The long-standing conflict in Ethiopia’s Konso Zone is primarily driven by water scarcity worsened by climate change, highlighting the complex links between resource depletion, local displacement, and ethnic tensions in the region.

Tirsit Sahledegngel (PhD), a researcher at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University, challenges the conventional view that political or ethnic factors are the main causes of conflict in Konso. She argues that although political and ethnic issues play a role, the underlying root cause is competition over dwindling natural resources like water.

Konso, part of southern Ethiopia, is renowned for its ancient cultural terrace farming system designed to cope with harsh environmental conditions. However, since 2016, the area has suffered severe droughts marked by three consecutive years of inadequate rainfall, worsening the persistent water shortages that fuel conflict, Dr. Tirsit explained.

These insights were shared during the second stakeholder workshop of the Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition (GCAN) initiative, organized by the Forum for Social Studies (FSS). The event focused on the intersections of gender and climate impacts, featuring a study titled “The Nexus Between Climate Change, Gender, and Mobility in Southern Ethiopia,” authored by Tirsit.

The research highlights that in Konso’s rural communities, the burden of collecting water falls largely on women and young girls. Due to water scarcity, these individuals must walk four to five hours daily to remote, often unsafe water sources. This exhausting task has serious consequences, including girls dropping out of school due to the time-consuming water collection.

Moreover, the pressure of domestic labor leads many young girls to seek early marriage as an escape from relentless household duties, Tirsit notes. The study emphasizes that climate change impacts are “disproportionate” because of entrenched gender roles and societal expectations.

Tirsit links this local resource crisis directly to social instability and conflict. Konso’s farming communities depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture, which deteriorates sharply with prolonged droughts. As rains fail, displaced populations increasingly migrate in search of alternative water and fertile land.

Geographically, only two of Konso’s five districts have perennial rivers, exacerbating regional water scarcity. This uneven resource distribution forces communities from dry areas to encroach temporarily or permanently on fertile lands traditionally used by other ethnic groups, often sparking disputes.

Although conflicts are commonly framed as ethnic due to Ethiopia’s federal system linking land to ethnicity, the study shows they primarily represent “resource conflicts” over essential water and land. The conflicts since 2016 have caused extensive displacement and loss of life, representing extreme consequences of ongoing resource depletion, climate change–intensified droughts, and population pressures.

Tirsit describes mobility as an emergent adaptation strategy, with migration becoming crucial when local agriculture can no longer sustain livelihoods.

The study also critiques the use of the term “climate change” as potentially being a donor-driven “buzzword” detached from local realities. From an anthropological perspective, it asks what climate change means for affected communities. Locals interpret it through tangible experiences such as extended dry seasons, unusual flooding, rising temperatures, or disrupted rainy seasons—not abstract scientific concepts.

The Ethiopian Environment Authority (EPA) has launched a public hearing process to assess environmental release approval for a promising genetically modified (GM) maize variety, MON 89034, commonly known as MON 89. This variety has shown significant effectiveness in combating the damaging Fall Armyworm (FAW).

This initiative follows the successful completion of controlled Confined Field Trials (CFT) for the MON 89 hybrid, conducted by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) as part of the TELA Maize Project. The trials began in 2023 and were conducted with prior approval from the EPA.

Tesfaye Disasa (PhD), a biotech scientist and TELA Project Coordinator, confirmed that the CFTs have been successfully completed. “We have submitted our findings, including a comprehensive risk assessment document from the CFT, to the EPA. In response to the Authority’s feedback, we have also provided all requested additional documentation,” Tesfaye informed Capital.

The public hearing is a vital step in the regulatory process for environmental release. The EPA has notified relevant public bodies to ensure transparency. As per standard procedure, the process will remain open for public comment for one month before the Authority makes its final decision.

If environmental release approval is granted, the next phase will involve Multi-Location Trials (MLT) across six to twelve different sites.

“This data will support a transition to on-farm cultivation,” Tesfaye explained, expressing optimism that the regulatory body would grant approval promptly.

MLTs are crucial in agricultural research, providing a comprehensive understanding of a product’s performance across various environments, including differing climates and soil types. The results will help identify the best-performing varieties for specific regional conditions.

Following the MLTs, on-farm testing is expected in the upcoming year. “The on-farm tests will generate the evaluation data required by the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC), which is responsible for granting final commercial release approval,” Tesfaye stated.

Ethiopia regulates GM products under its national biosafety law, with the EPA serving as the competent regulatory authority. The TELA maize CFTs were conducted under the EPA’s close supervision, marking a progression from the earlier approval of the MON 810 GM maize variety for environmental release, which subsequently received commercial release approval from the NVRC.

In March of this year, the NVRC approved three out of four TELA GM maize varieties for commercial release. The approved varieties—WE3106B (insect-protected), WE7210B, and WE8216B (insect-protected and drought-tolerant)—were developed through the public-private TELA Maize Project. The committee recommended further on-farm testing for the fourth variety before reconsideration.

Tesfaye emphasized a key distinction between the previously approved MON 810 and the new MON 89 variety. “While MON 810 effectively protects maize from FAW, it was primarily designed to defend against stem borers. The MON 89 variety, however, is specifically engineered for protection against Fall Armyworm,” he clarified.

FAW, which first appeared in Ethiopia in 2017, has become a significant threat to maize yields. The approval process for the MON 810 variety took over seven years, despite the technology being safely utilized for nearly three decades in more than 30 countries.

“It was Ethiopia’s first approved food crop, which contributed to the lengthy process. We anticipate a more expedited decision for MON 89,” Tesfaye remarked.

Derese Teshome, Outreach and Advocacy Team Lead for the TELA project, stated that the next steps would involve national performance trials to validate the variety’s insect protection and yield potential.

He also highlighted that the MON 89 transgenic variety is already being used in countries like South Africa, Canada, and several European nations, with Nigerian farmers recently beginning its cultivation.

The approved MON 810 variety has demonstrated effectiveness in protecting maize from both stem borers and FAW, offering potential yield advantages of up to 60%, improved grain quality, and significantly lower production costs. This is achieved as farmers reduce their reliance on chemical pesticides, thus minimizing environmental and health risks.

Although some procedural hurdles have slightly delayed the seed multiplication process for the approved MON 810 varieties, EIAR has successfully navigated the path to commercial release. The seeds will be available to farmers royalty-free through the TELA project.

Several organizations, including MIDROC, Luna, and Ethio Vegfru, are testing the new seeds on their own plots.

Experts are praising these recent advancements as a remarkable success, positioning Ethiopia as an emerging leader in agricultural biotechnology on the continent. The commercial approval of genetically modified maize and cotton, alongside ongoing research into other crops, marks a significant milestone in the nation’s scientific and agricultural progress.

On World Polio Day, October 24, 2025, global health partners, government officials, and volunteers reaffirmed their determination to eradicate the final 0.1% of global polio transmission. The renewed commitment comes at a critical time, as Ethiopia battles a surge in circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreaks — underscoring the ongoing challenges in the decades-long fight against polio.

At a commemoration event held on October 23 at the Elilly International Hotel in Addis Ababa, under the theme “Together We End Polio,” Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, acknowledged that global focus on polio has waned in many countries. He emphasized that “polio eradication must go hand in hand with routine immunization and strengthening of the overall health system.”

As the world marks World Polio Day, the message from Addis Ababa is clear: the fight against polio is not yet won. The path forward, experts say, demands collective resolve and stronger primary healthcare systems that leverage the existing polio infrastructure to ensure every child grows up healthy and protected.

Dr. Kampo commended the Government of Ethiopia, regional health bureaus, and community leaders for their decisive leadership, while recognizing the continued support of partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — including WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, Rotary International, CDC, and the Gates Foundation — as well as other key stakeholders such as CHAI, JSI, PATH, and Core Group.

Ethiopia’s current polio situation was presented by Dr. Mikias Alayu, Head of the Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance and Response Team at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). He noted that while Ethiopia has been free of wild poliovirus since 2017 — having interrupted local transmission in 1999 and contained its last import-related outbreak in 2014 — the country is now facing outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).

Since joining the global eradication movement in 1996, Ethiopia has implemented multiple strategies to protect children from the virus. Dr. Mikias underscored that “polio is entirely preventable through vaccination,” and urged communities to ensure every child receives their doses through both routine services and supplementary campaigns.

According to EPHI data, 155 cVDPV2 cases have been reported since 2019, including 41 cases in 2025 alone, concentrated mainly in the Amhara, Harari, and Somali regions. These outbreaks are driven by low vaccination coverage and cross-border virus importation.

In response, Ethiopia has mounted a robust vaccination drive. Since 2021, the country has deployed the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in multiple rounds. Major campaigns have reached over 17 million children in October 2021 and 18 million in April 2022, while a recent coordinated effort across 22 zones in seven regions immunized 8.8 million children.

These efforts are increasingly integrated with broader health initiatives. In the process, health workers identified and vaccinated over 198,000 “zero-dose” (previously unvaccinated) children and 77,000 under-immunized children — strengthening protection not just against polio but also against other vaccine-preventable diseases.

Teguest Yilma, Chair of the Rotary National PolioPlus Committee (NPPC), described World Polio Day as “a time that unites us in purpose, renews our commitment, and reminds us of the power of collaboration in serving humanity.” She praised the 99.9% global reduction in polio cases since the launch of GPEI, calling it a “monumental public health achievement.”

However, she cautioned that the fight is not over. “The fact that Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to report wild poliovirus cases — alongside outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases — reminds us that vulnerabilities remain,” she said.

Teguest reaffirmed Rotary International’s unwavering commitment, noting that members have contributed over USD 2.7 billion and countless volunteer hours toward polio eradication. “We made a promise to the children of the world — that no child will ever again suffer the devastating effects of polio,” she said. “Polio is not an unstoppable disease. It can, and it will, be defeated.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) echoed this optimism, emphasizing that no child should be left behind. African countries are expected to make substantial progress toward eradication by 2025 through enhanced cross-border coordination, expanded surveillance, and the use of digital tools.

Between January and October 2025, 15 African nations vaccinated nearly 200 million children in synchronized campaigns across hotspots such as the Horn of Africa and the Lake Chad Basin. These efforts have reduced the number of countries experiencing active polio outbreaks from 24 in 2024 to 14 in 2025, with overall virus detections declining by 54%. Notably, Madagascar declared the end of its type 1 polio outbreak in May 2025.

While 98% of African countries now maintain strong surveillance systems, experts warn that declining routine immunization coverage and growing vaccine hesitancy remain major threats to the goal of a polio-free world.

As Ethiopia and its partners press forward, one message resounds across the global health community: the hardest mile is the last one — but together, it can be won.

The price of 24-karat gold in Ethiopia has surged to an unprecedented level, approaching 29,900 birr (ETB) per gram including taxes—around $200—marking a historic high in the country. This sharp increase highlights the growing inflationary pressures and the weakening of the local currency, which are testing the resilience of Ethiopia’s economy.

Data obtained by Capital shows that the base price of gold is about 26,000 birr per gram, though some market data suggest the base price may be closer to 25,000 birr while the actual retail value reaches nearly 28,750 birr. Traders report that gold can be purchased without taxes, but this option risks reducing government revenue.

Economists attribute the rapid price rise, which has seen increases of between 2,000 and 3,000 birr in just a few weeks, to a combination of global gold market volatility and the country’s worsening inflation scenario. The surge is causing concern within Ethiopia’s jewelry industry and among gold buyers, with experts cautioning that price fluctuations are likely to persist.

“Gold’s sharp price increase to around 25,000 birr per gram reflects the dual impact of rising international demand and the weakening national currency,” said an economist. He added that while gold prices appear to have almost doubled, much of the increase stems not only from global market dynamics but also from the decline in purchasing power caused by inflation and currency depreciation.

This situation poses challenges for Ethiopian savers. “This serves as a reminder that holding physical gold alone may not be sufficient to preserve wealth,” the economist noted. “There is a pressing need for reliable and flexible financial systems that offer safer options to safeguard assets.”

The surge in gold prices closely mirrors the turmoil in Ethiopia’s foreign exchange market. As of October 24, 2025, the official exchange rate issued by the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) stood at 150.963 birr per U.S. dollar. However, the black market rate surged to 180 birr per dollar mid-month, widening the gap by approximately 20%.

This divergence followed the NBE’s recent foreign exchange auction and indicates that government efforts to stabilize the currency and reduce disparities between official and parallel market rates have had limited success. As a result, prices of internationally priced commodities like gold have soared when expressed in local currency.

Meanwhile, the official gold price set by the NBE is lagging behind retail market levels, signaling growing market discrepancies. On October 24, 2025, the NBE’s official gold price was 19,960.21 birr per gram, slightly down from 20,364.40 birr a week earlier, and substantially below the retail market price nearing 30,000 birr.

For comparison, the price of 24-karat gold in Dubai, a major global trading hub, stood at approximately 486.71 United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) per gram on the same date.