Metro

Two killed as protest over water shortage in Ethiopia turns bloody

Published

1 year ago

February 18, 2023

Two people have been reportedly killed with scores injured as a protest over water shortages in the southern Ethiopian town of Welkite turned bloody after security forces shot teargas and opened fire on protesters, witnesses say.

The protest on Friday started in the morning by a group of elderly women holding jerry cans after searching endlessly to no avail, before they were joined by other residents, gradually swelling to thousands of people.

A resident of the region, Adane Kifle, who spoke to journalists after the protest was quelled, said the security forces told people to sit down after talking with some protesters.

“When we sat down, we couldn’t really make out what was being said and they were not sharing any information with us. It was in this situation, as I was in the front, that they tear gassed us,” Adane said.

A surgeon at the Welkite University Referral Hospital, Dr Behailu Dego, also confirmed the death of two protesters who were shot and died on arrival at the hospital.

“All of the injuries were from bullet wounds. The sad part is that we don’t have any blood banks in the area,” Dego said.

“There were another 4 or 5 people who have had bullets wounds in their arms and legs,” the doctor said.

But the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement, put the death toll at three and said at least 30 people had sustained injuries due to bullet wounds.

Welkite, a town of about 70,000, and the capital of the Gurage zone, has been plagued by water shortages for months amid the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, according to local media reports.

Related Topics:Deaths Ethiopia Featured Protest Water Shortages

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Metro

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

Published

10 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

14 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.