News: House of Federation removes five districts from #Tigray region oversight for upcoming 7th general elections
#Ethiopia’s House of Federation has ordered that the upcoming federal parliamentary elections in five electoral districts previously under the Tigray regional state to be conducted outside the Tigray administration’s oversight until “ownership claim is resolved.”
The decision was communicated to the National Election Board of Ethiopia (#NEBE) in a letter dated 3 February 2026, following NEBE’s publication in late January of electoral districts and polling stations for voter registration under the 7th General Election.
The Board publicized the districts based on pre-war electoral constituency to announce voter registration preparations in polling stations in the #Humera electoral district in the Western Zone of Tigray, specifically within Setit Humera, Kafta Humera, and Wolkait woredas.
Similarly, polling stations for the Adi Remets .....
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=55332
WTTASA Calls for Justice and Warns of Renewed Threats from TPLF on Genocide Commemoration Day.
Read.
https://borkena.com/2025/12/09/ethiopia-wttasa-calls-for-justice-and-warns-of-renewed-threats-from-tplf-on-genocide-commemoration-day/#Ethiopia#HumanRights#humera#welkait
News: Court adjourns case over #NEBE’s decision to conduct election in 5 electoral districts outside #Tigray oversight
The Federal First Instance Court in #Lideta has adjourned a case over NEBE’s decision to conduct election in 5 electoral districts outside Tigray oversight to March 11, Addis Standard learned.
Judge Seble Kinfe, who presided over the session on Wednesday afternoon, reviewed the initial filings and decided to adjourn the proceedings until March 11 to allow the court to hear the objections in full.
The dispute stems from a decision by the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), which on Feb. 23, 2026 announced that five electoral districts, #Humera, Adi-Remets, Korem-Ofla, Tselemti, and Raya Alamata, would participate only in federal elections during the upcoming seventh general elections excluding them from Tigray oversight. The board suspended regional council voting in those areas pending a final territorial ruling by the House of......
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=55591
News: #US Ambassador to #Ethiopia visits #Humera accompanied by Getachew Reda amid ongoing challenges in Western Tigray
US Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga on Thursday morning arrived in Humera town, #Western_Tigray, accompanied by #Getachew Reda, Advisor on Horn of Africa Affairs to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
According to Amhara regional media, the Ambassador was received by Ashete Demlew, an administrator installed by the #Amhara regional government. The visit is reported to include meetings with residents of Humera and inspections of health facilities in the town.
Humera, located in Western Tigray, remains at the center of unresolved political, security, & humanitarian challenges in the aftermath of the two-year war in Tigray.
In a message shared by the US Embassy in Addis Abeba on Thursday, Ambassador Massinga said he had witnessed firsthand the hardships facing residents of Humera. “The needs are urgent — damaged infrastructure, limited medical...
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54578
News: #Ethiopian Airlines suspends flights to #Tigray airports
Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights scheduled for today to airports in Tigray, including #Mekelle, #Axum, #Shire, and #Humera, according to information obtained by Addis Standard.
An Addis Standard reporter on the ground in Mekelle confirmed airport staff were informed to take a break for the day. However, Ethiopian Airlines’ ticket office in Mekelle continued providing services, excluding flights scheduled for today.
“The system is working. We are giving services. We sell tickets scheduled from tomorrow onwards. We reschedule flights and provide other services,” one ticket office staff member told Addis Standard. “But none of us know why flights were suspended today.”
Passengers who had booked flights for today received text messages notifying them of the cancellation. One message sent to customers read:
“Your flight ET0102 from ADD on 29 Jan 2026, at 08:10 AM has been cancelled….
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54824
News: #Ethiopian Airlines resumes flights to #Tigray after five day suspension
Ethiopian Airlines has resumed flights to Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after a five day suspension, with the first flight departing from Addis Abeba arriving at #Mekelle#Alula Abanega International Airport at 7:50 a.m., an Addis Standard reporter in Mekelle confirmed.
The national carrier suspended flights to Tigray last Thursday, affecting airports in Mekelle, #Axum, #Shire, and #Humera, as tensions escalated in parts of the region. The suspension disrupted both passenger travel and cargo services, further constraining transportation links between Tigray and the rest of the country.
An officer at the Ethiopian Airlines ticket office in Mekelle confirmed to Addis Standard on Monday that flights had resumed. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said services were expected to restart early...
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid034oz7ko4wv6Pk4Uv3HhL6JZccVHUMcLUEZ7KLDT9LkHpPfDajkgvRPT5dxsXqoMRVl
News: #The_Reporter’s Journalist detained in #Western_Tigray for entering without permit, taking photos
#Bewket_Abebe, the Chief Editor of The Reporter (#Ethiopia), was detained for three days in Western #Tigray after local authorities said he entered the zone “without a required special permit” and took photographs in public spaces in #Humera town, the magazine announced yesterday.
According to The Reporter Magazine, Bewket was arrested on 21 March, 2026, in Humera Town while on assignment to conduct interviews and report from the region. Officials reportedly warned journalists that a specialized permit is required not only to carry out professional work but also to the area.
Prior to his detention, Bewket had been in communication with local administrators about his travel plans and had scheduled a potential interview with #Ashete_Demilew, the administrator of what has been referred to as the “Wolqait Tegede Setit Humera Zone”, an administration installed by
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=56155
News: Flights to #Tigray remain suspended, affecting even Interim Administration president’s scheduled Addis visit
The continued suspension of #Ethiopian Airlines flights to Tigray has disrupted official travel, with Tigray Interim Administration President Tadesse Worede confirming that his planned visit to #Addis_Abeba did not take place due to the flight cancellations.
Asked by Addis Standard whether his visit was hindered by the suspension of flights, President Tadesse responded, “Yes.”
Flights to airports in Tigray, including #Mekelle, #Axum, #Shire, and #Humera, remained suspended on Friday, with Ethiopian Airlines yet to provide an official explanation for the disruption.
An Addis Standard reporter on the ground confirmed airline ticket office, however, remained open...
Meanwhile, road transportation in parts of Southern Tigray has also been disrupted. Transport movement along the #Woldiya–#Kobo–#Alamata corridor remains limited, while displacement
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54856
📝ANALYSIS: The Unmasking of Addis Standard: Independence or Illusion?
✍🏽By Dhuga Bilisuma | Red Nile Contributor
📅 February 16, 2026
In a detailed piece for RedNile, contributor Dhuga Bilisuma subjects Addis Standard’s recent coverage to rigorous academic scrutiny, questioning whether the outlet’s self-proclaimed “independence” withstands analytical review.
Drawing from established media theory — including the framing work of Robert Entman and agenda-setting theory — the article examines three editorial patterns from January–February 2026 that raise concerns about conflict-sensitive reporting standards in Ethiopia’s fragile post-conflict environment.
1️⃣ Territorial Framing: “Wolkait” vs. “Western Tigray”
When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed referred to “Wolkait” during parliamentary remarks, Addis Standard’s headline substituted the term with “Western Tigray.”
📌The Critique:
Framing theory suggests such terminology shifts are not neutral. In a contested territorial dispute, choosing nomenclature different from the speaker’s own wording can signal narrative alignment — especially when competing historical and constitutional claims are involved. The report, according to Bilisuma, lacked the contextual clarification recommended by conflict-sensitive journalism standards.
2️⃣ Agenda-Setting: Selective Visibility of Protests
In late January, demonstrations reportedly took place in #Telemt, #Humera, #Wofla, #Korem, #Zata, #Dabat, #Debark, and #Dejach_Meda, with protesters calling for full implementation of the 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement.
#AddisStandard reportedly provided no coverage of these protests.
📌The Critique:
Agenda-setting theory argues that what media omits can be as influential as what it highlights. For diaspora readers — who rely heavily on English-language reporting — such omissions may shape international perception by rendering certain grievances invisible in global discourse.
3️⃣ Post-Publication Revision: The “Maneuver” Case
In reporting remarks from the Tigray Interim Administration, the outlet initially used the military term “maneuvering” to describe troop movements.
📌The Critique:
While revisions are common in journalism, Bilisuma points to a pattern of reactive, non-transparent language adjustments. In a post-conflict setting governed by the Pretoria Agreement, terms like “maneuver,” “movement,” or “deployment” carry significant implications regarding compliance or breach.
Inconsistent transparency in edits can undermine public trust.
4️⃣ The Broader Pattern: Asymmetrical Context
The article argues that detailed historical grievances and counter-arguments are frequently added when framing federal officials. However, similar contextual depth is not consistently applied when reporting on actors associated with #TPLF leadership.
📌The Critique:
This uneven distribution of contextual scrutiny may generate cumulative narrative asymmetry — shaping reader perception without explicit editorial positioning.
🧭 The Verdict
Bilisuma stops short of alleging intentional bias. Instead, he argues that the cumulative effect of terminology choices, selective coverage, and revision practices constructs a particular political terrain for readers.
For diaspora audiences — whose understanding of events often depends on outlets like #AddisStandard — these framing dynamics carry amplified consequences.
“Media independence is not established solely through mission statements. It is demonstrated through transparent editorial standards.”
♦️Bottom Line: A must-read for anyone who consumes Ethiopian media critically. In fragile post-conflict societies, framing is never just semantics — it is politics.
📌Read the full article here:
The Unmasking of Addis Standard: Independence or Illusion?
#Ethiopia#MediaAnalysis#AddisStandard#RedNile#ConflictReporting#Framing