Politics

Ethiopian Airlines terminates its service to Eritrea

Published

4 months ago

September 3, 2024

Ethiopian Airlines announced on Tuesday that due to a frozen bank account, it had halted flights to neighbouring Eritrea.

Mesfin Tasew, the CEO of the airline, announced at a press conference that money transfers from Ethiopian Airlines’ bank account in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, had been banned by the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority.

At the end of this month, Eritrea had already declared that it would stop all Ethiopian Airlines flights.

Following a peace agreement and the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two neighbours, which earned Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize the following year, flights from Ethiopia to Eritrea were restored in 2018 after a 20-year hiatus.

“We couldn’t continue in such a situation and we have decided to suspend the flight as of today,” Mesfin said.

Ethiopian carriers had stated in a statement late on Monday that they would attempt to provide refunds or rebook impacted passengers on other carriers at no additional cost.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Ethiopia is the biggest airline in Africa in terms of both revenue and profit.

Sources quoted by Reuters claimed the flight suspension indicated that Asmara and Addis’s relations had seriously deteriorated, but that a war was unlikely at this time.

When a two-year conflict broke out over their disputed boundary, the two nations cut their diplomatic ties in 1998.

In the battle that broke out in November 2020, Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia against forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray area. However, the relationship deteriorated again when Asmara was left out of the peace negotiations that put an end to the conflict two years later, and because some of Eritrea’s troops stayed in Tigray.

A request for the response was not immediately answered by Yemane Gebremeskel, the Eritrean Minister of Information.

Related Topics:Eritrea Ethiopia Featured

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.