Metro

Ethiopia/Tigray crisis: Rebels agree to respect government ‘unilateral truce’

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2022

Rebels from the Tigray region in Ethiopia said they will respect the cessation of hostilities declared by the Ethiopian government, saying it was to allow aid to flow into Tigray.

Ethiopia’s government on Thursday declared an immediate, unilateral truce in its conflict with rebellious Tigrayan forces to allow aid into the northern province, although it was not clear how it would enforce it.

A ceasefire or truce is “a suspension of acts of violence by military and paramilitary forces, usually resulting from the intervention of a third party. It signals an attempt to reach a more comprehensive and permanent settlement of an armed conflict. Ceasefires can be unilateral: a party can declare a ceasefire without seeking a ceasefire from the other side as the Ethiopian government has declared.

“The government of Tigray will do everything it can do to make sure this cessation of hostilities is a success,” the regional Tigrayan government said in a statement.

The Tigray Region is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama people. Formerly known as Region 1, its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is the fifth-largest by area, the fifth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states in Ethiopia. 96 per cent of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian.

War broke out between Tigray’s rulers – the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – and the central government led by Abiy, in November 2020. Since the outbreak of the war, which began in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) and then spread to the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar, has been marked by numerous allegations of abuses on both sides.

United Nations rights chief, Bachelet raised alarm in February at the growing human rights and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. She said the 16-month conflict between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, has spread into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.

According to the UN, since mid-February humanitarian operations had to relocate to serve the needs of more than four hundred thousand displaced civilians.

Report says fighting in the Afar region has so far prevented convoys carrying food aid and fuel from delivering the supplies since the only operational road between Semera, the capital of Afar, and Mekele, the capital of Tigray was blocked.

Metro

‘Cyber Act fails to protect the vulnerable,’ Student demands media inclusivity for persons with disabilities

Published

5 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Peter Libila, a student at Icof University’s Chipata campus, highlights the lack of awareness among individuals with disabilities and those residing in rural areas about their digital rights, resulting in limited access to media platforms for free expression.

Libila underscored the marginalization of people with disabilities in discussions on community development, leading to their exclusion from voicing their perspectives.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Eastern Province, Libila discussed the discrimination and stigma faced by individuals with disabilities in the media landscape.

Read More: Differently-abled person speaks on challenges impacting freedom of expression in rural areas

“Persons with disabilities are often overlooked when it comes to community developments,” he emphasized.

Moreover, as someone with a physical disability, Libala pointed out shortcomings in the Cybersecurity Act which failed to adequately address online barriers to freedom of expression.

“The act fails to ensure online safety for all; it only offers protection to certain groups while neglecting others,” he asserted.

He stressed the importance of bridging these gaps to foster inclusivity within the media.

“There’s a lack of sign language interpreters in most media outlets, which poses challenges for the deaf community,” he observed.

Libila also emphasized the necessity of providing braille reading materials and writing tools for individuals who are blind.

“Even basic resources like braille books are often unavailable for the blind,” he lamented.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.

Metro

All my tough policy decisions are in Nigerians’ interest— Tinubu

Published

9 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has insisted that all his tough policy decisions and reforms have been taken with the interest of Nigerians at heart.

Tinubu, who made the assertion in Hague, The Netherlands, during the business session of the bilateral meeting with the Dutch team led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, insisted that though some of the policies had brought hardship on Nigerian masses, he was not afraid to implement more of such policies as they would yield positive results in the end.

“I am a determined leader of my people. I am ever ready to take tough decisions in the best interest of the people, even if with initial pains,” Tinubu said.

“I have and will continue to take the difficult decisions that will benefit our people, even if there is short-term pain.

“We have gone through the worst of the storms. I am unafraid of the consequences once I know that my actions are in the best long-term interests of all Nigerians.

“The Nigerian naira is one of the world’s best-performing currencies today.

“We took the necessary risk, and all resilient Nigerians kept faith with us.

“They will be rewarded, and the reward will only be greater as we partner effectively with you on new opportunities for development.

“As leaders, we must make decisions for the benefit of our nations, and we cannot shy away from that.”

The President also noted that symbiotic economic ties remain the best long-term path to sustainable and mutual prosperity rather than one-sided relationships in which bilateral trade is skewed too much in one direction.