EasterNile

The African continent is not only about impressive animals, stunning deserts and beautiful savannahs. It is also home to astonishing cities and towns that are rich in history and culture. Here are our top picks. Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town is a vibrant and colorful city with stunning beaches, beautiful mountains and some of the best vineyards in Africa. Taking the cable car ride to  the top of Table Mountain  at sunrise or sunset to take in the beautiful views is a must. With all the sophistication and activities that can be found in the city, this seaside playground certainly has enough to offer to everyone. Essaouira, Morocco With an ancient medina and lustrous fortifications that date back to the 18th century, miles of stunning beaches, and a charming harbour and fish market to stroll around,  Essaouira is one the most beautiful towns to visit  on the continent. It guarantees moments of peace and tranquility far away from the mayhem of bigger cities and the charmless all

  More of the world's top football clubs will be encouraged to set up training camps in Dubai as the emirate's sporting chiefs work on positioning the UAE at the top of the global sporting tree. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Sports Council, said the authority will continue working on the development of the sports sector by launching new initiates. Part of the strategy will include welcoming more international teams wishing to set up their training camps in Dubai or looking to compete in tournaments in Dubai. Already, many of the top teams from the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga are regular visitors to the emirate. The announcement came during a meeting of the council’s board of directors, when Sheikh Mansoor confirmed that the council will continue to organise international sporting events and provide its facilities to event organisers from international and local sports federations. All events will be organis

  Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto warned Tuesday that the crisis in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region appears “out of control”, after visiting the country on behalf of the EU. “You have come to the situation which is militarily and human rights-wise, humanitarian-wise very out of control,” Haavisto told journalists in Brussels. Tigray has been the theatre of fighting since early November 2020, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced military operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), accusing them of attacking federal army camps. He declared victory after pro-government troops took regional capital Mekele in late November, though the TPLF vowed to fight on, and clashes have persisted in the region, hampering efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance. “This operation has lasted more than three months, and we do not see the end,” Haavisto said. Finland’s top diplomat visited Addis Ababa this month – including meetings with Nobel Prize winner Abiy – on

  Jagama Kelo  was just fifteen years old when he went to fight the second Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which began on the 3rd of October 1935. In an interview with the BBC’s Elizabeth Blunt (now in the Imperial War Museum in London) he described his war experiences. At the time when the Italian forces, under Generals  Rodolfo Graziani  and  Pietro Badoglio , had started the war in the country, Jagama Kelo was no more than a young man. Jagama had heard tales of his brave ancestors as a boy and hoped to emulate them. When the Italian invasion took place Jagama saw his chance. With his elder brother and uncle, he took to the bush, determined to resist. At first he had no gun – only his elder brother had one. But they ambushed Italian troops and gradually armed themselves. Peasants joined the struggle and by the end of the war they had over 3,000 fighters under their command. The largest battle he recalled was at  Seyoum Mariam , some 55 km from Addis.     Jagama says they were tol

 The largest hydropower project in Africa, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be operational by 2023 as per the reschedule. According to Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy Eng. Seleshi Bekele, following the successful completion of the first round filling, second filling is going to be held during the coming rainy season-on July 2021. According to the minister, construction of GERD has reached 78.3% and it is expected to be completed up to 82% until the upcoming rainy season. “Ethiopia is keenly working on completing the construction of GERD by 2023 and considering the dam as water security threat is unfounded and unscientific. The overall construction of the dam has seen rapid development following the swift measures taken by the reformist administration to ensure professionalism. The administrative adjustments have solved the most critical problems related to decision making and follow-up system,” he said. He further added that, the new administrati

  A former member of Sudan's negotiating team which worked with Ethiopia on issues relating to the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the River Nile, has raised eyebrows by claiming that Sudan owns the land on which the dam is built. Dr Ahmed Al-Mufti told the Saudi-owned  Alarabiya  satellite channel on Saturday night that his country granted the land to Ethiopia in 1902 on the condition that Addis Ababa would not establish any water infrastructure without Khartoum's approval. In his interview on the programme  Al Boud Al Akhar  (The Other Dimension), Al-Mufti added that Sudan could ask for the land to be returned to Sudanese sovereignty. He called on the UN Security Council to intervene to stop Ethiopia from filling the second reservoir of the dam in July. The former negotiator also warned that more than 20 million Sudanese people are in danger as a result of the GERD. Ethiopia lies upstream of Sudan on the Nile. It claims that the GERD is impor