Terror is a tactic.Interview with Nir Rosen (Uruknet)

Question: The humanitarian situation in Somalia is steadily worsening. The UN reports that nearly 500,000 Somalis have fled Mogadishu and are living in makeshift tent cities with little food or water. The resistance--backed by the former government--the Islamic Courts Union-- is gaining strength and fighting has broken out in 70% of the neighborhoods in Mogadishu. Why is the US backing the invading Ethiopian army? Is Somalia now facing another bloody decades-long war or is there hope that the warring parties can resolve their differences?.. Full Interview

Dueling Dictators (News week)

f there were an award for the most pointless war of the last 25 years, Ethiopia and Eritrea's 1998-2000 border battle might well take the prize. An estimated 70,000 people were killed, another 750,000 displaced, and by the time of the ceasefire two of the poorest countries on earth had each spent over a half billion dollars fighting over a few dusty miles of parched scrubland. As if that weren't bad enough, the two dictators who oversaw that disaster are now leading their countries dangerously close to a rematch...more

Eritrea-Ethiopia deadline expires(BBC)

A deadline for long-time foes Ethiopia and Eritrea to agree their shared border is to expire at midnight.

The date was set a year ago by the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission which was created following a bloody border war between the two countries.

The commission says if it fails to hear anything it will consider the line it has drawn as the official border...more

Journalists from Zimbabwe, Mexico, Ethiopia, Iraq gain recognition (Mediaforfreedom)

The IWMF also recognized Ethiopia’s Serkalem Fasil, who was jailed and, under deplorable conditions, delivered a child prematurely. She was incarcerated because of articles her publications carried that were critical of the government during the May 2005 elections. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, only China and Cuba have a worse ranking than Ethiopia for their treatment of journalists...more

U.S.'s Rice to visit Ethiopia in rare Africa trip(Reuter)

Tensions have been rising in recent months between Ethiopia and its neighbor Eritrea over its disputed border, with Eritrea accusing the United States of siding with Addis Ababa. (Reporting by Sue Pleming; editing by Philip Barbara)...Full Text

Ethiopia's Meles denies rights abuses in Ogaden(Reuter)

ncreasingly under pressure from the West over his rights record in recent years, Meles says the ONLF is lying, and is a terrorist group sponsored by arch-enemy Eritrea.

"Massive human rights abuses and massive deaths in the Ogaden do not and will not exist," he said.

Once a rebel leader himself, who helped topple former Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, Meles said it would be counterproductive to terrorise locals.

"After all, it is only 16 or so years ago that we ourselves were insurgents," he said. "The stupidest mistake a government does is to harass civilians."

Meles generally gets high marks from Western diplomats for his anti-poverty strategies, but is frequently criticised for authoritarian tactics handling foes inside Ethiopia...Full Text

Ethiopia accused of civilian abuse(Sacbee)

The untrained and ill-equipped draftees – including students, camel herders and tribal leaders who had never fired weapons in combat – are being thrown into pitched battles with ethnic Somali guerrillas and often suffer heavy casualties, more than a dozen refugees and ex-recruits said...Full Text

Ethiopia:The Human Development Index - going beyond income(HDRStats)

The HDI for Ethiopia is 0.406, which gives the country a rank of 169^th out of 177 countries with data ..Full Text

Somalia offensive after attacks (BBC)

At least six Ethiopian army bases came under fire:

• In the north of the city at two former factories and at Ex-Control intersection
• In the south of the city at the football stadium and an army camp
• In the central Bakara market district where there are bases along the main road.

About three civilian bodies have been found on Wednesday morning around one of former factories....Full Text

Secretary of State Kenney Commemorates the Ethiopian Millennium(Canadian HEritage)

OTTAWA, November 28, 2007 - The Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), will celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium tomorrow at an event in Ottawa.

"The Ethiopian presence in Canada dates from the 1980s," said Secretary of State Kenney. "Canada now has a population of more than 15,000 Canadians of Ethiopian heritage who have contributed greatly to our economy in the areas of finance, engineering, and particularly in medicine. It is at events such as these that we can learn from each other and about our differences while celebrating our common Canadian identity.".Full Text

UPDAE 1-UN presses Ethiopia to probe Ogaden allegations(Reuter)

Aid agencies say people in the region are suffering severe food and medical needs because of the fighting, and the United Nations says 953,000 are in need of help.

"What I was trying to do was symbolise by my visit the extent of international concern about the situation there and the depths of our concern to avert a serious humanitarian crisis there in the future," Holmes told reporters in Addis Ababa...Full Text

Starbucks to open farmer-support center in Ethiopia (SeattleTimes)

Now it is building a farmer-support center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Like the support center Starbucks opened in 2004 in Costa Rica, it will work with farmers, exporters and others to improve the quality of their coffee so that Starbucks can buy more of it...Full Text

Soldiers continue human rights abuses in Ethiopia's beleaguered southeast, say residents (IHT)

The man also described gang rapes and public hangings in the region and said that villagers had been told not to speak to international observers. Officials in the area also said villagers had been told not to speak to outsiders, and that also was mentioned in a September report by a U.N. fact-finding mission....more

Eritrea-Ethiopia border deadline looms amid war fears (Reuter)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Tuesday said Ethiopia had no plans of fighting another war, but would make sure Eritrea "never, ever dreamed" of conflict if Asmara unilaterally launched one.

Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu reacted to the comments on Wednesday reiterating longstanding allegations Ethiopia is planning to invade. "This is just what's been said on TV screens, but we know what's happening on the ground and behind closed doors," he said...more..

Ethiopia turns waste plastic into fuel(African News)

With the objective of replicating India’s experience in other African countries, the joint venture is also on the way of installing fuel generating plants in Ghana and Mauritius. It is also negotiating with other countries such as Tunisia...more

UN to visit Ethiopia trouble spot (BBC)

..There have been persistent reports of army abuse of the civilian population but for a long time no outside agencies were able to get in to the worst-affected areas to verify the claims or to act as a restraining presence....full Text

Ethiopia:Defar wins prestigious continental award (Africa News)

Ethiopia's World and Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar won the premier 2007 Abdou Diouf Foundation Award for Sport Virtues in Dakar, Senegal, on Wednesday...Full Text

Ethiopia 'bogged down' in Somalia (BBC)

...Their presence is unpopular in Mogadishu and earlier this month, insurgents dragged the bodies of Ethiopian troops through the city....Full Text

PM Meles: Ethiopia Prepared for War, Wants Peace With Eritrea (VOA)

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says his country is prepared for a possible war with neighboring Eritrea, and warned that an invasion by Eritrea would lead to that country's destruction. His comments came three days before a deadline for demarcating their common border. As VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from Addis Ababa, Mr. Meles also acknowledged that Ethiopia is bogged down in another conflict in Somalia....more

Remembering the martyrs of 2005(Ethiomedia)

But resistance to tyranny and oppression need not be violent or require the use of arms. Civil disobedience is a mighty weapon of patriots everywhere as they confront the repressive state, be it foreign or domestic. Gandhi defeated the mighty British army not by swords or guns, but through peaceful resistance, civil disobedience and non-cooperation. His “Quit India Movement” was the greatest challenge to British colonial rule. Martin King helped America realize the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal through mass nonviolent civil disobedience....more