logo
What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Puzzle of Ethiopian Politics'

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Puzzle of Ethiopian Politics'

Arab News23-06-2025
Author: Terrence Lyons
The book offers insight into a political group, with its origins in a small insurgency in northern Ethiopia, which transformed itself into a party (the EPRDF) with a hierarchy that links even the smallest village in the country to the center.
'The Puzzle of Ethiopian Politics' offers a study of legacies of protracted civil war and rebel victory over the government, which continue to shape Ethiopian politics.
Terrence Lyons argues that the very structures that enabled the ruling party to overcome the challenges of a war-to-peace transition are the source of the challenges that it faces now.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era militant suspected of mutilating bodies
Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era militant suspected of mutilating bodies

Arab News

time2 days ago

  • Arab News

Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era militant suspected of mutilating bodies

LONDON: Authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic arrested a suspect for grave violations associated with the defunct Assad regime against civilians during the country's civil war. Security forces in the coastal governorate of Latakia have arrested Naser Hani Ruslan, who is accused of participating in serious abuses against Syrians, the Interior Ministry announced. The ministry added that Ruslan was part of a militia linked to the former Assad regime and was reportedly involved in operations against areas controlled by Syrian rebel forces, including the mutilation of bodies. Authorities have begun investigations against Ruslan, who is awaiting trial. Following the fall of the Assad regime last December, the new government in Damascus has arrested several suspects, including army officers, for crimes committed against Syrians during the country's civil conflict.

Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure' on Egypt Over Nile Dam
Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure' on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Asharq Al-Awsat

time4 days ago

  • Asharq Al-Awsat

Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure' on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday stepped up his criticism of Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on the Nile's main tributary, which Cairo fears will threaten its water supply. He rejected what he described as 'unilateral measures' along the Nile Basin, warning: 'Anyone who thinks Egypt will turn a blind eye to threats to its water security is mistaken.' Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Sisi said the water issue had become 'part of a broader campaign of pressure on Egypt to achieve other objectives.' 'We will remain vigilant and will take all measures guaranteed under international law to safeguard our people's existential resources,' he vowed. Sisi stressed that Egypt does not oppose development in Nile Basin countries but insisted such projects must not affect the volume of water reaching Egypt. 'The best way to deal with the Nile Basin is to respect everyone's interests,' he said. Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, under African Union mediation, have been stalled since April 2021, prompting Cairo to appeal to the UN Security Council for pressure on Addis Ababa. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 98% of its water, receives an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters. It is already below the global water poverty line, with only 500 cubic meters per person annually, according to the Ministry of Irrigation. Sisi noted that Egypt and Sudan together receive just 4% of the Nile Basin's 1,600 billion cubic meters of water, amounting to 85 billion cubic meters. 'This is the only source of life for the two downstream states,' he said, adding that Egypt had never called for 'fair water sharing', which would mean dividing the entire basin's volume. Egypt hopes Uganda's current chairmanship of the Nile Basin Initiative's consultation mechanism can foster consensus among basin states. The two leaders inaugurated the Egypt-Uganda Business Forum in Cairo and witnessed the signing of five agreements on water resources, agricultural cooperation and food security, investment, mutual visa exemptions for official passports, and diplomatic cooperation. The talks come just weeks before Ethiopia plans to inaugurate GERD in September. Former Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Hegazy said Cairo is counting on Kampala's role in dam-related consultations. Relations between Cairo and Kampala have been warming, with Uganda recently hosting a '2+2' dialogue between the foreign and water ministers of both countries. Sisi said Egypt views Uganda as a key partner in the southern Nile Basin and seeks to make it a primary beneficiary of Egypt's development support mechanisms.

US designates Baloch separatists as a terror group over role in attacks in Pakistan
US designates Baloch separatists as a terror group over role in attacks in Pakistan

Arab News

time5 days ago

  • Arab News

US designates Baloch separatists as a terror group over role in attacks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The United States has designated a Baloch separatist group as a foreign terrorist organization, the State Department said, a move hailed Tuesday by Pakistani officials. The designation of the Balochistan Liberation Army and its fighting wing, the Majeed Brigade, blamed for deadly attacks in insurgency-hit Balochistan province, coincides with the visit of Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to the US It also comes less than two weeks after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement expected to allow American firms to help develop Pakistan's largely untapped oil reserves in resource-rich Balochistan and to lower trade tariffs for Islamabad. In a statement, the State Department said it is 'designating the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA's previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation.' The BLA was first designated an SDGT in 2019 after several terrorist attacks. The US statement said that, since then, both the group and the Majeed Brigade have claimed responsibility for additional attacks. It also said that in 2024, the BLA claimed responsibility for suicide bombings near the airport in Karachi and in the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan. In 2025, the group said it carried out the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding more than 300 passengers hostage, according to the US State Department. 'Today's action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to countering terrorism,' the US statement said. There was no immediate comment from Balochistan nationalists and separatist groups. Balochistan has long been the scene of insurgency, mostly blamed on groups including the key outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which the US designated a terrorist organization in 2019. The province is also home to militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban. Separatists in Balochistan have opposed the extraction of resources by Pakistani and foreign firms and have targeted Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store