Tag Archives: Abiy Ahmed

Ethiopia: Much touted reform in doubt as PM fills cabinet with ruling party members

By Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 19, 2018) Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister filled 16 cabinet positions with members of the ruling party dampening hopes of seeing new faces and ideas in government key positions. Abiy Ahmed retained six ministers of his predecesor, Hailemariam Desalegn, who resigned in February amid political turmoil in the East African country and the emergence of ...

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Ethiopia: PM to announce cabinet, House to replace speaker

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 18, 2018) Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister is expected to announce his new cabinet as he addresses the Parliament tomorrow. It is the second time since his appointment that Abiy Ahmed will speak before the House of People’s Representatives that also replaces its speaker, Abadula Gemeda. Critics say the formation of a new cabinet will ...

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Ethiopia: PM says country suffers from forex crunch

ESAT News (April 17, 2018) Ethiopia’s Prime Minister says his country has faced serious foreign cur crunch and called on Diaspora Ethiopians to lift their embargo on remittances they send home to their families. Abiy Ahmed was speaking to businessmen in the capital on Monday. He said the foreign currency crisis was so serious that the country cannot bounce back ...

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More killings reported in ethnic clashes in Southern Ethiopia

ESAT News (April 16, 2018) Information reaching ESAT say ethnic clashes between the Guji and Gedeo communities in Southern Ethiopia has continued with more killings reported today.   Sources told ESAT that the crisis began when the Gurji, who are ethnic Oromos, began celebrating the appointment of the new Prime Minister, an Oromo, with celebratory gunshots and looked down on ...

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Ethiopia: Opposition demands new PM to walk the talk

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 13, 2018) Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister held talks and dined with the opposition that is waiting for tangible actions from him. The new PM, Abiy Ahmed, has also continued his tour to the regions. He was in the Tigray capital of Mekelle today where he delivered speech in the local language. While the opposition ...

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Ethiopia: New PM tours hotbed regions of deadly protests, opposition skeptical of his approach in resolving political crisis

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 12, 2018) Fews days after taking office, Ethiopia’s newly elected Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed paid a visit last week to the country’s Somali region in the East where hundreds were killed and over a million displaced in what was being blamed on ethnic clashes between the Somali and Oromo communities. Yesterday, thousands of residents ...

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Ethiopia: Opposition leader defends his group’s position, says would give chance for new PM

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 10, 2018) A leader of an armed opposition movement against the Ethiopian regime says his group would give the time and chance for the newly appointed Prime Minister to bring about the changes he promised at his inaugural address and hold dialogue among all stakeholders to transform the country for the better. Speaking to ...

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Ethiopia: Opposition parties applause PM’s inaugural speech but say words need to change to deeds

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 3, 2018) Ethiopian opposition political parties have reacted to the inaugural speech by the newly appointed Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, saying his description of the opposition as competing forces in the political process but not as enemies of the regime, as has been viewed by TPLF oligarchs, is a welcome development. In his first ...

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U.S. expresses support to new PM, renewed calls to lift emergency law

By Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 2, 2018) The United States said today it would support the newly elected Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, in his government bid to “rapid implementation of democratic and economic reforms.” The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa also said in a statement that it “looks forward to the lifting of the State of Emergency.” ...

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Ethiopia: New PM vows to respect rights and embrace freedom

by Engidu Woldie ESAT News (April 2, 2018) Abiy Ahmed, who swore in today as Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, said that the country needed to respect human rights, freedom of expression and assembly in the spirit of the constitution, which has been routinely violated by the regime.   In a speech that called for healing, reconciliation and unity in a country ...

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