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Prosecutors in Ethiopia say they’re dropping criminal charges placed against senior civil and military leaders from the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).

This is the latest move following a peace deal signed last year to end one of Africa’s deadliest conflicts between the TPLF and the government.

A statement by the ministry of justice said on Thursday that conflict-related cases would be seen “in the context of transitional justice”.

In July 2021 more than 60 senior TPLF figures, including its leader Debretsion Gebremichael, and Getachew Reda, now appointed interim head of the Tigray region, were charged with terrorism. Institutions linked with the organisation were also charged.

Since the agreement was reached between the federal government and Tigray fighters last year, relative peace has returned to northern Ethiopia after two years of bloodshed.

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission is appealing to the national parliament to prioritize the passing of the National Elections Bill and reconstitution of the political parties’ council.

It made the appeal during the 28^th plenary of the peace monitoring body in Juba on Wednesday.

According to peace monitor, no progress has been made in the reconstitution of the Political Parties Council despite the law having been enacted over eight months ago.

R-JMEC says that the reconstitution of the council is critical to paving way for the registration of the political parties.

Yet, it says, the enactment of the National Elections Act and its operationalize is way behind schedule.

“In terms of the preparations for elections as per the roadmap, no progress has been made in the reconstitution of the Political Parties Council despite the law having been enacted over 8 months ago,

“The reconstitution of the Council is critical to paving the way for the registration of political parties, added RJMEC interim chairperson, Charles Tai Githuai.

The peace monitoring added that all the elections-related tasks including the establishment and functioning of institutions that drive the elections processes are lagging behind schedule.

“As a result of these delays, all the elections-related tasks including the establishment and functioning of institutions that drive the elections process, are behind schedule,

“In this regard, I appeal to the national parliament to prioritize passage of the National Elections Bill,” he said.

But Government Spokesperson Michael Makuei who spoke on behalf of the Cabinet Affairs Minister says, the high-level standing committee is reconstituting the Political Parties’ Council to kick-start registration of the parties and preparations for elections.

“The high-level standing committee is reconstituting the Political Parties Council so that the political parties start to register and commence the political work in preparation for elections,” he stressed.

President Salva Kiir has appointed Chol Thon Balok as the new Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Kiir relieved and appointed the former Deputy Defense Minister through a Republican decree read on the state TV, SSBC Wednesday evening.

He has replaced his former boss Angelina Teny who was relieved early this month.

The head of state removed Angelina Teny from the defense ministry and swapped the position to his party on March 3, 2023.

He also fired the minister of interior, Mahmoud Solomon, and gave the post to the SPLM-IO causing a rift between the SPLM-IG and the SPLM-IO.

A meeting to resolve the dispute about three weeks ago never bore a result.

Recently, the Ethiopian Prime Ministry visited Juba where he met President Slava Kiir and his First Deputy Riek Machar without tangible outcome.

 

The Governor of Western Equatoria state has announced plans to upgrade two Bomas to Payams in Nagero County following an appeal from the locals.

The areas governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba cited,are Bandala and Zomoi Bomas.

He made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Nagero County on Tuesday.

According to him, several villagers requested the upgrading of the Bomas to Payams to create job opportunities and bring services closer to them.

In a social media post, Western Equatoria local media quoted the governor as saying “When I was coming from Tambura to Nagero here, I saw many people and the distance is long. They [villagers ]said they need their places to be Payam and for sure there is a need for Payams in those places.

However, governor Futuyo said he is going to use the right procedures to transform the two areas into Payams.

Kenya is a happier country in 2023, climbing up the rankings to position 111 from position 119 in 2022 in the World Happiness Report, a publication of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network. With this leap, it has surpassed Uganda (113) as Eastern Africa’s happiest country.

The report also indicates that global average life evaluations in the last three years (2020–2022), with rankings based on the Gallup World Poll, have been resilient despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Global benevolence remains 25 percent higher than it was pre-pandemic.

Finland is, for the sixth year running, the happiest country in the world. Snuggled next to the Nordic country are European neighbors which have been a mainstay in the top 10 since the report was launched ten years ago. The ten happiest nations are Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand.

The happiest African country is Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. It has been ranked 59th.

An improved Kenya, however, ranks worse in the list of the happiness gap between the top (happier) and bottom (sadder, or less happy) halves of the population, at 118th. A higher ranking means lower happiness inequality.

Afghanistan and Netherlands, and then dominant Finland, make the podium with the smallest gaps in happiness between the happier and sadder halves of their populations.

Kenya and Uganda have increased surveillance on their border with Tanzania after the Marburg virus killed five people in the neighboring country.

High fever is a common symptom of the deadly Ebola-like virus, often followed by bleeding and organ failure.

Uganda has ordered immediate screening and testing at its southern border. Health teams have also been put on high alert at border crossings in the districts of Kyotera and Isingiro.

Kenya’s Health Director General Patrick Amoth has advised members of the public to report any unusual increase in people who have a high fever and recently travelled to Tanzania.

“Such individuals are advised to immediately report to the nearest health facility for assessment and management.” Dr Amoth said in a statement.

The outbreak in Tanzania was reported in the north-western Kagera region where there is a lot of human traffic with western Kenya.

Close to 161 contacts have been traced and are being monitored. Officials are still tracing other people.

Out of the eight individuals who tested positive for the disease, five have died. Four of them are from one family.

Tanzania’s strategy to control the spread was praised by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO says on average the Marburg virus kills half of those infected.

The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through the transmission of bodily fluids.

Although there are no vaccines or treatments, those diagnosed are either given water orally or intravenously as doctors treat a patient’s specific symptoms.

A court in Chad on Tuesday handed life sentences to more than 400 rebels over the killing of former President Idriss Déby.

The former president died of his injuries in April 2021 following clashes with rebels in the north of the country. He was one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders after spending more than three decades in power.

The mass trial of the 465 members of Front for Change and Concord in Chad (Fact) rebel group started in February in the capital, N’Djamena, behind closed doors.

They were found guilty of acts of terrorism, undermining national security and endangering the life of the head of state among other charges.

The group has described the trials as flawed and a “masquerade”.

One defence lawyer suggested there would be an appeal.

The Tanzanian health ministry says a mysterious disease that killed five people has been identified as Marburg haemorrhagic fever.

The virus causes high fever, often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure.

It is part of a group of viruses that includes Ebola.

Tanzania’s health minister, Ummy Mwalimu urged citizens to stay calm, saying the government had managed to control the spread of the disease.

She said three patients were receiving hospital treatment and 161 contacts were being traced by the authorities.

Last week a rapid response team was sent to the north-western region of Kagera, which borders Uganda, to investigate the outbreak.

The World Health Organization has applauded Tanzania’s rapid reaction, adding that it stood ready to ensure “there were no gaps in response”.