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Biruk Terrefe

@terrefebiruk.bsky.social
1.7K followers 917 following 149 posts

Lecturer & Researcher African Politics, @unibayreuth.bsky.social | Statecraft, Infrastructure, Urbanisation, Conflict, Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Red Sea

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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"More than 3,000 Ethiopian troops are expected to begin pulling out in the coming days or weeks, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as they’re not authorized to speak to the media." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Ethiopia Plans Somalia Troop Pullout to Fight Rebels Back Home
Ethiopia is planning to withdraw thousands of troops from neighboring Somalia as escalating fighting at home forces Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government to redirect military resources toward a widen...
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Africa Center for Strategic Studies @africacenter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fighting is intensifying in Ethiopia, with 150,000 people already displaced in Ethiopia’s Afar region addisstandard.com/as... 1/3
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Zecharias Zelalem @zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I went on the BBC to provide some updates and context on Ethiopia's new war and how it broke out in the first place. As I pointed out here, yesterday bank accounts opened in Tigray were collectively frozen, which prevents millions from accessing funds. The situation is becoming increasingly dire.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The digital war was pretty bad in 2020, but what is happening now clouds the information landscape even more. (1) Old footage from the 2020 war is being recycled (2) AI generated videos (3) sober analysts have all left the major platforms (X). www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfe...
aljazeera.com
Al Jazeera reports from near front line in Ethiopia’s Afar region
Al Jazeera reports from Ethiopia’s Afar region, where fighting has spread amid efforts to oust PM Abiy Ahmed.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"Although the operation was built so that it could not be traced back to the actors, our investigation linked it with high confidence to UAE government officials." www.anthropic.com/threat-intel...
anthropic.com
Countering misuse of AI: September 2026 / Anthropic
Case studies from threat actors disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026 across seven areas of harm, from cyber operations to biological misuse.
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Peter Salisbury @peterjsalisbury.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Along with a team of incredible researchers, I've been tracing the Houthis' outreach across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for the past year. You can see what we learned here: tcf.org/content/repo...
tcf.org
From Spoke to Hub: The Houthis in Africa
Download the From Spoke to Hub PDF 1. Overview: From Spoke to Hub In the fall of 2024, security forces in Mukalla, a small port city in southern Yemen,
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
As tensions rise in Ethiopia, RVI's most recent analysis provides helpful content: 'Peace and Instability: Tigray since the Pretoria Agreement' riftvalley.net/publication/...
riftvalley.net
Peace and Instability: Tigray since the Pretoria Agreement – Rift Valley Institute
CONFLICT TRENDS ANALYSIS / MARCH 2026
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease theconversation.com/africas-grea...
theconversation.com
Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease
The response to the many problems facing the region has been set back by cuts in humanitarian aid.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
www.state.gov/releases/off...
state.gov
Announcement of Targeted Visa Restrictions for Individuals Involved in Undermining Peace in Ethiopia - United States Department of State
Rising tensions between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) hardliners and the Ethiopian government have threatened to reignite the conflict in northern Ethiopia and undermine peace and security a...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Now let me tell you all about the thousands of students, employees, business owners, and government officials from Africa that are denied visas to Europe and the US..[checks notes]..every single day. #Artan
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Please join the Northeast Africa Forum on 2 June for a book launch & discussion: 'Occupied Refuge: Humanitarian Colonization and the Camp in Kenya' w/author Hanno Brankamp (Glasgow) & discussant Loren Landau (Oxford) *Hybrid event* Details & webinar registration: events.ox.ac.uk/oxford_event...
Event flyer including abstractbook coverDiscount voucher: 
February 2026 | 280 pages, 17 illustrations | 978-1-4780-3313-4
£15.39 with coupon code E26BRNKM
mngbookshop.co.uk/9781478033134/occupied-refuge
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
www.dailynewsegypt.com/2026/05/16/e...
dailynewsegypt.com
Egypt, Eritrea sign maritime transport pact, declare Red Sea security exclusive to littoral states - Dailynewsegypt
Egypt and Eritrea signed a maritime transport cooperation agreement on Saturday to launch a shipping line connecting their ports, as Cairo declared that the security of the Red Sea remains the exclusi...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYAh...
youtube.com
From Diesel to Electric: Ethiopia’s Bold Bet on EVs
YouTube video by DW REV - Mobility & Innovation
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
www.lemonde.fr/afrique/arti...
lemonde.fr
Au Somaliland, la discrète implantation d’une base militaire construite par les Emirats pour les Etats-Unis et Israël
Berbera attire les convoitises en raison de son emplacement stratégique, à l’entrée sud de la mer Rouge. Des images satellitaires consultées par « Le Monde » révèlent que l’aéroport de Berbera s’agran...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
"We find steady growth in work-related messages but even faster growth in non-work-related messages, which have grown from 53% to more than 70% of all usage." www.nber.org/papers/w34255
nber.org
How People Use ChatGPT
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
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Brian Bartholomew @bpbartholomew.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
The world's electricity infrastructure, mapped.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"Yemen’s internationally recognized government has reported that Iranian personnel entered Hodeidah by dhow from the Horn of Africa in the days before the Houthis’ March 28 launch." The logistical dimensions of this conflict certainly also run through the Horn. www.stimson.org/2026/how-to-...
stimson.org
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Jana Hönke @janahoenke.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
2 #postdoc positions available at UBT: on South - South security arrangements and transnational security/aid professionals from the Global South and East. Happy to answer questions! www.uni-bayreuth.de/job-vacancy-... @postcolh.bsky.social @conf-mean-trans.bsky.social @africamultiple.bsky.social
uni-bayreuth.de
Job advertisement of the University of Bayreuth - Chair for Sociology in Africa
Two Postdoctoral Positions (m/f/d)
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Ethiopia Signs $13.1 Billion of Energy, Mining Investment Deals
Ethiopia has signed $13.1 billion of investment deals spanning renewable energy, manufacturing, real estate, mining and green ammonia, according to the government.
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Michael Caley @michaelcaley.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Iran looking to formalize its control over the Strait and its power to receive tolls from favored nations in exchange for freedom of movement says India, Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia and China are in negotiations now to establish rules of transit www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...
aljazeera.com
Iran developing a ‘vetting system’ for Strait of Hormuz transit: Report
Lloyd's List reports that ships could be allowed to pass through 'safe corridor' once they are approved by IRGC.
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Helpful analysis from Emadeddin Badi for ISPI: Corridor Governance: How LAAF-RSF Cooperation Sharpens Gulf Competition in Libya and Sudan www.ispionline.it/en/publicati...
ispionline.it
Corridor Governance: How LAAF-RSF Cooperation Sharpens Gulf Competition in Libya and Sudan | ISPI
Cross-border supply corridors linking Libya and Sudan have become the backbone of the RSF’s war endurance.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
What did people think Israel's recognition of Somaliland was about, if not this? This was always going to be the plan. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Resharing this paper from a year: „The Bab-El-Mandeb to the Suez Canal is part and parcel of our national security. […] If Djibouti becomes the theatre of global war, given the presence of all these military bases including of China and America, then we are trapped.“
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Me too.
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Please join the Northeast Africa Forum on 3 March for a book launch & discussion of: Immunity on Trial: Ethiopian Courts, Chinese Corporations, and Contestations over Sovereignty with author Miriam Driessen & discussant Hallelujah Lulie *Hybrid event* Full details talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/3f3...
Event flyer with abstract & speaker bios.Cover of the book.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...
thenewhumanitarian.org
The growing threat of conflict in the Horn of Africa
With no sign yet of a diplomatic off-ramp, this analysis explores the conflict dynamics that could lead to war.
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
A good overview and analysis from Ngala Chome on African Arguments from a few days ago: The Horn and the Gulf: How a New Geopolitical Confluence is Emerging africanarguments.org/2026/01/the-...
africanarguments.org
The Horn and the Gulf: How a New Geopolitical Confluence is Emerging | African Arguments
The Horn and the Gulf
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Hanno Brankamp 🍉☀️ @hannobrankamp.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
🚨It’s publication day!🚨 My book OCCUPIED REFUGE is officially OUT today with Duke University Press. Available to order from all book shops! Upcoming book launches in Glasgow, Oxford, Nairobi and—perhaps—a city near you! Read the introduction for free online: www.dukeupress.edu/occupied-ref...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
How Ethiopia Is Embracing the EV Revolution and Ditching Fossil Fuel Cars
Also: companies including Apple are quitely dropping ESG links to executive pay.
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Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa @africaatlse.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
It is with great sadness that the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa must announce the passing of our inaugural director, Professor Tim Allen. You can read more about Tim’s life and legacy, and leave a message of condolence, on our website www.lse.ac.uk/africa/about...
lse.ac.uk
In memoriam
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
www.crisisgroup.org/brf/africa/e...
crisisgroup.org
Ethiopia, Eritrea and Tigray: A Powder Keg in the Horn of Africa | International Crisis Group
The risk of hostilities involving Ethiopia, its northernmost Tigray region and its neighbour Eritrea remains high three years after the last major war in the area. African states and outside powers sh...
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Urban Theory Africa- Doing Workshop (UTA-Do) @uta-do.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Sylvia Croese’s keynote on Gradualism as it manifests in political governance and development projects across Angola. Chaired by Biruk Terrefe #UTADo2026 @acc-uct.bsky.social
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
If you’re in Oxford, go attend the movie and this discussion!
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
What a wonderful week we had at #UTADo2026 in Addis Ababa, hosted by the Urban Center. Looking forward to future editions!
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The US is deliberately denying Cubans access to fuel and lecturing China on authoritarian supply chains.
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Jürgen Zimmerer @juergenzimmerer.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
New scandal at #Berlinale. After Wim Wenders refused to comment on Israel/Palestine and requested the Berlinale to stay out of politics, now foreign office added next scandal, refusing visas for Sudanese filmmakers. A #Berlinale in Fortress Europe is not possible www.screendaily.com/news/acclaim...
screendaily.com
Acclaimed Sudanese filmmakers pull out of Berlinale Co-Pro Market after visa rejection over “migration risk”
EXCLUSIVE: The director and producer of 'Blue Card' previously produced Cannes award-winner 'Goodbye Julia'.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Standing ovations for this speech by Marco #Rubio at the #MSC2026? Rotten lot.
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Please join the Northeast Africa Forum on 17 Feb for a book launch & discussion of: 'Peasants to Paupers: Land, Class and Kinship in Central Kenya' with author Peter Lockwood (Göttingen) & David Anderson (Warwick) *Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration: talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/b8f...
Event flyer with book abstract and speaker biosCover of the book
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Urban Theory Africa- Doing Workshop (UTA-Do) @uta-do.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Grounding ourselves through Yousuf Al Bulushi’s Keynote on Fanon in the City #UTADo2026 @acc-uct.bsky.social
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Urban Theory Africa- Doing Workshop (UTA-Do) @uta-do.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Let the day break! A lovely start of our 2026 UTA-Do workshop in Addis Ababa! #UTADo2026 @acc-uct.bsky.social
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
www.africaintelligence.com/the-continen...
africaintelligence.com
Africa • How Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem's networks steer DP World into Africa's ports
The chairman and CEO of the Emirati port giant has a knack for forging high-level contacts to secure concessions in Africa. With the backing of Dubai's ruling family, he relies on intermediaries with
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Jason Mosley @jasonmosley.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Please join the Northeast Africa Forum on 10 Feb, 4pm UK time. @delfmt.bsky.social (Lorraine, Nancy) will present: 'A New "Playground of Europe"? Exploration, colonisation & the naturalisation of Mt Kilimanjaro at the dawn of the 20th century' *Hybrid event* Details: talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/2be...
Event flyer including abstract & author bio.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Define the „postcolonial state”:
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Zeteo @zeteo.com · 31/01/2026
Israel’s Military Now Accepts 70,000 Killed in Gaza – But Why Did Our Media Let Them Get Away With Denying It for So Long? "It was all a lie. A performance. Propaganda, plain and simple," writes @mehdirhasan.bsky.social. Read now: zeteo.com/p/israels-mi...
zeteo.com
Israel’s Military Now Accepts 70,000 Killed in Gaza – But Why Did Our Media Let Them Get Away With Denying It for So Long?
I have spent the past two years debating the credibility of the Gaza Health Ministry’s numbers with supporters of Israel. It turns out the Israeli military agrees with me, not them.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
Ethiopian Airlines cancels flights to Tigray region after clashes
Ethiopian Airlines cancelled flights to Tigray on Thursday and residents of the northern region rushed to try to withdraw cash from banks after clashes between regional and national forces raised fear...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/news/msca-po...
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 receives record number of 17,058 proposals
This year’s annual MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call has attracted considerable interest from the research community with 17,058 proposals submitted.
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
'The Material Geographies of the Belt and Road Initiative' - publicly accessible and out now! bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-material...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk
The Material Geographies of the Belt and Road Initiative
The Material Geographies of the Belt and Road Initiative - Infrastructures and Political Ecologies on the New Silk Road; This book explores the unequal ways that China’s Belt and Road Initiative, comm...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
www.ft.com/content/f052...
ft.com
China’s military says top general undermined Xi Jinping’s authority
Zhang Youxia under investigation after affecting ‘party’s absolute leadership over military’, PLA’s official media claims
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Read this work by the great Ricardo Soares de Oliveira oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/d...
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Biruk Terrefe @terrefebiruk.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Very excited for this!
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