The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ethiopia

  • Nigerian dies in Ethiopian prison

    A Nigerian inmate at the Kaliti Prisons in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has died after suffering an undisclosed ailment. The deceased, identified as Odemu Efe, hailed from Warri, Delta State.

    The Nation gathered that Efe was among the about 150 inmates of Nigerian descent at the prison. It was also learnt that they are being detained on allegations of possession of hard drugs and money laundering.

    The Nation gathered that several inmates have fallen ill due to malnourishment as they are allegedly fed once a day with rice without sauce, all year round.

    The deceased, according to a source, died on July 13 because of poor medication after he took ill. The source added that efforts to draw the attention of Nigerian officials to his deteriorating condition failed.

    A concerned Nigerian, Miss Chika Nwachukwu, accused Nigerian officials of not showing concern about the welfare of the inmates, noting that there was lack of commitment on the part of the home government to facilitate their repatriation even when the Ethiopian authorities are willing to release the inmates.

    She said: “As we speak, some inmates are very sick and they are not getting good medication. Nobody knows whether they will survive since Odemu died in a similar condition.

    “The Federal Government should please activate the relevant ministries and agencies to bring succour to these citizens languishing in foreign land by bringing them back home. Most of them are ready to pay any cost incurred in the process, and also ready to face trial at home for the alleged offences for which they are being detained.”

    Miss Nwachukwu appealed to chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, to mobilise stakeholders in the region to free the inmates, claiming that over eighty percent of them are from the Southeast.

    According to the source, the governments of other African countries, including Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, whose citizens were also trapped in the Kaliti prisons, activated their foreign missions in Ethiopia to set their nationals free.

     

  • ITU urges Ethiopia to learn from Nigeria

    The Non-Executive Chairman, Commonwealth International Telecoms Union (ITU) Group (CIG),  Dr Bashir Gwandu, has urged the government of Ethiopia to learn from the experience of Nigeria’s telecoms sector so as not to make mistakes.

    Gwandu who was a former commissioner and acting Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Coomission (NCC), gave the advice  in his keynote speech at the Innovation Africa Digital Summit (IAD) 2019 held in Addis Ababa last week.

    He stressed the need for strong and good regulatory framework, encompassing sensible set of rules that encourage investment and protect the consumer, and requiring, effective, professionally competent and sufficiently empowered as well as sufficiently financed regulatory institution.

    He said good laws is not just sufficient but government support must be total and not half-hearted coupled with adequate funding that will attract good manpower to the regulator.

    Read Also: IATA re-appoints Ethiopian Airlines CEO to board

    Gwandu said governmet role should be restricted to policy formulation whilst a strong, independent regulatory authority should provide stable, transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory access to telecoms resources in a timely manner. The legal framework apart from guaranteeing independence of the regulator, must enable flexibility of the regulator whilst remaining predictable, efficient, effective and accountable. It should be the role of the regulator to ensure the existence of competition in all segments of the market devoid of market abuse or the exercise of significant market power by the participants, he said.

     

     

  • #AFRIKAVUKA rallies continental ‘fossil-free Africa’ campaigns

    As Africans across the globe marks this year’s Africa Day, a global environmental Organisation, 350Africa.org, rallied a ‘fossil-free Africa’ campaign across the continent to mark the day, which was first celebrated 56 years ago in Ethiopia.

    According to the Communications Coordinator of the 350Africa.org, Lerato Ngakane, “the mobilisation was aimed at sending a powerful and necessary message to African leaders that communities are rising up everywhere to stop fossil fuels and demand true climate action.”

    Tagged #AfrikaVuka, Ngakane stated that all the fossil fuel fights, happening across Africa is through Afrikavuka.org. Nigeria is one of the participating countries, which includes Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya and DRC, Senegal. It was gathered that to mark the day in Benin City some students are showcasing some of the solutions to climate change, while demanding climate actions.

    Read Also: African lawyers’ conference begins July 17

    “Over 30 events took place on Tuesday across the continent, demanding real climate action for a fossil-free Africa. “Mobilising across the continent was not just about what’s decided in the corridors of power at summits and formal negotiations but also about the wave of actions for real change that can be made in a local town, city, university, local institutions, place of worship or community. It’s up to us to make this more than a political flashpoint.

    “Hundreds across the continent organising walks for renewable energy, mini-summits, concerts, women’s dialogues and youth festivals addressing issues of fossil fuels and the role of African leadership in this critical time,”Ngakane stated.

  • Kenya, Ethiopia: Far, but close

    Tragedies always seem far away when it happens far from where we live until one remembers that he or she once visited or passed by the location of one tragedy or the other.

    It could have happened while one was there, and it would be close even when it happened far from home.

    Two recent sad incidents, the terrorists attack in a Nairobi hotel and the Ethiopian Airline flying to Nairobi that crashed, really got me thinking about how close they were to me though I was in Lagos when they occurred.

    I don’t live in Nairobi, but Kenya is the country I have travelled to most in my trips outside the country.

    Not only have I been to Kenya many times, I have lodged in DusitD2 hotel where at least 21 persons were killed in an attack and on occasions where I have not been able to fly direct to Nairobi by Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines is usually the option.

    I stumbled on the news of the terrorist’s attack on the day it happened as I was about switching off at midnight and had to spend almost 30 minutes going through the feeds on Twitter to know the full details of the incident.

    I was saddened about the incident which brought back memories of similar attack in 2013 in a shopping mall which also left many persons dead. I have experienced some of the security measures in place to prevent a recurrence of any attack, but the terrorists managed to strike again in the country that is a tourist’s haven.

    The name of the hotel the attack took place sounded familiar, but it wasn’t some days later that I realised it was one of the four hotels I stayed with some colleagues within a week during a media fellowship trip.

    Fiona Marwa, the former Executive Director of the fellowship programme I participated in, confirmed that DusitD2 was indeed the hotel we stayed. She told me two of the victims were the main staff she interacted with while booking our stay and while we were there.

    As I read through some chilling accounts of the attack, I could vividly recall our stay in the high-class hotel during which I was visited by some of my Kenyan friends who I had not been able to meet on previous visits. It turned out that the office of one of them was in one of the malls in the office complex in the hotel where I visited her.

    I remember one of my visitors saying that was his first time in the hotel despite being familiar with major hotels in the capital city. I was really fascinated by the undulating topography of the hotel and took some time to walk round.

    What if the terrorists had struck on that day? What if they did? I was in the hotel with seven other Nigerian editors on the programme. No one would have imagined eight Nigerian journalists caught in such an attack in Nairobi if it had happened. Far, but it could be close.

    Ethiopian Airlines? I prefer flying directly to Nairobi instead of sometimes enduring hours of transit in Addis, but I have been lucky to fly without even any turbulence on the route where the late Professor Pius Adesanmi and other passengers and crew members died. May their souls rest in peace.

    My prayer for Kenya and Ethiopia: Afflictions of these kinds and others will not arise again. We won’t be on the road the day it needs human sacrifice, like Yoruba usually pray.

  • Buhari sympathises with Ethiopia, others over tragic air accident

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed profound shock at the plane crash involving an Ethiopian Airliner bound for Nairobi, Kenya, in which all the 149 passengers and eight crew members died.

    On behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria, the President extended his sincere condolences to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, the people of Ethiopia, Kenya, Canada, China and all other nations who lost citizens in the air disaster.

    The President also commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed God Almighty to grant the gentle souls of the departed eternal rest.

    Reacting to the accident in Daura, Katsina State on Sunday, Buhari said: “Such large scale loss of human lives in a single incident is shocking beyond words.

    Read Also: Buhari’s second term will be better – Adiukwu

    “I am profoundly touched by this devastating report of air accident involving one of the world’s most successful and efficient Airlines.

    “Given its remarkable safety record, this couldn’t have come at a worse time for Ethiopian Airlines.”

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also said “Like every other African leader, I am proud of the fact that Ethiopian Airlines represents one of Africa’s success stories.”

    The President hoped that the tragic accident will not have a negative effect on Ethiopian Airlines’ passion for excellence.

     

     

     

  • Policing league venues

    Soccer crazy nations measure the game growth by the number of home-grown players in their national teams. The authorities of the game, FIFA, recognise the importance of this point and have instituted several incentives to drive the game’s development globally. FIFA, in its wisdom, provided funds for less developed nations to embrace the game and bridge the gap between them and others. The cash is to improve on the facilities for the game to thrive in the 211 affiliate countries.

    In his historic address at the 32nd Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last weekend, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “Africa is a continent that has always been very close to my heart. I have fond memories of watching the FIFA World Cup 1982 in Spain, when Cameroon quite seriously challenged my home team, Italy, and when Algeria defeated West Germany before West Germany made it to the final against Italy, who won the competition.

    “Football fans around the world were convinced that the African teams would soon reach the level of the best European teams. I’m sad to say that almost 40 years later, African teams haven’t been able to make this shift, and to reach the final stages of a FIFA World Cup, despite their impressive performances during the FIFA World Cups 2002 and 2010, and more recently the World Cup in Russia. This situation must change because of the great passion your continent has for football. Quite simply put, Africa lives football!

    “I believe that just as Africa gives so much of its passion and positivity to football, football can give back to Africa and help the continent’s people in key areas: economic growth, education, gender mainstreaming, integration and football governance.’’

    Sadly, our football chieftains who gloat around the country over their feats as match commissioners in FIFA and CAF competitions have not been able to implement the objective of using the domestic game as the nursery for the Golden Eaglets (through clubs’ feeder teams), Flying Eagles, Olympic Eagles, CHAN Eagles and Super Eagles. It suits them more to woo Nigeria-born lads in Europe and the Diaspora than to supervise the local game to produce more stars like we had in the past.

    To underscore the importance FIFA attaches to the local game, Enyimba FC and Ifeanyi Ubah FC goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa brought into the coffers of both clubs $237, 720 (N86 million) following the Super Eagles exit from the group stage as they failed to make it out of the group containing eventual finalist Croatia, familiar foes Argentina and debutants Iceland. Imagine if any Nigerian club had up to five home-based players in the Eagles for the World Cup? Simply multiply N43 million by five (N215 million from FIFA). Good money? Sure, but do our football organisers think this way?

    According to a FIFA report, Enyimba and Ifeanyi Ubah split the money $118, 860 (N43 million). FIFA shared 209 million Euros (N85 billion) to 416 clubs, with the day rate for 736 players at the Mundial set at $8, 530. Did Ifeanyi Ubah and Enyimba FCs pay Ezenwa up to N43 million during his stay with them? Not possible. Yet these administrators don’t see the essence of making match venues violence-free for massive attendance, culminating in improved earnings from the stadium’s turnstiles’.

    In fact, the responsibility for preventing violence at match venues rests squarely on the shoulders of clubs’ chairmen and management teams who empower miscreants to control vital units of the stadium. Clubs’ roughnecks man the gates; they also supervise the sale of match tickets, hence it is difficult for any team to declare what it earned from gate takings. In other climes, with less than 15 minutes to the end of matches, the public announcer in the stadium announces the number of fans who watched the game.

    Of course, knowing how much was realised is easy based on what was sold and at which of the entrances.

    Hooligans and urchins handle sensitive areas hence, no mechanism is in place to checkmate their activities. And the clubs’ chairmen are happy with it because the criminals take percentages from gates where their activities are not supervised. Is anyone surprised that with this setting, it is easy to pummel the referees – the exit gates are manned by hoodlums who won’t open the gates until the assignment is completed.

    I watched a game last year at the Agege Stadium, Lagos. I saw how yoyos rushed to nearby shops to pick up bottles, which they converted into weapons. Everyone ran for dear lives, including the organisers. The stadium manager did the wise thing by closing the main entrance; otherwise, the carnage would have been more devastating. What happened at Agege is the norm in most Nigerian stadia because the club owners shirk their responsibilities.

    In Europe, fans misbehave, a classical example being the bottle of beer thrown at PSG’s former Manchester United player, Di Maria, in Tuesday’s Champions League game at Old Trafford. In between PSG’s goals, a bottle was thrown at Di Maria who responded with humour. Di Maria pretended to take a swig from the glass bottle before discarding it. He then made his point with his feet by claiming a second assist of the night to set up Mbappe for goal No 2.

    But that bottle-throwing irritant would be caught and punished. Such big stadia have CCTVs which help spot unruly fans. Even Di Maria will be punished for his comments after the incident. Such control mechanisms further secure the premises, making it absolutely impossible for fans to misbehave.

    I have deliberately highlighted the key areas that militate against providing adequate security at match venues, orchestrated by the club owners and their management teams.

    To avert deaths, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) should immediately prioritise manning of match venues before, during and after matches, through special squads. The IGP can place temporary police stations inside the stadium with Black Marias stationed to house hooligans when they are caught.

    Growing up in Benin City, fans behaved when mobile policemen were deployed at critical matches. These MOPOL units were very efficient as they came hours before the games to man strategic positions. There were empty vans where those who misbehaved were locked up and taken away to be prosecuted. Hardly was there any violence at matches where the MOPOL took charge in Benin City. There was also Col. Gbolahan Mustapha (rtd) who marshalled operations within and outside the stadium. This system worked despite the notoriety of the fans at Ogbe Stadium, which had the luxury of hosting four teams at the time.

    The best form of security is the referee doing his job without fear or favour. The structure of the stadia exposes referees to attacks. Perhaps, the League Board can instruct the clubs to create new entrances and exits for the match officials in such a way that their lives are safe.

    This idea of away teams having to remain inside the stadium till late in the night after matches is unacceptable just as it is barbaric. There won’t be any need to watch games, if winners must be the home side. The organisers should get live broadcast partners to beam matches. Such initiative can be bankrolled by a blue-chip company which will utilise the marketing windows available in such packages – only if the league organisers know their onions.

    The scams surrounding the league are shameful. Pundits are worried that nobody knows what the league is worth. Organisers can’t tell us how much they have realised from inter and intra club transfers of players? This is the biggest revenue earner for most lucrative leagues in the world. Contracts between clubs and their players are worthless. In fact, a popular league team’s owners were shocked to hear that players they paid monthly weren’t theirs and couldn’t earn revenue from any of them being scouted by European clubs.

    Our club owners lack ideas to fund the development of their teams. When Chelsea lost scandalously 6-0 to Manchester City, one fan threw his season’s ticket away. It was found by a steward who would track the fan and appease him. I have brought this incident forward to ask if our clubs have season tickets for fans. None; yet one of the biggest revenue earners for European clubs is the sale of season tickets (gold, silver and bronze cards with varying figures depending on the fans’ pockets).

    The club owners can’t be worried that their matches are not live because the absence of television covers their tracks when their fans cause mayhem which would have been captured during live telecasts. Revenue from television right is mind-boggling, with most European clubs eager to have their games on television, knowing the financial implications. Here, club owners are comfortable with getting government money, which is cheap and, most times, need not be unaccounted for.

    With such lawlessness, it is easy to appreciate why the league totters and the administrators bask in mundane things, such as being CAF and FIFA eggheads. One is, however, emboldened by Infantino’s pronouncement at the 32nd Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last weekend, which could flush out the usurpers in our system.

    The FIFA boss said: “We cannot afford for this beautiful game of ours to be poisoned by corruption. We have a mission to protect the integrity of our sport, and FIFA reiterates its willingness to work with all of you to root corruption out of African football  by partnering with the African Union. We would also have the ability to share our expertise on matters like stadium construction and security across Africa, ensuring that stadia are properly constructed and equipped following best practice, ensuring safety of venues and fans attending sports competitions.”

    I hope our football chieftains will read this address.

  • 2019: Bishop Oyedepo predicts peace in Nigeria

    Bishop David Oyedepo, the Founder and President Bishop, Living Faith Church Worldwide, on Saturday predicted that nothing would disturb the peace of Nigeria and its story would change for the better in the year 2019.

    Oyedepo made the declaration at the just concluded annual prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family, christened the “Dominion”, in a satellite telecast of the church.

    In the telecast monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the cleric also declared that 2019 would be a year of “I have Dominion”.

    “Nothing will tamper with the peace of Nigeria; the story will change for the better in the name of Jesus.

    “Nigeria shall not see bloodshed, the Prince of Peace will continue to dominate in Nigeria, in Africa and Nigeria is declared blessed.

    “Anywhere you step, accident is forbidden; death will not come near you and our nation.

    “Anything that is of grace in my life, I freely release upon you today.

    “God has opened the year 2019 to us, celebrate Him because its our year of “I have Dominion,” he said.

     

    The Bishop added that the year 2019 would be a year of humbling testimonies for Nigeria and pace-setting testimonies.

    He further declared that 2019 would be a colourful year for the nation.

    According to the cleric, as long as Jesus has the final say on the issues of Nigeria, it will experience greatness.

    Oyedepo said that there would be no more cause of alarm in any area of the nation and its citizens.

    He advised Christians in Nigeria to delight themselves in the spirit of servant-hood, adding that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood.

    “The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood. As you keep rising on the ladder of leadership, you must retain our spirit of servant-hood, constantly

    working to add value to others and be kingdom minded,” he said.

    According to him, dedication is at the root of dominion, saying: “Sow yourself as a seed by being totally dedicated to God and His Kingdom’’.

    He told his congregation that sacrificial giving guarantees the meeting of all their needs.

    “When you engage in taking care of the well-being of others, God is also committed to your well-being,” he explained.

    The cleric admonished Christians would engage in meeting the needs of the needy, every barrier on their path of destiny would be crushed.

    “Nobody tampers with your life, your career, your family and goes away with it because you are promoted to God’s kingdom.

    “God will stand for your defence in the day of trouble. Every sacrificial giver has a defence around him in the day of trouble always have that in mind,” he said.

    He reminded his congregation that the Church is not a building; the Church is a people and the Redeemed of the Lord.

    “The Church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him that fills all things.

    “We understand that by redemption we have been repositioned far above all principalities and powers. We also recognise that the Spirit of Faith is the guarantee for the dominion of the Saints over all gang ups of hell,” he stressed.

    Oyedepo told his congregation that Shiloh is not a church anniversary, but a place for taking delivery of all their hanging inheritance in Christ.

    “Shiloh is not a Church Programme, but a Mountain of answered prayers after the order of Hannah. Shiloh is ordained a platform for the rise of giants among us. Shiloh is a mountain of vision and revelation.

    “Shiloh is a prophetic platform for the conferment of dominion both on us as a Church and as individuals, so as to subdue the land before us,” he added.
    He said that prophetically, Shiloh was ordained a platform for conferment of dominion upon members of the Winners’ family and Nigeria at large.
    “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.’’
    According to him, the land was subdued before them “connotes dominion. Therefore, at this event, every participant shall encounter conferment of dominion in all areas of your lives’’.

    The Bishop assured that every participant would have a definite encounter with the word of God for their supernatural change of story.

    Oyedepo said: “While waiting on the Lord back in 1998 and inquiring about God’s master plan for Canaan land, among other things, God said, He would have us gather annually at Shiloh and that as we do, He will subdue the land before us by granting speedy delivery of our enviable inheritance in Christ.’’

    NAN reports that the event which started on Tuesday, would last through Dec. 9, with 55 countries in attendance while 150 other nations watched the proceeding online.

    Angola, Botswana, Cameroun, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, France and Gabon are some of the nations represented at the Shiloh.

    Others are Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and South Africa. While others from Swaziland Tanzania, Uganda, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    The Shiloh 2018 is the 20th edition of the annual Shiloh event of the Living Faith Church worldwide.

  • Ethiopia’s parliament approves first female president

    Ethiopia’s parliament has approved senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, proceedings on state television showed, cementing another shift in the country’s political system from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

    Zewde is at present UN under-Secretary-General and special representative of its Secretary General to the African Union.

    She replaces Mulatu Wirtu, who tendered his resignation to parliament earlier on Wednesday.

    The president’s post is a ceremonial one in Ethiopia. The prime minister, who is the head of state, holds executive power.

    “In a historic move, the two Houses has elected Amb. Shalework Zewde as the next President of Ethiopia.

    “She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Abiy’s chief of staff, said on Twitter.

    Read Also: FIFA Ranking: Nigeria move up by Four spots placed 44th

    “In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life.”

    Recently, when the prime minister reshuffled his cabinet, he appointed 10 female ministers, making Ethiopia the third country in Africa, after Rwanda and Seychelles, to achieve gender parity in their cabinets.

    “When there is no peace in the country, mothers will be frustrated. Therefore, we need to work on peace for the sake of our mothers,” Zewde told parliament after her approval.

    Wirtu, who had held the office for five years, departed one year ahead of his term ending, saying he wanted to be part of change and reforms.

    Zewde became the fourth president since the ruling EPRDF coalition came to power.

    Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a raft of reforms that have turned the region’s politics on its head, including the pardoning of dissidents long outlawed by the government.

    Earlier, the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses in a joint extraordinary session on Thursday approved the resignation request by Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome.

    Teshome, who has been the East African country’s head of state since October 2013, on Wednesday submitted his letter of resignation as the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses are scheduled to consider his resignation.

  • Ethiopia, Eritrea sign peace accord in Saudi Arabia

    Ethiopia and Eritrea have signed a peace agreement in Saudi Arabia ending decades of simmering conflict between the two Horn of Africa countries.

    Saudi Arabia facilitated the agreement, with the Foreign Ministry quoted as saying the accord, signed in Jeddah, “is a historic milestone for the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea which will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region at large”.

    UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, was in Jeddah to witness the signing of the peace agreement between the two countries on Sunday.

    The UN chief said: “The signature of the peace agreement between the President of Eritrea and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia is indeed a historic event,” said the UN Chief.

    The Secretary-General, at a press conference following the signing, commended the two former enemies for ending decades of conflict between them.

    “We have seen a conflict that has lasted for decades, ending, and that has a very important meaning in a world where we see, unfortunately, so many conflicts multiplying, and lasting forever,” Guterres said.

    He expressed his “deep appreciation” for the role played by Saudi Arabia, before paying tribute “to the courage, the vision, the wisdom” of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed.

    Guterres said the Ethiopian prime minister has had the capacity to overcome enormous resistance, opening a new chapter in the history of his country, just as the UN Chief  also commended the President of Eritrea for his promptly response to the peace initiatives.

    Efforts to resolve the thaw in relations between the neighbouring countries that fought a bloody war in the late 1990s, began in June, when Ethiopia’s newly-elected leader made peace overtures to his counterpart, which have now come to fruition.

    Seizing on the implications for the whole region, Guterres said that the agreement meant that “there is a wind of hope blowing in the Horn of Africa”.

    “It is not only the peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea, it is the fact that tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we will have, here in Saudi Arabia, the President of Djibouti and the President of Eritrea – two countries that have also been at odds with each other,” he said.

    Eritrea and Djibouti reportedly announced on Friday that they would also normalise diplomatic relations with each other following a  border clash  in 2008 that left several dead and prisoners being taken from both sides.

    The UN chief also noted the peace agreement between Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President, Riek Machar, that was signed on Thursday in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

    The UN chief described the peace agreement as another indicator of real diplomatic movement across the Horn of Africa and its borders.

    “I want to say that this window of hope is enormously important in a world where, unfortunately, hope has been very scarce,” the Secretary-General added. (NAN)

  • Ethiopia deal means ‘state of war is over’ – Minister

    An agreement signed on Monday between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea means the state of war between the neighbours has ended, Eritrea’s Information Minister said.

    The deal signed in Eritrea’s capital a day after a summit between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afkwerki states that the “State of war that existed between the two countries has come to an end,” Yemane Gebremeskel wrote on Twitter.

    Direct international telephone connection has been restored between Ethiopia and Eritrea “for the first time after two decades”, an Ethiopian official said.

    The meeting was the first of its kind between the leaders of the two neighbours and bitter rivals in the Horn of Africa, who went to war with each other and broke off diplomatic relations in 1998.

    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet Prime Minister Ahmed on Monday evening in Addis Ababa.

    UN sources in the Ethiopian capital said, the meeting comes the day after Ethiopia and Eritrea heralded an end to a near 20-year military standoff.

    Abiy and Afkwerki announced they would re-open their embassies in each other’s capitals, hailing a stunningly swift rapprochement between bitter regional enemies.

    The two leaders personally symbolised the breakthrough, embracing warmly and swaying side by side to live traditional music at a lavish state dinner in the Eritrean capital.

    The talks were the product of an unexpected peace initiative by Ethiopia’s new reformist Ahmed, which could transform the Horn of Africa region, ending decades of animosity during which both countries remained isolated and dominated by their security forces.

    Eritrea’s long-time leaderAfwerki welcomed Ahmed at Asmara’s airport in the morning before they departed for the State House for talks that lasted all day.

    Read Also: Ethiopia needs $7.5bn to drive industrialization – PM

    The men exchanged hands and a hug there, before departing for the State House for talks. Along the way, they were cheered by thousands of Eritreans who flooded the streets and waved flags of both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

    The two embraced again at the state dinner, hosted by Isaias and broadcast on both countries’ state television.

    The meeting was the first of its kind between leaders of the two Horn of Africa neighbours since their war of 1998 to 2000 in which around 80,000 people died.

    Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia amicably in 1993 but the two countries swiftly became bitter enemies.

    However, the sides did not make clear whether the most immediate issue — Abiy’s pledge to finally implement all terms of a 2000 peace deal with Eritrea — had been addressed.

    In early June, Ethiopia announced it would honour all the terms of the 2000 peace deal, suggesting it might be ready to settle the border dispute.

    Eritrea responded positively, sending a delegation to Addis Ababa for a meeting at which Abiy announced that Ethiopian Airlines would resume flights to Eritrea.

    Abiy, a 41-year-old former intelligence officer who took office in April, is pushing other bold reforms to open Ethiopia up to the outside world after decades of security-obsessed isolation.

    He has pardoned dissidents, lifted a state of emergency and pledged to partly privatise key state-owned firms.

    Across the border, Eritrea is one of the world’s most isolated and repressive nations and has long used the Ethiopian threat to justify hefty military spending and long-term military conscription, which has caused hundreds of thousands of young men to flee, mostly to Europe.