Sudanese refugees can return, accord with Ethiopia

Sudanese refugees can return, accord with Ethiopia
Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 9:59 am

Press Release: United Nations Some 73,000 Sudanese refugees can return under new accord with Ethiopia – UN
Some 73,000 South Sudanese refugees currently in Ethiopia can start going home thanks to an agreement signed by the United Nations refugee agency and the Governments of Ethiopia and Sudan.
The tripartite agreement, which was signed in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Monday, sets out the legal framework for the repatriation as well as the roles and obligations of all three parties, according to an official with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who said it includes crucial provisions on the voluntary nature of the returns.
“It gives me immense pleasure to sign this agreement on behalf of UNHCR,” said the agency’s Operations Director for the Sudan Situation Jean-Marie Fakhouri. He pointed out that beyond just an endorsement, action would be required. “However, this meeting is a ceremony and hopefully all parties will work together for the successful implementation of the commitments made through this agreement.”
UNHCR hopes to start the voluntary repatriation from Ethiopia by mid-March. “Ten thousand refugees could voluntarily go home before the rainy season in South Sudan sets in,” Mr. Fakhouri said.
The 73,000 refugees live in five camps in western Ethiopia – Bonga, Dimma, Fugnido, Sherkole and Yarenja. Most of the refugees arrived in Ethiopia in 1983 and in the 1990s as a result of the civil war in South Sudan.
While the desire to return home is strong, UNHCR is concerned over the severe funding constraints hampering its return and reintegration operations in South Sudan and has urged the international community to fully support these efforts. The agency said it has received only $8 million of the $63 million needed in 2006.
UNHCR, together with the government of Sudan, UN agencies, NGOs and other partners, is trying to ensure minimal conditions are in place so that refugees and other displaced people can return to a minimum of basic services in their war-devastated region.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended 21 years of north-south civil war in Sudan was concluded in Naivasha, Kenya, in January 2005 – just over a year ago.
“The pledges made in Oslo at the Donors' Conference for Sudan last year must deliver their promises for the over 350,000 Sudanese refugees in the region to go back home and resume normal life," said Ethiopia's State Minister of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Tekeda Alemu, who signed the tripartite agreement.
Brigadier Aleu Ayieny Aleu, who signed for Sudan, thanked the Ethiopian Government and its people for taking care of the refugees for so many years and called on the refugees to return home and help rebuild their country.
To facilitate informed decisions by refugees considering returning, UNHCR is planning “go-and-see” visits from Ethiopia to South Sudan in the second week of March. Under this scheme, refugee representatives visit South Sudan and then return to inform the other refugees about the living conditions in the places of return.
Under the agreement, Ethiopia has pledged to continue to safeguard the rights of refugees who decide to stay in that country for now. There are some 350,000 South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries, and 4 million more Sudanese displaced within their own country.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0603/S00010.htm

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Asmara rejects talks on border dispute

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Asmara rejects talks on border dispute
28 Feb 2006 12:46:48 GMTSource: IRIN
NAIROBI, 28 February (IRIN) - The Eritrean government has rejected a proposal by the United Nations Security Council to hold talks with an independent commission to resolve its ongoing border dispute with Ethiopia.
"The final and binding decision of the Boundary Commission marks the legal conclusion of the Eritrea-Ethiopia issue once and for all," said a statement issued by the Eritrean foreign ministry on Monday.
Eritrea was referring to the original ruling of the commission, which was handed down in April 2002.
"Any attempts to derail the dispensation of the border demarcation from its legal course or even entertain other alternative mechanisms suggestive of dragging behind or holding up the process will have no legal bearing or serve any other purpose than to prompt events that would set off a dangerous precedent," Eritrea maintained.
In a statement read on Friday by its current president, John Bolton of the United States, the Council called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to work with the independent boundary commission to implement its decisions. Both countries had agreed, the statement noted, to accept the decision of the commission as final and binding.
The Algiers peace agreement - signed in December 2000 - ended a two-year border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It stipulated that the countries would abide by the decision of the boundary commission. However, Ethiopia rejected the ruling, which gave Eritrea the town of Badme, where the war started.

ETHIOPIA: Dead birds to be tested for avian flu

ETHIOPIA: Dead birds to be tested for avian flu
28 Feb 2006 15:19:24 GMTSource: IRIN

NAIROBI, 28 February (IRIN) - Samples from a poultry farm in southern Ethiopia where thousands of chickens have died are to be sent to Europe for further analysis to determine whether the birds died of avian flu, an official said on Tuesday.
Local tests have found "flu-like" symptoms in 49 chickens from the farm, but more tests were needed to determine what exactly killed the birds.
"There are many types of avian flu, so to determine what type it is and get our results confirmed we have to send the samples to Italy," Mulugeta Debalkew of the agriculture ministry told reporters.
Samples from some of the 6,082 chickens that had died in the past two weeks at the farm will be sent to an Italian laboratory for further analysis in the next 48 hours.
The farm is located in Endibir, 175 km southwest of the capital, Addis Ababa. The area is within the Southern Nation and Nationality People's (SNNP) regional state.
Selashi Zewde, head of the veterinary department of the agriculture ministry, said some 9,000 chickens at the affected farm would be culled starting on Tuesday. He explained that measures were being taken to prevent the disease from spreading, including a ban on the sale of the poultry and poultry products within a 60-km radius of the farm.
Ethiopia, along with other East African Rift Valley nations like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, are considered at high risk for the spread of the virus, as more than 5 billion migratory birds flock to the region every year.
The H5N1 strain of avian flu has killed more than 80 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003. Some 40 countries have recorded cases of the disease.
The virus is continuing to advance into Africa, with the World Organisation for Animal Health reporting on Monday the first cases in Niger. It has already been confirmed in Egypt and Nigeria.
In Nairobi, Kenyan authorities started testing hundreds of dead chickens for avian flu at the weekend. Samples of carcasses that were dumped near the city were collected and taken to laboratories to be tested.
On Tuesday, Kenyan authorities said that preliminary tests had ruled out bird flu. Further tests were being conducted to determine the cause of the deaths.

IRIN NEWS and Reuters

Duula Gabaa Dhaquu Lagachuu Haa Geggeessinu

Duula Gabaa Dhaquu Lagachuu Haa Geggeessinu

Guraandhala 22, 2006 (Oromiyaa) - Fincila diddaa gabrummaa erga jalqabnee kunoo baatii sadii ol tahee jira. Yeroo baatii sadii kana keessatti harka wal qabannee sochii gooneen sagalee keenya keessaa fi alatti dhageessisuu dandeenyee jirra. Gaaffii siyaasaa akka qabuu fi gaaffiin keenya kun deebii akka hin argatin addunyaatti beeksifnee jirra. Kun injifannoo guddaa dha.
Fincila deemsisaa jirruun injifannoo galmeessine keessaa tokko mootummaa Wayyaanee naasifnee waan qabatuu fi dhabu wallaalchisuu dha. Fincilli keenya mootummaa Wayyaanee humna isaatti dhaadatu jarjarsee hafuura itti kutaa jira. Mootummaan Wayyaanee abdii kutateera. Mallattoon mootummaa abdii kutatee tarkaanfii gara jabeenyaa ummata nagaa irratti fudhachuu dha. Mootummaan Wayyaanee ummata Oromoo jimlaatti qabee hidhaa; barattoota harka duwwaa hiriira bahanitti dhukaasee ajjeessaa, madeessee qaamaa hir’isaa, kumaan hidhee dararaa jira. Waraana Agaazii jedhamu bobbaasee ummata keenya irratti gochaa hammeenyaa raawwataa jira.
Konyaa Horroo Guduruu Ona Abbay Commanii fi Guduru keessatti tahe kana mirkaneessa. Shamarraan reebee itti taphataa jira. Mootummaan rifatee fi ummata irraa abdii kutate uffata aadaa uffattan jedhee namoota nagaa yakka tokko malee hidha. Mootummaan Wayyaanee gochaa kana hundaa nurratti raawwataa jira. Kana gochuun isaa ammo jabina osoo hin taane laafina isaa agarsiisa. Fincilli diddaa gabrummaa keenya itti fufuu fi jabaachuu qaba. Makmaaksi Oromoo “Qeerransa eegee hin qaban, qabnaan gad hin dhiisan.” jedha.Mataa gad qabannee teenyus duuti, hidhamuun, reebamuun, hiraarfamuun, biyyaa arihamuun nurraa hin dhaabbanne. Kanaaf furmaati jiru Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa jalqabne itti fufuu duwwaa dha.
Yaa ummata keenya!!
Fincilli diddaa gabrummaa murannoon geggeessaa jirru ija argamsiisaa jira. Mootummaan Wayyaanee kan nurratti goobee tarkaanfii hammenyaa fudhachaa jiru qabeenya keenyatti dhimma bahee ti. Bunaa fi Jimaa/Caatii keenya gurguratee rasaasa ittiin nu ajjeesu bitata. Midhaan nuti qonnu nyaatee humni itti dhaga’amee nu reeba. Dhadhaa fi damma keenya nyaatee moora baasee nutti bookkisa. Cooma sangaa gabbataa, tumaalessa hoolaa fi re’ee keenya alanfatee ilkee nutti qarata. Xaafii adii fi diimaa keessaa filatee isa nyaatee irree baasee ittin nu miidha. Agartaa Oromoo! mootummaan Wayyaanee waanuma nuti qonnee itti gurgurruu abdatee hammeenya nurratti hojjata. Qabeenya keenya yoo itti gurguruu laganne isa agabsuu dandeenya. Humna qabnu itti agarsiisuu dandeenya. Yaa Oromoo kana hubattaa??
Yaa Ummata Oromoo!!
Akka tokkotti yeroo ilaallu qabeenyuma keenyatu nutti duulaa jiraam! Diinni waanuma keenya nyaatee fi dhimma itti bahee deebi’ee nu miidhaa fi cunqursaa jira. Kanaaf duula qabeenya keenya dhorkachuu haa geggeessinu. Keenya itti kennuu haa dhaabnu. Qabeenya keenya kan akka: Buna, Jimaa/Caatii, Xaafii, Misira, Bolloqqee, Atara ykn daangulee, Bishingaa, Boqqolloo, Baaqelaa, Damma, Nuugii, Talbaa, Ija goommanaa, Dhadhaa, Sangootaa fi maseena, Hootolaa fi re’eelee gabaa baasuu haa dhiifnu.Walumaa galatti muduraa fi kuduraa kan turuu hin dandeenye malee kaan gabaa baasuu haa dhiifnu. Qajeenya keenya isaan soorree akka nutti roorrisan godhuu haa dhiifnu.
Yaa Ummata Keenya
Oromoo dhaamaa wali dhageessisaa; Iyyaa iyya walitti dabarsaa, harka wal qabadhaa, badda gammoojjii osoo hin jenne, magaalaa fi baadiyyaa osoo hin jenne, Oromoon martinuu torban lamaaf duula gabaa dhaquu dhiisuu guutummaa Oromiyaa irratti haa geggeessinu. Keenya itti gurguuruu, kan isaanii irraa bituu haa dhaabnu. Qabeenya keenyaan irree qabnu itti haa agarsiifnu. Qabeenya keenyaan mirga keenya haa kabajchifannu.
Injifannoo Ummata Oromoof!!
Koree Qindeessituu Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa Ummata Oromoo

Oromo Liberation Army photgraphed by Jonathan Alpeyrie

More pictures are available at the web site of Oromo Liberation Front.

http://www.oromoliberationfront.org/images/Gallary/OLA/OLA.htm

Biography of Jonathan Alpey

Jonathan was born in France early in 1979, from a Spanish mother and a Russian father. He lived in Paris until the day he decided to leave the old continent to join his father in the United States. He has been living in New York, since July 1993. He graduated from University of Chicago with a degree in medieval history in June of 2003.

His photography career starting oddly in 1996 when he decided to photograph ancient Roman sites all around the Mediterranean Sea, and traveled every summer and winter to various sites in Europe, North Africa and the mid East. When he went to college in the fall of 1998. He decided to go further to perfect this craft by shooting for various Chicago newspaper, including the Reader and Street Wise. Not satisfied by this kind of work, he decided to push himself to more risky endeavors. He started photographing international events that summer in Panama (the country where he picked up surfing) shooting civil unrest. From that period on, he has been more and more drawn into this career, as he covered stories, in the US, Western Europe, Chiapas, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Congo, Ivory Coast, Syria, Lebanon, Georgia, and Nepal.

In the past two years he has been concentrating on conflict around the world, but more specifically on the Caucasus - A region, which attracted him since spring 2001, He first went to Armenia and worked on a photo essay about Ex. Soviet heavy industrial cities in Armenia, and its consequences today. He returned to the Caucasus in the spring 2004 with a more concrete work in mind. He wanted to photograph the ethnic problems in the South Caucasus, through war and various social problems.

He covered the war in Karabakh for one month in may 2004, while photographing the life of locals Karabastis. He returned to the Caucasus in September 2004, but this time in Georgia to cover the war in South Ossetia. After seen some pretty heavy combat, he decided to enter the Pankisi gorge to live and photograph Chechen refugees living there.

In February and March of 2005 he covered the war in Nepal, working with the Maoist army, then with the Royal Nepalese army. He worked there again in the fall 2005 covering the war with the Maoist, as well as working on a story on human trafficking. He has also covered the war in Southern Ethiopia with the OLF, and planning in returning to Ethiopia to follow suit.

Jonathan Alpeyrie is a Contributor for Getty Images/AFP.

peloponnessian@hotmail.com

Prized obelisk lies forgotten in Ethiopia

Prized obelisk lies forgotten in Ethiopia

February 27 2006 at 12:35PM

By C Bryson Hull Axum, Ethiopia - Nearly a year after a triumphant return home, three pieces of Ethiopia's national pride are still in their boxes. The Axum obelisk, stolen by Italian fascist invaders in 1937 and given back last April, still has not been re-erected at its original site, a place that was once the centre of Ethiopia's ancient Axumite civilisation, a powerful trading empire. For Ethiopians who watched the three granite pieces flown home to cheers and cries of joy nearly seven decades after the national treasure was taken to Rome, that is almost inexcusable. 'To erect it is nothing, but we have to be sure we do not endanger the existing obelisks' "Unless it is erected, if it lies there, what purpose does it serve for the people?" pensioner Wolde Rufael Asfaw asked. The 24m obelisk now lies in three metal shipping cradles under roofs outside a field of more than 120 other similar funeral monuments in Axum, 850km north of the capital Addis Ababa. A sun-faded sign showing the Ethiopian and Italian flags hangs on one, a symbol of the co-operation that brought the 1 700-year-old obelisk back and started to close a long-festering wound. Confusion reigns over why the 160-ton obelisk, which was to have been put back together and raised within three months, is not standing yet in its rightful home. Some accuse the government of indifference - or more cynically, of ignoring the obelisk after using it for pre-election propaganda. Others argue re-erecting it will endanger untold archaeological treasures at the site or be too difficult to carry out correctly. Whatever the reason, it is hard to underestimate how important a symbol the obelisk, known by archaeologists as a stele, is to the Horn of Africa country. "The obelisk is cultural heritage in Ethiopia, and it was a unifying factor. There were no ethnic differences, religious or otherwise, when it came back," Wolde said. The obelisk returned just before Ethiopian tensions rose ahead of parliamentary elections in May, and before ethnic divisions opened up in a way that later would become an undercurrent in post-election violence that killed more than 80 people. Whatever their domestic differences, Ethiopians take great pride in the fact they have not ceded territory to foreign invaders, successfully repelling or eventually expelling any who tried to take their land over three millennia of history. So the obelisk - stolen during Italy's 1933-1941 occupation and raised in Rome by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini - was an unsettling asterisk to that contention, Ethiopians say. "We consider it as if the nation was taken, and now has been returned," tailor Elias Abraham, 52, said. "I'm disappointed that it has not been erected on time, and my greatest wish is that it be erected as soon as possible." Patience, say the Ethiopian government committee and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in charge of putting it back up. "If all logistical and technical requirements are met, the operation will be finalised towards the end of 2006," said Francesco Bandarin, director of Unesco's World Heritage Centre . He said the obelisk was the "biggest cultural object that has been returned to its country so far", referring to his agency's long-standing campaign to promote the return of looted historical items to their rightful owners. With $8,1-million (about R49-million) from the Italian government so far, the committee is busy preparing modern equipment to re-erect the obelisk that their forebears first put up most likely using elephants and winches. Tadele Bitul Kibrat, a private-sector structural engineer on the obelisk committee, is fast to dispute the contention that the re-erection is too hard for today's engineers. "If 2 000 years ago our ancestors could erect it, to say it cannot be erected in the 21st century with modern knowledge is stupid," Tadele said. That is not to say it will be easy. Since the stelae field is rich with largely unexplored archaeological history, including underground tombs, engineers have to study it meticulously and cannot just roll in heavy cranes, he said. Workers will bring in an overhead rig supported by steel beams to lift the parts in place, Tadele said. "To erect it is nothing, but we have to be sure we do not endanger the existing obelisks," he said. "And we must be sure it can stay forever."

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id

=vn20060227011059174C927322

Police arrest opposition members in western Ethiopia

Monday 27 February 2006 00:07.

Feb 26, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian authorities arrested opposition members accused of subversive activities in western Ethiopia. The Ethiopian TV said the “anti-peace forces” collaborated with the Ormo rebels and the Eritrean government.

The term "anti-peace forces" is often used by the government to refer to members of the main opposition political party, the Coalition for United and Democracy (CUDP), which claims elections last year were rigged.

Nearly all the CUDP leadership are among a group of 131 opposition supporters, journalists and others facing treason and other charges after being accused of fomenting a coup d’etat through protests against the May 15 polls.

The deputy administrator of East Welega Zone (in western Ethiopia), Kena Yadeta, told reporters that “lives were lost, property destroyed and livestock bunt alive inside their enclosures during raids by members and supporters of some political organizations that professed to be waging peaceful struggle, in the zone’s Abay Chomen and Guduru districts”.

The raids were carried out in collaboration with the “sha’biyyah” (Eritrean government) and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

He said members and supporters of some political organizations were carrying out the “atrocious criminal acts with aim of taking power illegally by subverting the constitution and overthrowing the government by force”.

He said two people were killed and six others wounded in the attacks, adding that a number of residential houses and vehicles were also destroyed and livestock burnt to death. He said the anti-peace forces employed soldiers of the former army of Mengistu Hailemariam government, OLF members and outcast vagrants.

Kena praised area residents for cooperating with government security forces in thwarting destructive missions. He said the opposition members and their weapons were captured, and the process of taking the “anti-peace forces” to court was being speeded up.

The commander of Ambo town police in West Shewa Zone, Inspector-General Anteneh Mengistu, also said eight people were wounded and property destroyed by 13 bombs thrown at residential houses by opposition forces at various times. He said suspects were facing the law and peace was restored in the area.

(ST)

EU seeking to repair political upset with Ethiopia

EU seeking to repair political upset with Ethiopia
AFPFebruary 16, 2006
ADDIS ABABA -- A senior European Union (EU) official was in Ethiopia on Thursday for talks aimed at improving ties strained by political turbulence that has rocked the Horn of Africa nation in recent months. The two-day visit by Louis Michel, the EU aid and development commissioner, comes after the bloc angered the government late last year by moving to re-program hundreds of millions of euros in aid over democracy concerns. "The purpose of his visit is to try to restart political dialogue with all the political actors in Ethiopia," Michel's spokesman Amadeu Altafaj said. The commissioner is to see top Ethiopian officials, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, as well as jailed opposition leaders arrested in a crackdown on dissent following disputed elections last May. The opposition claims the May 15 polls were stolen by Meles' ruling party and staged protests against the alleged fraud in June and November that erupted into street violence in which 84 people were killed, many by police. The second explosion led to arrests of thousands, of which a main group of 131 people, including journalists and nearly the entire leadership of the main opposition party, face treason and other serious charges. They are accused of conspiring to foment a coup to oust Meles' government, which has been in power since 1991. The government's handling of the post-election period, particularly its use of deadly force to quell the demonstrations and the mass arrests, have raised international concerns about the state of Ethiopia's democracy. The EU has been especially vocal in its criticism and in December said it would re-program 316 million euros ($375 million) in direct multilateral aid to Meles' government to humanitarian projects. The move has sparked anger in Addis Ababa, where officials had already objected to an assessment of the May polls by EU election observers that found the process had fallen far short of international standards.

Oromia in Pictures

Oromia in Pictures: Bale Mountains

Ethiopian leader defends campaign against critics

Ethiopian leader defends campaign against critics

By Betsy Pisik
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 23, 2006

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Prime Minister Meles Zenawi bluntly defended his government's crackdown on dissenters, saying the trial of 131 opponents beginning today would vindicate his administration's tough actions.
The 131 politicians, writers and activists "have been charged with crimes, and this is the normal process of the court," he said in an interview with The Washington Times. He urged his critics to listen to the evidence against the defendants, who face charges that include genocide, treason and undermining the constitution.
Human rights groups, Western governments and Ethiopians abroad have been harshly critical of Mr. Meles, accusing him of jailing thousands and killing many more since protests erupted over elections last year.
In the interview on Tuesday, Mr. Meles rejected those complaints with a common barnyard expletive and accused the West of having a "double standard" on human rights. He also denounced a "campaign of vilification" by vocal groups of Ethiopians living abroad.
Last weekend, security forces arrested a dozen people and accused them of plotting to blow up political targets. The state-run Ethiopian News Agency said the suspects were "linked" to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), an umbrella group for four major opposition parties.
The ring "planned to carry out attacks on certain buildings and public persons around Addis Ababa," Mr. Meles said, without offering specifics. "It is clear that this was a last-ditch attempt by CUD figures to create instability in Addis."
Western diplomats said it was impossible to assess the threat presented by the suspects but speculated that the arrests would allow the government to tighten security ahead of the court appearance today.
The Ethiopian government -- led by Mr. Meles since his ethnic Tigrean group succeeded communist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991 -- has attracted harsh criticism from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups that monitor civil liberties.
Their investigators say that as many as 40,000 people have been arrested since the May 2005 elections, in which the opposition parties -- including members of the largest, Amharic-speaking ethnic group -- made strong gains but claimed to have been robbed of an outright victory.
Major protests in June and November turned violent, leaving 84 persons dead, many at the hands of police.
The crackdown led the European Union and World Bank to rechannel about $375 million worth of development assistance to a number of specialized agencies of the United Nations for distribution to the Ethiopian people through nongovernmental groups.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair suggested last week that the Meles government might have had an "overreaction" to the strong showing by opposition parties.

Speaking softly and choosing his words carefully, Mr. Meles complained of being scolded by governments that do not have strong human rights records themselves.
"Frankly, some of the requests of some of our partners are incompatible" with their actions, Mr. Meles said. "We don't agree with that, and we have told them so. But we have agreed to agree on the issues on which we agree and to disagree on the others."
In Washington, Ethiopian opposition groups have peppered the State Department with appeals and rallies calling for the isolation of the Meles government, including the reduction of direct assistance. They say the government has been silencing all forms of dissent.
Mr. Meles responded, "There are many opposition members in Parliament, and they criticize the government all day, quite freely."
Journalists, however, have had a tough time. In the weeks after the elections, several independent newspapers were shut down and members of their staffs were jailed.
The imprisoned journalists include the publisher of three respected Amharic-language papers and a pregnant Internet journalist who was detained because she did not have the proper press credentials from the Ministry of Information.
Five reporters for the popular Voice of America-Amharic service have been charged in absentia and are living abroad.
Around the same time, police raided the CUD office in Addis Ababa, seizing hundreds of videotapes, thousands of cassette tapes and computers that will be used as evidence in the trial.
U.S. diplomats have remained publicly supportive of the government but say they have not seen evidence that would back the most serious of the charges -- genocide and treason. Working in favor of the Meles government is that Ethiopia has the largest population in the Horn of Africa and the government has firmly committed itself to fighting terrorism in that region.
Attorneys for the defendants -- who include most of the top CUD leadership -- say they will not speak in court, even if they are compelled to appear.
"They will not plead, because they do not recognize the legal authority of the court," said a lawyer who has worked with several opposition figures. "They say this is a puppet court, a kangaroo court; and they will not respond."

A losing bet in Ethiopia

By Mike Clough, Michael Clough has worked on U.S. Africa policy for nearly three decades. Most recently, he was the Africa advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.

ETHIOPIA IS edging toward renewed conflict with Eritrea that could result in tens of thousands of deaths and spark a civil war that would claim many more lives. But the Bush administration, a strong supporter of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, appears to have neither the vision nor the will to avert catastrophe.

It would not be the first time Africans died because U.S. policymakers failed to recognize the dangers of backing a ruthless, doomed regime.

In the former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the U.S. supported former President Mobutu Sese Seko's tyrannical rule almost to its bitter end — and more than 2 million people died in the internal wars that followed. In Liberia, the U.S. looked the other way as Samuel Doe, an illiterate thug without popular support, brutalized his population and stole the 1985 election — and tens of thousands subsequently died. And in Sudan, the U.S. continued to give economic and military aid to then-President Gaafar Nimeiri as he fought a long civil war in which more than 2 million eventually died.

In all these cases, U.S. policymakers, despite clear evidence to the contrary, insisted that continued aid and support — and quiet diplomacy — were the best ways to reform a troubled client. Then, when that lie became untenable, the U.S. walked away, leaving Africans to pay the consequences.

Ethiopia is not yet Zaire, Liberia or Sudan, but the situation is dangerous because not only is unrest inside Ethiopia growing, military tensions on Ethiopia's border with Eritrea are increasing. The two countries fought a war in the late 1990s.

Meles has been a U.S. client since 1991, when his rebel movement seized power. He is good at talking the language of democracy and development — and even more adept at manipulating Western fears of terrorism.

Parliamentary elections held in May were supposed to cement Meles' claim to be a democratic reformer. Instead, they revealed his lack of national support. According to official tabulations, disputed by opposition parties, Meles' ruling party won a majority of seats. But as Human Rights Watch reported on the eve of the May elections, Meles squashed political dissent in Oromia, the country's largest region, thus denying voters there a real choice in the elections.

Most experts on Ethiopia believe that if the Oromo Liberation Front, which was forced to leave the country in 1992, had participated, it would have won a majority of votes in the region. That would have left Meles and his party with only a minority of parliamentary seats. Since the elections, there have been two waves of protest in the Ethiopian capital. Both times government forces shot scores of protesters and locked up opposition figures.

The government is now planning to put opposition leaders who have refused to take their parliamentary seats on trial for treason. It has also arrested many independent journalists. There are also reports of growing restiveness in the countryside, especially in Oromia.

Meles will be unable to maintain his monopoly on political power. His base, the Tigrean ethnic community, makes up less than 10% of the population. As the demand for democratization grows, he will have to either share power or increase repression. Given that most Ethiopian soldiers are drawn from disaffected ethnic groups, Meles can't count on security forces to stifle opposition.

Eritrea's intentions complicate the situation. It may decide the moment is right to launch a war to take back disputed territory it lost in the last war.

In the past, Meles has wagged the Eritrean dog to rally Ethiopians behind him. But if war breaks out, his opponents might move against him, perhaps causing the Ethiopian army to disintegrate.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's unwillingness to talk to the Ethiopian opposition and pressure Meles to permit real democratization has undercut opposition moderates and greatly increased the prospects of war. After the elections, the Oromo Liberation Front abandoned its sporadic and ineffective struggle against Meles and sought a peaceful accommodation. In October, it asked Rice to support Norwegian efforts to get the negotiations going. But the Bush administration rebuffed its entreaties and instead dispatched a mid-level State Department official to persuade Meles to avoid war with Eritrea and make some internal conciliatory gestures.

Washington's refusal to deal with the Oromo Liberation Front is bewildering. The party is one of the few in the Horn of Africa to bridge the Christian-Muslim divide, and there is a strong democratic tradition in Oromo civil society. It has never adopted terrorism as a tactic.

If the Bush administration continues to bet on Meles, it shouldn't forget that the lives of millions of Africans were lost in the Congo, Liberia and Sudan because of similar misjudgments.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-ethopia18dec18,1,491349.story?coll=la-headlines-suncomment&ctrack=1&cset=true

Chembio Appoints Distributor for its Rapid HIV Tests in Ethiopia

Chembio Appoints Distributor for Its Rapid HIV Tests in Ethiopia

2/22/2006 8:27:00 AM EST

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (OTCBB: CEMI) has appointed Setema, Ltd. to distribute its rapid HIV tests in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a population of over 73 million of which an estimated 1.5 million are infected with HIV. Under the auspices of the President's $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the United States recently signed an agreement to provide Ethiopia with over $84 million to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. This will include a significant scale-up of rapid testing programs. Chembio believes these programs are crucial in Ethiopia and other countries ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. Rapid tests effectively identify patients that may require anti-retroviral treatment. Ethiopia is currently evaluating rapid HIV tests including Chembio's two HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK(TM) tests for possible inclusion in Ethiopia's testing protocol.

Setema is one of the largest medical device distributors in Ethiopia and the country's sole supplier of HIV viral load tests. Viral load tests monitor patients already identified with HIV (e.g., with a rapid test) to determine if and when they require anti-retroviral therapy.

Ethiopia is one of 50 countries worldwide that is part of the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative Procurement Consortium. Chembio was recently selected by the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative ("CHAI") as one of four global suppliers of rapid HIV tests to these countries pursuant to the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) CHAI has with them. For further information please visit www.clintonfoundation.org.

ABOUT CHEMBIO

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (Chembio) possesses expertise in the development and manufacturing of rapid test products for various infectious diseases, including HIV, Tuberculosis and Chagas Disease. References to Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. may actually refer to Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc.; the 100%-owned subsidiary of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. Chembio is located at 3661 Horseblock Road, Medford, NY 11763. For additional information please visit www.chembio.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements contained herein that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Such statements are estimates only, as the Company has not completed the preparation of its financial statements for those periods, nor has its auditor completed the audit of those results. Actual revenue may differ materially from those anticipated in this press release. Such statements reflect management's current views, are based on certain assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results, events, or performance may differ materially from the above forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to Chembio's ability to obtain additional financing, to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner, and the demand for Chembio's products. Chembio undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in Chembio's expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. Factors that may impact Chembio's success are more fully disclosed in Chembio's most recent public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Ethiopia's lone Olympian courageRobel Teklemariam offers a profile in courage

Olympics

Robel Teklemariam struggles to the finish line, coming in 84th in the 15-kilometer.
ERICH SCLEGEL: KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE

Feb. 22, 2006, 1:22AM

TURIN SPOTLIGHT
Ethiopia's lone Olympian, once scared to sleep in the dark, offers a profile in courage
A lion in winter
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZCopyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

TURIN, Italy — Robel Teklemariam has lived in the United States for more than two decades, long enough to have fielded two lifetimes' worth of questions about his native Ethiopia.
Those questions have followed him to Italy, where he is the entire Ethiopian team at the Winter Olympics: the coach, vice chairman of the Ethiopian National Ski Federation, equipment manager and support staff.
In other words, he's here alone.
Just being here, however, is a testament to the perseverance and desire of a young man who once was too afraid to sleep with the lights out, too afraid to be left alone, and haunted by the dread of being lost in the woods.
Teklemariam, 31, doesn't fear the woods anymore. Being left alone isn't much of a problem either for Ethiopia's lone hope at the 2006 Winter Games.
"He was, and is, a wonderful person," says David Hochschartner, who taught Teklemariam to ski. "Full of a joie de vivre."
Long way from home
Hochschartner taught Teklemariam in the 1980s at North Country School in Lake Placid, N.Y. Teklemariam, a native of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, landed at North County School a month shy of his ninth birthday in 1983.
His mother, Yeshareg Demisse, had just been transferred from the United Nations office in Ethiopia to U.N. headquarters in New York City.
Teklemariam had a difficult time adjusting to New York City, so his mother sent him upstate to North Country School's Camp Treetops, a seven-week camp for children ages 8 through 14.
Teklemariam embraced swimming, horseback riding, camp crafts and nature study, but he truly blossomed while working in the farm with the animals.

"He was a scrawny kid and loved the animals. We are also a working farm," says Hochschartner, now the school's headmaster. "In particular, we have some cute pictures of him with a pet rabbit that he befriended. He came to school the next year and lived in my house."
Out of his element
Teklemariam enjoyed Camp Treetops so much that he was enrolled in the school and remained for three years.
"At first I had a tough time adjusting with the environment in New York," he says. "Coming from Ethiopia, not knowing English, it was difficult coming to a new culture. Not knowing English was not easy. It was culture shock in a way."
The first few months at school were also difficult for the shy Teklemariam, especially when the lights went out,
Teklemariam dreaded sleeping in the dark. Hochschartner recalls that he or his wife had to sit outside the room for several months with the door ajar so the child would find comfort by seeing them before nodding off.
Teklemariam soon found a home at North Country, especially on snowy days. He became fearless on the mountains as he followed Hochschartner, who competed on the ski marathon circuit and in biathlons.
Although Teklemariam and his roommate didn't know how to ski, they joined Hochschartner on almost every hike after class on weekends.
"Neither was particularly a quick learner," Hochschartner says. "However, as soon as it snowed in November, they skied in a 150-meter track in the yard behind our dorm, and we would put the floodlights on, and after they finished homework, they would go out and cross-country ski until bedtime."
North Country School students are required to learn how to ski downhill, ride horseback and climb Cascade Mountain before graduating.
"Slowly, by dint of sheer effort, he got better and better and got to the point where he could do some pretty amazing tricks on Nordic skis," Hochschartner says. "Several years later, I remember the time at the Mideastern youth championships when (as an eighth-grader) he had finished in the middle of the pack.
"Afterward they had a fun race with obstacles, a slalom course and a jump for tricks, and he cleaned up by landing a 360 on racing gear."
King of the mountains
Teklemariam always picked the hardest hikes.
"He'd train to hike the Great Range in a day — eight mountains with almost 10,000 feet gained in elevation," Hochschartner says.
Teklemariam was an accomplished skier when he started at Colorado Rocky Mountain School. He developed enough to compete for the University of New Hampshire, reaching the top 30 in the standings.
After finishing college in 1997, he left competitive skiing and spent eight years as an Alpine skiing and snowboarding instructor for Club Med resorts in Copper Mountain and Crested Butte, Colo.
Prodded by an ex-girlfriend, Teklemariam started competitive skiing again with the Olympics as his goal.
But because Ethiopia didn't recognize skiing as an Olympic sport, Teklemariam had to lobby the Ethiopian Olympic Committee, the International Skiing Federation and the Ethiopian Ministry of Youth Sports.
The argument on his behalf was made in Ethiopia by friends and his father, Teklemariam Zemichael. (In Ethiopia, a child takes the father's first name as a last name.)
Teklemariam and his brother, Yoseph, handled the other requirement of setting up the Ethiopian Ski Federation with bylaws for future members.
After the hurdles, Teklemariam had extra appreciation when he marched in the Opening Ceremony carrying the Ethiopian flag as a team of one.
"It felt definitely very emotional," he says. "It's something that I've been looking forward to the whole time. It was surreal."
He finished 84th in the 15-kilometer race on Friday, and he'll try to improve his finish when he competes in the sprint today.
Although Teklemariam isn't even close to being considered a medal favorite, he has accomplished his goal of representing his country and dispelling some myths.
Teklemariam is often asked if Ethiopia even has snow. It does snow in the mountains, but not enough for skiing.
Unofficial ambassador
"For me, it's not just about Ethiopia," he says. "I don't think it should be a sport for only one group of people. It's such a beautiful sport, I want everybody to enjoy it. Skiing is such a great sport. You have to share it. For me, when people ask me about the Olympics, it's good because they ask about Ethiopia.
"When people think of Ethiopia, they think it's flat, no mountains and no nothing, but there are mountains. There is snow in Ethiopia — not enough to ski, but there is now."
Thanks to Teklemariam, there's even an Olympian skier from Ethiopia now.
jesus.ortiz@chron.com

Tegbar League chapters in Ethiopia to launch a five-day protest campaign

Tegbar League chapters in Ethiopia to launch a five-day protest campaign
Wednesday 22 February 2006 09:13.
Tegbar League chapters in Ethiopia
Press Release

For further info: tegbar@gmail.com

www.tegbar.org

Feb 22, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Tegbar League chapters in Ethiopia are launching a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience through out Ethiopia from March 20 to 24 (Megabit 11 to 15). The plan is for Tegbar League chapters in Ethiopia, in collaboration with other organizations, to conduct various opposition activities in every city, town and village.

Tegbar League is calling on the people of Ethiopia to intensify the struggle against the brutal dictatorship by waging an all out campaign during these five days using every means available to us.

Tegbar coordinators are stressing the point that all opposition activities must be peaceful and avoid direct confrontation with Meles Zenawi’s blood thirsty Federal Police and special forces as much as possible.

Tegbar members around the world and other freedom loving Ethiopians are asked to support the five-day campaign by providing material, as well as moral support.

The purpose of the campaign is to persuade the Meles regime to accept the CUD’s 8-point proposal outlined below:

1. The unconditional release of all political prisoners.

2. The establishment of an independent judiciary.

3. The establishment on an independent Election Board composed of representatives of all parties.

4. Access for the opposition parties to the mass media, particularly TV and radio.

5. Independent investigation into the torture and murder of thousands of peaceful protestors and unarmed civilians.

6. The army and police force that is independent of any political party.

7. The reinstatement of parliamentary rules that has been changed after the May 2005 elections to silence the opposition, and the return of of

all revenues that have been taken away from the City of Addis Ababa.

8. The establishment of an independent commission that will overlook the implementation of the above demands.

(ST)

Ethiopia denies killing of two students in Oromia

Ethiopia denies killing of two students in Oromia
Wednesday 22 February 2006 00:07.

Feb 21, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia’s police denied media reports on the killing of two students during a riot in Oromia state, the official ENA reported.
A news story filed by Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle and Eritrean radio alleging that two students were killed during a riot that occurred in Gebre-guracha Comprehensive Secondary School in North Shoa Zone, Oromia State was far from the truth, the students who were reported to be dead disclosed.
According to a statement the Zonal Police on Tuesday, Diriba Bekele and Solomon, were reported to be dead by the stated media, said they are alive.
Diriba said he went to school to seat for his exam and he was there too when the unrest started but didn’t suffer any injury leave alone to be dead.
He said he was very sad that the stated media reported that he was dead.
Diriba said he was one of the students who were put under police custody now.
Solomon said on his part that no body was killed during the riot.
He said the dissemination of false news story by stated media put their credibility under question.
Corporal Dejene Dadi, an elder, said on his part that he was very sad over the report of the stated media.
He said he was surprised by the story disseminated by the media claiming this much person killed or that much injured when in fact they are thousands of kms away from Ethiopia and when I didn’t see anything at all while I was watching the riot standing at a point one meter away.
Corporal Dadi said he had seen before his eyes that the students, who were alleged to be dead, but who are alive, by going to the police station.
Police said there was an attempt to disturb the teaching-learning process in the area through the help of anti-peace forces since last May but has been contained through the collaborative work of the police and the society.
More than 1000 community leaders drawn from among Kukuyu, Degem, Worejarso and Kehadabu-abote woredas had endorsed a resolution on how to ensure the peace and security of the area following discussion.
(ST/ENA)

Rebel group claims killing 25 Ethiopian soldiers

Rebel group claims killing 25 Ethiopian soldiersMonday
20 February 2006
Feb 19, 2006 (ASMARA) — The army of the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF) which is waging an armed struggle in Ethiopia, has announced that it scored shining victory over government soldiers in around Adi Geshu — in northern Ethiopia — on 14 February.The EPPF said its forces killed 15 Ethiopian government soldiers and burnt down a tanker, the Eritrean radio reported.A contingent of the Ethiopian army that was sent to rescue the soldiers who were being pounded was also repelled by the EPPF forces. Ten Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded in this engagement.According to the EPPF, a total of 25 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded and 17 Kalashnikovs and one Bren were also captured in the fighting.The military command of the front said in a statement that the EPPF was intensifying its attacks in all directions to avenge the killings of innocent Ethiopians.

(ST/Eritrean radio)

TPLF Army Suffers Heavy Damage from TPDM and OLF Forces

TPLF Army Suffers Heavy Damage from TPDM and OLF Forces
Meron Abraha, Jan 20, 2006
A statement issued by the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (TPDM) disclosed that it killed 75 TPLF soldiers in a battle in Sheraro province in Northeastern Tigray on January 19, 2006. The TPDM combatants also burned down the military supplies’ storehouse in the area. The attack is one of the large-scale offensives planned by the TPDM against the TPLF regime. The statement further revealed that the public guaranteed the TPDM full support in their missions. Meanwhile, in a series of clashes with the TPLF army, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) killed a total of 66 TPLF soldiers, injuring 54 others, and burned a military vehicle.

© Copyright 2001-2005 Shaebia.org

Africa's 'New Generation' Likened to Old

Africa's 'New Generation' Likened to Old

Leaders once lauded by the West are accused of adopting the autocratic ways of predecessors.
By Edmund Sanders, Times Staff Writer

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Like the elephants that roam the East African savannas, this region's Big Men once looked like an endangered species. Some leaders were toppled by coups d'etat, others by democratic revolutions or international pressure. Their replacements — mostly young, former guerrillas who spoke of sweeping reforms — were heralded by then-President Clinton and other Western leaders as the "new generation" of African statesmen. International aid and investment began flooding into the region.
But to the disappointment of many, this new guard is beginning to adopt some of the undemocratic behavior of the dictators it replaced. And resulting tensions with Europe and the U.S. are threatening efforts to combat poverty and build strategic partnerships against terrorism.Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a onetime favorite of the West, was blamed for a bloody postelection crackdown last year in which police shot to death dozens of students and imprisoned thousands more protesters, including elected opposition leaders.Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who once declared that no African leader should serve more than 10 years, is entering his 20th. And after pushing through a constitutional amendment, he's expected to win another five-year term in Thursday's election. Kenya's Mwai Kibaki swept into office in 2002 on a promise to wipe out corruption but is now embroiled in a government contract scandal and alleged cover-up that is unraveling his administration."Clearly, all has gone very badly," said Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential, a London-based journal. "These were the people that everyone was raving about," but now "there's a reversion to the same old instincts."The African leaders bristle at such criticism, insisting that they are not nearly as brutal and tight-fisted as their predecessors. Big Men such as Ethiopia's Mengistu Haile Mariam, Uganda's Idi Amin and Kenya's Daniel Arap Moi ruled through torture and oppression, crushing opposition and squandering their countries' wealth as millions suffered in poverty. The current leaders blame what they call the overbearing policies of international donors for many of their woes. In an interview, Ethiopia's Meles contended that his only fault was refusing to ride the "roller coaster" of Western opinion. "I have no regrets," he said.Meles took the reins in 1991 when his rebel army toppled Mengistu's Marxist government. Throughout the decade that followed, he spoke of decentralizing power, building a strong parliament and restoring the economy. Last year, Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest nations, attracted $1 billion in foreign investment, officials said.By most independent accounts, last May's parliamentary elections were free and fair. But when results revealed that the opposition won overwhelmingly in Addis Ababa, the capital, Meles responded by sweeping up thousands of rioting protesters and arresting political enemies. More than 80 people were reportedly killed in clashes with police last year.Now Meles says he is likely to step down in 2010, after what would be almost two decades in power.At a summit last week in South Africa, attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Meles, among others, Blair called the Ethiopian leader's response to the election dispute an "overreaction." And last month, Britain's international development chief redirected $88 million in financial assistance away from Meles' ruling party.Meles accused donors of bowing to public pressure over "fantastic allegations" of human rights abuses. He said about 730 protesters and opposition figures remained in jail on charges of leading an "insurrection." Among those still detained is the recently elected mayor of Addis Ababa, a member of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy.Meles was betting that the current flap with donors over the disputed elections would blow over."The maturity of our relationship will be tested by how well we manage this particular turbulence," he said. "But where our ways diverge, we will have to follow our conscience and accept the consequences."
Uganda was once at the forefront of the so-called African renaissance. Both Clinton and President Bush visited Museveni and praised his leadership in combating AIDS, helping to burnish the Ugandan's reputation at home. But when huge crowds welcomed opposition leader Kizza Besigye, a former Museveni ally, home from exile last fall, the president promptly had him arrested on charges of treason and rape. He also threatened to prosecute Besigye's wife. Uganda's High Court was poised to release Besigye at a bail hearing in November when a commando force, dubbed "Black Mamba," stormed the court grounds. Besigye was later freed on bail.Now, Uganda, which gets nearly half its funding from international donors, faces severe cuts. Britain, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands have scaled back or diverted more than $50 million in aid, citing democratic backsliding by Museveni's government.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Ethiopia's coffee birthplace to host first ever beauty contest

Ethiopia's coffee birthplace to host first ever beauty contest

Ethiopia's southwestern city of Jimma, commonly known as the birthplace of coffee, is for the first time in its history braced to host a beauty contest, it was learned Sunday. Cleopatra Promotion, a private local company, will organize the beauty pageant on March 24, at Jimma's prestigious Gojeb Minch Hotel. According to a press release sent to international media here, the pageant will include beauty contests for Miss Jimma and Mr. Jimma titles. As criteria for joining the contesting group, girls should be above 1.68 meter and men should be above 1.75 meter, the organizing company said. The contestants should be residents of Jimma but they can have any ethnic origins because only 23 percent of the residents in Jimma are Oromo while the other 77 percent of the society is from the southern region of Ethiopia, the press release said. Around 140 contestants, including students from Jimma University, are registered, the organizing company said, adding that it expects more contestants to get registered. In addition, the event will be transmitted to the public with video projectors in different locations outside Gojeb Minch Hotel. The event will also be transmitted live to 10,000 people. Talking about the judges, Adege Negussie, general manager of Cleopatra Promotion, said the judges are comprised of people, who are working in Jimma University. Responding to some critics of beauty contests who claim that it spoils local culture, Adege said that since it is their first time to organize such an event in Jimma and it being new for the society, they will try to compromise things. "For instance, contestants will not stand with swimming pants in front of the judges. However we also try to maintain the show's international standard without forgetting our tradition." Jimma, with a population of over 90,000, is the commercial center for a coffee-producing region. It has been the capital city of Kaffa province and is situated in about 335 km southwest of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The Kaffa region is Ethiopia's largest producer of coffee, the most important cash crop for Ethiopia and accounts for more than 60 percent of Ethiopia's export earnings and provides the primary source of income for many thousands of small farmers. Coffee has a long and revered history in Ethiopia and is an important component of Ethiopian culture and society. The name coffee is even derived from the "Kaffa" after the discovery of coffee in this region and later became known to the world. Source: Xinhua

Temperature on Both Sides Of Eritrea- Ethiopia Border

In the Horn of Africa, a border row between Eritrea and Ethiopia has been rumbling for months, with whispers of a possible new conflict between the neighbours, who last went towar between 1998-2000. Earlier this month, the United Nations said the border remained tense.
The following two stories take the temperature on both sidesof the disputed border.
ZALAMBESSA, Ethiopia - It's hard to tell which stones are the rubble of war and which are the ingredients of reconstruction in the frontier town of Zalambessa. In 1998, Eritrea's soldiers invaded and destroyed this town on the disputed border with Ethiopia at the start of a two-year war in which 70,000 people were killed.
Now, six years after a peace pact, Zalambessa's 12,000 people are rebuilding, stone by stone. But the hope that drives them is tainted by the fear of another war and memories of pain.
"We have to survive with what we have now, and we are feeling the threat of war," businessman Hailu Zerafa, 70, said.
MASSAWA, Eritrea - Mohamed Idris and Ibrahim Mohamed wheel through the humid backstreets of Eritrea's Red Sea port town of Massawa, past buildings still scarred by the shooting and shelling of battle.
The two men were shot respectively in Eritrea's 30-year fight for independence from Ethiopia and the subsequent 1998-2000 border war, and have been in wheelchairs ever since.
The veterans have travelled to Massawa, a town spread out across the mainland and two islands, for the bittersweet commemoration of Operation Fenkel -- the 1990 liberation of the port during the independence war.
"We feel happy and very proud," said Mohamed, 28. "On the other hand, we feel sad because many people died," added Idris, 33.

Source: Basque News and Information Channel
http://www.eitb24.com/portal/eitb24/noticia/international-news-border-conflict-temperature-on-both-sides-of-e?itemId=D13348&cl=%2Feitb24%2Finternacional&idioma=en

Heavy fighting on Ethiopia-Somalia border kills 12

Heavy fighting on Ethiopia-Somalia border kills 12
Mogadishu, Somalia
17 February 2006 10:08
Rival Somali sub-clans battled over pasture and wells just inside Ethiopia leaving at least 12 dead and more than two dozen wounded in a second day of fighting on Thursday as competition for water and pasture heats up in the drought-stricken region, officials said.The clashes in the Ethiopian village of Yamarug began on Wednesday between heavily armed militia members from the Marehan and Majereteen factions of the larger Darod clan in a dispute over the precious resources, they said.Yamarug is a remote and desolate outpost in southeastern Ethiopia only about 30 metres from the border with central Somalia and eyewitness accounts of the fighting were sketchy.At least 12 and as many as 17 people were reported to have been killed, according to officials in nearby towns in Somalia where the wounded from the two factions were brought for treatment.A nurse at the hospital in Galkayo, where the Majereteen casualties were brought, said the facility was treating 17 injured fighters who spoke of the same number being killed on both sides in the two days of fighting."They are saying the same number were killed," the nurse told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.In the town of Abudwaq, where the Marehan casualties were brought, a district official said the nine wounded spoke of 12 people being killed although he said the actual number would likely rise."The fighting has not stopped and miltiamen from both sides heading to reinforce the area," the official said.In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, an official with the information ministry confirmed the clashes but could not confirm their seriousness or any casualties."There were clashes between Somali subclans at the border," the official said. "We have sent out a fact-finding mission and are waiting for the results of the investigation."Tensions between the two factions have run high for some time but they have managed to live together in the Yamarug area for years without violence, according to Somalia observers.They said those tensions likely erupted into fighting due to the scorching drought that has hit East Africa, threatening more than eight million people with starvation in four countries, including Ethiopia and Somalia.About 3,4-million people -- 1,7-million each in southeast Ethiopia and southern and central Somalia -- are at-risk and in need of dire assistance to stave off famine, according to UN agencies. - AFP

Vote for BAD DEMOCRACY, vote for DICTATOR MELES

Meles Zenawi
Bad Democracy image for Meles Zenawi

Though the pusillanimity of the international community must take some of the blame for the brewing tension in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia's President Meles has hardly eased tempers by rejecting out of hand a UN-brokered border settlement with Eritrea. He has deployed troops on his own streets to quell dissent stemming from vote-fiddling in May 2005; 131 face charges, including members of the opposition Coalition for United Democracy hauled up for "treason". Human Rights Watch concluded in December that Meles' administration was "violently suppressing any form of protest and punishing suspected opposition supporters". To the horror of the diaspora, Ethiopia seems to be sliding back towards the privation by which it was ravaged late last century.

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Hungry Ethiopia Finds an Answer at Its Feet

February 17, 2006
latimes.com : World News

Hungry Ethiopia Finds an Answer at Its Feet
The drought-resistant wild enset plant yields food that can be preserved for decades. Now experts and aid groups are taking notice.By Edmund Sanders, Times Staff Writer
WELKITE, Ethiopia — Even as drought and starvation threaten millions of Ethiopians, farmers in this southern province say they aren't worried about hunger, thanks to an ancient but little understood agricultural weapon that experts say could one day play a role in alleviating African famines.Clustered around nearly every mud-walled hut in these highlands are the tall, big-leafed stalks of enset trees, also known as false banana, which grow wild in eastern and southern Africa but are believed to be harvested only in Ethiopia.
The power of the plant lies in its drought-resistant leaves and corm, which, when pulverized, yields a white, cheese-like substance that can be cooked into a flat bread or stored in underground fermentation pits for up to 20 years."It's always there to feed my family," said farmer Meded Kemal, 35.He recalled a drought five years ago that wiped out his small fields of maize, chickpeas, sorghum and teff, the most popular Ethiopian grain. Only the enset survived.Even after the family exhausted its underground supply, it didn't go hungry. It simply knocked down a few more enset stalks, which, unlike other crops, can be harvested any time of year."One plant can feed the family for a week," said farmer Tedesa Habte, 45, dwarfed by a field of 300 of the plants, which grow as tall as 30 feet. "We never go hungry."Nearly 15 million people in southern Ethiopia, including the Gurage, Sidama and Hadiya tribes, rely on enset for most of their nutrition, though the plant is relatively low in protein and can taste bitter. The stalks take seven years to reach maturity and harvesting is tricky. But handled properly, the plants, dubbed "the shield" by farmers, can help save lives, as they did for many of the southern tribes during Ethiopia's severe famines of 1973 and 1984.Enset harvesting is thought to date back thousands of years, but only lately has the plant drawn increased attention from agricultural experts and aid groups looking for long-term solutions to Ethiopia's drought and hunger problem. "I'm so excited about this plant," said Yihenew Zewdie, an Ethiopian food security expert for the United Nations' World Food Program. "It could be an answer to hunger. But it's not been given the attention it deserves." Enset research and development has largely been overshadowed by the focus on the more traditional grains, such as maize, that are favored by Western aid groups and relief organizations.The Ethiopian government recognized enset as a national crop nearly a decade ago, theoretically clearing the way for state-funded research and assistance. But the Agriculture Ministry remains more interested in boosting production and export of cash crops such as coffee and flowers, which have the potential to boost government coffers. The Washington-based American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, which attempted to bring attention to enset in a 1997 report, called it the "most unstudied domesticated crop in Africa" and criticized policymakers for failing to see the plant's "famine buffer potential."Several privately funded agricultural groups, including Farm Africa, have launched pilot projects to teach farmers in other parts of Ethiopia about the benefits of enset. Despite a promising reception, most of the projects have stalled for lack of funds, Zewdie said.Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi called enset an important crop, but said research had been hindered by the fact that the plant is still commonly harvested only in Ethiopia, meaning local researchers can't benefit from the experience of other countries."Our research is limited by what we can do here, and our research capability is limited," he said.Though Western governments and humanitarian groups have provided generous emergency food aid to Ethiopia for years, Meles said, there has been less support for research and development projects to tackle the root of the country's drought and hunger problems, such as the need for new irrigation systems.His government is the latest to struggle with Ethiopia's chronic food shortages."People here are always on the precipice," said Paulette Jones, World Food Program spokeswoman in Addis Ababa, the capital.

Ethiopia’s ruling EPRDF, 2 opposition forces agree to discuss national issues

Ethiopia’s ruling EPRDF, 2 opposition forces agree to discuss national issues
Feb 16, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — The ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) and the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) have reached agreement to discuss on various national issues.
In a joint press statement to the official ENA, the three parties said they have reached an agreement on six major agenda items for discussion as well as the rule of procedure at a meeting they held on Monday 13 February 2006.
Accordingly, the statement said, the parties have agreed to discuss on agenda items such as the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, Mass Media, Parliamentarians’ Code of Conduct as well as on ways in which political parties could get financial support from government on the basis of studies conducted and that will be conducted in the future.
More over, the statement said, the three parties have agreed to discuss on the respect of constitutional provisions and the supremacy of law, capacity building of parliamentarians and other related issues.
The discussions on the agreed up on agenda items would be chaired by persons from the three parties in a round.
The three parties have agreed to publicize the outcomes of the discussion.
(ENA/ST)
Source: Sudan Tribune

Somali gunmen clash in Ethiopia, 13 die - sources

Somali gunmen clash in Ethiopia, 13 die - sources
16 Feb 2006 17:08:29 GMTSource: Reuters
By Mohamed Ali Bile
MOGADISHU, Feb 16 (Reuters) - At least 13 people died when rival Somali groups fought gun battles in a remote Ethiopian village, kinsmen in nearby Somalia said on Thursday.
The kinsmen, speaking from two Somali towns where the dead and wounded were taken, said the fighting between the two sub-clans living in Ethiopia started on Wednesday over control of a dam in the drought-hit region and was still going on.
In the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the information ministry confirmed a clash in the village of Yamarugleey about 40 km (25 miles) east of the Somali border, but had no information on casualties or the cause of the violence.
"The Federal Affairs Ministry and officials of the Somali regional government (in Ethiopia) have dispatched a joint mission to investigate the causes of the clash," a ministry spokesman told Reuters.
Many ethnic Somalis live in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region and have close family links across the border with Somalia.
Somalia, where similar clashes are frequent, has had no central government since former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted by clan militias 15 years ago.
Residents in the Somali towns of Abudwaaq and Galkaayo said the fighting involved the Marehan and Majerten sub-clans. They said that apart from the dead, 48 wounded had also been brought to the two towns.
They said fighting was heavy and the victims had been taken to Somalia for treatment because that was where their kinsmen were.
"There are 12 dead bodies and 20 injured people in the hospital in Abudwaaq," Abdinasir Haji, a resident of the Marehan-dominated town more than 700 km (450 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, told Reuters by phone.
Ahmed Dirie, a hospital official in the Majerten town of Galkaayo, said one person died in the hospital from gunshot wounds and the death toll might rise.
"We understand fighting is still going on, it's very sad," he said by phone.
Ahmed Sugule, a Marehan traditional leader in Abudwaaq, said elders from both groups were in contact in a bid to end the fighting. (Additional reporting by Guled Mohamed in Nairobi and Tsegaye Tadesse in Addis Ababa)

Popular uprising in Oromia reaches a critical stage

Popular uprising in Oromia reaches a critical stage
Thursday 16 February 2006 10:58.
Oromo Liberation Front
Press Release
Feb 15, 2006 — The popular uprising that has been raging throughout Oromia since Nov. 9, 2005 is unprecedented in the history of the Oromo people and is marking a new chapter in the struggle for freedom and democracy.
The basic demands remain the same: respect for human dignity and basic freedoms, justice through an impartial court of law, implementing the right to self-determination enshrined in the constitution and making it functional and meaningful, the release of all political prisoners, the reinstatement of the Mecha Tullama self-help Association and addressing the grievances of the Oromo people through a peaceful political means rather than through repression. The continuation of these protests despite the harsh response from the regime and the overwhelming support of the people for their vanguard organization, the OLF, have further frustrated the Meles government. However, rather than seeking a political solution as the situation demands, the regime is irresponsibly continuing with its ruthless action of summary and indiscriminate executions, torture, abductions, and unlawful imprisonment of peaceful protesters and innocent people who have not taken part in the protests. Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International (AI), and Associated Press (AP) have confirmed the intensification of intimidation, harassment and arbitrary detentions.
Despite the harsh crackdown, the popular uprising has engulfed all parts of the country. Moreover, different sectors of the population are joining the demonstration. Although the government has tried to deflect the attention of the people by organizing bogus meetings under various names, the replies it is getting is unambiguously clear- the regime can no longer sideline the yearning of the Oromo and other peoples for freedom, justice and democracy. At the moment, the Meles government has set up military barracks in every region and locality where protests are taking place daily. In a development that frightens the regime disagreements are brewing even among the regime’s security forces stationed in Oromia. There are reports of exchange of gunfire between those sympathetic to the legitimate demands of the people and those loyal to the regime. In addition the fact that the regime is unable to rely on the local police and has to increasingly deploy the Agazi Special Force indicates that the uprising has indeed reached a new and decisive phase.
Since the last press briefing many school children, university students, the young and elderly have been killed, and disappeared while tens of thousands have been imprisoned where they routinely faced torture. According to reliable reports, more than 105 have been killed in different parts of Oromia while 232 have disappeared without trace. The recent cold-blood massacre of 22 innocent people in Guduru is a graphic example of the facts on the ground. Prisoners are being picked from detention centers during the night never to return either to their prison cells or to their relatives. There have also been cases where families visiting their imprisoned loved ones themselves faced detention. In many instances parents are under continuous pressure by the OPDO (local appendage of the regime) to sign affidavits to bear responsibility for any action taken by school children in a bid to forestall their participation in the protests.
Amnesty International on a letter dated Jan. 30, 2006 has urged urgent action and an appeal to the Ethiopian government against the rampant and random abduction and imprisonment. The international community should not remain silent about the tragedy unfolding in Oromia in particular and Ethiopia in general. The growing tension between the peoples and the regime has serious implications for the region. It is therefore in this spirit that, we call upon all concerned, the United States of America, the African Union, the European Union, the UN, and other government and non-governmental agencies to stop supporting the Meles regime and rather swiftly seek a comprehensive political solution to thwart the looming crisis.
Victory to the Oromo People!
External Information Division Foreign Relations Department Oromo Liberation Front

UK Must Stand Firm Against Tyranny in Ethiopia

UK Must Stand Firm Against Tyranny in Ethiopia
February 12, 2006
Open Letter to:
The Right Honorable Tony Blair, PC, MP, The Prime Minister
10 Downing Street,
London,
SW1A 2AA
19 September 2005

Re: Human Rights Abuses in Oromiyaa Region of Ethiopia

‘The state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world. But if the world as a community focused on it, we could heal it. And if we don’t, it will become deeper and angrier.’ Tony Blair, Labour Party Conference, Brighton, 2 October 2001

Dear Prime Minister,

The intervention and the clear condemnation by the Right Honorable Hon Hilary Ben, MP, British Secretary of State for International Development, concerning the Human Rights abuses in Oromiyaa, suspension of direct aid, and the demand for an international investigation amid these concerns was welcome news to the Oromo Communities around the world. The Oromo Communities seized the opportunity to confirm and highlight the atrocities being suffered upon innocent, defenseless and leaderless Oromos, in the form of Petitions to Her Majesty’s Government. [Demand Respect for Human Rights in Oromiya Regional State of Ethiopia http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/968404168 ]

The Oromo Communities further welcome the confirmation by the Right Honorable Prime Minister of the commitment by Her Majesty’s Government to resolve outstanding political and Human Rights issues in Ethiopia. However, we wish to equally express our growing anxiety over statements by the Right Honorable Pprime Minister, which appear to defend and deprecate the cries of the Oromo People for international attention by characterizing the facts and degree of human rights violations and oppression in Ethiopia as an "over-reaction, which often happens." [UK PM targets Ethiopia at summit, Sunday, 12 February 2006, By Peter Biles BBC southern Africa Correspondent, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4707232.stm ]

The Oromos believe that inconsistencies and vacillation from convictions give comfort and support to lawless and dictatorial regimes and explicate the reasons for increasing resentment of people in developing countries towards the West. Prime Minister Zenawi’s response characterizing the problems in Ethiopia as "flaws" and "mistakes" from which "Ethiopia would learn" and "move on" are testaments to the lack of good faith and an inability to understand the serious nature of the brutality of his government towards the citizens. [UK PM targets Ethiopia at summit, Sunday, 12 February 2006, By Peter Biles BBC southern Africa Correspondent, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4707232.stm ]

Neither Prime Minister Zenawi nor his government is endowed to govern an unwilling constituency by Divine Right, but do so only because of the sanction and support of governments who would not permit the violation of basic human and democratic rights to be perpetrated upon their own people. Like other dictatorial regimes through out the course of human history, the present government will soon be another chapter in the history of Ethiopia. It is the wish of the Oromo Communities that the trust, confidence, and friendship of the Oromo People will not be tested and irreparably damaged by continuing to empower, defend, and impose a tyrannical regime on those who are entitled to exercise fundamental rights as human beings.

We again call upon Her Majesty’s Government to stand firm and to demand that:
1. All Oromo Political prisoners, journalists and students are released, without any conditions or reservations;2. Those portions of the recommendations set forth in the Human Rights Reports referenced above which can only be implemented by the Ethiopian Government are fully and completely implemented without any conditions or reservations;3. Independent Human Rights Commission’s are allowed to be legally established to operate freely within Oromiya, as permitted by law, without any conditions or reservations;4. Those portions of the recommendations applicable to agencies and institutions, which are directly, or indirectly under the control of Her majesty’s Government, The Government of the United States, and The European Union are fully implemented.
Signed by;
Idriss Shaankkore, an Oromo shaankkore@yahoo.com.

Ethiopian Americans say no to double standards

Sun, Feb 12, 2006 20:06 UT
Ethiopian Americans: No to Double Standards
Sunday 12 February 2006.
Ethiopian - Americans for Democracy
Press Release
Feb 12, 2006 (WASHINGTON DC) — Ethiopian Americans for Democracy (EAD) today called on Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, not to apply a double standard when it comes to human rights abuses by the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
EAD appealed to the Ambassador to speak up clearly and forcefully against the killings, massive arrests and intimidation of pro-democracy forces. The group also regretted the fact that the Ambassador continues to blame unarmed civilian victims for regime-instigated violence.
EAD said it hoped that the Ambassador’s personal relationship with the regime does not color her policy decisions. It urged Dr. Frazer to distance herself from the regime and to adopt a more balanced approach.
Although the push for democracy is said to be the cornerstone of President Bush’s foreign policy, Dr. Frazer’s action on Ethiopia is contradictory to the declared US policy.
The advocacy group called on the United States to pressure Zenawi to put a stop to the violence and human rights violations.
Some of EAD’s demands include the following: An end to the criminalization of political discourse and activity by the Mr. Zenawi; an end to the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians; the release of all political prisoners; a visit by the Red Cross to all prisons and a full accounting of all those killed and arrested; and independent investigation of all the killings; reform of parliamentary and electoral systems with the full participation of the opposition.
For further information contact: Fax 646 349 1253 ethiodemocracy@yahoo.com
Letter to Dr. Frazer
Ethiopian-Americans for Democracy 350 Third Avenue, # 308 New York, NY 10010 Fax 212 696-9541 ethiodemocracy@yahoo.com February 12, 2006
Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs US Department of State 2201 C. St. NW Washington, D.C 20520
Dear Dr. Frazer,
We are writing to appeal to you to reconsider your continuing support of the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. We also urge you to speak up clearly and forcefully against the killings and mass arrests and to refrain from blaming the victims of the regime’s violence.
The Department of State and especially the Bureau of African Affairs under your stewardship have regrettably applied a double standard when it comes to human rights violations in Ethiopia.
The security forces of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi have killed upwards of 80 people and jailed perhaps as many as 70,000 in the last six months. Those in jail include the top leadership of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the main opposition party, as well as journalists and civil society leaders. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the European Union have documented the violence unleashed by Mr. Zenawi in the wake of the contested May 2005 elections. Where is the outrage? Where is US moral leadership?
Your statements in the last two months, coupled with those of other State Department spokespersons, have further emboldened the regime. The record shows a sad correlation between tacit US approval and massive arrests and killings.
The Prime Minister has become more intransigent and persists with wild and false accusations of violence and "genocide" against almost anyone who challenges his rule or tells the truth. Even reporters for the Voice of America (VOA) — US government employees — have not been spared genocide charges.
While defending a government that wantonly intimidates, maims and kills, you have not had one kind word for the democratic opposition - an opposition that has managed to win the hearts and minds of millions under extremely adverse conditions and in spite of unparalleled violence by the incumbent regime.
We are especially concerned about several factually inaccurate statements you have made since November of 2005, including the following:
The opposition instigated violent demonstrations - in your words, pelting “the police with stones” - presumably triggering the Special Forces to use live ammunition against protestors. The opposition’s intention was the violent overthrow of the government. There are “non-democrats” within the opposition. The Diaspora threatened the opposition not to join parliament and that the opposition is beholden to Diaspora for financial contributions.
These assertions are unwarranted for the following reasons:
• The opposition instigated violent demonstrations — Although the Ethiopian government alleges that the opposition instigated the June and November violence and killings, independent observers such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the European Union and reputable media such as The New York Times, The London Observer and the Israeli Hareetz have extensively reported on the violence unleashed by the government.
• Even Herman Cohen, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and a one-time backer of Meles, stated in a VOA interview that the ruling party might have very likely instigated the violence to crush the opposition. To the dismay of the people of Ethiopia, you chose to disregard the facts on the ground and to echo the government’s version of the story. We would expect the chief architect of US policy on Africa to at least take a neutral and constructive stand by calling for an impartial investigation.
• Did the CUD call for violent demonstrations? — The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the main opposition party, did call for Addis Ababans to honk their horns on November 1, 2005, in protest of election irregularities. But CUD clearly discouraged violent demonstrations to deny the government any pretext for cracking down.
• Is it OK to shoot kids who throw stones? We believe it is unacceptable to justify the shooting of demonstrators because they threw stones at the police. Besides, do people not have the right to protest in a democracy? Are the standards different for Africans? Therefore, your assertion that the opposition instigated violent demonstrations is regrettable, unfounded, and a dangerous signal to dictators around the world.
• “Violent overthrow” of the government — On more than one occasion, you have chosen to present as truth Prime Minister Zenawi’s self-serving version of the story. He claims he had to kill and jail people because they wanted to stage an insurrection. The opposition trounced the government at the polls through legal, parliamentary means. It neither had the inclination nor the capability to engage in a violent overthrow of the government. This charge is in the same league as the wild accusation of genocide against VOA staffers. Again, at the very minimum, you could have suspended judgment until further investigation.
• Non-democrats within the opposition — We assume you are referring to opposition members already in jail. The Ethiopian people democratically elected the people you refer to as "non-democrats." We find this remark particularly disconcerting coming from someone of your stature who stated in your confirmation hearing that support for the “spread of political freedom throughout the continent [of Africa]” was among your prime objectives.
• It is the Diaspora’s fault — In 15 years, the Prime Minister and his group have never taken responsibility for their misdeeds. It is always someone else’s fault and the list is very long: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, National Democratic Institution, EU, Ana Gomez, the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, the independent press, CUD, UEDF, the Diaspora, etc., etc.
Once again, we ask you not to uncritically blame the Diaspora for problems caused by a greedy, corrupt regime that does not want to relinquish power after 14 -15 long years.
In your February 8, 2006, VOA interview you said opposition leaders were threatened by the Diaspora not to join parliament. You also suggested that the Diaspora was using money to coerce elected parliamentarians. We do not know who you spoke to, but we believe these were misstatements of facts. They are also very serious allegations. So we kindly ask you to come forward with the facts.
In truth, it was the residents of Addis Ababa - who represent a cross-section of the Ethiopian society - and who asked the CUD leaders not to enter parliament at a large town-hall meeting convened for the purpose of determining the voters’ views. When Mr. Zenawi was informed of the outcome of that meeting, he banned the opposition from traveling to the outer regions to ascertain the wishes of the people.
On May 8, 2005, some 2,000,000 people came out in support of the opposition in Addis Ababa alone. It is these multitudes who are the financial backbones of the pro-democracy forces. Why is it so difficult to believe that these same people are willing and able to fund a movement they believe in?
The Ethiopian Diaspora is not one monolithic group. It has many and divergent views. It is a reflection of the diversity of Ethiopian society and as such does not represent any one political party, ethnic group or religion. What unites us, however, is the desire to see our beloved country of origin graduate from being a beggar nation and ruled by a succession of tyrants.
It is simply wrong to malign the Diaspora for the misdeeds of a regime that has managed to run a poor country further to the ground. We would have thought you would appreciate the Diaspora’s continued interest in the democratization of its country of origin.
Lastly, Ethiopians abroad have the know-how and significant capital that could make a difference if encouraged and harnessed properly. The litmus test for confidence in a country’s investment environment is if the Diaspora puts its money in its country of origin. In China and Vietnam, for example, foreign investors came in only after the overseas citizens of those countries heavily invested.
Dear Dr. Frazier,
We are troubled by your close association with the Ethiopian government and its embassy in Washington - including your 2004 presentation that was jointly sponsored by the embassy and a lobbying firm and delivered on embassy grounds. We would like to be reassured that your policy decisions on Ethiopia are not colored by your relationship with the ruling party.
The fate of a nation of 77 million hangs in the balance. We, therefore, urge you to seek out divergent views and to listen to information from sources that are not necessarily endorsed by the government.
We appreciate your effort to “increase the democratic space.” Unfortunately there is not much democratic space left to increase. Prime Minister Zenawi views the opposition as his enemy, not as his competitors.
He has criminalized all political discourse. Accordingly he is out to crush anyone who gets in his way. This disposition did not start just this year. He never tolerated any legitimate opposition. For 15 years, the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) used intimidation, beatings, imprisonment and extra-judicial killings to destroy opponents.
You do not have to take our word on the track record of the regime. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Genocide Watch International and your own State Department have extensively documented the violent nature of this regime over the years.
You are in a position to make a difference in the lives of millions of Ethiopians crying out for justice. We, therefore, urge you and the government of the United States not to continue to impose a minority regime and a tyrant who has clearly been rejected by his own people.
We appeal to you to take a non-partisan stand, and to call for:
• An immediate halt to the Prime Minister’s criminalization of all political discourse and activity. • An immediate and unconditional release of all opposition leaders, journalists and the thousands of youth being held in various concentration camps. • A visit by the Red Cross to all prisons and camps as well as a full accounting of all those arrested and killed. • Immediate notification of families of the names and whereabouts of their loved ones along with medical care and food. • An immediate halt to the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. • An immediate halt to intimidation, arrests and killings. • An independent investigation to the June and November killings. • The lifting of all restrictions against opposition parties and independent media. • The lifting of parliamentary rules that barred any meaningful opposition participation. • The selection of an independent electoral board with the full participation of all opposition parties.
Thank you for your understanding.
Respectfully yours,
Ethiopian- Americans for Democracy
cc: Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice