Podcasts about oromia

In this episode of The Horn, Alan speaks with Babatunde Afolabi, former Africa Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), now Director of Political Affairs at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, about mediation and conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa. They discuss HD's discreet work facilitating dialogue between conflict parties, and why the Horn's history, politics and geopolitics make regional cooperation such a challenge. They turn to Ethiopia's Tigray region, where the Pretoria agreement that halted two years of devastating war risks unravelling, and to Oromia, where HD- and IGAD-facilitated talks between the government and the Oromo Liberation Army came close to a deal before collapsing. They also discuss Sudan's hard-to-resolve war, prospects for dialogue with Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and why locally grounded dialogue remains essential to ending wars.For more, check out our Horn of Africa page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Le elezioni rafforzano il premier, ma i nodi restano aperti: Dalle tensioni in Tigray, Amhara e Oromia alle sfide regionali con Eritrea ed Egitto. L'analisi di Luca Puddu, docente di Storia e Istituzioni dell'Africa all'Università di Palermo.Sudafrica, il ritorno della paura dello stranieroTra episodi di xenofobia, crisi economica e tensioni sociali, la "nazione arcobaleno" si interroga sul proprio futuro. Il racconto di Brando Ricci.Dieci Afriche ai MondialiMai così tante nazionali africane alla Coppa del Mondo. Tra crescita del calcio continentale e la spada di Damocle dei visti e dei respingimenti sulla testa delle delegazioni straniere nella massima sfida calcistica globale dell'era Trump. Con Vincenzo Lacerenza.

A Etiópia foi a votos esta segunda-feira, 1 de Junho, para eleger os deputados federais e os representantes regionais, num escrutínio que deve garantir a continuidade do primeiro-ministro Abiy Ahmed à frente do Governo. Apesar da participação registada em várias cidades, as eleições decorreram sob críticas da oposição, num contexto marcado por conflitos armados, dificuldades económicas e exclusão de algumas regiões. A vitória do Partido da Prosperidade, liderado por Abiy Ahmed, nunca esteve em causa. A formação governamental partia como favorita para conservar a maioria parlamentar e garantir a continuidade do actual primeiro-ministro à frente do Governo. Ainda assim, a participação eleitoral levanta interrogações sobre o grau de mobilização da sociedade etíope. O padre José Vieira, missionário português que regressou recentemente da Etiópia após 13 anos de trabalho no país, descreve um ambiente de relativa apatia política nos meses que antecederam a votação. “O que foi mais evidente durante os últimos meses era ver os centros de inscrição para as eleições completamente vazios”, observa. Apesar de a Comissão Nacional de Eleições apontar para cerca de 50 milhões de eleitores registados, o missionário considera o número reduzido para um país com cerca de 130 milhões de habitantes. “Havia uma certa desmobilização em relação ao evento”, afirma. Abiy Ahmed chegou ao poder em 2018 envolto numa forte expectativa de mudança. Um ano depois recebeu o Prémio Nobel da Paz, sobretudo pelo acordo alcançado com a Eritreia. Hoje, a avaliação dos seus 8 anos de governação divide opiniões. O padre José Vieira reconhece transformações visíveis, particularmente na capital. “Adis Abeba não tem nada a ver com o que era há dez anos. É uma cidade muito moderna, com grandes avenidas”, afirma. Destaca ainda a construção dos chamados “corredores urbanos”, que incluem espaços dedicados a peões e ciclistas e que o Governo procura replicar noutras regiões do país. No entanto, alerta para as limitações desse modelo fora dos grandes centros urbanos. Em muitas localidades, diz, os projectos são afectados pela falta de fiscalização e pela corrupção. “A corrupção é um dos grandes problemas na Etiópia de hoje”, sublinha, apontando casos em que verbas destinadas a obras públicas acabam desviadas para proveito pessoal de responsáveis locais. A guerra que continua a marcar o país Embora a guerra do Tigray tenha terminado formalmente em Novembro de 2022, com os Acordos de Pretória, as suas consequências continuam presentes no quotidiano dos etíopes. “As pessoas no Tigré não têm tanto acesso a combustíveis e a outros bens de primeira necessidade como noutras regiões”, explica o missionário. Além das dificuldades económicas, persistem receios quanto a um eventual reacender das tensões armadas, alimentadas por rivalidades regionais e por interesses externos. Segundo o padre português, o Governo foi obrigado a concentrar efectivos militares na região do Tigray, deixando outras zonas mais vulneráveis. Na Oromia, onde trabalhou, as preocupações de segurança aumentaram significativamente. “Houve um momento em que nos aconselhavam a telefonar antes de viajar para confirmar se as estradas estavam seguras”, recorda. A instabilidade não se limita ao norte do país. Em Amhara e Oromia continuam activos grupos armados que desafiam a autoridade do Estado e contribuem para um clima de insegurança que afecta a vida quotidiana e limita a capacidade do Governo para projectar uma imagem de normalidade democrática. Jovens preocupados com o futuro Nas conversas com famílias, líderes comunitários e estudantes, José Vieira encontrou uma preocupação comum: o acesso à educação e às oportunidades de emprego. Nos últimos anos, o Governo introduziu novos exames nacionais com o objectivo de elevar a exigência académica. Contudo, os resultados têm sido preocupantes. “Há três anos, quando foi introduzido o novo modelo de exame de admissão à universidade, apenas 5% dos candidatos passaram”, recorda. No ano lectivo mais recente, a taxa de aprovação rondou apenas os 7%. O missionário considera que muitos alunos não estão preparados para o grau de dificuldade das provas. O problema torna-se ainda mais grave porque os estudantes que não conseguem aprovação ficam dependentes de instituições privadas, inacessíveis para grande parte da população. A situação gera frustração entre os jovens. Muitos concluem vários anos de formação superior, mas arriscam terminar sem diploma caso não obtenham aprovação nos exames finais obrigatórios. “Depois de três, quatro ou cinco anos de estudos, podem ficar sem nada”, lamenta. Inflação e escassez de combustível A economia constitui outra fonte de preocupação. A inflação continua elevada e o acesso a combustíveis permanece problemático em várias regiões. O padre José Vieira relata situações extremas vividas pelas comunidades locais. Num dos centros missionários onde trabalhou, dois veículos permaneceram semanas sem poder circular por falta de gasóleo. “Descobriram que o mercado negro dá muito mais lucro do que o negócio normal”, explica. O missionário recorda ainda casos em que funcionários tiveram de esperar mais de dois dias em filas para abastecer um automóvel. Nas semanas que antecederam as eleições verificou-se uma melhoria na distribuição. “Antes havia grandes filas. Nas últimas semanas a situação foi normalizada”, relata. Resta saber se essa normalização corresponde a uma solução duradoura ou se foi apenas uma medida temporária para garantir um ambiente mais favorável durante o período eleitoral. As autoridades etíopes apresentam estas eleições como uma demonstração de estabilidade e de consolidação democrática. No entanto, a ausência de votação em algumas zonas, as denúncias da oposição, os conflitos armados persistentes e os problemas económicos mostram uma realidade mais complexa. Para José Vieira, a Etiópia continua a viver um momento de transição. Entre os avanços nas infra-estruturas e as dificuldades sentidas pela população, o país procura ainda encontrar um equilíbrio capaz de transformar a promessa de reforma que levou Abiy Ahmed ao poder numa estabilidade para os seus mais de 130 milhões de habitantes.

Ethiopia is scheduled to hold its general election on June 1. Millions of voters will be electing members of the national parliament and leaders of the regional councils fronted by 23 political parties. This election happens amid political and security uncertainties in the populous regions of Oromia and Amhara, while there will be no voting in the northern Tigray region. With Ethiopia currently ranked 148th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, we look at what's it like for journalists covering the election. And in Uganda, we hear how therapy dogs are helping survivors of abuse and trauma. Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Basma El Atti, Carolyne Kiambo and Ayuba Iliya Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi Editors: Priya Sippy and Maryam Abdalla

Avec environ 500 millions d'euros versés en 2025, les investissements européens en Éthiopie sont à leur plus haut niveau depuis 2021, encouragés par la croissance robuste du pays de la Corne. Mais si l'Éthiopie est un marché prometteur, elle reste minée par l'insécurité et les conflits. Dans ce contexte, comment l'Union européenne peut-elle encourager les investissements économiques ? De notre correspondante à Addis-Abeba, L'hymne européen retentit au premier jour du « EU-Ethiopia Business Forum », comme le symbole du retour de l'Union européenne (UE) en Éthiopie. Devant une salle bondée, Jozef Sikela, commissaire européen aux partenariats internationaux, liste les points forts de l'Éthiopie : une croissance robuste, espérée à 9% en 2026, et un marché immense de 120 millions d'habitants. Pour Sofie From-Emmesberger, ambassadrice de l'UE en Éthiopie, les réformes de libéralisation menées par le gouvernement éthiopien ces deux dernières années sont aussi des arguments convaincants. « On constate désormais des opportunités pour le secteur privé, la banque, l'assurance et le commerce de détail », détaille-t-elle. Dynamique sur le plan économique donc, l'Éthiopie reste pourtant l'un des pays les plus instables du continent : des conflits sont toujours en cours en Amhara et en Oromia, ses deux régions les plus peuplées. Les tensions restent très fortes aussi entre Addis-Abeba et les autorités tigréennes, faisant même craindre ces derniers mois un nouveau conflit. Une situation sécuritaire très dégradée qui ne dissuade pas l'UE. « C'est un sujet que nous abordons de près avec le gouvernement. Mais heureusement, c'est un immense pays, il y a donc des zones de violence, mais également d'immenses opportunités d'investissement », assure la diplomate. « Une stratégie de ''realpolitik'' » Une vision que partage Claudio Pasqualucci, commissaire de l'Agence italienne du commerce à Addis-Abeba. « Certaines régions sont en plein essor, comme Jimma, par exemple, ou encore Dire Dawa, à la frontière de Djibouti. Et je dois dire que le gouvernement déploie des efforts considérables pour pacifier ces zones. Je suis donc très optimiste quant à l'avenir », s'enthousiasme-t-il. D'après Ladji Ouattara, enseignant-chercheur et directeur de l'Institut d'études géopolitiques Cauris, les investissements européens en Éthiopie illustrent bien le récent tournant pris par l'UE en matière de politique économique. « ​​​​​​​Cela s'inscrit dans une stratégie de ''realpolitik'', analyse-t-il. D'une part, nous avons aujourd'hui en Europe la montée des partis extrêmes, des courants xénophobes, anti-immigration. Donc, il est vraiment important pour les Européens d'agir au plus près du terrain, de limiter au maximum les impacts. Et d'autre part, nous sommes dans un contexte international de compétition stratégique entre les grands acteurs et de bouleversement géopolitique, notamment avec l'imprévisibilité des États-Unis. De fait, l'Europe a besoin d'être là », développe le chercheur. L'Union européenne a récemment annoncé un investissement de 559 millions d'euros pour financer les infrastructures énergétiques éthiopiennes. À lire aussiEn Sierra Leone, des investissements français pour renforcer l'agro-industrie

Resilience: Turning Persecution into Purpose  by Dureti (Mimi) TadesseResilience by Dureti (Mimi)Tadesse is a powerful memoir that will reignite your hope no matter what phase of life you are. Follow Mimi's journey through trials, struggles, and triumphs as she rises from the ashes of adversity.In Resilience, Mimi narrates her deeply personal experiences with hardship and survival, from overcoming cultural oppression and Ethiopia government oppression to reclaiming her voice and purpose. This is more than a memoir. It is the story of a woman who saw it all and refused to surrender.Why Resilience Stands Out:· A story that will uplift and inspire anyone facing their challenges.· A powerful narrative about the transformative power of faith and perseverance.· A moving memoir about turning adversity into empowerment.· If you're looking for a book that inspires courage and hope, Resilience is a must-read. Order your copy today and let Mimi's powerful story of overcoming adversity lift you up.Dureti Tadesse, widely known as Mimi is the author of the inspiring book Resilience; Turning Persecution Into purpose, a humanitarian, and the founder of C.G. Women's Empowerment (CGWE). She was born and raised in Oromia state of Ethiopia, where she endured discrimination, imprisonment, and both physical and emotional torture due to her ethnicity, faith, and gender.In the 1990s, her and her husband Daniel Daffa sought asylum in the United States in search of freedom and opportunity. Through faith, perseverance, and education, she rebuilt her life and earned degrees in Business Administration, allowing her to build a successful professional career while dedicating herself to service.With over 23 years of nonprofit experience, in 2012, Mimi and her husband founded C.G. Women's Empowerment, a Christian-based nonprofit organization committed to creating economic self-sufficiency for women, children, and entire communities in Ethiopia's Oromia State.She is deeply honored to be a recipient of the 2024 Mahogany Columbus Community Leader Award, the 2018 Paul Harris Fellow Award, and multiple community service honors. Her mission is simple yet powerful: to empower women and children in rural areas, restore dignity, to share the love of Christ through CGWE work, and turn adversity into lasting impact. Her life and her book stand as proof that even the deepest suffering can give birth to purpose.https://resiliencehope.com/about-the-book/AMAZONhttps://cgweafrica.com/https://www.urlinkpublishing.com/http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/12425dmt.mp3   

Zambia's President Hakinde Hichilema has fired the entire board of the country's Anti-Corruption Commission after allegations that certain officials on the body tasked with fighting corruption, were taking bribes. The accusations have been strongly denied, but a former chairman says the board needs to be reformed.Ethiopia has seen a surge in kidnappings for ransom in recent years and the country's largest region, Oromia, is one of the worst affected. Who are the groups behind the abductions and what are their motives?And how can artisanal and informal mining in sub-Saharan Africa be made safer?Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Nyasha Michelle in London; Blessing Aderogba in Lagos; and Charles Gitonga in Nairobi Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.

*) Israeli shelling, raids leave Gaza reeling with multiple deaths Several Palestinians, including women, have been killed and many others wounded in a series of Israeli raids across the besieged Gaza. According to a medical source, seven bodies were brought to al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp, central Gaza, following an Israeli bombing that targeted a family. Separately, the Israeli army continued shelling the Shujaiah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, causing extensive damage to residential areas. *) Gaza ceasefire negotiations to continue next week — Israel The head of Israel's Mossad has returned from Doha after an initial meeting with mediators to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that negotiations will resume next week but noted that gaps remain between the sides. *) Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran's presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian has won the presidential run-off, defeating his rival Saeed Jalili, as confirmed by the Interior Ministry of Iran. Early vote counts on Saturday showed Pezeshkian securing 16.3 million votes, while Jalili received 13.5 million in Friday's election. Over 61 million Iranians were eligible to vote, including about 18 million aged 18 to 30. *) 4.5M people internally displaced in Ethiopia as of June: UN report Ethiopia is facing a severe internal displacement crisis, with an estimated 4.5 million people forced from their homes primarily due to conflict as of June, according to a UN report. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted that the Somali, Oromia, and Tigray regions are the most affected. Over half of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been displaced for more than a year, while 23 percent have been displaced for two to four years, and 11 percent for five years or more. *) Palestine plans to play World Cup qualifiers in occupied West Bank After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, Palestine is determined to host a game on home soil. The Palestinian Football Association has proposed playing matches in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. They have already garnered support from several opponents, starting with Jordan on September 10. The Palestinian team made history by progressing through the second round of continental qualifying in June.

The United States has called for a temporary nationwide ceasefire following continued fighting between the national army and armed groups in Oromia and Amhara regions. The US alleges that the armed groups target schools, health centres and water infrastructure.Why has Gabon's deposed President Ali Bongo gone on hunger strike?And Audrey speaks to legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder after he was granted Ghanaian citizenship earlier this week!Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Rob Wilson, Karnie Sharp,Bella Hassan, Charles Gitonga and Paul Bakibinga Technical Producers : Jonny Hall and Daniela Victoria Varela Hernandez Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard.

“The government has been reacting very strongly to the possibility of famine and they're dismissing it, but they are admitting there is drought and that millions of people are being affected.”It's just over a year since the Ethiopian government signed a peace deal with the Tigray People's Liberation Front – to end the brutal civil war in the north of the country.The ‘Pretoria agreement' saw the TPLF agreeing to disarm, in return for the reopening of Tigray, to allow in desperately needed food aid.During the war hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have died – many from starvation. But now, international aid agencies are warning that people there are again in desperate need of food. And throughout the last year there have been outbreaks of violence in other regions in Ethiopia: Amhara, Afar, and Oromia. So what's happening in Tigray and Ethiopia? Alan @Kasujja speaks to the BBC's Kalkidan Yibeltal.

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:TODAY IN HISTORYDecember 2, 1805: At the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon wins what was arguably his greatest victory against a larger joint Russian-Austrian army. The Allies suffered 36,000 dead/wounded/captured compared with only 9000 for the French. The French victory was so complete that not only did it end the War of the Third Coalition, it allowed Napoleon to create the Confederation of the Rhine among the German states that had become French clients. Emperor Francis II was then forced to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire, which had been in existence continuously since 962 and traced its origins back to Charlemagne's coronation as “emperor of the Romans” in 800.December 2, 1942: Enrico Fermi and his team create the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction at “Chicago Pile-1,” a rudimentary reactor built under the campus of the University of Chicago. This was the first milestone achievement for the Manhattan Project in its race to build a nuclear bomb before Nazi Germany.December 3, 1971: The Pakistani military undertakes preemptive airstrikes against several Indian military installations, beginning the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, itself the final phase of the Bangladesh Liberation War. India was preparing to enter the war on Bangladesh's side anyway, so when I say these strikes were “preemptive” I am not using that term in the phony, George W. Bush “hey they might attack us someday, you never know” sense of the term. The war, to put it mildly, was a complete disaster for the Pakistanis, who were forced to surrender a scant 13 days later and had to give up their claims on “East Pakistan” (Bangladesh) while suffering around a third of their military killed, wounded, or captured. In one of Henry Kissinger's more notorious acts, the Nixon administration opted to support Pakistan despite evidence of its armed forces committing major atrocities against Bangladeshi civilians.December 3, 1984: A Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, spews toxic methyl isocyanate gas overnight, resulting in the deaths of between 3800 and 16,000 people and causing injury to at least 558,000 more. Union Carbide maintains that the leak was caused by deliberate sabotage, though Indian courts subsequently found several officials at the plant guilty of negligence. The “Bhopal Disaster” remains one of the worst industrial catastrophes in history and its adverse effects are still being felt by people in that region to the present day.MIDDLE EASTISRAEL-PALESTINEThe Israeli military (IDF) was advancing on the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on Sunday, with Hamas officials and residents both reporting indications of nearby fighting and the IDF later confirming that it has sent ground forces into southern Gaza. The IDF has been ordering civilians to evacuate the eastern reaches of Khan Younis, and of course it's posted a helpful interactive map on its website that warns civilians of imminent danger provided those civilians have reliable internet access and haven't lost their special IDF secret decoder rings. Residents of Khan Younis will likely move further south to Rafah, though that city is also under heavy IDF bombardment so it's not really safe either. Israeli officials say the IDF struck more than 400 targets over the weekend, and the official Gazan death toll had risen at last check to 15,523. The real death toll may be substantially higher, given the likelihood of bodies that haven't yet been recovered and the closure of most of the hospitals that were handling casualties.Elsewhere:* Aid shipments into Gaza have resumed. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says that 100 truckloads of aid entered the territory from Egypt on Saturday and I believe the aim was to bring in a similar number of trucks on Sunday though I have not seen any information yet as to whether that was accomplished.* The Biden administration may be “pressing” Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations, as White House spokes-ghoul John Kirby told NBC on Sunday, but there's no indication it's having any success. After the ceasefire collapsed on Friday the Israeli government recalled its Mossad negotiators from Qatar, and for Hamas's part the Islamist group's political wing has sworn off any future prisoner swaps “until the war ends.”* The administration is continuing to send large quantities of ordinance to the IDF, including massive “bunker buster” bombs. So any claim that it's really pushing the Israeli government to negotiate a ceasefire or even demonstrate greater discernment in its bombardments really doesn't hold up terribly well.* Israel Hayom is reporting that “key figures” in the US Congress have been shown the text of a “new initiative” that would condition future US aid to Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, and Yemen (all of which it identified as “Arab states,” which would be news to the Turks) on the willingness of governments in those four states to enable the ethnic cleansing of Gaza by taking in refugees. That same outlet has also reported (in Hebrew, so here's a summary from Ryan Grim) that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Minister of Strategic Planning Ron Dermer to put together a plan to “thin the population in Gaza to a minimum,” which if nothing else is an incredible euphemism. The Biden administration has rejected any forced and/or permanent relocation of Gazan civilians, a point that Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated during her visit to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai over the weekend. But it perhaps could be sold on the idea of a “voluntary” (in quotes because in reality it would be anything but) evacuation that is characterized as temporary even if there's no real intention to ever let the evacuees return.* The Guardian says its reporting has confirmed the findings of that bombshell +972 Magazine piece from a few days ago, which reported that the IDF has been using an AI system called “Habsora” (“The Gospel”) to identify targets under a process that's been likened to a “mass assassination factory.” The system is producing targets faster than the IDF can attack them, including private homes where the likelihood of civilian casualties is high. Israeli officials are apparently insisting that the AI is programmed to minimize civilian risk, an assertion that cannot be squared with the high number of civilian casualties incurred so far in this conflict.* Israeli settler mobs attacked two West Bank villages in separate incidents on Saturday, killing at least one Palestinian in one of those attacks. The human rights organization Yesh Din says it's catalogued some 225 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, resulting in at least nine deaths.* On a somewhat related note, one of the people killed in last Thursday's shooting in East Jerusalem turns out to have been an Israeli civilian who shot and killed the two Hamas attackers and then was mistakenly gunned down by Israeli soldiers. Video footage apparently shows the man disarming, kneeling, and opening his shirt to demonstrate to the soldiers that he was not a threat, but one of them killed him anyway. The incident has raised issues regarding the trigger happiness of Israeli security forces and the wisdom of the Israeli government's armed vigilante program, which in addition to risking civilian Palestinian deaths also risks more “friendly fire” shootings like this one.* The Washington Post published a story this weekend about the hasty evacuation of al-Nasr Children's Hospital in northern Gaza last month. Without going into some of the grislier details, the staff was forced to evacuate by the IDF and left behind four premature infants who likely would not have survived relocation. They say Israeli officials told them the infants would be taken out in Red Cross ambulances but apparently they were left to die and, eventually, decompose. Reporters discovered their remains during the ceasefire. Israeli officials insist that they never ordered al-Nasr's evacuation and have questioned the veracity of the story, despite video evidence and a recording of a phone call that the IDF itself released in which an Israeli official appears to acknowledge the need to rescue patients from the facility. The Red Cross says it never agreed to assist the evacuation and that conditions in northern Gaza would have made it impossible for its personnel to get to al-Nasr to retrieve the infants.* I mention the al-Nasr story because it strikes me as especially galling. In general I'm trying not to focus heavily on individual atrocities or allegations of atrocities in compiling these newsletters—there would be no space for anything else otherwise. I hope readers don't mistake that for apathy about any of these stories, going back to and including the atrocities committed/allegedly committed by Gazan militants on October 7 (I know cases of sexual violence have been receiving heavy coverage of late). I feel my role here is to try to provide an overview and for me that means keeping some distance from specific events. I'm sure I don't do that consistently but it is my aim.SYRIAAccording to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that Saturday morning Israeli missile attack in the vicinity of Damascus killed at least two of its personnel who were in Syria on an “advisory” mission. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strikes killed two Syrians who were affiliated with Hezbollah as well as two foreigners, presumably these IRGC members, while wounding five other people.YEMENHouthi rebels in northern Yemen fired a barrage of missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea on Sunday. The group damaged three commercial ships and also fired at least three drones at the US naval destroyer USS Carney, which shot the projectiles down. There's no indication of any casualties and two of the vessels reported only minor damage (I'm unsure as to the status of the third). I would not be surprising if the US military were to retaliate against the Houthis in the near future, and there is a genuine risk that this could lead to a full-blown resumption of the Yemen war—though of course that would require Saudi Arabia's involvement.IRAQIraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaʿ al-Sudani reportedly told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a phone conversation on Saturday that Baghdad does not appreciate the US military carrying out attacks on Iraqi soil. The US attacked two Iraqi militia-linked targets on November 22 (during this newsletter's holiday pause), “killing nine pro-Iran fighters” in retaliation for attacks against US personnel according to AFP. Those attacks tapered off during the Gaza ceasefire, but as we know that ceasefire is no longer operative.On Sunday, US forces carried out a drone strike on a militia target in Iraq's Kirkuk province, killing at least five people and wounding five more. There was initially no indication as to responsibility (though one didn't exactly have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve this caper), but the US military later confirmed that it was responsible and characterized the strike as preempting “an imminent threat.”ASIAPAKISTANUnspecified gunmen attacked a bus in northern Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region late Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 26 others. The bus driver was among those killed, along with the driver of a truck with which the bus collided. There's been no claim of responsibility and the main body of the Pakistani Taliban has taken the rare step of denying any involvement.PHILIPPINESA bombing targeting a Catholic mass killed at least four people and left several others wounded on the campus of Mindanao State University in the southern Philippine city of Marawi on Sunday. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via Telegram. The previous day, the Philippine military said its forces killed at least 11 jihadist militants in nearby Maguindanao province in an attack targeting “suspected leaders and armed followers of the Dawla Islamiyah [i.e. ‘Islamic State'] and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters” to borrow the AP's verbiage. I don't know whether Sunday's bombing was planned in advance or was intended as a direct retaliation for Saturday's incident.AFRICAGUINEA-BISSAUThe president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, characterized Thursday night's gun battle between elements of the National Guard and his Presidential Palace Battalion as an “attempted coup” in comments to reporters on Saturday. Embaló had been out of the country attending the COP28 summit when the incident took place and said it had delayed his return to Bissau. National Guard commander Victor Tchongo is now in government custody, but Embaló appeared to suggest that there were other coup plotters behind Tchongo and said he would open an investigation into the incident on Monday. The National Guard is part of the Interior Ministry, which AFP says is “dominated” by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAICG). That party, which won June's parliamentary election and now controls the government, is opposed to Embaló.BURKINA FASOThe military governments of Burkina Faso and Niger announced on Saturday that they are both withdrawing from the G5 Sahel regional counterinsurgency force. That group was formed in 2014 with the aim of pooling resources to battle the various jihadist groups that were threatening Sahelian governments. It began deploying joint forces a couple of years later, but as you might already have concluded it's had minimal impact on the region's jihadist crisis. Mali's ruling junta quit last year, so of the original five member states only Mauritania and Nigeria still remain.ETHIOPIAOfficials in Ethiopia's Oromian regional government have accused the rebel Oromo Liberation Army of killing at least 36 civilians in attacks on three villages that took place on November 24 and 27. The OLA apparently hasn't commented and there's no confirmation of the government claim, but the alleged attacks took place not long after another round of peace talks between the OLA and Ethiopian government broke down, so it's conceivable the group decided to lash out in that moment. The OLA was formed as the military wing of the Oromo Liberation Front in the 1970s but broke away from the group's political leadership when the latter reached a peace accord with the Ethiopian government in 2018. It frequently attacks non-Oromo communities in Oromia, though authorities have only said that the victims of these attacks were Orthodox Christians without reference to ethnicity.EUROPEUKRAINERussian military operations in eastern Ukraine may have hit a couple of speed bumps over the weekend. For one thing, reports that emerged on Friday suggesting that the Russians had seized the town of Maryinka, southwest of the city of Donetsk, appear to have been a bit premature. Ukrainian forces are reportedly still in control of some parts of the town, including a coking plant, though that may change in relatively short order of course. Elsewhere, the Ukrainian military claimed on Saturday that Russian attacks on the city of Avdiivka had completely ceased for a full day. That too could change in a hurry, and indeed may already have changed by the time you read this, but it suggests the Russians were at least regrouping after spending the previous several days in what seemed like intense fighting to try to take the city.The Ukrainian government says it's investigating a claim that Russian soldiers summarily executed two surrendering Ukrainian military personnel. Details are minimal but there's a video of this alleged incident circulating on social media. Needless to say, intentionally killing surrendering soldiers is a war crime.FRANCEA knife-wielding attacker killed one German tourist and wounded two other people near Paris's Eiffel Tower late Saturday. The attacker is a French national who was on a French government “watch list,” had apparently pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and was also “known for having psychiatric disorders” according to Reuters. He cited the conflict in Gaza, among other triggers, to police after his arrest.AMERICASBRAZILBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Sunday that he has no intention of bringing Brazil into full membership in the OPEC+ bloc and would stick to “observer” status only, one day after he somewhat incoherently told reporters that he wanted to join the group of major oil producing nations to try to encourage them to stop producing oil. OPEC+ extended a membership offer to Brazil on Thursday, which I gather has raised some eyebrows given Lula's stated commitment to combating climate change. Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, is continuing to pursue new oil exploration, also despite Lula's climate change position, though he says his aim is to invest oil profits in non-fossil fuel energy alternatives (and to encourage OPEC+ nations to do likewise). Oil remains the cause of, and solution to, all of humanity's problems.VENEZUELAVenezuelans, or at least the ones who participated, apparently voted overwhelmingly in Sunday's referendum to support their country's territorial claim on western Guyana's Essequibo region. Election officials said that the vote was 95 percent in favor for all of its five clauses—the most contentious of which was a question about whether or not to declare Essequibo a new Venezuelan state and extend citizenship to its residents—though there's not much insight as to turnout. There's no indication that the Venezuelan government is planning any imminent steps to try to actualize its claim on Essequibo but the referendum has nevertheless caused some consternation in Guyana and internationally.UNITED STATESFinally, HuffPost's Akbar Shahid Ahmed offers some welcome reassurance that the worst Middle East “expert” in Washington is still central to the Biden administration's regional policy:Four men in Washington shape America's policy in the Middle East. Three are obvious: President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The fourth is less well-known, despite his huge sway over the other three ― and despite his determination to keep championing policies that many see as fueling bloodshed in Gaza and beyond.His name is Brett McGurk. He's the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and he's one of the most powerful people in U.S. national security.McGurk crafts the options that Biden considers on issues from negotiations with Israel to weapon sales for Saudi Arabia. He controls whether global affairs experts within the government ― including more experienced staff at the Pentagon and the State Department ― can have any impact, and he decides which outside voices have access to White House decision-making conversations. His knack for increasing his influence is the envy of other Beltway operators. And he has a clear vision of how he thinks American interests should be advanced, regarding human rights concerns as secondary at best, according to current and former colleagues and close observers.Indeed, even though McGurk has spent nearly 20 years giving bad advice about the Middle East to a succession of US presidents—and even though his fixation on Saudi-Israeli normalization at Palestinian expense may have helped trigger the October 7 attacks—his influence today appears to be greater than it's ever been. I'm sure that makes all of us feel a little better.Thanks for reading! Foreign Exchanges is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:Friends, for family reasons and also because of my own mental exhaustion I will be taking a longer than usual break from the newsletter for this year's Thanksgiving holiday. The newsletter will be going quiet following Thursday's roundup and will return to our regular schedule on Tuesday, November 28. As I've written before here I can always tell when it's time for me to take a bit of a break from the newsletter and the truth is we probably passed that point around three or four weeks ago so I'm running on fumes. Thanks for reading and for supporting this venture!TODAY IN HISTORYNovember 14, 1965: The Battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement between the United States and the North Vietnamese Army, begins. It ended on November 18 with both sides claiming victory, though the NVA's ability to fight the much better armed US Army to a draw was a boost to their morale and probably the battle's most important effect.November 14, 2001: Fighters with the Northern Alliance rebel coalition enter and occupy the city of Kabul, marking the end of the US war in Afghanista—just kidding. I had you going there for a second, didn't I?INTERNATIONALWith deaths due to “extreme heat” projected to increase five-fold by 2050, according to The Lancet Countdown, you'll no doubt be pleasantly surprised to learn that an AP investigative report shows that the “green transition plans” being formulated by most major fossil fuel companies are not green, not transitional, and not even really plans. Without any serious government pressure to force them to invest in genuinely renewable technologies, these firms are able to do things like, say, classify natural gas development as a “green” investment. That's absurd, of course, but who's counting?The main problem with these plans has long been, and continues to be, the fact that fossil fuel companies exempt the products they sell when assessing their progress toward “net zero” carbon emissions. Firms only account for “Scope 1” emissions, which are their direct carbon outputs, and “Scope 2” emissions, the indirect output that results from their production process. The emissions that ensue when people burn the products they sell are considered “Scope 3” and energy firms disavow any responsibility for them. Like tobacco companies, they argue that what the customer does with their products is the customer's business, not theirs. Maybe people just want to buy a barrel of oil and place it in their foyer as a conversation piece or put it to some other use that doesn't emit carbon. Who's to say?MIDDLE EASTISRAEL-PALESTINEEarly Wednesday morning Israeli forces began what they called “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa hospital” involving “medical teams and Arabic speakers, who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians.” There are hundreds of patients and thousands of other people who have been trapped in the hospital by the IDF and the chances that “no harm” will come to any of them in the next several hours are probably slim. Israeli officials have been insisting that Hamas's lair is located underneath the hospital but at this point it's too soon to know if that's the target or if this is a more limited operation. This is a developing story so there's not much more I can say about it at this time.What I can say is that the Biden administration gave a green light to this operation earlier in the day, when White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the administration has “independent intelligence” (which is code for “we didn't get this from the IDF”) that “Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip — including Al-Shifa — and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages.” According to Kirby this intelligence shows that the militant groups have a “command and control” center in Shifa and “have stored weapons there.” Kirby insisted that that the administration was not endorsing an Israeli attack on the hospital, but anybody with ears to hear or eyes to read what he said should have no doubt as to what the intent was.I wrote everything below prior to news of the Israeli assault breaking so some of it might no longer be relevant but I think most of it still is:Gazan health authorities said on Tuesday that some 40 patients at Shifa—three of them babies—have died since that facility ran out of generator fuel on Saturday. Without electricity the hospital cannot maintain its incubator units and so there are now 36 newborns who are at critical risk. With the IDF surrounding the hospital it's also become impossible to transfer the dead to a cemetery, so personnel are planning to bury some 120 bodies in a mass grave on site. Gazan officials have proposed evacuating the facility under the auspices of the Red Cross/Red Crescent and sending its remaining patients to Egypt but there had been no movement on that front at time of writing. The Israeli government has apparently offered to send the hospitals more incubators, a fascinating attempt at a humanitarian gesture that would be completely pointless because the problem isn't the incubators, it's the electricity.In other news:* David Ignatius at The Washington Post reported (I use that term loosely) on Monday that “Israel and Hamas are close to a hostage deal.” With the caveat that if David Ignatius told me the sky was blue I'd glance out the window to double check, the terms he reported are that Hamas would release (or facilitate the release) of the women and children that it and other Gazan militant groups took hostage during their October 7 rampage through southern Israel. This would be done in stages and be matched by the release of Palestinian women and children being held by Israeli authorities. It would also involve a ceasefire of unspecified duration but “perhaps five days” according to Ignatius. The ceasefire could allow some time to address humanitarian issues in Gaza though I don't know what that would entail and whatever it was would almost certainly be inadequate.* Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger on Tuesday and later told reporters that the ICRC has had no access to the aforementioned hostages. It's highly unlikely that the Israelis would agree to anything involving hostages without at least proof of life, so this could be a big sticking point with respect to the potential prisoner deal outlined above. Families of the hostages, meanwhile, are marching from Tel Aviv to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem to pressure him to take some action to secure the hostages' release.* Israeli occupation forces killed at least eight Palestinians in the West Bank on Tuesday, seven of them in Tulkarm. The IDF carried out a drone strike in that city, an occurrence that's still relatively rare in the West Bank though it's certainly become more common over the past year and in particular the past month.* Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a statement on Tuesday endorsing what he laughably termed the “voluntary emigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world.” I guess “leave or die” is a choice, right? A couple of Israeli politicians floated this idea on Monday in a Wall Street Journal editorial that was less a serious proposal than a written middle finger to Western critics of the Israeli military campaign. That piece didn't go into extensive detail about what a mass relocation would look like—again, it wasn't meant as a serious proposal—but Smotrich's intent is much easier to guess, and that's the permanent ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the relocation of its population as far away from Israel as possible. Smotrich, whose ministerial brief also includes running the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories office, isn't part of Netanyahu's “war cabinet” but that doesn't mean he's completely lacking in influence.* The US and UK governments on Tuesday announced new sanctions targeting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members along with a Lebanese entity that allegedly facilitates money transfers from Iran to Gazan militant groups. This is the third round of sanctions the Biden administration has imposed since October 7. Also on Tuesday, over 400 employees of the Biden administration sent a joint letter to their boss, Joe Biden, expressing opposition to the administration's approach to the Gaza conflict.YEMENHouthi rebels say they fired another barrage of missiles toward Israel on Tuesday. There's no confirmation of this, though the IDF did say that its air defenses downed a single missile near Eilat that we can probably assume was of Houthi provenance. The leader of Yemen's Houthi movement, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, delivered a speech on Tuesday pledging that his rebel fighters would continue attacking Israel. In particular, Houthi suggested that they could target Israeli commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which would certainly be an easier target for them than Israel itself.IRAQA Turkish drone strike killed two people, both allegedly members of the Sinjar Resistance Units militia, in northern Iraq's Nineveh province on Monday evening. The Sinjar militia was formed in 2014 with assistance from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and is still allied with that group, which makes its personnel potential targets for the Turkish military.Elsewhere, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court removed two members of the Iraqi parliament on Tuesday, one of whom just happened to be speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi. It's not clear why, though another MP named Laith al-Dulaimi had reportedly sued Halbusi alleging that the speaker forged Dulaimi's name on a resignation letter. Dulaimi was, as it happens, the other MP who had his term ended by the court (I assume that's not a coincidence). The ruling created a potential political crisis for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaʿ al-Sudani. As speaker, Halbusi was Iraq's leading Sunni Arab politician, and his support was important to Sudani's government. Three members of his Progress Party quit their cabinet posts after the court ruling and it remains to be seen how that will impact Sudani's position.ASIAAFGHANISTANAfghan Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi apparently visited Pakistan this week, where—according to the Afghan government—he pressed Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on the issue of all those Afghan migrants the Pakistani government is presently deporting. Specifically it sounds like Azizi raised the issue of allowing deportees to at least take some of their money and/or possessions to Afghanistan with them. Deportees are currently arriving with nothing and are being housed in what are effectively refugee camps—leaving aside the incongruity of being a “refugee” in one's home country—on the Afghan side of the border.MYANMARReports on Monday only hinted at some new fighting in western Myanmar's Chin state, but as more details are emerging the situation there sounds pretty serious. According to the Chin National Front, rebel fighters had by the end of the day seized two Myanmar military outposts and were working to seize control of the Myanmar-Indian border. According to Indian media the fighting has sent some 2000 people streaming across that border to escape. In neighboring Rakhine state, the rebel Arakan Army has also been seizing military outposts and authorities have imposed a curfew in the state capital, Sittwe, as a result. Rebel factions across Myanmar have launched new offensives in recent weeks, starting with the “1027” (for October 27) operations by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army in Shan state. Myanmar's ruling junta is clearly struggling to mount a response.CHINAJoe Biden told reporters on Tuesday that his main goal in meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco this week is to restore “normal” communications between their governments. In particular this would involve a return to regular military-to-military contacts, something Beijing ended in the wake of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year. Any prospect of resuming those contacts was complicated by the fact that former Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was under US sanction. But as he's no longer defense minister that complication is no longer an issue.AFRICALIBERIALiberian voters turned out on Tuesday for the second round of that country's presidential election, pitting incumbent George Weah against Joseph Boakai. Both candidates finished with just under 44 percent of the vote in last month's first round. Such a close finish might augur poorly for the incumbent in a head to head matchup, though that's just one of many factors that could sway this vote in either direction. Polls have closed in that contest but I have yet to see anything by way of preliminary or partial results.MALIMali's ruling junta says its security forces have seized control over the northern town of Kidal after battling with rebels in that region for several days. The Malian military and mercenary auxiliaries marched on Kidal after United Nations peacekeepers vacated the region as part of their ongoing withdrawal from Mali. Kidal has been a rebel stronghold since the initial northern Mali uprising in 2012 and government control there has been nebulous at best since then. There's been no comment as far as I know from the rebels and it's unclear what their disposition is at this point.ETHIOPIAAccording to Addis Standard, Fano militia fighters attacked a predominantly Oromo community in Ethiopia's Amhara region last week, killing at least 25 people and displacing some 3000 into the Oromia region. The Fano militia is still battling the Ethiopian government but Amhara paramilitary groups have also made a pastime of preying on ethnic Oromo communities (likewise, Oromo militias have preyed on ethnic Amhara). In this case they apparently demanded grain from the community and attacked after residents refused to comply.On a more upbeat note, the US Agency for International Development is reportedly planning to resume food distribution across Ethiopia next month under a “one-year trial period.” The agency suspended its Ethiopian food program earlier this year amid allegations that the aid was being diverted. It resumed providing food aid to Ethiopian refugees last month and is now planning to spend the next year testing whether procedural changes adopted by aid groups and the Ethiopian government are enough to stop that alleged diversion. Solid data is hard to come by but it's possible that hundreds or thousands of Ethiopians have died because of the decision (which the UN World Food Program joined) to suspend food aid.DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGOThe death toll from Sunday's Allied Democratic Forces attack on a village in the eastern DRC's North Kivu province has risen to 33, according to provincial officials. ADF fighters are also believed to have been responsible for attacking a village in neighboring Ituri province on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people.EUROPERUSSIAVladimir Putin signed a new law on Tuesday that permits elections to be held even in parts of Russia that are under martial law. This apparently clears the way for the portions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed to participate in next year's presidential election. The effect will be to try to stitch those regions a little more tightly to Russia and complicate any possible return to Ukrainian authority.UKRAINEThe European Union promised back in March to supply the Ukrainian military with 1 million 155 mm artillery shells within 12 months. You'll never guess how that went. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told a meeting of EU defense ministers on Tuesday that the bloc isn't going to fulfill its commitment and even went so far as to criticize the fact that it was made in the first place. The will was apparently there, but EU member states still don't have the collective capacity to churn out that many shells that quickly. The effort has apparently sparked a boost in production capacity but not enough to meet the 12 month deadline.SWEDENSweden's NATO accession may be moving slightly forward, as the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee will take up the issue on Thursday. It's been about three weeks since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan submitted Sweden's accession to parliament and it should be clear by now that the folks in Ankara are in no particular hurry to work their way through that process. There may be some impetus on the part of other NATO members to have the issue resolved in time for the alliance foreign ministers summit on November 28, but Erdoğan has proven himself to be fairly impervious to that sort of pressure in the past.AMERICASUNITED STATESFinally, TomDispatch's William Hartung wonders whether the “Arsenal of Democracy” really cares all that much about the “democracy” part:The list of major human rights abusers that receive U.S.-supplied weaponry is long and includes (but isn't faintly limited to) Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Such sales can have devastating human consequences. They also support regimes that all too often destabilize their regions and risk embroiling the United States directly in conflicts.U.S.-supplied arms also far too regularly fall into the hands of Washington's adversaries. As an example consider the way the UAE transferred small arms and armored vehicles produced by American weapons makers to extremist militias in Yemen, with no apparent consequences, even though such acts clearly violated American arms export laws. Sometimes, recipients of such weaponry even end up fighting each other, as when Turkey used U.S.-supplied F-16s in 2019 to bomb U.S.-backed Syrian forces involved in the fight against Islamic State terrorists.Such examples underscore the need to scrutinize U.S. arms exports far more carefully. Instead, the arms industry has promoted an increasingly “streamlined” process of approval of such weapons sales, campaigning for numerous measures that would make it even easier to arm foreign regimes regardless of their human-rights records or support for the interests Washington theoretically promotes. These have included an “Export Control Reform Initiative” heavily promoted by the industry during the Obama and Trump administrations that ended up ensuring a further relaxation of scrutiny over firearms exports. It has, in fact, eased the way for sales that, in the future, could put U.S.-produced weaponry in the hands of tyrants, terrorists, and criminal organizations.Now, the industry is promoting efforts to get weapons out the door ever more quickly through “reforms” to the Foreign Military Sales program in which the Pentagon essentially serves as an arms broker between those weapons corporations and foreign governments.Thanks for reading! Foreign Exchanges is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

EMM and LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches invite you to respond to a critical humanitarian appeal from the Meserete Kristos Church (or MKC) in Ethiopia. Since 2020, the southern Borena zone of the Oromia state has experienced severe drought due to 5 failed rainy seasons. It is estimated that 24 million people have been impacted by the drought — 11 million of whom are experiencing food insecurity.

The gardening "advice" we get may not always be accurate. Bury a whole egg under your tomato plants? Make a tea from banana peels? What advice is legit and what is bogus? Let's look at the scientific research behind common kitchen scraps that might also be used as garden amendments: banana peels, eggshells, teas leaves and spent coffee grounds. Say Thank You! Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Follow me on Instagram Merchandise | Just Grow Something RESOURCES Comparative Study of Various Organic Fertilizers Effect on Growth and Yield of Two Economically Important Crops, Potato and Pea (scirp.org) Effects of banana peel compost rates on Swiss chard growth performance and yield in Shirka district, Oromia, Ethiopia - ScienceDirect Preparation of nano-fertilizer blend from banana peels | SpringerLink BIO-ORGANIC LIQUID FERTILIZER PRODUCTION FROM CHICKEN MANURE AND BANANA PEELS AND EVALUATING ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa L.) UNDER HYDROPONIC CONDITION. (haramaya.edu.et) HEN EGGSHELL WASTE AS FERTILIZER FOR THE GROWTH OF PHASEOLUS VULGARIS (COW PEA SEEDS) Chicken eggshells as a soil amendment and their relationship with the morphological response of mustard plants (Brassica juncea, L.) - IOPscience The use of spent coffee grounds in growing media for the production of Brassica seedlings in nurseries | SpringerLink Agriculture | Free Full-Text | Spent Coffee Grounds Applied as a Top-Dressing or Incorporated into the Soil Can Improve Plant Growth While Reducing Slug Herbivory (mdpi.com) Acute Toxicity of Experimental Fertilizers Made of Spent Coffee Grounds | SpringerLink Impact of spent coffee grounds as organic amendment on soil fertility and lettuce growth in two Mediterranean agricultural soils: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science: Vol 64, No 6 (tandfonline.com) Biblioteca Digital do IPB: Effect of fresh and composted spent coffee grounds on lettuce growth, photosynthetic pigments and mineral composition Use of Spent Coffee Ground Compost in Peat-Based Growing Media for the Production of Basil and Tomato Potting Plants: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis: Vol 47, No 3 (tandfonline.com) Applying spent coffee grounds directly to urban agriculture soils greatly reduces plant growth - ScienceDirect --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/justgrowsomething/message

This month, your hosts Jaal Leelloo and Jaal Aangoo are rejoined by special guest Jaal Raggaatuu to discuss the launch of the new media platform Oromia Worldwide, the recently published political manifesto of the Oromo Liberation Army, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Oromo people in the Wollo region. Jaal Raggaatuu shares her process of establishing Oromia Worldwide, and her thoughts on the themes within the OLF-OLA manifesto. Diaspora efforts to advocate for the people of Wollo, as well as the liberation struggle in general, are also discussed. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Visit olacommunique.com to read the OLF-OLA manifesto. Intro/outro song credit: "WBO Malee" by Sabboonaa Tafarraa.

This week on Talk World Radio, we're discussing Oromia and the Oromo people. Seenaa Jimjimo is Executive Director for the Oromo Legacy Leadership & Advocacy Association. The website is http://ollaa.org Seenaa is an Oromo-American born and raised in Ethiopia. She was a key player in the adoption of U.S. House Resolution 128 – an important factor in enabling change in Ethiopia in 2018. Take action at https://worldbeyondwar.org/oromia

Wat voor gevolgen heeft de bestorming in Brasilia voor president Lula? Al maanden waren er signalen voor een mogelijke couppoging in Brazilië, en gistermiddag kwam het daadwerkelijk tot een geweldsuitbarsting: Duizenden aanhangers van oud-president Bolsonaro bestormden verschillende overheidsgebouwen uit onvrede over het overdragen van de macht aan de linkse president Lula. Ze worden 'terroristen' genoemd in de Braziliaanse pers, maar ze zijn volgens analisten ook een symptoom van de woede die veel breder leeft in het land.  Want ook buiten de hoofdstad suddert het en dreigt geweld aan de oppervlakte te komen. Hoe nu verder voor de kersverse president? We vragen het Latijns-Amerika expert Ernesto Rodriguez Amari. Dreigt na Tigray een nieuwe burgeroorlog in Ethiopië? In Ethiopië lijkt het ene conflict zich af te wisselen met het andere. Na twee jaar oorlog lijkt de rust teruggekeerd in deelstaat Tigray. Maar nu lopen de spanningen op in een andere, veel grotere regio: Oromia. Dat conflict dreigt te escaleren tot een burgeroorlog. Wat is er aan de hand? We vragen het Mirjam van Reisen, hoogleraar Internationale Betrekkingen aan de universiteit van Tilburg. Uitgelicht: Senegal Aandacht voor de Senegalese hoofdstad Dakar. Die stad ontpopt zich steeds meer als dé cultuurhoofdstad van West-Afrika. Daarover correspondent Aida Grovestins.  Presentatie: Sophie Derkzen  

In this episode, J/Aangoo and J/Leelloo are joined by Professor Milkessa Midega Gemechu, a former Ethiopian government official, to discuss the war that is being waged by the Ethiopian military and Fano militia forces in Oromia, and the barbaric atrocities that were recently committed against Oromo civilians. Professor Milkessa shares his insights on the motivations and intent of the current Ethiopian regime, and the response of domestic and international entities to the abominable crimes suffered by Oromo people. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

More aid arrives in Tigray region amid shaky truce+++Ethiopia's Oromia region rocked by air strikes, reports say+++What's in it for Cameroon's female entrepreneurs?+++DR Congo and Rwanda in fresh talks in Angola, Kagame absent+++ World Cup

Ethiopian ambassador Zenebe Kebede says federal forces acted in defence after TPLF attacked their positions in the recent flare-up of clashes in Tigray. But Tigray isn't the only hot spot experiencing violence in Ethiopia. We report on other attacks carried out in Oromia and listen to chilling accounts from local residents Also in the pod: We speak to an opposition leader in Chad who is trapped in his party headquarters after security forces arrested his supporters; A report on the death of twenty-one teenagers who died in a South African tavern concerns the victims' families. And we ask Malawi's Health secretary what is behind a recent spike in cholera cases in the country.

In this month's episode, J/Aangoo and J/Leelloo are joined by an eminent figure in the history of the Oromo liberation struggle, Abbaa Caalaa Lataa, a  founding member of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), to discuss his recently published autobiography entitled “Abbaa Caalaa Lataa: Jireenya fi Qabsoo ABO”, which translates to “Abbaa Caalaa Lataa: My life and the struggle of the Oromo Liberation Front”. Abbaa Caalaa shares some eye-opening and grounding truths about the arduous journey of establishing the OLF, and gives perspective to how the Oromo nation has reached the current stage in the liberation struggle. He also shares his thoughts on the new generation of freedom fighters, as well as lessons that can be applied to charting the way forward. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Visit oromiasupport.org for further information and reports on human rights abuses in Oromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

In this episode, your hosts Jaal Leelloo and Jaal Aangoo are joined again by Dr Trevor Trueman, director of the Oromia Support Group, to discuss the recent spate of massacres in Oromia, and how such atrocities are systematically used to propagate disingenuous narratives that serve anti-Oromo agendas. Dr Trueman describes the pattern of disinformation strategies that have been applied to numerous killings in Oromia, and explains how international institutions have come to possess an obfuscated view of human rights abuses in Ethiopia, which distorts their understanding of what would constitute real accountability and justice. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Visit oromiasupport.org for further information and reports on human rights abuses in Oromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

To mark the end of Season Three of The Horn, Alan discusses a few major developments in the region with Crisis Group experts. First up, he speaks to William Davison, Senior Analyst for Ethiopia, to discuss the prospect for possible peace talks in Ethiopia after the humanitarian ceasefire declared in March between federal and Tigrayan forces. They discuss the recent welcome steps towards peace talks, the remaining hurdles towards holding such negotiations and the major obstacles that any peace talks will need to overcome. They also discuss Ethiopia's deteriorating economic situation and the ongoing insurgency in the Oromia region.Next, Alan speaks with Nelleke van de Walle, Project Director for the Great Lakes region, to discuss Kenya's recent diplomatic foray in the eastern DR Congo and how it is reshaping regional politics. Alan and Nelleke discuss the factors behind the warming ties between Kinshasa and Nairobi and the reasons for Kenya's recent initiatives towards the DR Congo. They discuss the proposal for the East African Community to deploy a joint force under Kenyan command to fight armed groups in the eastern DR Congo, and they unpack the recent peace talks Nairobi hosted between Congolese authorities and armed groups. They also chat about how the looming presidential election in Kenya could impact Nairobi's future diplomatic role. Finally, Alan talks to Nazanine Moshiri, Senior Analyst for Climate & Security in Africa. They break down the impact of the devastating historic drought hitting much of the Horn region. Nazanine explains which parts of the region are worst hit and outlines how this crisis is exacerbated by the global commodity shocks, which are driving up food prices as well. They also highlight the worrying repercussions, from major displacement to land disputes and intercommunal conflict. Back from recent visits to the northern Great Rift Valley and Laikipia county in Kenya, Nazanine talks about how the drought is upending life there and how the climate shocks are intermixing with rising political tensions and violence ahead of Kenya's elections.For more analysis, check out Crisis Group's Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regional pages.We want to hear from you! As Season Three of The Horn draws to a close, If you have any feedback or suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover next season, you can write to podcasts@crisisgroup.org or get in touch with Alan directly on Twitter, @AlanBoswell. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On June 19th, reports began to emerge of a mass atrocity in the Ethiopian region of Oromia committed against members of the Amhara ethnic group. This latest attack fits into a broader pattern of ethnic violence in Ethiopia since the outbreak of civil war in November 2020. Laetitia Bader is the Horn of Africa Director at Human Rights Watch. She contributed to a joint Human Rights Watch-Amnesty International report titled "We Will Erase You from This Land:  Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing in Ethiopia's Western Tigray Zone."  The report finds evidence of an organized campaign of ethnic cleansing against Tigrayan people, which is occurring in the context of Ethiopia's ongoing civil war. 

Dozens of civilians were killed in the attacks in Ethiopia's Oromia region.

Today's episode is dedicated to honoring and celebrating the life of Dr. Fido Taddesse Ebba, a beloved leader and freedom fighter, and a co-founder of the Oromo Liberation Front, who passed away on the 1st May 2022. We are joined by special guest Jaal Xaha Abdi, also a founding member of the Oromo Liberation Front, and close friend of Dr. Fido, to commemorate the illustrious life of one of Oromia's national heroes. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

This week, your hosts Jaal Aangoo and Jaal Leelloo discuss the current escalation of war in Oromia, which is happening as a result of the recent declaration by the Ethiopian regime that they are on a mission to wipe out the Oromo Liberation Army in 30 days. April 15th is the annual commemoration of Oromo Martyrs Day, or Guyyaa Gootota Oromoo, and in honor of this day, OLA leaders have put out a call to the Oromo nation to strengthen their support for OLA, and to show up in the example of our heroes like never before. Listen in to hear the details of this message, directed at Oromo people at home and abroad.  Let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

Jaridani Aprili 14, 2022 na Leah Mushi -Watu milioni 7 wameambukizwa chagas, upimaji na tib ani muhimu:WHO/UNITAID -Tunazifuatilia taarifa kuwa Uingereza inataka kuwahamishia nchini Rwanda wasaka hifadhi -Programu za mlo shuleni ni daraja la kufikia ndoto za elimu kwa watoto masikini :WFP Kwenye makala, tumsikilize muuguzi Rebecca Deng ambaye ni mkimbizi wa Sudani Kusini aliyeko katika kambi ya wakimbizi ya Kakuma nchini Kenya na kupitia programu ya Uzazi Salama inayoendeshwa na Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuwahudumia wakimbizi UNHCR kwakushirikiana na Shirika la Msalaba Mwekundu nchini Kenya amekuwa akitoa elimu kwa jamii juu ya afya ya uzazi. Mashinani tunakutana na afisa wa lishe wa UNICEF akiwa Oromia, Ethiopia.

In this episode, Jaal Aangoo and Jaal Leelloo are rejoined by Dr Awol Allo, to discuss what the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has taught us about how the international community, and  particularly the West, relates to and responds to resistance movements against imperialism and movements for democratization in different parts of the world, and how this impacts the international perspective on conflict, war, and humanitarian crises in Oromia and Ethiopia. Listen and let us know what you think, you can reach us on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

This week, your hosts Jaal Maroo and Jaal Aangoo are rejoined by Jaal Qaxalee, to discuss the overwhelming crises that are currently taking place across Oromia, and the worsening plight of Oromo refugees who are detained in Saudi Arabia.  Jaal Qaxalee explains the factors that are causing the suffering of Oromo people to intensify, both in Oromia and Saudi Arabia.  Listen and let us know what you think at (+1) 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

IJA OROMIA (meaning The Eye of Oromia) is an international organization focused onproviding in-depth reporting on human rights violations in the Oromia state of Ethiopia. In this episode we were joined by Omar, a team member from the organization, to discuss more about their operations and reporting. Listen and let us know what you think at (+1) 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

This week, your usual co-host Jaal Aangoo and return guest co-host Jaal Leelloo, are joined by global governance scholar and former humanitarian worker, Denebo Wario, to discuss the emerging prospect of independence for Oromia from a human rights and international law perspective. Denebo shares illuminating insights about global trends in state formation, and explains why restoring sovereignty to Oromia is an indisputable question of fundamental human rights. Listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

In our latest, your usual co-hosts (Jaal Aangoo & Jaal Maroo) are joined by special guest Raajii Guddataa to discuss state-sanctioned ethnic cleansing in Oromia. We also touch on some recent updates from Oromia's defense force, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Listen and let us know what you think at (+1) 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @TeamFreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

In this episode, Ethiopia Insight Election Project's Martha Kuwe Kumsa asks Ermias Tasfaye, Ethiopia Insight administrator and reporter focused primarily on Oromia, to reflect on issues he raised in the EIEP's 'EIEP: Prosperity Party's win is a loss for Oromia—and Ethiopia'.

Ace is an expert political with a focus on the 3rd world. 21 years ago, Ace moved to the US from Oromia, a nation who is fighting for independence from Ethiopia 

This week, your hosts Jaal Maroo and Jaal Aangoo  were rejoined by Jaal Raggaatuu, co-founder of Walaboomuu Coalition, to discuss the prospect and applicability of a referendum for Oromia's political future, and what the implementation of a referendum might look like in Ethiopia's tumultuous political context. Listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

In this episode, Ethiopia Insight Election Project's Martha Kuwee Kumsa asks Yared Tsegaye, an Ethiopia Insight reporter based in Addis Ababa, to reflect on issues he raised in the EIEP's 'Pushing boundaries in Ethiopia's contested capital'.

This week, your usual hosts J/Maroo and J/Aangoo discuss the recent ground-breaking establishment of an Oromia Regional National Transitional Government (ORNTG). As a member of the Organizing Committee in the Diaspora for the ORNTG, our very own Jaal Aangoo shares information about what it is and who it has been established by, and answers questions about what the ORNTG will mean for Oromia.  Listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

This week your usual co-host Jaal Maroo was joined once again by Jaal Urgaa (filling in for Jaal Aangoo -- don't worry, she'll be back next week!), as well as by special guest Henok Gabisa. Henok discussed with J/Maroo and J/Urgaa the Eritrean troops' invasion of Oromia (alongside the  Ethiopian military and Amhara militias) and the broader implications in the war on Oromia. We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did! Listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://universalkemetics.com/2021/06/13/oromia/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/destiny-mckinney/support

This week, your hosts J/Maroo and J/Aangoo  were joined by Professor Bedassa Tedassa, Professor of Economics at the University of Minnesota, to discuss the economic considerations of independence. Professor Bedassa recently presented at the Oromo Studies Association mid-year conference on “The Economic Costs of Colonization: examining the prospects for economic self-determination under different governance models.” Dr Bedassa shares some astounding insights on what the economic costs of the colonization of Oromia have been, as well as what the economic benefits of decolonization through independence would be. Listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal.

In today's episode, your usual co-hosts J/Maroo and J/Aangoo are joined once again by the fabulous guests J/Waaqoo and J/Meessaa to discuss current events and the human rights crisis in Western Oromia. They also discuss the Ethiopian government's recent categorization of "Shene" as a terrorist organization. Take a listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

Learn from your existing inheritors and the predecessors/past founders (this is a correction to our all fallacies) must be done continuously reading the true history of past from those of the past one, especially from political doers of actions, (changes of games), (to make things happen one must study history and a biography of the people who made things happen, not opportunists that have no vision that create/restore free nations like Oromia.) The vital reason for lessons must be taken from one is contemporary and ancient is that the contemporary understands the current situation (somewhere our ideas and values are far better that those of previous generation for the reasons of mass social and technological changes we are going through, but in so many ways we also should not yes, we are still in developing/poor nation in every aspect those any nations could be measured with). Anyway for Oromo taking the fight after the predecessors not only challenging but abandoning the predecessors intents for resistance, values, and lessons is self-defeats, and...

This week, two of your usual hosts, J/Aangoo and J/Maroo, are joined again by J/Hawwinee and for the first time by J/Qaxalee. Sadly J/Hawwii was not in the studio for this one, but he will be back soon. In this episode the hosts discuss independent journalism in Oromia and Ethiopia, and the role of Oromo media in qabsoo/the struggle. Take a listen to this episode and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

In this episode, your usual hosts are joined by Jaal Raggaatuu for part 2 of the discussion we started last week (with episode 13) about Oromia's independence and the benefits of a free Oromia. This week we dive deeper. Song credit for "Si Eegeen Dadhabe" goes to Andualem Gosa and Vision Entertainment. Take a listen to this episode and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

In this episode, your usual hosts are joined by Jaal Raggaatuu for a discussion about Oromia's independence and the benefits of a free Oromia. This discussion with J/Raggaatuu is broken into two parts, so come back next week for the follow-up in episode 14. Take a listen and let us know what you think at 430-755-0727 (voicemail or text), or reach us on our Instagram or Twitter @teamfreeOromia. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal. 

In episode 3, co-hosts J/Aangoo and J/Maroo are joined by special guests J/Urgaa and J/Hawwinee. Don't worry - J/Hawwii will be back next episode! In this episode we discuss the US election and the war on Tigray, and the ways in which both of these events impact us as Oromos and impact Oromia as a whole. What are your thoughts? Give us a call or text at 430-755-0727, and make sure to subscribe and rate this podcast! Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal

This is an urgent segment addressing current events in Ethiopia, prompted by the alleged attacks in Guliso and the associated reactions. We will resume our regularly scheduled programming with Episode 2 to be released on Thursday, November 5, 2020. 

Welcome to the Free Oromia Podcast. In episode 1, we discuss what Team Free Oromia is, the origin story of how we started this podcast, and what we are striving to achieve with this platform. This is a platform where we will be discussing all things freedom. The Free Oromia Podcast, and Team Free Oromia in general, strives to help us all to envision an independent and sovereign Oromia. Take a listen, and share with friends! Be sure to visit our website (freeoromia.org), follow us on Instagram & Twitter (@TeamFreeOromia), like our Facebook page (/TeamFreeOromia), and call in to our podcast hotline (430) 755-0727‬. Intro/outro song credit: "Rosamo" by Yasiin Bouba, OGE_R, and Adill Jamaal

I'm wondering. Is there a link between the second coming, the destruction of Ethiopian politics and the Pentay church. Locusts are destroying the farms, the people are dying, political opponents are jailed, Oromia is being infiltrated by Eritrean soldiers, all whilst Abiy entertains Isaias and rides on kids motorcycles. The shame. The departure of the Holy Spirit. God be with what is left of Ethiopia