Ethiopia detains 72 World Food Programme drivers: A United Nations spokesperson said the latest detentions had occurred in the capital of Afar province, on the only functional road leading into famine-threatened Tigray.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that Ethiopia had detained 72 drivers working for the World Food Programme in the country’s conflict-torn north. The news, which came a day after the UN reported the arrests of 22 employees in the capital Addis Ababa, is likely to further inflame tensions with the government following a decision in September to expel seven senior UN officials for “meddling” in the country’s affairs.
Lawyers say arbitrary detentions of Tigrayans — commonplace during the war — have surged since then, ensnaring thousands, with the new measures allowing the authorities to hold anyone suspected of supporting “terrorist groups” without a warrant. Information on who the 72 drivers detained in Semera are was not immediately available, although the UN has in the past hired Tigrayans to transport food and other aid into Tigray.
Foreign envoys are scrambling to end the war and mitigate further suffering, hoping that an African Union-led push can bring about a cessation of hostilities before a new surge in fighting. The fighting has extracted a huge humanitarian toll, with rights groups on Wednesday issuing new reports on sexual violence.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mitchell, Neesham lead New Zealand to T20 World Cup finalDaryl Mitchell's unbeaten 72 and Jimmy Neesham's blistering cameo led New Zealand to a dramatic five-wicket victory over England in the first Twenty20 World Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
Read more »
‘Load-shedding not the same as blackouts’ — Eskom CEO - The Mail & Guardian‘Load-shedding not the same as blackouts’ — Eskom CEO: André de Ruyter assures the public that the power utility is currently on track to lift load-shedding on Saturday morning
Read more »
Eskom lifts load-shedding a day early - The Mail & GuardianEskom lifts load-shedding a day early - The beleaguered power utility has managed to recover 2000 megawatts in partial load losses from when it implemented stage four load-shedding earlier in the week
Read more »
Abdulrazak Gurnah: Nobel prize honours a self-effacing and unassuming talent - The Mail & GuardianAbdulrazak Gurnah: Nobel prize honours a self-effacing and unassuming talent: Not many knew of the unheralded Zanzibari author who has steadily produced 10 novels
Read more »
Lewis Nkosi Selected Milestones: Writing and Honours (COMPILED BY SANDILE NGIDI) - The Mail & GuardianLewis Nkosi Selected Milestones: Writing and Honours (COMPILED BY SANDILE NGIDI): A list compiled by Sandile Ngidi
Read more »
Godongwana holds off on basic income grant decision, closes taps to state enterprises - The Mail & GuardianGodongwana holds off on basic income grant decision, closes taps to state enterprises: Godongwana warns that the outer limits of the budget are non-negotiable as a debt cliff loomed
Read more »