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ADDIS ABABA, Dec.27 (Xinhua) – In a turbulent year in which COVID-19 made headlines around the world, Ethiopia has also been hit by the health crisis, which put pressure on its social economy and posed a threat. for public welfare.
As the East African country scrambled to flatten the curve, it was unable to dodge another blow. Its north saw bloody conflict erupt in November after months of mounting political tensions, which dragged it into bitter chaos and put millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Could there be a healthy and peaceful future just around the corner? With the year 2020 coming to an end and a new year in sight, many were wondering.
ANTIVIRUS EFFORTS
Ethiopia confirmed its first COVID-19 case on March 13. Now its total infections have surpassed 121,880, after reporting 481 cases on Friday.
Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa with an estimated population of 110 million, recorded the fifth highest number of COVID-19 cases on the continent, after South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.
Economic experts emphasized that when Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, also an economic powerhouse, became the epicenter of the pandemic, it further increased the toll COVID-19 exacted on the country’s economy.
A week after Ethiopia announced its first COVID-19 case, it introduced strict anti-virus measures, including closing schools, limiting religious gatherings, postponing sporting events, and punishing unnecessary price increases in consumer goods.
Many of the preventive measures have been lifted recently. On October 13, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education said it had finalized the distribution of 50 million masks to 46,000 schools across the country “in an attempt to resume classes with the early measures necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “.
As the pandemic prevailed, it forced Ethiopia to postpone its election one year from the initial calendar. On Friday, Ethiopia’s National Electoral Board tentatively scheduled the national elections for June 5, 2021.
On October 19, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the country posted economic growth of 6.1 percent during the last budget year ending July 8, mitigating the impact of COVID-19.
Citing the multifaceted consequences of the disease on domestic and foreign society and economy, Ahmed said his country has taken “remarkable preventive measures to protect the economy.”
Ethiopia has undertaken a wide range of activities to secure economic stimulation support from global financial institutions and many countries to its economy, as well as other African countries amid the pandemic, the prime minister said.
DOUBLE STRIKE
Weeks of fighting in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray regional state between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Defense Forces since early November have reportedly left hundreds dead and thousands of displaced people.
More than 52,000 refugees have fled Tigray into eastern Sudan in the past six weeks, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Tuesday.
The deadly clash followed rising tensions between the ruling Ethiopian Prosperity Party and the TPLF, as each side accused the other of trying to destabilize the country.
The Ethiopian government has frequently blamed the TPLF, one of the four fronts of the coalition of the country’s former ruling party, for planning a series of treasonous acts.
The growing differences between the two parties were exacerbated in September, when the Tigray government decided to go only with its planned regional elections, which the Ethiopian parliament had previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid the devastating humanitarian consequences of the conflict, the UN refugee agency, along with 30 humanitarian partners, on Tuesday appealed for US $ 156 million to meet “the critical humanitarian needs” of Ethiopian refugees fleeing the conflict. Tigray until the first half of 2021.
The urgent financial appeal is also expected to strengthen preparedness to receive refugees in other countries in the region in the event of new refugee movements, said a statement from the UN refugee agency, citing its spokesman Andrej Mahecic at a conference. of press on Tuesday in Geneva.
“The financing will allow the implementation of critical activities, including registration and documentation, ensuring the civil character of asylum, the decongestion of sites in border areas and the transfer of refugees to new settlements,” Mahecic said in the statement.
CHINA MEDICAL SUPPORT
Ethiopians from all walks of life speak highly of China’s support for the African country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of what the Ethiopian government described as “strategic win-win cooperation” with China, the country has received batches of anti-virus medical supplies, test kits and personal protective equipment.
During the first days of the outbreak, Ethiopia received a twelve-member anti-pandemic Chinese medical team, made up of experts in public health sectors such as general surgery, epidemiology, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, intensive care, clinical laboratory and integration of traditional Chinese medicine. and western medicine.
The Chinese team, said to be among the first anti-virus medical teams China sent to Africa since the COVID-19 outbreak, was “a total show of solidarity, with a vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity. , and an epitome of the China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, “said Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian.
Ethiopia’s Health Minister Lia Tadesse recently described China’s success in containing the spread of the virus and developing vaccines as “a shining example” for Ethiopia and other countries around the world. Final product
