President Salva Kiir and his rival Vice-President Riek Machar agreed in August 2018 to end a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people. But over the last seven years their relationship has become increasingly strained amid ethnic tensions and sporadic violence. In early March, several of Machar’s most senior allies were arrested by security forces, which his allies called a “grave violation” of the peace deal. This followed the clashes between the military and the White Army, which fought alongside Machar during the civil war that erupted in 2013 – not long after the country had gained its independence from Sudan. “In retaliation, communities across Upper Nile are being subjected to persistent aerial bombardment using devices, barrel bombs, allegedly containing a highly flammable liquid that acts as an accelerant on explosion,” [Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN mission in South Sudan] said. “These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are causing significant casualties and horrific injuries, especially burns.” Such allegations were first made last week by local leaders in Upper Nile…He added that such violence was escalating as the country drew closer to elections, expected next year. “Rampant misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is also ratcheting up tensions and driving ethnic divisions, and fear,” he said. (BBC)

International flower companies are fleeing Ethiopia because of a worsening conflict in the northwestern Amhara region, a key flower-growing hub, dealing a blow to one of the country’s major exports…Ethiopia’s cut-flower industry, which generated more than $500 million in revenues last year, is the country’s second-biggest export after the top-earning $900 million coffee sector, according to central bank figures. It has made strong inroads into the global flower trade in recent years, securing a 5.5% stake of market share, while still behind Kenya’s roughly 16% stake…Many companies have reported hijackings of staff truck drivers for ransom…This is not the first time conflict has hit flower growers in the volatile Amhara region. In 2016, several flower farms belonging to multinational companies were razed to the ground by armed militias. Many also saw attacks on their employees. (Semafor)

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially confirmed the departure of Getachew Reda from his position as the interim president of Tigray regional state…PM Abiy first hinted at a replacement during his address to parliament last week, and said that the mandate of the Tigray Interim Administration has recently expired, and will be extended for another year. “There may be changes” in its leadership. he told MPs. Getachew’s confirmed replacement in today’s announcement follows months of internal disagreements within the TPLF party. The leadership change is seen as a response to escalating divisions that came to a dramatic escalation this week. The TPLF’s internal rift, which surfaced after its 14th Congress in August last year, divided the party into factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael, TPLF’s chairman, and Getachew Reda. Debretsion’s group had previously announced the removal of Getachew and others from their roles, while the interim administration under Getachew repeatedly accused Debretsion’s faction of attempting to “destabilize” the region through a “coup d’état.”…Getachew Reda, who was appointed two years ago in March following the Pretoria peace agreement, has faced criticisms from within the TPLF over allegations of ineffective governance and perceived favoritism in administrative appointments. (Addis Standard)

Mohamed Abukar’s body was found in a collapsed building, where he is reported to have lived, near the attack site. He worked with Risaala Media Corporation until 2023, and had recently been publishing his journalism on Facebook and the YouTube news channel Sirta Waraka, Risaala’s director Mohamed Abduwahab Abdullahi told CPJ. Armed police raided Risaala’s offices about 20 minutes after it broadcast footage of the explosion site, ordered its radio and television channels off air, and arrested reporters Ali Abdullahi Ibrahim and Hamda Hassan Ahmed; camera operators Mohamed Said Nur and Abdullahi Sharif Ali; and technician Liban Abdullahi Hassan, according to Mohamed Abduwahab, who is also secretary general of the Somali Media Association, and a statement by the Somali Journalists Syndicate rights group. The journalists were detained for about two hours at a police station, where they were warned not to broadcast such content, and released without charge. Risaala had resumed operations by the evening. Police also briefly detained at least 17 other journalists at the attack site and questioned them at a local station about their coverage. (CPJ)