[The number of Ethiopians in Saudi prisons who face the prospect of execution for drug-smuggling offences is growing]. … Other foreigners, including Pakistanis, Sudanese and Jordanians, are in a similar position, but in the first seven months of this year 17 Ethiopians have been executed – the highest number among non-Saudis. Five of those executions happened [in a single day last week]. Two years ago, according to research by Amnesty International, just two Ethiopians were executed, but 35 were put to death in 2025. It is not clear exactly why there has been an uptick, but it could be linked to more people leaving the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, where a brutal two-year civil war in Tigray ended in late 2022, leaving devastation in its wake. “It may also be linked to Saudi Arabia’s expanding use of the death penalty for drug-related offences in recent years,” Amnesty International researcher Dana Ahmed tells the BBC. … After surviving the dangerous journey to Saudi Arabia in 2021, Habtom [a man from Tigray] found low-paid work as a goatherder, but his employers offered him and others a chance to earn more money. They were asked to deliver a package but were stopped by police on the way and were found with the narcotic leaf known as khat – a natural stimulant that is widely used in the Horn of Africa. … “I did not know what we were carrying. But later I was told it was khat. I don’t even know what khat is,” Habtom said, admitting that he was tempted into the work by the sum of money on offer. (BBC)

JAKENN Publishing PLC, publisher of Addis Standard tri-lingual publications, says its Editor-in-Chief, Yonas Kedir, was abducted, physically assaulted and held for approximately 24 hours by security personnel, followed by a raid on the publication’s offices and a forced eviction notice issued against its premises. In a statement issued on 06 August, JAKENN said the incidents occurred over three consecutive days, beginning on Saturday, 01 August 2026, when Yonas was reportedly taken by security personnel and subjected to what the company described as “prolonged interrogation.” … JAKENN said the alleged abduction was followed the next day, Sunday 02 August, by a raid on its offices by “a heavily armed team of security and intelligence personnel,” who entered the premises “without due process” and confiscated equipment from the publication’s multimedia production studio. … “The inspection also confirmed a disturbing pattern of deliberate destruction to studio lighting systems, light stands, microphone stands, power accessories, and related production equipment,” JAKENN said, adding that a complete inventory and valuation had been preserved as evidence for legal proceedings. (Addis Standard)

The Sudanese army received Pakistani-made Mohafiz armoured vehicles last month, military sources told Sudan Tribune. Over the past two years, the Sudanese army has expanded its arsenal through various deals to meet the requirements of its ongoing war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sources said. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been named in several reports as potential backers of a Pakistani arms deal for the Sudanese Armed Forces, though neither country has commented on the claims. Military sources stated that the latest shipment included a number of lightweight, fast-moving Mohafiz armoured vehicles produced by Pakistan Ordnance Factories. Two Sudanese military officers told Sudan Tribune that the army received 100 of the vehicles in successive batches. The heavy-duty vehicles are suited to the terrain in Kordofan and Darfur, offering high mobility and simple maintenance in the field, the officers said. … The army also acquired reconnaissance and attack drones through separate deals, including Pakistani Shahpar models, military sources added. … Military experts say the Mohafiz vehicles provide a tactical counter to the RSF’s reliance on highly mobile, open-top four-wheel-drive pick-up trucks during urban operations and state highway patrols. (sSudan Tribune)

Kiting involves fraudulently using financial instruments, such as checks, to obtain unauthorized credit. This practice targets banks and retailers, exploiting float times to facilitate illegal withdrawals.