Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
Over 400 000 people have "crossed the threshold into famine" in Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region, a senior UN official said on Friday, appealing for urgent humanitarian action to help the millions affected by the brutal eight-month long conflict.
He replaces Debretsion Gebremichael, whose immunity from prosecution was removed Thursday.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Thursday that scores of civilians were killed in a \"massacre\" in the Tigray region, that witnesses blamed on forces backing the local ruling party.
The \"massacre\" is the first reported incident of large-scale civilian fatalities in a week-old conflict between the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
\"Amnesty International can today confirm... that scores, and likely hundreds, of people were stabbed or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra (May Cadera) town in the southwest of Ethiopia's Tigray Region on the night of 9 November,\" the rights group said in a report.
Amnesty said it had \"digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers.\"
The dead \"had gaping wounds that appear to have been inflicted by sharp weapons such as knives and machetes,\" Amnesty said, citing witness accounts.
Witnesses said the attack was carried out by TPLF-aligned forces after a defeat at the hands of the Ethiopian military, though Amnesty said it \"has not been able to confirm who was responsible for the killings\".
It nonetheless called on TPLF commanders and officials to \"make clear to their forces and their supporters that deliberate attacks on civilians are absolutely prohibited and constitute war crimes\".
Abiy ordered military operations in Tigray on November 4, saying they were prompted by a TPLF attack on federal military camps -- a claim the party denies.
The region has been under a communications blackout ever since, making it difficult to verify competing claims on the ground.
Abiy said Thursday his army had made major gains in western Tigray.
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled across the border into neighboring Sudan, and the UN is sounding the alarm about a humanitarian crisis in Tigray.
[East African] Ethiopian lawmakers on Thursday designated Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) as terrorist organisations.
Commentary: Israel at the Crossroads
The post Commentary: Israel at the Crossroads appeared first on WS Chronicle.
It comes as a unity government was approved in March to lead the war-ravaged North African nation to December elections.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -- The House of Federation has anonymously approved a proposed resolution presented to it by the federal government to interfere and establish transitional administration in Tigrai Regional state.
[UN News] Moving from Sudan's current fragile transition period towards stable civilian rule, requires a continued \"spirt of unity, partnership and collaboration\", a senior UN official told the Security Council on Thursday.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Ethiopia's security forces shot at and detained United Nations staffers as they tried to reach part of the embattled Tigray region, a senior official said yesterday, and he blamed the US staffers for trying to reach areas where 'they were not supposed to go'.
UN says most of the troubled region remains ‘inaccessible’ for aid workers amid growing hunger due to ongoing fighting.
Today is the 343rd day of 2020. There are 23 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1995: The World Health Organization announces that a new case of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in the Ivory Coast. Ebola killed 250 in Zaire earlier in 1995.�OTHER EVENTS1776: George Washington's retreating army crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] Addis Ababa -- Hundreds of unaccompanied child refugees vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking, aid agencies warn
An airstrike hit a busy market in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray village of Togoga on Tuesday, according to health workers who... View Article
The post Witnesses say airstrike in Ethiopia’s Tigray kills dozens appeared first on TheGrio.
[DW] The UN humanitarian chief has said that sexual violence and starvation were being used as weapons of war in Ethiopia's Tigray. He urged Eritrea to make good on its pledge and recall its troops.
[UN News] The dire shortage of food, water, fuel and cash in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia is seriously affecting people there, including aid workers, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, citing its humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
A United Nations report has alleged that recruits of the Somalia National Army participated alongside the Eritrean army in the Tigray region in what can be termed as an illegal international military operation.
[Ethiopian Herald] ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's 6th round general elections would be a historic milestone as it is highly expected to address long -awaited citizens' quest for democracy , politicians so remarked. All Ethiopian Social Movement Member Abera Yemaneab told local media that he is so hopeful that the upcoming general elections would be credible and offer a glimmer of hope for Ethiopia's democracy Abera added that the elections would for sure bring about socio-political freedom and equality despite various shortcomings
The Conflict Gets Worse
The Tigrayan regional government has fired rockets at two airports in the neighbouring Amhara region in Ethiopia with spokesman Reda asserting that further retaliation could continue and even Asmara in Eritrea could be targeted. The Ethiopian federal government confirmed that Gondar and Bahir Dar airports were damaged in the strikes late Friday — as the deadly conflict threatens to spread to not only other parts of Africa's second-most populous country but more areas in the horn of Africa.
Since the conflict began Nov 4th, reports from the Tigray region — still under a national state of emergency, see hundreds of people on both sides losing their lives and over 21,000 Ethiopians fleeing to neighbouring Eastern Sudan.
Many authorities in the international community who caution against inter-ethnic genocide fear a possible all-out civil war — compounded by the already chaélengiong Covid-19 pandemic.
The United Nations' food agency has said it has agreed to a deal with Ethiopia to expand access for aid workers and “scale up” operations in the war-hit Tigray region.
[Nation] The Chinese government says Beijing is stepping up support for Africa's post-pandemic recovery, with initial focus on vaccine access, as a \"public good\"
By CARA ANNA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Up to 200,000 refugees could pour into Sudan while fleeing the deadly conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, officials said Wednesday, while the first details are emerging of largely cut-off civilians under growing strain. Nearly 10,000 people have crossed the border, including some wounded in the fighting, and the flow is growing quickly. 'There are lots of children and women,' Al-Sir Khalid, the head of the refugee agency in Sudan's Kassala province, told The Associated Press. 'They are arriving very tired and exhausted. They are hungry and thirsty […]
The post Sudan braces for up to 200,000 fleeing Ethiopia fighting appeared first on Black News Channel.
[OCHA] United Nations -- Statement by Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham -- As delivered
The International Criminal Court suspended its investigation into the war crimes perpetrated in Darfur in December 2014, saying the UN Security Council had failed to support the inquiry. Given this councils lack of foresight on what should happen in Darfur, I am left with no choice but to hibernate investigative activities in Darfur as I shift resources to other urgent cases said ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
President Bashir was re-elected to another five-year term as president in April 2015, winning nearly 94% of the vote. The opposition boycotted the election. Voter turnout was low, at 46%. He has been in power since 1989 and is under indictment by the ICC on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for the atrocities committed in Darfur.
See also Encyclopedia: Sudan .
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Sudan
[Nation] The African Union (AU) has launched an inquiry into human rights violations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, becoming the first continental effort to investigate the conflict that began in November 4 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against its regional forces.
[UN News] Disturbing reports have continued to emerge of widespread abuse of civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray region, nearly six months since conflict erupted, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
[AI London] The UN Security Council must extend the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) by at least six months in light of failure by government security forces to protect civilians in recent months, said Amnesty International, with weeks left to the end of the mission's mandate.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAid) yesterday announced two new food security programmes for Zimbabwe, Takunda and Amalima Loko, that will benefit about half a million people in the country’s dry regions. BY SHARON SIBINDI The programmes will be funded to the tune of US$130 million. Care International will be the implementing partner for Takunda, funded to the tune of US$55 million, while Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture will run the US$75 million Amalima Loko. USAid Zimbabwe mission director Art Brown said the five-year programmes would target nearly 490 000 Zimbabweans in Matabeleland North, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces. “These two new programmes will build on the United States’ investment in Zimbabwean people and tackle the root causes of food insecurity and poverty by assisting almost a half a million vulnerable Zimbabweans to transition from humanitarian assistance to resilience and self-reliance,” Brown said. “Takunda, a Shona word meaning ‘we have overcome’, is a US$55 million programme implemented by CARE International. Takunda will target more than 301 000 Zimbabweans in two districts of Masvingo province, Chivi and Zaka, and two districts in Manicaland province, Buhera and Mutare.” Brown said the programme would empower women and youth to create sustainable livelihoods, improve agricultural practices and technology, and strengthen the governance and management of community assets and infrastructure, which will strengthen household and community resilience against shocks and stresses. Amalima Loko derived its name from the Ndebele word for a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal and a Tonga word that means “genuine”. “Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture will implement this US$75 million investment to improve food security for more than 188 000 vulnerable Zimbabweans in five districts of Matabeleland North province: Tsholotsho, Lupane, Nkayi, Hwange, and Binga,” the US embassy said. “The programme will increase access to food, improve nutritional behaviours, and educate communities on sustainable watershed management.” Since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, the American people, through USAid, have contributed over $3,2 billion in humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe.
U.S. Department of State Background Note
Angola is located on the South Atlantic Coast of West Africa between Namibia and the Republic of the Congo. It also is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and east and Zambia to the east. The country is divided into an arid coastal strip stretching from Namibia to Luanda; a wet, interior highland; a dry savanna in the interior south and southeast; and rain forest in the north and in Cabinda. The upper reaches of the Zambezi River pass through Angola, and several tributaries of the Congo River have their sources in Angola. The coastal strip is tempered by the cool Benguela current, resulting in a climate similar to coastal Baja California. There is a short rainy season lasting from February to April. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild. The interior highlands have a mild climate with a rainy season from November through April followed by a cool dry season from May to October when overnight temperatures can fall to freezing. Elevations generally range from 3,000 to 6,000 feet. The far north and Cabinda enjoy rain throughout much of the year.
Estimates of Angolas population vary widely, as there has been no census since 1970, but it is estimated at no less than 15.5 million. Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe, Lunda, Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. In addition, mixed racial (European and African) people amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-Angolan population, with at least 30,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). Portuguese is both the official and predominant language.
In 1482, when the Portuguese first landed in what is now northern Angola, they encountered the Kingdom of the Congo, which stretched from modern Gabon in the north to the Kwanza River in the south.
[Crisis Group] Tensions are running high following the Somali parliament's decision to extend the incumbent president's mandate by two years. External partners should urgently convene - and mediate - talks among the country's bitterly divided elites, to prevent its worst political crisis in years from escalating.
