By Damien Enright

There are 862 bird species in Ethiopia: we have approx 300 in Ireland and Britain. I’ve seen about 30 of them, but will see more when I go to Lake Tana in the mountains but will steer clear of bad-humoured hippos, the most dangerous animals in Africa.

By Damien Enright

As I write outdoors in this extensive hotel garden (€30 double b&b) my companions are two Colobus monkeys perched on a tree 30ft above me and a dozen yards away. They are big monkeys, and have vivid black and white coats which flow behind them as they swing from tree to tree.

Report from UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Protection Cluster

HIGHLIGHTS

167,688 The total number of IDPs in 2016 according to the Displacement Tracking Matrix carried out between September and October 2016

10.2M Individuals affected by the drought according to the 2016 Humanitarian Requirements Document.

USD 23.8M Protection funding requirements 21.5 % funded.

For Immediate Release

Free Merera Gudina and all political prisoners

Amsterdam, Washington DC, Minnesota – December 29, 2016

Top opposition leader, Dr. Merera Gudina, was arrested on October 30, 2016 upon his return from a trip to Brussels where he spoke to members of the European Parliament about the human rights situation in Ethiopia. Since his arrest, Dr. Merera has been brought to court twice but only to prolong his incarceration in both cases. The fact that he has not been officially charged yet is a tactic of the government to keep credible opposition members in suspense.