Horn of Africa

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed Mamo Mihretu as the country’s new central bank governor, Abiy’s office said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday. The statement did not give any more details. Mamo has worked as chief executive officer of state-run Ethiopia Investment Holdings and a senior …

Islamist al Shabaab militants on Friday killed five soldiers at a Somali military base in a town recently re-captured by the government, troops and residents said. “The attack was eventually repelled,” Reuters agency quoted an officer at the base in the central Somali town of Galcad as saying. He said …

Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain, Lionel Messi has joined a campaign to help visually impaired Ethiopians. In a social media post, the football star said he was honoured to team up with assistive devices company OrCam to donate visual aids to Ethiopians. Impaired vision is one of the main public health …

Two high profile inmates have escaped after spraying chilli powder in the eyes of guards escorting them back to prison in south – western Ethiopian town of Alaba, local media reported. They were two of four who made the bid to break free. “Out of four inmates who escaped, one …

Sudan’s former civilian ruling coalition and the military junta are expected to sign a framework agreement aimed at restoring a civilian-led democratic transition, local media reported. The Forces for Freedom and Change – Central Council (FFC-CC) says the agreement will end the military coup and establish a new constitution that …

Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan early next year, the Vatican said on Thursday, after having to cancel a scheduled trip to the two countries in July because of health problems., Reuters reported The Vatican said Francis would go to Congo from Jan. 31 …

Ethiopia’s Government Communication Service Minister Legese Tulu has said that all forces fighting in the Tigray region who are not part of the federal army will withdraw as soon as the Tigrayan rebels disarm. Amhara and Afar regional forces, as well as Eritrean troops, have been fighting alongside the federal …

United Nations agencies said on Thursday that two-thirds of South Sudan’s population could face severe food shortages during the lean season from April to July next year due to floods, drought and conflicts. The shortages are worse than what the country experienced at the height of a civil war in …

Peace talks aimed at ending two years of war between the Ethiopian army and Tigray rebels started in South Africa on Tuesday and will end on Sunday, the South African government said. At stake is an opportunity to end a conflict that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds …

At least nine people were killed and 47 injured in an attack carried out on Sunday for more than six hours by radical Al-Shabab Islamists in a hotel in the city of Kismayo, in southern Somalia. This large port city is the latest hit by the resurgence of violent actions …