Iconic moment, Eritrean sanction lift

A rare but iconic photo. Taye Asqe-Sellasie, Ethiopia's Permanent Representative in the United Nations, voted in favour of lifting sanctions imposed on Eritrea. Members of the Security Council voted - unanimously- to lift the sanctions imposed for nearly a decade.


Iconic moment, Eritrean sanction lift

A rare but iconic photo. Taye Asqe-Sellasie, Ethiopia's Permanent Representative in the United Nations, voted in favour of lifting sanctions imposed on Eritrea. Members of the Security Council voted - unanimously- to lift the sanctions imposed for nearly a decade. Introduced by Djibouti, it was in 2009 that the UN Security Council imposed embargo on arms and introduced tough and targeted sanctions to punlish Eritrea's alleged support to al-Shabab in Somalia. Ethiopia is very pleased with the lifting of the UN sanction believing that, "it will further enhance the collaborative gains that have been achieved in the region over the past few months," according to a press statement issued from the Prime Minister Office following the announcement. Although welcomed the lifting, Djibouti remains to have some reservations. Its Ambassador to the UN, Siad Doualeh, said "third-party mediation failed to make significant progress toward a settlement" on the border dispute his country has with Eritrea. "Continued stalemate is not an option," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

[ssba-buttons]

In-Picture

UNCOVERED WILDERNESS

The long-shuttered plot at Mexico Square finally breathes again as fences come down, revealing a vast open space once hidden from public view earmarked for Abyssinia Bank's future headquarters. The site now stretches bare and sunlit, drawing curious passersby, midday loungers, and a lone umbrella-shaded onlooker. In a city of concrete and congestion, even temporary emptiness feels like a quiet revolution. It now showcases a wilderness in the middle of the busy streets of Mexico...


In-Picture

GO SEEK

Minalesh Tera, one of Addis Abeba's busiest and most chaotic markets, draws hundreds if not thousands daily in search of cheaper essentials. Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds navigate narrow, dusty paths between makeshift stalls, where vendors hawk everything from onions and engine parts to plasticware and traditional remedies. It's a sensory overload and a lifeline rolled into one, an open-air maze where the practical meets the unexpected, and affordability drives the city's daily grind...


In-Picture

TERMINAL TREASURES

From left: Jantirar Abay, Deputy Mayor and Head of the Industry Bureau; Ayderus H.M. Farag, CEO of Alfarag Trading PLC; and Getaneh Adera, Acting CEO of Ethiopian Airports, chat during the opening of Alfarag's refurbished duty-free shops at Bole International Airport on June 18, 2025. The two stores, located in Terminal 2's Departure Hall, span 1,000sqm. Alfarag, established in Dire Dawa in 1923, became Ethiopia's first private duty-free retailer in 2003...