Ethiopia Roundup: Humanitarian crisis, Red Sea MoU, Internet shutdowns

Human Rights Watch exposes humanitarian crisis

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has unveiled a stark portrayal of Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis in its World Report 2024. The report sheds light on widespread wartime atrocities, calling attention to the extensive human rights abuses in Ethiopia throughout 2023. Despite a peace agreement signed in November 2022, the HRW highlights the lack of significant international actions to ensure accountability, Human Rights Watch reports. Ethiopia's international partners are resuming normal relations with the government, raising concerns amid ongoing reports of crimes against humanity and abuses, particularly in the Amhara and Tigray regions. The HRW calls for global and regional action to protect civilians and end the cycle of abuse and impunity. “Sudan and Ethiopia provide chilling examples of government forces and armed groups flouting international law with few consequences for their actions. Greater global and regional action is needed to protect civilians and end the cycles of abuse and impunity that put civilians at risk,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Economic activities restored in Amhara Region

Several urban centres in Ethiopia's Amhara region are experiencing a gradual return to normalcy after recent conflicts. Cities like Gondar and Debre Birhan are witnessing improvements, signalling a reduction in hostilities, the Addis Standard News reports. The command post, which previously imposed restrictions on Bajaj vehicles due to security concerns, has lifted the ban, indicating a positive shift. Despite sporadic incidents, residents express relief as major cities resume routine activities. “Last week, on Wednesday, the city experienced a crossfire between government forces and armed groups. The exchange of fire began in the morning and continued sporadically until the evening,” a resident recounted.

Ethiopia-Somaliland MoU taps into BRICS Market

Ethiopia and Somaliland have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Partnership and Cooperation. This agreement, signed on January 1, 2024, aims to exploit the BRICS market. With the recent addition of Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, BRICS has doubled its membership, FanaBC reports. The MoU provides Ethiopia with a permanent and reliable naval base in the Gulf of Aden through a lease arrangement, while Somaliland gains a share from Ethiopian Airlines. The agreement is seen as instrumental in enhancing economic ties and trade transactions within the BRICS bloc.

Turmeric export growth threatened

Ethiopian spice exporters have expressed concerns over potential challenges to foreign exchange generation due to the decision to forgo using a drying system for turmeric. Despite the significant export potential of Ethiopia's Alleppy variety of turmeric, challenges in post-harvest processing have led to a decline in exports. Industry experts and exporters worry about the negative impact on revenue generation, emphasising the need for solutions to boost turmeric exports, Capital Ethiopia has reported. The General Manager of the Ethiopian Spices, Aromatic and Herbs Growers and Exporters Association, Addisu Alemayehu, said that “the drying plant will be closed for five months until the next coffee harvest season after turmeric processing. If there are concerns about the testing effect, there is ample time to clean it.”

Internet shutdown costs Ethiopia nearly $2 billion

Ethiopia incurred nearly $2 billion in economic losses due to government-imposed internet shutdowns and social media blocks in 2023. A report by Top10VPN indicates that these restrictions resulted in losses of $1.9 billion, positioning Ethiopia as the second-highest globally in terms of financial impact. The measures, aimed at mitigating religious tensions, included an internet blackout of 3,414 hours and a social media suspension of 11,496 hours. The demand for VPN services surged by 3,651%, reflecting the economic repercussions of these restrictions.