CONFLICT IN ETHIOPIA THREATENS REGIONAL STABILITY
Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael has confirmed his forces’ bombing of the Eritrean city of Asmara, as the conflict in the northern region of Ethiopia continues to escalate. While he did not say how many missiles were fired, he did say his troops were fighting both Eritrean and Ethiopian forces on “several fronts” along the Ethiopian…
16 SEPTEMBER ’20 | PRAY FOR SUDAN
Dear prayer partners, Record-breaking floods across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states, have devastated the country. Torrential rain for almost a month in Sudan, and neighbouring Ethiopia, has seen the Nile River reach extreme levels. The floods have impacted more than 500,000 people, destroyed more than 100,000 homes, and to date have left about 102 people…
SUDAN SIGNS HISTORIC PEACE DEAL WITH REBEL ALLIANCE
On Monday 31 August, Sudan’s power-sharing government and leaders from five rebel groups made a significant step towards reconciliation when they signed a peace agreement, aimed at ending 17 years of conflict in Darfur. The final draft of the agreement covers issues of land ownership, power-sharing, transitional justice, and the dismantling of rebel factions. The…
SUDAN SCRAPS ALCOHOL AND APOSTASY LAWS, ABOLISHES FLOGGING
After more than three decades of Islamist rule, Sudan has passed reforms that include allowing non-Muslims to drink alcohol and abolishing the apostasy law. Under the apostasy law, any person who renounced Islam could face the death penalty. The reforms were approved in April 2020 but have now come into effect. Among the new laws…
8 JULY ’20 | PRAY FOR ETHIOPIA
Dear prayer partners, On Monday 29 June, on the southern outskirts of Addis Ababa, Hachalu Hundessa, a famous Ethiopian musician, and an Oromo rights activist was gunned down. His body was rushed to the nearby Tirunesh Beijing General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His death sent shockwaves across the country, specifically in…
RESOLUTION OF RENAISSANCE DAM DISPUTE VITAL FOR REGIONAL SECURITY
On 26 June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his position as Chairperson of the African Union (AU), convened a special video-teleconference meeting to discuss developments pertaining to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Thereafter, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on forming an African Union-sponsored committee of legal and technical experts from the three countries…
SEASON OF DISCONTENT: PROTESTS FLARE AROUND THE WORLD
By Andrew Richards, Alex Pollock and Donnelly McCleland Protests have flared around the world in 2019. Each has had its own trigger, but many of the underlying frustrations are similar. According to Declan Walsh and Max Fisher (New York Times): “In many of the restive countries, experts discern a pattern: a louder-than-usual howl against elites…
SLOW AND STEADY PROGRESS TOWARDS A NEW SUDAN
By Donnelly McCleland Sudan’s hard-won transition to civilian rule has fallen behind schedule just days after the new prime minister delayed the formation of the first government since veteran leader Omar al-Bashir was removed. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a seasoned United Nations economist who faces the daunting task of rescuing his country’s moribund economy, was…
SUDAN MILITARY COUNCIL, OPPOSITION REACH POWER-SHARING AGREEMENT
5 JULY 2019 (SOURCE: AL JAZEERA) – Sudan’s ruling military council and the opposition coalition have reached an agreement to share power during a transition period leading to elections, an African Union (AU) mediator announced on Friday. The two sides, which have held talks in Khartoum for the past two days, agreed to “establish a sovereign council by…
