Rahma Hussein

Human Rights Lawyer | Tweets = My Own

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

News: #Ethiopia’s birr hits record low despite billions spent to support currency

Ethiopia’s #birr has fallen to a record low against the #US dollar despite the central bank spending about $2.2 billion this year to support the currency, Bloomberg reported, as rising import costs and strong demand for foreign currency continue to put pressure on the exchange rate.

The birr has weakened 3.2% this year to nearly 162 per dollar, making it the weakest-performing currency among 23 African currencies tracked by Bloomberg over the past year. The currency has continued to lose value since the government’s #IMF-backed exchange-rate reform in 2024.

Standard Chartered’s Baynton-Glen expects the pace of birr depreciation to slow, forecasting an exchange rate of 163 per dollar by year-end. David Cowan, chief Africa economist at Citigroup, however, told Bloomberg he expects the birr could weaken to between 185 and 195 per dollar by the end of the year….

https://t.co/5RFx0NrYtD

[Nahom Teklu @NahomTeklu_]

#AddisAbeba-style, Indian-decorated, 2-story masonry-walled, and timber-framed historic building at #Piyassa is demolished.

Once known as Biyadgelign Hotel, & Good Times Restaurant & Cafe, atypical of its double #arches on the doorway, the frontal wooden facade,
cont... 1/2

[safia aidid @safiyaaaay]

I don't think most people are fully grasping what happened to Omar Artan. Citizens of African countries cannot travel to the US without first navigating a highly restrictive, discriminatory visa process. Africans face the highest refusal rates globally, not only for US visas +

[Befeqadu Z. Hailu | በፍቃዱ ዘ. @befeqe]

Relieved Million is out, but it’s shocking what we, Ethiopians, have normalized out of fear and fatigue. A journalist taken from a newsroom and held incommunicado for days without due process or access to family and lawyers is unacceptable. We must not accept this as normal.

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

Drivers in Addis Ababa queue for days for scarce petrol as Ethiopia faces a deepening fuel crisis, with the war on Iran disrupting supply chains.

Al Jazeera's @Hamza_Africa reports.

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

Five days without a trace!

It has now been five days since #Million_Beyene was taken from his work place at Addis Standard newsroom and disappeared without a trace.

Ethiopia is grappling with multiple threats, a dedicated journalist who has steadfastly upheld his duty to serve the public’s right to information is one of them.

#WhereIsMillion? #BringMillionHome #JournalismIsNotACrime #PressFreedom #EndEnforcedDisappearances

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

Three health workers from the district of North Mecha, in North Gojjam Zone of Ethiopia's Amhara region, were fatally shot on 2 April.

Two of the health workers, including a nurse, worked at the Abiote Fana primary health center in North Mecha, while the third worked at a private health facility.

The killings occurred amid expanding conflict in Amhara involving Ethiopian government and regional forces.

Health workers must always be protected and enabled to perform their life-saving duties for anyone needing care.

Health is #NotATarget.

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

#Ethiopia: Over 1,000 teachers resign in #Amhara region, many reportedly migrating to Arab states – Report

Around 1,020 teachers in three zones of the Amhara Region resigned during the 2025/26 academic year, with officials and educators attributing much of the exodus to migration to #Arab_states in search of better pay and living conditions, according to a report by Deutsche Welle (DW).

The departures were recorded in #South_Wollo, #North_Wollo, and the #Oromo Special Zone, where local education authorities say the trend is worsening existing challenges in the education sector.

Teachers interviewed by DW cited the rising cost of living and salaries that no longer match market realities as key factors behind their decisions to leave.

In districts such as #Kobo and #Habru in North Wollo, as well as #Bati woreda in the Oromo Special Zone, including Saint, Wagdi and Albko woredas, teachers have increasingly resigned to pursue opportunities abroad, the report said.

Yasin Mohammed, a teacher in the area, told DW that economic pressure is the primary driver.

In North Wollo alone, 247 teachers resigned during the reporting period, according to Serkalem Funte, head of the Teachers and Education Leadership Group at the zonal education department.

Education in the Amhara region has already been severely strained by the ongoing conflict that erupted in the summer of 2023.

Students and parents across several rural areas were suffering from widespread school closures and sharp declines in enrollment due to the war.

Read more: https://t.co/6ZpO2MD20W

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

News: #Ethiopian Media Authority revokes Addis Standard’s online media registration; Editor-in-Chief disputes claims

The Ethiopian Media Authority (#EMA) has announced the revocation of the online media registration certificate of #Addis_Standard, effective 24 February 2026, citing repeated violations of media ethics, national laws, and what it described as the country’s national interests.

The statement did not specify which reports or actions formed the basis of the decision.

Responding to the EMA’s announcement, Yonas Kedir, Editor-in-Chief of Addis Standard publications, rejected the Authority’s claims, saying the outlet had never received any formal notices of violations.

“The claim that Addis Standard received repeated notices is factually incorrect. At no point has the Ethiopian Media Authority formally notified Addis Standard newsroom of any prior violations or enforcement actions,” he said. He added that the publisher, #JAKENN Publishing PLC, is reviewing legal options to protect its rights and ensure due process is upheld.

Established in 2011 as a monthly magazine, Addis Standard has faced multiple challenges over the years, including scrutiny from government institutions.

In April 2025, Ethiopian police raided the Addis Standard office and the home of one of its senior staff membersl, briefly detaining three managers for several hours and confiscating multiple electronic devices, including laptops, phones, and data storage equipment.

During the Tigray war, in June 2021, Ethiopia’s media regulator suspended Addis Standard…

Read more: https://t.co/QnaltVT57K

[Amani Africa @africa_amani]

https://t.co/DOnIC6Q69l

[Reuters Africa @ReutersAfrica]

The Ethiopian Media Authority has declined to renew the accreditation for three Addis Ababa-based journalists from Reuters, the news agency said. https://t.co/yKR6SHimuf

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

#Ethiopia: @UNHumanRights chief urges restraint & steps towards de-escalation amid the precarious situation in Tigray.

“The situation remains highly volatile and we fear it will further deteriorate. Political dialogue is urgently needed” - @volker_turk

https://t.co/fhuYQz0IAw

[Katharine Houreld @khoureld]

To those kind, strong, determined, courageous people I interviewed or worked with over the years: you will always inspire me.
To every stranger who helped: thank you.
To the arms dealers, liars, thieves, killers of children: I’m keeping my files.

See you all on the other side.

[Dino Mahtani @DinoMahtani]

@khoureld is one of the most prolific journalists to have operated in Africa in the last two decades. The @washingtonpost are nuts to lose her, but also to downsize the Africa coverage at a time when the continent is ever more a part of what is driving global geo-politics.

[Amnesty International USA @amnestyusa]

A new Amnesty International investigation concludes that the US attack on a migrant detention centre in Sa’ada killed and injured dozens of African migrants in an indiscriminate strike. US authorities must investigate this attack as a war crime—and ensure justice and reparations for survivors.

[Tom Dannenbaum @tomdannenbaum]

A famine determination is, by definition, an alarm that comes too late. It is a mark of shame regarding what has already been done.

This is a stain on our collective conscience that will never be removed.

https://t.co/4B4VXwBYHw

[أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif @AnasAlSharif0]

This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal). But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final. I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification—so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.

I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls.

I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland. I entrust you to take care of my family. I entrust you with my beloved daughter Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed.

I entrust you with my dear son Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany through life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission.

I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path. I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards.

I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me for many long days and months. Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend—patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith.

I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty. If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles. I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting.

O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it.

Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.

Anas Jamal Al-Sharif
06.04.2025

This is what our beloved Anas requested to be published upon his martyrdom.

[Adil Haque @AdHaque110]

The Guardian published the final message of Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, killed by the IDF along with his colleagues:

[Sharif Kouddous شريف عبد القدوس @sharifkouddous]

Anas al-Sharif was buried in Gaza City today along with his colleagues. His older brother, Ahmed, wept over his body. Israel brags about killing him--they know no one will hold them to account. "Silence or death" is how Anas characterized Israel's threats. He refused to be silent