News in Brief
Africa’s Peace and Prosperity Begin at Home, says PM Abiy Ahmed
U.S. House Democrats call to reconsider decision to cut aid for Ethiopia
Africa and the African Union
Heavy rainfall is expected in Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan over the coming week, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned. According to a statement issued on Monday (September 8) by IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Center, heavy rainfall above 200 mm is expected in parts of western Ethiopia, south-western Sudan and north-western South Sudan that might result in flooding.
A meeting convened by the African Union Commission on Thursday (September 3) was held with stakeholders who called on to address the situation of stranded African migrant workers in Lebanon. The Commission convened the meeting to discuss with three affected Member States, namely, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) given their involvement, to understand the situation of the African migrant workers in Lebanon, map what has been done, outstanding assistance needs, and measures to scale the support on the ground. The meeting, among other things, presented a recommendation to the AUC to utilize the Afro-Arab partnership to highlight the issues of protection of African migrants.
International Literacy Day was celebrated on Tuesday (September 8). This year the Day focused on “literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond”, especially on the role of educators and changing pedagogies. The theme highlights literacy learning in a lifelong learning perspective, with an emphasis on youth and adults. The Day also aims to give an opportunity to analyse the role of educators, as well as to formulate effective policies, systems, governance and measures that can support educators and learning.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that there is a risk of famine and widespread food insecurity in four countries affected by conflict — Congo, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and South Sudan — and the lives of millions of people are in danger. In a note to Security Council members obtained by The Associated Press on Friday (September 4), the U.N. chief said the four countries rank “among the largest food crises in the world,” according to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crises and recent food security analyses. But funding to help is very low, he said.
Ethiopia
Japan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Daisuke Matsunaga on Thursday (September 9) said the new Ethiopian year is very important to its people and the government as the country will be back to normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think the important thing about the New Year is to move to a renewal chapter. We all had some or little difficulties in the past. But we forgot all of them and made fresh start. So I want to encourage Ethiopians to make a new and a fresh start this New Year,” he elaborated. In an interview with the Ethiopian News Agency, the ambassador further said Japan is keen to invest in Ethiopia’s telecom sector.
In the latest piece published on “Project Syndicate,” H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed argues that by bolstering its internal cohesion and economic integration, Africa can become a strong geopolitical force with an independent and unified voice on important global issues. (See article)
The Ethiopian Public Health Institute announced on Tuesday (September 8) that it is planning to build a state of the art laboratory complexes with an outlay of 150 million USD obtained from the World Bank. Briefing journalists today, Institute Director-General, Dr. Ebba Abate said the project aims at improving the health and wellbeing of the public by enhancing the nation’s laboratory test capacity. The construction of the complexes to be commenced this fiscal year include one national reference at the premise of the institute in Addis Ababa and 15 others in all regional states.
The National Security Council discussed the current peace and security issues of the country and set out future directions, according to Office of the Prime Minister. The council in its meeting held on Thursday (September 9) assessed in depth the national security threats that were attempted, foiled and incurred damages on the country. The council has also discussed in detail on how to combat and prevent future security threats of the country in an integrated manner.
The annual meeting of senior officials, ambassadors, and Consul Generals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia was concluded on Monday (September 7).The meeting was held under the theme: “Diplomatic Mission to National Prosperity,” in Bishoftu town for 15 consecutive days. Attendees have deliberated upon the Ministry’s performance in the current fiscal year and charted out a plan for the upcoming Ethiopian New Year taking the major issues that the ministry has to carry out into consideration. Senior officials and various stakeholders tabled their views on the revised foreign policy of the country in line with the concept of “medemer” as expounded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The meeting ended with participants pledging that they would do their level best to advance the interest of their country based on the inputs they have got from all of the major issues of discussion in the past two weeks.
Ethiopia’s confirmed COVID19 cases have topped 60,000, with 1,136 cases added on Wednesday (September 7). The new cases were recorded out of 14,815 laboratory tests conducted in 24 hours. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 60,784. The country also reported 16 deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 949.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday (September 8) met with ambassadors and mission leaders who represented Ethiopia abroad. The ambassadors and missions leaders last Monday concluded their annual meeting held in Bishoftu town under the theme: “Diplomatic Mission to National Prosperity.” Following the conclusion of the two-week meeting, the Premier met with them to set a direction for the next chapter in forging ahead with Ethiopia’s foreign policy. In a twitter post, the Prime Minister said “Our Ambassadors and missions leaders are critical to strengthening the diplomatic ties with partner countries.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday (September 8) has appointed Professor Beyene Petros, a veteran opposition political party leader in Ethiopia, as Deputy Director-General of Policy Research Institute, a government policy research think tank. A professor of Biology at Addis Ababa University and former member of the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives, Beyene has been in politics since 1991. Currently, he is Chairman of an opposition Ethiopian Social Democratic Party.
More than 37,000 coronavirus cases have been identified in a month-long COVID-19 national campaign, according to the Ministry of Health. In a media briefing she gave on Tuesday (September 8), Health Minister Dr. Lia Tadesse said 575,000 tests were carried out in 1,095 Woredas. According to her, daily testing capacity of the country has reached 19,000 on average. The result of the month-long nationwide campaign accounted for 64% of the total confirmed cases in the country so far, she added.
Ethiopia and the United Nations in Ethiopia signed the 2020-2026 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) on Wednesday (September 9). The strategic framework document was signed by Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance and Dr. Catherine Sozi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia. The document describes the collective response of the UN System in Ethiopia to national development priorities and helps achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Custom Commission announced a plan to go paperless through the commencement of digital electronic service to ensure a fast and up-to-date system in the sector. Commissioner of the Custom Commission, Debele Kabeta has briefed media on Wednesday (September 9) on activities underway to launch the electronic system as of the New Ethiopian Year. In partnership with various stakeholders, the Commission has stepped forward to back its service delivery with technological advancements.
Ethiopian airlines have linked Nigeria to its global network of over 70 destinations from Monday (September 7). Cities that are open for flights of the Ethiopian Airlines include Toronto, Washington DC, Chicago, Newark, London, Paris, and Manchester. Flights will commence from Abuja on the 7th and Lagos on the 8th. Abuja will be served with the Airbus A350 every day while Lagos will be served with B777 Aircraft four times weekly.
The former Hawassa textile factory is set to become an industrial village with 2 billion birr additional investment. The factory on Sunday (September 6) launched an expansion project to facilitate its transition to Hawassa textile and industrial park. The project sees the construction of 14 sheds. State Minister of Trade and Industry, Ambassador Misganu Arega, Chief Administrator of Sidama regional state, Desta Ledamo, and other guests attended the launching ceremony of the project slated for completion within 12 months.
Six Democrats members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Pompeo to reconsider the suspension of economic assistance to Ethiopia in a letter issued last week on 3 September. The six Congress members are Jason Crow, John Garamendi, Ilhan Omar, Joyce Beatty, Colin Z. Allred and Gerald E. Connolly. (See article)
Eritrea
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sovereign Council and President Isaias Afwerki discussed the implementation of a bilateral security agreement between the two countries. Al-Burhan travelled to Asmara for a one-day working visit where he was received by President Isaias to hold a meeting on bilateral matters. “Eritrea and Sudan have agreed on concrete measures that will be taken to implement comprehensive bilateral agreements reached in the economic, trade, security and military sectors as well as mechanisms and timelines for their commencement,” said information ministry after the visit. The meeting was attended by Osman Saleh Eritrean Foreign Minister, Yemane Gebreab Presidential Adviser.
Somalia
At least three persons were killed and seven others injured in a suicide car bombing in Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday (September 9), a government official confirmed. Ismael Mukhtar Omar, government spokesman, said a suicide bomber, who blew himself up, targeted Blue Sky restaurant in central Mogadishu. “Three people were killed and seven others injured in a suicide bombing outside Blue Sky restaurant,’’ Mr. Omar said in a brief statement. Witnesses said the suicide bomber blew up himself outside the restaurant near the heavily fortified presidential palace in Mogadishu.
At least 14 Al-Shabaab militants were on Tuesday (September 8) morning killed and several others injured after heavy fighting between the Somali National Army and the group fighters in Bal’ad town in middle Shabelle region, about 30 Km north of Mogadishu, SONNA reported. Spokesman of the Somali Ministry of Information, Ismael Mukhtar Omar told Somali National News Agency that one SNA soldier was killed and seven others injured during the battle in and outside the town early in the morning.
AMISOM strongly condemns the attack on its convoy and presents its condolences to the family of the deceased. According to a statement issued on (September 6), one of the vehicles in a convoy of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which had departed the mission’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Maslah and heading towards Mogadishu, was targeted by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the Bakala Soqola junction. Preliminary investigation indicates that the truck was partially damaged and one civilian who was near the scene of the attack was killed as a result of the blast. The statement further said AMISOM is investigating the matter to fully establish the circumstances in which the unfortunate incident happened and the overall number of casualties.
On Monday (September 7), the Federal Government of Somalia, in partnership with U.S. AFRICOM troops, stymied an Al-Shabaab suicide attack in the vicinity of Jannay Abdalle village about 60km north of Kimsayo this morning 8:am, East African time. Al-Shabaab attempted to pass the checkpoint and attack the military compound near the area but were quickly deterred by U.S. and FGS forces. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Government of Somalia, Ismael Mukhtar, confirms the death of two SNA soldiers and the injury of three others at Jannay Abdalle village about 60km north of Kismayo today. U.S. AFRICOM has also confirmed one U.S. Soldier wounded in action, and one Al-Shabaab militant killed.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Tuesday (September 8) received an assortment of medical and sanitary items, donated by the US Army, to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in AMISOMs areas of Responsibility (AoR) in South Central Somalia, combat the spread of the global COVID -19 pandemic.
South Sudan
The United Nations Spokesman confirmed the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the Protection of Civilians (POC) sites, saying they would be redeployed in hotspots areas. In his noon press briefing on Tuesday (September 8), UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) withdrawn its troops from the Bor and Wau POC sites and will continue with others as the situation permits. The “withdrawing from these sites means that the troops who were assigned to these Protection of Civilians sites can be redeployed to hotspots to protect people whose lives are in immediate danger, in line with the mission’s mandate,” he added.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir advised the Sudanese armed groups to stick to the peace agreement and pledged to exert the needed efforts to ensure its implementation. Kiir met with a delegation of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) leadership headed by Hadi Idris at the State House on Tuesday (September 8) to discuss the upcoming final signing of the Sudan Peace Agreement on 2 October.
Sudan
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has postponed the cabinet reshuffle until the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) scheduled for October 2. “The prime minister informed us that he has postponed the ministerial reshuffle until the signing of the peace agreement,” a member of the Central Council of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) Ahmed Hadara told the Sudan Tribune on Tuesday (September 8).
The South Sudanese mediation announced that the final peace agreement between the Sudanese transitional government and the armed groups will be signed on 2 October in Juba.”The signing of the final peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Front will take place on the second of October in Juba,” said the chief mediator Tut Galtuak on Sunday. Galtuak expected that the two parties will sign the implementation matrix on Monday (September 6), in preparation for the final signing of the peace agreement. The Sudanese parties initialled the one-year negotiated agreement on 31 August.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council held a meeting with the National Program Group (NPG), which is made up of several groups previously allied with the former regime. The meeting which took place at the headquarters of the Sudanese army raised widespread reactions in social media, given that the group participated in the regime of the ousted president, Omer al-Bashir until his collapse in April 2019.
Sudan has declared a nationwide three-month state of emergency as massive floods are expected to continue, officials said on Saturday (September 5). The declaration comes after the nation’s death toll from floods rose to 99, Lina Alshiekh, the labor and social care minister, said after an emergency meeting of the defense and Security Council. Around half a million people have been affected by the floods, while more than 100,000 houses are fully or partially destroyed, she added. The floods are the highest in the country since 1946 and may continue as the rain has not stopped in various areas, she said.
*****************
Africa’s Peace and Prosperity Begin at Home
Sep 9, 2020
Abiy Ahmed
Note: Please note that this article has been originally published by Project Syndicate
For too long, Africa has been a strategic plaything of world powers. By bolstering its internal cohesion and economic integration, the continent can become a strong geopolitical force with an independent and unified voice on important global issues.
ADDIS ABABA – Africans must take responsibility for our continent’s affairs. We have all the ingredients we need to succeed, starting with a growing population – including a large and increasingly educated cohort of young people – and a favorable trade and investment environment. And now, determined to usher in an era of African peace and prosperity, we have a mature institutional platform through which to forge, articulate, assert, and defend our common interests under an independent, unified African foreign policy.
At a time when protectionist beggar-thy-neighbor policies are on the rise globally, Africa is poised to implement a single common market in the form of the African Continental Free Trade Area. This pact will lay new foundations for continent-wide economic growth: the World Bank recently forecast that AfCFTA could boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035 and lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty. In addition, closer economic integration within the region will inevitably make every country a stakeholder in its neighbors’ security, thereby advancing the greater cause of continental peace.
As Africa integrates, it is increasingly setting its own development agenda and foreign-policy priorities freely and independently of other powers. This represents a sharp break with Africa’s historical role as a geopolitical plaything of world powers.
But dangers remain, not least in the Horn of Africa – a historically volatile region that suddenly has become the epicenter of a global scramble for strategic influence. Powerful adversaries have established military bases in the Horn that are too close to each other for comfort. Many have invested in the region’s seaports, and some have gone further inland in search of water and arable land to produce their food abroad.
The heightened interest partly stems from the region’s locational advantages as both the bridge that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and a vital entry point to the wider African market. Left unchecked, this unhealthy rivalry and competition in our backyard will likely end up sucking all of us into yet another fratricidal proxy war. Competing visions and rival loyalties to outside forces risk creating fragile states and power vacuums, turning us into easy fodder for others.
Africa’s ability to become a strong geopolitical force hinges on its own internal cohesion and economic integration. An Africa that increasingly trades with itself will create an internal market large enough for its producers to benefit from economies of scale. By investing in value-added activities, these firms can help to ensure that the continent is no longer merely a supplier of raw materials and a market for other countries’ goods and services.
An integrated Africa will also be in a better position to safeguard its policies and preferences from external interference, selective sanctions, and unreliable transactional diplomacy that erodes our mutual trust and threatens our countries’ national security. Realizing this ambition will depend on our resolve to define and conduct a truly independent external policy. And for Africa to project its interests internationally, it first needs to put its own house in order.
Sound foreign policy always begins at home, and the conditions for just and enduring peace and prosperity on the continent are closely intertwined. The key question is what core ideas an integrated African external policy might embody.
Fortunately, the African Union has already articulated many of them. Above all, we must remain true to the enduring pan-African vision of “an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”
Our lofty aspirations, enshrined in the AU’s Agenda 2063, are ambitious but long overdue, challenging but achievable, and remote but within reach. There can be no alternative to a prosperous, inclusive, and integrated Africa. We cannot move forward without silenced guns and good governance on the continent. We must nurture, teach, and theorize our rich cultural identity and common heritage. Finally, Africa must exercise international leadership and influence proportionate to its size and its global economic and social contribution. All this and more is clear, urgent, and inevitable.
Our struggle as a continent is one of implementation. As the 2017 Kagame report on AU reforms emphasized, we have a history of not following through on our own decisions, causing our citizens to doubt our resolve.
This is where we need to focus. It is in every African country’s interest to strengthen continental institutions. We need to bolster home-grown and African-owned dispute-management mechanisms in order to address our differences swiftly, amicably, and impartially – and without intervention by non-African actors.
Similarly, our efforts to establish new international relationships should be devoid of hostility and driven by the vision of a single African brotherhood and a peaceful and prosperous future. We should not permit ourselves to be tempted by narrow self-interest to the detriment of our close neighbors. In our independent dealings with other countries, we should not barter our core beliefs for short-term advantage, and we must always take full account of all vital African considerations.
Finally, Africa must speak out courageously, openly, and honestly on major global issues, and say bluntly what is right and wrong. Let us not deny our ideals or sacrifice our right to champion the poor and the oppressed everywhere. The acts by which we live, and the attitudes by which we act, must be unquestionably clear.
We know the odds are stacked against us here more than elsewhere. Nothing terrifies Africa’s adversaries more than its determination to set and implement a coherent, independent, and continentally integrated foreign policy.
But the world can no longer afford to be without an independent and unified African voice on important global issues. Africans know what it means to be divided, conquered, enslaved, looted, discriminated against, and dehumanized. A strong and united Africa would be a powerful advocate for reason, justice, equality, and dignity for all, regardless of gender, color, or creed. Such a vision is right for Africans and necessary for the world.
Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
*****************
U.S. House Democrats call to reconsider decision to cut aid for Ethiopia
U.S. House Democrats called on State Secretary Michael Pompeo to reconsider his decision to cut over $100 million in aid to Ethiopia over issues related to the filling of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Six Democrats members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Pompeo to reconsider the suspension of economic assistance to Ethiopia in a letter dated on September.
The six Congress members are Jason Crow, John Garamendi, Ilhan Omar, Joyce Beatty, Colin Z. Allred and Gerald E. Connolly.
The letter recalled the long standing relationship between the two countries and stressed how Ethiopia is a critical security partner in the region.
“They are key contributors to the African Union Mission in Somalia and an invaluable ally in combating terrorist groups like al-Shabab.”
The Senators affirmed, “Cuts to U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia would run contrary to U.S. interests in the region” and would degrade the strong relationship that the two nations have cultivated over the last century.
They further stressed that the suspension undermines the U.S. position as a neutral facilitator in the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan over the GERD.
“Any such cuts would not only serve to degrade our relationship with a trusted partner but also undermine our position as an honest broker in the fragile ongoing negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan regarding the (…) GERD,” says the letter.
The lawmakers said the cut favours one side and betrays the US commitment of being an impartial observer but also undermines Ethiopia’s sovereignty, and subverts the efforts of the African Union to resolve the dispute.
“Therefore, we request that you halt any cuts in foreign assistance to Ethiopia and pursue a strategy of impartial mediation to resolve regional disputes related to the (GERD),” they stressed.
The United States is one of three observers participating in the talks over the GERD together with the European Union and the African Union which now hosts the talks.
On 31 August, Ethiopian Ambassador to Washington Fitsum Arega wrote on his Twitter account that he learned from the American administration the aid cut is a “Temporary Pause”.
“The dam is ours! We will finish it together! With our efforts, our Ethiopia will shine!,” he further added in his tweet written in Amharic.
