Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responds to questions from members of parliament in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. AP
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responds to questions from members of parliament in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. AP
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responds to questions from members of parliament in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. AP
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responds to questions from members of parliament in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. AP

Ethiopian fighters open fire on Sudanese farmers in a border enclave


Hamza Hendawi
  • English
  • Arabic

Ethiopian militiamen opened fire on Sudanese farmers as they harvested corn grown by members of Ethiopia's Amhara ethnic group in a border enclave inside Sudan, two local residents told The National.

The incident, on Tuesday, was the latest violent episode in a long-simmering border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia that was rekindled late last year when the Sudanese military moved to wrest back control of farmlands inside Sudan that had for decades been held by Amhara farmers backed by militias.

The two residents had no word on casualties from among the Sudanese farmers who fled the area when the militiamen opened fire, leaving behind dozens of bags full of corn they reaped.

The Ethiopian militiamen seized the corn and took it away, back over the border, the residents said.

News of the incident in Al Fashaqa came after a senior member of the Sudanese military, Gen Yasser Al Atta, told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television network his country was prepared to negotiate a settlement of the border dispute with Ethiopia.

“We welcome the Ethiopian brothers into constructive negotiations to make things right and place border marks on our eastern border,” Gen Al Atta said.

Ethiopia has rejected previous calls by Khartoum to negotiate a settlement of the border dispute, saying Sudanese troops must first pull out from areas they retook since December.

Sudan has rejected this condition and vowed to “liberate” other enclaves inside its boundary settled by Ethiopians. It maintains that the border was demarcated in a 1902 agreement reaffirmed in 1972.

The two sides have also accused each other of trespassing. In the latest round of their war of words, Ethiopia made a thinly disguised claim that the Sudanese military was stoking the border dispute for the benefit of Egypt, Khartoum’s northern ally, with which it is at sharp odds.

Sudan responded with a similarly vague allegation, claiming Eritrean forces joined their Ethiopian peers in breaching the Sudanese border.

Sudan has another dispute with Ethiopia and that is over a massive hydroelectric dam Addis Ababa is building on the Nile. It says Ethiopia must share data on the operation of the dam to avert flooding and the disruption of work in its own power-generating dams on the Blue Nile.

Egypt, like Sudan a downstream nation, fears the dam would reduce its vital share of the river’s water, leading to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint

Greenheart Organic Farms 

This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.

www.greenheartuae.com

Modibodi  

Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.

www.modibodi.ae

The Good Karma Co

From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes. 

www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco

Re:told

One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.

www.shopretold.com

Lush

Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store. 

www.mena.lush.com

Bubble Bro 

Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.

www.bubble-bro.com

Coethical 

This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.

www.instagram.com/coethical

Eggs & Soldiers

This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.

www.eggsnsoldiers.com

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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.