Villagers describe ‘massacre’ in Amhara region

The villagers in Antsokiya-Gemeza woreda of North Shoa Zone lowered 51 bodies into a mass grave on Saturday. Fifteen of the dead were young girls and boys and ten of them elderly women. The rest were men. All had been…
The city of Dire Dawa prepares for a coronavirus surge

As two confirmed cases have appeared in the city, officials and residents have begun to brace for the possibility of a widespread outbreak. There is growing anxiety in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia’s third-largest city after the city saw its first two…
Coronavirus in Ethiopia: Ticking time bomb?

Ethiopia has fewer confirmed Coronavirus cases, but fears grow about what happens if the country starts to experience a broader outbreak and how the health system would cope with it. Almaz Shiferaw, 45, wins her livelihood as a retailer of…
Anger and shock in Robe in the aftermath of violence

Polarized residents crave unity amid violence, anger A deadly clash a month ago has put residents of the Bale Robe in a state of shock and bitterness. Fear and anxiety are still reigning in the city, Ethiopia Observer’s Zion K…
Fast vanishing Ethiopia’s Rift Valley Lakes

Lake Ziway and Abiyata: Troubled waters Bayush Sisay is not sure how long she will keep on working on. Her income from the small restaurant trade by which she supports her three children has greatly decreased. The 36-year-old-woman earns her…
Dire Dawa seeks harmony as ethnic tensions run high

At a recent public meeting organised by the newly nominated city mayor, a young woman who lives in Mermasa area of Dire Dawa depicts a city that is going through a period of polarizing tension and widespread anxiety. Her message,…
Home demolitions spark anger, confusion

Thousands of people have been internally displaced as part of the region’s crackdown on homes that authorities say are illegal The town of Legetafo, located in the Oromia regional state adjacent to the north-eastern suburbs of Addis Ababa, has seen…