Nearly four months after Ethiopian authorities launched a crackdown on the country's press following post-electoral street protests, there has been an alarming deterioration in press freedom conditions, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Self-censorship is rife, critical newspapers are shrinking in number and 14 journalists face charges that could bring the death penalty.

Education International (EI) is working with partner Global Union Federations, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), as well as partner NGOs, Action Aid and Amnesty International for the release of Kassahun Kebede, chairperson of the Addis Ababa branch of EI affiliate, the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA). Kassahun Kebede is among the 131 opposition leaders, human rights defenders and journalists facing trial in Addis Ababa on charges that include treason, conspiracy and genocide. According to the press release dated 22 Feb 2006, Kassahun Kebede has been officially adopted as prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

A group of electees representing the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) in both the Addis Ababa City Council and the federal parliament this week started attempts at reviving the stalled process of legalization of their party. CUD, which used to constitute four parties, decided on September 24,2005 to merge into one unitary party. But the merger was put on hold when one of its constituting party, EDUP-Medhin, leadership declined to give full support and put preconditions to go ahead with a complete merger.

The trial of Ethiopian opposition supporters, journalists and human rights activists has been adjourned after the federal high court rejected an application by three of the 129 defendants to have a separate trial. Judge Adil Ahmed ruled that the three defendants - two employees of the British nongovernmental organisation ActionAid and a teacher - would not be tried separately because doing so would delay the entire proceeding, in which the accused face wide-ranging charges including conspiracy, treason and genocide. "We have examined your request for a separate trial based on the country's penal code which stipulates how charges should be pressed against a defendant and when a separate trial is appropriate. We have found that the charges are in line with the penal code," Adil said on Wednesday (March 1).

Samples from a poultry farm in southern Ethiopia where thousands of chickens have died are to be sent to Europe for further analysis to determine whether the birds died of avian flu, an official said on Tuesday. Local tests have found "flu-like" symptoms in 49 chickens from the farm, but more tests were needed to determine what exactly killed the birds.

Some 73,000 South Sudanese refugees currently in Ethiopia can start going home thanks to an agreement signed by the United Nations refugee agency and the Governments of Ethiopia and Sudan. The tripartite agreement, which was signed in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Monday, sets out the legal framework for the repatriation as well as the roles and obligations of all three parties, according to an official with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who said it includes crucial provisions on the voluntary nature of the returns.

As international concerns regarding the human rights situation in Ethiopia escalate, Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and journalists who will face trial on charges that include treason, violent conspiracy and "genocide". "These people are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely on account of their non-violent opinions and activities," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. "It is unacceptable that they are now facing serious criminal charges that could lead to death sentences and possible execution."

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will allow international observers to attend the trial of detained opposition leaders set to begin in Addis Ababa on Thursday (February 23), a senior European Commission official said. Louis Michel, commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, told reporters on Friday (February 17) after meeting Meles during a two-day visit to Ethiopia, that the decision to allow him access to jailed members of the opposition and journalists was a "significant step in the direction of constructive political dialogue".

The African Child Policy Forum will hold its 2006 International Policy Conference on the African Child: Violence Against Girls in Africa on May 11 and 12 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Speakers from the African Union, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and members from Pan-African policy makers will join women's-rights and child-rights organisations, as well as child survivors of violence, in this major two-day conference.

"The AU can and should speak out. Not to utter even a whisper is indeed a tragedy for Africa as Africa cannot afford to wait another half century to bring democracy because of a number of its brutish and self-serving rulers that are not willing to hold Africa’s interest at heart. Have not the AU heard that the EU Parliament has voted denouncing the atrocities committed by the Meles regime?"

Oxfam recognises the next few years as a defining moment for the African Union as a positive force for realising the social, economic, political and cultural rights of Africans. Over the last few years, we have successfully supported the emergence of strong coalitions and effective advocacy that has held the African Union accountable to this vision (see www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/ issues/panafrica). This position shall expand these relationships and make a real impact on poverty and suffering by influencing African policy makers to promote and protect the rights of poor communities across the continent. This would be your challenge should you join us as the Pan Africa Senior Policy Analyst. Follow the link for more information, as well as a French version of the job posting.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday (February 1) said rights groups' allegations of widespread abuse of political opponents had no basis in fact and were the result of "sloppy" reporting. London-based Amnesty International said earlier in the day that Ethiopia had arrested thousands of students from the Oromo ethnic group in a crackdown following anti-government demonstrations since November over a disputed election. The whereabouts of many of the detainees were not known, the group said. "Some detainees have been released, but others are being held in locations where torture has frequently been reported," Amnesty added in an urgent appeal. But Meles, in an interview with Reuters, scoffed at the Amnesty report as based on second-hand, biased information.

Reporting to the Regional Director, the RHC will facilitate the acquisition of emergency preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and response and recovery skills within Oxfam America’s regional offices, partners, and partner communities. During times of emergency, the RHC will perform the designated activities under direct supervision and in consultation with the Regional Director as the designated “Humanitarian Lead,” activating Humanitarian Response Department support, coordinating with the regional office, activating the Oxfam International and partner’s network, and otherwise implementing contingency plans.

Over the years, Somali refugees in the Kebribeyah Camp area of Ethiopia have gradually returned to their homeland, but a life-sustaining water system originally installed by the UN refugee agency will remain behind to ease the lives of both the last refugees and the local communities.

Eritrea has criticised the United States for allegedly encouraging Ethiopia to disregard the international border commission ruling that delineated the boundary between the neighbouring countries following a 1998-2000 war over their disputed frontier. A statement published by Eritrea's information ministry on Friday slammed the US for its alleged "evil attempts made to derail the verdict of the international body by creating different intriguing proposals [which] has encouraged the TPLF [Ethiopia's ruling party] regime to ignore and discard the decision of the Boundary Commission."

Ethiopia has arrested thousands of members of the Oromo ethnic group over the past three months, according to Amnesty International. The London-based human rights group said students were among those who have been rounded up since November. Amnesty said the arrests follow protest calls by the rebel Oromo Liberation Front against alleged government fraud. It warned some of the detainees may be "at risk of torture or ill-treatment" and called for their release.

Key responsibilities of this challenging position based in Addis Ababa will include: the provision of vision and strategic leadership for the Ethiopia programme with full operational responsibility; articulating CCF’s vision and mission; designing and implementing a strategic plan to address the causes and effects of poverty and other adverse conditions on children in the country.

Ethiopian security forces have detained a correspondent for the US-based Web site Ethiopian Review, its publisher Elias Kifle said. Journalist Frezer Negash has been held without charge in Addis Ababa since Friday, Kifle told the Committee to Protect Journalists. "We are disturbed that Frezer Negash has joined at least 16 other journalists in jail in Ethiopia," said Ann Cooper, executive director of CPJ. "We call on Ethiopian authorities to release her immediately."

The aim of this paper from the organisation Young Lives is to establish a link between micro-level outcomes and macro-level policy initiatives with respect to eight-year-old children's primary school enrolment in Ethiopia. The study investigated external factors associated with child enrolment in school, such as lack of income, child labour, economic shocks, social capital and education of adults in the household.

More often than not, the distribution of socioeconomic resources and political power in Ethiopia has been perceived in favor of the Amhara ethnic group. As a result, efforts to help the minority ethnic groups were supported by the invocation of subjective cultural attributes and sometimes, the manufacture of common historical experiences. After the collapse of the military regime, the present regime's misguided and divisive strategies sought to rectify what it believed to be a historically distorted distribution of resources and power in Ethiopia. This strategy led to the division of the country into "ethnic Bantustans" and hindered any real move towards development, democracy, and conflict resolution in Ethiopia. In this new work, author Ka sahun Woldemariam argues that the Amhara were as excluded economically and politically as any other ethnic group in Ethiopia, and that the concept of Amhara domination is a myth. Working from an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approach, this book includes over twenty figures and tables on the regional distribution of revenue and expenditure, health and education, manufacturing industries, and parliamentary elections. It is an important resource for scholars and students of African politics and ethnic conflict analysis and resolution as well as policymakers worldwide and Ethiopians in Ethiopia and the Diaspora.