Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Wednesday expressed its deep concern over the worsening security and humanitarian situations in the Sahel region.

The urgent call was made by the AU's Peace and Security Council in a statement issued on Wednesday that followed its latest meeting that dwelt upon the situation in the Sahel region.

The council associated the worsening security and humanitarian situations in the region due to increasing attacks by terrorists, criminals and armed groups operating in the area.

ADDIS ABABA, July 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party won the most seats in Ethiopia's parliamentary election, the election board said on Saturday, a victory that assures him another term in office.

Abiy hailed the June 21 vote as the country's first free and fair election after decades of repressive rule. However, an opposition boycott, war in the northern region of Tigray, ethnic violence and logistical challenges in some areas overshadowed the election. Voting did not take place in three of Ethiopia's 10 regions.

ADDIS ABABA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 5,698,966 as of Tuesday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 147,087 while 4,938,770 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

06 July 2021; MEMO: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said yesterday that "his country's goal behind building the Grand Renaissance Dam is only to meet its electricity needs, without posing a threat to the downstream countries."

This came during a speech delivered before members of the House of Representatives, during a session to discuss the draft 2021-2022 budget, according to the official Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).

ADDIS ABABA, July 2 (Reuters) - Ethiopia on Friday denied blocking humanitarian aid to its northern Tigray region where hundreds of thousands face starvation, and said it was rebuilding infrastructure amid accusations it is using hunger as a weapon.

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, provincial authorities which Ethiopian forces and troops from neighbouring Eritrea had driven out last year, returned to regional capital Mekelle this week to cheering crowds, in a dramatic reversal of eight months of war.

ADDIS ABABA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 5,551,886 as of Friday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 143,779 while 4,841,460 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

30 June 2021; MEMO: Ethiopia on Wednesday said it would shift its focus to building up its defense along the western border, where the country has been constructing a $5billion massive hydro dam near the border with Sudan, Anadolu reports.

ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan on Monday reiterated their commitment to advance the implementation of a mega infrastructure project in the East Africa region, also known as the LAPSSET Corridor Program.

Starting at Lamu, Kenya, the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Program, is the region's largest and most ambitious infrastructure project, bringing the three countries together with key projects that include ports, highways, railways, oil pipeline and airports.

ADDIS ABABA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 5,389,915 as of Sunday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 140,836 while 4,732,109 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Maerg was serving customers at his cafe in Ethiopia’s Tigray village of Togoga when the military airstrike occurred, filling the room with dust and bringing down debris that struck him on the head.

“Everything was covered in black smoke, it was like a hell,” he told The Associated Press by phone, recounting one of the deadliest attacks in the Tigray conflict. “There was so much blood.”