Ethiopian Media Clampdown: Restricting Reuters' Access

The Ethiopian Media Authority has turned down the accreditation renewal request for three Reuters journalists stationed in Addis Ababa, the agency reported. Additionally, Reuters' accreditation for the 39th African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital on February 14-15 has been revoked by the authority.

This decision follows an investigative piece released by Reuters that claimed Ethiopia was secretly training thousands of fighters for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces. Ethiopia has not offered an official comment in response to the story. Although it is informally suggested that the February 10 report influenced EMA's decision, no official statement has been made.

In response, Reuters stated they are evaluating the situation but remain committed to covering Ethiopia impartially and reliably, adhering to the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Efforts to contact the EMA for comments were unsuccessful.