Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Sunday received its first 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, crucial in the east African country's fight to stop the spread of the pandemic.

The 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccines were received at a ceremony attended by senior Ethiopian government officials as well as representatives of foreign diplomatic missions and United Nations missions based in Ethiopia.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: Ethiopian officials and militia fighters are carrying out a systematic ethnic cleansing operation in the state of Tigray, according to a confidential US government report, Anadolu Agency reports.

The report obtained by the New York Times documents a land of looted houses and abandoned villages where tens of thousands of people have gone missing.

Ethiopia called on Friday on the Sudanese authorities to avoid "aggression and provocation" and to commit to a "peaceful settlement" regarding the border dispute.

This came in a statement issued by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry a few days after Addis Ababa announced its acceptance of mediation to settle the border dispute with Khartoum.

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) have applauded China's humanitarian support for needy people in the East African country.

Tadesse Bekele Fanta, senior disaster risk management advisor at Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission, has recently highlighted China's positive role in contributing to Ethiopia's Humanitarian Requirements Document, a plan issued by the government to address humanitarian challenges across the country.

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Commission on Wednesday emphasized a double burden on health systems across Africa due to a new Ebola outbreak and the still raging COVID-19 pandemic.

The AU Commission, through the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has started discussions with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on how to support its response to the 12th Ebola outbreak declared by the DRC on Sunday in Butembo Area of North Kivu Province, the AU said.

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) kicked off virtually on Saturday amid COVID-19 concerns.

Speakers at the opening session include Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa who is also the outgoing chairperson of the AU, Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and incoming chairperson of the 55-member pan African bloc, as well as Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission.

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The global fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has marked the beginning of a struggle that changed "everything globally," a senior African Union (AU) Commission official has said.

The statement was made by Amira Elfadil, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, as she emphasized that the declaration of COVID-19 as an outbreak early on followed by a public health emergency of international concern and later a pandemic "marked the beginning of a struggle that changed everything globally."

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan and Mayor of Ethiopia's capital city Adanech Abiebie agreed on Friday to enhance the economic partnership between the two countries.

In a press statement, Abiebie said she has reached an agreement with the Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia on the need to add new Chinese built projects that improve the economic and social lives of Addis Ababa city residents.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Ethiopia's foreign ministry yesterday warned Sudan of "retaliation" after border clashes were reported in the country's northern Tigray region.

"Addis Ababa's silence against border escalation is not out of fear," the ministry's spokesperson, Dina Mufti, said in a statement, accusing the Sudanese army of "taking advantage of Ethiopia's preoccupation with the Tigray clashes while deeply penetrating into the region."

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The African Union hailed the diplomatic rapprochement to end a blockade against the Gulf nation of Qatar.

“I wish to commend Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for restoring full diplomatic ties with the state of Qatar,” tweeted Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

“I also congratulate Kuwait for their effort in this important development for the region, key for the betterment of relations between Africa and the Gulf states,” Mahamat added.