British minister withholds aid as Ethiopia hides famine victims(TIMESONLINE))

Douglas Alexander, the Minister for International Development, flew to Ethiopia on Thursday with a proposal committing millions in funds to the vast African nation over several years.
After visiting the Somali region and hearing the testimony of aid organisations as well as evidence of attempts by the authorities to hide the scale of the crisis, Mr Alexander told the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, that he had reconsidered. “In light of our continued concerns, I said I was now not prepared to make a multi-annual commitment,” Mr Alexander said. ...more..

Ethiopia Rejects Somalia Withdrawal Timetable (VOA)

The Ethiopian presence is viewed by many Somalis as an occupation force, prompting a violent backlash from extremist clan-based militias. But, Prime Minister Meles said withdrawal would be considered only when stability is assured...more..

On World Food Day, 17 Million People Face Starvation in the Horn of Africa (care))

combination of drought, conflict and rising food prices has left more than 17 million people in the Horn of Africa sliding into a full-blown humanitarian crisis – that's the equivalent of more than half of Calfornia facing starvation. These countries are heading into the peak hunger season when cereal prices are at their highest, and families have no stocks left from the previous harvest....more..

Troop pull-out leaves government on brink (Sunday hearald)

Diplomats and analysts in neighbouring Nairobi believe the government will fall once Ethiopia completes its withdrawal, and secret plans have been made to evacuate government ministers to neighbouring Kenya....more..

From 'Love Kitten' to child literacy(CNN)

"Children could imagine everything from books -- connections to other cultures, to other people, to other children, and to the universe at large," recalls Gebregeorgis. "..more..

8 Kenyans back from Ethiopia want police charged(Daily Nation)

..They complained about their arrest, detention and handing over to Somali and Ethiopian authorities saying it was malicious and in contravention of their rights....more..

Commentary: The End of Pax Zenawi in Somalia - By Alemayehu G. Mariam(HAROWO)

...Zenawi realizes the jig is up in Somalia. For the past several weeks, he and his officials have been consistently dropping hints and insinuations of withdrawal. In his Ethiopian “new year” video interview last month, Zenawi declared triumphantly that he had fully achieved his primary objective of destroying and neutralizing the "jihadist" threat to Ethiopia. Success in stabilizing the Somali transitional government and bringing some measure of peace and reconciliation was “not 100 percent”. But Somalia is ready to host international peacekeepers, and he is ready to take out his troops. For Zenawi, the question is not whether or not to withdraw...more..

Ethiopia returns to Kenya suspected militants(Reuters)

...Muslim and rights groups say those who were rounded up in 2007 were taken for questioning to Ethiopia, whose forces help to support Somalia's fragile government.

The groups say they were kept in jails rife with torture that some campaigners called an "African Guantanamo", drawing a parallel with suspects held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba under the U.S.-led "war on terror"....more..

"Why Am I still Here?" (HRW)

The 2007 Horn of Africa Renditions and the Fate of Those Still Missing. Click here to read the full story (PD F file)

ኢትዮጵያና ደቡብ አፍሪካ በዲሞክራሲ ገጽታ (ከፕ/ር አለማየሁ ገ/ማርያም)[Ethiopia are]

ፕሮፌሠር አለማየሁ ገ/ማርያም

ኢትዮጵያና ደቡብ አፍሪካን ከሚለይዋቸው ገጽታዎች ዋነኛው በዲሞክራሲ ግንባታ ረገድ እየተጓዙበት ያለው መንገድ ነው። በደቡብ አፍሪካ የዲሞክራሲ መገለጫ የሆነው የህዝብ መንግሥት፣ በህዝብ የተመረጠ መንግሥትና ለህዝብ የሚሠራ መንግሥት የመኖሩ ጉዳይ ነው። (Government of the people by people and for the people) በኢትዮጵያ ያለው የአገዛዝ ሥርዓት መገለጫ ግን የዲሞክራሲ ገጽታ አለው ለማለት ይከብዳል። ምክንያቱም ከዲሞክራሲ መገለጫው ይልቅ ጥቂት ግለሰቦች በሥልጣን ላይ የሚቆዩበትና የህዝብን ሀብት እንደፈለጉ የሚያደርጉበት ሁኔታ የበለጠ ይጐላልና።...more..

ኢድ ሙባረክ!

Eid Mubarak

Barack and the soul of America (Ethiopianreview)

...Barack understands the problems of Ethiopians and all oppressed peoples in the world. He understands that American security in the world is directly proportional to America’s role in ensuring freedom, democracy and human rights throughout the world. His understanding is not mere repetition of platitudes about democracy and freedom. It is much deeper than that:

"We have heard much over the last six years about how America’s larger purpose in the world is to promote the spread of freedom – that it is the yearning of all who live in the shadow of tyranny and despair. I agree. But this yearning is not satisfied by simply deposing a dictator and setting up a ballot box. The true desire of all mankind is not only to live free lives, but lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and simple justice....more..

Djibouti-Eritrea border tension could escalate, warns UN team(Africafiles)

..."The possible destabilization of Djibouti and the militarization of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait [connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and a strategic link to the Mediterranean] do not augur well for peace in the region or for international shipping and investment. Solutions must therefore be found as a matter of the utmost priority." The report placed the onus on Eritrea, which has alleged aggression by Djibouti, to cooperate with the UN and establish the facts to support its allegations. The UN should persuade Eritrea and Djibouti to demilitarize the border and return to the "status quo ante as at February," according to the report....more...

Food, water and sheep: tackling Ethiopia's food crisis (Reuters0

"Unfortunately many of the strategies people are forced to adopt to feed themselves in the short term create conditions where the cycle of poverty and hunger is prolonged. Simply providing food aid helps keep people alive, but it is an unsustainable solution," said Pete Garratt, British Red Cross relief operations manager....more...

ANC forces South African President Mbeki to resign (MiamiHerald0

...South Africans vote for parties, not individuals. That puts a premium on party loyalty and discipline among legislators and allows political leaders to quickly make radical changes....more..

Ethiopia starving Somalis(Pr-inside)

...The latest grief for Somalis was the confirmation of Ethiopian administration to designate Fridays as a working day. Friday is similar to Sabbath and Sunday for Muslims as they consider it a holy day. This loss of religious right has become the latest denial of rights to Muslim Somalis. Somali experts cite an increasing fear of the regime afraid of Muslim gatherings and sermons as the rising tension could spark demonstration in cities such as Jigjiga....read more..

Ethiopian rebels call for Ogaden aid corridor(Reuters)

"The situation is getting out of hand. Women and children and the elderly are dying from thirst and hunger," Abdirahman Mahdi, a founding member of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a telephone interview...more..

Ethiopia downplaying effect of food crisis: UN (The Australian)

JIJIGA, Ethiopia: Ethiopia has been accused of deliberately underestimating the scale of the deadly drought facing millions of its people, some of whom are being deprived of emergency food aid by the country's military.

The humanitarian crisis, caused by three years of failed rains, affects more than 4.6 million people, and the official number could jump to as high as 6.7million this week, The Times newspaper reported yesterday.

The UN says the real number at risk is more than 8 million, an estimate disputed by Addis Ababa, which is insisting on publishing a much lower figure.

"The figure has risen very substantially, maybe even doubled," said John Holmes, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, who visited Ethiopia this month, in comments reported by The Times...read more...

Ethiopia accused of hiding famine as millions starve(TimesOnline)

The WFP has told donors that it blames Ethiopia’s “delays in recognising the extent of need” for causing the rapid depletion of existing food stocks. But a Channel 4 News investigation tonight claims that the army has withheld food from villages in the Ogaden deliberately as part of a “scorched earth” policy against separatist rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)....more..

Militant threat paralyses Mogadishu airport((SwissInfo)

Turning deaf ears to what al Shabaab said means planes will be burned and staff assassinated at their houses," an official at the airport said. "We have agreed not to land planes."...more...