The Ethiopian Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday the pardon of 178 military personnel who were sentenced up to death for their involvement in crimes committed during the Tigray conflict. The pardon was granted as part of an amnesty marking the Ethiopian New Year.
According to the ministry's statement, the individuals were convicted by military courts for abandoning their constitutional duties and committing serious offenses against both the military and the public. Following their convictions, they had been serving prison sentences.
The pardon was approved after formal requests for clemency were submitted and reviewed by the Amnesty Board, the statement added.
The Tigray conflict began in November 2020 when Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces attacked federal army bases, sparking a war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
The conflict subsided after peace agreements were signed in Pretoria and Nairobi in November of last year. By Sadik Kedir Abdu, Anadolu Agency
Some of the tents used by the survivors of the raging floods.[Rosa Agutu, Standard]
I slept a rich man, then woke up poor waiting for relief food,” Says 50-year-old Bashir Siyadh who lost all his investments during the floods. A parent’s dream is to at least provide the basic needs for their children; Food, shelter and clothing. What happens when such needs are not fulfilled? What does it do to a parent’s mind when you lose everything when just a few months ago you had a homestead, children going to school, healthy livestock, and healthy vegetables on the farm?
From sleeping in a warm bed to sleeping on mats in tents. From eating food from your farmto waiting for relief food. This shift can not only interfere with physical but mental wellness.
“I had wealth that I had accumulated for decades. I knew my future was secure but in a blink of an eye, I went from being financially comfortable to poor. Back to zero,” Says Bashir Siyadh.
We meet Bashir at Marafa village in Tana River County. He is seated with fellow men under a tree. He is among the residents who live in temporary shelters provided by the IOM International Organisation for Migration. Bashir had 150 goats and sheep and 51 cows left with 16 cows.
“I lost my livestock while crossing to the dry land during the floods. I lost others because I could not find a place to feed them, others died of diseases. My cows have a hard time conceiving or lose the pregnancies because of lack of food, and diseases,” he says
Bashir wishes he had sold his livestock.
“You know when everything happened, I was still in shock. Also trying to make sure everyone is safe but now when the shock is gone, I wish I had sold some of them and kept the money in the bank,” he says
Due to congestion, there was an outbreak of cholera.
“Since there’s no hospital nearby. Red Cross had to come with mobile hospitals to salvage the situation,” he says
“We just want our lives to go back to normal. Permanent houses and medicine for our livestock” says Bashir
Joe Mbalu, the Acting Secretary General in charge of Programmes at the Kenya Red Cross. [Rosa Agutu, Standard]
Education was also halted for 3 months. Right now the children go to school however, they still struggle because of a lack of food. Apart from livestock, the floods also affected farmers.
The long rains changed their lives. As the land dried, albeit still risky some of them have decided to go back to their farms and plant, saying, “We cannot wait for relief food. We have families to feed and life has to move on.”
We meet Athman Mohammed Jilo in Gala Mani, Tana River County. Athman also lives in temporary shelters provided by IOM International Organisation for Migration.
We find him near his tent. The Gala Mani temporary shelters are beside the road. Across the road and a few meters down at shore of river Tana is where most residents had their homes and farms.
Athman takes us to his farm, and along the way we see other residents also farming. They have started with maize. Before we reach Athman’s farm a bigger part of the area is covered with mango trees that provide unmatched shade and a slight economic boost when they sell the mangoes.
We finally reach Athman’s farm. He has planted maize and green grams.
“Before the floods, we used to use water pumps. Right now armyworms are our biggest challenge. I have lost two harvests because of the armyworms,” he says
Athamn says when the rains started they were grateful not knowing it would change their lives. Most of them were ready to harvest, but the floods washed away their hard work. They are requesting for farm tools and seeds.
Another resident is 72-year-old Grace Luwa. Luwa is seated with fellow women on a mat outside the temporary shelters.
“I had my vegetables on the farm, but everything was ruined by the floods. I have never struggled looking for food because I had everything I needed on my farm but things changed,” she says.
Bashir Siyadh, who lost all his investments. [Rosa Agutu, Standard]
Armyworms and wildlife are ruining their crops.
“The worms have ruined everything. Some hippos step on the maize and take us back to square one,” she says
Just like Bashir and Athman, Luwa says they do not want to rely on relief food, they want to be equipped so that they can fend for themselves.
“IOM has helped us with non-food items, and we are grateful. But we want to be assisted with pesticides, seeds and farming tools, the rest we can do for ourselves,” Says Luwa
Authorities
The Minister for Health in Tana River County, Joshua Kofa says the cholera outbreak was highly influenced by the congestion.
“We had isolation units. Cholera is a sign of bad sanitation, we partnered with the Ministry of Water, to transport clean water to those areas. We treated the wells and gave them tablets that treat drinking water,” he says
Kofa adds that they did rapid tests before announcing the outbreak. They also sensitized the masses on good sanitation.
A non-governmental organization built toilets made of iron sheets in the camps following the sanitation challenge.
Milka Karai, the Director of Service Delivery Unit in Tana River County says that their main agenda is to ensure the residents are safe.
“We have come up with measures to ensure the residents are aware of early warning signs of disasters. So that we save lives and property,” she says
Head of Programmes at IOM Kenya Sharif Faisal, says the plan is to look for longer-term solutions.
“We have a whole spectrum of stakeholders involved. We are working very closely with the county government. The governor has reached out to partner with IOM. The Tana River government has this cluster approach, where they plan to relocate vulnerable communities to higher ground and create permanent solutions for them; shelter, health facilities, and education. We are discussing with development partners to see what is possible.” He says
On finding permanent solutions, The County Government of Tana River has set aside land for relocating flood victims to higher grounds.
“This undertaking is very expensive because it means moving infrastructural investments like schools, health facilities, and water structures to the new areas. The people have now embraced the programme and slowly it is gaining traction. The County government and some partners have supported through the distribution of building materials and temporary shelter facilities for schools and health facilities and collapsible water tanks,” says County Secretary Mwajuma Hiribae
However, some residents are reluctant to move claiming they cannot farm in the highlands. Joe Mbalu, The Acting Secretary General in charge of Programmes at The Kenya Red Cross, says it’s very difficult to move communities, the decision has to come from them. However, they can farm in the riparian areas but live in the highlands where the cluster villages are.
“There are discussions because this will happen again. There are areas where they can go for farming but keep their families from those areas so that when floods come everyone is safe. We have activated warning protocols, where we monitor and give them real-time information,” he says
Mbalu says they monitor the levels of the monitor so that they can warn the communities in time. By Rosa Agutu, The Standard
China has offered to provide additional military aid and training to African countries as it seeks to strengthen its security ties in the face of multiple challenges on the continent. President Xi Jinping made this offer—which includes 1 billion yuan ($140.5 million) in military aid and training for 6,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers—during a speech marking the opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit on Thursday, September 5. Beijing will also invite 500 young military officers to China to participate in exercises and patrols with their African counterparts and assist in demining efforts, a major concern for some countries due to past and ongoing conflicts.
Details of the package and the countries that will benefit have not yet been announced, but the commitment contained more specifics than the one made at a previous summit in 2021, which included an offer to participate in security projects and joint training exercises on counterterrorism and peacekeeping. However, unlike in 2021, Xi did not mention efforts to control the spread of small arms.
China has intensified its military engagement with African countries in recent years as it competes for influence with the United States. Last year, its military diplomacy ranked Africa second only to Southeast Asia in terms of the number of "high-level" meetings, according to the Asia Society Policy Institute think tank. In recent months, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has participated in a series of exercises with African countries, including an anti-terrorism exercise with Tanzania and Mozambique last month.
China also took part in a naval exercise with Russia and South Africa earlier this year, which drew particular scrutiny due to South Africa's role as a strategic partner of the United States. China has long been a major destination for African military training, including for hundreds of senior commanders trained in PLA institutions. It was also the largest supplier of arms to sub-Saharan Africa between 2019 and 2023, providing 19% of total arms imports and narrowly surpassing Russia, which had long held the top spot and accounted for 17% of imports during this period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In addition to small arms, China is a major supplier of equipment such as drones, tanks, and armoured vehicles.
China's long-term focus on Africa means it does not view the continent solely as "a source of strategic resources," but it is also "trying to build political relationships and listen to the views and interests of African elites that were not a top priority for most Western countries." China's influence also has a security dimension, reflected in its military aid. Only now is the West seriously attempting to counter China’s influence by listening to Africa’s voice... The question is whether such efforts are too little, too late. China has provided some form of military aid to nearly every country on the continent as it seeks to strengthen ties and protect its economic interests.
At the end of August 2024, the PLA donated a new set of equipment—mainly howitzers and their accessories—to Benin, which has seen an increase in militant attacks as part of the broader Islamist insurgency across West Africa. Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, is also home to China's first overseas naval base, and PLA warships regularly participate in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.
Military support to Africa could be part of Beijing’s use of the Belt and Road Initiative to gain greater control and presence in geostrategically important regions. Defence News Army
A court case against the Belgian state for its racial policy in Congo has kicked off this week, with the legal complaint at its origins reported to be a historic first for Europe.
Five victims of racial segregation in Congo filed against the Belgian state in 2021 regarding its policies at the time of its colonial rule between 1908 and 1960.
The five women were born in Congo between 1946 and 1950 and assert that Belgium was guilty of crimes against humanity, seeking compensation for the suffering they endured as a result of their abduction and segregation and also asking for documentation on their origins and background.
The women were each born from a relationship between a Belgian man and a Congolese woman during the period when Congo was a Belgian colony.
They were taken from their families and taken to orphanages, like most children of mixed race relationships. These children were placed in Catholic missions in the Belgian Congo, but also in places such as Rwanda, far from their homes.
According to documents found in colonial archives, the abductions of such children were organised by Belgian officers, with the knowledge of the Church.
The five victims behind the 2021 complaint lost their case at first instance, with the court ruling that “however unacceptable it may be today, the policy of placing mixed-race children in religious institutions for racial reasons was not, between 1948 and 1961, considered by the Community of States to be a crime against humanity”.
As for the accusation that the Belgian state had “violated fundamental rights”, the court considered that the claimants' action, brought 60 years after the events, was outside a reasonable statute of limitations. The victims have since filed an appeal. The trial continues. By Helen Lyons, The Bulletin
The initiative will be launched at the first knife crime summit aimed at addressing what the prime minister has called a national crisis
LUTHER STAR Idris Elba will join Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at the first annual knife crime summit today (Monday September 9) to launch a new coalition aimed at tackling an issue that has been described as a ‘national crisis’.
The coalition, called the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, will involve campaign groups, families affected by knife crime, young people, as well as Elba’s Hope Foundation.
Solutions
It will collaborate with tech companies, sports organisations, the NHS, and the police with the aim of understanding the root causes of knife crime and developing solutions.
The government has said it hopes the coalition can help halve knife crime within the next decade.
Ahead of today’s summit, Elba expressed his support for the initiative as well as emphasising the need for long-term solutions that empower communities.
“We need to tackle the root causes of knife crime, not just the symptoms” said Elba. “The coalition is a positive step toward rehabilitating our communities from the inside out.”
Describing knife crime as a ‘national crisis, the prime minister will draw from his legal career as former Director of Public Prosecutions, where he witnessed its impact and reiterated the government’s promise to halve offences within a decade.
Devastating impact
Ahead of the meeting, he said: “As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw firsthand the devastating impact that knife crime has on young people and their families. This is a national crisis that we will tackle head on.
“We will take this moment to come together as a country – politicians, families of victims, young people themselves, community leaders and tech companies – to halve knife crime and take back our streets.”
Ministers are working on steps to tighten regulations on dangerous weapons which includes banning ninja swords as well as strengthening laws on online knife sales.
Commander Stephen Clayman, the national policing lead for knife crime, is conducting a rapid review to understand how knives are sold and delivered to under-18s online, aiming to close legal loopholes.
He will report to the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper by the end of the year. Clayman has warned that knives are too easily accessible and hopes to collaborate with the government, retailers, and the third sector to bring long-term change.
10-year plan
The coalition’s launch marks the first step in the government’s 10-year plan to tackle knife crime, aiming to keep Britain’s streets safe and build on the Home Office’s Young Futures programme to prevent youth violence.
The summit follows meetings in June, where Elba and Sir Keir spoke with families of knife crime victims.
Pastor Lorraine Jones told Sir Keir and Elba at the meeting that she saw her son, Dwayne Simpson, killed with ‘one jab wound’ that ‘went straight through his heart’.
She said: “We want to be around the table with you, because we do have the answers right now. We’ve got patrols, Idris, volunteers that are patrolling before school and after school, because we haven’t got enough police officers.
“We haven’t got enough people in the community, we are desperate. And the most brutal thing is we’re saying it’s becoming the norm. We don’t want it to become the norm.”
The actor also met the King to discuss reducing youth violence through the King’s Trust. Having benefited from a Prince’s Trust grant as a teenager, Elba launched his own initiative, Don’t Stop Your Future, which is calling for an immediate ban on zombie knives. Source: Voice Online
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