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The Perpetual War Doctrine of the Regime in Asmara
Aug 6, 2026 4
With analysis from Pulse of Africa (POA) By Mathias Bule For decades, the political survival of the EPLF/PFDJ regime in Eritrea has been fundamentally anchored in a singular strategy focused on the systemic weakening of Ethiopia. Rather than fostering regional integration and mutual economic prosperity, the regime in Asmara has consistently acted as a vector of instability in the Horn of Africa, serving both its own authoritarian survival and the strategic interests of external actors seeking to constrain Ethiopia's potential. The groundwork for this policy began long before the regime formalized its control, playing an instrumental role in nurturing and building the military capacity of proxy groups to dismantle the Ethiopian state structure from within. Working in coordination with external forces—including the regime in Egypt—it actively orchestrated outcomes that left Ethiopia landlocked, severely restricting its economic independence and maritime security. When internal subversion failed to permanently cripple Ethiopia, the regime resorted to direct military aggression, culminating in the 1999 invasion of Badme. The Ethiopian people mobilized en masse to repel the invasion and neutralize the regime's core military capabilities, but even after the Algiers Agreement was signed in the name of peace, the Asmara regime never abandoned its hostile doctrine. Instead, it shifted back to asymmetrical warfare, proxy sponsorship, and regional subversion across the Horn of Africa. This included providing tactical and material support to extremist elements in Somalia like Al-Shabaab, engaging in destabilizing operations around Djibouti and the Red Sea, and systematically financing and arming insurgent factions within Ethiopia. These persistent acts of transnational terror and violation of international law ultimately led to severe United Nations sanctions against the regime. To sustain this permanent state of confrontation, the regime transformed Eritrea into a heavily militarized state through mandatory, indefinite national service, centered around the long-operating Sawa military training center. This oppressive policy has stripped generations of young Eritreans of their freedom and economic future, resulting in mass human flight out of the country. The reality of this internal crisis was made starkly clear following the Ethiopian Prime Minister's historic peace initiative, which was immediately met with a massive influx of young Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia to escape the regime's forced servitude. Beyond the immediate human toll, this perpetual militarization has completely paralyzed the domestic Eritrean economy, transforming what could have been a thriving Red Sea trade hub into a closed, command-style state. By redirecting the nation’s entire workforce and limited financial resources toward sustaining an oversized military apparatus, the leadership in Asmara has willfully neglected infrastructure, trade, and civil institutions. The regime relies on manufacturing external crises to justify this domestic stagnation, deliberately convincing its populace that survival requires total subjugation to the military state in the face of an exaggerated foreign threat. Furthermore, Asmara’s foreign policy operates on a zero-sum logic that views any progress, economic expansion, or diplomatic triumph by Ethiopia as a direct security threat to its own existence. This paradigm drives the regime to ally itself with any regional power seeking to leverage the Horn of Africa for geopolitical dominance, effectively acting as an enforcer for foreign interests at the expense of regional sovereignty. By attempting to keep Ethiopia distracted, fragmented, and defensively oriented, the regime hopes to prevent Ethiopia from fully realizing its potential as a regional economic engine and hydro-energy leader. Today, the regime is once again escalating tensions by preparing for renewed conflict against Ethiopia, relying on external backing and collusion with internal disruptive elements. While Ethiopia continues to extend calls for peace and diplomacy, Asmara responds with war rhetoric, paranoia-driven mobilization, and hostile propaganda. This pattern demonstrates that the leadership in Asmara views peace not as an opportunity for regional growth, but as a structural threat to the narrative of perpetual siege that keeps it in power. Currently, the Shaebia regime is actively echoing warmongering rhetoric by leveraging the TPLF and aligning itself with Egyptian leadership in a coordinated effort aimed at creating a weakened, fragmented Ethiopia. The core strategy of the leaders in Cairo is to secure undisputed economic and geopolitical hegemony over the region, effectively utilizing both Shaebia and the TPLF as geopolitical instruments to achieve this goal. For its part, Shaebia is driven by an ungrounded, paranoid fear and an obsessive desire to preserve its grip on power by fending off imaginary threats. It has now become an undeniable reality, publicly broadcast across media outlets, that Shaebia’s military commanders are violating the sovereign borders of Ethiopia under the disingenuous pretext of facilitating 'people-to-people relations' within the Tigray region. This reckless and lawless aggression has been openly enabled by the TPLF, serving its historic role as a compliant proxy. It is worth recalling that the TPLF itself was originally created, nurtured, and weaponized by Shaebia to advance its own long-term interests." Meanwhile, the TPLF operates under the illusion that it can forcibly reclaim the dictatorial dominance it once exercised over Ethiopia, hoping to reinstate its historical patterns of systemic exploitation. However, this coalition is chasing an unattainable fantasy, as their calculations fail to grasp the structural resilience of the contemporary Ethiopian state. Because Ethiopia stands as the strategic anchor of stability and the demographic center of the Horn of Africa, it cannot allow its national sovereignty or long-term security to be compromised by hostile agendas. It is obvious that Ethiopia retains the full right to take all necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens, infrastructure, and territorial integrity against foreign-backed destabilization. The international community must recognize that ignoring these continuous warmongering risks triggering a wider regional explosion, making decisive international diplomatic pressure urgent before the regime's actions force a destructive military confrontation. Ultimately, the "perpetual war doctrine" of the regime in Asmara is a strategic relic that has outlived its utility and now serves only to jeopardize the future of the entire Horn of Africa. By subordinating national development to an obsessive, zero-sum campaign against Ethiopia, the Eritrean leadership has not only impoverished its own people but has become a primary architect of regional fragility. This cycle of manufactured hostility—fueled by external alliances and domestic repression—is unsustainable and inherently dangerous. Peace, for the regime in Asmara, is viewed as an existential threat because it would dismantle the narrative of siege that secures its authoritarian grip; yet, in reality, it is this very refusal to embrace peace that ensures the regime’s increasing isolation. For Ethiopia, the path forward remains clear: while committed to regional cooperation, equitable development, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, the state will not stand idly by as its sovereignty is systematically challenged. The international community faces a critical choice: either continue to tolerate the reckless warmongering of a regime that profits from chaos, or exercise decisive diplomatic pressure to neutralize this source of instability. Ethiopia, a population of over 130 million remains an anchor of resilience and growth in the region, but its patience is grounded in the necessity of national survival. The time for passive observation has passed; only a collective, firm stance against the politics of subversion can prevent the Horn of Africa from sliding into yet another avoidable and catastrophic conflict.
African Countries Urged to Exchange Experiences, Build Solutions to Address Food Self-Sufficiency
Aug 6, 2026 20
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —African countries need to exchange experiences and build solutions to address the challenge toward food self-sufficiency while leveraging all the capacities and abundant natural resources of the continent, former African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Sacko, said. Speaking to ENA, the former AU commissioner said food security continues to be one of the persistent challenges across Africa. The AU Agenda 2063 includes a target to end hunger, but progress has not matched expectations, she added. The former commissioner pointed out that the African agricultural models must evolve beyond traditional approaches, especially as African nations continue to face major shocks that have affected food systems due to reliance on imports. In addition, she highlighted the role of inter-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), noting that agricultural products make up about 70 percent of intra-African trade. Expanding trade between surplus and deficit countries can help create jobs while improving food security and reducing hunger and poverty. Sacko further stressed that Africa cannot address its challenges alone. She therefore called for stronger partnerships with multilateral organizations while also emphasizing domestic resource mobilization. In her view, African countries must take greater responsibility for their own projects rather than relying entirely on external aid. “Africa has a lot of potential to take its destiny in its hand,” the former commissioner said, emphasizing that sovereignty and ownership are essential to long-term progress. According to her, Ethiopia’s progress toward food self-sufficiency and environmental conservation efforts is commendable and replicable Sacko commended the country for shifting away from wheat imports. “On this matter, I can congratulate Ethiopia on its progress in its agricultural productivity. It particularly did a lot on wheat production. Today, you are not importing wheat. You are exporting.” The former commissioner also pointed to Ethiopia’s environmental efforts, including the tree planting programs under the Green Legacy Initiative, describing it as an encouraging and a model that other African countries should study and replicate. “Ethiopia is doing so well in terms of planting tree. It is exemplary for other African countries who should learn and practice,” she concluded.
Ethiopia Red Cross Society Calls for Stronger Local African Resource Mobilization
Aug 6, 2026 691
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has called for stronger local resource mobilization in order to reduce dependence on foreign funding. Speaking at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General in Nairobi, Ethiopian Red Cross Society President Abera Tola said the societies must gradually reduce their dependence on foreign funding and strengthen local resource mobilization mechanisms. The President added that the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) aims to generate about 80 percent of its resources from domestic sources by the time it marks its centenary in nine years. According to him, ERCS has increased locally mobilized resources from about 4 million US dollars in 2022 to 10 million US dollars through digital fundraising initiatives, membership contributions, public-private partnerships and commercial ventures. The society has also introduced digital resource mapping systems, strengthened asset management processes and expanded technology-based fundraising platforms, improving transparency while enhancing the organization’s ability to attract support from local communities and businesses. As part of its efforts to build sustainable financing, the ERCS has established a pharmacy network that provides affordable medicines while generating revenue for the organization. It is also pursuing partnerships in food production, manufacturing, and other social enterprises to diversify its revenue sources, the President elaborated. Abera further said the organization has shifted from a traditional management system to a transformative leadership approach centered on long-term vision, innovation, and accountability. Moreover, "the organization increased the number of active projects from 15 to 40, while simultaneously expanding its program budget from about 10 million Swiss francs to 30 million Swiss francs." As a result, the number of beneficiaries has grown to nearly three million people. The discussions at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General focused on domestic resource mobilization, volunteer management and financial sustainability as African humanitarian organizations respond to declining foreign aid, according to Dawan Africa. The participants emphasized that sustainable humanitarian action will increasingly depend on stronger domestic resource mobilization, partnerships and locally driven solutions, with Ethiopia's experience offering practical lessons for Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across Africa.
PM Abiy Inaugurates New Terminal at Bahir Dar Int'l Airport
Aug 6, 2026 787
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated a new terminal at Bahir Dar Dejazmach Belay Zeleke International Airport, marking a pivotal milestone for one of Ethiopia's primary aviation gateways. The modern facility is set to dramatically enhance the regional transport landscape and serve as an engine for economic growth. Reflecting on the achievement, Prime Minister Abiy noted that the project represents far more than upgraded infrastructure. He described the terminal as a powerful symbol of resilience, recovery, and forward-looking investment. The expanded terminal boosts overall passenger capacity and modernizes the airport's surrounding infrastructure, incorporating upgraded aircraft facilities, improved access roads, and enhanced passenger amenities. Coupled with ongoing urban transformation projects across Bahir Dar, the newly expanded facility positions the city as a crucial hub for both domestic and international air travel. The Prime Minister, addressing officials, community elders, and residents during the inaugural event, reflected on Bahir Dar's rich heritage, describing it as a city blessed with extraordinary natural beauty and history. He emphasized its legacy as a vital trade bridge connecting regions like Shewa and Welega to the northern expanses of Gondar for over a century. Highlighting recent projets such as the Gorgora Resort, Felge Ghion, and the enhanced maritime transport on Lake Tana underscore the area's massive tourism potential, Prime Minister Abiy noted. He observed that strategic public investments alongside growing private sector initiatives are revitalizing access to the region’s historical islands and cultural heritage sites. Beyond tourism, PM Abiy pointed to broader infrastructural strides, including the establishment of an industrial park, top-tier intra-city road designs, iconic bridges, ongoing corridor development, and an upcoming stadium in Bahir Dar. He also commended the judicial reforms undertaken by the Amhara Regional Supreme Court, praising its deployment of virtual courtroom systems to streamline access to justice across the region. As the country's second-largest airport terminal after Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the new facility stands as a major victory for Ethiopian Airlines, the Amhara region, and the nation as a whole, he elaborated. However, Prime Minister Abiy stressed that sustaining this momentum relies heavily on addressing two fundamental pillars through continuous efforts. The first critical imperative involves expanding municipal revenue to maintain and build upon these investments. Despite hosting premier infrastructure, Bahir Dar city currently ranks seventh among Ethiopian cities in revenue generation, he stated. To keep new green spaces, corridor developments, and public services operating seamlessly, local financial capacity must grow to reflect the city's modern stance, transforming Bahir Dar into an economically self-sustaining hub for visitors and investors alike, he added. The second indispensable requirement is preserving regional peace, without which long-term economic prosperity and vibrant tourism cannot flourish, the PM stressed.
Prime Minister Abiy Accompanied by First Lady Zinash, Senior Officials in Bahir Dar
Aug 6, 2026 1994
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and senior government officials, arrived in Bahir Dar, the vibrant capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region. The Prime Minister was warmly welcomed alongside Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and Speaker of the House of Federation Agegnehu Teshager, marking a high-level visit to one of Ethiopia’s most historic and strategic cities.
Featured
The Perpetual War Doctrine of the Regime in Asmara
Aug 6, 2026 4
With analysis from Pulse of Africa (POA) By Mathias Bule For decades, the political survival of the EPLF/PFDJ regime in Eritrea has been fundamentally anchored in a singular strategy focused on the systemic weakening of Ethiopia. Rather than fostering regional integration and mutual economic prosperity, the regime in Asmara has consistently acted as a vector of instability in the Horn of Africa, serving both its own authoritarian survival and the strategic interests of external actors seeking to constrain Ethiopia's potential. The groundwork for this policy began long before the regime formalized its control, playing an instrumental role in nurturing and building the military capacity of proxy groups to dismantle the Ethiopian state structure from within. Working in coordination with external forces—including the regime in Egypt—it actively orchestrated outcomes that left Ethiopia landlocked, severely restricting its economic independence and maritime security. When internal subversion failed to permanently cripple Ethiopia, the regime resorted to direct military aggression, culminating in the 1999 invasion of Badme. The Ethiopian people mobilized en masse to repel the invasion and neutralize the regime's core military capabilities, but even after the Algiers Agreement was signed in the name of peace, the Asmara regime never abandoned its hostile doctrine. Instead, it shifted back to asymmetrical warfare, proxy sponsorship, and regional subversion across the Horn of Africa. This included providing tactical and material support to extremist elements in Somalia like Al-Shabaab, engaging in destabilizing operations around Djibouti and the Red Sea, and systematically financing and arming insurgent factions within Ethiopia. These persistent acts of transnational terror and violation of international law ultimately led to severe United Nations sanctions against the regime. To sustain this permanent state of confrontation, the regime transformed Eritrea into a heavily militarized state through mandatory, indefinite national service, centered around the long-operating Sawa military training center. This oppressive policy has stripped generations of young Eritreans of their freedom and economic future, resulting in mass human flight out of the country. The reality of this internal crisis was made starkly clear following the Ethiopian Prime Minister's historic peace initiative, which was immediately met with a massive influx of young Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia to escape the regime's forced servitude. Beyond the immediate human toll, this perpetual militarization has completely paralyzed the domestic Eritrean economy, transforming what could have been a thriving Red Sea trade hub into a closed, command-style state. By redirecting the nation’s entire workforce and limited financial resources toward sustaining an oversized military apparatus, the leadership in Asmara has willfully neglected infrastructure, trade, and civil institutions. The regime relies on manufacturing external crises to justify this domestic stagnation, deliberately convincing its populace that survival requires total subjugation to the military state in the face of an exaggerated foreign threat. Furthermore, Asmara’s foreign policy operates on a zero-sum logic that views any progress, economic expansion, or diplomatic triumph by Ethiopia as a direct security threat to its own existence. This paradigm drives the regime to ally itself with any regional power seeking to leverage the Horn of Africa for geopolitical dominance, effectively acting as an enforcer for foreign interests at the expense of regional sovereignty. By attempting to keep Ethiopia distracted, fragmented, and defensively oriented, the regime hopes to prevent Ethiopia from fully realizing its potential as a regional economic engine and hydro-energy leader. Today, the regime is once again escalating tensions by preparing for renewed conflict against Ethiopia, relying on external backing and collusion with internal disruptive elements. While Ethiopia continues to extend calls for peace and diplomacy, Asmara responds with war rhetoric, paranoia-driven mobilization, and hostile propaganda. This pattern demonstrates that the leadership in Asmara views peace not as an opportunity for regional growth, but as a structural threat to the narrative of perpetual siege that keeps it in power. Currently, the Shaebia regime is actively echoing warmongering rhetoric by leveraging the TPLF and aligning itself with Egyptian leadership in a coordinated effort aimed at creating a weakened, fragmented Ethiopia. The core strategy of the leaders in Cairo is to secure undisputed economic and geopolitical hegemony over the region, effectively utilizing both Shaebia and the TPLF as geopolitical instruments to achieve this goal. For its part, Shaebia is driven by an ungrounded, paranoid fear and an obsessive desire to preserve its grip on power by fending off imaginary threats. It has now become an undeniable reality, publicly broadcast across media outlets, that Shaebia’s military commanders are violating the sovereign borders of Ethiopia under the disingenuous pretext of facilitating 'people-to-people relations' within the Tigray region. This reckless and lawless aggression has been openly enabled by the TPLF, serving its historic role as a compliant proxy. It is worth recalling that the TPLF itself was originally created, nurtured, and weaponized by Shaebia to advance its own long-term interests." Meanwhile, the TPLF operates under the illusion that it can forcibly reclaim the dictatorial dominance it once exercised over Ethiopia, hoping to reinstate its historical patterns of systemic exploitation. However, this coalition is chasing an unattainable fantasy, as their calculations fail to grasp the structural resilience of the contemporary Ethiopian state. Because Ethiopia stands as the strategic anchor of stability and the demographic center of the Horn of Africa, it cannot allow its national sovereignty or long-term security to be compromised by hostile agendas. It is obvious that Ethiopia retains the full right to take all necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens, infrastructure, and territorial integrity against foreign-backed destabilization. The international community must recognize that ignoring these continuous warmongering risks triggering a wider regional explosion, making decisive international diplomatic pressure urgent before the regime's actions force a destructive military confrontation. Ultimately, the "perpetual war doctrine" of the regime in Asmara is a strategic relic that has outlived its utility and now serves only to jeopardize the future of the entire Horn of Africa. By subordinating national development to an obsessive, zero-sum campaign against Ethiopia, the Eritrean leadership has not only impoverished its own people but has become a primary architect of regional fragility. This cycle of manufactured hostility—fueled by external alliances and domestic repression—is unsustainable and inherently dangerous. Peace, for the regime in Asmara, is viewed as an existential threat because it would dismantle the narrative of siege that secures its authoritarian grip; yet, in reality, it is this very refusal to embrace peace that ensures the regime’s increasing isolation. For Ethiopia, the path forward remains clear: while committed to regional cooperation, equitable development, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, the state will not stand idly by as its sovereignty is systematically challenged. The international community faces a critical choice: either continue to tolerate the reckless warmongering of a regime that profits from chaos, or exercise decisive diplomatic pressure to neutralize this source of instability. Ethiopia, a population of over 130 million remains an anchor of resilience and growth in the region, but its patience is grounded in the necessity of national survival. The time for passive observation has passed; only a collective, firm stance against the politics of subversion can prevent the Horn of Africa from sliding into yet another avoidable and catastrophic conflict.
African Countries Urged to Exchange Experiences, Build Solutions to Address Food Self-Sufficiency
Aug 6, 2026 20
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —African countries need to exchange experiences and build solutions to address the challenge toward food self-sufficiency while leveraging all the capacities and abundant natural resources of the continent, former African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Sacko, said. Speaking to ENA, the former AU commissioner said food security continues to be one of the persistent challenges across Africa. The AU Agenda 2063 includes a target to end hunger, but progress has not matched expectations, she added. The former commissioner pointed out that the African agricultural models must evolve beyond traditional approaches, especially as African nations continue to face major shocks that have affected food systems due to reliance on imports. In addition, she highlighted the role of inter-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), noting that agricultural products make up about 70 percent of intra-African trade. Expanding trade between surplus and deficit countries can help create jobs while improving food security and reducing hunger and poverty. Sacko further stressed that Africa cannot address its challenges alone. She therefore called for stronger partnerships with multilateral organizations while also emphasizing domestic resource mobilization. In her view, African countries must take greater responsibility for their own projects rather than relying entirely on external aid. “Africa has a lot of potential to take its destiny in its hand,” the former commissioner said, emphasizing that sovereignty and ownership are essential to long-term progress. According to her, Ethiopia’s progress toward food self-sufficiency and environmental conservation efforts is commendable and replicable Sacko commended the country for shifting away from wheat imports. “On this matter, I can congratulate Ethiopia on its progress in its agricultural productivity. It particularly did a lot on wheat production. Today, you are not importing wheat. You are exporting.” The former commissioner also pointed to Ethiopia’s environmental efforts, including the tree planting programs under the Green Legacy Initiative, describing it as an encouraging and a model that other African countries should study and replicate. “Ethiopia is doing so well in terms of planting tree. It is exemplary for other African countries who should learn and practice,” she concluded.
Ethiopia Red Cross Society Calls for Stronger Local African Resource Mobilization
Aug 6, 2026 691
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has called for stronger local resource mobilization in order to reduce dependence on foreign funding. Speaking at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General in Nairobi, Ethiopian Red Cross Society President Abera Tola said the societies must gradually reduce their dependence on foreign funding and strengthen local resource mobilization mechanisms. The President added that the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) aims to generate about 80 percent of its resources from domestic sources by the time it marks its centenary in nine years. According to him, ERCS has increased locally mobilized resources from about 4 million US dollars in 2022 to 10 million US dollars through digital fundraising initiatives, membership contributions, public-private partnerships and commercial ventures. The society has also introduced digital resource mapping systems, strengthened asset management processes and expanded technology-based fundraising platforms, improving transparency while enhancing the organization’s ability to attract support from local communities and businesses. As part of its efforts to build sustainable financing, the ERCS has established a pharmacy network that provides affordable medicines while generating revenue for the organization. It is also pursuing partnerships in food production, manufacturing, and other social enterprises to diversify its revenue sources, the President elaborated. Abera further said the organization has shifted from a traditional management system to a transformative leadership approach centered on long-term vision, innovation, and accountability. Moreover, "the organization increased the number of active projects from 15 to 40, while simultaneously expanding its program budget from about 10 million Swiss francs to 30 million Swiss francs." As a result, the number of beneficiaries has grown to nearly three million people. The discussions at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General focused on domestic resource mobilization, volunteer management and financial sustainability as African humanitarian organizations respond to declining foreign aid, according to Dawan Africa. The participants emphasized that sustainable humanitarian action will increasingly depend on stronger domestic resource mobilization, partnerships and locally driven solutions, with Ethiopia's experience offering practical lessons for Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across Africa.
PM Abiy Inaugurates New Terminal at Bahir Dar Int'l Airport
Aug 6, 2026 787
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated a new terminal at Bahir Dar Dejazmach Belay Zeleke International Airport, marking a pivotal milestone for one of Ethiopia's primary aviation gateways. The modern facility is set to dramatically enhance the regional transport landscape and serve as an engine for economic growth. Reflecting on the achievement, Prime Minister Abiy noted that the project represents far more than upgraded infrastructure. He described the terminal as a powerful symbol of resilience, recovery, and forward-looking investment. The expanded terminal boosts overall passenger capacity and modernizes the airport's surrounding infrastructure, incorporating upgraded aircraft facilities, improved access roads, and enhanced passenger amenities. Coupled with ongoing urban transformation projects across Bahir Dar, the newly expanded facility positions the city as a crucial hub for both domestic and international air travel. The Prime Minister, addressing officials, community elders, and residents during the inaugural event, reflected on Bahir Dar's rich heritage, describing it as a city blessed with extraordinary natural beauty and history. He emphasized its legacy as a vital trade bridge connecting regions like Shewa and Welega to the northern expanses of Gondar for over a century. Highlighting recent projets such as the Gorgora Resort, Felge Ghion, and the enhanced maritime transport on Lake Tana underscore the area's massive tourism potential, Prime Minister Abiy noted. He observed that strategic public investments alongside growing private sector initiatives are revitalizing access to the region’s historical islands and cultural heritage sites. Beyond tourism, PM Abiy pointed to broader infrastructural strides, including the establishment of an industrial park, top-tier intra-city road designs, iconic bridges, ongoing corridor development, and an upcoming stadium in Bahir Dar. He also commended the judicial reforms undertaken by the Amhara Regional Supreme Court, praising its deployment of virtual courtroom systems to streamline access to justice across the region. As the country's second-largest airport terminal after Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the new facility stands as a major victory for Ethiopian Airlines, the Amhara region, and the nation as a whole, he elaborated. However, Prime Minister Abiy stressed that sustaining this momentum relies heavily on addressing two fundamental pillars through continuous efforts. The first critical imperative involves expanding municipal revenue to maintain and build upon these investments. Despite hosting premier infrastructure, Bahir Dar city currently ranks seventh among Ethiopian cities in revenue generation, he stated. To keep new green spaces, corridor developments, and public services operating seamlessly, local financial capacity must grow to reflect the city's modern stance, transforming Bahir Dar into an economically self-sustaining hub for visitors and investors alike, he added. The second indispensable requirement is preserving regional peace, without which long-term economic prosperity and vibrant tourism cannot flourish, the PM stressed.
Prime Minister Abiy Accompanied by First Lady Zinash, Senior Officials in Bahir Dar
Aug 6, 2026 1994
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and senior government officials, arrived in Bahir Dar, the vibrant capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region. The Prime Minister was warmly welcomed alongside Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and Speaker of the House of Federation Agegnehu Teshager, marking a high-level visit to one of Ethiopia’s most historic and strategic cities.
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Politics
The Perpetual War Doctrine of the Regime in Asmara
Aug 6, 2026 4
With analysis from Pulse of Africa (POA) By Mathias Bule For decades, the political survival of the EPLF/PFDJ regime in Eritrea has been fundamentally anchored in a singular strategy focused on the systemic weakening of Ethiopia. Rather than fostering regional integration and mutual economic prosperity, the regime in Asmara has consistently acted as a vector of instability in the Horn of Africa, serving both its own authoritarian survival and the strategic interests of external actors seeking to constrain Ethiopia's potential. The groundwork for this policy began long before the regime formalized its control, playing an instrumental role in nurturing and building the military capacity of proxy groups to dismantle the Ethiopian state structure from within. Working in coordination with external forces—including the regime in Egypt—it actively orchestrated outcomes that left Ethiopia landlocked, severely restricting its economic independence and maritime security. When internal subversion failed to permanently cripple Ethiopia, the regime resorted to direct military aggression, culminating in the 1999 invasion of Badme. The Ethiopian people mobilized en masse to repel the invasion and neutralize the regime's core military capabilities, but even after the Algiers Agreement was signed in the name of peace, the Asmara regime never abandoned its hostile doctrine. Instead, it shifted back to asymmetrical warfare, proxy sponsorship, and regional subversion across the Horn of Africa. This included providing tactical and material support to extremist elements in Somalia like Al-Shabaab, engaging in destabilizing operations around Djibouti and the Red Sea, and systematically financing and arming insurgent factions within Ethiopia. These persistent acts of transnational terror and violation of international law ultimately led to severe United Nations sanctions against the regime. To sustain this permanent state of confrontation, the regime transformed Eritrea into a heavily militarized state through mandatory, indefinite national service, centered around the long-operating Sawa military training center. This oppressive policy has stripped generations of young Eritreans of their freedom and economic future, resulting in mass human flight out of the country. The reality of this internal crisis was made starkly clear following the Ethiopian Prime Minister's historic peace initiative, which was immediately met with a massive influx of young Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia to escape the regime's forced servitude. Beyond the immediate human toll, this perpetual militarization has completely paralyzed the domestic Eritrean economy, transforming what could have been a thriving Red Sea trade hub into a closed, command-style state. By redirecting the nation’s entire workforce and limited financial resources toward sustaining an oversized military apparatus, the leadership in Asmara has willfully neglected infrastructure, trade, and civil institutions. The regime relies on manufacturing external crises to justify this domestic stagnation, deliberately convincing its populace that survival requires total subjugation to the military state in the face of an exaggerated foreign threat. Furthermore, Asmara’s foreign policy operates on a zero-sum logic that views any progress, economic expansion, or diplomatic triumph by Ethiopia as a direct security threat to its own existence. This paradigm drives the regime to ally itself with any regional power seeking to leverage the Horn of Africa for geopolitical dominance, effectively acting as an enforcer for foreign interests at the expense of regional sovereignty. By attempting to keep Ethiopia distracted, fragmented, and defensively oriented, the regime hopes to prevent Ethiopia from fully realizing its potential as a regional economic engine and hydro-energy leader. Today, the regime is once again escalating tensions by preparing for renewed conflict against Ethiopia, relying on external backing and collusion with internal disruptive elements. While Ethiopia continues to extend calls for peace and diplomacy, Asmara responds with war rhetoric, paranoia-driven mobilization, and hostile propaganda. This pattern demonstrates that the leadership in Asmara views peace not as an opportunity for regional growth, but as a structural threat to the narrative of perpetual siege that keeps it in power. Currently, the Shaebia regime is actively echoing warmongering rhetoric by leveraging the TPLF and aligning itself with Egyptian leadership in a coordinated effort aimed at creating a weakened, fragmented Ethiopia. The core strategy of the leaders in Cairo is to secure undisputed economic and geopolitical hegemony over the region, effectively utilizing both Shaebia and the TPLF as geopolitical instruments to achieve this goal. For its part, Shaebia is driven by an ungrounded, paranoid fear and an obsessive desire to preserve its grip on power by fending off imaginary threats. It has now become an undeniable reality, publicly broadcast across media outlets, that Shaebia’s military commanders are violating the sovereign borders of Ethiopia under the disingenuous pretext of facilitating 'people-to-people relations' within the Tigray region. This reckless and lawless aggression has been openly enabled by the TPLF, serving its historic role as a compliant proxy. It is worth recalling that the TPLF itself was originally created, nurtured, and weaponized by Shaebia to advance its own long-term interests." Meanwhile, the TPLF operates under the illusion that it can forcibly reclaim the dictatorial dominance it once exercised over Ethiopia, hoping to reinstate its historical patterns of systemic exploitation. However, this coalition is chasing an unattainable fantasy, as their calculations fail to grasp the structural resilience of the contemporary Ethiopian state. Because Ethiopia stands as the strategic anchor of stability and the demographic center of the Horn of Africa, it cannot allow its national sovereignty or long-term security to be compromised by hostile agendas. It is obvious that Ethiopia retains the full right to take all necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens, infrastructure, and territorial integrity against foreign-backed destabilization. The international community must recognize that ignoring these continuous warmongering risks triggering a wider regional explosion, making decisive international diplomatic pressure urgent before the regime's actions force a destructive military confrontation. Ultimately, the "perpetual war doctrine" of the regime in Asmara is a strategic relic that has outlived its utility and now serves only to jeopardize the future of the entire Horn of Africa. By subordinating national development to an obsessive, zero-sum campaign against Ethiopia, the Eritrean leadership has not only impoverished its own people but has become a primary architect of regional fragility. This cycle of manufactured hostility—fueled by external alliances and domestic repression—is unsustainable and inherently dangerous. Peace, for the regime in Asmara, is viewed as an existential threat because it would dismantle the narrative of siege that secures its authoritarian grip; yet, in reality, it is this very refusal to embrace peace that ensures the regime’s increasing isolation. For Ethiopia, the path forward remains clear: while committed to regional cooperation, equitable development, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, the state will not stand idly by as its sovereignty is systematically challenged. The international community faces a critical choice: either continue to tolerate the reckless warmongering of a regime that profits from chaos, or exercise decisive diplomatic pressure to neutralize this source of instability. Ethiopia, a population of over 130 million remains an anchor of resilience and growth in the region, but its patience is grounded in the necessity of national survival. The time for passive observation has passed; only a collective, firm stance against the politics of subversion can prevent the Horn of Africa from sliding into yet another avoidable and catastrophic conflict.
Prime Minister Abiy Accompanied by First Lady Zinash, Senior Officials in Bahir Dar
Aug 6, 2026 1994
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and senior government officials, arrived in Bahir Dar, the vibrant capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region. The Prime Minister was warmly welcomed alongside Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and Speaker of the House of Federation Agegnehu Teshager, marking a high-level visit to one of Ethiopia’s most historic and strategic cities.
Eritrea’s Regime Gamble to Push Tigray Toward Buffer Zone in a New Proxy War
Aug 5, 2026 5681
By Sraff Writer August 5, 2026 (ENA) The Horn of Africa is entering another dangerous moment. What appears on the surface to be an alarming situation in northern Ethiopia is increasingly being viewed by many regional observers as a broader geopolitical struggle in which the Tigray region risks becoming the buffer zone of a new proxy war. The central peace spoiler is that Eritrea’s regime, through its long-established reliance on proxy actors. It is attempting to use the banned Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) faction as an instrument to destabilize Ethiopia, weaken its strategic position, and keep the region trapped in recurring conflict. Now, under the banner of the so-called “Tsimdo” anti-Ethiopia alliance, the Eritrean regime is openly using the banned TPLF as a proxy instrument to reignite war against Ethiopia and turn Tigray into the buffer zone of a new regional conflict. What is unfolding is not merely a political alignment. It is also a calculated strategy to militarize Tigray and drag the region back into another devastating war. At the same time, the extremist TPLF faction has launched a renewed campaign to push Tigray back into armed confrontation. Unable to mobilize young people voluntarily on a meaningful scale, the group has increasingly relied on coercive recruitment and militarization, exposing the depth of its political isolation and its determination to pursue conflict over peace and reconstruction. For decades, analysts of the Horn of Africa have argued that Asmara’s security doctrine has been shaped by a preference for a fragmented regional balance of power. According to this view, a strong, economically integrated, and politically stable Ethiopia would fundamentally alter the regional equilibrium in ways that Eritrea perceives as unfavorable. Whether one accepts that assessment in full or in part, the perception that Eritrean regime’s policies under Isaias Afwerki have been shaped by, and have at times benefited from, instability in Ethiopia has become an increasingly influential theme in regional geopolitical analysis. The new militarization of Tigray region The most immediate concern is the reported remilitarization of the banned TPLF faction. Since the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed in November 2022, the expectation was that Tigray would prioritize reconstruction, economic recovery, and political normalization. Reports from within Tigray have increasingly focused on forced recruitment, including the recruitment of minors. Families have accused armed elements of taking young people from their homes and communities for military training, while videos circulating on social media have shown mothers attempting to prevent the removal of their children. These have also been echoed by political figures from Tigray region itself. Getachew Reda, leader of the Tigray Democratic Solidarity Party and former head of the Tigray region interim administration, has publicly accused elements of the banned faction of intimidation, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment. If independently verified, such practices would constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian norms and of the commitments embedded in the Pretoria peace agreement. From Political Mobilization to Armed Confrontation Political analysts increasingly reveal that the rampant TPLF faction’s current trajectory is driven less by reconstruction than by preparations for another military confrontation with the federal government. They point to public statements by faction leaders, including Debretsion Gebremichael and Fetlework Gebregziabher, as evidence of extensive preparations for renewed conflict and what they describe as coordination with internal and external forces opposed to the Ethiopian government. The faction’s rhetoric has become increasingly confrontational, including suggestions that future military operations could extend beyond Tigray in coordination with allied forces. The human cost of militarization The most disturbing concern the impact of the banned TPLF faction on civilians. Critics repeatedly say the group of turning neighborhoods and villages into recruitment zones where fear, intimidation, and coercion have replaced voluntary political mobilization. The most harrowing accounts come from affected communities themselves. Families describe mothers confronting armed recruiters in desperate attempts to save their children from forced military recruitment. These stories have become a powerful symbol of a society living under the belligerent TPLF’s fear rather than freedom. Getachew Reda, Former Tigray Region Interim Administration President underscored that some parents were detained and mistreated simply for refusing to surrender their children. Public resistance has become steadily visible. The Tigray Peace and Change Council organized demonstrations demanding an end to forced recruitment and the preservation of peace. The slogans echoed across the protests: “Stop the kidnappings. End forced recruitment. Let peace prevail in Tigray” — captured the anguish of a population exhausted by war and determined not to sacrifice another generation to renewed conflict. The ‘Tsimdo’ Alliance and TPLF as a Trojan Horse The most unholy alliance fueling the current crisis is the alleged coordination between the banned TPLF faction, the Eritrean regime, and the Sudanese military faction, reportedly backed by Cairo, under the so-called “Tsimdo” alliance. Former Tigray Regional State President Gebru Asrat has argued that the banned faction has become a “Trojan Horse” serving external anti-Ethiopian interests. He contends that the group is increasingly functioning as an instrument of forces seeking to weaken Ethiopia’s national cohesion and strategic position. Tigray as a buffer zone The broader strategic argument is that Shabiya seeks to transform Tigray into a geopolitical and conflict buffer zone. In this interpretation, Tigray becomes a shield insulating Eritrea from direct confrontation while simultaneously constraining Ethiopia’s military and political capacity. For Asmara, a permanently unstable northern Ethiopia provides strategic leverage. For the banned TPLF faction, the alleged alliance offers a potential path back to political relevance. For ordinary Tigrayans, however, the cost could be catastrophic. A regional security crisis in the making A renewed conflict in Tigray would not remain confined to northern Ethiopia. It could destabilize Ethiopia-Eritrea relations, affect Sudan’s fragile eastern frontier, disrupt regional trade corridors, intensify humanitarian crises, and undermine security cooperation across the Horn of Africa. For this reason, the issue is increasingly being viewed not simply as an Ethiopian political dispute, but as a regional security challenge with continental implications. The international community’s test The allegations surrounding forced recruitment, militarization, and external coordination deserve serious international scrutiny. The African Union, the United Nations, and Ethiopia’s international partners invested considerable political capital in the Pretoria peace process. If violations are occurring, ignoring them would risk undermining the credibility of negotiated peace agreements across Africa. Independent investigations, strengthened monitoring mechanisms, and sustained diplomatic engagement are essential to prevent the collapse of the fragile peace. The critical question is no longer whether tensions are rising. It is whether Tigray region of Ethiopia will become the bridge to post-war recovery envisioned in Pretoria, or the buffer zone in a new proxy war whose consequences could destabilize the entire Horn of Africa for years to come.
Egypt Uses GERD’s Issue to Divert Attention from Domestic Challenges: EIPD President
Aug 5, 2026 3919
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Egyptian authorities have intensified their media campaign against the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to divert domestic economic and political pressures, President of Ethiopian Institute for Public Diplomacy (EIPD), Yassin Ahmed told ENA. The renewed focus on the dam is aimed at diverting public attention from economic and livelihood challenges facing the Egyptian people, he underscored. Yassin said the GERD issue has increasingly become a political and media tool for domestic consumption in Egypt rather than a matter centered on water resource management. He stressed that Ethiopia’s disagreement is not with the Egyptian people but with policies pursued by successive Egyptian governments, which he said have not been based on partnership, cooperation, and regional integration. "The GERD is now being used domestically in Egypt to distract the Egyptian people from the country's internal and regional challenges," Yassin said, adding that Egyptian authorities revive the issue whenever economic, political, and security pressures intensify. He said the Egyptian government has attempted to associate the GERD with challenges unrelated to the project, including flooding and declining water levels, while noting that some Sudanese experts have attributed such issues to dam management practices in Sudan. According to Yassin, the GERD has become "a scapegoat" used by Egyptian authorities to shift responsibility for domestic and regional challenges as part of a political and media campaign against the project. He also alleged that Egypt has benefited from the circumstances created by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has limited Khartoum’s ability to fully utilize its allocated share of Nile waters, leaving a significant portion stored behind Egypt’s High Aswan Dam. Yassin referred to previous remarks by Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam regarding the strategic reserves of the High Aswan Dam, saying these statements indicate, in his view, that Egypt does not face an immediate water security threat from the GERD. "The GERD has become a political and media card used to pressure Ethiopia. Whenever Ethiopia makes progress in convincing the international community of its legitimate rights, Egypt resorts to the GERD issue to tarnish Ethiopia's image and demonize the dam," he said. He further claimed that renewed attention to the GERD coincides with Ethiopia’s diplomatic efforts to promote its positions on regional issues, including what he described as Ethiopia’s legal and historical right to access the sea. Yassin said Cairo has sought to reactivate the GERD dispute to weaken Ethiopia’s position and exert pressure in broader regional matters. He emphasized that the GERD is a strategic development project designed to support regional integration, provide electricity to neighboring countries, and advance shared interests among Nile Basin countries, rejecting claims that the dam threatens downstream nations. The EIPD president also argued that Egypt’s continued refusal to resume negotiations serves political and media objectives by keeping the issue unresolved and diverting attention from domestic economic and social challenges. He stressed that Nile Basin issues should be addressed through dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect rather than political pressure and media campaigns. "Ethiopia remains committed to pursuing shared development and mutual benefit for the region," Yassin underscored.
Ethiopia FM, AUC Chairperson Discuss Horn Peace and COP32 Preparations
Aug 5, 2026 3657
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos hold talks with African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, in Addis Ababa this morning for high-level talks centered on regional peace and security and preparations for the 2027 UN Climate Change Conference (COP32). The meeting, held at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on the evolving peace and security situation in the Horn of Africa and the importance of strengthened cooperation between the African Union and Ethiopia on key continental and global priorities. A major focus of the discussions was Ethiopia’s preparations to host COP32 in 2027, a conference expected to draw world leaders, policymakers, climate experts, and international partners from across the globe. Minister Gedion and Chairperson Youssouf emphasized the need for close coordination between the AU Commission and Ethiopia as the host nation to ensure the successful organization of the landmark climate summit. The meeting underscored the growing partnership between Ethiopia and the African Union in advancing peace and security, while strengthening Africa’s collective climate agenda, it was learned. It also reaffirmed Addis Ababa’s position as a leading hub for continental diplomacy and international engagement, particularly as Ethiopia intensifies preparations to host COP32 in 2027
Relations between Oman and Ethiopia Witnessing Swift Progress: Omani Ambassador
Aug 5, 2026 3553
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Relations between Ethiopia and Oman are witnessing rapid progress across various sectors, particularly at the political and economic levels, Ambassador Afkar Bin Nadhim, Oman Head of Mission to Ethiopia, told ENA. The Ambassador said the longstanding and solid ties between the countries are currently gaining strong momentum thanks to the commitment of the leaderships of both nations. Ethiopia and Oman have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations earlier this year, he revealed, adding that subsequent to that was held the first round of bilateral political consultations. That was a step which broadened the scope of cooperation and coordination between the two sides, the Ambassador said. According to him, “relations between Oman and Ethiopia are experiencing remarkable progress, reflecting the shared determination of both countries to elevate bilateral cooperation to broader levels.” This positive development has also been reflected in the volume of bilateral trade, with Oman importing coffee, sesame, and livestock, while exporting construction materials, including iron and plastic products, to Ethiopia. Ambassador Bin Nadhim added that economic relations between the two countries are well positioned for further growth, given the available investment opportunities and the mutual desire to expand trade cooperation. He also praised Ethiopia’s rapid progress across various sectors since he assumed diplomatic duties in Addis Ababa about a year ago. The Ambassador said that visitors from Oman have expressed admiration for Ethiopia’s development achievements, emphasizing that this is expected to encourage more Omani tourists to visit the country. “The rapid development and progress taking place in Ethiopia reflect the country’s vast potential and enhance the interest of Omani visitors in discovering its rich tourism and investment opportunities.” The two countries are working to expand cooperation in investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, alongside strengthening official and commercial visits, according to Ambassador Bin Nadhim. Concluding his remarks, he reaffirmed Oman’s aspiration to further strengthen its relations with Ethiopia in a manner that serves the shared interests of both countries and their peoples.
Benin’s Digital Transformation Minister Begins Official Five-Day Visit to Ethiopia
Aug 4, 2026 5994
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) —Benin’s Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan, arrived in Addis Ababa tonight for a five-day official working visit aimed at deepening cooperation with Ethiopia in digital transformation, innovation, and governance. The minister was welcomed at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by Ambassador Zerihun Abebe, Director General for African Affairs at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the visit, Minister Akplogan is expected to hold high-level talks with senior Ethiopian government officials on expanding bilateral cooperation and forging new partnerships in key areas of digital development. The discussions will focus on sharing experience and best practices in digital transformation, innovation ecosystems, public sector modernization, e-government services, and strategic governance, reflecting the growing importance of technology-driven development across Africa, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visit is anticipated to further strengthen relations between Ethiopia and the Benin while advancing broader African collaboration on digital innovation, institutional capacity building, and inclusive economic transformation.
CNN highlights GERD Landmark Engineering Achievement Transforming Ethiopia’s Remote Valley into Africa’s Largest Project
Aug 4, 2026 7115
Addis Ababa, August 3, 2026 (ENA) —The U.S.-based Cable News Network (CNN) has spotlighted Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as one of Africa’s most remarkable engineering achievements. The media company also portrayed the project as a symbol of the country’s broader economic transformation and infrastructure-driven development strategy. In a feature on its Connecting Africa program, CNN journalist Victoria Rubadiri traveled to the GERD site in western Ethiopia, where she explored the scale of the dam and interviewed its Project Manager, Engineer Kifle Horo. The documentary noted that while Ethiopia has long been known globally for its coffee exports, the country is increasingly diversifying its economy through major investments in renewable energy, mining, tourism, and large-scale infrastructure projects aimed at driving long-term growth and regional trade. CNN described GERD as an unprecedented hydroengineering accomplishment on the African continent. “Thousands of construction workers and engineers have transformed a remote valley to build Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam. Today, at a height of 145 meters and stretching 1.8 kilometers across the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is truly a sight to behold,” the network reported. Engineer Kifle Horo, Project Manager of GERD, said the power plant has an installed generation capacity of about 5,150 megawatts, making it the largest hydroelectric facility in Africa and a major contributor to Ethiopia’s electricity production. It contributes more than 50 precent, he pointed out. Built on the Blue Nile River, construction of GERD began in 2011, and the project officially entered operation in September 2025. Moreover, Kifle told CNN that one of the greatest challenges during construction was logistics. “We are around 1,400 kilometers from the port of Djibouti. Transporting heavy equipment to the site took between 60 and 90 days,” he said, highlighting the complexity of building a mega-infrastructure project in a remote location. CNN also emphasized what it described as the dam’s most distinctive feature: its financing model. Unlike many large infrastructure projects in developing countries, GERD was built primarily through domestic financing, with Ethiopians contributing through public donations, government-issued bonds, and national budget allocations. “We have no single coin from outside Ethiopia. This project was constructed by Ethiopians, and the total cost—estimated at between 4.2 and 5 billion U.S. dollars—was financed entirely by Ethiopians,” Kifle said. The report presented GERD not only as a massive energy project but also as a rare example of a nationally funded mega-dam built through broad public participation. Addressing concerns raised by Egypt as a downstream country, Kifle reiterated Ethiopia’s position that the dam is designed for hydropower generation rather than water consumption. “This is not a water-consumptive project. Whatever water comes in goes out. The main challenge was during the filling period, which took five years. Ethiopia advocates equitable and sustainable use of shared water resources without causing significant harm to downstream countries,” he said. CNN’s feature framed GERD as more than a dam, portraying it as a transformative infrastructure project that has turned a once-isolated valley into a strategic energy hub with the potential to support industrialization, expand electricity access, and strengthen regional economic integration across East Africa. By highlighting both the engineering scale of the project and its domestically financed construction, the network underscored GERD’s significance as one of the continent’s most consequential infrastructure achievements of the 21st century, it was learned.
Politics
The Perpetual War Doctrine of the Regime in Asmara
Aug 6, 2026 4
With analysis from Pulse of Africa (POA) By Mathias Bule For decades, the political survival of the EPLF/PFDJ regime in Eritrea has been fundamentally anchored in a singular strategy focused on the systemic weakening of Ethiopia. Rather than fostering regional integration and mutual economic prosperity, the regime in Asmara has consistently acted as a vector of instability in the Horn of Africa, serving both its own authoritarian survival and the strategic interests of external actors seeking to constrain Ethiopia's potential. The groundwork for this policy began long before the regime formalized its control, playing an instrumental role in nurturing and building the military capacity of proxy groups to dismantle the Ethiopian state structure from within. Working in coordination with external forces—including the regime in Egypt—it actively orchestrated outcomes that left Ethiopia landlocked, severely restricting its economic independence and maritime security. When internal subversion failed to permanently cripple Ethiopia, the regime resorted to direct military aggression, culminating in the 1999 invasion of Badme. The Ethiopian people mobilized en masse to repel the invasion and neutralize the regime's core military capabilities, but even after the Algiers Agreement was signed in the name of peace, the Asmara regime never abandoned its hostile doctrine. Instead, it shifted back to asymmetrical warfare, proxy sponsorship, and regional subversion across the Horn of Africa. This included providing tactical and material support to extremist elements in Somalia like Al-Shabaab, engaging in destabilizing operations around Djibouti and the Red Sea, and systematically financing and arming insurgent factions within Ethiopia. These persistent acts of transnational terror and violation of international law ultimately led to severe United Nations sanctions against the regime. To sustain this permanent state of confrontation, the regime transformed Eritrea into a heavily militarized state through mandatory, indefinite national service, centered around the long-operating Sawa military training center. This oppressive policy has stripped generations of young Eritreans of their freedom and economic future, resulting in mass human flight out of the country. The reality of this internal crisis was made starkly clear following the Ethiopian Prime Minister's historic peace initiative, which was immediately met with a massive influx of young Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia to escape the regime's forced servitude. Beyond the immediate human toll, this perpetual militarization has completely paralyzed the domestic Eritrean economy, transforming what could have been a thriving Red Sea trade hub into a closed, command-style state. By redirecting the nation’s entire workforce and limited financial resources toward sustaining an oversized military apparatus, the leadership in Asmara has willfully neglected infrastructure, trade, and civil institutions. The regime relies on manufacturing external crises to justify this domestic stagnation, deliberately convincing its populace that survival requires total subjugation to the military state in the face of an exaggerated foreign threat. Furthermore, Asmara’s foreign policy operates on a zero-sum logic that views any progress, economic expansion, or diplomatic triumph by Ethiopia as a direct security threat to its own existence. This paradigm drives the regime to ally itself with any regional power seeking to leverage the Horn of Africa for geopolitical dominance, effectively acting as an enforcer for foreign interests at the expense of regional sovereignty. By attempting to keep Ethiopia distracted, fragmented, and defensively oriented, the regime hopes to prevent Ethiopia from fully realizing its potential as a regional economic engine and hydro-energy leader. Today, the regime is once again escalating tensions by preparing for renewed conflict against Ethiopia, relying on external backing and collusion with internal disruptive elements. While Ethiopia continues to extend calls for peace and diplomacy, Asmara responds with war rhetoric, paranoia-driven mobilization, and hostile propaganda. This pattern demonstrates that the leadership in Asmara views peace not as an opportunity for regional growth, but as a structural threat to the narrative of perpetual siege that keeps it in power. Currently, the Shaebia regime is actively echoing warmongering rhetoric by leveraging the TPLF and aligning itself with Egyptian leadership in a coordinated effort aimed at creating a weakened, fragmented Ethiopia. The core strategy of the leaders in Cairo is to secure undisputed economic and geopolitical hegemony over the region, effectively utilizing both Shaebia and the TPLF as geopolitical instruments to achieve this goal. For its part, Shaebia is driven by an ungrounded, paranoid fear and an obsessive desire to preserve its grip on power by fending off imaginary threats. It has now become an undeniable reality, publicly broadcast across media outlets, that Shaebia’s military commanders are violating the sovereign borders of Ethiopia under the disingenuous pretext of facilitating 'people-to-people relations' within the Tigray region. This reckless and lawless aggression has been openly enabled by the TPLF, serving its historic role as a compliant proxy. It is worth recalling that the TPLF itself was originally created, nurtured, and weaponized by Shaebia to advance its own long-term interests." Meanwhile, the TPLF operates under the illusion that it can forcibly reclaim the dictatorial dominance it once exercised over Ethiopia, hoping to reinstate its historical patterns of systemic exploitation. However, this coalition is chasing an unattainable fantasy, as their calculations fail to grasp the structural resilience of the contemporary Ethiopian state. Because Ethiopia stands as the strategic anchor of stability and the demographic center of the Horn of Africa, it cannot allow its national sovereignty or long-term security to be compromised by hostile agendas. It is obvious that Ethiopia retains the full right to take all necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens, infrastructure, and territorial integrity against foreign-backed destabilization. The international community must recognize that ignoring these continuous warmongering risks triggering a wider regional explosion, making decisive international diplomatic pressure urgent before the regime's actions force a destructive military confrontation. Ultimately, the "perpetual war doctrine" of the regime in Asmara is a strategic relic that has outlived its utility and now serves only to jeopardize the future of the entire Horn of Africa. By subordinating national development to an obsessive, zero-sum campaign against Ethiopia, the Eritrean leadership has not only impoverished its own people but has become a primary architect of regional fragility. This cycle of manufactured hostility—fueled by external alliances and domestic repression—is unsustainable and inherently dangerous. Peace, for the regime in Asmara, is viewed as an existential threat because it would dismantle the narrative of siege that secures its authoritarian grip; yet, in reality, it is this very refusal to embrace peace that ensures the regime’s increasing isolation. For Ethiopia, the path forward remains clear: while committed to regional cooperation, equitable development, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, the state will not stand idly by as its sovereignty is systematically challenged. The international community faces a critical choice: either continue to tolerate the reckless warmongering of a regime that profits from chaos, or exercise decisive diplomatic pressure to neutralize this source of instability. Ethiopia, a population of over 130 million remains an anchor of resilience and growth in the region, but its patience is grounded in the necessity of national survival. The time for passive observation has passed; only a collective, firm stance against the politics of subversion can prevent the Horn of Africa from sliding into yet another avoidable and catastrophic conflict.
Prime Minister Abiy Accompanied by First Lady Zinash, Senior Officials in Bahir Dar
Aug 6, 2026 1994
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and senior government officials, arrived in Bahir Dar, the vibrant capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region. The Prime Minister was warmly welcomed alongside Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and Speaker of the House of Federation Agegnehu Teshager, marking a high-level visit to one of Ethiopia’s most historic and strategic cities.
Eritrea’s Regime Gamble to Push Tigray Toward Buffer Zone in a New Proxy War
Aug 5, 2026 5681
By Sraff Writer August 5, 2026 (ENA) The Horn of Africa is entering another dangerous moment. What appears on the surface to be an alarming situation in northern Ethiopia is increasingly being viewed by many regional observers as a broader geopolitical struggle in which the Tigray region risks becoming the buffer zone of a new proxy war. The central peace spoiler is that Eritrea’s regime, through its long-established reliance on proxy actors. It is attempting to use the banned Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) faction as an instrument to destabilize Ethiopia, weaken its strategic position, and keep the region trapped in recurring conflict. Now, under the banner of the so-called “Tsimdo” anti-Ethiopia alliance, the Eritrean regime is openly using the banned TPLF as a proxy instrument to reignite war against Ethiopia and turn Tigray into the buffer zone of a new regional conflict. What is unfolding is not merely a political alignment. It is also a calculated strategy to militarize Tigray and drag the region back into another devastating war. At the same time, the extremist TPLF faction has launched a renewed campaign to push Tigray back into armed confrontation. Unable to mobilize young people voluntarily on a meaningful scale, the group has increasingly relied on coercive recruitment and militarization, exposing the depth of its political isolation and its determination to pursue conflict over peace and reconstruction. For decades, analysts of the Horn of Africa have argued that Asmara’s security doctrine has been shaped by a preference for a fragmented regional balance of power. According to this view, a strong, economically integrated, and politically stable Ethiopia would fundamentally alter the regional equilibrium in ways that Eritrea perceives as unfavorable. Whether one accepts that assessment in full or in part, the perception that Eritrean regime’s policies under Isaias Afwerki have been shaped by, and have at times benefited from, instability in Ethiopia has become an increasingly influential theme in regional geopolitical analysis. The new militarization of Tigray region The most immediate concern is the reported remilitarization of the banned TPLF faction. Since the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed in November 2022, the expectation was that Tigray would prioritize reconstruction, economic recovery, and political normalization. Reports from within Tigray have increasingly focused on forced recruitment, including the recruitment of minors. Families have accused armed elements of taking young people from their homes and communities for military training, while videos circulating on social media have shown mothers attempting to prevent the removal of their children. These have also been echoed by political figures from Tigray region itself. Getachew Reda, leader of the Tigray Democratic Solidarity Party and former head of the Tigray region interim administration, has publicly accused elements of the banned faction of intimidation, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment. If independently verified, such practices would constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian norms and of the commitments embedded in the Pretoria peace agreement. From Political Mobilization to Armed Confrontation Political analysts increasingly reveal that the rampant TPLF faction’s current trajectory is driven less by reconstruction than by preparations for another military confrontation with the federal government. They point to public statements by faction leaders, including Debretsion Gebremichael and Fetlework Gebregziabher, as evidence of extensive preparations for renewed conflict and what they describe as coordination with internal and external forces opposed to the Ethiopian government. The faction’s rhetoric has become increasingly confrontational, including suggestions that future military operations could extend beyond Tigray in coordination with allied forces. The human cost of militarization The most disturbing concern the impact of the banned TPLF faction on civilians. Critics repeatedly say the group of turning neighborhoods and villages into recruitment zones where fear, intimidation, and coercion have replaced voluntary political mobilization. The most harrowing accounts come from affected communities themselves. Families describe mothers confronting armed recruiters in desperate attempts to save their children from forced military recruitment. These stories have become a powerful symbol of a society living under the belligerent TPLF’s fear rather than freedom. Getachew Reda, Former Tigray Region Interim Administration President underscored that some parents were detained and mistreated simply for refusing to surrender their children. Public resistance has become steadily visible. The Tigray Peace and Change Council organized demonstrations demanding an end to forced recruitment and the preservation of peace. The slogans echoed across the protests: “Stop the kidnappings. End forced recruitment. Let peace prevail in Tigray” — captured the anguish of a population exhausted by war and determined not to sacrifice another generation to renewed conflict. The ‘Tsimdo’ Alliance and TPLF as a Trojan Horse The most unholy alliance fueling the current crisis is the alleged coordination between the banned TPLF faction, the Eritrean regime, and the Sudanese military faction, reportedly backed by Cairo, under the so-called “Tsimdo” alliance. Former Tigray Regional State President Gebru Asrat has argued that the banned faction has become a “Trojan Horse” serving external anti-Ethiopian interests. He contends that the group is increasingly functioning as an instrument of forces seeking to weaken Ethiopia’s national cohesion and strategic position. Tigray as a buffer zone The broader strategic argument is that Shabiya seeks to transform Tigray into a geopolitical and conflict buffer zone. In this interpretation, Tigray becomes a shield insulating Eritrea from direct confrontation while simultaneously constraining Ethiopia’s military and political capacity. For Asmara, a permanently unstable northern Ethiopia provides strategic leverage. For the banned TPLF faction, the alleged alliance offers a potential path back to political relevance. For ordinary Tigrayans, however, the cost could be catastrophic. A regional security crisis in the making A renewed conflict in Tigray would not remain confined to northern Ethiopia. It could destabilize Ethiopia-Eritrea relations, affect Sudan’s fragile eastern frontier, disrupt regional trade corridors, intensify humanitarian crises, and undermine security cooperation across the Horn of Africa. For this reason, the issue is increasingly being viewed not simply as an Ethiopian political dispute, but as a regional security challenge with continental implications. The international community’s test The allegations surrounding forced recruitment, militarization, and external coordination deserve serious international scrutiny. The African Union, the United Nations, and Ethiopia’s international partners invested considerable political capital in the Pretoria peace process. If violations are occurring, ignoring them would risk undermining the credibility of negotiated peace agreements across Africa. Independent investigations, strengthened monitoring mechanisms, and sustained diplomatic engagement are essential to prevent the collapse of the fragile peace. The critical question is no longer whether tensions are rising. It is whether Tigray region of Ethiopia will become the bridge to post-war recovery envisioned in Pretoria, or the buffer zone in a new proxy war whose consequences could destabilize the entire Horn of Africa for years to come.
Egypt Uses GERD’s Issue to Divert Attention from Domestic Challenges: EIPD President
Aug 5, 2026 3919
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Egyptian authorities have intensified their media campaign against the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to divert domestic economic and political pressures, President of Ethiopian Institute for Public Diplomacy (EIPD), Yassin Ahmed told ENA. The renewed focus on the dam is aimed at diverting public attention from economic and livelihood challenges facing the Egyptian people, he underscored. Yassin said the GERD issue has increasingly become a political and media tool for domestic consumption in Egypt rather than a matter centered on water resource management. He stressed that Ethiopia’s disagreement is not with the Egyptian people but with policies pursued by successive Egyptian governments, which he said have not been based on partnership, cooperation, and regional integration. "The GERD is now being used domestically in Egypt to distract the Egyptian people from the country's internal and regional challenges," Yassin said, adding that Egyptian authorities revive the issue whenever economic, political, and security pressures intensify. He said the Egyptian government has attempted to associate the GERD with challenges unrelated to the project, including flooding and declining water levels, while noting that some Sudanese experts have attributed such issues to dam management practices in Sudan. According to Yassin, the GERD has become "a scapegoat" used by Egyptian authorities to shift responsibility for domestic and regional challenges as part of a political and media campaign against the project. He also alleged that Egypt has benefited from the circumstances created by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has limited Khartoum’s ability to fully utilize its allocated share of Nile waters, leaving a significant portion stored behind Egypt’s High Aswan Dam. Yassin referred to previous remarks by Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam regarding the strategic reserves of the High Aswan Dam, saying these statements indicate, in his view, that Egypt does not face an immediate water security threat from the GERD. "The GERD has become a political and media card used to pressure Ethiopia. Whenever Ethiopia makes progress in convincing the international community of its legitimate rights, Egypt resorts to the GERD issue to tarnish Ethiopia's image and demonize the dam," he said. He further claimed that renewed attention to the GERD coincides with Ethiopia’s diplomatic efforts to promote its positions on regional issues, including what he described as Ethiopia’s legal and historical right to access the sea. Yassin said Cairo has sought to reactivate the GERD dispute to weaken Ethiopia’s position and exert pressure in broader regional matters. He emphasized that the GERD is a strategic development project designed to support regional integration, provide electricity to neighboring countries, and advance shared interests among Nile Basin countries, rejecting claims that the dam threatens downstream nations. The EIPD president also argued that Egypt’s continued refusal to resume negotiations serves political and media objectives by keeping the issue unresolved and diverting attention from domestic economic and social challenges. He stressed that Nile Basin issues should be addressed through dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect rather than political pressure and media campaigns. "Ethiopia remains committed to pursuing shared development and mutual benefit for the region," Yassin underscored.
Ethiopia FM, AUC Chairperson Discuss Horn Peace and COP32 Preparations
Aug 5, 2026 3657
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos hold talks with African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, in Addis Ababa this morning for high-level talks centered on regional peace and security and preparations for the 2027 UN Climate Change Conference (COP32). The meeting, held at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on the evolving peace and security situation in the Horn of Africa and the importance of strengthened cooperation between the African Union and Ethiopia on key continental and global priorities. A major focus of the discussions was Ethiopia’s preparations to host COP32 in 2027, a conference expected to draw world leaders, policymakers, climate experts, and international partners from across the globe. Minister Gedion and Chairperson Youssouf emphasized the need for close coordination between the AU Commission and Ethiopia as the host nation to ensure the successful organization of the landmark climate summit. The meeting underscored the growing partnership between Ethiopia and the African Union in advancing peace and security, while strengthening Africa’s collective climate agenda, it was learned. It also reaffirmed Addis Ababa’s position as a leading hub for continental diplomacy and international engagement, particularly as Ethiopia intensifies preparations to host COP32 in 2027
Relations between Oman and Ethiopia Witnessing Swift Progress: Omani Ambassador
Aug 5, 2026 3553
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Relations between Ethiopia and Oman are witnessing rapid progress across various sectors, particularly at the political and economic levels, Ambassador Afkar Bin Nadhim, Oman Head of Mission to Ethiopia, told ENA. The Ambassador said the longstanding and solid ties between the countries are currently gaining strong momentum thanks to the commitment of the leaderships of both nations. Ethiopia and Oman have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations earlier this year, he revealed, adding that subsequent to that was held the first round of bilateral political consultations. That was a step which broadened the scope of cooperation and coordination between the two sides, the Ambassador said. According to him, “relations between Oman and Ethiopia are experiencing remarkable progress, reflecting the shared determination of both countries to elevate bilateral cooperation to broader levels.” This positive development has also been reflected in the volume of bilateral trade, with Oman importing coffee, sesame, and livestock, while exporting construction materials, including iron and plastic products, to Ethiopia. Ambassador Bin Nadhim added that economic relations between the two countries are well positioned for further growth, given the available investment opportunities and the mutual desire to expand trade cooperation. He also praised Ethiopia’s rapid progress across various sectors since he assumed diplomatic duties in Addis Ababa about a year ago. The Ambassador said that visitors from Oman have expressed admiration for Ethiopia’s development achievements, emphasizing that this is expected to encourage more Omani tourists to visit the country. “The rapid development and progress taking place in Ethiopia reflect the country’s vast potential and enhance the interest of Omani visitors in discovering its rich tourism and investment opportunities.” The two countries are working to expand cooperation in investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, alongside strengthening official and commercial visits, according to Ambassador Bin Nadhim. Concluding his remarks, he reaffirmed Oman’s aspiration to further strengthen its relations with Ethiopia in a manner that serves the shared interests of both countries and their peoples.
Benin’s Digital Transformation Minister Begins Official Five-Day Visit to Ethiopia
Aug 4, 2026 5994
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) —Benin’s Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan, arrived in Addis Ababa tonight for a five-day official working visit aimed at deepening cooperation with Ethiopia in digital transformation, innovation, and governance. The minister was welcomed at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by Ambassador Zerihun Abebe, Director General for African Affairs at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the visit, Minister Akplogan is expected to hold high-level talks with senior Ethiopian government officials on expanding bilateral cooperation and forging new partnerships in key areas of digital development. The discussions will focus on sharing experience and best practices in digital transformation, innovation ecosystems, public sector modernization, e-government services, and strategic governance, reflecting the growing importance of technology-driven development across Africa, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visit is anticipated to further strengthen relations between Ethiopia and the Benin while advancing broader African collaboration on digital innovation, institutional capacity building, and inclusive economic transformation.
CNN highlights GERD Landmark Engineering Achievement Transforming Ethiopia’s Remote Valley into Africa’s Largest Project
Aug 4, 2026 7115
Addis Ababa, August 3, 2026 (ENA) —The U.S.-based Cable News Network (CNN) has spotlighted Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as one of Africa’s most remarkable engineering achievements. The media company also portrayed the project as a symbol of the country’s broader economic transformation and infrastructure-driven development strategy. In a feature on its Connecting Africa program, CNN journalist Victoria Rubadiri traveled to the GERD site in western Ethiopia, where she explored the scale of the dam and interviewed its Project Manager, Engineer Kifle Horo. The documentary noted that while Ethiopia has long been known globally for its coffee exports, the country is increasingly diversifying its economy through major investments in renewable energy, mining, tourism, and large-scale infrastructure projects aimed at driving long-term growth and regional trade. CNN described GERD as an unprecedented hydroengineering accomplishment on the African continent. “Thousands of construction workers and engineers have transformed a remote valley to build Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam. Today, at a height of 145 meters and stretching 1.8 kilometers across the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is truly a sight to behold,” the network reported. Engineer Kifle Horo, Project Manager of GERD, said the power plant has an installed generation capacity of about 5,150 megawatts, making it the largest hydroelectric facility in Africa and a major contributor to Ethiopia’s electricity production. It contributes more than 50 precent, he pointed out. Built on the Blue Nile River, construction of GERD began in 2011, and the project officially entered operation in September 2025. Moreover, Kifle told CNN that one of the greatest challenges during construction was logistics. “We are around 1,400 kilometers from the port of Djibouti. Transporting heavy equipment to the site took between 60 and 90 days,” he said, highlighting the complexity of building a mega-infrastructure project in a remote location. CNN also emphasized what it described as the dam’s most distinctive feature: its financing model. Unlike many large infrastructure projects in developing countries, GERD was built primarily through domestic financing, with Ethiopians contributing through public donations, government-issued bonds, and national budget allocations. “We have no single coin from outside Ethiopia. This project was constructed by Ethiopians, and the total cost—estimated at between 4.2 and 5 billion U.S. dollars—was financed entirely by Ethiopians,” Kifle said. The report presented GERD not only as a massive energy project but also as a rare example of a nationally funded mega-dam built through broad public participation. Addressing concerns raised by Egypt as a downstream country, Kifle reiterated Ethiopia’s position that the dam is designed for hydropower generation rather than water consumption. “This is not a water-consumptive project. Whatever water comes in goes out. The main challenge was during the filling period, which took five years. Ethiopia advocates equitable and sustainable use of shared water resources without causing significant harm to downstream countries,” he said. CNN’s feature framed GERD as more than a dam, portraying it as a transformative infrastructure project that has turned a once-isolated valley into a strategic energy hub with the potential to support industrialization, expand electricity access, and strengthen regional economic integration across East Africa. By highlighting both the engineering scale of the project and its domestically financed construction, the network underscored GERD’s significance as one of the continent’s most consequential infrastructure achievements of the 21st century, it was learned.
Social
Ethiopia Red Cross Society Calls for Stronger Local African Resource Mobilization
Aug 6, 2026 691
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has called for stronger local resource mobilization in order to reduce dependence on foreign funding. Speaking at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General in Nairobi, Ethiopian Red Cross Society President Abera Tola said the societies must gradually reduce their dependence on foreign funding and strengthen local resource mobilization mechanisms. The President added that the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) aims to generate about 80 percent of its resources from domestic sources by the time it marks its centenary in nine years. According to him, ERCS has increased locally mobilized resources from about 4 million US dollars in 2022 to 10 million US dollars through digital fundraising initiatives, membership contributions, public-private partnerships and commercial ventures. The society has also introduced digital resource mapping systems, strengthened asset management processes and expanded technology-based fundraising platforms, improving transparency while enhancing the organization’s ability to attract support from local communities and businesses. As part of its efforts to build sustainable financing, the ERCS has established a pharmacy network that provides affordable medicines while generating revenue for the organization. It is also pursuing partnerships in food production, manufacturing, and other social enterprises to diversify its revenue sources, the President elaborated. Abera further said the organization has shifted from a traditional management system to a transformative leadership approach centered on long-term vision, innovation, and accountability. Moreover, "the organization increased the number of active projects from 15 to 40, while simultaneously expanding its program budget from about 10 million Swiss francs to 30 million Swiss francs." As a result, the number of beneficiaries has grown to nearly three million people. The discussions at the African National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Consultative Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General focused on domestic resource mobilization, volunteer management and financial sustainability as African humanitarian organizations respond to declining foreign aid, according to Dawan Africa. The participants emphasized that sustainable humanitarian action will increasingly depend on stronger domestic resource mobilization, partnerships and locally driven solutions, with Ethiopia's experience offering practical lessons for Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across Africa.
FaydaVerse Ushers in New Era of Ethiopia’s Digital Sovereignty and Inclusive Growth, Says Deputy PM
Aug 4, 2026 7027
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) —Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh underscored that the launch of FaydaVerse represents a defining milestone in Ethiopia’s digital transformation journey, opening a new chapter toward digital sovereignty, innovation, and shared prosperity. The official launch of FaydaVerse marks the evolution of Ethiopia’s National Digital ID ecosystem into a broader digital infrastructure platform designed to accelerate economic inclusion, improve public service delivery, and strengthen the country’s digital economy. Over recent years, the National Digital ID Program has emerged as one of Ethiopia’s most transformative national initiatives. Nearly 50 million citizens have been registered, while more than 160 million identity verification services have been provided, enabling millions of Ethiopians to access financial services, government institutions, and digital platforms more efficiently. Built on trust, security, and inclusion, Fayda has become a critical foundation for Ethiopia’s digital economy, it was learned. With the establishment of FaydaVerse as an independent government development enterprise under Ethiopian Investment Holdings, the initiative enters a new phase with a stronger institutional framework and an expanded vision for the future. Highlighting the significance of the development on social post, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen said digital identity has become more than a technological advancement in the 21st century. it is a vital national infrastructure comparable to roads, electricity, and telecommunications, serving as a backbone for economic competitiveness, innovation, and sustainable development, the Deputy PM noted. “Digital identity is not merely a technological innovation; it is essential national infrastructure,” he emphasized, noting its role in building a more connected, productive, and inclusive society. Aligned with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, FaydaVerse also reflects Ethiopia’s ambition to share its digital experience and capabilities with neighboring countries and the wider African continent, contributing to Africa’s vision of a connected and digitally empowered future. The initiative places people at the center of digital transformation, focusing not only on technology but also on expanding opportunities, strengthening trust, protecting data privacy, and ensuring that citizens can confidently participate in the digital age. As Ethiopia advances its digital transformation agenda, FaydaVerse stands as a symbol of the country’s commitment to building a modern, inclusive, and innovation-driven economy — positioning Ethiopia as a growing force in Africa’s digital future.
Ethiopia Calls for Stronger African Cooperation to Ensure Sustainable
Aug 1, 2026 8796
Addis Ababa, August 1, 2026 (ENA—Ethiopia Calls for Stronger African Cooperation to Ensure Sustainable Cardiovascular Care Ethiopia has called for stronger cooperation, investment and innovation to address the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Africa and build sustainable systems for quality cardiovascular care. The call was made during the Joint Scientific Congress of the Ethiopian Society of Cardiac Professionals and the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) 2026, is underway in Addis Ababa. In his address to the meeting, Professor Sileshi Garoma, a representative of Ministry of Health, said the meeting provides an important opportunity for Africa to establish a collective response to cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases. He noted that cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death globally, with a significant impact on low-and middle-income countries, including African nations. Professor Sileshi emphasized that many cardiovascular deaths can be prevented through effective public health policies, early detection and timely access to quality healthcare. He said Ethiopia is strengthening primary healthcare, expanding non-communicable disease services, increasing the training of specialized health professionals and investing in tertiary healthcare services. However, the representative stressed that challenges remain, including limited access to timely diagnosis, advanced cardiac interventions, surgery and long-term follow-up care. “These challenges cannot be addressed by the government alone,” he said, underscoring the need for partnerships among governments, professional societies, academic institutions, development partners and the private sector. Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) President, Professor Habib Gamra, said the congress reflects a shared commitment to improving cardiovascular health across Africa and beyond. He said cardiovascular diseases are among Africa’s major health challenges, but also present an opportunity to strengthen health systems, promote prevention, advance research and ensure equitable access to quality cardiovascular care. “The solutions to Africa’s cardiovascular challenges will emerge not from individuals working alone, but from strong networks built on trust, science, partnership, and a shared vision,” Professor Gamra said. Ethiopian Society of Cardiac Professionals President, Dr. Natnael Taye, said Africa is making progress in expanding specialized cardiovascular services, strengthening local training and research, adopting digital health technologies and building partnerships. He highlighted three key priorities for sustainable cardiovascular care: improving the quality of services, expanding equitable access and strengthening Africa as a destination for high-quality cardiovascular treatment. “Every year, many patients seek treatment abroad that can increasingly be provided within our own continent,” the President said, calling for investment in skilled professionals, centers of excellence and regional cooperation. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that access to quality cardiovascular care is not determined by geographical location. The three-day meeting held under the theme: “From Scarcity to Sustainability in Cardiovascular Care in Africa”, has brought together health professionals, researchers, policymakers and partners to discuss ways of improving cardiovascular care across the continent. The meeting is expected to contribute to discussions toward the Addis Ababa Communiqué on Cardiovascular Care in Africa, aimed at strengthening prevention, access to quality services, health workforce development and research collaboration.
Notorious Human Trafficking Kingpin Extradited from Malawi to Face Trial in Ethiopia
Jul 30, 2026 13932
Addis Ababa, July 30, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) extradited an alleged human trafficking kingpin from Malawi following a joint international operation involving Interpol and Malawian law enforcement. The move marks a significant breakthrough in Ethiopia’s efforts to dismantle transnational trafficking networks operating across eastern and southern Africa. The suspect, Adnew Bashaw, was arrested in Malawi and transferred to Ethiopian custody on July 29, 2026, where he will face trial over allegations of orchestrating a large-scale trafficking network accused of exploiting vulnerable Ethiopian migrants through fraud, extortion, torture, and forced smuggling routes toward South Africa. According to the Ethiopian Federal Police, investigators compiled extensive evidence, including witness testimonies and documentary records, indicating that Adnew and his associates targeted young people in the Central Ethiopia Regional State, particularly in the Hadiya and Kembata zones. Promising lucrative employment and a transformed future, the network systematically lured victims into illegal southern migration routes bound for South Africa. Police records also indicated that the syndicate extorted between 600,000 and 800,000 Birr per victim, requiring an upfront non-refundable deposit of at least 100,000 Birr transferred through local bank accounts prior to departure. The journey exposed victims to brutal conditions. Smuggled across the border into Kenya via Moyale, migrants were hidden deep within the Gambo forest, subjected to extreme starvation and dehydration under meager daily rations of rice and bread. Under threat of violence, victims were then forced to cross the arid Chalbi Desert on foot and by motorbike. Upon reaching Nairobi, migrants were held hostage in cramped, covert safehouses. Traffickers systematically tortured the victims to extort additional ransoms from their families back home. Those unable to pay immediately were beaten, threatened with execution, and subjected to electric shocks, forcing desperate families to deposit extra sums exceeding 100,000 Birr to local proxies in Ethiopia. From Nairobi, the victims were crammed into cargo containers, trailers, and covered flatbed trucks bound for Mombasa and Tanzania, where many were ultimately abandoned in remote wilderness areas. Police documentation indicates that the vast majority never reached South Africa. Intercepted by regional law enforcement, victims faced illegal entry charges in transit countries, serving prison sentences of up to three years and paying fines reaching 170,000 Birr before being deported back to Ethiopia. Following an exhaustive multi-year intelligence tracking operation launched in 2022/23 alongside Interpol, Malawian law enforcement apprehended Adnew and formally handed him over to Ethiopian authorities on July 29, 2026. Reaffirming its resolve to dismantle international human trafficking networks, the Ethiopian Federal Police urged the public to maintain active vigilance and report suspicious activities via the EFPApp, emergency line 991, or the SPS platform.
Economy
African Countries Urged to Exchange Experiences, Build Solutions to Address Food Self-Sufficiency
Aug 6, 2026 20
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) —African countries need to exchange experiences and build solutions to address the challenge toward food self-sufficiency while leveraging all the capacities and abundant natural resources of the continent, former African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Sacko, said. Speaking to ENA, the former AU commissioner said food security continues to be one of the persistent challenges across Africa. The AU Agenda 2063 includes a target to end hunger, but progress has not matched expectations, she added. The former commissioner pointed out that the African agricultural models must evolve beyond traditional approaches, especially as African nations continue to face major shocks that have affected food systems due to reliance on imports. In addition, she highlighted the role of inter-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), noting that agricultural products make up about 70 percent of intra-African trade. Expanding trade between surplus and deficit countries can help create jobs while improving food security and reducing hunger and poverty. Sacko further stressed that Africa cannot address its challenges alone. She therefore called for stronger partnerships with multilateral organizations while also emphasizing domestic resource mobilization. In her view, African countries must take greater responsibility for their own projects rather than relying entirely on external aid. “Africa has a lot of potential to take its destiny in its hand,” the former commissioner said, emphasizing that sovereignty and ownership are essential to long-term progress. According to her, Ethiopia’s progress toward food self-sufficiency and environmental conservation efforts is commendable and replicable Sacko commended the country for shifting away from wheat imports. “On this matter, I can congratulate Ethiopia on its progress in its agricultural productivity. It particularly did a lot on wheat production. Today, you are not importing wheat. You are exporting.” The former commissioner also pointed to Ethiopia’s environmental efforts, including the tree planting programs under the Green Legacy Initiative, describing it as an encouraging and a model that other African countries should study and replicate. “Ethiopia is doing so well in terms of planting tree. It is exemplary for other African countries who should learn and practice,” she concluded.
PM Abiy Inaugurates New Terminal at Bahir Dar Int'l Airport
Aug 6, 2026 787
Addis Ababa, August 6, 2026 (ENA) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated a new terminal at Bahir Dar Dejazmach Belay Zeleke International Airport, marking a pivotal milestone for one of Ethiopia's primary aviation gateways. The modern facility is set to dramatically enhance the regional transport landscape and serve as an engine for economic growth. Reflecting on the achievement, Prime Minister Abiy noted that the project represents far more than upgraded infrastructure. He described the terminal as a powerful symbol of resilience, recovery, and forward-looking investment. The expanded terminal boosts overall passenger capacity and modernizes the airport's surrounding infrastructure, incorporating upgraded aircraft facilities, improved access roads, and enhanced passenger amenities. Coupled with ongoing urban transformation projects across Bahir Dar, the newly expanded facility positions the city as a crucial hub for both domestic and international air travel. The Prime Minister, addressing officials, community elders, and residents during the inaugural event, reflected on Bahir Dar's rich heritage, describing it as a city blessed with extraordinary natural beauty and history. He emphasized its legacy as a vital trade bridge connecting regions like Shewa and Welega to the northern expanses of Gondar for over a century. Highlighting recent projets such as the Gorgora Resort, Felge Ghion, and the enhanced maritime transport on Lake Tana underscore the area's massive tourism potential, Prime Minister Abiy noted. He observed that strategic public investments alongside growing private sector initiatives are revitalizing access to the region’s historical islands and cultural heritage sites. Beyond tourism, PM Abiy pointed to broader infrastructural strides, including the establishment of an industrial park, top-tier intra-city road designs, iconic bridges, ongoing corridor development, and an upcoming stadium in Bahir Dar. He also commended the judicial reforms undertaken by the Amhara Regional Supreme Court, praising its deployment of virtual courtroom systems to streamline access to justice across the region. As the country's second-largest airport terminal after Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the new facility stands as a major victory for Ethiopian Airlines, the Amhara region, and the nation as a whole, he elaborated. However, Prime Minister Abiy stressed that sustaining this momentum relies heavily on addressing two fundamental pillars through continuous efforts. The first critical imperative involves expanding municipal revenue to maintain and build upon these investments. Despite hosting premier infrastructure, Bahir Dar city currently ranks seventh among Ethiopian cities in revenue generation, he stated. To keep new green spaces, corridor developments, and public services operating seamlessly, local financial capacity must grow to reflect the city's modern stance, transforming Bahir Dar into an economically self-sustaining hub for visitors and investors alike, he added. The second indispensable requirement is preserving regional peace, without which long-term economic prosperity and vibrant tourism cannot flourish, the PM stressed.
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Ethiopia’s Digital Transformation Serves as Model for African Countries, Says Benin Minister
Aug 5, 2026 3974
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopia’s digital transformation is an exemplary model that other African countries can learn from, Benin’s Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan revealed. Akplogan, who led a Beninese delegation, made the remarks after visiting the Modern Ethiopian Service for Organized Benefits (MESOB) and National ID service centers. According to the minister, the visit is part of the growing cooperation between Ethiopia and Benin in technology and digital innovation. It focused on sharing experiences and strengthening institutional partnerships on the development, expansion and accessibility of digital public services for citizens and businesses, he added. Speaking to journalists, the minister described Ethiopia’s digital transformation efforts as a “textbook case” for Africa. He further elaborated that Benin is interested in learning from Ethiopia’s experience and adopting best practices in digital service delivery. “Ethiopia has recently demonstrated that the country has been able to be very effective in digital transformation and in innovating the services offered to citizens,” he said. The minister also said Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy provided a strong foundation for the country’s digital advancement, paving the way for Digital Ethiopia 2030, which sets more ambitious objectives. He also added that Benin aims to understand Ethiopia’s approach to digital transformation while exploring areas of cooperation between the two countries. “The two countries are entering a phase of learning from one another and exploring broader areas of cooperation,” Akplogan noted. MESOB Service CEO Yonas Alemayehu on his part said that the visit provided an opportunity to share Ethiopia’s experience in building an integrated digital government service platform. MESOB has evolved within a year from a one-stop service center into a unified digital platform and is preparing to launch a self-service smart MESOB system, he emphasized. Yonas said the Beninese delegation showed particular interest in MESOB’s institutional integration model, which they identified as a possible approach to addressing similar challenges in their own digital service systems. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s National ID Executive Director Yodahe Zemichael also noted that the delegation learned about Ethiopia’s experience in building domestic technological capacity for digital identity services. According to him, the initiative aligns with the African Union’s vision of facilitating the movement of people across the continent and supporting trade and economic integration. Yodahe added that discussions were held on possible future cooperation between Ethiopia and Benin in digital identity and other technology-driven projects. The visit underscored the growing partnership between the two countries and highlighted opportunities for collaboration in digital transformation, innovation, technology development and knowledge exchange.
Egypt Uses GERD’s Issue to Divert Attention from Domestic Challenges: EIPD President
Aug 5, 2026 3919
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Egyptian authorities have intensified their media campaign against the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to divert domestic economic and political pressures, President of Ethiopian Institute for Public Diplomacy (EIPD), Yassin Ahmed told ENA. The renewed focus on the dam is aimed at diverting public attention from economic and livelihood challenges facing the Egyptian people, he underscored. Yassin said the GERD issue has increasingly become a political and media tool for domestic consumption in Egypt rather than a matter centered on water resource management. He stressed that Ethiopia’s disagreement is not with the Egyptian people but with policies pursued by successive Egyptian governments, which he said have not been based on partnership, cooperation, and regional integration. "The GERD is now being used domestically in Egypt to distract the Egyptian people from the country's internal and regional challenges," Yassin said, adding that Egyptian authorities revive the issue whenever economic, political, and security pressures intensify. He said the Egyptian government has attempted to associate the GERD with challenges unrelated to the project, including flooding and declining water levels, while noting that some Sudanese experts have attributed such issues to dam management practices in Sudan. According to Yassin, the GERD has become "a scapegoat" used by Egyptian authorities to shift responsibility for domestic and regional challenges as part of a political and media campaign against the project. He also alleged that Egypt has benefited from the circumstances created by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has limited Khartoum’s ability to fully utilize its allocated share of Nile waters, leaving a significant portion stored behind Egypt’s High Aswan Dam. Yassin referred to previous remarks by Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam regarding the strategic reserves of the High Aswan Dam, saying these statements indicate, in his view, that Egypt does not face an immediate water security threat from the GERD. "The GERD has become a political and media card used to pressure Ethiopia. Whenever Ethiopia makes progress in convincing the international community of its legitimate rights, Egypt resorts to the GERD issue to tarnish Ethiopia's image and demonize the dam," he said. He further claimed that renewed attention to the GERD coincides with Ethiopia’s diplomatic efforts to promote its positions on regional issues, including what he described as Ethiopia’s legal and historical right to access the sea. Yassin said Cairo has sought to reactivate the GERD dispute to weaken Ethiopia’s position and exert pressure in broader regional matters. He emphasized that the GERD is a strategic development project designed to support regional integration, provide electricity to neighboring countries, and advance shared interests among Nile Basin countries, rejecting claims that the dam threatens downstream nations. The EIPD president also argued that Egypt’s continued refusal to resume negotiations serves political and media objectives by keeping the issue unresolved and diverting attention from domestic economic and social challenges. He stressed that Nile Basin issues should be addressed through dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect rather than political pressure and media campaigns. "Ethiopia remains committed to pursuing shared development and mutual benefit for the region," Yassin underscored.
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Technology
Ethiopia’s Digital Transformation Serves as Model for African Countries, Says Benin Minister
Aug 5, 2026 3974
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopia’s digital transformation is an exemplary model that other African countries can learn from, Benin’s Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan revealed. Akplogan, who led a Beninese delegation, made the remarks after visiting the Modern Ethiopian Service for Organized Benefits (MESOB) and National ID service centers. According to the minister, the visit is part of the growing cooperation between Ethiopia and Benin in technology and digital innovation. It focused on sharing experiences and strengthening institutional partnerships on the development, expansion and accessibility of digital public services for citizens and businesses, he added. Speaking to journalists, the minister described Ethiopia’s digital transformation efforts as a “textbook case” for Africa. He further elaborated that Benin is interested in learning from Ethiopia’s experience and adopting best practices in digital service delivery. “Ethiopia has recently demonstrated that the country has been able to be very effective in digital transformation and in innovating the services offered to citizens,” he said. The minister also said Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy provided a strong foundation for the country’s digital advancement, paving the way for Digital Ethiopia 2030, which sets more ambitious objectives. He also added that Benin aims to understand Ethiopia’s approach to digital transformation while exploring areas of cooperation between the two countries. “The two countries are entering a phase of learning from one another and exploring broader areas of cooperation,” Akplogan noted. MESOB Service CEO Yonas Alemayehu on his part said that the visit provided an opportunity to share Ethiopia’s experience in building an integrated digital government service platform. MESOB has evolved within a year from a one-stop service center into a unified digital platform and is preparing to launch a self-service smart MESOB system, he emphasized. Yonas said the Beninese delegation showed particular interest in MESOB’s institutional integration model, which they identified as a possible approach to addressing similar challenges in their own digital service systems. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s National ID Executive Director Yodahe Zemichael also noted that the delegation learned about Ethiopia’s experience in building domestic technological capacity for digital identity services. According to him, the initiative aligns with the African Union’s vision of facilitating the movement of people across the continent and supporting trade and economic integration. Yodahe added that discussions were held on possible future cooperation between Ethiopia and Benin in digital identity and other technology-driven projects. The visit underscored the growing partnership between the two countries and highlighted opportunities for collaboration in digital transformation, innovation, technology development and knowledge exchange.
Benin’s Digital Transformation and Innovation Minister Visits Ethiopia’s MESOB Service
Aug 5, 2026 3018
Addis Ababa, August 5, 2026 (ENA) — Benin’s delegation, led by the Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan, visited Ethiopia’s Modern Service for Organized Benefits (MESOB) today. The delegation toured MESOB’s operations as part of the two countries’ growing collaboration in the technology and digital innovation space. The visit focused on strengthening institutional linkages and exchanging practical knowledge on how digital services can be organized, scaled, and made more accessible to citizens and businesses. MESOB is a modern one-stop-shop platform designed to simplify how citizens access essential government services. By bringing services from multiple federal agencies together under one digital and physical center, MESOB ensures faster, more convenient, and more reliable public service delivery.
FaydaVerse Ushers in New Era of Ethiopia’s Digital Sovereignty and Inclusive Growth, Says Deputy PM
Aug 4, 2026 7027
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) —Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh underscored that the launch of FaydaVerse represents a defining milestone in Ethiopia’s digital transformation journey, opening a new chapter toward digital sovereignty, innovation, and shared prosperity. The official launch of FaydaVerse marks the evolution of Ethiopia’s National Digital ID ecosystem into a broader digital infrastructure platform designed to accelerate economic inclusion, improve public service delivery, and strengthen the country’s digital economy. Over recent years, the National Digital ID Program has emerged as one of Ethiopia’s most transformative national initiatives. Nearly 50 million citizens have been registered, while more than 160 million identity verification services have been provided, enabling millions of Ethiopians to access financial services, government institutions, and digital platforms more efficiently. Built on trust, security, and inclusion, Fayda has become a critical foundation for Ethiopia’s digital economy, it was learned. With the establishment of FaydaVerse as an independent government development enterprise under Ethiopian Investment Holdings, the initiative enters a new phase with a stronger institutional framework and an expanded vision for the future. Highlighting the significance of the development on social post, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen said digital identity has become more than a technological advancement in the 21st century. it is a vital national infrastructure comparable to roads, electricity, and telecommunications, serving as a backbone for economic competitiveness, innovation, and sustainable development, the Deputy PM noted. “Digital identity is not merely a technological innovation; it is essential national infrastructure,” he emphasized, noting its role in building a more connected, productive, and inclusive society. Aligned with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, FaydaVerse also reflects Ethiopia’s ambition to share its digital experience and capabilities with neighboring countries and the wider African continent, contributing to Africa’s vision of a connected and digitally empowered future. The initiative places people at the center of digital transformation, focusing not only on technology but also on expanding opportunities, strengthening trust, protecting data privacy, and ensuring that citizens can confidently participate in the digital age. As Ethiopia advances its digital transformation agenda, FaydaVerse stands as a symbol of the country’s commitment to building a modern, inclusive, and innovation-driven economy — positioning Ethiopia as a growing force in Africa’s digital future.
Ethiopia Strengthens Regulatory, Legal Framework for Nuclear Energy Utilization
Aug 4, 2026 4209
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopia is strengthening its regulatory and legal framework in line with its strategic plan to harness nuclear energy for power generation. The Ethiopian Technology Authority announced that the nation is reinforcing its legal and regulatory structures to meet international standards as part of its plan to generate electricity from nuclear power. The Authority has convened a stakeholder consultation forum with government agencies, professional associations, and key partners to review draft regulatory rules governing nuclear installations. Speaking at the forum, the Authority’s Director-General, Solomon Getachew, stated that extensive work has been undertaken to bolster oversight capabilities since Ethiopia formally notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intent to utilize peaceful nuclear technology for power generation. The Director-General explained that human resource development, legal drafting, licensing protocols, inspection procedures, and enforcement mechanisms are being developed strictly in line with global standards. He noted that the finalized draft regulations explicitly integrate site selection criteria, environmental and public safety safeguards, natural and man-made hazard mitigation measures, and comprehensive emergency response protocols. The Authority is actively partnering on capacity building and technical cooperation with international institutions, including the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Russia’s Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service (Rostechnadzor). Feedback gathered from stakeholders during the consultations will refine the draft regulations ahead of formal ratification, according to the Director-General.
Sport
National Dialogue Conference to Address Root Causes of Differences through Consultation, Says ENDC Chief
Jul 12, 2026 29162
Addis Ababa, July 12, 2026 (ENA) —The upcoming National Dialogue Conference will serve as a platform to resolve the issues underlying Ethiopia's longstanding differences through peaceful consultation, Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) Professor Mesfin Araya, said. Speaking at a five-kilometer public race organized by the Commission at Meskel Square under the theme "Ethiopia is consulting" today, Professor Mesfin said the country has finalized all preparations for the landmark conference, which is scheduled to begin on July 15, 2026 in Addis Ababa. "The main national consultation conference will be a place where issues that are the source of our differences will be resolved through consultation," he said. According to the Chief Commissioner, delegates representing communities from every region, all woredas, Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Ethiopians living abroad have already arrived in the capital to participate in the conference. He said participants are expected to engage in inclusive and constructive discussions and work toward consensus on recommendations that offer lasting solutions to issues that have fueled differences among Ethiopians. Professor Mesfin described the conference as a historic opportunity to address national challenges through dialogue rather than confrontation. He also expressed appreciation to security institutions, federal and regional government bodies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders for their contributions in preparing for what he described as a significant stage in Ethiopia's national dialogue process. Participants in a five-kilometer race also expressed optimism that the conference would help strengthen national unity and foster lasting peace. "There is no problem that cannot be solved through consultation," participant Sherefa Ali said. "I believe the challenges that have persisted in Ethiopia for generations can be addressed through the main consultation conference." He added that such dialogue platforms help build trust between citizens and the government while creating opportunities to work together toward common national goals. Another participant, Gemechisa Waqgari, said the conference represents an important step toward reinforcing peace, unity, solidarity, and democratic values. Participant Tnisae Abebe also voiced hope that the conference would generate practical ideas to address the country's social and economic challenges. The National Dialogue Conference will deliberate on eight broad thematic areas identified during nationwide consultations. The agenda includes nation building, systems of government and governance, the political and electoral system, the status of the federal cities of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, religion and state relations, institution building, the rule of law and human rights, socio economic issues including the concerns of farmers and pastoralists, corruption and good governance, as well as peace building. The five kilometer race was attended by Deputy Chairperson of the House of Peoples' Representatives Standing Committee on Democratic Affairs Azmeraw Andemo, Professor Mesfin Araya, senior government officials, representatives of civil society organizations, and members of the public.
Diplomatic Football Participants Praise Ethiopia’s Heritage and Hospitality
Jun 14, 2026 33203
Addis Ababa, June 14, 2026 (ENA) —Participants in a diplomatic football event held in Addis Ababa have praised Ethiopia’s cultural heritage, historical legacy and warm hospitality. The tournament, organized in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup, brought together diplomatic football teams and invited guests who later toured key historical and cultural sites in the city. The delegation visited the Ethiopian National Museum, the Adwa Victory Memorial and Addis Sport Park, gaining what many described as a deeper appreciation of Ethiopia’s past and present development. Several participants said the experience reshaped their understanding of the country. Gordon Johnson, one of the participants, expressed admiration for what he witnessed during the visit. “The people are so welcoming and friendly. I love the culture,” he said. He further stated that: “We had a tour of the museum, and the guide showed us hominid fossils recovered in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’90s that date back millions of years.” Johnson said the experience reflected Ethiopia’s deeper historical significance beyond modern perceptions. Cameroonian guest Loic Kovamo also said the visit challenged her previous perceptions of the country. “I am speechless because I didn’t picture Ethiopia like this. It’s a very developed country, and the people are so proud of who they are,” she said, noting, “I’m going back with a lot of pride as an African because I discovered the incredible courage and bravery of the Ethiopian people.” Mark Hayes, one of the visitors, said his expectations were changed after arriving in Addis Ababa. “You have a perception before you come, but it’s the complete opposite. It’s an amazing country,” he said, adding, “What we do now is go home and tell stories about how good Ethiopia is. I feel like a proud advocate.” He further noted that he intends to share his experience in the United Kingdom, saying he would “educate others in England about what he had seen in Addis Ababa.” Joseph Kirule, who works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Addis Ababa, highlighted the importance of the historical sites visited. “Today we saw different milestones in human civilization that originated here,” he said, adding, “Most importantly, we learned about the Adwa victory. That is a massive milestone that raises our prestige as Africans.”
Ethiopian Airlines Rises as Africa’s Leading Carrier After Decades of Expansion, Success, Says CEO
May 17, 2026 40275
Addis Ababa, May 17, 2026 —Ethiopian Airlines has solidified its position as Africa’s largest and leading airline after years of sustained growth and operational success, the airline’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mesfin Tasew, said on Sunday. The remarks were made during an 8-kilometer street race organized as part of celebrations marking the airline’s 80th anniversary. Speaking at the event, CEO Mesfin reflected on the airline’s humble beginnings in 1946, when it launched operations with only a small fleet of aircraft. Since then, he said, the carrier has expanded significantly and now operates one of the continent’s most modern fleets, including advanced aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. According to Tasew, the airline currently serves more than 145 international destinations worldwide and has achieved strong growth across multiple sectors, including cargo transportation, aviation training through the Ethiopian Aviation Academy, and other aviation-related services. He further said the airline’s operational strength and long-term strategic investments have helped make it one of the most preferred carriers in Africa and a major player in the global aviation industry. As part of commemorating its eight decades of operations, Ethiopian Airlines is holding a series of celebratory events, including the street race, panel discussions, exhibitions, and community outreach programs. The anniversary run attracted senior officials, including Sileshi Sihine, President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, alongside airline executives and invited guests. The race began at Pushkin Square, commonly known as Sar Bet, and is set to conclude at Bole International Airport. Athletes, airline employees, members of the sporting community, and participants from various institutions are taking part in the event.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Defends London Marathon Crown in Record-Breaking Run
Apr 26, 2026 44858
Addis Ababa, April 26, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered a dominant performance to win the women’s race at the 46th London Marathon, successfully defending her title in one of the world’s most prestigious road races. The Paris Olympic silver medalist crossed the finish line in 2:15:41, securing back-to-back victories in London. The result also marked a new women’s-only world record, further strengthening her position among the elite of long-distance running. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri finished second after mounting a strong challenge in the later stages of the race, while her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei took third place, completing an all–East African podium. The result underlined the continued dominance of Ethiopian and Kenyan athletes in global marathon competitions, with Assefa’s performance standing out as one of the defining highlights of the international athletics season.
Environment
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Global Media Hail Ethiopia's Historic Drive to Plant 800 million Seedlings in a Single Day
Aug 4, 2026 5658
Addis Ababa, August 4, 2026 (ENA) —International media outlets across Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Horn of Africa have widely praised Ethiopia's ambitious campaign to plant 800 million tree seedlings in a single day under the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI), describing it as a landmark achievement in environmental restoration, climate action, and public participation. News organizations from different regions portrayed the nationwide campaign as a powerful demonstration of Ethiopia's commitment to combating climate change through large-scale reforestation, while highlighting the country's growing role in global environmental leadership. The Korean Post described the initiative as a nationwide movement advancing environmental restoration and sustainable economic growth. "Ethiopia will make history again on August 3. Across the country, from the steep highlands to the fertile lowlands, from busy cities to distant rural areas, millions of Ethiopians will come together with one aim: to plant 800 million tree seedlings in one day, under the inspiring national theme, 'Let's Plant Hope.' If reached, as similar ambitious aims have been over the past several years, it will signal another remarkable milestone in one of the world's largest and most inspiring environmental restoration campaigns," the publication wrote. Regional media in the Horn of Africa also highlighted the scale of the campaign and the strong public participation behind it. Horn Diplomat described the initiative as the culmination of this year's Green Legacy season. "The August 3 campaign represents the culmination of this year's Green Legacy season and is expected to mobilize millions of participants nationwide as Ethiopia seeks to reinforce its position as one of Africa's largest reforestation programmes," the outlet reported. The Middle Eastern Broadcaster Al Jazeera emphasized the campaign's international significance, linking it to Ethiopia's expanding climate diplomacy and preparations to host COP32 in 2027. "Planting 800 million seedlings in one day links to its preparations to host COP32 in 2027," the network noted. Highlighting the environmental and economic impact of the initiative, TV BRICS described the Green Legacy Initiative as an important investment in Ethiopia's long-term sustainability. "The Green Legacy initiative is designed to lay the foundation for long term food security, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen resilience to the impacts of climate change. Over time, each sapling has the potential to become part of extensive forest landscapes and contribute to the country's economic development," the outlet stated. Latin American news agency Prensa Latina, in its Spanish language coverage, also underscored the historic significance of Ethiopia's nationwide tree planting campaign, highlighting its unprecedented scale and environmental importance. International coverage further reflected growing diplomatic support for the initiative. Reporting on activities held overseas, Associated Press of Pakistan noted that Ethiopia's diplomatic missions were actively participating in the campaign. "The Ethiopian Embassy in Pakistan led a solidarity tree planting campaign supporting Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative and its goal of planting 800 million seedlings in one day," the agency reported. Likewise, Charmar News commended Ethiopia's sustained commitment to environmental restoration through the annual Green Legacy campaign. "Ethiopians across the country are preparing for a historic environmental campaign under the Green Legacy Initiative, with plans to plant 800 million seedlings in a single day," the outlet wrote. The extensive international coverage presents the Green Legacy Initiative as a successful model for climate action, environmental restoration, and citizen mobilization, while recognizing Ethiopia's efforts to promote sustainable development and strengthen global cooperation in addressing climate change.
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Ethiopia’s Green Legacy in Restoring Nature and Transforming Agriculture
Aug 3, 2026 9960
By Yordanos D. Addis Ababa, August 3, 2026 (ENA) — Independent, peer reviewed scientific research published in leading international journals, including Nature Scientific Reports, Elsevier, and Springer, has validated the effectiveness of Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) in restoring degraded ecosystems, mitigating climate change, strengthening agricultural productivity, and improving rural livelihoods. The studies conclude that the initiative has achieved an estimated seedling survival rate of about 80 percent through scientific forestry practices and strong community stewardship. Research also shows that forest cover in some areas increased from 27.64 percent to 38.24 percent within six years, while local land surface temperatures declined by as much as 1.16 degrees Celsius, creating more favorable conditions for agriculture and enhancing climate resilience. Further studies employing artificial intelligence and geospatial analysis project continued forest expansion through 2035. Researchers also identify Ethiopia's exceptional level of voluntary public participation, described as climate patriotism, as one of the principal drivers behind the initiative's success. Collectively, these findings recognize the GLI as a scientifically validated model for large scale ecosystem restoration and sustainable development. Since its launch in May 2019, the GLI has evolved from an ambitious nationwide tree planting campaign into one of Africa's most comprehensive environmental restoration and green development programs. Introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the initiative was designed to reverse decades of deforestation, land degradation, biodiversity loss, declining agricultural productivity, and growing vulnerability to climate change. Launching the 2026 Green Legacy one day tree planting campaign, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called upon Ethiopians to plant 800 million tree seedlings across the country. Participating in the campaign at the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence University in Addis Ababa, the Prime Minister described the initiative as far more than an environmental exercise, characterizing it as an investment in the country's future. Reflecting on Ethiopia's longstanding tradition of rainy season tree planting, he said trees symbolize hope, renewal, and collective responsibility. He stressed that the Green Legacy Initiative demonstrates what a united nation can accomplish through shared commitment and collective action. "We are planting Ethiopia. We are planting hope to give our children a better tomorrow," the Prime Minister said, emphasizing that the trees planted today will continue to benefit future generations by supporting environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, and climate resilience. Over seven consecutive rainy seasons, the initiative has expanded well beyond increasing forest cover. It has developed into a comprehensive national strategy that integrates ecosystem restoration with agricultural transformation, food security, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, watershed rehabilitation, livelihood improvement, and green economic development. The initiative was introduced at a time when Ethiopia faced severe environmental degradation. Decades of deforestation had accelerated soil erosion, reduced soil fertility, depleted water resources, and weakened agricultural productivity. Given that agriculture remains the backbone of Ethiopia's economy and the primary source of livelihood for the majority of the population, restoring degraded landscapes became essential not only for environmental sustainability but also for strengthening rural incomes and ensuring long term food security. The first Green Legacy campaign, conducted during the 2019 rainy season, targeted the planting of four billion seedlings. Ethiopia exceeded that goal by planting approximately 4.7 billion seedlings. The campaign attracted worldwide attention after more than 350 million seedlings were planted in a single day, demonstrating an unprecedented level of nationwide mobilization. Government institutions, schools, universities, farmers, youth groups, religious organizations, private businesses, civil society organizations, and members of the Ethiopian diaspora all participated, making environmental restoration a shared national responsibility. Building on that momentum, Ethiopia expanded the campaign in 2020 despite the challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic. The annual target increased to five billion seedlings, while approximately 5.9 billion were planted. Greater emphasis was placed on multipurpose tree species, including fruit trees, coffee seedlings, fodder crops, indigenous species, and fuelwood trees that simultaneously restore ecosystems and generate sustainable economic returns for rural households. The upward trajectory continued in 2021 when Ethiopia planted approximately 6.8 billion seedlings against a target of six billion. During this period, the initiative became increasingly integrated with watershed rehabilitation, soil and water conservation, agroforestry, and climate smart agriculture. Indigenous tree species were promoted for their capacity to restore soil fertility, reduce erosion, improve groundwater recharge, and create favorable microclimates that support crop production, particularly in degraded highland and semi arid areas. In 2022, Ethiopia again exceeded its annual target by planting approximately 7.2 billion seedlings. Restoration efforts increasingly focused on degraded watersheds, river basins, hillsides, and communal grazing lands. Scientific evidence indicates that restoring vegetation cover improves rainwater infiltration, reduces soil erosion, enhances soil moisture retention, and strengthens watershed functions. These improvements directly contribute to higher crop yields, more reliable water supplies, and greater resilience to recurring droughts. Agroforestry systems established under the initiative also provide shade for coffee production, enrich soil organic matter, reduce wind erosion, and diversify farm outputs through fruits, timber, fodder, and fuelwood. The 2023 Green Legacy campaign further reinforced the initiative's developmental impact. Ethiopia planted more than 7.5 billion seedlings, surpassing its target of 6.5 billion. Greater emphasis was placed on integrating environmental restoration with livelihood diversification. Farmers expanded the cultivation of fruit trees, coffee seedlings, forage species, and indigenous multipurpose trees that generate both ecological and economic value. These interventions increased household incomes, improved livestock feed availability, expanded fruit production, and reduced dependence on natural forests for fuelwood and construction materials, making the initiative an important catalyst for rural economic transformation. The 2024 rainy season marked another significant milestone as Ethiopia planted approximately 7.5 billion seedlings, pushing the cumulative total beyond 40 billion since the initiative's inception. Restoration activities expanded to degraded agricultural landscapes, wetlands, river catchments, and urban green spaces. These efforts have helped stabilize soils, reduce flooding, improve water quality, conserve biodiversity, and strengthen ecosystem services that directly support agricultural production. During the 2025 campaign, Ethiopia entered a new phase by preparing more than 8.4 billion seedlings and planting approximately eight billion across the country. Greater emphasis was placed on coffee seedlings, fruit trees, fodder species, indigenous trees, and agroforestry systems that simultaneously enhance environmental sustainability and improve rural livelihoods. Ethiopia also strengthened international cooperation by sharing its experience with neighboring countries, reinforcing its position as a continental leader in landscape restoration. One of the initiative's most significant achievements has been its contribution to agricultural transformation. Scientific studies increasingly demonstrate that landscape restoration strengthens the ecological foundation of agriculture. Reforestation reduces soil erosion, restores soil fertility, increases organic matter, conserves soil moisture, moderates local temperatures, and improves habitats for pollinators. Agroforestry systems promoted under the initiative increase crop productivity while supplying fruits, coffee, fodder, timber, fuelwood, medicinal plants, and honey. These integrated farming systems diversify household incomes, reduce farmers' vulnerability to climate related shocks, and enhance the resilience of rural communities. Researchers have also identified Green Legacy agroforestry landscapes as having exceptionally high carbon storage while remaining productive agricultural systems. The initiative has likewise generated substantial socioeconomic benefits. Millions of Ethiopians participate annually in seedling production, nursery management, transportation, planting, maintenance, and watershed rehabilitation. Community nurseries, youth cooperatives, and women led enterprises have created employment opportunities while improving access to quality seedlings. Multipurpose tree species provide marketable products, including fruits, coffee, timber, fuelwood, livestock feed, and other non-timber forest products that strengthen household incomes and improve food security. Development partners increasingly recognize the initiative as an effective ecosystem based adaptation strategy that strengthens the resilience of smallholder farmers, restores degraded watersheds, and enables vulnerable communities to better withstand climate related shocks. Scientific research has also identified lessons that can strengthen future implementation. Recent field studies report seedling survival rates of approximately 80 percent where suitable species are matched with local ecological conditions, planting is synchronized with seasonal rainfall, and communities receive adequate technical support. Researchers therefore recommend strengthening post planting management, monitoring systems, community ownership, and species selection to maximize long term environmental, economic, and social benefits. Today, the Green Legacy Initiative represents far more than an annual tree planting campaign. It has evolved into a long term national development strategy that integrates environmental restoration with agricultural transformation, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, watershed rehabilitation, food security, employment creation, and sustainable livelihoods. The steady increase in annual planting, from 4.7 billion seedlings in 2019 to approximately eight billion seedlings in recent campaigns, reflects Ethiopia's growing capacity for large scale landscape restoration and its long-term commitment to building a greener, more productive, and climate resilient economy. While continued attention to seedling survival, ecological suitability, and post planting management remains essential, the expanding body of scientific evidence demonstrates that the Green Legacy Initiative is delivering measurable environmental, agricultural, and socioeconomic benefits that extend well beyond each planting season.
Ethiopia Plants over 805 Million Seedlings in Single Day
Aug 3, 2026 5426
Addis Ababa, August 3, 2026 (ENA) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Ethiopia has planted 805.3 million tree seedlings today. In his message at the conclusion of the campaign aimed at planting 800 million seedlings in a day, the PM said over 26.2 million Ethiopians turned out to participate in the nationwide tree planting campaign. He noted that most of the activity took place withstanding the difficult challenge of planting tree seedlings the whole day in the rains. The premier added that over 6.5 billion seedlings have been planted this Ethiopian year alone, and the remaining 1.5 billion will be planted in the coming months. This year’s campaign is being carried out under the theme “Let Us Plant Hope”, reflecting the country’s vision of transforming environmental restoration into a shared national responsibility. Over the past seven years, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has achieved a historic milestone, with more than 48 billion seedlings planted nationwide. Launched in 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy, the Green Legacy Initiative has become a flagship environmental movement focused on restoring degraded landscapes, expanding forest coverage, and strengthening the country's response to climate change. The initiative also reflects Ethiopia's firm commitment to meeting its national, continental, and global climate objectives. The impact of Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative extends beyond national boundaries, positioning the country as an active contributor to regional and global efforts aimed at addressing climate change. The approach highlights the value of combining government leadership with citizen engagement to implement climate actions that create long-term environmental and social benefits.
Ethiopian Ministers Join Nationwide Green Legacy Campaign as Ethiopia Targets 800 million Seedlings in a Single Day
Aug 3, 2026 5495
Addis Ababa, August 3, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopian Ministers joined millions of citizens across the country today in the 2026 Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) nationwide one day tree planting campaign, reaffirming the government's commitment to environmental restoration, climate resilience, food security, and sustainable economic development. Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Water and Energy, Planning and Development, and Trade and Regional Integration led tree planting activities in different parts of the country as Ethiopia plans to plant 800 million seedlings in a single day. Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said the nationwide campaign reflects Ethiopia's determination to combine environmental protection with national development. He noted that the effort to plant 800 million seedlings in a single day demonstrates the collective commitment of Ethiopians to nation building, adding that environmental conservation remains a key pillar of the country's Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda. Agriculture Minister Addisu Arega said the Green Legacy Initiative, launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seven years ago, has grown into one of Ethiopia's largest national development movements. He said the initiative has contributed not only to environmental restoration but also to economic growth, food security, and job creation. According to the minister, Ethiopia's forest cover has increased from 17.2 percent to 23.6 percent since the launch of the initiative. He added that soil erosion has declined from 130 tons to 54 tons per hectare in areas covered by Green Legacy interventions, while degraded watersheds and dried water bodies have shown significant recovery. The minister also noted that expanded tree planting and agroforestry programs have enabled products such as avocados to enter international export markets. "The GLI is a significant national endeavor with remarkable results," Addisu said. "It has now evolved into a shared culture and a massive national movement embraced by all Ethiopians." Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa said the initiative focuses on ensuring lasting environmental protection rather than simply increasing the number of trees planted. "Our objective is not just to plant many seedlings, but to plant them in meaningful places to protect our water resources and preserve them for generations," he said. The minister stated that the campaign supports watershed rehabilitation, protection of water sources, reduction of soil erosion, and sustainable management of natural resources. He added that the ministry is implementing a Smart Village project in Ada'a Woreda that integrates water resource development, renewable energy, and environmental conservation to restore degraded landscapes while improving rural livelihoods. Planning and Development Minister Fitsum Assefa described the Green Legacy Initiative as one of Ethiopia's most transformative national programs. She said the initiative strengthens water and soil conservation, enhances resilience to climate change, protects dams from siltation, supports sustainable energy generation, and reinforces national food security. Fitsum noted that export products such as avocados are already generating foreign exchange earnings while creating employment opportunities across the agricultural value chain. She also said the initiative has earned Ethiopia international recognition and fostered a national spirit of collective action that serves as an example for Africa and beyond. Trade and Regional Integration Minister Kassahun Gofe described the Green Legacy Initiative as a key pillar of Ethiopia's prosperity agenda. "The GLI goes beyond restoring degraded landscapes with forests; it lays the foundation for a prosperous future that benefits coming generations," he said. Officials and staff of the ministry planted coffee, fruit, and other multipurpose tree seedlings during the campaign. "Seedlings planted under Green Legacy are becoming productive assets capable of generating wealth," Kassahun said, adding that tree planting has increasingly become part of Ethiopia's social culture.
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President Sahle-Work Holds Discussion with World Anti-Doping Agency President Bonka
Mar 29, 2023 202723
Addis Ababa March 29/2023/ENA/ President Sahle-Work Zewde has received a delegation led by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Bonka today, according to the Office of the President. The discussion centered on the conditions under which Ethiopia and the World Anti-Doping Agency can work closely in anti-doping control and investigation, and how the organization can provide technical support, it was learned. During the discussion, Sahle-Work said that Ethiopia has a long history in athletics and is known in the world since athlete Abebe Bikila won marathon in Rome. She finally thanked the World Anti-Doping Agency for its technical support in anti-doping control.
Ethiopian Diaspora Demand Egypt to Change Counterproductive Posture on GERD
Apr 4, 2023 177889
Addis Ababa April 4/2023 (ENA) Ethiopians in the Diaspora have called on Egypt to change its counterproductive posture and find mutually beneficial agreements on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In a statement the diaspora issued yesterday, they noted that Ethiopia is the main source of the Nile by contributing 86 percent of the water to the Nile basin states while utilizing less than 1 percent of the potential for hydroelectric power. Ethiopians are currently building the GERD on the Blue Nile that is financed entirely by Ethiopians and is a crucial project for the country's development as it will provide clean, renewable energy and lift millions out of poverty. About 65 percent of the 122 million of Ethiopia's population have no access to any form of electricity. The much-needed electricity will facilitate economic growth for Ethiopia and the region, the statement elaborated. The dam will promote regional cooperation and integration while offering opportunity for eleven countries of the Nile Basin to work together to manage the river's resources more efficiently and effectively, it added. The GERD is being built with the highest environmental and technical standards to achieve the objectives of the national electrification program and the execution of Ethiopia’s Climate-Resilient Green Economy Strategy. According to the statement, Ethiopia has provided scientific evidence and expert testimonies that GERD will not significantly affect the flow of water downstream, and provided compelling arguments for the need for equitable use of the Nile's resources by all countries in the region. The diaspora further said they understand that the GERD has raised concerns in Egypt about the downstream effects on the Nile's flow and water availability since Egyptians have been misinformed about the GERD for many years. But on the contrary, the dam will provide several benefits to Egypt and Sudan, including increased water flow during dry seasons and decreased flooding events. “We want to assure Egyptians that Ethiopians are committed to fair and equitable use of the Nile's waters without harming our downstream neighbors. We recognize that the Nile River is a shared resource, and we support finding a mutually beneficial solution.” As Ethiopians in the Diaspora, we reiterate our support for fair and equitable use of the Nile River and call on the Egyptian people and Egyptian Diaspora to question the misinformation about the GERD in Egypt's mainstream media and embrace the spirit of friendship and cooperation by understanding that the GERD is a project of great national importance to Ethiopians that will benefit Egyptians by ensuring a reliable and predictable supply of water, that Ethiopians have the right to use their water resources for the development of its people and economy, in accordance with the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization without causing significant harm. Efforts to destabilize Ethiopia by the regime in Egypt, will indeed affect the historical and diplomatic relations dating back to several thousand years, the long-term interest of the Egyptian people and make Ethiopians less trusting in cooperating on the GERD and future hydropower projects on the Nile, they warned. The diaspora groups urged Egyptian leaders to engage in constructive dialogue with the leaders of Ethiopia regarding the GERD and steer away from their counterproductive posture of calling for a “binding agreement” on the GERD filling and the subsequent operations as an imposing instrument on water sharing that Ethiopians will never accept. The GERD can be a source of cooperation and collaboration between our two countries rather than a source of conflict, they underscored. "Ethiopians believe that, through dialogue and understanding, peaceful and equitable agreements that benefit all parties involved can be realized to build a brighter future for all people in the Nile basin. Belligerent positions by Egyptian leaders stating ‘all options are open’ are contrary to the spirit of the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt." According to the statement, such postures will surely harm Egypt's long-term interest and impede trustful cooperation with the Ethiopian people and government. They asked Arab League and its member states to refrain from interfering in the issue of the GERD, which is the sole concern of the three riparian countries (Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt) and their shared regional organization (the African Union), which is mediating the talks to find ‘African Solutions to African Problems.’ The issues remaining on the table at the trilateral negotiations under the auspices of the African Union are being narrowed to a handful of critical matters on equity and justice, on which the Arab league nations have no business or legal right to be involved.
Ethiopia's Ayana Takes Paris Win on Marathon Debut
Apr 2, 2023 177132
Addis Ababa April 2/ 2023 (ENA) Ethiopia's Abeje Ayana won the men's race at the Paris Marathon on Sunday in his first competitive run over the distance. The 20-year-old Ayana won with a time of two hours, seven minutes and 15 seconds, 20 seconds ahead of compatriot and pre-race favourite Guye Adola with Kenya's Josphat Boit a further five seconds back in third. After clocking 59:39 in a half marathon in Poznan, Poland in 2021, Ayana was one of the men to watch on a grey, windy morning in the French capital, Reuters reported.
Africa’s Sustainable Growth Hinges on Science, Technology and Innovation: Experts
Mar 3, 2023 175069
Addis Ababa March 3/2023/ENA/ Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 and 2063 Agendas of Africa requires leveraging the power of science, technology, and innovation (STI), according to experts. A press release issued by the ECA stated experts at the Ninth African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development have emphasized the crucial role of STI as a key driver and enabler for ensuring economic growth, improving well-being, mitigating the effects of climate change, and safeguarding the environment. They also underscored the need to strengthen national and regional STI ecosystems by fostering innovation, promoting entrepreneurship, and investing in research and development. By doing so, the experts said that Africa can harness the potential of STI to accelerate its socio-economic progress and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and the African Union's Agenda by 2063. The session, held on 2 March 2023, builds on the recommendations of the Fifth African Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum, which accentuates the central role of STI and digitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for the necessary infrastructures for the development of STI, plans, and policies that are action-oriented towards strengthening its full implantation. The experts highlighted that despite advances in STI, significant gaps remain in bridging the scientific and technological divide between developed countries and Africa. The highly uneven global distribution of scientific capacity and access to knowledge threatens to derail the goal of leaving no one behind, which is the central and transformative promise of Agenda 2030. “We need a clear political will from governments to ensure science, technology, and innovation is a reality. By doing so our education systems will be capacitated to deliver knowledge that is vital to solving Africa’s sustainability challenges,” Niger Higher Education and Research Minister Mamoudou Djibo said. The strategy includes the establishment of universities as centers for excellence and investments in education, technical competencies, and training in the fields of science, technology, research, and innovation. These initiatives are crucial in accelerating progress towards achieving global goals. However, in order to fully leverage the potential of STI, significant investments in research and development are required. National systems also need to be strengthened, Namibia Information and Communication Technologies Deputy Minister Emma Theophilus, stated adding that “strengthening our national systems for STI is a key game changer for rapid structural transformation in Africa. Leveraging the digital transformation can achieve a stronger, smarter, and more inclusive recovery.” Emerging evidence suggests that an STI and digital Africa can be a springboard to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs and fulfill the aspirations of Agenda 2063.
Feature Article
The Perpetual War Doctrine of the Regime in Asmara
Aug 6, 2026 4
With analysis from Pulse of Africa (POA) By Mathias Bule For decades, the political survival of the EPLF/PFDJ regime in Eritrea has been fundamentally anchored in a singular strategy focused on the systemic weakening of Ethiopia. Rather than fostering regional integration and mutual economic prosperity, the regime in Asmara has consistently acted as a vector of instability in the Horn of Africa, serving both its own authoritarian survival and the strategic interests of external actors seeking to constrain Ethiopia's potential. The groundwork for this policy began long before the regime formalized its control, playing an instrumental role in nurturing and building the military capacity of proxy groups to dismantle the Ethiopian state structure from within. Working in coordination with external forces—including the regime in Egypt—it actively orchestrated outcomes that left Ethiopia landlocked, severely restricting its economic independence and maritime security. When internal subversion failed to permanently cripple Ethiopia, the regime resorted to direct military aggression, culminating in the 1999 invasion of Badme. The Ethiopian people mobilized en masse to repel the invasion and neutralize the regime's core military capabilities, but even after the Algiers Agreement was signed in the name of peace, the Asmara regime never abandoned its hostile doctrine. Instead, it shifted back to asymmetrical warfare, proxy sponsorship, and regional subversion across the Horn of Africa. This included providing tactical and material support to extremist elements in Somalia like Al-Shabaab, engaging in destabilizing operations around Djibouti and the Red Sea, and systematically financing and arming insurgent factions within Ethiopia. These persistent acts of transnational terror and violation of international law ultimately led to severe United Nations sanctions against the regime. To sustain this permanent state of confrontation, the regime transformed Eritrea into a heavily militarized state through mandatory, indefinite national service, centered around the long-operating Sawa military training center. This oppressive policy has stripped generations of young Eritreans of their freedom and economic future, resulting in mass human flight out of the country. The reality of this internal crisis was made starkly clear following the Ethiopian Prime Minister's historic peace initiative, which was immediately met with a massive influx of young Eritreans crossing into Ethiopia to escape the regime's forced servitude. Beyond the immediate human toll, this perpetual militarization has completely paralyzed the domestic Eritrean economy, transforming what could have been a thriving Red Sea trade hub into a closed, command-style state. By redirecting the nation’s entire workforce and limited financial resources toward sustaining an oversized military apparatus, the leadership in Asmara has willfully neglected infrastructure, trade, and civil institutions. The regime relies on manufacturing external crises to justify this domestic stagnation, deliberately convincing its populace that survival requires total subjugation to the military state in the face of an exaggerated foreign threat. Furthermore, Asmara’s foreign policy operates on a zero-sum logic that views any progress, economic expansion, or diplomatic triumph by Ethiopia as a direct security threat to its own existence. This paradigm drives the regime to ally itself with any regional power seeking to leverage the Horn of Africa for geopolitical dominance, effectively acting as an enforcer for foreign interests at the expense of regional sovereignty. By attempting to keep Ethiopia distracted, fragmented, and defensively oriented, the regime hopes to prevent Ethiopia from fully realizing its potential as a regional economic engine and hydro-energy leader. Today, the regime is once again escalating tensions by preparing for renewed conflict against Ethiopia, relying on external backing and collusion with internal disruptive elements. While Ethiopia continues to extend calls for peace and diplomacy, Asmara responds with war rhetoric, paranoia-driven mobilization, and hostile propaganda. This pattern demonstrates that the leadership in Asmara views peace not as an opportunity for regional growth, but as a structural threat to the narrative of perpetual siege that keeps it in power. Currently, the Shaebia regime is actively echoing warmongering rhetoric by leveraging the TPLF and aligning itself with Egyptian leadership in a coordinated effort aimed at creating a weakened, fragmented Ethiopia. The core strategy of the leaders in Cairo is to secure undisputed economic and geopolitical hegemony over the region, effectively utilizing both Shaebia and the TPLF as geopolitical instruments to achieve this goal. For its part, Shaebia is driven by an ungrounded, paranoid fear and an obsessive desire to preserve its grip on power by fending off imaginary threats. It has now become an undeniable reality, publicly broadcast across media outlets, that Shaebia’s military commanders are violating the sovereign borders of Ethiopia under the disingenuous pretext of facilitating 'people-to-people relations' within the Tigray region. This reckless and lawless aggression has been openly enabled by the TPLF, serving its historic role as a compliant proxy. It is worth recalling that the TPLF itself was originally created, nurtured, and weaponized by Shaebia to advance its own long-term interests." Meanwhile, the TPLF operates under the illusion that it can forcibly reclaim the dictatorial dominance it once exercised over Ethiopia, hoping to reinstate its historical patterns of systemic exploitation. However, this coalition is chasing an unattainable fantasy, as their calculations fail to grasp the structural resilience of the contemporary Ethiopian state. Because Ethiopia stands as the strategic anchor of stability and the demographic center of the Horn of Africa, it cannot allow its national sovereignty or long-term security to be compromised by hostile agendas. It is obvious that Ethiopia retains the full right to take all necessary defensive measures to protect its citizens, infrastructure, and territorial integrity against foreign-backed destabilization. The international community must recognize that ignoring these continuous warmongering risks triggering a wider regional explosion, making decisive international diplomatic pressure urgent before the regime's actions force a destructive military confrontation. Ultimately, the "perpetual war doctrine" of the regime in Asmara is a strategic relic that has outlived its utility and now serves only to jeopardize the future of the entire Horn of Africa. By subordinating national development to an obsessive, zero-sum campaign against Ethiopia, the Eritrean leadership has not only impoverished its own people but has become a primary architect of regional fragility. This cycle of manufactured hostility—fueled by external alliances and domestic repression—is unsustainable and inherently dangerous. Peace, for the regime in Asmara, is viewed as an existential threat because it would dismantle the narrative of siege that secures its authoritarian grip; yet, in reality, it is this very refusal to embrace peace that ensures the regime’s increasing isolation. For Ethiopia, the path forward remains clear: while committed to regional cooperation, equitable development, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, the state will not stand idly by as its sovereignty is systematically challenged. The international community faces a critical choice: either continue to tolerate the reckless warmongering of a regime that profits from chaos, or exercise decisive diplomatic pressure to neutralize this source of instability. Ethiopia, a population of over 130 million remains an anchor of resilience and growth in the region, but its patience is grounded in the necessity of national survival. The time for passive observation has passed; only a collective, firm stance against the politics of subversion can prevent the Horn of Africa from sliding into yet another avoidable and catastrophic conflict.
Ethiopia’s Historic Rise Is Shattering Cairo’s Campaign of Hostility
Aug 6, 2026 1698
By Jibril Lammo Aug 6, 2026 (ENA) Egypt’s approach to the Abay (Nile) River has been shaped by a doctrine of strategic dominance rather than equitable partnership. Successive governments in Cairo have sought to preserve a privileged position rooted in colonial-era arrangements that Ethiopia never accepted. From this perspective, a stronger, more self-reliant Ethiopia is not merely a neighboring state pursuing development. Evidently, the East African nation is confronting a regional order that Egypt has long sought to preserve. That mindset helps explain why Egypt has consistently opposed Ethiopia’s sovereign development agenda, particularly the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Rather than embracing a framework of equitable Nile utilization, Cairo has repeatedly treated Ethiopia’s development as a geopolitical threat. The result has been a pattern of diplomatic pressure, regional maneuvering, and efforts to constrain Ethiopia’s strategic space. In recent years, these efforts have extended beyond Abay itself. From Red Sea geopolitics to security and diplomatic dynamics in the Horn of Africa, Egypt has sought to build leverage around Ethiopia’s vulnerabilities. What emerges is a broader containment strategy: using regional alignments, diplomatic pressure, and political influence to keep Ethiopia under constant geopolitical strain. A central feature of this strategy has been the exploitation of Ethiopia’s internal divisions. Throughout modern history, external actors have often attempted to convert domestic political fractures into strategic leverage against the Ethiopian state. Today, many Ethiopian analysts argue that some anti-government factions have increasingly aligned themselves with external actors whose interests converge on weakening Ethiopia’s national position. The most controversial concern cooperation between elements of the TPLF and foreign actors hostile to Ethiopia’s strategic rise. Whether through political coordination, media amplification, or external backing, the perception within Ethiopia is that domestic instability is being internationalized. In that narrative, Ethiopia’s internal conflicts become instruments of external pressure rather than purely domestic political disputes. This is where Egypt’s campaign has been most visible: psychological warfare, diplomatic obstruction, and media disinformation surrounding the GERD. For years, Egyptian officials have promoted catastrophic narratives about the dam, despite the absence of evidence that the GERD will permanently deprive downstream countries of Abay or Nile water. The dam does not consume the river; it regulates it. The hydrological reality is difficult to ignore. The GERD can reduce destructive seasonal flooding, regulate river flows, decrease sediment accumulation in downstream reservoirs, and improve water management across the basin. These are not merely Ethiopian claims; they are issues widely discussed in technical and hydrological assessments of large upstream reservoirs. More importantly, the GERD represents something far greater than a hydroelectric project. It is a symbol of African self-financing, technological ambition, and sovereign development. Built largely through Ethiopian public financing, it embodies a principle that has long unsettled those who believe the Nile should remain governed by inherited geopolitical privilege. What Egyptian officials always appear to have underestimated is the resilience of the Ethiopian state and the depth of Ethiopian nationalism. External pressure has not broken Ethiopia’s determination; in many ways, it has strengthened it. The country’s ongoing efforts at national dialogue and internal reconciliation are aimed at reducing the very political fractures that foreign actors have historically sought to exploit. At the same time, Ethiopia’s economic transformation is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss. International attention has shifted from predictions of collapse to recognition of a country investing heavily in energy, infrastructure, logistics, and industrialization. CNN’s recent focus on Ethiopia’s economic trajectory reflects a broader reality: Ethiopia is increasingly being viewed as one of Africa’s most consequential emerging economies. At the center of this transformation stands the GERD. With generation capacity exceeding 5,000 megawatts, it is laying the foundation for industrial expansion, export-oriented manufacturing, electrification, and regional energy integration. The project is not simply producing electricity; it is reshaping Ethiopia’s economic future. This energy revolution is being complemented by major investments in transport and logistics. The planned Bishoftu International Airport project, led by Ethiopian Airlines, is designed to position Ethiopia as a continental aviation and cargo hub serving the African Continental Free Trade Area. Combined with investments in mining, renewable energy, tourism, and digital infrastructure, Ethiopia is building a more diversified and resilient economy. That is the deeper significance of Ethiopia’s rise. Egypt’s strategy has been rooted in the assumption that pressure could delay or derail Ethiopia’s emergence. Instead, Ethiopia has continued to expand its infrastructure, strengthen its energy base, and deepen its economic integration with the continent. The fundamental dispute is no longer only about a dam. It is about competing visions of the Nile and the Horn of Africa. One vision seeks to preserve historical dominance; the other insists on equitable development and sovereign equality. History is moving in one direction. Ethiopia is not abandoning the principle of equitable Nile utilization, and it is not surrendering its right to lift millions of its citizens out of energy poverty. The GERD has become a symbol of that determination. Egypt may continue to resist Ethiopia’s rise, but resistance is not the same as victory. The era in which a single state could dictate the future of the Abay (Nile) is steadily coming to an end. Ethiopia’s historic rise is not merely surviving Egypt’s hostility; it is exposing the limits of it.