Villages deserted, burned in Ethiopia's Ogaden - MSF (Reuter)

"In the three worst-affected areas now off-limits to MSF, he added, there was one doctor for 400,000 people. Drugs were scant, natal care was minimal, and there were problems of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malnutrition and tuberculosis in an area already prone to famine, De Filippi said.

Ethiopia calls the ONLF -- whose numbers are estimated at several thousand -- a terrorist group backed by foe Eritrea.

ONLF rebels say they are fighting for greater autonomy for their homeland, an arid region on the Somalia border which is mainly populated by nomadic herdsmen....more

ETHIOPIA: Government denies ‘blocking’ NGO (Irinnews)

A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government told IRIN that MSF was "exaggerating the situation" and that the government had "never blocked any NGO" from the region.

Meanwhile, a UN humanitarian assessment mission continues its visit to the area, which began on 30 August. International aid access to the remote and arid region bordering Somalia, where government troops are cracking down on the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), has been limited, sometimes due to insecurity, for months. The ONLF has claimed the government has been intimidating communities before they meet the UN mission, but has also declared a ceasefire for its duration. ...more

Somalia's Islamic Courts movement "intact" (Reuter)

"When the Islamic Courts came in, things changed. Tribes were united, the port and airport opened, weapons were collected, we even stopped piracy," he said by telephone during a trip to Doha.

"The movement changed people's lives for the better...The Ethiopians and Transitional Federal Government have created violence and genocide...So the support for the (Islamic Courts) movement is more than before." Many in Mogadishu and elsewhere in south Somalia credited the Islamists last year for bringing peace to areas knowing little but warlord rule and anarchy since 1991, when the Horn of Africa nation descended into chaos with the fall of a dictator.

But Somalis, who are generally moderate Muslims, also complained of hardline practices by the SICC such as enforcing dress codes and banning public viewing of films....more

Ottawa declares Sept. 11, 2007, Ethiopian Millennium Day (Ethiopian Review)

As we prepare for the celebrations, it is with great joy and enthusiasm that we received the declaration of Larry O’Brien, Mayor Ottawa, of one of the most beautiful cities of the world, announcing September 11, 2007, as “Ethiopian Millennium Day.” (see the declaration here)

The Ethiopian Community Association of Ottawa seizes this opportunity to thank Mayor O’Brien for his recognition of the festivals of Ethiopians aPublish Postnd Ethio-Canadians in Ottawa...more

Ethiopia sets insignificant minimum wage, pension rise (Lemali)

Uncontrolled prices under the commonplace misinterpretation of Ethiopia's newly found free market economy make the minimum wage rise a drop in the ocean....more

ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA-YEMEN: People traffic set to escalate

The port of Bossaso has been widely documented as a point of departure for migrants and asylum seekers from East Africa, with some coming from as far away as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most are seeking employment in the Gulf states - particularly Saudi Arabia.

"Tens of thousands of people will pass through Bossaso in a single season," the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) head of office in Hargeisa, Iulian Circo, told IRIN. "This is not something that happens underground. The trafficking infrastructure is there, and the authorities in Bossaso are profiting from this route." ..more

Ethiopia rebels 'agree UN truce' (BBC)

The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa says there are reported to be food shortages, disease outbreaks and serious human rights violations in some areas.

In its statement, the ONLF urged "mission team members to visit all parts in order to investigate war crimes and not limit their mission to the few routes approved by the [governing] regime".

But our correspondent says it is hard to imagine that the UN team will be either willing or able to travel in central Somali region, also known as the Ogaden, without security clearance from the Ethiopian armed forces....more

Ethiopia rebels call ceasefire for UN mission

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Ethiopian rebels announced a ceasefire on Sunday while a U.N. mission assesses their claims of human rights abuses in the remote eastern Ogaden region.

"Effective immediately, armed forces of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) will cease all offensive military operations against regime troops and sponsored militias for the duration of the U.N. fact finding mission," the ONLF said.

In a statement, the rebels said all units had been told to react only if fired upon.

"The ONLF urges the mission team members to visit all parts of Ogaden in order to investigate war crimes and not limit their mission to the few routes approved by the Meles Zenawi regime."...more

Ethiopia’s Millennium Commemoration , a day of sorrow for the Oromo People.(Sudan Tribune)

The TPLF/EPRDF regime who boasts to have brought a good governance to the peoples of Ethiopia has discriminately left Oromo prisoners in jail and arresting many more while many non-Oromo prisoners are being released. What is more disturbing is that the regime is constantly harassing the rest of the Oromo people by the name of celebrating the so-called Ethiopian millennium to be celebrated on September 1, 2000 Ethiopian Calendar....more

Eritrea warns Ethiopia over border feud (Google)

"Provided the implementation of the ruling is carried out in its legality, there would be no issue for new crisis between the two countries," Issaias said, according to a statement in the government's Eritrea Profile newspaper....more

Ethiopia's Defar runs away with gold in 5,000 meters

"I wanted the gold medal, and today, I was 100 percent sure I would win," said the 24-year-old. "My tactics were to wait until the last two laps and then start my finish. In the last lap I controlled the situation in the first 200 meters and then started the kick."... Meseret Defar

MSF says blocked from Ethiopia's volatile Ogaden (Reuter)

"The government of Ethiopia has denied MSF access to the five zones of the Somali region under military operation, often referred to as the Ogaden region," it said in a statement...more

Ethiopia Celebrates, Without Bob Geldof (Time)

But Geldof's absence is also about pride. The Irish singer raised $100 million through BandAid, a supergroup of British pop stars that set the mold for charity records to come, and Live Aid, which did the same for worldwide charity concerts. The money was to help alleviate the devastating Ethiopian famine of 1984-5, in which more than a million people are thought to have died. But Ethiopia, a nation of nearly 80 million people, now boasts consistent economic growth of 10%, and in that context the famine, and Geldof, are remembered with more than a tinge of humiliation. Two years ago, Geldof stirred the pot more when, in a television interview, he told Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to "grow up" and "behave" when Ethiopian police shot dead 36 dead opposition protesters...more

Ethiopia finalizes studies for building two hydropower dams (Africast)

Andargachew Tsige talks about Kinijit's past and future (Ethiopian Review)

Ethiopia postpones annual Great Run race ahead of millennium security concerns (iht)

Beyonce will not sing at Al Amoudi's millennium party (Ethipian Review)

First Offshore IT Outsourcing Center in Ethiopia Opened by eVentive (Earthtimes)

Homeless Ethiopians Moved Out of Capital(Washingtonpost)

Norway to cut aid to Ethiopia (Aftenposten)