuters that the US has formally proposed asset freezes and travel restrictions for RSF West Darfur Commander Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla and RSF Chief of Operations Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed.The designations will be confirmed if, by Friday afternoon, the 15-member Sudan sanctions committee does not receive any objections. The RSF is accused of widespread violations of human rights during the Sudanese…

At a crucial moment when diseases spread across the African continent, particularly the current mpox virus, which has been deemed a public health risk, Dr. Ndugulile assumes the post of WHO regional representative.The next regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the African area is Faustine Ndugulile. He will succeed Matshidiso Moeti, who has served two five-year terms.African member states voted for Ndugulile on Tuesday, during the 74th session of the WHO regional committee for Africa, which held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.The regional committee is the WHO’s decision-making body in the region. It convenes once a…

Authorities in Pogee, Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, have expressed concern about Ugandans’ growing encroachment on their territory and harassment.According to them, the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) has kept up its efforts to uproot host villages near the border and allow its residents to relocate there. According to the South Sudanese authorities, UPDF soldiers had set up over eight camps and sent out patrol forces in the bordering territory.They said that earlier this month, Ugandan military damaged or burned to the ground a number of houses in Padwanya hamlet.”The Ugandan invaders were increasing by the day,” Jemila…

Sudan’s acting foreign minister announced on Tuesday that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s military chief, will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a number of other African leaders during a conference in Beijing the following week. Hussein Ali Awad told reporters that Burhan will be present at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which is set for September 2–6.”Burhan is scheduled to meet with several African leaders and hold discussions with the president of China on the fringes of the summit,” Awad stated.He continued by saying that, given the close links between the two nations, Burhan’s attendance at…