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Ethiopia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Ethiopia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Addis Ababa

Head of State

President Sahle-Work Zewde

Head of Government

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

American YouTube, Instagram and Twitch megastar IShowSpeed meets fans in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour. The influencer has shown a modernising continent, and has taken in the odd football match along the way. Photo: AP

TV shows and streaming video

YouTube star IShowSpeed shows ‘another Africa’ on his 20-country tour

African-American influencer has busted cliches by showing a continent ‘on the move’ during his trip, which has resonated with fans at home.

29 Jan 2026 - 7:15PMvideocam

Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s top gold miner buys Canada’s Allied Gold for US$4 billion as ties thaw

27 Jan 2026 - 5:04PM

China-Africa relations

Chinese loans to Africa down by nearly 50 per cent as priorities shift

26 Jan 2026 - 5:24PMvideocam

Brics

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:00PM

A Russian corvette ship is seen near Cape Town, South Africa, on January 9. The Will For Peace exercise brings together navies from Brics-plus countries. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

China urges Tanzania to back multilateralism, will ‘stand together’ with Africa

Top diplomat Wang Yi also reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

11 Jan 2026 - 8:11PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China FM Wang Yi opens Africa tour with united call for rules-based order

In Ethiopia, Wang joins African Union leader Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in voicing concerns over US raid on Venezuela.

9 Jan 2026 - 2:47PMvideocam

China’s military drills

China to lead joint naval drills with Brics nations in South African waters

It is the first defence cooperation under the Brics framework, with the Russian and Iranian navies reportedly taking part.

3 Jan 2026 - 2:02PMvideocam

Next week’s joint exercise is seen as part of a wider trend of expanding Chinese military engagement. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Saudi-UAE rivalry explodes into view after strike in war-torn Yemen

Gulf powers Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are at odds over rival factions and a deepening struggle for regional pre-eminence.

2 Jan 2026 - 2:09PM

China-Africa relations

Washington lines up health deals as US and China vie for access to Africa

Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection.

30 Dec 2025 - 4:07PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

21 Dec 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Rail projects have been a long-standing area of cooperation between China and a number of countries in Africa. Photo: Xinhua

China-Africa relations

‘Concrete symbols’: China-built Ecowas HQ latest infrastructure gift to Africa

Beijing’s strategy to project influence through gifting prestigious presidential palaces and parliamentary buildings labelled ‘unique’.

13 Dec 2025 - 5:53PMvideocam

Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai with Dr Omar Touray, president of the Ecowas Commission, in Abuja on December 4. Du visited the US$32 million China-built Ecowas headquarters in the Nigerian capital.
Photo: X/YDunhai

China exports

Waste to wealth: why China is building incinerators around the world

China’s economic slowdown has left its waste-to-energy sector without enough trash to burn. So, companies are heading overseas.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:21AM

Malaysia

Can Malaysia gain foothold in Africa against entrenched competition?

While Africa may offer ‘long-term opportunities’, analysts say Malaysia can only gain traction by focusing on areas with clear strengths.

20 Nov 2025 - 6:30PM

Britain

UK police search London for asylum seeker after mistaken release

The Ethiopian national was sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual assault. His arrest in September sparked anti-migrant protests across Britain.

25 Oct 2025 - 8:58PM

Police officers escort protesters near the Bell Hotel in Epping, London, on August 31, after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned, including Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu. Photo: AP

Britain

UK migrant sex offender freed from jail by mistake instead of being deported

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu’s crimes had sparked protests at the hotel where he was housed with other migrants.

25 Oct 2025 - 6:17AM

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was jailed last month for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman. Photo: Essex police

China-Africa relations

China’s global goal for yuan boosted by Ethiopian hopes for loan currency swap

The East African nation and fellow Brics member is the latest country to seek a switch, accelerating the yuan’s internationalisation.

23 Oct 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

Africa

36 killed when scaffolding at Ethiopia church collapses

Over 200 people were injured and some remain trapped under the rubble, authorities say.

2 Oct 2025 - 7:40AM

China-Africa relations

Will China step in as Egypt and Ethiopia spar over Beijing-backed Nile mega dam?

Beijing’s strong ties put it in better position to mediate than any other third party, but an expert says China is unlikely to intervene.

14 Sep 2025 - 12:10PM

The US$5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a national source of pride for Ethiopians. Downstream Egypt believes the dam will threaten its water supply. Photo: AFP

Africa

Ethiopia opens Africa’s largest dam amid Egyptian protest

The project is set to provide energy to millions in the region but is seen by Cairo as an existential threat that endangers its water supply.

10 Sep 2025 - 1:09PM

China-Africa relations

A new model for peace? China takes its Global Security Initiative to Africa

From Somalia to Ethiopia, Chinese training scholarships are the start of an alternative to Western-led alliances.

30 Aug 2025 - 6:42PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

‘Western hegemony is over’; lessons from Ukraine war: SCMP daily highlights

From American economist Jeffrey Sachs on US sabre-rattling to China’s youth seeking job stability, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

4 Aug 2025 - 9:15PM

Despite their importance in modern warfare, drones are currently vulnerable to advanced air defences. Photo: Shutterstock

Middle East

At least 76 dead, dozens missing after migrant boat sinks off Yemen

Yemeni security forces were conducting operations to recover a ‘significant’ number of bodies.

4 Aug 2025 - 4:45PM

Fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden. Dozens of migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen’s coast in bad weather on Sunday. File photo: Shutterstock

China-Africa relations

China pledges support for peaceful development in Horn of Africa

Beijing’s special envoy Xue Bing tells a regional conference that ‘all parties should engage in dialogue’ to achieve common prosperity.

4 Aug 2025 - 3:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China-built satellite station a ‘shining’ example of support for Namibia

China backs Africa’s growing space industry by funding and building a data receiving ground station in Namibian capital.

2 Aug 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Britain

UK teenager admits plotting terror attack with gun

Muhammad Billal’s terror attack planning involved researching ‘accessible shooting ranges’ and ‘chest rigs’ designed to hold ammunition.

18 Jul 2025 - 9:25PM

Muhammad Billal, 18, sought advice and guidance on how to leave Britain without arousing suspicion. Photo: AFP

United States

Boeing settles with Canadian father who lost family in Ethiopian 737 Max crash

The agreement came just days before the first trial for the 2019 crash that led to a worldwide grounding of Max jets was scheduled to start.

12 Jul 2025 - 8:38AM

Rescuers at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crash near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 11, 2019. Photo: AP

Brics

Brics draws Trump anger, few leaders

The Brics summit sparked a threat of extra tariffs from US President Donald Trump, even without the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.

7 Jul 2025 - 5:00PM

Brics

Rio mounts major security operation for Brics summit

About 20,000 military personnel to guard leaders, fighter jets to patrol skies.

4 Jul 2025 - 6:20AM

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