The Ethiopia- EU Sectoral dialogue on migration began in Addis Ababa on Friday 16 November 2018. Following the signing of a strategic partnership engagement in June 2016, Ethiopia and the EU are working together to further enhance the existing dialogue into a more comprehensive and higher level consultation platform.

Ethiopia and the EU cooperate on a wide range of areas, including regional peace and security, countering terrorism and radicalization, migration, social and economic development, investment and trade; governance and human rights, climate change, and environmental cooperation.

The EU side was led by Johan Borgstam, Ambassador of the EU delegation to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian side was led by Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma, director general for European Affairs.

Ambassador Tesfaye updated his European counterpart on the situation of the internally displaced persons in the country and the migration policy in Ethiopia. The discussion also focused on addressing the root causes of migration, including the implementation of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa; on the developments regarding the global compact; on the joint efforts to halt smuggling and trafficking, on the legal path of migration and the return and reintegration procedures.

Both parties have expressed their satisfaction with their partnership and agreed to continue working in close cooperation. Both sides also agreed to meet again on 27 November to discuss the developments and implementation of the bilateral programs aimed to better manage migration.

Ethiopia’s former deputy intelligence chief has been arrested amid investigations into corruption and human rights abuses committed by the security forces.

Yared Zerihun, the former deputy head of the national security agency, is one of more than 60 intelligence and military figures arrested since Monday.

The move has been widely welcomed by human rights groups.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised a firm line on corruption and human rights abuses when he came to power in April this year and has passed a string of reforms, including ending a two-decade conflict with neighbouring Eritrea. 

Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye has accused “the senior leadership of the national security agency” of involvement in a grenade attack at a rally attended by the prime minister in June, in which two people were killed.

So far this week, 27 people have been detained over alleged crimes committed at the Metals and Engineering Corporation (Metec), Ethiopia’s military-run conglomerate – including its former head, who was arrested as he tried to flee the country.

Police have also arrested Gudeta Olana, the head of the security division at state-owned Ethio Telecom network.

He is accused of intimidating and obstructing investigators probing alleged corrupt practices at the military-linked business conglomerate Metal Engineering Corporation (MeTEC). On Tuesday, Ethiopian security forces arrested the ex-chief of MeTEC, Kinfe Dagnew on corruption charges. Dagnew had resigned from MeTEC in April amid allegations of widespread corrupt practices.

The arrest of Dagnew and Olana comes soon after the Ethiopia Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye said the east African country is launching a massive probe into corrupt practices at MeTEC.

On 14 and 15 November 2018, Senior officials from across Europe and Africa will meet for the third time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to follow up on the progress made in their cooperation to find solutions to the migration challenge. The Joint Valletta Action Plan, adopted by European and African leaders at the Migration Summit in 2015, framed the decision to respond together to migration into five priority domains. Since then common work has mobilised more than EUR 11.7 bn for more than 1,200 projects and policies.

Africa and the European Union have embarked on a positive journey to manage migration and to address its root causes. This meeting is one notable step in this positive direction. Ethiopia as a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants is always ready to contribute its part to the success of this partnership.

African governments simply cannot afford to be complacent in the face of the tragedies suffered by migrants taking a perilous journey that we witness so frequently.

Ethiopia is making every effort to improve the situation of refugees including through the adoption of an out-of-camp policy, and through the provision of basic services such as the issuance of birth certificates.

In the framework of the Job Alliance between the EU and Africa, new industrial parks will be created in the proximity of the refugee camps where 30% of the jobs will be allocated to the refugees and the rest to host communities. This is expected to give hope to the refugees until more sustainable solutions are found.

The recent breakthrough in peace and normalization of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea has brought positive changes to the Horn of Africa- a region which used to be synonymous with conflict and instability. The winds of change, reform and rapprochement initiated in Ethiopia since April will also undoubtedly contribute to the efforts exerted by both Africa and Europe with regard to migration. To sustain the initiatives, however, more robust lines of cooperation and partnership with a strong regional focus should be devised.

A long-term collective vision on migration needs a lot of collaborative effort and deliberations. Our focus should be on keeping migrants from leaving their countries in the first place. The best viable solution to keep aspiring migrants in their countries is ensuring economic development and creating opportunities.

Ethiopia congratulated the people and government of Eritrea on the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Eritrea. The UN Security Council unanimously voted on Wednesday 14 November to lift 9-year-old sanctions against Eritrea that imposed travel bans, asset freezes, and an arms embargo.

The resolution, which was drafted by the United Kingdom and backed by allies, marks a new chapter for peace and cooperation in Eritrea after years of regional conflict.

The peace advancements in the region played a significant role in removing sanctions. Over the past months, the countries of the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia) have opened a historic new chapter of normalizing their relations.

According to a statement issued by Office of the Prime Minister, Ethiopia also thanked the Security Council for responding to its call to lift the sanctions imposed on Eritrea. It further congratulated the Member States of IGAD “on this positive millstone and appreciated their cooperation and contribution to the lifting of the sanctions as well as the progressive changes that are occurring in the region.”

The lifting of the sanctions will have far-reaching effects in improving the stability of the Horn of Africa region and in building lasting peace and normalization of relations among the countries in the region, the statement added.

Ethiopia reiterated its commitment to ensuring regional peace, development, and cooperation working hand-in-hand with Eritrea and other neighboring nations.

The lifting of the sanctions is a significant step towards deepening the economic, social, and cultural ties the sisterly nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea enjoy, the statement noted. It will further enhance the collaborative gains that have been achieved in the region over the last few months.

Two major parties in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), have agreed to work together to better cooperate in the best interest of the country’s biggest regional state.

At a meeting on Wednesday 14 November 2018, the ODP, represented by Oromia president Lemma Megerssa, agreed to work closely and solve differences with the formerly exiled Oromo Liberation Front, OLF,  represented by its chairman, Dawud Ibsa.

Lemma Megersa said: “we will work together for peace, development, and the growth of the country.” He urged the public to support the government’s efforts to ensure rule of law and bring to justice those individuals who have caused harm to the country and the people.

Lemma further called the kerro, a political youth group in the region, and activists to safeguard the gains made from the ongoing reform initiatives and to listen to and work with elders.

Dawud for his part said his party has agreed to work jointly with both the federal government and the Oromia regional state.

OLF and its army will jointly work with the government by engaging in peaceful activities, he stated.

ODP formerly the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization, OPDP, is part of a four-member bloc forming the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Front, EPRDF.

Ethiopia has detained a total of 63 individuals on suspicion of committing human rights abuses and corruption.

Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye told local journalists yesterday that the arrests came after five months of investigation.

According to his statement, 36 of the suspects were detained in connection with human rights abuses, mainly abuses of political prisoners jailed for terrorism. The remaining 27 individuals were detained for serious corruption cases.

In particular, he singled out the Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC) for corruption. He charged the organization for purchasing over $2 billion worth of supplies without official bidding process from abroad between 2011 and 2017. The corporation also allegedly bought billions more from local sources without the proper bidding process.

The Attorney General further said that seven secret detention centers were discovered in Addis Ababa.

He added some suspects are at large and being hunted.

According to him, some of the criminals have left the country, and Ethiopia is working to bring them to justice.

Ethiopian Airlines made its first landing in the Somali capital Mogadishu after 40 years absence. The flight, Et 377, landed at Aden Abdule International Airport on 9 November 2018.

Ethiopian suspended its operations in Somalia following the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries in the late 1970s.

Conflict in Somalia which erupted in subsequent decades has prevented most commercial air carriers from returning. Turkish Airlines is the only other major international carrier that flies to the country.

“Our flights will quickly grow to multiple daily flights given the huge volume of traffic between the two sisterly countries and the significant traffic between Somalia and the rest of the world,” Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Airlines’ chief executive, said in a statement when the airline announced a return to Somalia.

During their two-day meeting in Bahir Dar on 9-10 November, the leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia appraised the Joint Declaration on Friendship and Comprehensive Cooperation signed in Asmara on September 6, 2018.

The tripartite discussions focused on regional economic integration, strengthening peace and security in the Horn region, and on developing a common and aligned voice on international agendas.

Furthermore, the leaders underlined the utmost importance of respecting the territorial integrity of Somalia and providing support for its people and institutions.

In a press statement, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, said they would work towards the historical transformation of the Horn of Africa region towards peace and integration.

“The three leaders reviewed developments and achievements since the signing of Asmara joint declaration on friendship and comprehensive cooperation in September and noted with satisfaction the tangible and positive outcomes already registered and agreed to consolidate their mutual solidarity and support in addressing challenges that they face individually and collectively,” said the joint statement.

The meeting of the three leaders comes amidst wide-spread optimism in the Horn of Africa region that it would move from a chronically unstable region to one of political cooperation and economic integration.

“The three leaders also welcomed the impending lifting of all sanctions against Eritrea and underscored their conviction the lifting of the sanctions would reaffirm their commitment to inclusive regional peace and cooperation,” reads part of the statement.

The runners filled Meskel Square in downtown Addis Ababa for the kick-off sporting t-shirts featuring the flags of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and it came as one of the major events since the two countries began a fast-paced diplomatic thaw ending two decades of tense relations.

Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993.  From 1998 – 2000, the two countries fought a war in which 70,000 people perished.

“It is a very happy day for the peoples of the two countries and I thank God for making me live to see this day,” said Tilahun Masresha, 79.

Masresha said he worked as a teacher in Embatikala in Eritrea for five years when the two countries were under one flag.

“We should never have been separated,” he said, pointing to his t-shirt that reads “We are one.”

On 8 November, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki together with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed visited the Amhara regional state in Ethiopia where they met Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as a follow up to the Declaration of Comprehensive Cooperation the trio signed in September in Eritrea’s capital Asmara.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MoE) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the new READ II project to improve the reading and writing skills of 15 million children in grades 1-8.

The five-year-long, 86 million US dollars READ II project will build on successful partnerships forged between USAID and the ministry to improve primary-level reading skills by getting children to begin reading in their mother tongues, helping teachers to become better instructors of reading and supplying schools with supplementary reading materials.

The project will work with the ministry to refine and finalize a comprehensive reading package; develop a framework to align reading policies, initiatives, procedures, and resources; and bring together schools, communities, and education authorities to scale-up this program nationwide.

The USAID READ II project is also aligned with the broader General Education Quality Improvement Program (GEQIP/E) and will provide training to more than 130,000 teachers in 20,000 schools across Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, and SNNP regional states during the project.

During the launch event at Bakello Primary School, U.S. Ambassador Michael A. Raynor said, “The better educated young Ethiopians are, the better prepared they will be to ensure their own success and to help build the democratic, prosperous, and stable Ethiopia we all want to see.”