Forum for Ethiopian Scholars & Professionals (FESP) 11th Conference Report

April 14, 2022 The 11th Conference of the Forum for Ethiopian Scholars and Professionals (FESP) which was organized in partnership with the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) of the Addis Ababa University, was completed. It was organized in a colloquium form and held virtually on March 12 and 19, 2022. A total of eight papers were presented by established academics. The colloquium dealt with the Government’s proposed Ethiopian National Dialogue. It aimed at providing an independent and research-driven inputs to the Commission (Proclamation No. 1265-2021). The selection of speakers was based on (i) the response obtained from two rounds of calls…

Notes from Wartorn Ethiopia

Internally Displaced Person camp in Ethiopia (Photo: Jemal Countess) BAR Contributing Editor Ann Garrison reports from Ethiopia. I’m writing from Ethiopia, where the war that began in November 2020 continues, with the US backing their former puppet, the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), who ruled…

Abiy Ahmed is a pathological liar

Bruck Kebede Exactly one year since the start of the war in Tigray and more than three years into his tenure as Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the entire world has a much better insight into the character of Abiy Ahmed. The fever of “Abiymania,”…

The Forgotten Conflict in Ethiopia: Afar’s Northern Communities

By: Ann Fitz-Gerald, Ph.D. Apr 12, 2022 The world, for the most part, has forgotten the Afar. From a western perspective, the geography makes the job easier. The sheer geographical remoteness of the northern communities of Ethiopia’s Afar Regional State, and the vast arid distance between this northern mountainous area and the stretch of the region’s lower ground to the south, has seemingly isolated it from the Tigray conflict. But the region is very much a victim of the war. The regional capital, Samara, is challenged even to provide basic services to communities including communications, banking and electricity.  Because of their…

Kotryna Zukauskaite

The Cold War Never Ended

By Stephen Kotkin/FA Does anyone have a right to be surprised? A gangster regime in the Kremlin has declared that its security is…

The End of the Middle East

By Marc Lynch / Foreign Affairs In early December 2021, the Ethiopian government pulled off a dramatic reversal in its yearlong civil war with rebels from the Tigray region. Armed with a new…

Art

Ethiopia: Civil War to Blame for Surge in Online Sales of Ethiopian Artifacts

By Azeb-Tadesse Hahn/DW Experts have noticed a surge in online sales of Ethiopian artifacts. They fear these relics could have been looted during Ethiopia’s ongoing civil war. Many Ethiopians were shocked when the news spread that Ethiopian antiquities can be bought on the online marketplace eBay, as well as on other trading sites. The items listed for sale included centuries-old scrolls and Christian Orthodox bibles, often offered at below-market prices. One antique manuscript cost just €688 ($754). Manuscript expert Hagos Abrha Abay, an Ethiopian academic based in Germany, was one of the first to draw attention to the eBay listings…

Sport

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Ethiopian Athlete, Geleta Ulfata, Wins Lagos City Marathon

Dagne Siranesh Yirga, was the first woman to cross the finish line at two hours 33 minutes and 50 seconds. An Ethiopian, Geleta Ulfata, has emerged winner of the 2022 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. Ulfata defeated about 300 participants on Saturday morning to win the 42km race. He went away with the grand prize of $30,000 (N12.5million). He crossed the finish line at two hours 11 minutes and 54 seconds, Access bank said in a tweet. Ulfata bested Kenya’s David Barmasai and Emmanuel Naibei, who finished second and third, respectively and will go home with $20,000…