the tigray people's liberation front has denied taking prisoners. government gain the upper hand in this war, but civilians have been killed and homes destroyed in these attacks. the government denies targeting civilians. prime minister abiy ahmed is under international pressure to end this war. it's not in the interests - of ethiopia to continue the war, that is why, although the tigray - forces have been brutally defeated, we can say, the government has not i expanded the frontiers to tigray. i there's a sense of cautious optimism in the capital. the rebels have been pushed back and the state of emergency is about to be lifted. but there is also a feeling of tension, a heightened security presence, and a suspicion of the foreign media — we have already been prevented from filming twice. conversations about possible peace talks marked a shift in this, a 15—month conflict. but this is still a fragile moment and an opportunity that should not be lost. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, ethiopia. it's six months this weekend since jake davison shot dead

not expanded the frontiers to tigray.al. the rebels have been pushed back and the state of emergency is about to be lifted. but there's also a feeling of tension, a heightened security presence, and a suspicion of the foreign media — we've already been prevented from filming twice. conversations about possible peace talks marked a shift in this, a 15—month conflict. but this is still a fragile moment and an opportunity that should not be lost. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, ethiopian. let's look at some of the day's other news. the united nations is warning that south sudan is in danger of returning to civil war due to delays in implementing president biden has ordered half of the afghan government assets frozen in the us to be used for humanitarian aid in the country. the other half of the funds is being held for settling the claims filed against the taliban over their role in the 9/11 attacks. the united nations is warning that south sudan is in danger of returning to civil war due to delays in implementing the 2018 pe

the tigray people's liberation front has denied taking prisoners.ians have been killed and homes destroyed in these attacks. the government denies targeting civilians. prime minister abiy ahmed is under international pressure to end this war. it's not in the interests - of ethiopia to continue the war, that is why, although the tigray - forces have been brutally defeated, we can say, the government has not i expanded the frontiers to tigray. i there's a sense of cautious optimism in the capital. the rebels have been pushed back and the state of emergency is about to be lifted. but there is also a feeling of tension, a heightened security presence, and a suspicion of the foreign media — we have already been prevented from filming twice. conversations about possible peace talks marked a shift in this, a 15—month conflict. but this is still a fragile moment and an opportunity that should not be lost. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, ethiopian. here in the uk, the duchess of cambridge, has recorded a bedtime story for the bbc. she's chosen to read the ow

details of what it calls serious violations of humanitarian law by rebel righters from ethiopia's tigrayation, amnesty international, accuses tigrayan rebels of gang rape and the deliberate killing of civilians in the neighbouring region of amhara where they controlled territory for a time until being pushed back by government forces two months ago. the tigrayan people's liberation front has denied similar allegations in the past. ethiopian government troops have also been accused of summary killings and rape. the family of a woman who was shot dead on a film set in the us are suing the actor, alec baldwin, and the movie's other producers for wrongful death. last october, baldwin was pointing a gun at halyna hutchins when it went off; he says he never pulled the trigger. a criminal investigation into the cinematographer�*s killing is continuing. here's our correpondent, sophie long in los angeles. well, basically, it alleges that alec baldwin and other producers displayed reckless behaviour and cost cutting, and that's what led to the tragic death of halyna hutchins. baldwin is also accu

in ethiopia, the prime minister abiy ahmed has been fighting rebels, mostly in the northern tigray province conflict in which 100,000 are believed to have died, with both sides blamed for atrocities. i hope that has given you a little bit of context of our discussions, right? good. ok, let's get down to ourfirst question and it is from dido, where are you? your question, please. my question is, is there a good coup or bad coup, and if there are, - what makes it good or bad? thank you. oh, my. that's a big question to kick off with. murithi mutiga from icg, you start. say what we are seeing in west africa, it is something more complex. it is basically a cry for help. coups borne out of desperation. you know, in many parts of the sahel, these are people that were never particularly wealthy, were not particularly engaged in the democratic process, but could at least live lives of relative normality. lives at peace, where they could attend weddings, they could use public transport, they could go to funerals, all that has been upended. we have seen at least a decade of banditry, jihady violence,

in ethiopia, the prime minister abiy ahmed has been fighting rebels, mostly in the northern tigray provinceict in which 100,000 are believed to have died, with both sides blamed for atrocities. i hope that has given you a little bit of context of our discussions, right? good. ok, let's get down to ourfirst question and it is from dido, where are you? your question, please. my question is, is there a good coup or bad coup, and if there are, - what makes it good or bad? thank you. oh, my. that's a big question to kick off with. murithi mutiga from icg, you start. say what we are seeing in west africa, it is something more complex. it is basically a cry for help. coups borne out of desperation. you know, in many parts of the sahel, these are people that were never particularly wealthy, were not particularly engaged in the democratic process, but could at least live lives of relative normality. lives at peace, where they could attend weddings, they could use public transport, they could go to funerals, all that has been upended. we have seen at least a decade of banditry, jihady violence, and s