U.N. calls for rights probe in Ethiopia's Ogaden (Reuter-UK)

The team said it received "reports and direct accounts of serious violations of human rights, including substantive protection concerns for the civilian population"....more

Ethiopia's Opposition Wants US Support for Democracy Struggle (VOA)

“You know we have been in prison for almost 21 months, and the Ethiopians in the Diaspora have been helpful, so supportive in many ways such as diplomatically, financially and so on. So we wanted to come to this country to meet them face-to-face and say thank you to them. The other thing is there is a struggle going on in Ethiopia to establish democracy there, and this democracy needs the support of the people not only in Ethiopia but also outside Ethiopia. And we are here to discuss with them how best we can work together to promote the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia,” he said. ...more

DED: Letter to the Editor (Ethiomedia)

As part of the German Development Cooperation we also work closely together with the Ethiopian Ministries of Agriculture, Education and Trade & Industries, from where we receive the approval of our personnel offers; the final permit is granted by the Ministry for Capacity Building....more

Eye doc helps Ethiopians (WinnipegSun)

"They have the knowledge and skills in Ethiopia, but they just lack resources," said Brodovsky. The aid mission was led by Orbis, an organization dedicated to reducing avoidable blindness in developing nations. There are more than 28 million such cases, and roughly a million are in Ethiopia...more

UN calls for probe into alleged eastern Ethiopia rights abuses (Google)

"The mission received reports and direct accounts of serious violations of human rights, including substantive protection concerns for the civilian population," the panel said in a report....more

Saving Hailu Shawel's legacy from the Shaleqa mafia (Ethipian Review)

This is what will happen in the next few weeks:

1) Ato Hailu and friends (the shaleqa group), with the help of the EPRP media, will start labeling members of the Kinijit executive committee as Woyanne agents and sympathizers. They will say that Ato Hailu signed the apology letter that got him and others out of jail after being pressured by the other officials. They will talk about howAto Hailu is the only leader with conviction who is standing up to Woyanne, bla bla bla…...more

Teddy Afro Rocks Out Millennium in Jimma (AddisFurtune)

Even in the face of all these vital commercial activities going on that centred Jimma, the town has not progressed or became urbanised in a modern sense. Most of the road infrastructure in Jimma were last repaired or built some 15 years ago. This is not to mention the shortage of residential houses in the town as well as the commercial buildings in use for business activities that visibly lack periodic renovation over the years....more

Ancient Ethiopian city seeks tourists,(Yahoo news)

But the city, which lies some 250 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa, lacks modern amenities and suffers from a chronic water shortage. With only a handful of hotels and the nearest airport more than an hour's drive away, moving Harar into the future is an ambitious plan....more



AP Photo: A Harar bride poses before a mass wedding, July 21, 2007 in Harar, Ethiopia.

Eritreans Deny American Accusations of Terrorist Ties (NTTimes)

More than that, said Ali Abdu, Eritrea’s information minister, if Ms. Frazer was trying to make “Eritrea kneel down in front of her,” she had better learn what he called a basic Eritrean fact.

“Eritreans kneel on only two occasions,” he said. “When they pray and when they shoot.”...more

Why We Don't Hear About the Conflict in the Ogaden, (State)

The U.S. government considers Ethiopia an important ally in the war on terror, since it shares borders with Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia, the latter invaded by Ethiopia this past Christmas with Washington's approval. Ethiopia has not been able to extricate itself from Somalia, and the military has been accused of possible war crimes there. Mogadishu even has a new nickname: "Baghdad on the Sea."

In addition to sending nearly half a billion dollars in aid money to Ethiopia every year, more than to any other sub-Saharan African country, the United States also supplies the Ethiopian military with funds, arms, and special forces training from Army Rangers.

Yet with all the recent negative attention focused on Ethiopia, it is easy to forget that the country had been on the right track. In 2005, poverty was down, growth was up, the local press was flourishing, and the capital, Addis Ababa, was brimming with hope and excitement about upcoming elections. ...more

SOMALIA: "What have we done to deserve this?", (Alertnet)

"I don't know what we have done. It is as if we are being punished by God for sins we have committed. I pray that all this will stop and we will have peace and go back to our lives."...more

Disease alert in flood-hit Africa, (BBC)

Scores of people have died and much of the continent's most fertile farmland has been washed away in what is being described as a humanitarian disaster.

The UN said more rain was expected and warned that the need for food, shelter and medicine was urgent.

Some 17 countries have been affected in West, Central and East Africa....more

Ethiopian festival enlivens Trafalgar Square of London, (Ethiomedia)

We Muslims of the World owe you, Ethiopians, for our own very existence. When our forefathers were persecuted, you took us in. We the Muslims of the World are here today because of you, Ethiopians. Your "Negus" refused to hand over the early Muslim refugees whom the Prophet Himself instructed to go Ethiopia to save our faith from extinction. Not only once did you save the lives of the Muslim refugees, but twice. When the persecutors demanded to hand over the Muslims under his protection the Negus said: "even if you give me a mountain of gold, I will not surrender these men to you." Therefore, I would like to thank Ethiopians for what they did 1,500 years ago and wish you today a happy new year and a happy millennium....more

Ethiopia Rejects Eritrean Ethiopian Boundary Commission's Authority (again)!, (Africanpath)

If Ethiopia will not abide by the decisions of a commission convened under its own authority, the suggestion by its Premier that another may be necessary in the future lacks credibility. Further, as the decisions of the EEBC are "final and binding," no changes are allowed to be made without the expressed approval of both parties, however, Eritrea has stated numerous times, "we will [not] compromise our sovereignty or territorial integrity."...more

Eritrea: New strategies on Ethiopia’s affairs (Africanpath)

One important thing is, Isayas will not try to humiliate Ethiopian EPRDF government in the north of Ethiopia, like in Afar because it will affect Eritrea in the long term. Isayas knows that gaining short term benefits in expense of long term damages has been the mistakes of many Ethiopian governments. So his focus will be in southern Ethiopia for a long time. Especially I am sure he will never support the Afar liberation movements. But one thing that I don't understand is, if he helps the Ogadenis separate from Ethiopia wouldn't he start a chain of unstoppable events towards more and more ethnicities seeking secession? If this chain of events moves north and to the creation of Tigrai and Afar republics, the existence of Eritrea will be in deep danger! This indirectly harms Eritrea’s interests. Maybe Isayas already have a plan for that. No body knows....more

INTERVIEW-Ethiopia says deaths do not deter Sinopec, (Reuter)

The attack was one of the worst on Beijing's growing energy interests in Africa, which range from Angola to Sudan and Ethiopia....more

Hailu Shawel to face angry supporters in Washington when he arrives today (Ethiopian Review)

Because of his age and worsening health condition, Ato Hailu may retire in a matter of few months. It would be sad if he leaves Kinijit in disgrace after contributing so much for the struggle to bring freedom and democracy to Ethiopia. Great leaders often have sad endings. After leading the U.K. to victory against Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill was defeated at the post-war election, and later on he was forced out of his party’s leadership. Our own Atse Haile-Selassie’s fate was even worse — he was murdered by his own officers and buried unceremoniously. These leaders could have made a graceful exit at the right moment. But they chose to be forced out. There are examples of great endings, too, such as Nelsen Mandela of South Africa. History now remembers these leaders’ positive achievements more than the mistakes they made at the sunset of their career. No matter how Ato Hailu decides to end his political career, when the dust settles he will be remembered in the history books as a national hero who worked tirelessly to bring a better future for Ethiopia....more

Some modesty, please, (Al-Ahram)

With a few exceptions, the West is wrong about the Arabs just as the Arabs are wrong about the West. This is true in politics as in culture. Muslims number 1.4 billion or so around the world. They are a majority in 57 countries (hence that number of members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference) and a substantial minority in many others, including India and Ethiopia. There are 16 million Muslims in Russia alone. One out of five people on this planet are Muslims. One out of every three countries is dominantly Muslim. So I ask you, are all these people guilty of terror?

It is wrong to lump all Muslims together or reduce Islam to one of its many strands. It is wrong to identify all Muslims with Islamists, or a small minority within them. But this is exactly what those who speak about the "Islamic threat" or "Islamic peril" do. Those who speak of Islam in tones of hostility forget that it is a creed embodying the cultural heritage of hundreds of millions of people.

There are people in our world who say that Muslims have a natural "penchant" for terror and aggression. They say so because they overlook the subtleties of Islamic beliefs, law and systems. They fail to recognise the diversity and varied spectrum of communities that live under Islam. ...more

Ethiopia detains three men linked to opposition politician( Sudane Tribune)

Bazezew said the only connection between the four men was fundraising efforts to buy a car for Birtukan Mideksa in August. Birtukan, a top opposition politician, was among 38 opposition members released from prison last July. They had been held for more than two years after security forces shot 193 civilians protesting electoral fraud. The trial attracted international condemnation and strong pressure from the United States to free the accused, who emerged from prison with strong support in many of their neighborhoods. Such support motivated a group in the neighborhood to buy Mideksa a car, Bazezew said....more

Eritrea backs Somali opposition against Ethiopia (Reuter)

ASMARA (Reuters) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has backed a new Somali opposition alliance, saying arch-foe Ethiopia's fight against insurgents in Mogadishu was doomed to fail, state media reported on Saturday.

The formation of the group, including top Islamist leaders, in Asmara this week has generated yet more friction between Ethiopia and Eritrea after their border war of 1998-2000....more