By Solomon Regassa Views may differ about the nature and magnitude of the problems we are facing, but everybody agrees that this is no ordinary time in Ethiopia. Changes of varying depth and width are being proposed and promised by different actors. Some of the propositions stand on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Government…
Summary On October 9, 2016, the Ethiopian government announced a country-wide six-month state of emergency. This followed a year of widespread protests against government policies that state security forces violently suppressed, killing hundreds of people and detaining tens of thousands. [1] Protesters also committed a number of attacks on government buildings and private businesses perceived…
Clinton Foundation aide says ‘unless Sheikh Mo has sent us a $6 million check, this sounds crazy to do’ By Brendan Kirby A top Clinton Foundation official expressed reservations about former President Bill Clinton contacting a Saudi Arabian and Ethiopian billionaire to thank him for offering a plane ride to Ethiopia — unless it would…
In a recent interview with The Intercept, Edward Snowden offered some advice for what average citizens can do to reclaim their privacy. Because the sharing of information should be a conversation, not an enigma buried in a site’s ‘Terms of Service.’ 1. This includes Signal, an easy-to-use app that encrypts your mobile phone messages, as…
By Annie Boyajian, The Hill When Congress adjourned in September, it had failed to vote on resolutions on Ethiopia (S.Res. 432/H.Res. 861). When it returns, it should pass them without delay. Ethiopia, an important security partner and ally, is heading for crisis. The country is suffering its worst unrest in years in response to the government’s…
The Simien Mountains are popular with hikers CREDIT: GETTY Saga Holidays is among a number of major UK tour operators to cancel trips to Ethiopia as a wave of unrest spreads across the African country. The Foreign Office (FCO) is advising against all travel to some regions in the east and all but essential travel…
Why is Ethiopia bringing back some of the best-trained and best-equipped soldiers fighting al-Shabaab? Until recently, Ethiopia contributed 4,400 troops to AMISOM’s 22,000 in Somalia. Credit: AU UN/Tobin Jones. This month has seen multiple withdrawals of Ethiopia National Defense Force (ENDF) units from Somalia. On 11 October, ENDF soldiers under the African Union Mission in…
Photo: The New Times | Moroccan King Mohammed VI in Rwanda. By Joseph Rwagatare Two countries are making determined efforts to return to Africa. One is, in fact, an African country. Morocco left the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) 32 years ago over the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic…
Ethiopia stands at a crossroads, once again. But this time the prospects facing it are much more starkly contrasting than during past instances of change. If it is put on one course of change, achieving a final breakthrough to a common democratic future looks distinctly promising. If such a course is blocked or not pursued…
Time In a world where we increasingly live and work in giant webs of internet connectivity—our computers and phones, not to mention cameras, thermostats, garage door openers, kitchen appliances and baby monitors are all now connected to the web, often by default—we find ourselves facing an uncomfortable new reality: How secure is the so-called Internet-of-Things?…