U.S. Urges Ethiopia to Improve Human-Rights Record

Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. called on Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government to re-examine a law that limits foreign funding of human rights and pro-democracy groups, and expressed concern over the closure of the country’s biggest privately owned newspaper.

The law cutting foreign funding, which was passed in January, “will constrain rather than promote the long-term democratization, governance and stability of Ethiopia,” according to a U.S. Embassy statement e-mailed to reporters yesterday in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia has been a key ally of the U.S. in recent years. U.S.-backed Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in December 2006, occupying Mogadishu for two years and assisting the U.S. in pursuit of suspected al-Qaeda members. The U.S. trains Ethiopia’s military and American aid to the country topped $850 million this year.

The U.S. criticism comes as political tensions in Ethiopia rise ahead of national elections scheduled for May, which the country’s opposition has said will not be free and fair.

Earlier this month, Addis Neger, a newspaper critical of government policies, closed after its top editors fled the country accusing the government of using a new anti-terror law to silence the press.

Harassment

“We are concerned about the recent closure of the Addis Neger newspaper, and the allegations of harassment and intimidation of private media,” the U.S. Embassy said.

The embassy said the Ethiopian government’s pursuit of charges against newspapers closed after the country’s disputed 2005 elections “contribute to a perception that space for independent media in Ethiopia is constrained.”

Shimeles Kemal, a spokesman for the Ethiopian government, denied that Addis Neger reporters had been harassed.

“No government organs would interfere to stifle free expression of the media in Ethiopia,” Shimeles said in an interview today in Addis Ababa. “Their allegations are entirely baseless.”

Shimeles also defended the new law on funding for human rights groups, saying there was “nothing repressive or restrictive” about the legislation.

“It boosts the free operations of home-grown and local non- governmental organizations and it delimits the tasks and functions of international NGOs,” he said.

In an interview yesterday, Gizachew Shiferaw, the acting chairman of the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice, accused Meles’s government of selecting ruling-party militia members and party cadres as election monitors.

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia is investigating the complaint, Shimeles said.

UDJ leader Birtukan Mideksa has been jailed since December 2008 after the government accused her of violating terms of a pardon that released her from jail in 2007.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Source:bloomberg.com/

Ethiopian star to headline Womadelaide

A big Ethiopian star will be among the artists headlining the 2010 world music event in Adelaide.

Womadelaide director Ian Scobie says the music and dance festival in Botanic Park in early March will feature more than 500 performers from 27 countries.

"One highlight ... is Ethiopiques and we are thrilled to bring part of this remarkable Ethiopian musical ensemble to Australia," he said.

"[It will be] featuring one of the biggest stars of Ethiopia's golden age, Mahmoud Ahmed, and a 10-piece band."

Ethiopiques joins Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Eliades Ochoa, Xavier Rudd and Tim Finn on the program.

"Each year we take pride in introducing Australian audiences to new experiences by assembling an original line-up ... and 2010 will be no different," Mr Scobie said.

Womadelaide is on from March 5-8 and ticket information is available on its website.

Source:abc.net.au/

Kennedy School students raise money to build library in Ethiopia

Students at John F. Kennedy Elementary School hope to raise $5,000 to build a library at their sister school in Ethiopia.

They previously donated more than $450 to purchase new desks and chairs for the Gordama School, which serves 1,800 kindergarteners through eighth graders who often sit on the floor in classes averaging 100 students, said Kristen Fudge, a Kennedy School teacher who is co-organizing the program.

Fifth graders also exchanged photos and letters with their African counterparts to learn about the people, culture, and school community in Africa. The relationship began when Fudge adopted an Ethiopian child and learned that the Gordama School was seeking an American sister school.

Students received letters and pictures from Ethiopian students this fall and wrote return letters which were sent to Africa Dec. 5 with a family adopting a child, Fudge said.

"It's opened their eyes to other parts of the world and situations other kids have to live in," she said. "I hope they will develop a connection to Ethiopia and realize they truly can make a difference."

The students are holding a fund-raiser at the Porter Square Pizzeria Uno Dec. 16 in which Uno will donate 20 percent of a participant's check to the cause. Attendees must present a donation ticket available here.




Students at the Gordama School in Ethiopia attend classes in crowded rooms where many have to sit on the floor.


Source:boston.com/

U.S. urges further Ethiopian action on human rights

Addis Ababa, December 10, 2009 – The United States congratulates the Government of Ethiopia for its participation yesterday in the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in Geneva. The United States has been a strong supporter of the UPR process and looks forward to the review in 2010 of its own record in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the United States.


While recognizing the complex environment prevailing in many parts of Ethiopia, we commend the Government of Ethiopia for its declared commitments to promote and protect human rights. We appreciate the Ethiopian Government’s willingness to consider country visits by UN Human Rights Council special rapporteurs and mandate holders, and note that the UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, on torture, and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, as well as the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have outstanding visit requests.


The United States expresses the hope that Ethiopia will address positively the recommendations made to its delegation during the UPR session in Geneva. These recommendations included that the Ethiopian Government reassess the Charities and Societies Proclamation in light of concerns expressed by a number of UN member states that it will constrain rather than promote the long-term democratization, governance and stability of Ethiopia. Among other important issues raised, member states also recommended greater humanitarian access to the Ogaden areas of the Somali region so that organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN relief agencies can provide assistance to conflict victims.


The United States considers a vibrant and independent media to be one of the pillars of a strong democracy. As such, we are concerned about the recent closure of the Addis Neger newspaper, and the allegations of harassment and intimidation of private media. The outstanding charges against private journalists, editors, publishers, and media houses may also contribute to a perception that space for independent media in Ethiopia is constrained. Ethiopia’s constitution guarantees freedom of the press and that the press shall enjoy legal protection to ensure its capacity to entertain diverse opinions.


On International Human Rights Day, we welcome the Ethiopian Government’s latest pledges and call on the government to work in earnest to address its obligations under international and domestic law.

Source:nazret.com/

Ethiopia - Meles holds talks with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa

Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi received and held talks with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa, Vicki Huddleston on the existing Ethiopia-US bilateral relations and other issues common interest.

Meles and the visiting US official held fruitful discussions on political and security issues and as to how to fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa, according a senior government official who attended the discussion.

During the discussion, Meles expressed Ethiopia’s keen interest to scale up the existing Ethiopia-US bilateral relations to a higher level in the years ahead. The premier also reaffirmed Ethiopia’s willingness to work together with the US in efforts geared toward resolving the crisis in Somalia and in Darfur, the Sudan.

After the discussion, Huddleston told journalists that she and the prime minister held valuable discussions as to how to bolster cooperation between the two sisterly countries.

Vicki Huddleston, who worked as Charge d’Affairs in US Embassy in Ethiopia, also said the two parties agreed to work together toward resolving the existing crisis in Somalia and the Sudan.

Source:nazret.com/

Ethiopia: Over 20 Sudanese firms took part in exhibition, bazaar

(GONDAR) – A number of Sudanese firms took part in an exhibition and bazaar that opened in Gonder town of Ethiopia’s Amhara State. More than 100,000 people reportedly visited the Exhibition.

The weeklong exhibition and bazaar organized under the theme ‘Diversity for Renascence’ attracted more than 170 local and foreign business enterprises. More than 20 of the business firms were Sudanese enterprises.

At the closing ceremony of the exhibition and bazaar, deputy chief of the regional administration Gedu Andargachew said the exhibition and bazaar has enabled business community forge trade ties besides creating market opportunities to manufacturers and service providers.

Gedu said organizing such exhibition and bazaars in regional towns will have greater role in boosting trade and investment in the regions, he said.

A representative from Gelabat Doka Region, the Sudan told ENA that such exhibition and bazaars will bolster people-to-people relations besides enhancing trade and investment between the two neighboring countries.

Source:sudantribune.com/

Ethiopia-Kenya: Kenya’s offer to finance Gibe III a double standard?

Kenya’s Energy Minister, Kiratu Murangi has expressed his country’s readiness to cover half the cost of Ethiopia’s Gibe III Hydropower Project, that is, if international financial institutions reject their funding request. The surprise announcement was made when he met Alemayehu Tegenu, his Ethiopian counterpart, last Friday. Kenya has until now not only expressed misgivings over the construction of the Gibe III hydropower plant, which it claims would negatively impact its environment, but also suspicions over Ethiopia’s alleged plans to use the project’s water resources for a huge irrigation project.
Kenya’s latest position comes as a total surprise to foreign donors and international financial institutions who have supported environmental related arguments concerning the construction of the Gibe III power project. Experts have cited the project’s social and environmental impact on Kenya’s Lake Turkana, and its surrounding communities, as the principal cause of loan refusal from the financial institutions.

Earlier reports had suggested that the government of Kenya and its local NGOs had been urging the international community for the last couple of years to reject Ethiopia’s financial request as they defended their own power project.

Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and the African Development Bank have still not responded favourably to the east African country’s 1.7 billion dollar loan request needed to complete the construction of Gibe III, which is set to generate an estimated power of 1800 MW.


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Said a senior official of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo): “We organized an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) which is perfect and accepted by the country’s Environment Protection Authority, however the lenders did not support it. They are not willing to assess the said impact due to pressure from the Kenyan government and NGO’s”.

Official sources have confirmed that, despite the setbacks, the EPPCo has gone ahead with the construction project using its own financial resources. 35 per cent of the project has so far been completed, but the remaining 65 per cent is beyond the country’s financial capacity. According to the source, without any foreseeable help from the international community, Ethiopia’s only solution would have been to negotiate a deal with the government of Kenya anyway.

“We invited a Kenyan delegation in June 2009 to physically observe the project site and visit the Gibe II Hydropower Project which had been successfully accomplished at the time of their visit”, the source said. “This strategy paid off as it cleared any doubts the Kenyan delegation would have concerning the controversial ecological issues surrounding the project.” Kiratu Murangi, Kenya Energy Minister, who led the delegation, told the press about the importance of Gibe III, especially to Kenya’s power demand, and its environmental friendliness.

“But the government of Kenya still expresses misgivings,” according to our source. Their doubt, however, does not concern the project’s ecological impact. In fact, according to the Ethiopian official, Kenya’s fear of Ethiopia using Gibe III as an excuse for huge irrigation projects led to a proposal requesting the establishment of a joint committee to monitor the Power project. Ethiopia rejected the proposal on the grounds of sovereignty and denied all allegations with respect to the suspected irrigation project.

Kenya, according to the official, has since requested Ethiopia for power supply from the recently completed Gibe II power plant, despite the fact that the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for power supply from Gibe III.

The official notes that Kenya only complained about the environmental issues related to the Gibe III project after having signed the MoU.

Energy ministers of the two countries discussed the issue last Friday during which the Kenyan minister revealed his government’s willingness to cover half of Gibe III cost. The official believes that this development is a considerable achievement for Ethiopia. According to him, Alemayehu Tegenu is also willing to sell power from Gillgel Gibe II in return.

Kenya needs to import between 200 and 400 MW of power from to Ethiopia.

Sudan and Djibouti were among the first countries to express their interest in the importation of power from the Tekeze and Gilgel Gibe II power plants, respectively. Tekeze which has a generating capacity of 300MW is set to sell power to Sudan whilst Gilgel Gibe II, with its generating capacity of 420 MW, will serve Djibouti. Transmission lines to Djibouti and Sudan are under construction.

Source:en.afrik.com/

Ethiopia - National HIV/AIDS Case Management Implementation Guidelines Launched

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and University of Washington today launched National Case Management Implementation Guidelines for HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia at the Intercontinental Hotel, Addis Ababa. The guidelines offer a proactive approach to help clients adhere to anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and care in Ethiopia.


The Guidelines are the result of four years of collaboration by several stakeholders committed to developing a practical approach to providing quality care for HIV/AIDS clients, especially those needing chronic care which requires strict ART adherence and retention. Today’s launch brought together health policy makers, delegates from the World Health Organization, U.S. Government, development partners, and various government agencies and non-governmental organizations.


The rapid scale-up of ART in Ethiopia has presented resource challenges for health facilities. Through improved HIV/AIDS case management, health facilities can proactively and systematically identify those HIV clients who are at risk for non-adherence with their treatment regimes. In addition to retaining clients on care, case management enables care-givers to provide them with critical support to ensure adherence and the continuity of care by using trained lay persons known as Adherence Case Managers and Adherence Supporters. HIV/AIDS case management also helps to trace and encourage clients who have not followed up on their treatment regimes to resume their treatment and care. At the same time, it also involves shifting some of the tasks from over-burdened clinical staff to a trained Adherence Case Managers.


In 2006, the Ministry of Health requested University of Washington’s International Training and Education Center for Health- Ethiopia (I-TECH) to develop a sustainable, pragmatic, and culturally appropriate case management model for the treatment and management of HIV clients in Ethiopia. Through funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and technical assistance from the CDC, I-TECH, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (FHAPCO) developed an HIV/AIDS case management model including training curricula in 2007. The model was piloted at six hospitals in the Amhara, Tigray, and Afar regions. The guidelines unveiled today expand this model nationwide.

Source:nazret.com/

Is Ethiopian Airlines to join Star Alliance next year? May be

According to a story published by Addis Ababa, based The Reporter, Ethiopian Airlines is set to join Star Alliance, the World's first and largest airline alliance, by early next year. The paper cited a statement from Ethiopian Airlines public relations office.

nazret.com has contacted both Ethiopian Airlines and Star Alliance to confirm the story and it now appears that the Reporter story is misleading as it suggests a done deal. In an email we received from Ethiopian Airlines, it said, "Ethiopian is still under discussion to join star alliance and no date has been fixed". Star Alliance responded to our question and it denied the report saying, "We would like to inform you that Ethiopian Airlines has not been invited to join Star Alliance and also its not joining with star alliance next year."

But today, Air Transport World (ATW) reports that Star Alliance is holding exploratory talks with Ethiopian Airlines and will discuss the African carrier's potential membership at its chief executive board meeting today in Brussels. Star Alliance CEO told ATW that decision on ET is not "imminent," he stressed, and an announcement can be expected in the first half of 2010. So we will find out if Ethiopian will join by mid 2010.

For several years now, there have been many reports about Ethiopian airlines joining Star Alliance. In June 2007, Flight Global wrote an article titled "Ethiopian Airlines eyes Star Alliance". At the time, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Girma Wake said a new codeshare with Lufthansa, signed in June, brings it "a step nearer" to joining Star. But he adds: "We have yet to start the process" of applying for membership. "It's not something we've decided but we are considering," he was quoted as saying. "We would like to do that [join Star]. We would like to do it in steps."

Ethiopian airlines has recently strengthened its code-share agreement with Lufthansa, a Star Alliance founding member. In addition to the Lufthansa deal, Ethiopian codeshares with Star Alliance member South African Airways (SAA) and has interline agreements with Star Alliance members Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries. Member airlines include Lufthansa, United, South African, EgyptAir, Continental, Air Canada, Singapore, Thai and Turkish.

Ethiopian Airlines has 35 new airplanes on order direct from the manufacturers. Including the recent orders of five B777-200LR and twelve A350-900, Ethiopian has also on order ten Boeing B787 and eight Bombardier aircraft. These investments will also enable Ethiopian to operate one of the youngest fleet in Africa with better comfort and efficiency.

Ethiopian Airlines currently operates 36 aircraft, comprising of ten B767-300ER, eight B757-200ER, two B757-260 F, two B747F, two MD-11F, five B737-700, two B737-800 and five Fokker 50 aircraft.

Source:nazret.com/

Ethiopia - United States Contributes an Additional USD 70 Million to WFP to Assist Emergency Relief Beneficiaries

Addis Ababa: Before departing today from a five-day trip to Ethiopia, the US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, Ertharin Cousin announced an additional contribution of $70 million to the World Food Program (WFP) to assist the emergency caseload for relief beneficiaries in this country. The contribution is provided from the American people through the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID). WFP will facilitate management of the food contribution.


This is Ambassador Cousin’s first trip to Ethiopia, and she spent much of her time in the field, visiting agricultural and livestock sites with the Minister of Agriculture H.E. Tefera Deribew, and traveling to the Somali region to see WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) assistance projects supported by the United States. Her focus in the Somali region was to see the WFP Hubs & Spokes operations, which streamline emergency food distributions, and FAO livestock veterinary interventions and training on livestock disease surveillance and reporting. Ambassador Cousin was also able to visit several Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) sites and a school feeding program managed by WFP.


The USAID $70 million contribution to WFP will provide an additional 92,310 MT of food to support the general relief program in Ethiopia for the 2010 calendar year. This contribution is the third major U.S. food relief contribution since October 2009, bringing the total U.S. contribution since October to $246 million (356,560 MT). USAID programs its relief efforts through WFP and a consortium of NGOs led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to respond to the emergency need. The United States is also a significant contributor to PSNP, a food-for-work program led by the Ethiopian Government. These relief contributions will allow the U.S. to further respond to a portion of the relief needs recently released in the Joint Government and Humanitarian Partners’ National Contingency Plan. This document identifies potential needs for the first six months of 2010. Since January of 2009, USAID has contributed over 630,000 metric tons of food valued at $427.3 million to the relief response effort through WFP and NGO partners.


At the 2009 L’Aquila G-8 Summit in July, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged that the U.S. would invest $3.5 billion in agriculture-led economic growth to combat hunger. Speaking about this while in Ethiopia, Ambassador Cousin explained, “The $3.5 billion the United States has pledged is to support country-developed plans to achieve food security. It is not just about seed and fertilizer but includes education and market development and, in particular, support to women. In order to ensure sustainable gains, plans will be made in coordination with governments with the aim of building capacity. By increasing the capacity for self-sufficiency, we can reduce the need for assistance in the future.”


After a discussion with a group of women at the Jijiga livestock market, built through USAID’s Pastoralists Livelihoods Initiative, Ambassador Cousin emphasized the need to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for women, “The women told me that because they are earning incomes, they are no longer worried about where their food will come from and, as such, they are now able to send their children to school.”

Source:nazret.com/

PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE: Manager at Independent Ethiopian Newspaper Closing Down over Security Concerns Reportedly Beaten

Five days after editors at the independent weekly Addis Neger newspaper announced that they had fled Ethiopia and were closing down the newspaper because of concerns that the government intended to prosecute the paper’s editors and journalists under new anti-terrorism legislation, acting General Manager Solomon Daba was attacked and beaten at the newspaper’s offices yesterday evening, the paper’s managing editor, Mesfin Negash, told IPI from outside the country.

Daba was attacked by 9 or 10 plainclothes security agents at around six thirty on Tuesday evening, according to Negash.

“This incident shows how they are serious, and prepared to attack us,” he said. “There is no reason to attack a manager who has no relation to the content of the paper.”

According to Negash, Daba was recently given the job of General Manager, in anticipation of the senior editors’ departure from the country. For the past two years, Daba had worked in the finance and accounting department of the newspaper. He was chosen to oversee the final details of the closure of Addis Neger specifically because he is a “neutral person,” Negash told IPI.

At least eight editors and senior journalists with Addis Neger have fled Ethiopia, fearing for their safety, and concerned that the Ethiopian government plans to prosecute them using Anti-Terrorism Proclamation No. 652/2009, promulgated on 28 August 2009, under which they could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

The Addis Neger journalists who have left the country include Mesfin Negash (Managing Editor), Abiye Teklemariam (Executive Editor), Tamerat Negera(Editor-in-Chief), Girma Tesfaw (Cofounder and Deputy Editor-in-Chief), Masresha Mammo (Cofounder & Editor), Abrham Begizew (News Reporter), Zerihun Tesfaye (Economics Reporter), and Kassahun Yilam (Reporter).

Source:freemedia.at/

Ethiopia's Kebede wins Fukuoka marathon

FUKUOKA, Japan — Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia bettered his personal best time to win the Fukuoka international men's marathon for a second year running on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Kebede left the last challenger and compatriot, Dereje Tesfaye, at around the 33-kilometre mark and made a long solo running to cross the finishing line in two hours five minutes 18 seconds.

"I was able to run faster than I had expected. I'm very, very happy about it," said Kebede, whose previous best time was 2:05:20 set at the London marathon this season.

It was the ninth fastest time in the world and a new meet record, beating the previous mark of 2:06:10 he set when he won the same event last season.

"It's difficult to express my feelings in a few words (about the record). I just keep rewriting my personal best this season. I have no more words to say," he said.

A front-running group of eight men were reduced to four men at the 28km point, including Kebede, Evans Cheruiyot of Kenya, Tekeste Kebede of Ethiopia and Tesfaye.

Tsegaye Kebede moved up his gear at the 30km mark, leaving Cheruiyot and Tekeste Kebede behind, and then slowly and steadily took the sole lead ahead of Tesfaye.

Tekeste Kebede came in second in 2:07:52, followed by 2005 Fukuoka champion Dmytro Baranovskyy of Ukraine third in 2:08:19.

Tesfaye was fourth in 2:08:36 and Cheruiyot fifth in 2:09:46.

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gx_BLLCoddi4jTqWaorVq4cFrcvw

AfDB loans Kenya $166 mln for road to Ethiopia

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) will lend Kenya 12.5 billion shillings to build a road connecting east Africa's biggest economy with its northern neighbour Ethiopia, officials said on Tuesday.

The new 123 km (76 mile) route is designed to open up remote regions of Kenya's north that have been isolated from the rest of the country, as well as encourage regional trade.

"(The project) is aimed at improving the socio-economic situation of the people in the regions through which it will pass," Kenyan Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said, adding that water wells would be drilled in communities along the route.

"The road will open up a vast territory ... (and) will greatly improve the flow of trade between the two countries."

No good road connects the countries. The current route cannot be used in all weather conditions and is in a very bad state, Kenyatta said. The new road will enter Ethiopia at Moyale.

The Tunis-based AfDB has committed 140 billion shillings to various Kenyan development programmes to date, Kenyatta said. Currently 18 projects funded by the bank are underway, including energy, health and agriculture schemes.

Source:af.reuters.com/

The Ethiopian journalist: an endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms that is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. The free-press journalists in Ethiopia fit such description. The definition is true on both points. Our journalists are becoming extinct because of the draconian laws passed by the minority government and the predatory nature of the TPLF regime. The number of Independent publications is close to zero whereas the threat from the minority based TPLF regime has grown exponentially.

I was going to mention the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the different articles such as Article 29 of the Ethiopian Woyane Constitution that supposedly protect the citizen from the long arm of the state. But all that really don’t make sense in a totalitarian state. Words are stripped of their meaning in a police environment. The slogan ‘what you see is what you get’ is an attempt to show there is no trickery but in Ethiopia it means the exact opposite. Department of Public Security is the fountain of public insecurity, Ministry of justice is the breeding ground for injustice, Defense Department is where aggression against neighbors is formulated and the Communication Office is where lies and defamation is concocted.

So this last week it was the turn of another independent paper to be hounded out of existence. Addis Neger became the latest victim of the illegal regimes attempt to dim the flow of information. Why we are surprised is very perplexing. Is this an isolated incident is a very good question. Isn’t it another of the many humiliations dished on us? What did we do when we were confronted by the previous injustice? Big fat nothing is the answer. What are we going to do this time around other than having a leisurely conversion while sipping our morning coffee? I see another nothing around the corner.

There are three predictable responses that have become our trademark. One is silent condemnation of Woyane while feigning surprise. The second is blaming the editors of Addis Neger for going too far and angering the power to be. Those in the third category have the chutzpah to condemn the exiled journalists for leaving the country instead of staying and confronting the regime.

Despite our indifference the Woyane policy has real victims. Due to the decisions made by the Prime Minster and those around him real people pay the price. The closure and elimination of Addis Neger is another instance in the life of the independent press in Ethiopia. Moged, Muday, Urgi, Tobia, Maebel, Fiameta, Mebrek, Goh, Ruh, Tomar, Ethiop, Ethiopis, Zegabi, Askual, Tikuret, Admas, Express, Menilik, Satenaw, Aemiro, Feleg, Dink, Agere, Damotra, Hilina, Seyfe Nebelbal etc. etc. etc. are a few of the victims of TPLF injustice. You see these are not just names of News Papers. There were real people behind them. People with families that cared for them, people with dreams of informing their fellow citizens and people that worked hard saved and established a thriving enterprise. The papers were shut down by the regime. Do you wonder what became of the people?

Some were murdered. Some are still in prison. A good many were scattered around the globe. Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, South Africa Europe and USA are where they dislocated. No one enters the news business to make money and get rich. Our journalists are the truest of professionals in every sense of the word. They play hide and seek with Woyane tugs endangering their lives and the lives of those around them because they love the truth and they love their country. So many of them have been imprisoned, abused, beaten and humiliated but they are back on their desk the following working day. It has been said that their terrorizes envy the reporters dedication. All that is being done to them is part of our glorious history. It is written with blood. I will give you a few examples as told by my friend Ato Dawit kebede of Fiameta, himself a victim of TPLF injustice. I thank Dawit for giving me permission to quote extensively from a plea he made regarding the plight of our journalists back in 2007.

There is Ato kifle Mulat, the President of the Ethiopian Free Press who was thrown in jail because his association wrote demanding the release of Urgi editors. The court decided Urgi editors to be sympathizers of OLF that is considered to be a ‘terrorist’ group. Ato Kifle was asked to retract the statement or go to prison. He spent many months in Jail. He is now in exile.

There is Eskinder Nega who was publisher of the successful paper ‘Ethiopis’. Eskinder and his editor in chief, the late Tefera Asmare were jailed with made up charges and the paper was closed. Upon his release Eskinder established ‘Habesha’ in English that became popular among the diplomatic community. Addis voice’s Abebe Gelaw was Habesha’s editor in chief at that time; their biting articles and successful cartoons made them famous. One of Eskinder cartoons that depicted the Eritrean President as a snake did not go well with the TPLF cadres and Eskinder was taken to ‘maekelawi’ jail and confined in the famous room # 7. After a few days without food and water; one late night his jailers took him out and tortured him in a separate room for hours. They beat him up badly including his writing hand. He was released and the case dropped when TPLF went to war with their former friend.

There is Zegeye Haile owner and editor of Genanaw who has the misfortune of reporting on the unsuccessful attempt to kill Mengistu in Zimbabwe. Zegeye report the informed speculation that the attempt was made by Eritrean intelligence. He was prosecuted for defaming the good name of Eritreans; fined ten thousand bir and banned for two years from writing.

There is Dawit Kebede of Fiameta who wrote an investigative piece on a certain police colonel. He was hauled to jail because his publication included a picture of police insignia. That was enough to land him and his brother in jail in wereda 10 where they train police dogs. Being terrorized by dogs trained to kill was the punishment he encountered.

The editor Aklilu Tadesse was brought to court because he wrote regarding the existence of an organized opposition group in northern Shoa. He was charged for fabricating a story and the prosecutor demanded a two years jail term. The same day, in the same courthouse Professor Asrat was being charged for organizing an army in northern Shoa.

There is Abera Wegi of Maebel that reported on the curious covering of Yekatit 12 martyr’s monument. He wrote an investigative piece regarding Woyanes crime of erasing a few key words from the monument.

Source:ethiopianreview.com/

Ethiopia’s ONLF rebel condemns Mogadishu suicide blast

An Ethiopian rebel group, which is fighting to make the oil-rich Somali region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state, has voiced its condemnation over the recent suicide hotel blast in Somalia’s restive capital Mogadishu, which killed more than 24 people including four Somali ministers.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber disguised as woman struck a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu’s Shamo hotel, killing 24 people, including four government ministers, medical students and doctors

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) termed the attack as cowardly act that is perpetrated by Somalia’s enemy.

“The attack in the graduation ceremony was act of terrorism that has claimed many lives including graduates, lecturers, doctors and ministers,” said the statement.

“We condemn this cowardly blast in Mogadishu which was terrible and shocking.”

Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has accused the Al-Shabaab rebel group of carrying out the attack however the group’s spokesman has refuted those claims.

On the other hand, Al-Shabaab has accused the government and AMISOMS
of being behind the suicide attack, urging event organisers to avoid inviting TFG officials.

“There is no government here, we are asking all who want to hold events not to invite officials who can be targets,” said Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Bilab, an Al-Shabaa official.

The deadly suicide attack has caused outrage amongst Somalis in and outside the war-torn country.

Source:garoweonline.com/

Ethiopian athletes fear climate change threat

ASELA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - A full moon dimly lights an Ethiopian hillside as almost 300 teenage athletes shiver in the 6 a.m. chill, some springing into the air to keep warm while others show off elastic stretching positions.

But a coach slowly shakes his head and says that in a few hours it will be time to stop as a scorching sun makes it too tough for the youngsters to train, something that was once unthinkable.

These ridges outside the southern town of Asela have long provided a cool high-altitude training ground for the giants of Ethiopian athletics such as all-time great Haile Gebrselassie.

But now Asela's aspiring athletes fear global warming is affecting even the lush green highlands of Ethiopia, threatening what was a perfect climate for producing world-beaters.

Far away from Asela, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen to thrash out a plan on how to counter climate change and come up with a post-Kyoto treaty deal to curb harmful emissions.

But as the U.N. conference starts, Asela is getting hotter and, in another 20 years, it may be too hot to train at all.

Gebrselassie, who has broken 26 world records and was born 20 minutes away, can scarcely believe how Asela's climate has changed over the years.

"Three weeks ago I was in Asela and I jogged three kilometres," he said in the capital, Addis Ababa. Training with fellow star Derartu Tulu, he thought he was going for an easy run but that's not how it turned out.

Source:af.reuters.com/

Ethiopia: The Symbolism of Bolivian Election and Its Significance for Oppressed Peoples

I do not know whether many of you were aware of a very interesting election this week. It is neither Obama’s election nor Mugabe’s election. Hence, we do not have extraordinary media buzz and fascination from people other than those directly concerned. But it is a potent symbol for those persons who have concern for human dignity and social justice. It was an election credited as a groundbreaking and phenomenal five years ago. Intellectuals like Noam Chomsky hailed the election exemplary for even the most developed democracy [USA]. Bolivia’s election of Mr. Evo Morales is fascinating for two reasons.
Firstly, it changed the political trajectory of that nation. The election brought to prominence the indigenous peoples of Bolivia who suffered a legacy of marginalization, discrimination, dispossession and exploitation under the Spanish colonial rule for 470 years. The election epitomizes resistance to marginalization and subordination, and it caters special resonance for those peoples sharing identical experiences of marginalization in the entire world. Evo Morales is instrumental in this connection, by creating special nexus among the hitherto fragmented voices of unheard and forgotten majority population of Native Indians in Bolivia. Personally, Morales is from one Indian ethnic group (Aymara), but his main art was his capability to connect and galvanize the marginalized Indians towards the goal of vindication of their dignity and equality. He was successful in forging the unity of indigenous peoples disfranchised by colonial divide-and-rule policy, and in bringing them to the political spotlight. What a wonderful achievement – ending the marginalization of half a millennia through pacific means.
Secondly, the personality of Evo Morales is interesting on many accounts. He is a populist president. His life shows that he is not a son of a bureaucrat or a landlord. He was a son of a poor agro-pastoralist Indian. Himself was a farmer and llama breeder. He is not from elitist family, and he does not have a college diploma. For that reason, he has made it his main priority to provide better education for the children of indigenous peoples who were deliberately excluded by the system.
He wants to live not as an armchair politician or a head of state, but as an ordinary person. He does not dress classical politician’s suit rather he prefers traditional Indian clothes. During his inauguration, he neither favored presidential gala in palace nor went to Catholic Church as a tradition, he celebrated his victory according to the traditional and spiritual ceremony in the rural area. He avoids extravaganza of politicians by cutting his salary by almost 60%. When he was elected the president of the nation, he was a bachelor and he was sharing the palace mat with his friends. As he was a bachelor, the role of the first lady was covered by his elder sister. He capitalized community services; he showed this by shining the shoes of his traditional peoples. He is against the culture of wastage and over-exploitation of nature. He advises people to live in harmony with nature like Native Indians. As the result, he was named the “World Hero of Mother Earth” by the U.N. General Assembly. He is a social engineer. He believes in equality of all peoples and fair distribution of resources, and empowering of the marginalized.
He was called a racist by his opponents, and an assassination attempt was made on his life. Because of his policies, he was confronted with the House of Senate of that nation that was dominated by the rich and sons of aristocrats. When they resisted the reform he proposed to provide better opportunities for the country’s disadvantaged Indians, he went on a hunger strike for days – which turned the public opinion against the Senate. Finally, they were forced to pass the reform. Yesterday [December 6, 2009], humanistic and the socialistic leaning Morales reelected by overwhelming majority. His party also won both the houses of the parliament of the nation.
His election and victory has a symbolic significance for the oppressed majority in many nations. In Bolivia, indigenous peoples are not monolithic or homogeneous population. They are mosaic of peoples living in different areas and ecologies with various modes of livings. More than anything else, they were connected by the history of marginalization and manifest better future. The domination for centuries, the lack of political compromises by non-changers, and the lack of space for distinct peoples made them to get united as one people for the better future.
This is a big lesson for many of the oppressed peoples in Ethiopia. To end oppression, it does not require speaking the same language, living in the same area, and having the same religion, since oppression itself is a potent weapon of unification. If the oppressed peoples of Ethiopia realize their unity, and rise against tyranny and exploitation, they would easily bring demise of the empire, and emancipate themselves. The issue is do we have a politician and a political party that capitalize on that point? This is the question we all need to ask ourselves.

Source:gadaa.com/

Ethiopia Twitter

Ethiopia (pronounced /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/) (Ge'ez: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an estimated population of over 85,000,000. Its capital is Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world and Africa's second-most populous nation. Ethiopia has yielded some of humanity's oldest traces, making the area a primary factor in the origin and developmental history of humanity,with recent studies claiming the vicinity of present-day Addis Ababa as the point from which human beings migrated around the world. Ethiopian dynastic history traditionally began with the reign of Emperor Menelik I in 1000 BC. The roots of the Ethiopian state are similarly deep, dating with unbroken continuity to at least the Aksumite Empire (which officially used the name "Ethiopia" in the 4th century) and its predecessor state, D`mt (with early 1st millennium BC roots). After a period of decentralized power in the 18th and early 19th centuries known as the Zemene Mesafint ("Era of the Judges/Princes"), the country was reunited in 1855 by Kassa Hailu, who became Emperor Tewodros II, beginning Ethiopia's modern history. Ethiopia's borders underwent significant territorial reduction in the north and expansion in the south, toward its modern borders for the rest of the century owing to several migrations and commercial integration as well as conquests, especially by Emperor Menelik II and Ras Gobena, culminating in its victory over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, ensuring its sovereignty and freedom from colonization. It was brutally occupied by Benito Mussolini's Italy from 1936 to 1941, ending with its liberation by British Commonwealth and Ethiopian patriot forces.

Historically, people in Ethiopia practiced some of the oldest democratic systems in the world, including the ancient Gada system. Ethiopia has the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa and the country is famous for its Olympic distance athletes, rock-hewn churches and as the origin of the coffee bean. Having converted during the fourth century AD, it was one of the earliest countries to officially adopt Christianity, after Armenia.[citation needed] Ethiopia also has a considerable Muslim community, dating from the earliest days of Islam – being the site of the first Hijra in Islamic history, the earliest ninth-century Sultanates, the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash and home to the holy Muslim city of Harar. The country has been secular since 1974. Historically a relatively isolated mountain country, Ethiopia by the mid 20th century became a crossroads of global international cooperation under the leadership of Emperor Haile Selassie I. It became a member of the League of Nations in 1923, signed the Declaration by United Nations in 1942, and was one of the fifty-one original members of the United Nations (UN). The headquarters of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is in Addis Ababa, often labeled Africa's "Diplomatic Capital," as is the headquarters of the African Union (formerly the Organisation of African Unity), of which Ethiopia was the principal founder. When several African countries gained independence, they adopted Ethiopia's national flag colors of green, yellow and red, often labeled as Pan-African colours. There are about forty-five Ethiopian embassies and consulates around the world. In the Human Development Index Ethiopia is placed 169th out of 177.