Ethiopia
The Ethiopian army and allied militias have launched a huge assault on rebel forces from the Tigray region, according to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF’s claims cannot be independently verified due to a government-imposed communications blackout on the Tigray region, which is at the center of the country’s 11-month-old civil war. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, has come under growing international pressure to agree a peace deal with the rebels but analysts say this apparent offensive underlines that he is determined to pursue a military solution. The war has been marked by horrific sexual violence and has pushed hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of starvation.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Burkina Faso
A military court in Burkina Faso today began a trial of 14 people accused of involvement in the killing of former leader Thomas Sankara. Ex-president Blaise Compaore, now living in exile, is being tried in absentia. Compaore, himself overthrown in 2014, toppled Sankara in 1987 before embarking on almost three decades of authoritarian rule. Sankara, often referred to as “Africa’s Che Guevara”, is a hero to many Africans for the manner in which he stood up to Western nations.
More from France 24 here.
Israel
Archaeologists have discovered a 1,500-year-old wine factory in Israel. The winery is said to have produced over half-million gallons per year for the commercial market.
More from the Washington Post here.