UNHCR starts relocation of 15,000 stranded South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia

MATAR WAY STATION, Ethiopia, November 18 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has begun relocating nearly 15,000 South Sudanese refugees who had been stranded for a few months at a way station in western Ethiopia after the refugee camp where they were due to live was flooded.
A first group of 125 refugees left Matar Way Station on Monday and headed along the Baro River to the Itang Transit Centre, where they spent the night before resuming their journey on Tuesday by road towards Pugnido Refugee Camp, some 300 kilometres away.
They were expected to reach the camp, home to some 45,000 mainly South Sudanese refugees, later on Tuesday. A further 29 refugees with special needs, including pregnant women, lactating mothers, the blind and older people will be flown to Pugnido on a helicopter.
Two boats were chartered by the International Organization for Migration for the maiden relocation voyage – one for passengers and the other for luggage. The refugees were provided with water, high energy biscuits, and relief items such as blankets as they boarded the boats wearing life jackets.
The refugees seemed to be happy that this particular ordeal was coming to an end. "I'm glad that we are leaving this place. I have never been happy here. Now I can smile again," said 26-year-old Nyapal, who arrived at Matar pregnant with her first child after fleeing the violence in South Sudan. She flew on the helicopter to Pugnido.
Nyapal walked through the bush for 20 days before arriving in Ethiopia in July. "It was very tough. We drank any water we saw on the way," she recalled. Her husband, medic Baro, made his way to Ethiopia separately. "It was very risky for the family to be together while fleeing," he explained: "I saw a lot of people who were shot dead."
Another young couple, Biel and Nyabol, were also happy to leave. "We just want to relocate and stay in Ethiopia in peace," said Biel, fighting back tears. Both she and her husband lost their parents.
The refugees had been stranded at Matar close to the border with South Sudan after heavy rains and floodwaters from the Baro River swamped the Nip Nip refugee camp, where they were originally destined to live. The floods also made access roads impassable.
Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR's recently appointed representative in Ethiopia, was present at the launch of the operation and thanked the government and people of Ethiopia for taking in the refugees and sharing their meagre resources. He also presented two four-wheel-drive vehicles and an ambulance to the government's Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) for the relocation.
More than 190,000 South Sudanese refugees have sought refuge in Ethiopia's Gambella region since conflict broke out in South Sudan in mid-December 2013. Some 100 refugees continue to cross into Ethiopia every day, mainly through the Burbiey border point from Jonglei and Unity states in South Sudan. The new arrivals cite food shortages and insecurity, including sporadic fighting between rival warring factions, as reasons for their flight. Ethiopia is currently Africa's largest refugee-hosting country with more than 600,000 refugees.
UNHCR is currently working with the Ethiopian government to find land where some 50,000 flood-affected refugees can be relocated. Most of the refugees in Leitchour and Nip Nip camps had moved to higher ground.
By Reath Riek at Matar Way Station and Sulaiman Momodu at Itang Transit Centre, Ethiopia

6,200 Eritreans cross into Ethiopia in 37 days: UNHCR

According to a UNHCR report last July, there are a total of 629,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia.

World Bulletin/News Desk
Over 6,200 Eritreans have crossed into Ethiopia over the past 37 days, an official with the UN refugee agency said Monday.
"More than 5,000 Eritrean asylum seekers crossed into the Ethiopian territory in October alone," spokesperson for the UNHCR office in Ethiopia Kisut Gebregziabher told Anadolu Agency.
"In the first week of November, more than 1,200 Eritreans have arrived in Ethiopia," he added.
Among those who managed to cross into Ethiopia, he said, were some 78 children.
According to a UNHCR report last July, there are a total of 629,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia.
Some 99,000 of them are Eritreans. Most of them fled their country due to oppression and forced military service, Gebregziabher told AA earlier.
Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be a single country, but a 1993 referendum saw Eritreans vote for independence.
Tension between Addis Ababa and Asmara and has persisted since a bloody two-year border war, in which tens of thousands were killed, ended in 2000.
There are four refugee camps in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Regional State that cater to Eritrean refugees: Shimelba (set up in 2004), May Ayni (2008), Adiharush (2010) and Hitsats (2013).

Bad Breaking News! Ebola Patient Dr. Martin Salia Has Died in Nebraska: Officials

Dr. Martin Salia, a surgeon who was diagnosed with Ebola in Sierra Leone and flown to Nebraska over the weekend for treatment, has died, hospital officials said Monday.

Salia, 44, became the second person to die of the disease in the United States. Thomas Eric Duncan, who contracted Ebola in Liberia and traveled to Dallas, died last month.

Salia landed Saturday in Omaha. He was the 10th patient to be treated on American soil and the third at Nebraska Medical Center. Hospital officials had said that he was perhaps sicker than any other patient flown to the United States from West Africa.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share this news,” said Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the hospital’s biocontainment unit. “Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren't able to save him.”

The hospital planned to release further details later Monday.

Salia, a native of Sierra Leone and a legal U.S. resident, was living in Sierra Leone and working at a hospital when he was diagnosed last week. The Ebola outbreak, the worst in recorded history, has killed more than 5,000 people in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Salia has a wife and two children who live in the Washington suburb of New Carrollton, Maryland. A son, Maada, told NBC News last week that Salia knew the risk of working in West Africa but wanted to do his part.

“Even though he knows the sickness is already out, he decided to still go and help his people because he wanted to show that he loves his people,” the son said. “He’s really, really a hero to me.”

Ethiopian Named African Airline of the Year - 14 November, 2014

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and most profitable airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it was named the African Airline of the Yearby the African Airlines Association at its 46th Annual General Assembly held in Algiers between 9 and 11 November 2014.

Ethiopian was crowned Airline of the Year for its exceptional results in 2013, consistent profitability, and sound strategy, which has enabled it to forge win-win partnerships with fellow sisterly African airlines. This is the third year in a raw that Ethiopian has continued to receive the award from AFRAA.

Upon receiving the award, Ethiopian Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam remarked: We are highly honored for this recognition by fellow sisterly airlines in Africa. The award goes, first and foremost, to the more than 8,000 employees at Ethiopian, who work very hard every day to provide the best services on the ground and in the air to our valued customers. We also thank our customers for giving us the opportunity to serve them and for travelling on Ethiopian in great numbers. It is also a testimony of the soundness of our Vision 2025 fast, profitable and sustainable growth strategy.

መኪና ተገልብጦ 38 ሰዎች ሂወታቸውን አጡ

38 killed in bus crash in eastern Ethiopia

The accident took place in Legebenti locality when an Isuzu bus heading for Adama city from Awash town in the eastern part of Ethiopia collided with a Sino truck

World Bulletin/News Desk
Thirty-eight people were killed in a deadly road accident in eastern Ethiopia on Saturday.
The accident took place in Legebenti locality when an Isuzu bus heading for Adama city from Awash town in the eastern part of Ethiopia collided with a Sino truck heading for Djibouti in the early hours of Saturday.
Police commander Bizuneh Godana expected the death toll to increase.
"There are many who sustained serious injuries," he told Anadolu Agency.
The vehicles were moving in opposite directions just near the Metehara bend when the bus veered in an attempt to save a camel and crushed into the truck.

ዘንድሮ አልታሳካም አሁንም ተሸነፍን Algeria record fifth straight win v Ethiopia

Algeria made it five wins from five in their 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with their 3-1 victory over Ethiopia at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida on Saturday evening.
Goals from Sofiane Feghouli, Riyad Mahrez and Yacine Brahimi moved Algeria up to 15 points, the only team to have won all their games thus far.
Algeria head coach Christian Gourcuff made two changes to the side that beat Malawi last time out, with Med Lamine Zemmamouche and Saphir Taider replacing Rais M’Bolhi and Nabil Bentaleb respectively, while Bidvest Wits and Ethiopia striker Getaneh Kebede missed the game through suspension.
The hosts put Ethiopia under immense pressure in the opening 10 minutes of the encounter, with Rafik Halliche notably heading just wide.
It was Ethiopia, though, who opened the scoring completely against the run of play in the 22nd minute through Omod Okwory, who picked up the ball near the halfway line before bursting forward and hitting a right-footed effort past the Algerian glove-man.
Ethiopia continued to live dangerously, but Algeria’s finishing also left a lot to be desired in what was in all a frustrating opening half-an-hour for the hosts.
The Fennec Foxes finally found their goal in the 32nd minute as Feghouli latched onto a superb through ball from Riyad Mahrez.
Provider turned scorer nine minutes later as Mahrez curled the ball past Jemal Tassew before Brahimi added a third in first-half stoppage time, hammering home from close range, to give the hosts a 3-1 lead at the interval.
The Walias had their moments in the second half, but it was the home side who did most of the attacking, with Brahimi and Islam Slimani causing all sorts of problems for the Ethiopian defence.
Algeria now head to Mali in search of the perfect qualifying record ahead of next year’s showpiece in Equatorial Guinea.

ታላላቅ አባባሎች ታላቅ ምክር ለባለ ትዳሮች በተለይም ለባሎች

ታላቅ ምክር ለባለ ትዳሮች በተለይም ለባሎች