Metro

Ethiopia sets up committee to negotiate peace with Tigray rebel forces

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2022

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, has set up a committee to negotiate peace and a ceasefire with rebel forces from the northern region of Tigray, in what is seen as the first public confirmation of key steps towards peace negotations.

The committee which was set up on Tuesday by the government, is aimed at ending the nearly two-year conflict in Africa’s second-most populous nation which has killed thousands of civilians, displaced more than nine million people and plunged parts of the Tigray region into famine conditions.

Speaking to members of parliament during a special session, Abiy said:

“Regarding the peace … a committee has been established and it will study how we will conduct talks,” the first time he will be publicly referring to the body.

The committee which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, has 10 to 15 days to hammer out details of negotiations and submit to the government.

The move is also seen as the Ethiopian government’s best attempt at finding a lasting solution to the conflict since fighting erupted in Tigray in November 2020 and spilled over into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara last year.

The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, TPLF, a former rebel army which transformed into a political party, had dominated national politics for nearly three decades until Abiy’s appointment in 2018 reduced their rule to Tigray.

The TPLF has continued to accuse Abiy of wanting to centralise power at the expense of the regions, while he said they were seeking to regain national power.

The war between the national government forces and its allies and the Tigrayan forces has upset Abiy’s plans to modernise Ethiopia’s dwindling state-run economy with widespread reports of hunger, mass killings of civilians, sexual violence and allegations of ethnic cleansing.

Related Topics:Ethiopia Featured Negotiations Peace Tigray

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Metro

Finland-based Nigerians in panic as authorities search for Simon Ekpa’s sponsors

Published

4 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Some Nigerians based in Finland have been thrown into panic mode following the arrest and detention of the self-styled Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRIGE), Simon Ekpa, who was arrested on Thursday by Finnish authorities on terror-related charges.

Ekpa was arrested alongside four other individuals by Finnish authorities on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and financing terrorism.

The dissident had made himself infamous by using the social media to promote violent activities in southeastern Nigeria, including attacks and murder of civilians and security personnel.

According to some Nigerians in European country, following the arrest of the separatist leader and the four individuals suspected to be sponsors of his group known as IPOB-AutoPilots, the police have begun a manhunt for other sponsors, thus creating panic in the Nigerian community and those who may have had dealings with the agitator.

Several sources who spoke to journalists, said Nigerians in the European country are afraid of commenting on the arrest of Ekpa over fear of being attacked.

A Nigerian community leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said that the Igbo community in the was gravely affected by the violent acts of the secessionist group.

“Everyone is afraid to speak about Ekpa’s arrest. The key people in Finland and the Igbo community at large are not ready to lend their voices either,” he said.

He added that some persons were being accused of reporting Ekpa to the police and were being threatened.

“A particular person they accused now, they’re after him. This happened before he (Ekpa) was even remanded; what will happen when they imprison him? Everyone is afraid. These people are very deadly.”

Another Nigerian who spoke acknowledged that there was serious tension among Nigerians in the country.

“People don’t want to speak about Ekpa for fear of being hunted by his followers. We believe that they will hunt whoever comes out to talk about their leader. But the Finnish Government is trying to get rid of the situation.”

Metro

65% of Nigerian households lack money for healthy food—Survey

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that around 65% of Nigerian households, which is about two-thirds of the population, lack the financial means to eat healthy food.

According to the survey by the agency, the decline is a reflection of the multidimensional poverty in the country and the impact of continuous reduction in the purchasing power of Nigerians due to rising prices of goods and services.

And as a result, two-thirds of households in the country lack money to eat healthy, nutritious food, the NBS said.

Titled “Nigeria General Household Survey – Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024),” the survey examined demographics, education, and health trends in Nigeria, comparing data from Wave 4 (2018/19) and Wave 5 (2023/24).

On food insecurity, the survey stated:

“Approximately two out of three households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days.

“Similarly, 63.8 per cent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should.”

It added that between Waves 4 and 5, the proportion of households that reported being worried about not having enough food to eat because of lack of money increased significantly, from 36.9 percent to 62.4 percent.

On access to energy, the survey revealed said:

“82.2 percent of urban households have electricity, compared to 40.4 per cent in rural areas. Nigerian households face an average of 6.7 power blackouts weekly.

“Cooking typically involves traditional three-stone stoves (65.0 percent), primarily using wood as fuel (70.2 per cent), but with use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rising significantly.

“Many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water. Waste disposal is mostly informal, with 45.6 percent of households using bushes or streets,” it added.