Paris Club calls for faster debt restructuring under Common Framework
The Paris Club has called for reforms to the G20 Common Framework to make sovereign debt restructuring faster and more efficient, amid the ongoing dispute between Ethiopia and international investors holding the country’s $1 billion Eurobond. In a new report, Paris Club Co-Chair Thomas Revial said the Common Framework must deliver faster outcomes and ensure all creditors provide comparable debt relief. Astewaye Woldemichael, Senior Adviser at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance, argued that the current sequencing under the Common Framework creates analytical differences between the IMF and private creditors before negotiations with bondholders begin. Ethiopia’s recent restructuring agreement with an ad hoc committee of bondholders was rejected by the Official Creditors Committee (OCC), which said it failed to satisfy the “comparability of treatment” principle requiring private creditors to provide debt relief comparable to official lenders. Ethiopia and its official creditors reached an agreement in principle in March 2025. China has also criticized bondholders’ threats to pursue legal action against Ethiopia.
MSF renews call for justice over killing of three aid workers in Tigray
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has urged Ethiopian authorities to complete and publicly release the findings of their investigation into the killing of its three staff members in Tigray on 24 June 2021, despite years of continued engagement. MSF said María Hernández Matas, Tedros Gebremariam, and Yohannes Halefom were deliberately killed while travelling in a clearly marked humanitarian vehicle to deliver medical assistance during the war. An earlier internal review concluded that the attack was intentional and found that a convoy of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) was present in the area at the time of the incident. MSF said the unresolved case reflects a broader global failure by states to uphold their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which requires investigations and accountability for attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel.
Tigray authorities move to enforce mandatory military conscription
Tigray’s reinstated pre-war regional council has directed regional law enforcement institutions to begin implementing the newly adopted proclamation introducing compulsory military service and mandatory mobilization. The legislation is expected to be published in the region’s Negarit Gazette. A central Command Post chaired by Tigray’s de facto leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, has been established to oversee military affairs, including recruitment and mobilization. Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch called on Tigray authorities to withdraw the legislation, arguing that it contains vague and overly broad provisions that could result in severe punishments, including imprisonment and the death penalty.
Parliament approves Access to Information law
Ethiopia’s Federal Parliament has approved a new Access to Information Proclamation, granting journalists the right to obtain information from government institutions free of charge. Other individuals and organizations will be required to pay only the cost of reproducing requested documents. The law also allows requests for information held by private organizations. It imposes criminal penalties on officials or information officers who intentionally destroy, alter, conceal, or damage public records, with penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of up to 100,000 birr. Officials who knowingly provide false information face up to three years’ imprisonment or fines ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 birr. Similar penalties apply to officials who fail to respond within the legally prescribed timeframe or unlawfully disclose confidential defence or national security information.
Amhara reinstates more than 2,000 displaced public servants
The Amhara Regional Council has approved the reinstatement of 2,167 public servants displaced from their jobs due to the region’s prolonged security crisis, including 738 teachers. The measure applies to former government employees who left public service after joining the Fano armed movement during the conflict that began in 2023. It also covers 115 civil servants dismissed during the conflict between regional authorities and the Qimant armed group in Chilga district and other parts of West Gondar Zone five years ago. The West Gondar conflict stemmed from disputes over administrative boundaries involving the Qimant community and regional security forces. In February, the regional council approved a similar measure to reinstate former public servants who had abandoned armed struggle and accepted the government’s amnesty. Regional authorities say hundreds of former combatants have since returned to civilian life.
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