Twitter has suspended several activists who have expressed concerns about the media’s coverage of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. Using #NoMore as their rally cry, the activists have been condemning outlets such as BBC and CNN for allegedly vilifying the Ethiopian and Eritrean government and supporting the opposing group, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front

The TPLF, according to the activists, is to blame for the ongoing war in Ethiopia.

Activist Simon Tesfamariam is among those who has been suspended on Twitter.

A Twitter spokesperson said Simon is suspended for violations of rules “including our platform manipulation and spam policy”.

“This includes the creation of multiple accounts to post duplicative content and create fake engagement, and the operation of fake accounts,” the spokesperson told VOA News.

Simon’s supporters are speaking out against Twitter.

“”We have reason to believe that Twitter is targeting and suspending pro-Ethiopia voices that are raising awareness about the TPLF’s atrocities and its lies .  .  We believe Twitter has been infiltrated by TPLF sympathizers in the same manner that many democratic institutions and corporate spaces have also been infiltrated to provide a TPLF narrative,” — Abiy’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum

“He deserves accolades, among others, for his meticulous research and balanced reports (New Africa Institute) to counter mainstream media disinformation stemming from political bias” — Eritrean government spokesman Yemane Gebremeskel supports Simon.

The war in Ethiopia broke out in November 2020. Abiy sent troops into the country’s northernmost Tigray region to topple the TPLF. Abiy said he launched the operation in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.

Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers have since been accused of massacres and mass rape in Tigray. Others say TPLF has committed similar crimes in neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.

The post Twitter Suspends Ethiopian And Eritrean Activists appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

Channel 4 News correspondent Jamal Osman travelled to Tigray, Ethiopia and spoke to the women who have been raped and tortured by soldiers amid the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

The video captures the testimonies he heard from the victims and from caretakers in the region.

“Almost all of them they tell you that they are raped by soldiers victims of rape” — sister Mulu, healthcare professional at a clinic in Tigray.

 Osman: How many patients have you seen roughly?

“Roughly 260 …in this clinic alone. They don’t knowing the person who raped them . . . They acquire many diseases like HIV, like hepatitis.”  

“A friend and I were coming home to wash our utensils. Suddenly they came. She saw them first and they shot her. She died immediately. I was trying to see if she was OK because I thought she stumbled and fell. Then one of them slapped me. Then they raped me and left.” — victim.

“There is no transportation. They come by themselves to walk. After three days, after four days after a week, they become very angry. They haven’t have any clothes. They are migrants. They haven’t had any (money).” — Sister Mulu

“There is no police service, there is no court. Every person is doing as they want.” — Sister Mulu

“This client was already pregnant. On top of that, she was raped and she was also hit by that gun … she told us she was raped for three days being locked in a house by one of the soldiers and she came to us bleeding.” — caretaker

“He was following me as I climbed the Mesobo hill. I was alone. Then he took me to a house and locked me up. He raped me for four days in a row. Suddenly he went out without closing the door to wash his feet. I tried to escape, but he shot me in the abdomen with a gun. When I started bleeding he called one of his friends to come get me.” — 19-year-old girl

“They were Eritrean soldiers, speaking Tigrinya who wore the government’s military uniform. We were six women drinking coffee. They pushed the door and entered. 30 soldiers who raped us. Five of them, for each one of us. They were even joking around. They were taking pictures of us. One of us was a virgin. I don’t know where they took her.” — victim

The post 260 Rape Victims Reported To Clinic In Tigray, Ethiopia appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

A CNN Investigation has revealed details of a November massacre in Tigray, Ethiopia.

According to witnesses,  Eritrean soldiers started the attack at Maryam Dengelat church, killing hundreds of congregants who were celebrating a holiday.

And the killing continued for three more days throughout the neighborhood, residents told CNN.

People were dragged from their homes. A pregnant woman was shot. Some were reportedly shot in the face,
left completely unrecognizable.

And many more horrific stories were told.

“Their hands were tied … young children … we saw them everywhere. There was an elderly man who had been killed on the road, an 80-something-year-old man. And the young kids they killed on the street in the open. I’ve never seen a massacre like this and I don’t want to [again].”

“They were ordering their mothers to tie their sons’ hands. They were taking them barefoot and killing them in front of their mothers.”

One newly-wed woman said her husband was shot and killed in her arms.

“I was holding Bini, he wasn’t dead … I thought he was going to survive, but he died [in my arms].”

The conflict in Northern Ethiopia has been ongoing since November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military operation against the party that governs the Tigray region.

Abiy accused the TPLF of attacking a government military base and trying to steal weapons. Eritrea is accused of siding with Abiy and carrying out most of the attacks against Tigrayans.

The post Massacre At Maryam Dengelat church In Tigray, Ethiopia appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

The United Nations Population Fund in Ethiopia is leading an effort to help women and girls in conflict regions who are vulnerable to sexual violence and maternal complications while also lacking menstrual supplies. UNFPA Ethiopia, which has been promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country since 1973, is now striving to provide vital resources to the vulnerable groups in the areas impacted by war.

The effort is especially focused on the Tigray region, where a longstanding political dispute in Ethiopia escalated to violence in recent months and disrupted the life of thousands.

“Access to lifesaving assistance, such as dignity and post-rape kits, treatment to prevent HIV and STI transmission and psychosocial support is much-needed in Tigray region and affected areas,” the agency stated. “UNFPA is ready to deliver all these commodities to IDPs and refugees.”

According to the UNFPA, at least $ 5.1 M is needed to address maternal and reproductive health needs of women and girls in the impacted areas.

The humanitarians are also striving to help women who are lacking menstrual supplies while fleeing for safety and living as refugees.

“UNFPA calls for access to all areas in the Tigray region and the surrounding areas to address the humanitarian situation and provide much-needed aid of dignity and reproductive health kits,” the agency stated.

UNFPA Ethiopia has also partnered with Save the Children in Ethiopia to provide reproductive health kits for clean birth deliveries.

The agency said much-needed menstrual hygiene supplies were handed to the Ministry of Health Ethiopia, which has the responsibility of delivering the items.

“Full access to all humanitarian actors is crucial for life-saving supplies to those affected by the crisis,” UNFPA stated.

In a statement on Jan. 21, the Ministry of Health said it has deployed teams of different health professionals to Tigray while medicines and medical supplies worth 71 million birr have been sent to Pharmaceutical supply agency hubs in the region.

“In addition to deploying essential medicines and medical supplies, technical and financial support including ambulances to restore the continuity of essential services in health facilities is being provided,” the department said. “Outreach and surveillance activities in the community and mobile clinic services are also being deployed in collaboration with health sector partners.”

UN official Pramila Patten said the agency has received serious reports of large-scale sexual violence, particularly around Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

“There are also disturbing reports of individuals allegedly forced to rape members of their own family, under threats of imminent violence,” Patten said in a statement. “Some women have also reportedly been forced by military elements to have sex in exchange for basic commodities, while medical centers have indicated an increase in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections, which is often an indicator of sexual violence in conflict.”

In addition, Patten said reports of sexual violence are increasing in refugee camps.

“Patten calls on all parties involved in the hostilities in the Tigray region to commit to a ZERO-TOLERANCE policy for crimes of sexual violence,” the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict stated.

Focusing on women who lack access to delivery and emergency obstetric care services, the UNFPA said its working with partners to ensure that no women die while delivering.

Azeb Gebresilassie Tesema, a health system researcher and academic who has been working at Mekelle University since 2010, said “war disproportionately affects women and girls as they can be subjected to sexual violence and abuse.”

“There have been reports of women being raped in the capital city of Tigray, Mekelle,” Tesema wrote in a recent article. “Such violence could be worse in rural and other towns of Tigray. Furthermore, the traumatic events of the past two months would undoubtedly result in mental health and psychosocial problems.”

The post UN: Post-Rape Kits, Maternal Care, Menstrual Supplies Critical In Tigray appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

The post ABC News: Ethiopia’s war displaces more than 40,000 people appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed released a statement on Monday to address world leaders who are becoming increasingly concerned about escalating political tensions in the country. Posting his statement on Twitter, the prime minister said the military attack he ordered in the Tigray region is aimed at bringing peace.

“Ethiopia is grateful for friends expressing their concern. Our rule of law operation is aimed at guaranteeing peace and stability once and for all by bringing perpetrators of instability to justice,” Abiy said.

Addressing the country last week, Abiy said the military operation was in response to violations from leaders in the Tigray region, who allegedly orchestrated an attack on a military base and attempted to steal military equipment. Wednesday’s airstrike destroyed heavy weapons in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, and stopped retaliatory attacks, Abiy said.

In the days following Wednesday’s attack, world leaders have expressed concerns about the potential of a civil war which could lead to further chaos in the country.

But Abiy has deflected the global apprehension.

“Concerns that Ethiopia will descend into chaos are unfounded and a result of not understanding our context deeply,” Abiy said on Monday. “Our rule of law enforcement operation, as a sovereign state with the capacity to manage its own internal affairs, will wrap up soon by ending the prevailing impunity.”

Concerns that Ethiopia will descend into chaos are unfounded & a result of not understanding our context deeply.Our rule of law enforcement operation, as a sovereign state with the capacity to manage its own internal affairs, will wrap up soon by ending the prevailing impunity2/2 pic.twitter.com/YMaRbhfFOw

— Abiy Ahmed Ali (@AbiyAhmedAli) November 9, 2020

The prime minister’s spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, added to Abiy’s statement.

“Entities perpetuating a narrative of demise for a rule of law operation is not only detached from context but amounts to inciting chaos where none exists,” she said. “Conflict entrepreneurs need not be championed to gain from Ethiopia’s internal affairs.”

U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren is one of several public officials who has expressed concerns about the situation in Ethiopia.

“I am alarmed at the violence in Ethiopia. Its leaders must deescalate immediately, ensure humanitarian access to civilians in Tigray, and enter into an inclusive dialogue that protects the rights of all citizens to participate in free and fair elections,” Warren said.

I am alarmed at the violence in Ethiopia. Its leaders must deescalate immediately, ensure humanitarian access to civilians in Tigray, and enter into an inclusive dialogue that protects the rights of all citizens to participate in free and fair elections. https://t.co/Uhe4Ynb4mC

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 9, 2020

The issue of fair elections has been one of the factors contributing to the country’s rising tensions in recent months. According to the Associated Press, the dispute escalated in September when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front held an unauthorized local election, defying the federal government.

The British Embassy in Ethiopia joined the call for peace last week, saying “we urge all sides to keep civilians safe.”

Pope Francis also went to Twitter to share his worries.

“I am following with concern the news arriving from Ethiopia,” he said. “While I urge that the temptation of an armed conflict be rejected, I invite everyone to prayer and to fraternal respect, to dialogue and to a peaceful end to the disagreements.

According to The New York Times, the United Nations said the government has blocked airspace and roads in the area of the conflict, making it difficult for people in the region to access humanitarian relief. About nine million people are at “high risk” of being affected by the violence, “which could potentially lead to massive displacements within and outside of Ethiopia”, the UN stated.

Sajjad Mohammad, the head of the United Nations’ humanitarian office in Ethiopia, said the region was already suffering from bread and fuel shortages before the conflict.

“There are almost two million people who receive some kind of humanitarian aid in Tigray,” Mohammad told The Times. “If supply lines close, that number could grow even further.”

With internet and telephone networks in Tigray also blocked, families around the world are unable to reach their loved ones.  

“I can’t call my family and check if they’re okay or what is happening. There is no way of knowing what is happening in Tigray!” a Twitter user wrote.

Journalist Thomas van Linge said “the radio silence surrounding is very concerning.”

“There are reports of dozens of soldiers killed yet there are no announcements, no footage of fighting, no journalists on the ground,” he wrote. “This war is being fought in the dark.”

The post Abiy Ahmed Responds To Global Pressure appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

Police: Hamdi Mohamed Farah, 19, was allegedly gang raped, thrown off a six-story building and killed in Mogadishu, Somalia. Eleven suspects have been arrested. 

“We have arrested 11 people over the recent rape case in Wabari neighborhood in Mogadishu and efforts to track and identify other suspects are ongoing,” police stated.

Fight For Justice

“There is no justice in the country. Our people are killed. We need justice.” — family of Farah.

“The Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development is outraged by the reported gang-rape and murder of 19-year-old Mohamed Farah in Waberi district of Mogadishu on (Sept. 11). The Ministry condemns this horrendous crime in the strongest terms possible.” — Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development.

“Rape & sexual offenses against women are acts that have recently become rampant in our society. We have to collectively confront this kind of crime and reject it with one voice,” — Abdirahman Abdishakur, leader of the Wadajir Party in Somalia.

“I and other religious leaders are demanding of the government that it should conduct a serious investigation into this rape case – Hamdi and her family need justice.” — Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Salad, chairman of Somalia’s religious council.

“The rising cases of gruesome rape and killing of our young girls and boys is not only unacceptable but shameful. These incidents are heinous and are against our Islamic and human rights law.” — Ilyas Ali Hassan, Somali senator.

“In Somalia, I am alarmed by an increase in reports of sexual violence against women, girls and boys, with minimal investigation.” —  Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“Time To Tackle Sexual Abuse”

“In the Horn of Africa and elsewhere the daily litany of human wrongs involving crimes of sexual abuse and domestic violence is both shocking and utterly depressing . . . the vast majority of crimes that involve sexual assault and domestic violence go largely unreported. Whilst concrete evidence is hard to come by, enough is known to understand that the problem is widespread, and all too often not taken seriously by communities and multiple agencies . . . ” — Somaliland Current.

Somaliland Current Identifies Key Factors Compounding Issue of Sexual Assault

1. Survivors feel that they must suffer in silence, fearing the possibility of bringing shame to their family by speaking out. Perpetrators take advantage of this stigma and continue to violate girls.

“A family or community’s desire to protect its supposed goodname leads to a conspiracy of silence . . .  primary consideration should be about protecting the victim and safeguarding others who might fall prey to acts of sexual violence and domestic abuse.”

2. Many survivors in Africa are located in remote areas, where support services are difficult to access. Rape often goes unreported in remote areas.

“Individuals are extremely vulnerable in remote camps, or in situations where they are required to venture off in search of firewood and water.”

3. Police Lack Training Needed To Handle Crimes Of Sexual Assault. The officers, who are mostly men, aren’t comfortable to talk about sensitive subjects such as rape.

Somalia Sees Increase In Sex Crimes In recent months

Via VOA– Two soldiers in Somalia were executed last month after they confessed to raping an 11-year-old boy, authorities said. Liban Hassan Amin, 29, and Farhan Abdulkadir Abdi, 23, were held at a detention center, before a 14-member security council approved their execution.

March 29 — Two girls, ages 3 and 4, abducted and raped in a field, needed multiple surgeries after suffering injuries during the attack. 

April 7— Two females, ages 30 and 13, were raped while returning to their rural village. 

May 14 — a 4-year-old girl was raped in the capital, Mogadishu. Officials described the assault as a brutal attack.

Sources:

https://www.somaliaffairs.com/news/four-suspects-in-custody-over-gruesome-rape-and-murder-of-somali-woman/#

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-11-held-for-rape-murder-of-teen-student/1974491

https://www.voanews.com/africa/2-somali-soldiers-executed-firing-squad-rape-boy

The post Say Her Name: Hamdi Mohamed Farah appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

Some expressed their voices from Ethiopia, urging people of different ethnic groups to work together for solutions and to remember the beauty in the country’s diversity. Others came together in places such as Washington DC and London, waving the Ethiopian flag and singing songs to promote harmony.

The post Ethiopians Call For Unity After Violence Brings Destruction appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.