Biruk Terrefe
@terrefebiruk.bsky.social
Lecturer & Researcher African Politics, @unibayreuth.bsky.social | Research Associate, African Studies Centre, University of Oxford
Politics, Statecraft, Infrastructure, Urbanisation, Conflict, Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Red Sea
Politics, Statecraft, Infrastructure, Urbanisation, Conflict, Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Red Sea
Pinned
Biruk Terrefe
@terrefebiruk.bsky.social
· Nov 27
Our new OUP book on the politics, history and political economy of Ethiopia's dam-building program is out!
You can access your free pdf copy of the book at the bottom of this blogpost, which offers a succinct a summary of the book:
blog.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/dams-power-a...
You can access your free pdf copy of the book at the bottom of this blogpost, which offers a succinct a summary of the book:
blog.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/dams-power-a...
„Commanders from Tigray and Amhara, as well as Eritreans and rebels from Oromia, Mr Abiy’s home region, recently met in Sudan to discuss joint military planning.“
This is explosive stuff.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
This is explosive stuff.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
„Commanders from Tigray and Amhara, as well as Eritreans and rebels from Oromia, Mr Abiy’s home region, recently met in Sudan to discuss joint military planning.“
This is explosive stuff.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
This is explosive stuff.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
None of the people pictured in these photos feature in this story
Read the full investigation ⬇️
Read the full investigation ⬇️
‘A crisis of colossal scale’: the illegal gold rush tearing Ethiopia…
As gold prices skyrocket, Chinese and western companies are working side by side to exploit a region ravaged by civil war
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:50 AM
None of the people pictured in these photos feature in this story
Read the full investigation ⬇️
Read the full investigation ⬇️
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
As gold prices skyrocket, Chinese and western companies are working side by side to exploit a region ravaged by civil war
Welcome to the illegal gold rush tearing Ethiopia apart
📸 Erberto Zani via Alamy
Welcome to the illegal gold rush tearing Ethiopia apart
📸 Erberto Zani via Alamy
November 13, 2025 at 10:50 AM
As gold prices skyrocket, Chinese and western companies are working side by side to exploit a region ravaged by civil war
Welcome to the illegal gold rush tearing Ethiopia apart
📸 Erberto Zani via Alamy
Welcome to the illegal gold rush tearing Ethiopia apart
📸 Erberto Zani via Alamy
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
Why has Sudan descended into mass slaughter? The answer goes far beyond simple ethnic conflict
Justin Willis & Willow Berridge in The Conversation
theconversation.com/why-has-suda...
Justin Willis & Willow Berridge in The Conversation
theconversation.com/why-has-suda...
Why has Sudan descended into mass slaughter? The answer goes far beyond simple ethnic conflict
The civil war is often described as an ethnic or tribal conflict. But it’s more complicated than that.
theconversation.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Why has Sudan descended into mass slaughter? The answer goes far beyond simple ethnic conflict
Justin Willis & Willow Berridge in The Conversation
theconversation.com/why-has-suda...
Justin Willis & Willow Berridge in The Conversation
theconversation.com/why-has-suda...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
On 18 Nov, the Northeast Africa Forum will be co-hosting a book launch & discussion at Maison Française d'Oxford (4pm UK time).
Catherine Dom will be discussing 'Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War'
Full details & venue address:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/3aa...
Catherine Dom will be discussing 'Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War'
Full details & venue address:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/3aa...
November 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
On 18 Nov, the Northeast Africa Forum will be co-hosting a book launch & discussion at Maison Française d'Oxford (4pm UK time).
Catherine Dom will be discussing 'Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War'
Full details & venue address:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/3aa...
Catherine Dom will be discussing 'Mekelle Stories: Life in Time of War'
Full details & venue address:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/3aa...
This is a major diplomatic win for the Ethiopian government. www.fanamc.com/english/ethi...
Ethiopia confirmed to host COP32 in 2027, marking a major diplomatic milestone for Africa
Addis Ababa, November 11, 2025 (FMC) – Ethiopia has been confirmed to host the 2027 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP32), positioning the country at the centre of global climate diplomacy ...
www.fanamc.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM
This is a major diplomatic win for the Ethiopian government. www.fanamc.com/english/ethi...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
“We fought as fighters, not as women”: women’s participation in ethnonational armed groups in #Ethiopia
By Hilina Berhanu Degefa
www.xcept-research.org/publication/...
By Hilina Berhanu Degefa
www.xcept-research.org/publication/...
"We fought as fighters, not as women": women's participation in ethnonational armed groups in Ethiopia - XCEPT
Ethnonational mobilisations — characterised by a strong sense of national and political identification, whether organised along ethnic, religious, or regional political identifications — tend to…
www.xcept-research.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 PM
“We fought as fighters, not as women”: women’s participation in ethnonational armed groups in #Ethiopia
By Hilina Berhanu Degefa
www.xcept-research.org/publication/...
By Hilina Berhanu Degefa
www.xcept-research.org/publication/...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
1st @ipq.bsky.social article!
New Delhi and Europe are seeking alternatives, given a loss of trust in DC. With a trade deal in the works, a significant opportunity beckons. But will Germany/EU capitalise?
ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...
New Delhi and Europe are seeking alternatives, given a loss of trust in DC. With a trade deal in the works, a significant opportunity beckons. But will Germany/EU capitalise?
ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...
The US-India Breakdown Creates an Opening for Europe
Germany’s relationship with India is slowly improving, and so is Europe’s at large. President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of US-India ties offers an opportunity to enhance this relationship even further...
ip-quarterly.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:02 AM
1st @ipq.bsky.social article!
New Delhi and Europe are seeking alternatives, given a loss of trust in DC. With a trade deal in the works, a significant opportunity beckons. But will Germany/EU capitalise?
ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...
New Delhi and Europe are seeking alternatives, given a loss of trust in DC. With a trade deal in the works, a significant opportunity beckons. But will Germany/EU capitalise?
ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SPRG4...
Incredibly important piece of research! And glad to see it out finally. Mehdi’s work on Amhara nationalism is based on incredible access and data.
Incredibly important piece of research! And glad to see it out finally. Mehdi’s work on Amhara nationalism is based on incredible access and data.
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
The emergence of Amhara nationalism as a central political trend in Ethiopia can be dated to 2016. It soon gained considerable audience within the Amhara region and beyond. This article analyses a ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SPRG4...
Incredibly important piece of research! And glad to see it out finally. Mehdi’s work on Amhara nationalism is based on incredible access and data.
Incredibly important piece of research! And glad to see it out finally. Mehdi’s work on Amhara nationalism is based on incredible access and data.
The next time, I am asked what people can do with a degree in African Studies, I can finally say 'they can become mayor of New York.'
November 5, 2025 at 12:42 PM
The next time, I am asked what people can do with a degree in African Studies, I can finally say 'they can become mayor of New York.'
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
One of the wildest aspects of covering global politics over the past ~20 yrs is all the raging debates over how to protect the US-built global order from being reconfigured or replaced by China, and in the end the US just decided to walk away from it altogether.
November 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM
One of the wildest aspects of covering global politics over the past ~20 yrs is all the raging debates over how to protect the US-built global order from being reconfigured or replaced by China, and in the end the US just decided to walk away from it altogether.
The drums of war have not been as loud as they are today in my life time. Even in 2020, the explicit nature of the statements and manufacturing of consent was not where it is today. The rhetoric is off the charts.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...
The Risk of a New Ethiopian-Eritrean War Is Growing
Changing dynamics in Tigray could erode the current balance of uncertainty.
foreignpolicy.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The drums of war have not been as loud as they are today in my life time. Even in 2020, the explicit nature of the statements and manufacturing of consent was not where it is today. The rhetoric is off the charts.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...
A case of choosing your case studies to fit your narrative. To see the RSF as 'secessionist' also does not do justice to its ambitions of taking over the Sudanese state.
www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/ab...
www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/ab...
How Abu Dhabi built an axis of secessionists across the region
From North Africa to the Gulf, the UAE has aggressively expanded its counter-revolutionary strategy in the wake of the Arab Spring
www.middleeasteye.net
November 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
A case of choosing your case studies to fit your narrative. To see the RSF as 'secessionist' also does not do justice to its ambitions of taking over the Sudanese state.
www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/ab...
www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/ab...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
All Protocol Observed
Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent
El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias.
bit.ly/218_TC
Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent
El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias.
bit.ly/218_TC
October 31, 2025 at 6:17 PM
All Protocol Observed
Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent
El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias.
bit.ly/218_TC
Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent
El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias.
bit.ly/218_TC
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
The RSF says it has captured the city of El-Fasher, which it has besieged since May 2024, as Sudan's brutal civil war rages on.
Famine was declared in a displacement camp there last August, while 260,000 people have been trapped inside the city itself without aid
Famine was declared in a displacement camp there last August, while 260,000 people have been trapped inside the city itself without aid
Grave fears for civilians after Sudanese paramilitary claims capture of El Fasher
RSF says it has seized control of army’s main base in Darfur, home to famine-stricken displacement camp
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The RSF says it has captured the city of El-Fasher, which it has besieged since May 2024, as Sudan's brutal civil war rages on.
Famine was declared in a displacement camp there last August, while 260,000 people have been trapped inside the city itself without aid
Famine was declared in a displacement camp there last August, while 260,000 people have been trapped inside the city itself without aid
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
Hundreds of Kenyan youth have been lured to the Russian frontline in Ukraine with promises of work, visas and pay in exchange for fighting for Russia. Others were told they would be going to Russia for higher education only to be sent to the frontline.
October 26, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Hundreds of Kenyan youth have been lured to the Russian frontline in Ukraine with promises of work, visas and pay in exchange for fighting for Russia. Others were told they would be going to Russia for higher education only to be sent to the frontline.
„The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) has announced the signing of a 30-year concession agreement granting Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) operational rights to manage and develop the Port of Tadjourah.“
www.dawan.africa/news/djibout...
www.dawan.africa/news/djibout...
www.dawan.africa
October 25, 2025 at 9:06 PM
„The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) has announced the signing of a 30-year concession agreement granting Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) operational rights to manage and develop the Port of Tadjourah.“
www.dawan.africa/news/djibout...
www.dawan.africa/news/djibout...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
In 2024, the IOM tracked 446,000 people leaving the Horn of Africa via the “Eastern route”, crossing into Yemen to reach the Arabian Gulf. Ninety-six percent were Ethiopian, and a third of those were Tigrayan – although Tigrayans make up only 6% of Ethiopia’s population.
The exodus out of Tigray
Young people are leaving en masse – and don’t know if they’ll ever come back.
continent.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM
In 2024, the IOM tracked 446,000 people leaving the Horn of Africa via the “Eastern route”, crossing into Yemen to reach the Arabian Gulf. Ninety-six percent were Ethiopian, and a third of those were Tigrayan – although Tigrayans make up only 6% of Ethiopia’s population.
This is what entitlement feels and sounds like.
Wow - German foreign minister's trip to China on Sunday is off, with the spokesperson saying it had been "impossible to garner enough meetings in China to justify the trip", per Reuters
Won't say who cancelled it...
Won't say who cancelled it...
German foreign minister's China trip cancelled, spokesperson says
BERLIN () -A China trip by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to China that was originally planned for Sunday will not take place, a spokesperson for his ministry said on Friday. "We are postponing the journey to a later time," the spokesperson told a regular news conference, adding that it had been impossible to garner enough meetings in China to justify the trip.
uk.news.yahoo.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:32 PM
This is what entitlement feels and sounds like.
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
Please join us for the Northeast African Forum, 28 October, 4pm UK time.
Dr Prince Guma will be presenting 'Digital scapes beyond capture? How resistance movements in Africa are shaping the way we think'
*Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d2a...
Dr Prince Guma will be presenting 'Digital scapes beyond capture? How resistance movements in Africa are shaping the way we think'
*Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d2a...
October 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Please join us for the Northeast African Forum, 28 October, 4pm UK time.
Dr Prince Guma will be presenting 'Digital scapes beyond capture? How resistance movements in Africa are shaping the way we think'
*Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d2a...
Dr Prince Guma will be presenting 'Digital scapes beyond capture? How resistance movements in Africa are shaping the way we think'
*Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration:
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d2a...
Reposted by Biruk Terrefe
I have organised an amazing roster of *virtual* presentations for the Centre for Gulf Studies at Exeter. Check out these incredible superstars, and register for the events (Tuesdays 17-18.30 London time) here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/cen...
October 22, 2025 at 8:57 AM
I have organised an amazing roster of *virtual* presentations for the Centre for Gulf Studies at Exeter. Check out these incredible superstars, and register for the events (Tuesdays 17-18.30 London time) here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/cen...