Tuesday, October 31, 2006

New deadly floods kill 67 in Ethiopia

Also in the news: Attention readers in Ethiopia: Judge W/Michael Messhesha's Interview (Amharic), Ethiopian royal family to sell property in Jerusalem to foreign nationals, The Ethiopian who uses old mortar shells to make great coffee and more of today's top stories

Ethiopia hit by new deadly floods

At least 67 people have been killed by floods in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region, aid workers say. Almost 300,000 have been affected after the Shabelle river burst its banks, an aid worker told the BBC.

There are also unconfirmed reports that crocodiles have killed two people in the floods. Accurate information is hard to get from the remote area.The area was also hit by devastating floods earlier this year, which killed hundreds and left thousands homeless.

The BBC's Amber Henshaw in Ethiopia says some people had only just returned home when they were forced to flee again following torrential rain. "Sixty-seven people have died since the worst flooding hit Friday, and the crocodiles in the area are eating some of the bodies," Muktar Mohammed, flood coordinator for the government-run Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau, told the AP news agency. (More...)

Attention readers in Ethiopia

You may not have had the chance to see the real report of the real independent inquiry commission. Below is a transcript of Judge W/Micheal Meshesha’s Interview with Radio Ethiopia Sweden. In this interview Judge W/Michael Messhesha reveals what was to be the report of the Original inquiry commission. [Courtesy of HR5680 taskforce]

(Read transcript)

Ethiopian royal family to sell property in Jerusalem to foreign nationals

Ethiopians in Jerusalem (EIJ)

On 21 September 2006, the Jerusalem District Court in Israel decided in favor of conferring a disputed property in Jerusalem to the survivors of Emperor Haile-Selassie and Empress Mennen.

As recalled, this property’s ownership was in dispute between the Royal Family and the EPRDF government in Ethiopia since 1999. The would-be Empress acquired the land, which is situated on Dvora Hanevia St. no 4 and 6 in Jerusalem through the mediation of the Ethiopian Consul in Jerusalem at the time Ato Paulos in early 1928, and was legally registered under the names of the late Emperor and Empress on January 25, 1928.

....Selling this ‘holy’ site to foreigners can only amount to a treacherous act against the people of Ethiopia and the memory and legacy of HIM Emperor Haile-Selassie and Empress Mennen. Through this act an important part of this memory and legacy of both of them will be irreversibly extracted and extorted from Jerusalem and Ethiopia’s histories once and for all.

So when faced with the dilemma of choice between a tyrant nihilistic regime and a self-centered elite claiming to have royal blood, one ought to remember that in both cases the Ethiopian nation is the one losing a great deal.
(More...)

The Ethiopian who uses old mortar shells to make great coffee

In Biblical times they said "turn your swords into ploughshares", now in northern Ethiopia a tradesman is bringing the saying into the 21st century.

In his workshop in Mekele, just 200km from Ethiopia's border with Eritrea, Azmeraw Zekele is turning burnt-out shells into cylinders used in coffee machines.

Most of the shells are leftover from the war between the two countries which took place between 1998 and 2000.

The workshop is made up of three quite small ramshackle rooms that lead from one to another with sunlight coming through the gaps, but it is a hive of activity for Mr Azmeraw and his six staff. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Islamists Refuse to Take Part in Peace Talks While Ethiopian Troops Are in Somalia
-China says North Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks
-Tribal fury at Pakistan air strike
-Dead woman wins election in Alaska after coin toss

New deadly floods kill 67 in Ethiopia

Also in the news: Attention readers in Ethiopia: Judge W/Michael Messhesha's Interview (Amharic), Ethiopian royal family to sell property in Jerusalem to foreign nationals, The Ethiopian who uses old mortar shells to make great coffee and more of today's top stories

Ethiopia hit by new deadly floods

At least 67 people have been killed by floods in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region, aid workers say. Almost 300,000 have been affected after the Shabelle river burst its banks, an aid worker told the BBC.

There are also unconfirmed reports that crocodiles have killed two people in the floods. Accurate information is hard to get from the remote area.The area was also hit by devastating floods earlier this year, which killed hundreds and left thousands homeless.

The BBC's Amber Henshaw in Ethiopia says some people had only just returned home when they were forced to flee again following torrential rain. "Sixty-seven people have died since the worst flooding hit Friday, and the crocodiles in the area are eating some of the bodies," Muktar Mohammed, flood coordinator for the government-run Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau, told the AP news agency. (More...)

Attention readers in Ethiopia

You may not have had the chance to see the real report of the real independent inquiry commission. Below is a transcript of Judge W/Micheal Meshesha’s Interview with Radio Ethiopia Sweden. In this interview Judge W/Michael Messhesha reveals what was to be the report of the Original inquiry commission. [Courtesy of HR5680 taskforce]

(Read transcript)

Ethiopian royal family to sell property in Jerusalem to foreign nationals

Ethiopians in Jerusalem (EIJ)

On 21 September 2006, the Jerusalem District Court in Israel decided in favor of conferring a disputed property in Jerusalem to the survivors of Emperor Haile-Selassie and Empress Mennen.

As recalled, this property’s ownership was in dispute between the Royal Family and the EPRDF government in Ethiopia since 1999. The would-be Empress acquired the land, which is situated on Dvora Hanevia St. no 4 and 6 in Jerusalem through the mediation of the Ethiopian Consul in Jerusalem at the time Ato Paulos in early 1928, and was legally registered under the names of the late Emperor and Empress on January 25, 1928.

....Selling this ‘holy’ site to foreigners can only amount to a treacherous act against the people of Ethiopia and the memory and legacy of HIM Emperor Haile-Selassie and Empress Mennen. Through this act an important part of this memory and legacy of both of them will be irreversibly extracted and extorted from Jerusalem and Ethiopia’s histories once and for all.

So when faced with the dilemma of choice between a tyrant nihilistic regime and a self-centered elite claiming to have royal blood, one ought to remember that in both cases the Ethiopian nation is the one losing a great deal.
(More...)

The Ethiopian who uses old mortar shells to make great coffee

In Biblical times they said "turn your swords into ploughshares", now in northern Ethiopia a tradesman is bringing the saying into the 21st century.

In his workshop in Mekele, just 200km from Ethiopia's border with Eritrea, Azmeraw Zekele is turning burnt-out shells into cylinders used in coffee machines.

Most of the shells are leftover from the war between the two countries which took place between 1998 and 2000.

The workshop is made up of three quite small ramshackle rooms that lead from one to another with sunlight coming through the gaps, but it is a hive of activity for Mr Azmeraw and his six staff. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Islamists Refuse to Take Part in Peace Talks While Ethiopian Troops Are in Somalia
-China says North Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks
-Tribal fury at Pakistan air strike
-Dead woman wins election in Alaska after coin toss

Monday, October 30, 2006

November 1st A day of sorrow; a day of solidarity; a day of renewed commitment

Also in the news: Open letter to Dr Mekonnen Disasa, Lucy' tour gets no love and more of today's top stories

November 1st A day of sorrow; a day of solidarity; a day of renewed commitment

Kinijit press release

Ethiopians all over the world are planning to join hands to commemorate the first anniversary of the November 1 2005 mass murder and imprisonment. This is one of the darkest days in the history of the Ethiopian People. We recall the sequence of events that dragged the people of Ethiopia into the abyss.

The government of Meles Zenawi called a general election on May 15 2005 with absolute certainty that it will win. It never expected to lose to the opposition. Contrary to the expectation of the incumbent and its foreign backers the opposition won. The Party of Meles Zenawi was not prepared to leave office. It put the civilian and military bureaucracy at its disposal on an overdrive and began conducting massive electoral fraud. The people of Ethiopia and the leaders of opposition parties stood firm and demanded that the votes be counted. Meles Zenawi arrogantly spurned all civil and peaceful means of solving the electoral dispute. The choice that the government of Meles Zenawi left to the Ethiopian people was to live under slavery.(More...)


Commentary on recent news events [Amharic, satire]

(More...)

Open letter to Dr Mekonnen Disasa
Mekonen Disasa (seen here) is the newly appointed head of the “teletafi” inquiry board. Ato Mekonen said on his report “the measures taken by security forces (in the June and November killings) were appropriate when they were seen in light of a budding democracy”. Ato Mekonen dissasa and the few remaining members of the “teletafi” inquiry commission, like Judas, betrayed those killed and maimed, in return for a few pieces of silver.

(by Tsegaye Hagos via AddisVoice)

I have been shocked to hear about the altered version of the inquiry commission’s report which justified the massacre of defenceless citizens including children. Thanks to Judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha, we know the real findings and conclusions of the inquiry commission whose honest members have faced intimidation and threats. People may flee their country but the truth remains where it is.

Having said that, I would like to say what I know about you, Dr Mekonnen Disasa, who appeared in front of reporters, as Acting Chair of a defunct commission, to lie on behalf of the tyrannical regime. That wasn’t unexpected from a political turncoat who was once a devout Derg cadre. When I worked as a lecturer at Addis Ababa University for nearly two decades, one of those frustrated ‘academics’ and enemies of academic freedom, who changed colours like a good chameleon, as time changes, was yourself. (More...)

Also read:
-Ethiopian security forces massacred protesters: Associated Press
-Judge: Ethiopian forces killed 193 unarmed protesters: CNN
-Ethiopian protesters 'massacred': BBC

Lucy' tour gets no love from two U.S. museums

Rick Potts, the director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program and a paleoanthropologist, said he and many other scientists agree that Lucy is too fragile to travel. He said the Ethiopian artifacts would not come to the Smithsonian.

A spokesman for the American Museum of Natural History in New York also said that the museum would not accept the 3.2-million-year-old fossilized remains.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-How to Hug an EPRDFffer: [satire] Weichegud
-Nigerian crash airline grounded
-14,000 U.S.-supplied weapons reportedly missing in Iraq
-Britain seeks ‘bold’ climate action, hires Gore
-Brazil's leftist Lula re-elected in landslide
-Potential Male Contraceptive in the works
-Report finds St. Louis most dangerous U.S. city
-Most lucrative degrees for college grads

November 1st A day of sorrow; a day of solidarity; a day of renewed commitment

Also in the news: Open letter to Dr Mekonnen Disasa, Lucy' tour gets no love and more of today's top stories

November 1st A day of sorrow; a day of solidarity; a day of renewed commitment

Kinijit press release

Ethiopians all over the world are planning to join hands to commemorate the first anniversary of the November 1 2005 mass murder and imprisonment. This is one of the darkest days in the history of the Ethiopian People. We recall the sequence of events that dragged the people of Ethiopia into the abyss.

The government of Meles Zenawi called a general election on May 15 2005 with absolute certainty that it will win. It never expected to lose to the opposition. Contrary to the expectation of the incumbent and its foreign backers the opposition won. The Party of Meles Zenawi was not prepared to leave office. It put the civilian and military bureaucracy at its disposal on an overdrive and began conducting massive electoral fraud. The people of Ethiopia and the leaders of opposition parties stood firm and demanded that the votes be counted. Meles Zenawi arrogantly spurned all civil and peaceful means of solving the electoral dispute. The choice that the government of Meles Zenawi left to the Ethiopian people was to live under slavery.(More...)


Commentary on recent news events [Amharic, satire]

(More...)

Open letter to Dr Mekonnen Disasa
Mekonen Disasa (seen here) is the newly appointed head of the “teletafi” inquiry board. Ato Mekonen said on his report “the measures taken by security forces (in the June and November killings) were appropriate when they were seen in light of a budding democracy”. Ato Mekonen dissasa and the few remaining members of the “teletafi” inquiry commission, like Judas, betrayed those killed and maimed, in return for a few pieces of silver.

(by Tsegaye Hagos via AddisVoice)

I have been shocked to hear about the altered version of the inquiry commission’s report which justified the massacre of defenceless citizens including children. Thanks to Judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha, we know the real findings and conclusions of the inquiry commission whose honest members have faced intimidation and threats. People may flee their country but the truth remains where it is.

Having said that, I would like to say what I know about you, Dr Mekonnen Disasa, who appeared in front of reporters, as Acting Chair of a defunct commission, to lie on behalf of the tyrannical regime. That wasn’t unexpected from a political turncoat who was once a devout Derg cadre. When I worked as a lecturer at Addis Ababa University for nearly two decades, one of those frustrated ‘academics’ and enemies of academic freedom, who changed colours like a good chameleon, as time changes, was yourself. (More...)

Also read:
-Ethiopian security forces massacred protesters: Associated Press
-Judge: Ethiopian forces killed 193 unarmed protesters: CNN
-Ethiopian protesters 'massacred': BBC

Lucy' tour gets no love from two U.S. museums

Rick Potts, the director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program and a paleoanthropologist, said he and many other scientists agree that Lucy is too fragile to travel. He said the Ethiopian artifacts would not come to the Smithsonian.

A spokesman for the American Museum of Natural History in New York also said that the museum would not accept the 3.2-million-year-old fossilized remains.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-How to Hug an EPRDFffer: [satire] Weichegud
-Nigerian crash airline grounded
-14,000 U.S.-supplied weapons reportedly missing in Iraq
-Britain seeks ‘bold’ climate action, hires Gore
-Brazil's leftist Lula re-elected in landslide
-Potential Male Contraceptive in the works
-Report finds St. Louis most dangerous U.S. city
-Most lucrative degrees for college grads

Friday, October 27, 2006

ION: Secretary general of Parliament on the run and The Week in Review

Catch-up on major news events you missed in the past week - Plus the weekend’s top stories!

Also in the news: [Diplomats in Ethiopia under surveillance: ION report] [Message from Kinijit Vancouver] [15 killed, thousands displaced in Ethiopia flood]

Secretary general of Parliament on the run
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1200 28/10/2006

According to several tallying information sources, the secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Representatives, Foto Bedane, took advantage of an official journey to Europe to defect from the regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He was part of an Ethiopian parliamentary delegation headed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Degfe Bula which had left Addis Ababa on 13 October to go to Geneva (Switzerland) to attend the 115th general assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from 16 to 18 October. Foto Bedane is reported to have then decided not to return to Addis Ababa and may seek refugee status in the United States. His predecessor, Samuel Alemayhu, had similarly defected after a world conference of speakers of parliament in September 2005 in New York.

The Week in Review

  • Monday- October 23, 2006

  • According to our investigation 193 civilians were shot dead by security forces: Wolde-Michael Meshesha, Teletafi kinijit splits in two(addis Abeba), ETHIOPIAN AMERICAN AND ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS condemn HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS in Ethiopia, Lemtmerugn (poem by Tewodros Abebe), Somalia's ICU leader dares Ethiopia to attack, Addis ferengi signing off

  • Tuesday- October 24, 2006

  • Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government, Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy, Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators, Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle, Ethiopia's "Lucy" to be exhibited in United States, From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups, Ethiopia at war with ICU, Jonny Ragga Wins Music Award

  • Wednesday- October 25, 2006

  • The commission’s report proves that the “evidence” against imprisoned leaders of Kinijit is contrived: Kinijit Press release, Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia, Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US, Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality, Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border

  • Thursday- October 26, 2006

  • Yalemzewd Bekele released, Smithsonian OPPOSES Lucy’s tour, Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions, Starbucks roasted over African dispute, ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government, Prize offered to Africa's leaders, Eritrean fatally shot

  • Friday- October 27, 2006

  • Meles tells diplomats CUD's trial ends this year, An Open Letter to Ethiopians: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, Wolde-Michael Reacts to Report, disturbing news from a former aid darling, EU says Ethiopia released its staff member, UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia, African Unite 2007
Message from Kinijit Vancouver

1. Wednesday November 1 2006 at 6 PM sharp
Protest rally & Candle light vigil front of
CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . (message CBC speak up)
700 Hamilton Street. ( Hamilton & Georgia ) Vancouver,
Rain or Shine we will be there

2. Send the post card we prepared to your MP

3. Distribute the post card in the community throughout the month of November.
Form more Information see flyer

Diplomats under surveillance
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1200 28/10/2006

The recent expulsion of two members of the European Commission illustrates the extent to which diplomats in Addis Ababa are under surveillance.

The two members of the European Commission expelled by the Ethiopian authorities for “trafficking” had not been arrested at Moyale, a town on the border with Kenya, as the Ethiopian authorities claim, but 150 km from there, near Agre Mariam, on their way back from Addis Ababa. The Swedish diplomat Bjorn Jonsson and the Italian Enrico Sborgi had gone to the border to accompany Yalemzewd Bekele, a 29 year old human rights activist who worked for the European delegation in Addis Ababa. She believed she was in danger of being arrested because of her links with the opposition. She had initially taken refuge in the premises of the European delegation and later in Jonsson’s house. She was then accompanied to Moyale where she was arrested on 19 November while showing her papers to the Ethiopian immigration service. Fasil Assefa, who was waiting for her at the Koket Borena hotel but had no intention of going to Kenya, was also arrested.

According to some sources, the Ethiopian intelligence agents investigating Yalemzewd had photos of her eating a pizza with Jonsson, her line manager, the day she took refuge in the EC premises in Addis Ababa. They are also said to have photos showing her in the company of other members of the staff of the European delegation during private meetings. This would appear to show that the whole affair had been minutely prepared by the Ethiopian intelligence services. Better still, according to opposition sources, these services have benefited from the complicity of members of the private security company which guards the European delegation compound. This security firm, Sebhatu and Brothers, is owned by the brothers of Mimi Sebhatu, a journalist close to the regime who benefited with her husband Zerihun Teshome, for the attribution of a licence to launch a private radio station. She is also the editor of the newspaper Eftin which is strongly supportive of the Ethiopian regime. Agents from this security company could have informed the official intelligence services of Yalemzewd’s comings and goings and of her departure for Moyale. Her telephone conversations with the expelled diplomats, and with Tim Clark, the head of the European delegation in Addis Ababa, are also believed to have been recorded in the same way.

Sebhatu & Brothers may be employing disguised government agents. It was the government coalition, EPRDF that, according to people close to Mimi Sebhatu and her husband, provided half of the funding to create this security company. This company has more clients than another security company linked to partisans of the regime, belonging to Major Alemseged Gebre Yohannes, a former deputy Police Commissioner.

15 killed, thousands displaced in Ethiopia flood

ADDIS ABABA - A river burst its banks in southeastern Ethiopia killing 15 people and displacing more than 2,000, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said on Saturday.

“Wabe Shebelle broke its banks and flooded adjoining areas following heavy rains in highland Ethiopia,” ENA said quoting Ethiopia’s early warning disaster unit.

State television said late on Friday the towns of Kibredehar and Musthale were flooded and that residents had to move to higher ground. It said a U.N. boat and fact finding team had been sent to the region.(More...)

ION: Secretary general of Parliament on the run and The Week in Review

Catch-up on major news events you missed in the past week - Plus the weekend’s top stories!

Also in the news: [Diplomats in Ethiopia under surveillance: ION report] [Message from Kinijit Vancouver] [15 killed, thousands displaced in Ethiopia flood]

Secretary general of Parliament on the run
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1200 28/10/2006

According to several tallying information sources, the secretary general of the Ethiopian Chamber of Representatives, Foto Bedane, took advantage of an official journey to Europe to defect from the regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He was part of an Ethiopian parliamentary delegation headed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Degfe Bula which had left Addis Ababa on 13 October to go to Geneva (Switzerland) to attend the 115th general assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from 16 to 18 October. Foto Bedane is reported to have then decided not to return to Addis Ababa and may seek refugee status in the United States. His predecessor, Samuel Alemayhu, had similarly defected after a world conference of speakers of parliament in September 2005 in New York.

The Week in Review

  • Monday- October 23, 2006

  • According to our investigation 193 civilians were shot dead by security forces: Wolde-Michael Meshesha, Teletafi kinijit splits in two(addis Abeba), ETHIOPIAN AMERICAN AND ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS condemn HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS in Ethiopia, Lemtmerugn (poem by Tewodros Abebe), Somalia's ICU leader dares Ethiopia to attack, Addis ferengi signing off

  • Tuesday- October 24, 2006

  • Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government, Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy, Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators, Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle, Ethiopia's "Lucy" to be exhibited in United States, From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups, Ethiopia at war with ICU, Jonny Ragga Wins Music Award

  • Wednesday- October 25, 2006

  • The commission’s report proves that the “evidence” against imprisoned leaders of Kinijit is contrived: Kinijit Press release, Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia, Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US, Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality, Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border

  • Thursday- October 26, 2006

  • Yalemzewd Bekele released, Smithsonian OPPOSES Lucy’s tour, Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions, Starbucks roasted over African dispute, ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government, Prize offered to Africa's leaders, Eritrean fatally shot

  • Friday- October 27, 2006

  • Meles tells diplomats CUD's trial ends this year, An Open Letter to Ethiopians: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, Wolde-Michael Reacts to Report, disturbing news from a former aid darling, EU says Ethiopia released its staff member, UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia, African Unite 2007
Message from Kinijit Vancouver

1. Wednesday November 1 2006 at 6 PM sharp
Protest rally & Candle light vigil front of
CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . (message CBC speak up)
700 Hamilton Street. ( Hamilton & Georgia ) Vancouver,
Rain or Shine we will be there

2. Send the post card we prepared to your MP

3. Distribute the post card in the community throughout the month of November.
Form more Information see flyer

Diplomats under surveillance
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1200 28/10/2006

The recent expulsion of two members of the European Commission illustrates the extent to which diplomats in Addis Ababa are under surveillance.

The two members of the European Commission expelled by the Ethiopian authorities for “trafficking” had not been arrested at Moyale, a town on the border with Kenya, as the Ethiopian authorities claim, but 150 km from there, near Agre Mariam, on their way back from Addis Ababa. The Swedish diplomat Bjorn Jonsson and the Italian Enrico Sborgi had gone to the border to accompany Yalemzewd Bekele, a 29 year old human rights activist who worked for the European delegation in Addis Ababa. She believed she was in danger of being arrested because of her links with the opposition. She had initially taken refuge in the premises of the European delegation and later in Jonsson’s house. She was then accompanied to Moyale where she was arrested on 19 November while showing her papers to the Ethiopian immigration service. Fasil Assefa, who was waiting for her at the Koket Borena hotel but had no intention of going to Kenya, was also arrested.

According to some sources, the Ethiopian intelligence agents investigating Yalemzewd had photos of her eating a pizza with Jonsson, her line manager, the day she took refuge in the EC premises in Addis Ababa. They are also said to have photos showing her in the company of other members of the staff of the European delegation during private meetings. This would appear to show that the whole affair had been minutely prepared by the Ethiopian intelligence services. Better still, according to opposition sources, these services have benefited from the complicity of members of the private security company which guards the European delegation compound. This security firm, Sebhatu and Brothers, is owned by the brothers of Mimi Sebhatu, a journalist close to the regime who benefited with her husband Zerihun Teshome, for the attribution of a licence to launch a private radio station. She is also the editor of the newspaper Eftin which is strongly supportive of the Ethiopian regime. Agents from this security company could have informed the official intelligence services of Yalemzewd’s comings and goings and of her departure for Moyale. Her telephone conversations with the expelled diplomats, and with Tim Clark, the head of the European delegation in Addis Ababa, are also believed to have been recorded in the same way.

Sebhatu & Brothers may be employing disguised government agents. It was the government coalition, EPRDF that, according to people close to Mimi Sebhatu and her husband, provided half of the funding to create this security company. This company has more clients than another security company linked to partisans of the regime, belonging to Major Alemseged Gebre Yohannes, a former deputy Police Commissioner.

15 killed, thousands displaced in Ethiopia flood

ADDIS ABABA - A river burst its banks in southeastern Ethiopia killing 15 people and displacing more than 2,000, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said on Saturday.

“Wabe Shebelle broke its banks and flooded adjoining areas following heavy rains in highland Ethiopia,” ENA said quoting Ethiopia’s early warning disaster unit.

State television said late on Friday the towns of Kibredehar and Musthale were flooded and that residents had to move to higher ground. It said a U.N. boat and fact finding team had been sent to the region.(More...)

Meles tells diplomats, CUD's trial ends this year

Also in the news: An Open Letter to Ethiopians: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, Wolde-Michael Reacts to Report, disturbing news from a former aid darling, EU says Ethiopia released its staff member, UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia, African Unite 2007 and more of today's top stories

-----------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As Professor Christopher Clapham of the University of Cambridge rightly noted, the May 15, 2005 legislative elections ushered in an unmistakable but painful transition to a democratic order in Ethiopia . The outmoded vision of sectarian and autocratic rule that masqueraded as “ethnocentric democracy” was resoundingly rejected by the heroic Ethiopian voters. The majority of voters instead endorsed a modern democratic system based on the sovereignty of the free citizen.

The Citizens' Charter Group is pleased to introduce to the Ethiopian public a “Citizens’ Charter for Ethiopian Democracy” which articulates this pan-Ethiopian vision. The Citizens’ Charter embodies what binds all Ethiopians and thereby affirms the primacy of Ethiopian identity in a manner which makes it possible to embrace diverse cultural identities.

The Citizens' Charter Group invites the public to engage in a constructive debate on the kind of Ethiopia we want to emerge out of the current crisis. The Group urges political parties which consider themselves Ethiopian to endorse the Charter, and civic organizations to adopt it as the foundation for united action. Finally, readers are kindly requested to assist with the widest possible circulation of the attached Charter document.

The Citizens' Charter Group
27 October 2006
------------------------------------------------

An Open Letter to Ethiopians

Re: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia (27 October 2006)
Ye’Etyiopiawian Yemebitna Gideta Qal-kidan

Dear Compatriots at Home and Abroad:

We, the undersigned, are a group of concerned Ethiopians who value civic activism in the cause of freedom, that is, freedom from unrelenting poverty and freedom from unremitting tyranny. The lessons of history clearly show that the cause of liberty is best served by a political system that respects the sovereignty of the citizen and generously rewards those activities that promote the common good. They also show that shared prosperity comes with the help of an economic system that guarantees economic freedom and rewards productive activity.

Achieving the twin goals of Ethiopian democracy and prosperity presupposes a government that is at once competent and accountable to citizens. Such a government is, unfortunately, a product of protracted struggle by a coordinated political movement that includes political parties and civic organizations. Needless to say, this movement has to be inspired by a democratic process for public decision-making and by a pan-Ethiopian vision of the future of the country. (More...)

Meles tells diplomats, CUD's trial ends this year

capitalethiopia - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met with diplomats in Addis Ababa, on Saturday, October 14 to confer on current affairs and developments in the country, expressing his expectation that the more than 100 detained opposition members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), journalists and members of civic organisations trial will see a conclusion before the end of this Ethiopian year, diplomatic sources disclosed.

In a meeting that went on for two hours at the Prime Minister's office, Meles told the diplomats that as part of the civil service reform of the government, his administration has the responsibility for citizens to get speedy and fair justice, but affirmed that he has no mandate or authority over the case, which is the responsibility of the courts. More over, the Prime Minister told the diplomats that recent nationwide meetings of his party, the EPRDF performance over the past three years have been reviewed and it was revealed that the performance in terms of economic growth has been quite good but that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of governance, capacity building and democratization.

“ There have been some achievements but we very much feel that there is more to be done,” he was quoted by diplomatic sources as saying.

The Ethiopian government has detained more than 100 people including 29 CUD leaders about 20 journalists accused of plotting to overthrow the government and also charged with high treason and genocide. The CUD is accused by the government of fomenting violence since the elections in May 2005.the detainees has been in custody for the last 9 months.

The opposition alleges the elections were riddled with fraud. In the aftermath of the bitterly disputed elections, at least 90 people were killed in Addis Ababa in outbreaks of violence in June and November 2005.

An anonymous diplomat told Capital that issues related with the ACP-EU parliamentarians that recently paid a visit to the country were raised in the meeting with both parts agreeing their involvement was of a paramount importance in the building up of the parliamentary democratization process. Last week's meeting took place after the diplomats met the Prime Minister in February to discuss on issues related to the Addis Ababa City Council, Oromia, Parliament and as well as EU observers being sent to observe the CUD trial.

Former Commission of Inquiry Vice Chair Reacts to Report on Post-Election Violence

“This is what the government want to be said. That’s why I left the country. We had arrived at a decision that said the force used by the security forces to stop the uprising was excessive. It was not necessary because 193 civilians were dead without any arming such kind of gun or any other weapons. So how can one say this is not excessive force? So I say this was not the will of all the members but by force,” - Wolde-Michael speaking on yesterday’s report by the “teletafi” inquiry commission (Picture by EMF)

Washington, D.C. -- 27 October 2006 -- The former vice chair of Ethiopia’s commission of inquiry that investigated last year’s post-election violence, Wolde-Michael Meshesha, says the report released yesterday does not represent the will of majority of the commission’s members. That report said 199 people were killed. At the same time it says the police did not use excessive force. But Meshesha, who fled Ethiopia earlier this month, tells VOA English to Africa reporter James Butty the commission reported what the government urged it to report.(More...)

Ethiopia: More disturbing news from a former aid darling of the West

The Economist

...But the government's (EPRDF/TPLF) grip on power is slipping. An instinct for self-preservation may explain the former rebel fighters' return to Soviet methods. Things began to fall apart last year when a disorganised opposition disputed the results of a general election. Street protests followed in the capital in June and again in November. Around 80 people were believed to have been killed, including some police, after which opposition leaders, journalists, human-rights activists and businessmen were arrested. Many have since been charged with treason and genocide.

The government promised a speedy trial but has reneged, dragging out the process while keeping it far from view. Most of those arrested are still languishing in Kaliti prison in Addis Ababa. The cells there are baking hot by day, freezing by night, infested with roaches and mice, and thick with mud in the rainy season. The government has so far used a mix of spin and harassment of journalists (local more than foreign) to avoid international condemnation. But that may be changing.(More...)

EU says Ethiopia released its staff member

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ethiopia has released European Commission staff member and rights lawyer Yalemzewd Bekele from jail, the EU said, welcoming the move but reaffirming that the bloc's ties with the African country had been damaged.

"The release of Ms Bekele is very good news. We had been extremely concerned about her fate since her arrest," European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said in a statement on Friday.

Last week, Addis Ababa expelled two European Union diplomats -- an Italian and a Swede -- saying they had been caught trying to smuggle two wanted Ethiopians out of the country by car.

Bekele was one of the two Ethiopians detained near the border with Kenya. Amnesty International had said she was at risk of torture for aiding the opposition. There was no word on the other Ethiopian detained with Bekele.(More...)

African Unite 2007

How good and how pleasant it would be before God and man, To see the unification of all Africans (Lyrics from Africa Unite)- BOB MARLEY

Africa Unite, which was last year held in Ethiopia, will now be held in South Africa next following followinga decision by The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation.

LATE reggae icon Bob Marley's widow Rita has decided to bring the African Unite, an event meant to encourage peace, education and empowerment of the youth on the continent to South Africa.

The event that also reinforces the significance of Marley’s songs of freedom, was last year held in Ethiopia but the The Bob & Rita Marley Foundation have decided to bring next year’s event to South Africa.(More..)

Today's Top Stories

-UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia; fears 'all out war'
-Sudanese ambassador: U.N. envoy 'abused his authority'
-Mexico fury as Bush gives go-ahead to border fence
-Iran has begun uranium enrichment in second centrifuge cascade, agency says
-2 German soldiers suspended for skull photos
-Snoop arrested at California airport

Meles tells diplomats, CUD's trial ends this year

Also in the news: An Open Letter to Ethiopians: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, Wolde-Michael Reacts to Report, disturbing news from a former aid darling, EU says Ethiopia released its staff member, UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia, African Unite 2007 and more of today's top stories

-----------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As Professor Christopher Clapham of the University of Cambridge rightly noted, the May 15, 2005 legislative elections ushered in an unmistakable but painful transition to a democratic order in Ethiopia . The outmoded vision of sectarian and autocratic rule that masqueraded as “ethnocentric democracy” was resoundingly rejected by the heroic Ethiopian voters. The majority of voters instead endorsed a modern democratic system based on the sovereignty of the free citizen.

The Citizens' Charter Group is pleased to introduce to the Ethiopian public a “Citizens’ Charter for Ethiopian Democracy” which articulates this pan-Ethiopian vision. The Citizens’ Charter embodies what binds all Ethiopians and thereby affirms the primacy of Ethiopian identity in a manner which makes it possible to embrace diverse cultural identities.

The Citizens' Charter Group invites the public to engage in a constructive debate on the kind of Ethiopia we want to emerge out of the current crisis. The Group urges political parties which consider themselves Ethiopian to endorse the Charter, and civic organizations to adopt it as the foundation for united action. Finally, readers are kindly requested to assist with the widest possible circulation of the attached Charter document.

The Citizens' Charter Group
27 October 2006
------------------------------------------------

An Open Letter to Ethiopians

Re: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia (27 October 2006)
Ye’Etyiopiawian Yemebitna Gideta Qal-kidan

Dear Compatriots at Home and Abroad:

We, the undersigned, are a group of concerned Ethiopians who value civic activism in the cause of freedom, that is, freedom from unrelenting poverty and freedom from unremitting tyranny. The lessons of history clearly show that the cause of liberty is best served by a political system that respects the sovereignty of the citizen and generously rewards those activities that promote the common good. They also show that shared prosperity comes with the help of an economic system that guarantees economic freedom and rewards productive activity.

Achieving the twin goals of Ethiopian democracy and prosperity presupposes a government that is at once competent and accountable to citizens. Such a government is, unfortunately, a product of protracted struggle by a coordinated political movement that includes political parties and civic organizations. Needless to say, this movement has to be inspired by a democratic process for public decision-making and by a pan-Ethiopian vision of the future of the country. (More...)

Meles tells diplomats, CUD's trial ends this year

capitalethiopia - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met with diplomats in Addis Ababa, on Saturday, October 14 to confer on current affairs and developments in the country, expressing his expectation that the more than 100 detained opposition members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), journalists and members of civic organisations trial will see a conclusion before the end of this Ethiopian year, diplomatic sources disclosed.

In a meeting that went on for two hours at the Prime Minister's office, Meles told the diplomats that as part of the civil service reform of the government, his administration has the responsibility for citizens to get speedy and fair justice, but affirmed that he has no mandate or authority over the case, which is the responsibility of the courts. More over, the Prime Minister told the diplomats that recent nationwide meetings of his party, the EPRDF performance over the past three years have been reviewed and it was revealed that the performance in terms of economic growth has been quite good but that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of governance, capacity building and democratization.

“ There have been some achievements but we very much feel that there is more to be done,” he was quoted by diplomatic sources as saying.

The Ethiopian government has detained more than 100 people including 29 CUD leaders about 20 journalists accused of plotting to overthrow the government and also charged with high treason and genocide. The CUD is accused by the government of fomenting violence since the elections in May 2005.the detainees has been in custody for the last 9 months.

The opposition alleges the elections were riddled with fraud. In the aftermath of the bitterly disputed elections, at least 90 people were killed in Addis Ababa in outbreaks of violence in June and November 2005.

An anonymous diplomat told Capital that issues related with the ACP-EU parliamentarians that recently paid a visit to the country were raised in the meeting with both parts agreeing their involvement was of a paramount importance in the building up of the parliamentary democratization process. Last week's meeting took place after the diplomats met the Prime Minister in February to discuss on issues related to the Addis Ababa City Council, Oromia, Parliament and as well as EU observers being sent to observe the CUD trial.

Former Commission of Inquiry Vice Chair Reacts to Report on Post-Election Violence

“This is what the government want to be said. That’s why I left the country. We had arrived at a decision that said the force used by the security forces to stop the uprising was excessive. It was not necessary because 193 civilians were dead without any arming such kind of gun or any other weapons. So how can one say this is not excessive force? So I say this was not the will of all the members but by force,” - Wolde-Michael speaking on yesterday’s report by the “teletafi” inquiry commission (Picture by EMF)

Washington, D.C. -- 27 October 2006 -- The former vice chair of Ethiopia’s commission of inquiry that investigated last year’s post-election violence, Wolde-Michael Meshesha, says the report released yesterday does not represent the will of majority of the commission’s members. That report said 199 people were killed. At the same time it says the police did not use excessive force. But Meshesha, who fled Ethiopia earlier this month, tells VOA English to Africa reporter James Butty the commission reported what the government urged it to report.(More...)

Ethiopia: More disturbing news from a former aid darling of the West

The Economist

...But the government's (EPRDF/TPLF) grip on power is slipping. An instinct for self-preservation may explain the former rebel fighters' return to Soviet methods. Things began to fall apart last year when a disorganised opposition disputed the results of a general election. Street protests followed in the capital in June and again in November. Around 80 people were believed to have been killed, including some police, after which opposition leaders, journalists, human-rights activists and businessmen were arrested. Many have since been charged with treason and genocide.

The government promised a speedy trial but has reneged, dragging out the process while keeping it far from view. Most of those arrested are still languishing in Kaliti prison in Addis Ababa. The cells there are baking hot by day, freezing by night, infested with roaches and mice, and thick with mud in the rainy season. The government has so far used a mix of spin and harassment of journalists (local more than foreign) to avoid international condemnation. But that may be changing.(More...)

EU says Ethiopia released its staff member

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ethiopia has released European Commission staff member and rights lawyer Yalemzewd Bekele from jail, the EU said, welcoming the move but reaffirming that the bloc's ties with the African country had been damaged.

"The release of Ms Bekele is very good news. We had been extremely concerned about her fate since her arrest," European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said in a statement on Friday.

Last week, Addis Ababa expelled two European Union diplomats -- an Italian and a Swede -- saying they had been caught trying to smuggle two wanted Ethiopians out of the country by car.

Bekele was one of the two Ethiopians detained near the border with Kenya. Amnesty International had said she was at risk of torture for aiding the opposition. There was no word on the other Ethiopian detained with Bekele.(More...)

African Unite 2007

How good and how pleasant it would be before God and man, To see the unification of all Africans (Lyrics from Africa Unite)- BOB MARLEY

Africa Unite, which was last year held in Ethiopia, will now be held in South Africa next following followinga decision by The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation.

LATE reggae icon Bob Marley's widow Rita has decided to bring the African Unite, an event meant to encourage peace, education and empowerment of the youth on the continent to South Africa.

The event that also reinforces the significance of Marley’s songs of freedom, was last year held in Ethiopia but the The Bob & Rita Marley Foundation have decided to bring next year’s event to South Africa.(More..)

Today's Top Stories

-UN report: thousands of foreign troops in Somalia; fears 'all out war'
-Sudanese ambassador: U.N. envoy 'abused his authority'
-Mexico fury as Bush gives go-ahead to border fence
-Iran has begun uranium enrichment in second centrifuge cascade, agency says
-2 German soldiers suspended for skull photos
-Snoop arrested at California airport

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Yalemzewd Bekele released

Unconfirmed report: Eftin (a pro-government newspaper) is reporting the release of Yalemzewd Bekele Along with Mr.Abdulkadir Abdi, Mr. Adane Shewa and Fasil Assefa: check back with ETP for more details as they become available
----------------------
**(update)** Ethio-Zagol has now confirmed this news. Yalemzewd Bekele is out on bail

-----------------------
Also in the news: Smithsonian OPPOSES Lucy’s tour, Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions, Starbucks roasted over African dispute, ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government, Prize offered to Africa's leaders, Eritrean fatally shot and more of todays top stories

Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions

The Eritrean ministry of information is reporting that four Ethiopian soldiers have arrived in Eritrea seeking asylum. The soldiers, the ministry said, disclosed that the TPLF regime has given orders preventing Army members not to engage in discussion in more than two.

The defecting soldiers are Abebe Gebisa Sorecha, Ermias Gebre Woldesenbet, Sew-Bihon Atali Mola and Abadi Berhau Mengesha.(source)

Smithsonian Natural History Museum OPPOSES Lucy’s tour

"Not only is it not going to come to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, it is our position that we don't think it should leave Ethiopia," museum spokesman Randall Kremer said Wednesday.

Smithsonian scientists feel certain objects, such as Lucy, are too valuable to travel and should remain in their homes, he said.

The Smithsonian Institution, often called "America's attic," is considered the country's premier grouping of museums, covering subjects from history to science to aviation to art to the National Zoo. It was founded in the 19th century with a bequest by British scientist James Smithson

Prize offered to Africa's leaders

A $5m prize is offered to Africa's most effective head of state, in an effort to combat poor leadership.

UK-based mobile phone entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim - who was born in Egypt - is behind the plan to rate governance in 53 African countries each year. The contest, launched in London, will award winning leaders $5m (£2.7m) over 10 years when they leave office, plus $200,000 (£107,000) a year for life.

"We need to remove corruption and improve governance," Mr Ibrahim said.(More...)

193 Protesters Said Killed in Ethiopia: [Forbes]

Ethiopian security forces fatally shot, beat or strangled 193 people protesting election fraud last year, triple the official death toll, a senior judge appointed to investigate the violence said.

Wolde-Michael Meshesha, a vice chairman of the 10-member inquiry, accused the government of trying to suppress the results of the probe amid sharp questions about Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's commitment to democratic reform.(More...)

Starbucks roasted over African dispute

THE global coffee company Starbucks is opposing an Ethiopian plan to get a bigger share of its coffee trade for poor farmers, the international aid agency Oxfam says.

The Ethiopian Government has filed applications in the US to trademark three famous Ethiopian coffee names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. This could earn Ethiopia's coffee industry and farmers an estimated $116 million extra a year.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-"Inquiry commission" betrays massacred victims: AddisVoice
-Delusion, Frivolity and Now Desperation
-ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government
-Eritrean fatally shot after entering UN post in border zone
-Bush signs bill authorizing border fence
-'60 civilians killed' in Nato raid
-Iraqi PM distances himself from US
-Exxon Mobil posts profit of $10 billion
-"Sexsomniacs" puzzle medical researchers

Yalemzewd Bekele released

Unconfirmed report: Eftin (a pro-government newspaper) is reporting the release of Yalemzewd Bekele Along with Mr.Abdulkadir Abdi, Mr. Adane Shewa and Fasil Assefa: check back with ETP for more details as they become available
----------------------
**(update)** Ethio-Zagol has now confirmed this news. Yalemzewd Bekele is out on bail

-----------------------
Also in the news: Smithsonian OPPOSES Lucy’s tour, Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions, Starbucks roasted over African dispute, ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government, Prize offered to Africa's leaders, Eritrean fatally shot and more of todays top stories

Ethiopian Soldiers ordered not to engage in discussions

The Eritrean ministry of information is reporting that four Ethiopian soldiers have arrived in Eritrea seeking asylum. The soldiers, the ministry said, disclosed that the TPLF regime has given orders preventing Army members not to engage in discussion in more than two.

The defecting soldiers are Abebe Gebisa Sorecha, Ermias Gebre Woldesenbet, Sew-Bihon Atali Mola and Abadi Berhau Mengesha.(source)

Smithsonian Natural History Museum OPPOSES Lucy’s tour

"Not only is it not going to come to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, it is our position that we don't think it should leave Ethiopia," museum spokesman Randall Kremer said Wednesday.

Smithsonian scientists feel certain objects, such as Lucy, are too valuable to travel and should remain in their homes, he said.

The Smithsonian Institution, often called "America's attic," is considered the country's premier grouping of museums, covering subjects from history to science to aviation to art to the National Zoo. It was founded in the 19th century with a bequest by British scientist James Smithson

Prize offered to Africa's leaders

A $5m prize is offered to Africa's most effective head of state, in an effort to combat poor leadership.

UK-based mobile phone entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim - who was born in Egypt - is behind the plan to rate governance in 53 African countries each year. The contest, launched in London, will award winning leaders $5m (£2.7m) over 10 years when they leave office, plus $200,000 (£107,000) a year for life.

"We need to remove corruption and improve governance," Mr Ibrahim said.(More...)

193 Protesters Said Killed in Ethiopia: [Forbes]

Ethiopian security forces fatally shot, beat or strangled 193 people protesting election fraud last year, triple the official death toll, a senior judge appointed to investigate the violence said.

Wolde-Michael Meshesha, a vice chairman of the 10-member inquiry, accused the government of trying to suppress the results of the probe amid sharp questions about Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's commitment to democratic reform.(More...)

Starbucks roasted over African dispute

THE global coffee company Starbucks is opposing an Ethiopian plan to get a bigger share of its coffee trade for poor farmers, the international aid agency Oxfam says.

The Ethiopian Government has filed applications in the US to trademark three famous Ethiopian coffee names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. This could earn Ethiopia's coffee industry and farmers an estimated $116 million extra a year.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-"Inquiry commission" betrays massacred victims: AddisVoice
-Delusion, Frivolity and Now Desperation
-ICU Prevent Gasoline from Reaching Somalia's Government
-Eritrean fatally shot after entering UN post in border zone
-Bush signs bill authorizing border fence
-'60 civilians killed' in Nato raid
-Iraqi PM distances himself from US
-Exxon Mobil posts profit of $10 billion
-"Sexsomniacs" puzzle medical researchers

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The commission’s report proves that the “evidence” against imprisoned leaders of Kinijit is contrived: Kinijit Press release

Also in the news: Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia, Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US, Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality, Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border and more of today's top stories

Kinijit press release (Amharic)

(More...)

Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality

Enset

...The key to building a free society lies in creating a durable set of democratic institutions - some public, some private - that encourage "Representative Democracy" as well as economic openness for long periods of time. This historic responsibility is not the task of few people; it is not even a task to be completed by one generation. Our grandfathers/mothers made us proud Africans by breaking the backbone of Italian colonialism. Our fathers/mothers lived in the darkness of the two [feudal, military] consecutive authoritarian regimes, but they educated us and enabled us to perceive the anatomy of evil. Dealing with the forces of evil is the responsibility of this generation. Our children should be left to focus on agriculture, medicine, economics, and engineering. I usually take my son to G. Washington, T. Jefferson, A. Lincoln, and FDR memorials, and take myself back in time to give respect to what these heroes did to their country. Our country Ethiopia needs heroes like Jefferson and Lincoln who burn like a candle to give light to others. When he gets old, I hope, my son takes his children to memorials, but to a different memorial; to a memorial of champion Ethiopians!(More...)

Ethiopia says Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's tiny neighbor Eritrea has nearly 10,000 soldiers and militia inside a U.N. buffer zone on their disputed border in a "flagrant" breach of a ceasefire, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.

His figure was far higher than the 1,500 soldiers the United Nations last week accused Asmara of moving to the border where a 1998-2000 war killed more than 70,000 people and left the Horn of Africa neighbors on bitter terms.

Meles told Reuters in an interview that besides the 1,500 soldiers and tanks mentioned by the United Nations, thousands more members of a militia of armed local farmers had been "smuggled" into the sensitive border zone. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia
-Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US
-Hastert gets grilled by ethics panel
-Iran to expand nuclear enrichment
-Putin Not Running for Presidency in 2008
-Cobain 'is top-earning dead star'

The commission’s report proves that the “evidence” against imprisoned leaders of Kinijit is contrived: Kinijit Press release

Also in the news: Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia, Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US, Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality, Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border and more of today's top stories

Kinijit press release (Amharic)

(More...)

Skepticism and delusion, shunning from reality

Enset

...The key to building a free society lies in creating a durable set of democratic institutions - some public, some private - that encourage "Representative Democracy" as well as economic openness for long periods of time. This historic responsibility is not the task of few people; it is not even a task to be completed by one generation. Our grandfathers/mothers made us proud Africans by breaking the backbone of Italian colonialism. Our fathers/mothers lived in the darkness of the two [feudal, military] consecutive authoritarian regimes, but they educated us and enabled us to perceive the anatomy of evil. Dealing with the forces of evil is the responsibility of this generation. Our children should be left to focus on agriculture, medicine, economics, and engineering. I usually take my son to G. Washington, T. Jefferson, A. Lincoln, and FDR memorials, and take myself back in time to give respect to what these heroes did to their country. Our country Ethiopia needs heroes like Jefferson and Lincoln who burn like a candle to give light to others. When he gets old, I hope, my son takes his children to memorials, but to a different memorial; to a memorial of champion Ethiopians!(More...)

Ethiopia says Eritrea has 10,000 armed men at border

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's tiny neighbor Eritrea has nearly 10,000 soldiers and militia inside a U.N. buffer zone on their disputed border in a "flagrant" breach of a ceasefire, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.

His figure was far higher than the 1,500 soldiers the United Nations last week accused Asmara of moving to the border where a 1998-2000 war killed more than 70,000 people and left the Horn of Africa neighbors on bitter terms.

Meles told Reuters in an interview that besides the 1,500 soldiers and tanks mentioned by the United Nations, thousands more members of a militia of armed local farmers had been "smuggled" into the sensitive border zone. (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Somalis sign up to fight Ethiopia
-Ethiopia's fossil Lucy set to become a 'mute ambassador' to the US
-Hastert gets grilled by ethics panel
-Iran to expand nuclear enrichment
-Putin Not Running for Presidency in 2008
-Cobain 'is top-earning dead star'

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government

Also in the news: Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy, Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators, Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle, Ethiopia's "Lucy" to be exhibited in United States, From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups, Ethiopia at war with ICU, Jonny Ragga Wins Music Award and more of today's top stories

Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government
ETP - Six days ago Yalemzewd Bekele, a prominent Human rights activist (seen here); was arrested by the authorities in Ethiopia. The EPRDF led government of Ethiopia has been battling human rights activists and free press journalists ever since it ceased power in 1991; but since the 2005 general elections, in which the government found out its perceived popularity was entirely imaginary, it has doubled efforts in hunting down members of these two sectors.

Not only is the government of Ethiopia persecuting journalists and human rights activists, it is also trying to cover up massacres committed by its troops right after the 2005 elections. A recent report by an independent inquiry commission, assigned to investigate the violence following the 2005 elections, has held the government responsible for over 190 civilian deaths, 40 of which were teenagers gunned down indiscriminately by the elite “Agazi” unite, a trusted military wing of the government. Due to repeated attempts by the government to suppress the report of the independent inquiry commission; members of this commission were forced to flee the country and risk their life so that this report could see the light of day.

Also read:
-Inquiry Says Ethiopian Troops Killed 193 in Ballot Protests: New York Times
-Fear of Torture or ill-treatment [Yalemzewd Bekele]: Amnesty International
-Ethiopian protesters 'massacred': BBC

Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators

(Audio) Listen to report

The global press watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, says Eritrea and Ethiopia are ranked among the worst violators of press freedom in the world, while Benin, Namibia, and Mauritius are among the best countries in Africa for press freedom. Reporters Without Borders has released its annual press-freedom report.

...Slightly behind Eritrea is its neighbor, Ethiopia, ranked 160th out of the 168 countries surveyed.

The organization says this is primarily because of last year's crackdown by the government against journalists, opposition supporters, activists, and others contesting the results of the May 2005 elections.

Dozens of journalists were arrested and charged with treason, including five VOA reporters charged in absentia. About 20 journalists still remain behind bars, possibly facing the death penalty because of their reporting.(More...)

Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy

By the time the October rains arrived last week, five of the 13 heads of families in the village of Magado had hanged themselves, tormented by the loss of their cattle and livelihoods.

24 October 2006 - Magado, and the thousands of other Borena pastoralist settlements spread across southern Ethiopia, are part of the Horn of Africa's great cow economy. For more than two millennia, the Borena have learnt to eke an existence from the bleak landscape, shifting to seasonal feeding grounds and using communal wells set out according to a traditional co-operative system called gada. That way of life is now under threat.

......A decision by the Ethiopian government to redraw the district boundaries on land occupied by the Borena and their pastoralist neighbours, the Guji, has led to fierce armed clashes between the tribes. International critics described the move as the perpetuation of a long-held tactic by Addis Ababa to divide and rule pastoralist areas by handing control of resources to opposing tribes.(More...)

Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle

KISMAYO, Somalia (AP) -- Somalia's Islamic radicals claimed Tuesday they had captured an Ethiopian officer after heavy fighting against pro-government militia in which 43 were killed.

The wounded soldier was seized after 26 hours of fighting between Islamic fighters and militia loyal to Somalia's defense minister, said Islamic movement spokesman Sheik Shukri Abraham.

Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment.

Ethiopia and Somalia's governments had initially denied the presence of Ethiopian troops in the country, but Ethiopia's prime minister recently acknowledged he had sent troops. He said there were only a few military trainers.

Tensions between Ethiopia, which backs Somalia's weak government, and the Islamic radical group that controls much of southern Somalia have been mounting in recent months.(More...)

From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups

let us honour the victims of November 1, 2005 , the Addis Abeba massacres as well as the brave leaders of Kinijit and all political prisoners who have been thrown into jail since November 1 last year, on trumped up charges of treason and genocide.(see Flyer)

If you wish to make a difference here are a few thing you can do

1. Wednesday November 1 2006 @ 6 pm sharp
Protest rally & Candle light vigil front of
CBC Television British Columbia.( message CBC speak up )
700 Hamilton Street. ( Hamilton & Georgia ) Vancouver Rain or Shine
2. Send the attached post card to your MP (post card attached in PDF) Send it to the following address:
The Hon. ____________________________ (name of MP)
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Find your MP here
3. Distribute the post card in the community to your neighbours , your friends , coworkers , your classmates or any one you know . Churches. such as Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglican, and Baptist and so on Institutions trade, teachers, student and other unions to professional associations, journalists, and academic.etc....

The Ethiopian people shall triumph.
Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups

Jonny Ragga Wins East African Music Video Award

Ethiopian artist Jonny Ragga has been named Best East African artist for his Album Kulfun Sichign ('Give Me the Key') at 2006 Channel O Sprit of African Music Video Awards, held at a ceremony at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg on October 15.

Although Give me the key is his debut album for the artist, Jonny Ragga is no stranger to Ethiopian music lovers. His first appearance on the international scene took place back in 2002, as a part of a reggae concert doing covers of reggae and raga song.

In other categories, the Best Female Award went to the Mozambican lass Lizh James, while the masked Nigeria-Lagbaja took home the Best Male Video.(More..)

Today's Top Stories

-Ethiopia's "Lucy" to be exhibited in United States
-Ethiopia 'technically' at war with Somali ICU
-Iran could have nuclear bomb by 2015: Germany
-Palestinian militants kidnap AP journalist
-New Cabinet Appointment Tilts Israel to Right
-Hillary Clinton And Opponent Get "Ugly" In New York Race
-Statin drugs may protect smokers' lungs -study
-Cult leader headed to execution in Ohio

Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government

Also in the news: Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy, Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators, Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle, Ethiopia's "Lucy" to be exhibited in United States, From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups, Ethiopia at war with ICU, Jonny Ragga Wins Music Award and more of today's top stories

Zero tolerance for democracy: Policy of the Ethiopian government
ETP - Six days ago Yalemzewd Bekele, a prominent Human rights activist (seen here); was arrested by the authorities in Ethiopia. The EPRDF led government of Ethiopia has been battling human rights activists and free press journalists ever since it ceased power in 1991; but since the 2005 general elections, in which the government found out its perceived popularity was entirely imaginary, it has doubled efforts in hunting down members of these two sectors.

Not only is the government of Ethiopia persecuting journalists and human rights activists, it is also trying to cover up massacres committed by its troops right after the 2005 elections. A recent report by an independent inquiry commission, assigned to investigate the violence following the 2005 elections, has held the government responsible for over 190 civilian deaths, 40 of which were teenagers gunned down indiscriminately by the elite “Agazi” unite, a trusted military wing of the government. Due to repeated attempts by the government to suppress the report of the independent inquiry commission; members of this commission were forced to flee the country and risk their life so that this report could see the light of day.

Also read:
-Inquiry Says Ethiopian Troops Killed 193 in Ballot Protests: New York Times
-Fear of Torture or ill-treatment [Yalemzewd Bekele]: Amnesty International
-Ethiopian protesters 'massacred': BBC

Ethiopia Ranked Among Worst Press Violators

(Audio) Listen to report

The global press watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, says Eritrea and Ethiopia are ranked among the worst violators of press freedom in the world, while Benin, Namibia, and Mauritius are among the best countries in Africa for press freedom. Reporters Without Borders has released its annual press-freedom report.

...Slightly behind Eritrea is its neighbor, Ethiopia, ranked 160th out of the 168 countries surveyed.

The organization says this is primarily because of last year's crackdown by the government against journalists, opposition supporters, activists, and others contesting the results of the May 2005 elections.

Dozens of journalists were arrested and charged with treason, including five VOA reporters charged in absentia. About 20 journalists still remain behind bars, possibly facing the death penalty because of their reporting.(More...)

Evidence of EPRDF’s failed policy

By the time the October rains arrived last week, five of the 13 heads of families in the village of Magado had hanged themselves, tormented by the loss of their cattle and livelihoods.

24 October 2006 - Magado, and the thousands of other Borena pastoralist settlements spread across southern Ethiopia, are part of the Horn of Africa's great cow economy. For more than two millennia, the Borena have learnt to eke an existence from the bleak landscape, shifting to seasonal feeding grounds and using communal wells set out according to a traditional co-operative system called gada. That way of life is now under threat.

......A decision by the Ethiopian government to redraw the district boundaries on land occupied by the Borena and their pastoralist neighbours, the Guji, has led to fierce armed clashes between the tribes. International critics described the move as the perpetuation of a long-held tactic by Addis Ababa to divide and rule pastoralist areas by handing control of resources to opposing tribes.(More...)

Ethiopian officer captured after fierce battle

KISMAYO, Somalia (AP) -- Somalia's Islamic radicals claimed Tuesday they had captured an Ethiopian officer after heavy fighting against pro-government militia in which 43 were killed.

The wounded soldier was seized after 26 hours of fighting between Islamic fighters and militia loyal to Somalia's defense minister, said Islamic movement spokesman Sheik Shukri Abraham.

Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment.

Ethiopia and Somalia's governments had initially denied the presence of Ethiopian troops in the country, but Ethiopia's prime minister recently acknowledged he had sent troops. He said there were only a few military trainers.

Tensions between Ethiopia, which backs Somalia's weak government, and the Islamic radical group that controls much of southern Somalia have been mounting in recent months.(More...)

From Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups

let us honour the victims of November 1, 2005 , the Addis Abeba massacres as well as the brave leaders of Kinijit and all political prisoners who have been thrown into jail since November 1 last year, on trumped up charges of treason and genocide.(see Flyer)

If you wish to make a difference here are a few thing you can do

1. Wednesday November 1 2006 @ 6 pm sharp
Protest rally & Candle light vigil front of
CBC Television British Columbia.( message CBC speak up )
700 Hamilton Street. ( Hamilton & Georgia ) Vancouver Rain or Shine
2. Send the attached post card to your MP (post card attached in PDF) Send it to the following address:
The Hon. ____________________________ (name of MP)
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Find your MP here
3. Distribute the post card in the community to your neighbours , your friends , coworkers , your classmates or any one you know . Churches. such as Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglican, and Baptist and so on Institutions trade, teachers, student and other unions to professional associations, journalists, and academic.etc....

The Ethiopian people shall triumph.
Vancouver Kinijit Support Groups

Jonny Ragga Wins East African Music Video Award

Ethiopian artist Jonny Ragga has been named Best East African artist for his Album Kulfun Sichign ('Give Me the Key') at 2006 Channel O Sprit of African Music Video Awards, held at a ceremony at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg on October 15.

Although Give me the key is his debut album for the artist, Jonny Ragga is no stranger to Ethiopian music lovers. His first appearance on the international scene took place back in 2002, as a part of a reggae concert doing covers of reggae and raga song.

In other categories, the Best Female Award went to the Mozambican lass Lizh James, while the masked Nigeria-Lagbaja took home the Best Male Video.(More..)

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