Saturday, June 7, 2008
Kinijit secretary general Muluneh Eyoel calls it quits(Ethiopian Review)
....The American embassy in Addis Ababa may have thus violated the U.S. laws by knowingly collaborating in fabricating claims of persecution by Woyanne and Ayele Chamiso....more,,,
Ethiopians drink from cup of sorrow (BBC)
Now Ethiopia is appealing for enough food to provide emergency rations for 4.5 million people this year. At the moment it says it has only a third of what it will need...Full text...
AFRICA INSIGHT: Obama’s victory in Democratic Party poll has continent in a spin (Sunday Nation)
Senator Obama is an agent of change. I am sure he would restore basic civil rights, which many are being denied in the name of war on terror all over the world,” she said. “I am Ethiopian opposition politician
Birtukan Mideksa (centre)
, who says the Bush administration
betrayed Ethiopians
by backing the government of
President Meles Zenawi
Photos/Correspondent
highly impressed by his determination, courage Publish Postand wisdom. He is my role model and I have fallen in love with his philosophy of change.”...More..
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
'How could they do this?' Agony of stabbed schoolgirl's mother as she sees her daughter's body
Stricken with grief, the mother of stabbed schoolgirl Arsema Dawit leaves her London home today as she is taken to see her daughter's body.
Obama clinches nomination; Clinton seeks VP spot (Hiiraan)
"It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. ... And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians." In a symbolic move, he spoke in the same hall where McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party's convention in September...more..
ከዶክተር ነጋሶ ጊዳዳ ጋር የተደረገ ቃለ መጠይቅ። ክፍልII( ዶይቸ ቬለ)
የአሥራ-ስባት አመቱ ጉዞና ሠላም፣ ዲሞክራሲ፣ ሠብአዊ መብትና የሕግ የበላይነት በኢትዮዽያ... Click here to listen to interview
«የኢዮጵያ ጦር ከሶማሊያ ይዉጣ የሚለዉ የፖለቲካ መርሐ-ግብራችን ነዉ» አብድረሕማን ኤደን አቢ( ዶይቸ ቬለ)
«የኢዮጵያ ጦር ከሶማሊያ ይዉጣ የሚለዉ የፖለቲካ መርሐ-ግብራችን ነዉ» አብድረሕማን ኤደን አቢ..More..
አቶ ስዬ አብርሃ በኢትዮ-ሱዳን ድንበር ጉዳይ ላይ አቶ መለስን ተቹ(Ethiopia Zare)
“… ሱዳኖች በድንበር አካባቢ የጀመሩትን ጉዳይ አላቆሙም። ይባስ ብለው በእርሻ ሥራ መቋቋም የጀመሩትን ኢትዮጵያውያን ገበሬዎችን መተናኮል እና መጋፋት ጀመሩ። ይህ ኹኔታ እየባሰበት በመሄዱ ውሱን የመከላከያ ኃይል በዚሁ አካባቢ በማስፈር ቀስ በቀስ ይህንኑ ማጠናከር ጀመርን። ሠራዊቱ ይህን በአራሾች ላይ የሚደርሰውን በደል እና በዓይናችን ፊት የሚደርሰውን ውድመት መቃወም ጀመረ።...More..
Ethiopia faces a new famine(France24)
The isolated village is two kilometers from any major thoroughfare. Aid workers sent to the area have set up free clinics for the villagers and attempt to respond to their needs...More..
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Official: 4.5M Ethiopians need emergency food aid (USA TODAY)
In 2003, droughts led 13.2 million people to seek emergency food aid. Drought is especially disastrous in Ethiopia because more than 80% of people live off the land, and agriculture drives the economy, accounting for half of all domestic production and 85% of exports...More..
Tainted cooking oil kills 8 in Ethiopia(Reuters)
ADDIS ABABA, June 3 (Reuters) - Authorities closed 16 cooking oil factories in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday after eight people were killed and scores sickened by food cooked with contaminated oil...More..
Monday, June 2, 2008
Editorial Death by kangaroo court
Ethiomedia | June 2, 2008
yndicate spokesman Yoseph Kiros this past week announced that Mengistu and 18 of his co-defendants have been sentenced to death because they “committed serious crimes against humanity.” Mengistu’s “conviction” arises from his Red Terror campaign (1977-78), described at the time by Human Rights Watch as “one of the most systematic uses of mass murder by a state ever witnessed in Africa.” Desta Gebru, a shady judicial hack in Meles, Inc., explained that the death sentences were imposed because Mengistu and his partners-in-crime “have tortured and executed thousands of innocent people in public, which applies as genocide according to Ethiopian law.”
| |
The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
It does not appear much has changed in Ethiopia since 1977-78. The business of “torture, execution of thousands of innocent people and genocide” seems to be flourishing famously today. This is what Human Rights Watch says about Meles’ regime in 2008:
The Ethiopian government’s human rights record remains poor, both within the country and in neighboring Somalia… [Ethiopian] Government forces committed serious human rights violations, including rape, torture, and village burnings, during a campaign against Ethiopian rebels in eastern Somali Region…In March and April 2007 in Mogadishu, Somalia, the Ethiopian military used heavy artillery and rockets indiscriminately, in violation of international humanitarian law, killing hundreds of civilians and displacing up to 400,000 people, as they fought an escalating insurgency…
In the five zones affected by the conflict [Somali region], the Ethiopian military retaliated by razing entire villages, carrying out public executions, raping and harassing women and girls, arbitrarily arresting, torturing and sometimes killing suspects in military custody; and forcing thousands to flee their homes…
In Oromia, Ethiopia’s most populous state, government authorities have used the fact of a long-standing insurgency by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) to imprison, harass, and physically abuse critics, including school children… Farmers in Oromia who fail to support the governing political party are denied fertilizer and other agricultural aids over which the government exercises monopoly control.
In 2003, Human Rights Watch reported the following on the massacre of the Anuaks:
A large number of [Ethiopian] troops from the 43rd Division were in Gambella town when the massacre began and Human Rights Watch estimates that over one hundred of them participated in the massacre. Adult Anuak men were the primary targets of the violence but were not its only victims. Soldiers raped several Anuak women, over four hundred Anuak houses were burned to the ground and huge numbers of civilians fled into the forest or took shelter in compounds belonging to two of the town’s largest churches. The commander of Gambella town’s military garrison, Major Tsegaye Beyene, was in Gambella town throughout the massacre and took no apparent action to stop it; indeed, he appears to have directly taken part in the violence…
As to Meles’ judicial machinery that produced death sentences for Mengistu and his henchmen, Human Rights Watch (2008) concluded:
The judicial system remains unable to assert independence in prominent cases. In the treason trial, for example, the trial judges showed little concern for defendants’ procedural and constitutional rights and ignored claims of serious mistreatment by prison authorities. With exceptions, courts generally allow police protracted periods to investigate for evidence that might support the charges brought by prosecutors; in the meantime, defendants remain jailed without an opportunity for release on bail.
And in 2006, the Inquiry Commission that Meles personally established to investigate the post-2005 elections violence, after hearing from 1,300 witnesses and examining 16,990 documents, accused Meles’ regime of massacring 193 unarmed innocent protesters, and wounding of 760 others. Commission Chairman Judge Frehiwot Samuel explained, “Many people were killed arbitrarily. Old men were killed while in their homes and children were also victims of the attack while playing in the garden.”
Justice Delayed, and Now Justice Denied to Innocent Victims
It took Meles 17 years to bring Mengistu, one of the most notorious criminals of the second-half of the 20th Century, to “justice”. But ironically Meles may have helped Mengistu evade justice for his unspeakable crimes yet again. We could imagine any number of plausible arguments Mengistu might raise to attack his “conviction”: 1) He could claim that he was convicted by criminals who have no legal or moral authority to try him. (In other words, stone cold-hearted criminals have no authority to try and convict other stone cold-hearted criminals.) 2) He could challenge his “conviction” on the grounds that those who “convicted” him are themselves guilty of the very same crimes for which he is given a death sentence; and that he would like to see the lot of them tried “for crimes against humanity.” 3) He could argue that he was convicted in a political show trial which took an incredible 17 years. Under no legitimate legal system could he be lawfully “convicted” after a “trial” of such absurd length. He may even embarrass Meles by claiming that Meles denied him his constitutional rights under Art. 20 of Meles’ constitution, which provides, “Everyone charged with an offence shall be entitled to a public hearing before an ordinary court of law without undue delay.”
But a “public hearing” that takes 17 years to produce “justice” is not flawed merely for “undue delay”. Justice that takes 17 years to arrive is not justice delayed; it is justice mocked, justice faked and justice scorned! It is ultimately JUSTICE DENIED to the thousands of innocent victims of Mengistu Hailemariam’s monstrous and ghastly crimes.
Mengistu’s Trial and Conviction in the Court of His Own Conscience
Mengistu and his accomplices have yet to be brought before a real court of law where their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt just like any ordinary criminal. A botched conviction of these wicked and vicious criminals in a shoddy, sleazy and farcical kangaroo court will inevitably leave some shreds of lingering doubt about their guilt. Though we believe mightily in our hearts and minds that Mengistu & Co., are guilty as sin for the untold crimes they committed during the entire Derg-era (not just the Red Terror campaign), we also believe in the principle of the rule of law: True justice requires that even the repulsive Mengistu and his bloodthirsty gang of murderers must be brought to trial in a real court of law where their crimes are painstakingly documented and recorded not only to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but also to preserve for future generations a complete record of the killing field that Ethiopia became under their oppressive misrule. But in all candor, we are heavy-hearted by the prospect that this reclusive and cagey criminal may now have escaped justice altogether because of the “conviction” in the kangaroo court of Meles Zenawi.
But we are not discouraged. For now, we are content to believe that Mengistu appears before a court of his own guilty conscience in his gilded country estate in Harare every day and night to answer charges brought against him by the ghosts of the thousands of innocent people he killed and tortured. It is a small measure of justice for us to believe -- at least to comfort ourselves in the belief -- that Mengistu, confined in his palatial villa alone, will have to look into the mirror of his own guilty conscience everyday and see the wretched monster that he truly is. But Mengistu and Meles should never forget: “Justice is like a train that is nearly always late,” but for the fiendishly wicked, justice always arrives in the nick of time.
Meles is Mengistu Redux
Mengistu and Meles are like peas in a pod, like Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum. The two are vampiric identical twins whose lust for shedding innocent blood is exceeded only by their bestial cruelty. During Mengistu’s bloody 17-year regime, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians fell victim to his murderous campaigns, and the country was racked by corruption, rabid militarism and economic devastation. The signature legacy of Mengistu’s misrule remains to be the dubious honor given to Ethiopia as the international poster lady for famine, corruption and massive human rights violations. Isn’t that what Ethiopia has become today after 17 years of misrule by Meles? As they say, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Or, the more things change the more they remain the same!
It is so written…
Scripture has a timeless message for the wicked hypocrites who sit in judgment of each other. In Matthew 7: 1-5, it is written:
Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
For in the way you judge, you will be judged;
And by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye,
But do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
and behold, the log is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Meles, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother Mengistu’s eye!
--
Beseferut qûna mesefer ayqerem.
Source: Ethiomedia
Ethiopian Review (Ethiopian Review)
Jendayi Frazer faced angry audience in Seattle
June 2nd, 2008 | Source: Ethiopian Review
Muluneh Yohannes, Ethiomedia Staff Writer
Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, delivered a lecture on “The Future of Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy” at the Seattle based University of Washington Campus.
The Bureau of African Affairs and its involvement in Africa
Under the U.S. Department of State, the Bureau of African Affairs is in charge of the broader Sub-Saharan Africa region. The Bureau identified three key challenges to African leaders in the years ahead: consolidating democratic gains, expanding economic growth, and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS. According to the information from the State Department, American Foreign Policy towards Africa focuses on the following fields of cooperation: African Education Initiative, African Growth and Opportunity Act, Malaria Initiative, HIV/AIDS Initiative, Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative, Confidence and Security Building Measures.
Ambassador Frazer’s speech
The Assistant Secretary delivered a 15 to 20 minutes speech. The Ambassador highlighted that the U.S. is committed in building institutions and further strengthening strategic partnership with Africa. She specifically identified four major U.S. Foreign Policy priorities in Africa.
* The first one is the broader collaboration with the people of Africa on mutual interests.
* The second priority is Expansion of Economic Growth. The Ambassador stressed that the Bush Administration is committed for Debt Cancellation; pending endorsement from congress, 3.8 billion loans signed for health and education investment; 90 % duty free for African products of the AGOA agreement (African Growth and Opportunity Act) with fourteen Nations resulted in the current 11 trillion dollars trade exchange between the U.S. and Africa. Moreover, America targets to help the African Financial Market in the form of 100% Debt Relief amounting 42 billion dollars.
* The third area of cooperation dwells in the Fight Against Disease. Assistant Secretary Frazer quoted President Bush as saying “A baby should not die just because of the bite of a mosquito”. Accordingly, the Bush administration set a 15 billion dollars five year’s budget to tackle HIV/AIDS and a further 30 billion dollars is requested in 2007. Another 3.5 billion dollars is under utilization to tackle the deadly malaria epidemic.
* The last major area of cooperation of the U.S. with Africa is Peace Initiatives. The Assistant Secretary recalls the prime role of the U.S. in peace negotiations in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sera Leon, and the North-South Sudan conflict. Jendayi was upfront with the huge task left in conflict management and resolution. She did not hide her frustration on the highly volatile Horn of Africa situation.
Challenge surfaced on the question and answer session
There were about 200 attendees of the lecture comprising students and staff members of the campus. However, the majority of the audience was the Diaspora community from Africa, specifically from Horn of Africa. Ambassador Frazer was bombarded with emotional pleas and questions from Ethiopians, Somalis, Eritreans, Sudanese, and from the self proclaimed Independent Somali Landers. The long time friend and old classmate of Dr. Jendayi, Dr. Sanjeev Khagram moderated the Q&A session with huge difficulty and in a protective way of his guest. Two days before the event, Ethiomedia requested to have an interview with the Assistant Secretary. Our request was pushed away and communicated to us through the same Dr. Sanjeev. The following are some of the highlights of the Q&A period.
When asked about the U.S. role in the Horn of Africa crisis engulfing Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, the Ambassador explained the region as a “very, very, very hot region for current and future U.S. administrations”. The majority of the audience was from the Horn of Africa region and undoubtedly, brought burning questions. Shakespear Feyissa, an Ethiopian-American Lawyer confronted Frazer on why the U.S. has done little or nothing about the mass killings and arrests of innocent civilians, imprisonment of elected opposition officials and civic society leaders following the 2005 controversial Ethiopian election. The lawyer specifically asked why the Assistant Secretary herself and her administration ignored the dictatorial actions of Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia. As soon as Shakespear finished his high-toned question, the room was erupted with an overwhelming noise of support. The moderator seemed to panic and ordered the house not ask questions about Ethiopia. Frazer attempted to address the question and differed with Shakespear on the level of American response. She argued that they pressured Meles on the release of the prisoners and related matters.
Dr. Frazer was also asked about the policy of the U.S. on the Ethio-Eritrea border conflict. The Ambassador was frank to argue that her personal belief and stand was not to involve in this matter. However, she said that she had to do the job as instructed by her boss. According to Dr. Jendayi, President Issayas of Eritrea further complicated the matter when he chose not to deal with America. She clarified that her office and Secretary Rice have been attempting to reach Issayas with no success at all simply because the “President of Eritrea does not return our phone calls”. When she gave reasons on why President Issayas is unfriendly towards the U.S. she indicated one turning point. According to the Ambassador, President Issayas was offended when the U.S. put Ethiopia along Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya as one of the four major Strategic Countries to America. Eritrea directly asked America to remove Ethiopia from the list and Eritrea itself to take the place. Frazer mentioned that Eritrea offered an Island base for the U.S. military and it was declined because it was not needed. That also angered Issayas Afeworki. Subsequently, there is no meaningful diplomatic relationship and the Ambassador stressed that the U.S. has limited leverage over Eritrea. However, she was not short of warning the tiny Horn of Africa Nation for serving as a base for Islamic extremists. Dr. Jendayi believes that Eritrea’s support to extremists is not because of Ideological conformity, but rather Issayas is focused so much in deposing the Meles Zenawi regime in Ethiopia.
On the Somali crisis, she made it clear that the U.S. expects Ethiopia to leave Somali after making sure of the uncertainty of power vacuum. She expressed her concern on the slow African Union response. Dr. Jendayi was also asked how America handles the different Somali faction groups. She argued that the U.S. has no enemy in Africa and openly or otherwise we dialogue with all Somali Faction leaders including the extremists.
Dr. Jendayi recognized the fast paced China involvement in Africa and she mentioned that Africa would become one of the new power centers because of the hugely untapped human and natural resources. The Ambassador confessed that her African Bureau is full of junior diplomats with limited or no experience to deal with high stake issues in Africa.
Another audience asked if there is a chance for the U.S. to settle the Ethio-Eritrea dispute. Jendayi Frazer, with a tone of frustration, labeled Meles and Isayas as the twin “stubborn leaders”.
Note: information from the U.S. Department of State used for this report.
The writer can be reached at muluneh@ethiomedia.com
Ethiopia’s current ruler not any better than Mengistu (Daily Nation)
| LETTERS | ||
| Publication Date: 6/2/2008 | ||
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Exiled Anuak confront Ethiopian official in Minn.(Fox News)
The Anuak Justice Council in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has been pushing U.S. and Canadian authorities to arrest and try Omot for war crimes. He is expected to continue on to Canada next week. But advocates haven't been able to confirm whether he's traveling on a diplomatic visa that would grant him wide-ranging immunity....More..
Somali opposition says Ethiopia pull-out a condition for govt talks ( AFP)
"We have to agree that this issue of the Ethiopian occupation of Somalia will be genuinely adressed," said Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, deputy chair of the Asmara-based Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
"At least we want to get a timetable for an Ethiopian withdrawal, then we can sit face to face" with the government, he explained...More..
Sunday, June 1, 2008
VIDEO: British link in the Somalia tragedy (must watch) [Ethipian Review]
This is a must watch report by DISPATCHES, an investigative program produced by the U.K.-based Channel 4 TV. The report describes the link between U.K. and the ongoing state of terror in Somalia that is currently occupied by the Western-backed regime of Ethiopia’s dictator Meles Zenawi. Click to to get the VIDEO.
Ethiopa's humanitarian crisis (BBC)
Ethiopia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since 2003. Aid agencies in Shashamina have been inundated with people suffering from malnutrition. Wendy Urquhart reports..Click here to listen.
Somali president escapes assassination bid (CNN)
But the presence of the Ethiopians has united various Islamic militant groups in Somalia, including Al-Shaabab, who are trying to oust the Ethiopian forces and gain control of Mogadishu...More..
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