News highlights: Political reshuffle in Ethiopia, 45 people drown in largest 2020 shipwreck off Libya’s coast, Report on Greece’s refugee expulsions

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopian political prisoners arbitrarily held since end of June; Political reshuffle in Ethiopia; Uncertainty over closing of Hitsats refugee camp in Ethiopia; More attention for ‘deliberate starvation’ in Eritrea; Unconfirmed reports state Eritrea releases religious prisoners due to crowded prisons and COVID-19 fears; Tribal conflict in Sudan kills 25 people; Violence and flooding threaten South Sudanese displaced people; 45 migrants and refugees killed in largest shipwreck of 2020 off the Libyan coast; Greece accused of illegally expelling over 1000 refugees; Italy gives Tunisia 11 million euros to curb migration; Refugee relocation ban sparks political stand-off in Germany; and First island COVID-19 cases in Greek refugee camp Vial.

News Highlights: Ethiopian PM visits Eritrea, Greece prepares for more refugees amid Turkey tensions, Refugees from the Horn on frontlines in Yemen

In this week’s News Highlights: Visit of Ethiopian PM in Eritrea; Eritrean president travels to Sudan; Amnesty international concerned about political detainees in Ethiopia; Ethiopian and Eritrean government accused of plotting against Tigray political party; Lack of funding for COVID-19 response in Ethiopia; Refugees from East Africa recruited to work in military camps in Yemen; Teenage pregnancies on the rise amid pandemic in Kenya; IOM response to Euronews investigation of returns; Greece prepares for higher number of refugees amid Turkey tension; Conference calls for better prosecution of human traffickers; Number of refugees in French informal camp increases; Protest of Sudanese asylum seekers in the Netherlands; COVID-19 affects mixed migration routes in North Africa; And health center for refugees and migrants re-opened.

Hachalu Hundessa: Ethiopia’s ghost of the past, the present and the future

On June 29th prominent Oromo singer and activist Hachalu Hundessa was murdered by gunmen in the capital of Ethiopia. Hachalu Hundessa’s life, death and the events following his death are deeply tied to the path Ethiopia is taking as a nation. The remnants of the former dictatorial regime, ethnic tensions, in/out group politics, regional versus national power and the power and abuse of state actors delineate the character and struggle of politics in Africa’s second most populous country. When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was elected in 2018 he opened up the political system towards more inclusion for ethnic groups and regional authorities. Powerful political opponents counter these new narratives of inclusiveness with their own narratives of ethnic/regional autonomy and self-rule. The response of Abiy Ahmed’s government after Hachalu Hundessa’s death are illustrative of botched responses that undermine Ahmed’s path towards an inclusive government.