World News, Africa

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rival Riek Machar to meet in Addis Abeba

The IGAD Special Envoys to the South Sudan Mediation Process announce that H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) and Dr. Riek Machar, Former Vice President-turned-rebel-leader are set to meet in Addis Abeba on Friday, May 9th 2014.

 This will mark the first face-to-face meeting between President Kiir and rebel leader Machar since the eruption in December 2013 of South Sudan’s civil war that claimed the lives of thousands of South Sudanese. According to a statement from the regional mediator IGAD, the two are set to meet “in accordance with the invitation extended” by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, who is the current Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly.

World News, Africa

Police given ten more days to investigate Ethiopian journalists, bloggers under custody

Mahlet Fasil

A court in Addis Abeba today granted the police investigating the case of three independent journalists and six bloggers ten more days before the next hearing.

According to defense lawyer Amha Meokonnen, the police have submitted an application for no-bail at the Arada First Instance Court, First Bench claiming the investigation was a serious matter.

No charges were brought as of yet but the police have said the detainees have more collaborators who may help them to escape the country. The police have also said they were yet to finish confiscating equipments belonging to detainees including computers and printed documents, and they were yet to have some of the documents translated from English to Amharic.

World News, Africa

President of Chamber of Commerce declines running for second term

“I believe my candidacy won’t be as much effective as leaving the Chamber [now]”: Mulu Solomon

Kiram Tadesse

Mulu Solomon, the first female President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, says she will not stand for the second term in the upcoming presidential election of the Chamber scheduled to take place tomorrow.