by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (June 18, 2018) Ethiopia’s Prime Minister has made calls to opposition groups abroad to give up their arms and come back home to peacefully take part in the country’s politics. Presenting his report to the Parliament, Abiy Ahmed said the country can only benefit from peace but not war; and called on Patriotic Ginbot 7 ...

ESAT News (June 15, 2018) Another 304 political prisoners were released today and all but 15 had been charged with “terrorism” at the peak of anti government protests two years ago. Nine were sentenced to death and three are foreigners. Prominent among the released were Abebe Kassie who was tortured and neutered in custody by TPLF interrogators. A statement by ...

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (June 15, 2018) The towns of Awassa (Hawassa) and Sodo in Southern Ethiopia have seen deadly mob attacks against innocent residents as federal and regional security forces in the area refuse to intervene to stop the bloodshed. Although exact figures are not known, several people were believed to have been killed today by an unidentified ...

ESAT News (June 14, 2018) Over 200 people were killed in ethnic violence in Guji Zone in Southern Ethiopia over the past ten days while over 300,000 have been displaced. The violence between the Guji and Gedeo groups that began in April has also resulted in the destruction of schools, churches and private properties. The Association of Gedeo Community in ...

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (June 14, 2018) A high profile Ethiopian political prisoner recently released after four years in jail said the country’s Prime Minister told him that he had threatened to resign from his post if the ruling party would not release him. The death row prisoner, Andargachew (Andy) Tsege, told the BBC’s Hardtalk Zeinab Badawi that he ...

ESAT News (June 13, 2018) Several people were reportedly injured in ethnic attacks in Awassa, Southern Ethiopia and Wolkitie, a town sitting 93 miles southwest of Addis Ababa. Information reaching ESAT show several people were injured when a cultural festivity turned violent in Awassa, 175 miles South of the Addis Ababa, and considered a regional capital in Southern Ethiopia. Sources ...

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (June 13, 2018) A bank robbery in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa went on the blink when a driver carrying the alleged crooks drove on the wrong way and hit another vehicle. The robbers tried to runaway after the crash but were caught by passersby, who thought it was just a case of a hit and ...

ESAT News (June 12, 2018) Ethiopia has confirmed today that the forty-six migrants that drowned off the coast of Yemen last week were its nationals. Forty-six Ethiopians drowned last Wednesday when their vessel capsized in high waves as it approached Yemen’s shore, according to the International Organizations for migration (IOM). A statement by the Communication Affairs Office said today that ...

ESAT News (June 12, 2018) Amnesty International issued a fresh call for the government of Ethiopia to immediately disband the Liyu Police unit in the Somali region of the country. The call by Amnesty came in response to what it said “may amount to extrajudicial executions” of at least 14 people over the weekend by the Liyu police. “The Liyu ...

ESAT News (June 11, 2018) A grenade explosion at a university in Southern Ethiopia had left twelve students injured, one of them critically. The bomb was thrown into a library in Dilla University in Southern Ethiopia. No party claimed responsibility for the grenade attack that took place in one of the politically tense universities in the country. Ethnic clashes between ...