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...

Just Can’t Shake It Loose: Feingold and Leahy for Human Rights in Ethiopia (Ethiomedia)

Feingold-Leahy’s Senate Bill 3457 (“Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Ethiopia Act of 2008’’), shares the same legislative justification and evidence as H.R. 2003. S.B. 3457 documents serious, widespread and extensive human rights violations by the “Government of Ethiopia” in the aftermath of the 2005 elections. It notes the murder of 193 innocent demonstrators and injury of 763 others, detention of “thousands more opposition party leaders and their followers”, “violations of human rights and international law by the Ethiopian military in Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia, as well as in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.” The bill describes the use of “unjustifiably brutal tactics [by the ‘government’ of Ethiopia] against its own citizens in Oromiya, Amhara and Gambella regions.” The bill asserts that the recent so-called civil society law has the effect of “creat[ing] a complex web of onerous bureaucratic hurdles, draconian criminal penalties and intrusive powers of surveillance that would further decrease the political space available for civil society institutions.” Section 5 of the bill requires the President to take “additional steps to support the implementation of democracy and governance institutions and organizations in Ethiopia,” including support for civil society organizations, fundamental freedoms, bolstering the independence of the judiciary and full international access to the Ogaden, among other things. The bill provides $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 to carry out its purposes. In contrast to the Feingold-Leahy bill, H.R. 2003 imposes stricter limitations on security assistance and travel restrictions on any official of the government of Ethiopia involved in human rights violations. To avoid triggering the sanctions provisions, H.R. 2003 requires the President to report to Congress that the “government” of Ethiopia is making “quantifiable” progress in specific areas such as the release of political prisoners, independent operation of the judiciary, free operation of the print and broadcast media and restructuring of the national elections board to reflect the political diversity in the country, among others. H.R. 2003 also provides support for economic development...more..

Statement by Senators Feingold and Leahy on S. 3457 (Galbeed)

Furthermore, the Ethiopian military has come under increasing scrutiny for its conduct in the Ogaden as well as Somalia, with credible reports from non-governmental organizations of torture, rape and indiscriminate attacks. By providing unconditioned security assistance we are also sowing the seeds of insecurity and creating new grievances both in Ethiopia and in its neighboring countries....more..

Islamists threaten to shut down Mogadishu airport(Reuter)

"We banned all planes from Mogadishu after confirming that American spies, the African Union, Ethiopians and the infidel government troops use the airport," said a statement in Somali on www.kataaib.net, one of several sites used by the militants....more..

Jolie-Pitt Foundation to Open Children's Clinic in Ethiopia (Koin News)

"Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease," Jolie said in a statement to People. ...more...

Reparations for Ethiopia will redress injustices ( bdafrica)

“At that moment”, wrote Nkrumah ,” It was almost as if the whole of London had declared war on me personally. For the next few minutes I could do nothing but glare at each impassive face, wondering if these people could realise the wickedness of colonialism, and praying that the day might come when I could play my part in bringing about the downfall of such a system.”...more..

FEINGOLD INTRODUCES “SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ETHIOPIA ACT OF 2008” IN SENATE(Coalition for H.R. 2003)

The Feingold bill is substantially similar in legislative intent and appraisal of the poor human rights conditions in Ethiopia. The “findings” in the bill document a slew of human rights violations committed by the “Government of Ethiopia” in the aftermath of the 2005 elections, including the injury of “763 civilians,” the murder of 193 persons and detention of “thousands more opposition party leaders and their followers, “widespread violations of human rights and international law by the Ethiopian military in Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia, as well as in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.” The bill describes the use of “unjustifiably brutal tactics [by the government of Ethiopia] against its own citizens in Oromiya, Amhara and Gambella regions.” The bill finds the recent civil society law has the effect of “creat[ing] a complex web of onerous bureaucratic hurdles, draconian criminal penalties and intrusive powers of surveillance that would further decrease the political space available for civil society institutions.” ...read more..

U.N.: Armed killings cost U.S. $45 billion yearly (MSNBC)

Among the 90 countries are nations from every continent, including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia and the United States....more..

Ethiopia kicked out of World Cup (BBC)

However, that January meeting was not recognised by Fifa, who together with Confederation of African Football then released a roadmap in February aimed at rectifying the situation.

The EFF had agreed to implement the roadmap, but failed to put it into action and was suspended six weeks ago as a result....more..

Ethiopia says Eritrea "incapable" of another war (reuters)

The two governments intensely dislike each other and still do not agree on their frontier despite its "virtual demarcation" on maps by an independent boundary commission...read more..

High chicken prices cause discontent in Ethiopia(GMA News)

But people trying to buy live birds for Thursday's Ethiopian New Year celebrations found the price suddenly out of reach even for the relatively well-off...read more..