<p>The Ethiopian civil war's tragedy hit home for World Health Organisation's head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this week. The WHO chief&nbsp;on Wednesday nearly cancelled an official event because he was "not in a good shape" after hearing&nbsp;that his uncle was "murdered" in&nbsp;the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Dr Tedros has been a vocal critic of Ethiopian government's role in the conflict that according to the US estimates, has "killed hundreds of thousands" and displaced millions.</p>

<p>Earlier, the Ethiopian government opposed Tedros' second term as head of World Health Organisation and accused him of trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for the rebel forces. Dr Tedros has denied the charges.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/ethiopia-civil-war-meta-sued-for-2-billion-over-hateful-content-542899">Ethiopia civil war: Meta sued for $2 billion over 'hateful content'</a></strong></p>

<p>"I hope that this (peace) agreement will hold and this madness will stop but it's a very difficult moment for me," Tedros told reporters, adding that more than 50 other people had been killed in the same incident. The Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray agreed in November to cease hostilities last month in a major breakthrough.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-military-gains-control-of-strategic-city-in-tigray-amid-ongoing-conflict-526458">Ethiopian military gains control of strategic city in Tigray amid ongoing conflict</a></strong></p>

<p>When asked for details of the incident on the sidelines of the event, Tedros said that his younger uncle whom he grew up with had been killed by Eritrean soldiers in a village in Tigray. He declined to give the location because he said he feared the village would face retaliation.</p>

<p>The loss follows&nbsp;the killing of his cousin last year in Tigray when a church was blown up, he said, without giving further details.</p>

<p>However, troops from Eritrea, to the north, and forces from the neighbouring Ethiopian region of Amhara, to the south, who fought alongside Ethiopia's military in Tigray were not party to the ceasefire.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ethiopias-pm-vows-to-ensure-peace-in-tigray-pledges-to-honestly-implement-ceasefire-534652">Ethiopia's PM vows to ensure peace in Tigray, pledges to 'honestly' implement ceasefire</a></strong></p>

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<p>Witnesses and aid workers in the northern region told Reuters that despite the truce, Eritrean forces have been looting towns, arresting and killing civilians in the towns they still control across the region.</p>

<p>The US government estimated that as many as 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict that erupted in 2020 between Ethiopian government and rebels from the northern Tigray region.</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from agencies</em>)</p>

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The Ethiopian civil war's tragedy hit home for World Health Organisation's head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this week. The WHO chief on Wednesday nearly cancelled an official event because he was "not in a good shape" after hearing that his uncle was "murdered" in the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian civil war's tragedy hit home for World Health Organisation's head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this week. The WHO chief on Wednesday nearly cancelled an official event because he was "not in a good shape" after hearing that his uncle was "murdered" in the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Dr Tedros has been a vocal critic of Ethiopian government's role in the conflict that according to the US estimates, has "killed hundreds of thousands" and displaced millions. Earlier, the Ethiopian government opposed Tedros' second term as head of World Health Organisation and accused him of trying to procure arms and diplomatic backing for the rebel forces. Dr Tedros has denied the charges. ALSO READ | Ethiopia civil war: Meta sued for $2 billion over 'hateful content' "I hope that this (peace) agreement will hold and this madness will stop but it's a very difficult moment for me," Tedros told reporters, adding that more than 50 other people had been killed in the same incident. The Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray agreed in November to cease hostilities last month in a major breakthrough. ALSO READ | Ethiopian military gains control of strategic city in Tigray amid ongoing conflict When asked for details of the incident on the sidelines of the event, Tedros said that his younger uncle whom he grew up with had been killed by Eritrean soldiers in a village in Tigray. He declined to give the location because he said he feared the village would face retaliation. The loss follows the killing of his cousin last year in Tigray when a church was blown up, he said, without giving further details. However, troops from Eritrea, to the north, and forces from the neighbouring Ethiopian region of Amhara, to the south, who fought alongside Ethiopia's military in Tigray were not party to the ceasefire. WATCH | Ethiopia's PM vows to ensure peace in Tigray, pledges to 'honestly' implement ceasefire × Witnesses and aid workers in the northern region told Reuters that despite the truce, Eritrean forces have been looting towns, arresting and killing civilians in the towns they still control across the region. The US government estimated that as many as 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict that erupted in 2020 between Ethiopian government and rebels from the northern Tigray region. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ethiopia civil war: WHO chief Dr Tedros’ uncle ‘murdered’ in ongoing Tigray conflict

<p>Meta Platforms enabled violent and hateful posts from Ethiopia to flourish on Facebook that further inflamed the country's bloody civil war, accused a new lawsuit filed against Mark Zuckerberg-owned technology conglomerate.</p>

<p>The lawsuit was filed in Kenya on Tuesday by two Ethiopian researchers and Kenyan rights group the Katiba Institute. The lawsuit against Meta alleged that Facebook's recommendations systems amplified violent posts in Ethiopia, including various posts of violent natures that preceded the murder of the father of one of the researchers.</p>

<p>The lawsuit described Facebook posts published in October 2021 that used ethnic slurs to refer to the father of plaintiff Abrham Meareg.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ethiopias-pm-vows-to-ensure-peace-in-tigray-pledges-to-honestly-implement-ceasefire-534652">Ethiopia's PM vows to ensure peace in Tigray, pledges to 'honestly' implement ceasefire</a></strong></p>

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<p>The posts shared the elderly&nbsp;man's address and called for his death. Abrham Mearag, one of the plaintiffs,&nbsp;reported them to Facebook, but the company declined to remove them promptly or in some cases at all, the lawsuit alleged.</p>

<p><strong>Lawsuit demands $2 billion in ‘restitution funds’</strong></p>

<p>It further said that the company failed to exercise reasonable care in training its algorithms to identify dangerous posts and in hiring staff to police the content for the languages covered by its Nairobi-based regional moderation hub.</p>

<p>Meta spokesperson Erin McPike said that hate speech and incitement to violence were against the rules of Facebook and Instagram.</p>

<p>"We invest heavily in teams and technology to help us find and remove this content," McPike added. "We employ staff with local knowledge and expertise and continue to develop our capabilities to catch violating content in the most widely spoken languages in Ethiopia."</p>

<p>The plaintiffs have reportedly asked a Nairobi court to order Meta to take "emergency steps to demote violent content" by increasing moderation staff in Nairobi and creating "restitution funds of about $2 billion for victims of violence incited on Facebook".&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-military-gains-control-of-strategic-city-in-tigray-amid-ongoing-conflict-526458">Ethiopian military gains control of strategic city in Tigray amid ongoing conflict</a></strong></p>

<p>Meta has faced similar accusations related to the promotion of ethnic violence on its platforms, including in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Cambodia. The company has acknowledged being "too slow" to act in Myanmar and other conflicts.</p>

<p>The US government estimated that as many as 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict that erupted in 2020 between Ethiopian government and rebels from the northern Tigray region.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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Meta Platforms enabled violent and hateful posts from Ethiopia to flourish on Facebook that further inflamed the country's bloody civil war, accused a new lawsuit filed against Mark Zuckerberg-owned technology conglomerate.

Meta Platforms enabled violent and hateful posts from Ethiopia to flourish on Facebook that further inflamed the country's bloody civil war, accused a new lawsuit filed against Mark Zuckerberg-owned technology conglomerate. The lawsuit was filed in Kenya on Tuesday by two Ethiopian researchers and Kenyan rights group the Katiba Institute. The lawsuit against Meta alleged that Facebook's recommendations systems amplified violent posts in Ethiopia, including various posts of violent natures that preceded the murder of the father of one of the researchers. The lawsuit described Facebook posts published in October 2021 that used ethnic slurs to refer to the father of plaintiff Abrham Meareg. WATCH | Ethiopia's PM vows to ensure peace in Tigray, pledges to 'honestly' implement ceasefire × The posts shared the elderly man's address and called for his death. Abrham Mearag, one of the plaintiffs, reported them to Facebook, but the company declined to remove them promptly or in some cases at all, the lawsuit alleged. Lawsuit demands $2 billion in ‘restitution funds’ It further said that the company failed to exercise reasonable care in training its algorithms to identify dangerous posts and in hiring staff to police the content for the languages covered by its Nairobi-based regional moderation hub. Meta spokesperson Erin McPike said that hate speech and incitement to violence were against the rules of Facebook and Instagram. "We invest heavily in teams and technology to help us find and remove this content," McPike added. "We employ staff with local knowledge and expertise and continue to develop our capabilities to catch violating content in the most widely spoken languages in Ethiopia." The plaintiffs have reportedly asked a Nairobi court to order Meta to take "emergency steps to demote violent content" by increasing moderation staff in Nairobi and creating "restitution funds of about $2 billion for victims of violence incited on Facebook". ALSO READ | Ethiopian military gains control of strategic city in Tigray amid ongoing conflict Meta has faced similar accusations related to the promotion of ethnic violence on its platforms, including in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Cambodia. The company has acknowledged being "too slow" to act in Myanmar and other conflicts. The US government estimated that as many as 500,000 people have been killed in the conflict that erupted in 2020 between Ethiopian government and rebels from the northern Tigray region. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ethiopia civil war: Meta sued for $2 billion over 'hateful content'

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Ethiopia civil war: WHO chief Dr Tedros’ uncle ‘murdered’ in ongoing Tigray conflict

Ethiopia civil war: Meta sued for $2 billion over 'hateful content'