Air Space in Tigray Region Reinstated For Air Transport Service (December 14, 2020)

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The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority has today announced the reinstatement of the airspace in Tigray region starting from 2:00 PM on December 14, 2020.

All the airports in airspace of the northern region of the country have also been allowed to resume flight services accordingly as of today, the Aviation Authority said.

The decision came at a time when the government has announced completion of law enforcement operation in Tigray region.

It is to be recalled that the Civil Aviation notified on November 4, 2020 the closure of the international and domestic flying routes which cross Ethiopian northern air space following belligerent attack of the TPLF Clique against the Northern Command of National Defense Force and commencement of federal army’s offensive against the grenade group.

First Phase Construction of African CDC Headquarters Commences (December 14, 2020)

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The first phase of the construction of the African CDC has been commenced in Addis Ababa in the presence of AU Commissioners, members of the diplomatic community from Chinese embassy in Addis Ababa and high ranking officials of Ethiopia.

Ambassador of China to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan, Social Affairs Commissioner of the African Union Amira Elfadil, Human Resources Science and Technology Commissioner, Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, Health Minister of Ethiopia Dr. Lia Tadesse and Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebie are among the dignitaries presided over the launch of the first phase building of African CDC.

The China Aided Project of the African CDC Headquarters building is expected to upscale and build skills and competency of disease Control and Prevention endeavors in the continent Africa.

Building of the Headquarters will be laid at 90,000 sqm of land allotted to the African CDC by the government of Ethiopia in Nifas Silk Lafto Sub City of Addis Ababa in a specific place named “Haile Garment”

Telecom, Electricity Services Restored In Tigray Region: SOEFactCheck (December 14, 2020)

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Following destruction to infrastructure by the criminal clique’s militia, which resulted in a communication’s and electricity blackout in the Tigray region, the relevant Federal stakeholders have been on the ground since Mekelle came under Federal command, repairing heavy damages sustained, state of emergency fact check indicates.

On December 10, 2020 Ethio Telecom shared in a media briefing the details of infrastructure damages caused to the Mekelle Core Site which resulted in telecom service disruptions in the region as of November 4, 2020.

According to the state of emergency fact check issued today, Following Mekelle coming under Federal command, Ethio Telecom technical experts managed to retrieve CCTV camera footage from the premises of the Mekelle Core Center, which showed masked men entering the compound and turning off power supply switches while Tigray Special Forces subdued company guards protecting the compound.

As of December 12, 2020, Ethio Telecom shared that mobile voice services in Mekelle city and Maiychew have been restored, in addition to Dansha, Humera, Maikadra, Turkan, Maytsebri, Korem and Alamata.

As it pertains to electric power services, on December 13, 2020 Ethiopian Electric Power announced that electricity has been restored to Mekelle city and its vicinity.

Cities and towns between Mekelle and Alamata have had power disruptions due to conductor and insulator damages sustained to transmission lines.

Through the coordinated efforts of two technical teams, in addition to Mekelle and surrounding towns, power has also been restored in the north eastern part of the country specifically Metema, Humera and Welkayit.

Both service providers continue to undertake repair work to enable unhindered service provision in the region.

No photo description available.

PM Abiy Confers With Commanders of ENDF, Interim Tigray Administration In Mekele (December 14, 20200)

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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed conferred yesterday with commanders of the National Defence Force and cabinet of the Interim Administration of Tigray in Mekele City.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that the National Defence Force has completed the offensive as per the plan set extending appreciation to the army for its role in the law enforcement operation.

The army has fully accomplished its mission with unity and gallantry, the Prime Minister underlined, expressing his delight over what have been carried out accordingly.

Prime Minister stressed need to speed up the operation underway to bring the culprits to justice and return to routine development works.

FM Demeke Holds Discussion With Ethiopians In Kenya, Malawi (December 13, 2020)

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, has held discussion with Ethiopians living in Kenya and Malawi.

In the virtual meeting held yesterday, Demeke briefed them about the current situation in Ethiopia and government’s efforts to bring the criminal TPLF clique to justice.

He assured them that the government would further strengthen its rehabilitation efforts and on-going humanitarian assistance in the Tigray regional state.

Demeke called on them to assist the rehabilitation efforts and other activities to rebuild Tigray as well as provide support for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Ambassador of Ethiopia to Kenya, Meles Alem for his part thanked them for their support for the successful attainment of the law enforcement operation in Tigray.

Ambassador Meles said he is confident that the Diaspora will assist government’s efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, rehabilitate displaced people and rebuild damaged infrastructure.

Sudan Reiterates Solidarity with Ethiopia in Law Enforcement Operations (December 13, 2020)

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Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok held a bilateral meeting this morning.

During the discussion, both leaders expressed the long standing relations between the two countries as a basis for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Recalling the support of PM Abiy in particular and the Government of Ethiopia in general during Sudan’s time of need, PM Hamdok reiterated his country’s solidarity with Ethiopia in the law enforcement operations it has been undertaking in Tigray.

The discussions between the two leaders concluded with an understanding on several issues of mutual interest, according to office of the Prime Minister.

PM Abiy Addresses Climate Ambition Summit 2020, Reiterates Ethiopia’s Commitment to Fight Climate Change (December 12, 2020)

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Addressing Climate Ambition Summit 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Ethiopia has taken bold leadership on climate action by launching its ambitious climate resilient green economy strategy that aspires to build a carbon neutral and resilient economy by 2030.

Over the last two years, Ethiopia’s green economy strategy has been fully mainstreamed into the recently launched yet 10 year perspective development plan, which runs from 2021 to 2030, Prime Minister Abiy noted.

“As part of our commitment to the Paris Agreement, we have also launched it our 15 years ambitious national adaptation plan aimed at reducing the vulnerability of the country to the adverse impacts of climate change.”, stressed the premier.

The plan has identified 18 options across the most vulnerable sectors, including agriculture, forestry, health, and transport, Abiy explained.

“We have also recently intensified our commitment in the fight against climate change by launching our green legacy national flagship initiative in 2019, aimed at planting 20 billion seedlings within four years.”, premier added.

Prime Minister Abiy added saying “During the last two years, we have managed to plant more than 9 billion seedlings. As of next stage, my government is working to extend the green legacy initiative into neighboring countries.”

Ethiopia is also on the verge of finalizing the process of updating its nationally determined contribution as well as the preparation of the 2015 long term, low carbon development strategy, the premier underscored.

“Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19, I would like to reiterate the unwavering commitment of Ethiopia in the global fight against climate change and call upon all parties to enhance their ambition and scale their climate finance support for developing countries.”, Prime Minister Abiy underlined.

Gov’t Welcomes UN Apology for Check-Point Security Incident (December 12, 2020)

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The Government of Ethiopia has welcomed the apology of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi, for the check-Point security incident in Tigray Regional State, according to Ministry of Peace.

According to a statement by the ministry, the Ethiopian Government is concerned about the manner in which the recent unauthorized travel of UN staff to an insecure area was reported and wishes to set the record straight.

On 06 December 2020, a convoy carrying UN staff without authorized travel permits ignored the repeated warning and pleas of security officials, in breach of the agreement between the government and the UN on humanitarian access, it said.  

Law enforcement personnel had to stop the vehicle and escort the UN staff to a place of safety. As per the Agreement, it is important that all humanitarian workers follow the security guidelines set out by the Government of Ethiopia as the government takes its obligation to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian workers and supplies seriously.

“We wish to once again remind all humanitarian workers to respect the agreed safety protocols and follow the advice of the law enforcement personnel. While the government recognizes the need by international humanitarian organizations to urgently get aid supplies across the Tigray region, it maintains a position that proper authorization is required from federal authorities,” the statement noted.

It further pointed out that “the government welcomes the apology given by Catherine Sozi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, on the incident. It also hopes that the UN will put mechanisms in place to prevent similar breaches in the future as it undermines humanitarian coordination and poses serious security risks.”

According to the statement, the Ethiopian Government reaffirms its readiness to work closely with the UN pursuant to the Agreement concluded on 29 November, 2020.

And the people and Government of Ethiopia are grateful for the critical assistance provided to  vulnerable citizens in this time of need, it said.

The Government of Ethiopia is committed to put all available resources to address the humanitarian challenges on time, it was pointed out.

Accordingly, the Ethiopian Government also wishes to reiterate that it highly treasures its partnership with UN Agencies and recognizes their invaluable contribution to national development programs and disaster risk management activities.

Moreover, it will continue to provide all essential humanitarian assistance jointly with the United Nations per the terms of the agreement.

The statement further stated that the Federal Police has been deployed to gather evidence and arrest the leadership and members of the TPLF junta that are responsible for heinous crimes.

In parallel, all responsible government bodies are working on infrastructure maintenance and disaster risk management to restore basic services and to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Ethiopia Committed To AU, UN Conventions against Corruption: Ambassador Taye (December 11, 2020)

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Addressing the High-level Meeting held under the theme “AU Silencing the Guns initiative – the role of illicit financial flows in fuelling instability in Africa”, Ambassador Taye Atskesellasie highlighted the destabilizing role of illicit financial flows.

He said “what we experienced in Ethiopia is a clash between greed and criminal interests of few, and the popular demand for accountability and distributive justice.”

Ambassador Taye underscored the critical need for capacity building in the fight against illicit financial flows and implementation of Silencing the Guns, while reiterating Ethiopia’s commitment to the AU and UN Conventions against corruption.

The meeting held with participation from the membership of the United Nations, representatives from the African Union, the private sector, civil society, academia and the UN system.

World Bank Grants $60m for Research on Climate Change in 6 African Nations, Including Ethiopia (December 11, 2020)

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The World Bank Board of Directors yesterday approved a $60 million International Development Association (IDA) grant to help African countries strengthen the resilience of their agricultural sectors to the threat posed by climate change.

The grant fulfils the World Bank’s commitment at the 2019 UN Climate Summit to increase its support to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security, to help advance agricultural research efforts for the benefit of rural households that rely on agriculture as a major livelihood source, and to increase food security.

Through the new operation-Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa project, AICCRA—the World Bank will support research and capacity-building activities carried out by the CGIAR centers and partner organizations, with the goal of enhancing access to climate information services and validated climate-smart agriculture technologies in Africa.

AICCRA activities will be concentrated in six countries —Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Zambia— but its benefits will be realized region-wide.

“CGIAR plays a unique catalytic role in strengthening global, regional and local capacity to combat the effects of climate change, in Africa and throughout the world,” said Deborah Wetzel, World Bank Director of Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Africa.

AICCRA will be administered by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the lead center for the CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS).