Ethiopia Breaking News - Ethiopian News

By Staff Reporter

November 3, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- War broke out between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigray region after the regional government attacked military camp housing federal troops in the region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced.

In a recorded video message, Abiy said the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) on Tuesday night attacked a military camp, killing several soldiers and destroying military equipment.

According to the Premier, TPLF also launched attacks in Mekele and other places of the region as well as in the Dalshah area bordering the Amhara region but shielded.<

By Staff Reporter

August 9, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- In a stunning development, the Oromia Prosperity Party dismissed Defence Minister Lemma Megerssa as a member of its central committee.

In an extraordinary meeting held on Sunday, the party also dismissed two high-level officials, namely Dr. Milkissa Midega and Teyiba Hassen, as central committee members.

Lemma Magerssa is a prominent Oromo politician who was credited to have played a major role in ending the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) led government and facilitating conditions for the current Prime Minister to assume power in April 2018. The team that came to

By Staff Reporter

January 28, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- In a marked display of anger, hundred thousands of people took the streets of Bahir Dar, Debermarkos, Woldia, Debre Birhan Durbete, Shewa Robit, Dangla and other cities in Amhara state of Ethiopia, demanding the immediate release of ethnic Amhara university students who were taken hostages by gunmen in Oromia region of western Ethiopia.

The demonstrators demanded the government to provide clear information on the whereabouts of the students and maintain the supremacy of law by taking legal measures against the kidnappers.

Early this month, Nigussu Tilahun, PM Office Press Secretariat Head, to

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November 23, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Sidama zone has become the 10th Ethiopian regional state after its people won a landslide victory in the recent referendum.

Out of the total voters, 98.51 percent, numbering 2, 227,063, voted in favor of self-rule of the Sidama zone and the remaining 1.48 percent or 33,463 voted against the self-rule of the zone, according to preliminary results of the referendum announced by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on Saturday, November 23, 2019.

The board disclosed that there was high voter turnout and out the total 2,280,147 registered voters, 99.86 percent numbering 2,277,063

By Staff Reporter

October 25, 2019 (Ezega.com) – According to official reports, the death toll has climbed to over 27 following continued violence that hit more than 15 towns and cities in Oromia state of Ethiopia since Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

Two more people were reportedly killed in Ambo, in addition to three people killed on Wednesday. Eighty-year-old Morada Mossa was one of the victims. Dozens of others were reportedly wounded in clashes between security forces and protesters.

Ambo Hospital Medical Director Abebe Fetene was quoted as saying that two of the 14 injured people who were admitted to the hospital were dead on Thur

By Staff Reporter

October 17, 2019 (Ezega.com) – The power generation capacity of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been slashed to 5150MW, a senior Ethiopian official has disclosed, reversing an earlier statement made to the contrary.

The dam, that has been under construction since 2011, had been planned to have an installed generating capacity of 5,250 MW. However, due to the upgrading made on the power plant in the following years, its generation capacity was uplifted to 6,000 MW and again upgraded to 6450 in February 2017.

Briefing cabinet members on Thursday October 17, 2019, on the progress and contentious i

Juy 11, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Executive Committee of the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) issued a strongly-worded statement denouncing the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) as 'ant-democractic,' 'irresponsible' and 'irredeemable' organization. As bad as the TPLF statement was a couple of days ago, the ADP statement is nothing but total and unvarnished hostility towards the TPLF, and breathtaking in its takedown of the TPLF.

In a statement issued on July 11, 2019, the ADP not only rejected the statement issued by the TPLF a couple of days earlier, but also accused it as an organization that 'stood for two governments,' betrayi

July 11, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The Central Committee of the TPLF (Tigrayan People's Liberation Front) has issued an extraordinary and highly unusual statement condeming the current situation in Ethiopia and called on Tigrayans and the Ethiopian people to start a new struggle urgently to protect what it said the unity and stability of the country.

In an urgent, one-day meeting held in Mekelle city in Tigray, on July 9, 2019, the TPLF all but declared the current central government in Ethiopia unfit to lead the country and is responsible for all the grave situation the country finds itself currently.

In particular, the TPLF statement sing

June 24, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige was shot dead by Ethiopian security forces, according to Ethiopian state media, ETV. This marks the end of a few tumultuous days, the ramification of which is yet to be seen in the days and months to come.

General Asminew Tsigie is believed to have been behind the recent coordinated attacks in Bahir Dar city and Addis Ababa.

In those attacks, the Ethiopian Army Chief of Staff, General Seare Mekonnen, and Deputy Chief Administrator of Amhara region, Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, were gunned down. Two other top leaders of the Amhara region were also killed in the Bahir

June 23, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- The chief Administrator of Amhara region Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen was killed following attack by gunmen, as per Amhara TV report. The gunmen attacked the leaders of the Amhara state while the leaders were in a meeting.

Also killed in the shooting was Azez Wassie, who was Amhara regional state political advisor on organizational matters.

Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and his press office disclosed that a coup attempt was made on the regional government of Amhara.

Dr. Abiy Ahmed said the Amhara regional government was attacked while it was in meeting in Bahir Dar city. Dressed in

June 23, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- Ethiopian Army Chief of Staff General Seare Mekonnen was gunned down by one of his body guards in his home yesterday, according to media reports.

The identity of the gunmen and their motives are not yet known.

Also killed along with General Seare Mekonnen was former Army Logistics chief Major General Gezae Aberra.

Major General Gezae Aberra was likely killed while visiting his friend General Seare Mekonnen. General Gezae retired a few years after the conclusion of the Ethio-Eritrea war. He served with international forces stationed in Sudan afterwards.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had disclos

June 22, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- A coup attempt was made on the regional government of Amhara, according to the office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. In appearance on Ethiopian Television (ETV), the PM press office head, Nigusu Tilahun, said certain organized groups conducted a coup attempt to overthrow the Amhara regional government. However, the group has failed in its attempt, said Nigusu Tilahun.

Nigusu Tilahun further said federal forces are in Bahir Dar city to stabilize the situation. According to witnesses, there is still some gunfire in the ci

March 10, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- Ethiopian Airlines has disclosed that all 157 people onboard Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 enroute to Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday are dead.

The Boeing 737 crashed near Bishofu town about 50 Km from the capital, Addis Ababa. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

There were of 35 different nationalities inside the crashed aircraft. Among the dead are 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 8 Americans, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese nationals, 7 French and 7 UK nationals, according to Ethiopian Airlines.

Also among the dead are several UN staff, according to officials. UN Secretary-General Antonio

March 10, 2019 (Ezega.com) -- An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight enroute to Nairobi Kenya crashed near Bishoftu town today,according to Ethipian Airlines press release.

The aircraft had 149 passengers and 8 crew onboard. The Boeing 737 crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, on its way to Kenya's capital, according to the report.

The crash occurred around Bishoftu town near Debre Zeit, about 50 kilometers south of the capital, shortly after taking off at 8:38 a.m. local time.

The condition of the people onboard is unknown at this time, but the airline said "search and rescue operations are in progr

February 24, 2019 (Ezega.com) - In a major announcement that will likely have profound implications, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed disclosed that the ruling coalition party in Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), will transition into a new national party that is open to all Ethiopians, regardless of ethnicity, religion and other metrics.

The Prime Minister disclosed this during a conference with over three thousand people gathered from Somali, Afar, Benishangul Gumz, Harari and Afar regions of Ethiopia.

He said the new party will materialize in a few months, and it will be open to all Ethiopians based on me

January 23, 2019 (Ezega.com) - The Amhara regional state of Ethiopia disclosed it has detained former Government Communications Minister Bereket Simon.

According to a press release, the former government minister was arrested in connection with corruption, allegedly during his tenure as official of the regional state of Amhara.

Also apprehened was Tadesse Kassa who served as head of TIRET, an endowment organization owned by the Amhara Democratic Party, one of the coalition partners of the ruling EPRDF.

Bereket Simon is one of the founding members of the ANDM (Amhara National Democratic Movement, now renamed ADP - Amhara Democratic Party).

January 15, 2019 (Ezega.com) - Bank robberies have swept parts of the Oromia region this week, according to Deutsche Welle (DW) Amharic Service.

According to the report, severteen banks have been robbed in the last two days alone.

Six banks were robbed in Wollega, West Oromo region of Ethiopia, yesterday since 11 a.m. local time in Hawa Gelan, Erob Gebeya, Mechara, Sedi Chinka towns in the region.

He added that armed men took unspecified amount of money and abducted bank emplyees, which makes it difficult to know how much money was taken.

Oromia United Bank and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia branches were

November 13, 2018 - Former Director General of state-owned Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC), Major General Kinfe Dagnew, was arrested, according to FBC report.

According to the report, citing Ethiopian Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye, General Kinfe Dagnew was arrested as he was trying to flee to Sudan via Humera in Tigray regional state.

He arrived in Addis Ababa today in a helicopter. He is expected to appear in court no later than 48 hours after his arrest.

Video recorded by Ethiopian security forces, and shown on Ethiopian Television, shows General Kinfe Dagnew surrounded by secuirty people. He was then boar

By Staff Reporter

November 1, 2018 - Ethiopia appointed Meaza Ashenafi as the first woman Supreme Court President of Ethiopia, replacing Dagne Melaku who resigned from the post for undisclosed reasons.

Her appointment was unanimously endorsed by over 500 MPs in parliament, as was the case for selection of the first woman president last week picked by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Two weeks ago, reformist Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed government announced unprecedented cabinet with gender balance in which 10 women were selected for ministerial positions, a step that was lauded the world over.

Meaza

By Staff Reporter

October 25, 2018 - Ethiopia named the first woman president on Thursday named Sahle-Work Zewde. The Ethiopian parliament on Thursday appointed Ambassador Sahle-Work Zewde unianimously as the country’s first woman president.

Sahle-Work Zewde replaced Dr. Mulatu Teshome who announced his resignation the same day as the country’s head of state at the joint special session of the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) and the House of Federation (HoF).

The national parliament last week endorsed a new cabinet in which half of the ministerial portfolios were taken up by wom