Addis Standard

News: #US Congressman criticizes visa restrictions on #TPLF leaders, calls for inclusive peace efforts in #Ethiopia In a statement shared on X, #Sherman said, "The Trump administration's decision to impose visa restrictions on leaders of the #Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is unfortunate." "Those who genuinely seek peace in Ethiopia should work with all parties to the conflict to reach reconciliation and peace," he added. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57963

#China approves Standard Bank, #ICBC for #Africa yuan clearing China's central bank has authorised Standard Bank (#SBKJ.J), opens new tab and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, opens new tab to clear Renminbi ​across Africa, as Beijing steps up efforts to promote the global ‌use of its currency. The move gives businesses and financial institutions direct access to China's onshore financial system for the first time, including capital markets and liquidity infrastructure, streamlining cross-border ​trade and investment flows. The People's Bank of China's move is one ​of many by China to internationalize the yuan and reduce ⁠dependence on a global payment system dominated by the #US dollar. Last ​week, PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng announced measures at the annual Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai ​to promote offshore yuan business, including authorizing six top state banks to conduct offshore yuan.... https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-approves-standard-bank-icbc-africa-yuan-clearing-2026-06-26/

#Satire: This image, purportedly showing people abducted by the #Oromo Liberation Army (#OLA) voting and then returning to captivity, is fabricated The image was generated using artificial intelligence (AI). An image circulated on social media on the day of the 1 June 2026 election, claiming to show citizens abducted by "#Shene," a term used by the #Ethiopian government to refer to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), being escorted to polling stations to vote before returning to captivity. The verification found that the widely circulated image is satirical and does not represent a real-life incident. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57953

#Ethiopia: #ICRC provides seeds and fertilizers to 132,000 people Helping rural communities maintain their resilience amidst ongoing conflicts is crucial in Amhara and Oromia, Ethiopia’s two most populous regions, as well as in Tigray, where communities still suffer from the effects of the 2020-2022 hostilities. To support their agricultural activities before the onset of the rainy season, despite fuel shortages worsened by the situation in the Middle East, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has distributed seeds and fertilizers to 132,000 farmers and family members – more than twice as many as in 2025. The support focused on families headed by women or with a single parent in areas where the need is greatest and access is most challenging within the three regions. The humanitarian operation was rolled out between early May and 22 June 2026, in cooperation with the ......... https://www.icrcnewsroom.org/story/en/1206/ethiopia-icrc-provides-seeds-and-fertilizers-to-132000-people-302919

#US strikes #Iran in response to attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz The U.S. military attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ​ship in the #Strait_of_Hormuz, with each country accusing the other of violating terms of a ceasefire agreed on last week. U.S. Central Command said aircraft struck missile and drone ‌storage locations and coastal radar sites, later publishing a grainy black-and-white video of an explosion labeled "unclassified." A U.S. official reported the operation had concluded. Iran said a projectile struck the area around a pier in #Sirik in southern Iran, and that Iranian naval forces responded by striking U.S. military targets in the region. Tehran did not provide details about what may have been hit. Elsewhere, however, there were signs of progress in ending the four-month-old conflict, as Israel and Lebanon signed...... https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-insists-right-control-shipping-strait-hormuz-after-ship-hit-near-oman-2026-06-26/

#Getachew_Reda questions Eritrea's long-term future as a viable state, citing what he calls a "demographic decline" and a "statehood crisis." What did he say, and why does it matter? ▶️ Watch the full report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsavxDhyfQM #Eritrea #Ethiopia #HornOfAfrica #AddisStandard #BreakingNews

News: ENDF claims #Fano, #OLA coordinated attempted attack in #East_Wollega; says operation ‘completely foiled’ The #Ethiopian National Defense Force (#ENDF) has claimed that fighters affiliated with Fano, which it refers to as “extremist group” and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), the armed group it refers to as the “Shene terrorist group” coordinated an attempted attack against government forces in East Wollega Zone, #Oromia Region, but said the “operation was unsuccessful.” In a statement issued on 25 June, the ENDF said Lieutenant General Zewdu Belay, Commander of the Central Command, visited the Tana Division, which is deployed in East Wollega, to “assess its operational performance.” https://addisstandard.com/?p=57941

News: #Amnesty raises alarm over #Ethiopians on #Saudi death row despite #Ethiopia's announcement of mass pardons In a statement released on 23 June, Amnesty said #Saudi_Arabia had executed 96 people between 1 January and 22 June 2026, including 61 for drug-related offences. Of those executed for drug-related crimes, 39 were foreign nationals, among them seven Ethiopians, the rights group said. Amnesty warned that the execution of the seven Ethiopians has heightened fears for at least 63 other Ethiopian nationals being held in a single ward at #Khamis_Mushait Prison, who "may be at imminent risk of execution solely for drug-related offences." https://addisstandard.com/?p=57946

News: #Getachew_Reda casts doubt on #Eritrea's future as viable state, cites its ‘demographic decline’, ‘statehood crisis’ as existential The demographic argument underpinning #Ethiopia’s campaign for maritime access has steadily evolved into a broader national security narrative. In October 2025, Chief of General Staff Field Marshal #Birhanu_Jula framed the country's landlocked status as a question of fairness of a landlocked country for a country with a rapidly expanding population. “Our population is now 130 million. In the next 25 years, it will reach 200 million,” Birhanu said during the 118th Ethiopian Defense Force Day celebration. “How can the interests of 200 million people be blocked for the benefit of a community of two million? It is not fair. It is not in line with international law, and it is not logical.” Speaking at the Ethiopian National Defense College (#NDC) Annual National Security Conference on 25 June, Getachew contrasted Ethiopia's projected..... https://addisstandard.com/?p=57943

News: #Ethiopia moves closer to joining #BRICS development bank as Council forwards ratification bill to parliament Ethiopia has taken a key step toward becoming a member of the New Development Bank (#NDB), the development bank established by the BRICS bloc, after the Council of Ministers approved a draft ratification proclamation and referred it to the House of Peoples’ Representatives for approval. According to a statement issued today by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Council unanimously agreed to forward the draft proclamation to parliament after “extensively” discussing it during its regular meeting held on Friday, 26 June 2026. The Council said the draft incorporated inputs raised during the deliberations. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57937

#Opinion: From Nationalism to Class Politics: Rethinking the #Oromo struggle Sidoc Haytu argues that the Oromo people have endured a long history of dispossession, cultural suppression, and political marginalization, describing their struggle for self-determination as a legitimate response to historical injustice. While acknowledging the achievements of Oromo nationalism, the author contends that “cultural recognition has not translated into material liberation” for many Oromo citizens. He concludes that “class politics is the only path that leads to genuine liberation,” calling for solidarity across ethnic lines and a political movement centered on economic justice and democratic participation. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57934

#Ethiopian journalists win #US’ democracy award for courage One of the last remaining independent media outlets in Ethiopia, #Addis_Standard, has won the US' National Endowment for Democracy award for its journalists' resilience and courage working under a repressive media landscape. Addis Standard will travel to #Washington DC in September to accept the award. Ethiopia is the country that jails the most journalists in Sub-Saharan #Africa only after #Eritrea. Topics like armed conflict and human rights abuses have led local journalists to be imprisoned and international correspondents to be expelled from the country. France 24 correspondent in Ethiopia Tom Canetti sat down with the editor-in-chief of Addis Standard Yonas Kedir. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Vd9-9jxos

New #Sudanese notes circulate in RSF areas, deepening de facto split Newly issued Sudanese pounds have begun ​circulating in territory controlled by a paramilitary group fighting the national army, raising questions about the source of the ‌notes and potentially deepening the country's de facto division. The Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) - which cooperated with Sudan's armed forces before the two fell out and began fighting a war in April 2023 - now controls large swathes of the country, including the vast western #Darfur region. Last year, the RSF set up a parallel cabinet, known as the "Tasis" government, ​in areas under its control and has gradually sought to assume functions such as paying civil servant salaries. Control over Sudan's ​currency has been a point of contention since 2024, when the army-led government declared old Sudanese pounds invalid ⁠and began issuing new 500 and 1,000-.... https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/new-sudanese-notes-circulate-rsf-areas-deepening-de-facto-split-2026-06-25/

News: WHO study warns #Ethiopia's neighbor #South_Sudan at high risk of Ebola spillover A new modelling study by the World Health Organization (#WHO) has warned that Ethiopia's neighbor, South Sudan, faces a high risk of an Ebola spillover from the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (#DRC), with researchers estimating a 70% likelihood that the virus could spread into the country. The study, published on Thursday in The Lancet, identified South Sudan as the country most at risk after #Uganda, where the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus has already spread. Uganda has so far reported 20 confirmed cases, two confirmed deaths, and one probable death. Researchers attributed South Sudan's vulnerability to its fragile public health system, citing shortcomings in case management, contact tracing, infection prevention, safe burial practices, and cross-boarder...... https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0GnyLib11sgH62sY2ZNgqquwtdaZ8dbDHuyEWFq2xfwLDmMVr3HCZuw2krdE3vP5Bl

News: Only 30% of #Ethiopian households purchase toothpaste, new data shows Only about 30% of Ethiopian households purchased #toothpaste in the past year, while the remaining 70% did not buy the product at all, according to new data released by Worldpanel by Numerator. The findings suggest that toothpaste remains absent from the regular shopping habits of a majority of Ethiopian households, highlighting challenges in the adoption of preventive oral healthcare practices. According to the data, Ethiopia differs markedly from many other African markets, where toothpaste penetration typically exceeds 95% and is considered a staple household product. Worldpanel by Numerator said the low uptake appears to reflect not only limited consumption but also broader adoption barriers. Many households continue to rely on traditional oral care methods such as chewing sticks and miswak, while affordability constraints, limited availability in..... https://x.com/addisstandard/status/2070378922416423136?s=20

Military claims it has "neutralized 230 Fano fighters" in operations across #Gojjam and #SouthGondar as fighting continues in Ethiopia's #Amhara region. Watch the full report here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ24yIMVwWo #Ethiopia #Amhara #Gojjam #SouthGondar #Fano #Conflict #BreakingNews #AfricaNews #EthiopianNews

#ENDF says Al-Shabaab failed to breach #Ethiopia’s borders despite two decades of attempts; defense leaders meet #French Armed Forces commander in #Djibouti Senior Ethiopian defense officials told a visiting French military delegation that the militant group Al-Shabaab has failed to carry out an attack inside Ethiopia despite repeated attempts over the past two decades, according to the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF). The remarks came during discussions at the Defense General Headquarters between Ethiopian military leaders and a delegation led by Commander of the French Armed Forces in Djibouti, Major General Sébastien Vallette, who has been visiting Ethiopian defense institutions since 23 June. The talks focused on counter-terrorism cooperation, military training, health services, and technical support, ENDF said. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17K4Z8j7q8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

News: Young TikToker Bisle Omer sentenced to 5 years, 6 months as family says whereabouts unknown after hearing His lawyer, Ahmed-Yasin, told #Addis_Standard that the sentence was handed down following proceedings in #Jigjiga. However, a family member said relatives were neither informed of the hearing in time nor able to attend the session in court, adding that the family currently does not know where #Bisle is being held. “We don’t know his whereabouts,” the family member told Addis Standard, saying no member of the family was present during the court hearing in which the sentence was delivered. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57928

#Ethiopia: Amid persistent concerns over legitimacy, inclusivity, #National_Dialogue Commission unveils ‘eight agenda pillars’ for consultation forum The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (#ENDC) has officially unveiled ‘eight major thematic agenda pillars’ that will guide the national consultation forum, as concerns continue over the dialogue process's legitimacy, inclusivity, and the absence of key stakeholders, including actors from #Tigray. The agenda was announced yesterday by Chief Commissioner #Prof._Mesfin Araya and fellow commissioners during a ceremony attended by religious leaders, community elders, Abba Gadas, Hadha Sinqees, and representatives of various segments of society. According to the commission, the state-building pillar will address questions related to national identity, historical narratives, social cohesion, and the future direction of the Ethiopian state. https://addisstandard.com/?p=57921

#Sudan’s Burhan, #South_Sudan’s security chief discuss border security, stronger cooperation Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with South Sudan’s National Security Service Director General, General Akec Tong Aleu, in Khartoum on Thursday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing joint border security cooperation, according to a report by Sudan state media. The meeting was attended by the Director of Sudan’s General Intelligence Service, General Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal. Discussions focused on ways to develop cooperation between the two neighboring countries and advance shared interests across multiple sectors, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA reported. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aeGER3xdy/?mibextid=wwXIfr