ETHIOPIAN authorities have stripped three Reuters journalists of their press credentials following an investigative report alleging the country is secretly training fighters for Sudan’s civil war, marking the latest assault on media freedom in Ethiopia and across Africa.
The Ethiopian Media Authority declined to renew the journalists’ accreditation on February 14 and revoked Reuters’ credentials to cover the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The regulatory action came four days after Reuters published an investigation from Nairobi, London, and Cairo reporting that Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp, financed by the United Arab Emirates, to train thousands of fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces – a paramilitary group accused of war crimes.
“The revocation of Reuters’ credentials is the latest in a troubling pattern of repressive regulatory action against international and independent press in Ethiopia,” said Muthoki Mumo, Committee to Protect Journalists Africa Program Coordinator. “Ethiopian authorities should restore Reuters’ credentials, lift sanctions on other independent media, and stop treating critical journalism as a threat.”
Ethiopian authorities have not publicly responded to the report. The UAE rejected the allegations as “unfounded.” Reuters said it would continue to report on Ethiopia “in an independent, impartial and reliable way.”
Pattern of Restrictions
The move against Reuters follows a series of government actions targeting foreign and independent media in Ethiopia:
In October, authorities suspended the licenses of all nine Deutsche Welle correspondents in Ethiopia. Seven have resumed work under pressure, but two journalists covering the Tigray and Amhara regions remain banned.
In January, the Ethiopian Media Authority revoked the operating license of online outlet Wazema Radio, citing reporting that allegedly contradicted the “national interest,” lacked balance, and incited unrest. Wazema’s management disputed the characterization while saying they had complied with the order.
The crackdown comes as Ethiopia prepares for a June 1 general election amid ongoing regional conflicts and a stalled peace agreement that ended the country’s 2020-2022 civil war.
