Eritrea. Voices of Torture. (English version)

                  
Eritrea. Voices of Torture. (English version) from Fitewerari on Vimeo.

VIDEO: Election dispute leads to violence outside Battersea Ethiopian church

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in St Philip Street

Violence erupted at the re-consecration of a church as a long-running rift between rival worshippers saw a protest turn ugly.

Police arrested five people as the protest, which had begun on Saturday escalated to all out combat on Sunday outside the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in St Philip Street, Battersea

It is believed the dispute, ongoing for 10 months, is over the election of trustees to run the church.

The church closed in April this year to clear the air and was reconsecrated on the weekend by two bishops who flew over from Ethiopia.

             

Ethiopian utopian village goes against the grain

In the middle of Ethiopia, a country with strict religious and cultural mores, a village where women plough and men sew has become a model for development and poverty reduction.

For decades Western governments and NGOs have been trying to find ways to break the aid dependency that has dominated much of post-colonial Africa. So when Awra Amba, a small village of just under 500 inhabitants in northern Ethiopia, found a way, on its own, to reduce poverty and increase development, they sat up and paid attention.

Ethiopians urge Arsenal youngster to switch allegiance

Arsenal central midfielder Gedion Zelalem would be welcomed with open arms if he chooses to play for his parents' country of birth Ethiopia.

Zelalem, 16, is eligible to play for Germany and the United States as well as Ethiopia.

"Hi Gedion. Good to hear from you. We hope you will play for Ethiopia soon," Foreign Minister Adhanom Tedros tweeted the teenager on Sunday.

Tedros' post was a response to a tweet from Zelalem saying "Still proud" after the 'Walyas', named after an Ethiopian antelope, lost 2-1 to Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia's poor turn to the humble potato in quest for food security

Zenebech Yeman, 30, has benefitted from Concern's programme in her village of Dessie Zruia. Photograph: Jiro Ose/Concern Worldwide

To mark World Food Day, Elissa Jobson visits Ethiopia's Dessie Zuria district, where planting potatoes has transformed lives
Dessie Zuria is one of the most critically food insecure woredas (districts) in Ethiopia. About 90% of the population is dependent on rain-fed agriculture in the area, where drought is a perennial problem. The high altitude (upwards of 2,400m) restricts the crops that can be grown, and farmers have been reduced to growing a single staple – barley.

Is the Horn of Africa facing another collapsing state?

Eritrea's refugee crisis threatens to undermine the stability of the secretive country.

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The small country of Eritrea, only 20 years after gaining independence from Ethiopia, has emerged as one of the largest sources of refugees in Africa - as well as one of the most militarised societies in the world. It is increasingly displaying signs of withering state structures and an unsustainable humanitarian situation.
Although Eritrea is sometimes referred to as the North Korea of Africa, a more appropriate point of comparison may be Somalia and its descent into civil war. The already fragile security conditions in Eritrea's neighbouring states means that its collapse could have major implications for regional stability.

Ethiopia to build Africa's biggest geothermal power plant

Construction of the 1,000 MW Geothermal plant, expected to cost an estimated $4 billion, will be undertaken in two stages over an eight to 10 year period.

The agreement, which comes after US President Barack Obama announced the Power Africa Initiative in June, 2012, will see the construction of the geothermal plant in Corbetti Caldera.

Power Africa initiative seeks to add more than 10,000 MW of cleaner, more efficient electricity in six priority countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A recent exploration of Corbetti Caldera by team of Icelandic and Ethiopian geo-scientists identified the region as a rich geothermal resource site.

Corbetti was identified by USAID as a priority transaction that could showcase the Power Africa model, by combining private sector expertise and investments with US government tools to mitigate risk and build local government expertise.