The agreement, signed by Corporation CEO Tewodros Getachew and Sunbird chief executive Richard Bennett, outlines plans to develop a 20,000 hectare biorefinery where locally produced feedstocks such as sugarcane and cassava will be processed into renewable fuel.

Sunbird will be in charge of production, slated to begin in 2030, while the Corporation will provide industrial expertise and infrastructural support, according to the MoU.

Corporation executives and government officials say the move is part of Ethiopia’s wider transition towards green energy, which has thus far seen a series of measures designed to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.

While the project envisions the production of clean household cooking fuel to replace charcoal and kerosene, its primary objective is sustainable aviation fuel, which the Corporation plans to sell to the Ethiopian Airlines Group.

Temesgen Getaye, Group treasurer, hailed the MoU as a historic milestone.

“As we grow our network, modernize our fleet, open new routes, and reach more customers than ever, we simultaneously face urgent environmental and climate challenges,” he said, highlighting SAF as a potential avenue towards reducing Ethiopian Airlines’ environmental impact.

As a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Ethiopian has committed to the ambitious target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

However, SAF remains largely untested.

A World Economic Forum report from 2023 indicated that SAF accounted for less than 0.1 percent of global consumption. The report also highlighted issues such as SAF’s high price point (four times more expensive than jet fuel) and relatively low energy density.

“Planes would therefore need to carry high volumes of SAF to make long-haul flights—such high volumes that it could become impractical,” it reads.

Still, carriers around the globe, including Qantas Airways, are investing heavily in hopes of accelerating the production of SAF, according to the report.

The MoU also raises questions about the efficacy and commitment of Sunbird, whose website claims it has successfully implemented similar projects in Sierra Leone and Zambia.

However, a 2024 report by a Zambian news outlet indicated that large tracts of farmland dedicated to growing cassava for a strategic biofuel project under Sunbird had never been harvested, more than six years after local farmers agreed to grow the cash crop.

Abraham Ayalew, head of the national cooperation secretariat at the Ministry, spoke about the lack of progress on the victim rehabilitation fund established by Parliament during an event this week marking the launch of an International Organization for Migration (IOM) initiative.

Although the Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Persons Proclamation established a fund for the rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking and smuggling in 2020, the absence of regulations and directives outlining how the fund will function means it exists only in name, according to Abraham.

The fund is meant to cover medical, legal, and health costs for trafficking victims, as well as pay for material support, technical training, reintegration, and the construction of shelters. It would also serve to “pay compensation determined by the court in accordance with Regulations to be issued by the Council of Ministers.”

However, no regulations have been ratified by the Council yet.

The proclamation envisions the fund being pooled from the government budget, confiscated properties and fines collected from convicted traffickers, and grants and donations, but no money is flowing in due to the absence of a supporting legal framework.

“So far, we haven’t put any money seized from human trafficking into the government’s coffers. Of course, fines have been collected, but this money is not going into the fund either,” said Abraham.

Trafficking has become increasingly entrenched in Ethiopia as shrinking work opportunities and worsening economic conditions push citizens, mostly youth, to emigrate in search of a better life. Although there are efforts being made to send Ethiopians abroad for work through formal channels, the vast majority of emigrants leave the country through a large trafficking network consisting of brokers and smugglers.

This often leads to serious rights violations, abuses, and deaths.

In August, more than 160 Ethiopian migrants were presumed dead after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. Seventy-six of them have since been confirmed dead, while the rest are still missing. This week, the bodies of 10 migrants (most of whom are Ethiopian) washed up on the coast of Djibouti.

The IOM estimates that up to 300,000 Ethiopians migrate each year, with the vast majority doing so through dangerous smuggling routes.

This week, the organization unveiled a five-year strategic plan aiming to provide sustainable solutions to displacement and find safe migration routes.

During the launch ceremony, Houria Ali, a state minister for Women and Social Affairs, noted that conflict, drought, and climate change are fueling illegal migration and human trafficking.

The strategic plan is a roadmap focused on preventing irregular migration by providing protection and life-saving support to displaced persons, rehabilitating and repatriating displaced people, and promoting a regular migration system, according to IOM Ethiopia chief Abibatou Wane.

‎‎‎The Tigray Interim Administration (TIA) says it cannot settle nearly 17 months of unpaid salaries for thousands of public servants.

‎‎Speaking to The Reporter, Amanuel Assefa, TIA deputy president, said, “This is not just a funding gap. It’s a structural incapacity. Even if we had the finance today, we do not have the systemic buffers or institutional continuity to disburse it in bulk.”

‎‎Thousands of teachers, health professionals, and civil servants in Tigray have gone without their salaries for years, with some not having received pay since 2021, when the region was in the middle of a brutal two-year war.

The financial paralysis resulting from the conflict has pushed the interim administration to ignore a court ruling ordering it to settle 17 months’ worth of backpay for civil servants, including teachers. Instead, the TIA has invoked a new directive that shields its financial accounts from judicial enforcement.
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The resumption of federal block grants since the signing of the Pretoria Agreement has done little for unpaid civil servants as those transfers are tied to current operations only—not past liabilities.

‎‎For the new fiscal year, Tigray was allocated an estimated 19 billion Birr in federal subsidies—roughly six percent of Ethiopia’s total regional transfers. According to regional officials, the entire amount is already earmarked for basic administration, including salaries moving forward, emergency health spending, and rebuilding local offices.

Sources who spoke to The Reporter anonymously say the structure of the subsidy does not allocate budgets for unforeseen events. The region has also no flexible pool for past salary obligations, no shock absorption mechanism, and no payroll reserve.

‎‎‎TIA officials confirmed they had formally requested additional budget lines from the federal government to address the salary crisis, but those appeals have yet to be met with positive response.

‎‎“We’ve petitioned the Ministry of Finance multiple times,” Amanuel said. “But the salary amounts outstanding were not budgeted for. There’s no political or financial framework for retroactive compensation.”

‎‎The salary backlog is also complicated by damaged administrative systems.

During the war, many of Tigray’s payroll systems were fragmented, while civil service rosters, payment ledgers, and employee verification records were lost or corrupted. As a result, even calculating who is owed what remains a significant hurdle, according to sources familiar with the matter.

‎‎‎‎In response to the public outcry that has lasted for more than three years now, the TIA says it is now working on a multi-year partial settlement scheme that would stretch across successive fiscal years.

‎“We’re designing a model where a portion of the arrears is paid each year, proportional to available budget,” said Amanuel. “But this needs buy-in from both employees and the federal government.”

‎He emphasized that while the demand for salary payments is valid and legitimate, TIA is urging public employees to understand the gravity of the region’s current financial and institutional crisis.

‎‎‎This model, however, faces legal obstacles.

A recent High Court ruling ordered the regional Finance Bureau to release 500 million Birr to disburse the back payment owed to teachers, but a new directive from TIA blocks court-ordered account seizures, citing the need to protect essential service continuity.

Amanuel told The Reporter that the decision “cannot be executed under current conditions” and that the new regional directive supersedes court enforcement powers.

‎Legal experts familiar with the court ruling stated that the decision was rendered before the interim administration issued its directive, and that future legal claims may also be affected by the new policy. 

‎‎While the legal tension is real, officials maintain that systemic failure—not defiance—is the root cause.

‎“Our accounts had been frozen by court orders, which obstructed our operations. The new directive prevents further disruptions of this sort,” Amanuel noted.

‎According to another senior TIA official who spoke anonymously, even if the regional finance bureau manages to release the 500 million Birr now, it would not be sufficient given that total claims from teachers alone amount to nearly two billion Birr.

“If the administration were to pay all of the teachers’ back salaries now, it would have no funds left for other employees,” said the official, who added the TIA is grappling with a critical liquidity shortage and facing immense pressure.

Ethiopia’s block grant system distributes recurrent funds to regional states based on a formula, but there is no emergency clause for war-related salary losses. ‎‎‎‎‎‎Experts say the issue exposes the absence of a federal fiscal backstop for regional post-conflict liabilities.

‎‎For civil servants in Tigray, the consequences are personal. A wave of quiet resignations, especially among health professionals, has been reported across rural areas. Some teachers say they are surviving only through remittances from relatives abroad.

‎‎‎‎‎TIA officials admit the pressure is mounting, but warn against oversimplification.

The Ethiopian Parliament approved a draft law aimed at combating the financing of terrorism and the concealment of property obtained through criminal means. However, the legislation has sparked widespread debate and concern among lawmakers, civil society groups, and international observers.

The new law, endorsed during a session held on June 17th, grants authorities broad powers, during covert investigations of alleged crimes or interrogation of suspects to use all available methods, excluding killing.

Critics argue that this provision could be used as a tool to suppress dissent and silence civil society. Many fear the law will be weaponized against political opponents, rights groups, journalists, businesspeople, and other segments of society.

One of the most contentious aspects of the draft is its retrospective applicability, allowing cases to be investigated as far back as 10 years. This clause ignited heated debate in Parliament, with opponents questioning its fairness and potential for misuse.

A Member of Parliament from the opposition expressed concern that the law could be exploited by the executive branch to restrict fundamental rights. He pointed out that, in Ethiopia, individuals often do not maintain thorough records of their activities, making them vulnerable to arbitrary accusations and investigations.

Desalegn Chane (PhD), an MP representing the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA), warned that previous anti-terror laws had been used to suppress dissenting voices. He called it “terrifying” that under the new legislation, interrogators would be shielded from criminal liability for any actions taken during interrogations, as long as they did not result in death.

International scholars have also weighed in referencing empirical studies showing that torture is not only ethically indefensible but also largely ineffective as a method of interrogation. While the United Nations Charter does not explicitly mention torture, the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment explicitly prohibits such practices and provides a legal framework for their prevention.

Another MP highlighted that over USD 29 billion had previously been identified as having left the country through illicit channels, yet efforts to recover the funds had been minimal.

Despite these concerns, Issa Boru, deputy chair of the Legal and Justice Affairs Standing Committee of the House of People’s Representatives, downplayed the criticisms. He insisted the bill was not intended to target any specific group or individuals.