"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of
the world . It was a perfect act". Mahatma Gandhi
Strengthening Business Ties Between Italy and Africa
By Fasil Amdetsion
Many large Italian companies have little or no presence in Africa. Major reasons for the lack of a more significant Italian corporate presence in Africa are the misinformation and biases that continue to color perceptions about the continent. As one Italian commentator aptly put it, “In recent years, one can observe Italian business’ unawareness of the dynamics of Africa markets; perceptions are still anchored on dated impressions and prejudices of the 1980s of an Africa in decline.”
Italy’s History in Africa is a Messy Affair
BY FASIL AMDETSION • SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 In the first of a three-part series, Fasil Amdetsion looks at the evolution of Italy’s relationship with its former colonies in the Horn of Africa.
Earlier this year, Italy hosted the first ever Italy-Africa Ministerial Conference in Rome. Held at the cavernous travertine-laden Farnesina headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was attended by high-level delegations from over 40 African countries.
In his closing remarks, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi underscored his intention of broadening political and economic ties with the African continent, by voicing his hope for a “future in which Africa is seen not as the greatest threat—as some demagogues would have it—but as the greatest
opportunity." The conference, which is intended to be a biennial affair, and Renzi’s visits to sub-Saharan Africa (the first ever by a sitting Italian premier) reflect the Italian government’s commitment to reinvigorating the relationship.
Development
Though it is uncertain who has been appropriating it, Ethiopia’s economy has been showing monumentally high economic growth for the last fifteen years. Given this economic environment, Ethiopia’s investment climate has been on the right trajectory and as a result it has been appealing to many domestic and foreign investors.
Dr.
Yohannes Kiros, 11-09-2016
No, the Ethiopia of today is not built on layers of straw but is a robust organic base bound by the blood and sacrifices of millions of peoples of Ethiopia. It is neither the TPLF nor the Tigray people that have been targeted, it is a target aimed at the freedom fighting peoples of Ethiopia, who would not allow any implanted hate-mongers with fascist ideas to make them stumble upon their hard-won victory. This generation of Ethiopians should not be oblivious to the resolve, courage, bravery and sacrifice of the heroes and heroines to free and build this progressive, peaceful Ethiopia that today is marching towards prosperity. Ethiopia today is, whether its enemies like it or not, an oasis of peace in a region set on fire with clan, tribal and fundamentalist conflicts. Not only is Ethiopia considered a regional mediator and player but is the main contributor to the peace-keeping forces under the auspices of the UN.
Ethiopian observer Editorial
It takes only a casual observer to note that the vast spectrum of lies and deception that has been deliberately infused to the public by fanatic groups in diaspora who are deeply resentful against Tegaru. The anti-Tegaru movement is supported and financed by opposition forces in the Diaspora. For reasons that were never clear, the opposition chose to attack the people of Tigrai to further its political objectives. It is time for all Tegaru in diaspora, with the rest of our people at home, to set a clear agenda and roadmap on how to combat the lies that are being fabricated day in day out to avoid such heinous and satanic plots that can only escalate ethnic tensions. We need radical changes how we should work together it has both personal and nationalistic underpinnings.
Where:
Video/Tele
(Face book
live/other) conference to be determined.
What:
Briefing on the formation of committee.
When:
Wednesday,
September 7, 2016
Seattle,
WA, Ethiopian
Americans, specifically ethnic Tigreans, in
the Greater Seattle Area met on Saturday,
September 4, 2016,
at the Tigrean Community Center
and elected a committee to monitor, respond
and mobilize resources to help victims of
ethnically motivated attacks against Tigreans in
Gondar and other parts of Amhara region. The
public meeting was
promptedby the very few
diaspora extremist group's recent wave of
deplorable ethnic violence and harassment against
Tigreans in Ethiopia and the diaspora.
Editorial
Observer
Call
for pogrom-the verifiable attack of Tigreans by
Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch,
Press release: for immediate publication 8 Sep 2016
Spotlight on regional achievements as East African Power Industry Awards finalists are announced
Awards were established to celebrate sector’s successes
Kenya Power, Eskom Uganda, the Nile Basin Initiative, Songas and Ethiopian Electric Power are just some of the region’s leading lights in the power industry that are finalists in this year’s East African Power Industry Awards that will take place during the East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC) on 21 September at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi. Well known media personality and CNBC Africa television news anchor Bonney Tunya will be the MC during the awards gala dinner.
Wow, Professor Desta, this was a
low punch. I heard it before from people who tried
to muzzle Ex-EPRDF members and deny them
credibility to cast or offer their views, but
never expected it from a distinguished professor.
I think Lt. General Tsadkan is a very courageous
individual who has stepped forward to offer
remedies because he believes that his country he
risked his life for to liberate from brutalization
is in danger. I only wish there were more him who
would break ranks and their silence to change
Ethiopia’s course peacefully and
democratically.
Recently, Ethiopia has been facing many kinds of surprising political activities. Though over the years, the regime in power turned deaf ears to genuine constructive criticisms from a number of Ethiopian scholars, the regime may now be turning its attention to them because uprisings have emerged not only in numerous parts of the country, but also in an interesting article was being posted on a number of websites. It was written by Lt. General Tsadakan Gebre Tensae, the former Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces (hereafter referred to as the author), who has dramatized the political crisis in Ethiopia. However, it should be made clear to the readers that the Amharic version in the Reporter (Hamli, 24, 2008) is slightly different from the English version posted in the Horn Affairs in English (August 4, 2016).Thus, it should be known that I have used both the Amharic and English versions, along with General Tsadkan’s response to Prof. Messay Kebede’s in order to review and assess the author’s position.
A candid discussions with
General Tsadkan Gebre Tensae (ጀነራል -ፃጥቃንገ/ትንሳኤ), former chief of staff of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia regarding
Ethiopia’s current political challenges and
solutions.
Seife Tadelle Kidane, President of Africa Speaks
There is this expansive understanding and perception that a strong civil society is imperative
to fostering development, democracy and human rights that Africa desperately needs.. Civil
society is traditionally a third actor, along with the state and the market, and it’s no less
important than these two, acting as a crucial complement and corrective tool that allows
democratic and inclusive development. It is interesting to-see how it has been playing a
pivotal role on the continent. However, the role of civil society organizations at national and
continental levels remains blurred. The narrative that the African civil society cooperates
with authoritarian/neo-patrimonial regimes should not paint a generic picture that it cannot
foster Africa’s development, rather, the continent should aspire to transform such civil
societies into the ones that can foster development. It is clear that that the African civil
society looks upon the developed world.
It has come to my attention from close friends and ethioobserver.net readers TAND's statement on the uprising in Gondar titled
ጎንደርየህዝቡትግልሲግል-የኢህኣዴግውድቀትሲቀላጠፍ
has generated strong descending views. Even though I do appreciate your candied opinion, I want to assure you that Ethioobserver’ s Achilles’ heel is its reputation of to be trustworthy, adhering to freedom of press and speech and being honest and open with the public. Ethioobserver continues to navigate a rocky road towards securing the interest of every concerned citizen of Ethiopia who are considered on many issues to have their say based on the guidelines. We unify through diversification. Let’s speak unity and harmony, minimize the differences in our backgrounds, while maximizing the common grounds. Our diversity of ideas should be an advantage and allows us to big. Genuine participation on the cyber world does not unfold without at least initial support or oppose.
Pan-Ethiopian Agenda Vs Sectarian Ethnocentric Politics
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD August 4, 2016
This essay, as its title suggests, intends to discuss the significance and preponderance of an overarching Ethiopian nationalism over narrow ethnic nationalism. This is not the first time I have addressed a pan-Ethiopian agenda that is more inclusive vis-à-vis exclusive or divisive ethnocentric politics; I have indeed produced many similar articles in the past , some of which are:
1) ለኢትዮጵያየሚበጅየፖለቲካስትራተጂመቀየሰየሁላችንሐላፊነትነው (2006); 2) የትምክህተኝነትናየጠባብብሔርተኝነትአደገኛነት; 3) Beyond Ethnocentric Ideology and Paradigm
Shift for A Greater Ethiopian Unity.
Travel review: Ethiopia - land of lost Ark
Could a country once ripped apart by famine now be Africa’s most exciting holiday destination?
Sarah Marshall visits Ethiopia.
Clinging like a limpet to the sheer sandstone rock face, I dig my toes into disconcertingly shallow foot holes. Hiking shoes would have been useful, I sigh, but on the final leg of a hike to Ethiopia’s most inaccessible place of worship, barefoot is the only option.
Published on Jun 30, 2016
Former President Thabo Mbeki was the keynote speaker at a session to celebrate 120 years of the battle of ADWA. This session was part of the Africa Unity for Renaissance Conference & Africa Day Expo on 25 May 2016.
The session took place at Ditsong Museum of South Africa in Tshwane.
He will addressed the session on “The 120 Years of the Adwa African Victory.” Led by Empress Taitu, the wife of Emperor Menelik II, and the Emperor’s generals, the patriotic Ethiopian army defeated the Italian colonial forces at Adwa, Ethiopia on 1 March 1896 and thus secured Ethiopia’s independence from colonial rule.
The victory at Adwa would later serve as an inspiration in the struggle against colonial rule to subsequent generations of Ethiopians and other Africans throughout the Continent.
Ethiopia’s Suppressed Historical Treasures in the Northern Frontier:
Key Manifestations of the Hidden-True History worth Exploring
Asghedom Ghebremichael, PhD 13 July 2016
Why History Matters
For the purpose of this piece, treasures refer to precious
socio cultural, natural, and historical heritages of a nation. In her four frontiers: the North, the South, the East, and the West, Ethiopia
possesses an immense wealth of historical inheritance and natural wealth, which must be explored,
recorded, safeguarded, and disseminated throughout the world. Each Ethiopia’s nation, nationality, and
people contribute to this wealth, which is a national pride that can enhance social harmony,
socioeconomic development, political stability, and national image. This is Ethiopia’s best way to unity in
diversity, renaissance, and genuine sustainable
development.
Strategic
vision entails a long-term comprehensive plan and
its objective is essentially to promote the
interests of a country without making worse-off
the other country that is involved in the
partnership discourse. The latter concept or
policy is facilitated and translated into action
via diplomacy, a fine vehicle that manages
international relations. Incidentally, Ethiopians
are astute diplomats and suffice to read the
letter exchanges of Emperors Yohannes and Menelik
with foreign heads of states and dignitaries in
the late 19th century and early 20th
century, not to mention the clever diplomatic
ventures of Emperor Haile Selassie. The legacy of
these leaders is still visible amongst present
Ethiopian diplomats.
Rights groups and activists welcome the UN resolution, but they call for concrete actions to hold Eritrea accountable.
The United Nations rights council has called on the African Union to investigate Eritrean leaders over alleged crimes against humanity after a damning report by a UN commission.
UN: Eritrea government commits crimes against humanity. In that report, the UN's Commission of Inquiry
(COI) for Eritrea said the government of President Isaias Afwerki had committed heinous crimes since independence a quarter-century ago, including the "enslavement" of 400,000 people.
Many of those abuses are allegedly linked to a harsh national service programme in the secretive Horn of Africa state, which for many is almost impossible to escape and which the COI compared to lifetime enslavement.
World View 17th June 2016 - Ethiopian and Eritrean Ambassadors go head-to-head on KTN
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE STORY!
As some of you may already know four palettes of books, a total of 84 boxes were shipped to Tigray on June 29, 2016, thanks to the donation of our late brother, Ato Tekle Haileselassie. Even though it has been several years since he donated the books verbally, the logistics did not come together until now. This time however, Ato Tekle’s wife, W/ro Tsehay and some close family members and friends got together to box the books and get them ready for shipment. Who are these good people who rose up to the occasion? Who does QSSAAF-I have to thank for the donation and the hard work that was accomplished? They are: First and foremost,
Eritrea’s Allegiance to terrorize the region
Desta Hailu
waltainfo
I think it was four year ago - after the United Nations Security Council imposed two sanctions on Shabiya. At the time, the Security Council had setup a monitoring group that would investigate the situation in Somalia and Eritrea. The reason for setting up the monitoring group is to investigate and verify the Eritrea’s regime claim that it didn’t have any ties to Al-Shabaab.
However, the monitoring group has confirmed through a 500 page report that the Asmara administration has ties with al-Shabaab and the regime follows an anti-peace path - which includes assembling forces of unrest that operate in the region - even after two sanctions were imposed on it.
Eritrea escapes U.N. Security Council referral over human rights
by Reuters UN investigation has said Eritrea leaders should be tried for crimes against humanity, including rape and enslaving hundreds of thousands of people By Tom Miles
GENEVA, July 1 (Reuters) - Eritrea may escape censure by the U.N. Security Council over its human rights record after the U.N. Human Rights Council passed a watered-down resolution against the African state on Friday.
A U.N. investigation set up by the Human Rights Council said last month that Eritrea's leaders should be tried for crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, murder and enslaving hundreds of thousands of people.The investigators, who published a 484-page report a year ago detailing the crimes and the country's use of a "vast security network", recommended that the situation in the country to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
World Bank gives Ethiopia $100m to fight drought
The World Bank has approved $100 million to help Ethiopia fight drought, officials said.
The bank's board of directors made the announcement Thursday in view of the current drought, considered Ethiopia's worst in 50 years.
Besides the eight million Ethiopians who have been receiving food aid for several years under the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), an additional 10 million others needed urgent food
assistance
Disenchantment grows in Egypt as democratic hopes recede
AFP
Three years after huge crowds of Egyptians rallied to oust Islamist president Mohamed Morsy, democratic hopes have given way to a spiralling crackdown on freedoms in the name of stability.
On June 30, 2013 millions took to the streets of Cairo and other cities to call for the removal of Morsy, whose rule had been deeply divisive.
Their hopes were fulfilled on July 3 when the army stepped in for the second time in less than three years to remove a president following mass protests — only unlike veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Morsy had been democratically elected.
Now that former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has become president, the state tolerates no more protests, and little criticism.
Ethiopia: Human Rights in Despair
Presented by Aregawi Berhe (PhD), at the AEHRF side event of the 32nd Session of Human Rights Council, UN, Geneva
- 23 June 2016
Mr. Chairman, Members of the panel, distinguished participants: Ethiopia, under the ruling EPRDF which holdfast power for the last 25 years, is in a deep political and socio-economic crisis, with the people protesting their dismal conditions throughout the country day in day out and facing barbaric attacks. The regime knows no rational and peaceful means to resolve the plight of the people, but only resort to brute force to silence legitimate dissent. It adamantly quells all the numerous nation-wide peaceful protests with street assassination, arbitrary arrest, torture, mysterious disappearances and mass killings. Such barbaric tactics,
Geneva - The United Nations rights council on Friday called on the African Union to investigate Eritrean leaders over alleged crimes against humanity after a damning report by a UN commission.
In that report, the UN's Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Eritrea said the government of President Isaias Afwerki had committed heinous crimes since independence a quarter-century ago, including the "enslavement" of 400 000 people.
Many of those abuses are allegedly linked to a harsh national service programme in the secretive Horn of Africa state, which for many is almost impossible to escape and which the COI compared to lifetime enslavement.
In a resolution that passed with consensus by the body's 47 members, the Human Rights Council said it "strongly encourages the African Union to follow up on the (COI) report".
It was disheartening to hear several series of the online audio reportage recently by
Aigaforum.com (http://aigaforum.com/documents/Tigrean-Victims-in-Northern-Gonder) of
the rampage and looting against the victims in the Shinfa Metema Wereda in Amhara
kilil. Although this sad story took place six months ago, it was now thanks to Tamrat Yemane it
came out to the public’s knowledge. These hard working people, who have the full freedom of
movement and work in any part of the country were assaulted and robbed of their homes and
hard earned properties worth millions of Birr by a mob in full daylight and in the presence of
the special police force, regional officials and kebele guards. The irony of this tragic incident
is that it took place at the very day of the celebration of the Nations and Nationalities day,
where ethnic tolerance and coexistence marks the Ethiopian identity.
U.N. Accuses Eritrea’s Leaders of Crimes Against Humanity
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE and JEFFREY GETTLEMANJUNE 8, 2016
GENEVA — The leaders of Eritrea are responsible for crimes against humanity, a United Nations commission of inquiry said Wednesday, calling for international action to hold them to account, including referral to the International Criminal Court.
The inquiry found that “officials at the highest levels of state,” including the ruling party and military commanders of the East African nation, “have committed and continue to commit” crimes including enslavement, imprisonment and disappearances, torture, rape and murder.
One of the most egregious offenses, the United Nations commission found, was the forced conscription of young people in a never-ending national service program that has driven thousands of young Eritreans to flee, many to
Europe.
Reflections on Strategy for Sweden’s Development Cooperation with Ethiopia
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD June 1, 2016
This paper intends to systematically analyze Sweden’s development cooperation with Ethiopia (2016-2020) in the context of the multivariate facets or component parts of the Strategy and in conjunction with Ethiopia’s role in the transformation process and overall development agenda. First, however, I like to present a brief synopsis of the distinctive history of Sweden that ultimately led to the Swedish Model. Sweden is one of the most fascinating, prosperous, and peaceful country in our planet earth; and this is not a mere historical accident or coincidence. What makes Sweden one of the most successful and best countries in the world has to do with its long tradition of peaceful resolution to conflicts and its rich political culture in social democracy; admittedly, however, Sweden was engaged in wars with Denmark, Russia, and Poland in the 17th century and it even became a regional power in the Baltic zone in the same century.
The defeat of the Italian
forces by Ethiopian patriots at the Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896,
became a mountain of pride and inspiration to millions who cherish black
heritage. Later, in 1914 and 1917in Jamaica and in the United States,
Marcus Garvey, a well-known African nationalist, ignited his supporters
against white racism by stressing emphatically the way the Ethiopian
patriotic forces dismantled Italian aggression at the Battle of Adwa.
Using phrases such as “Ethiopia thou land of our fathers,” Garvey
further galvanized his followers to adopt his “Back to Africa
Movement” slogans. To arouse passion against colonial aggression and
racism, Benito Sylvian of Haiti, Joseph Vitalien of the West Indies,
Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, and W.E. B. Du Bois, all represented
Ethiopia as a tower of independence, and
the Battle of Adwa gave hope that European colonization could be resisted
with dignity.
Linkages between Economic Growth and Food
Security: An Eclectic Perspective We live in a world where of the 80,000 edible plants used for food, only about 150 are being cultivated, and just eight are traded globally. In a world where we produce food for 12 billion people when there are only 6.3 billion living, 800 million suffer from malnutrition.
Vandana Shiva. World-renowned environmental leader (Manifesto on the Future of Food & Seed, 2007). Professor Desta, Asayehgn
Abstract The causal linkage between food security and economic growth hasn’t been fully resolved. That is, does food security contribute to economic growth or does economic growth result in food security; or is there a two-way causal relationship between economic growth and food security? The causality has not yet been ascertained. Drawing on previous research and insights, this study attempted to find and understand the relationship between food availability and economic growth.
Nelson Mandela: CIA tip-off led to 1962 Durban arrest
BBC
Nelson Mandela's arrest in 1962 came as a result of a tip-off from an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a report says.
The revelations, made in the Sunday Times newspaper, are based on an interview with ex-CIA agent Donald Rickard shortly before he died.
Mandela served 27 years in jail for resisting white minority rule before being released in 1990.
He was subsequently elected as South Africa's first black president. Rickard, who died earlier this year, was never formally associated with the CIA but worked as a diplomat in South Africa before retiring in the late 70s.
The interview was conducted by British film director John Irvin, who has made a film, Mandela's Gun, about his brief career as an armed rebel, the Sunday Times said.
By Tesfaye Habisso, 03/04/ 2016 . "If you take power by violence, you will rule by violence, and you can only be removed by violence." (Pik Botha, foreign minister of South Africa, Time, June 30, 1986) . "There is a new and unique development in human history that is taking place around the world; it is unprecedented in reach and volume, and it is also the greatest threat to all global power structures: 'THE GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING'[Andrew Gavin Marshall]
This
essay intends to address the current Ethiopian affairs in the context of
ethnocentric politics and Ethiopian unity, twin themes that I have
discussed numerous times in my previous works, but it will also respond to
some critics pertaining to my VOA interview on Wolkait-Tsegede district of
Ethiopia. The latter, though it unnecessarily stirred controversy
especially among the disgruntled and misinformed Ethiopian groupings, it
is very much relevant to the kernel of this paper.
As indicated
above, I have addressed the issue surrounding ethnic politics and
Ethiopian unity several times in the past, and my first article entitled
“Nation Building Beyond Ethnic Nationalism” was published in The
Ethiopian Mirror in 1992.1The central thesis of
this article was straight forward and clear: Ethiopians to transcend
ethnic nationalism and embrace rather a pan-Ethiopian agenda. My
recommendation then had resonated among the Ethiopian Diaspora because,
unlike today, Ethiopians were not inoculated with the virus of narrow and
sectarian ethnic nationalism.
The difference between being an Ethiopian and being
Habesha.
By Magn Nyang
February 17, 2009 — Recently, a 22-year old young girl from Anyuak of Gambella won the beauty contest of Ms. Ethiopia. Lots of responses went out on media from Ethiopians all over the world about her win. Even though, most respondents seemed very knowledgeable about the differences between being an Ethiopian and being Habesha, few seemed confused about the differences. In their writings, the confused ones, wrote as if they own Ethiopia and as if being an Ethiopian means being Habesha. This article seeks to show the differences between being an Ethiopian and being
Habesha. No Ethiopian is more Ethiopian than the other. One is only an Ethiopian, no more, no less. Some Habeshas, however, seem to see themselves as more Ethiopians than the others. What they don’t seem to understand is that one can not quantify one’s citizenship. One can only be Ethiopian. Not more Ethiopian.
Ethiopian
Computers & Software
of Colorado announced that it was granted a U.S.A. patent number 9,000,957
on April 7, 2015. The patent the CEO of the company, Dr. Aberra Molla,
received involves the typing of the Ethiopic characters with one and two
keystrokes each in computers. The patented novel Ethiopic character entry
method known as ABSHA system is for typing the default characters with one
keystroke and the rest with two keystrokes each. It is virtually similar
to typing the English alphabet in computers and some other devices (http://patents.com/us-9000957.html).
The invention by the Ethiopian-American scientist is also significant in
that the patent application 20090179778 of July 16, 2009, (http://www.google.com/patents/US20090179778)
as
cited by six new U.S.A. patents for English and other uses by the time it
was granted in 2015.
SONS, WIVES AND ASSOCIATES: HERE ARE 18 AFRICAN NAMES WE FOUND ON THE PANAMA PAPERS
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) has released the Panama Papers, the biggest leak in the history of data journalism, publishing online 11.5 million documents equaling 2.6 terabytes, from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which showed how hundreds of thousands of people, including world leaders, celebrities, athletes, FIFA officials and criminals hid money using anonymous shell corporations across the world.
The Panamanian law firm, regarded as one of the world’s most secretive companies, according to the documents, has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax.
“Over a year ago, an anonymous source contacted the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and submitted encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world,” SZ noted. “These shell firms enable their owners to cover up their business dealings, no matter how shady
Multi-party Consensus Autonomous Self-Rule Democracy: A Briefing for Tomorrow’s Ethiopia
Professor Desta, Asayehgn In the terrible history of famines in the world, no substantial famine has everoccurred in any independent democratic country with a relatively free press (Amartya Sen, 1999).
The assumptions, the nature and possible challenges of good governance may be better appreciated considering the Lijphart’s paradigm of consensus democracy. Over the years, the British system of government, a majoritarian democracy or the Westminster type of governance, has been criticized because it is constitutionally biased toward quick decision-making and its actions are based on a democratically elected majority in the government.
Ethiopian
Computers & Software
of Colorado announced that it was granted a U.S.A. patent number 9,000,957
on April 7, 2015. The patent the CEO of the company, Dr. Aberra Molla,
received involves the typing of the Ethiopic characters with one and two
keystrokes each in computers. The patented novel Ethiopic character entry
method known as ABSHA system is for typing the default characters with one
keystroke and the rest with two keystrokes each. It is virtually similar
to typing the English alphabet in computers and some other devices (http://patents.com/us-9000957.html).
The invention by the Ethiopian-American scientist is also significant in
that the patent application 20090179778 of July 16, 2009,
China’s
'imminent issue': Djibouti and overseas military interests China's decision to build logistical facilities for its navy in Djibouti has been downplayed in official statements after it was announced last November, but it represents a clear departure from The mainstream discourse of Chinese experts stresses the key difference between logistical facilities and military bases overseas, and there is an effort to dismiss concerns that China is being assertive and expansionist. At the same time, the role of the Chinese military in helping support non-combatant evacuations has been welcomed in Europe as a new direction that offers cooperation opportunities on security issues in a volatile area. Therefore, China’s presence in Djibouti can be seen as an opportunity for European nations to explore military cooperation with the PLA.
AFRICA VISA FREE REGIMES ENCOURAGED MEETING AGENDA 2063,
AND ACCELERATE FREE MOVEMENT OF HUMAN, GOODS AND SERVICES, FOR BETTERMENT OF OUR CITIZENS AND REGIONAL
INTEGRATION
We Africa Speaks congratulate the Republic of Ghana for this historic move of introducing a
vision-
arrival policy which allows all citizens of AU member states to visit the country and obtain visas at
a port of entry upon arrival for a stay of up to thirty 30 days. Africans are celebrating this policy
across the continent with a high expectation that other African countries will follow in the footsteps of
Ghana. On this note, we should not forget that pioneer countries like Rwanda, Mauritius and
Seychelles who introduced same visa free regime for African citizens and we are more than hopeful
than ever more countries to join the same path.
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD March 21, 2016
Good governance has now become the vogue, if not the primary policy agenda of developing countries around the world that seek aid from international financial institutions (IFIs) like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The concept was launched during the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a major UN agenda initiated at the turn of the 21st century, a program of action to be achieved between 2000 and 2015, but most of the developing nations were unable to realize the MDG.
Canadian Navy sailor stays alert while guarding World Food Programme (WFP) ship into Mogadishu as they provide on September 18, 2008 an anti-pirate escort for the ship taking food aid to Somalia. The UN Security Council in June adopted a resolution
authorizing foreign warships to enter Somalia's territorial waters with the government's consent to combat pirates, though it has yet to be implemented. European foreign ministers agreed to set up a special unit to coordinate the fight against piracy off Somalia, raising the possibility of an EU naval mission to the region. AFP PHOTO/SIMON MAINA (Photo credit should read SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images)
The Horn of Africa region is central to the world’s maritime trade. It’s also beginning to fall apart.
Desta, Asayehgn- Sarlo
Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Economic Development, Barowsky School of Business, Dominican University of California Introduction
As advocated by neo-liberal entities, the agenda of good governance is grounded on democratic principles that create on-going interaction processes that are supposed to solidify, governmental structures, functions and practices of the state and its people. As the a key driver to economic growth to alleviate poverty in developing countries, the interaction process of good governance embeds core guidelines that include, the rule of law, citizen participation, transparency, accountability, and elimination of corruption.Given that the democratization process and the components of good governance are central to the achievement of development goals for the twenty-first century (Punyaratabandhu, 2004), it is either naïveté or arrogance not to defend the concept of good governance.
Scientists have unearthed the jawbone of what they claim is one of the very first humans.
The 2.8 million-year-old specimen is 400,000 years older than researchers thought that our kind first
emerged. The discovery in Ethiopia suggests climate change spurred the transition from tree dweller to upright walker.
The head of the research team told BBC News that the find gives the first insight into "the most important transitions in human evolution".
Prof Brian Villmoare of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas said the discovery makes a clear link between an iconic 3.2 million-year-old hominin (human-like primate) discovered in the same area in 1974, called "Lucy".
Best Importer of Incendiary Spices: East African Imports
Wed., Aug 1 2007
Amanuel, a soft-spoken Metro bus driver, runs East African Imports out of the corner of a strip mall in Judkins Park. Beaded masks, musical instruments, and posters of bare-breasted African women line the walls, while the nucleus of the store is composed of racks of lentils, fenugreek seeds, butter-flavoring agents, and berbere, the fiery spice mix that provides the complex heat of Ethiopian stews. This is one end of the operation; on the other end, in Addis Ababa, is Amanuel's septuagenarian mom, Whaid, who oversees a workforce of maybe a half-dozen people. "They buy the raw material, and they grind and mix it," says Amanuel, who's 48. "My mom is the one who controls the quality."
Ethiopian Calendar, neither Gregorian nor Julian: Prof. Ephraim Issac Note: The renowned Ethiopian born US scholar Prof. Ephraim Isaac, said that the Ethiopian calendar is unique in that it belongs neither to the Julian, nor to the Gregorian calendars. The professor was quoted saying this on the Ethiopian Herald some eight years ago.
Historical literature shows that the calendars of the entire world are based on the work of the old Egyptian astronomers who discovered, as early as 3000 BC to 4000 BC that the solar or sidereal year lasted slightly less than 365 ¼ days.
However, it was left to the astronomers of the Alexandrian school to incorporate this knowledge into some sort of calendar; and it was these astronomers who also came up with the idea of leap years.
One of only two nations in the world never to have been occupied. Home to people who speak over 80 languages. The only African country with its own alphabet. The only country in the world with a 13 month year. This is Ethiopia.
By Tony Milne
Located in what’s known as the Horn of Africa, a peninsula in Northeast Africa, we rarely hear about Ethiopia’s fascinating history and its medieval world in Lalibela, shaped from stone. Nor do we read about its historical treasures such as its ancient tombs and the obelisks of Aksum. Most would barely have heard of Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn. Fewer still would be aware that Ethiopia is referred to by a portion of people as the Lion of Africa due to its economic expansion, growing at 11 per cent - that’s twice the regional average.
The Battle of Adwa, African Victory in the Age of Empire: A Reflection
Desta, Asayehgn, Ph.D, Sarlo Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Economic Development, Dominican University of California April 2014
Introduction
The defeat of Italy by Ethiopia on March 1, 1896 at the Battle of Adwa, then the vibrant capital of Tigrai, not only demonstrated the resilience and patriotism of Ethiopians but also made Ethiopia the steward of future hopes for the emancipation of the other nations that were subjugated under foreign rule. For example, Japan, used Ethiopia’s experience as its model and developed a strategy to fight against Russia in 1904. However, for a number of the European colonialists, when they heard that Italy was defeated by the heroic Ethiopian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, they were surprised and humiliated that members of the white race had lost. They suddenly had to rethink their ideas and policies about Africa being predominantly inhabited by primitive people that needed colonial rule in order to advance into a modern world.
ERITREA: INDEPENDENT OR A NEO-COLONIAL POST?
“If you want peace prepare for war.” 2,500 year old Greek maxim
PART 1It is of strategic interest, for Ethiopia to have a peaceful and democratic Eritrea. Chaos and bloodshed from internecine wars are catastrophic by their very nature, and will directly and indirectly affect Ethiopia. Above all the heavy toll that will be paid to clear such a mess of human tragedy leaves the whole society in tangible agony. It is not about who suffered or lost most.
The paranoid regime of Isaias, has been orchestrating vitriolic hate against the Ethiopian public from the beginning. (It seems the doctrine of animosity was what Jamal Abdel Nasser taught the ELF leaders from day one and the EPLF have followed it with vigour up until now.)
Ethiopia: The Danger Of a Single Story and What We Ethiopians Can Do About It
The Danger Of a Single Story and What We Ethiopians Can Do About It
By Assegid Habtewold
Based on Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie’s Global TED Talk, which was filmed in 2009, I recently wrote a blog. The talk was very powerful- over 9 million people have watched it.
Ethiopian businesses and organizations are plagued by lack of branding. It was bothersome for us to acknowledge the fact that the majority of Ethiopian organizations are unable to pick a brand and create a story in alignment with their mission. We see duplication everywhere and in every industry. For example, someone opens a restaurant in one corner. Behold, someone starts a restaurant the next door with a different name and begins serving the same menu. You struggle to choose, especially if you aren’t from the area. They made it hard for their customers. You have to go and eat at each place before you understand their unique offers.
World’s fastest growing economy Ethiopia is new flavour of the month for Africa watchers
ETHIOPIA is the new flavor of the month for Africa watchers.
The East African nation led the pack of fastest-growing economies — not just in Africa, but in the world — in 2015. While many African nations are struggling to cope with plunging currencies and falling revenue from commodities, Ethiopia’s economy grew 8.7% last year and is set to expand 8.1% in 2016, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates.
At
the end of 2015 and going onto the first weeks of 2016, about 140 Oromo
youth were murdered, and about 5,000 incarcerated by forces of the ruling
Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)/Ethiopian People’s
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party. Theircrime? They
participated in a peaceful demonstration protesting the widespread
dispossession of farmlands in the Oromia regional state bordering the
capital Addis Abeba. A similar protest, although not claiming as many
lives, had taken place nearly 2 years ago in some areas of the regional
state. The federal government and the regional party OPDO have since
halted the policy of the expansion of the planned development into
Addis’s suburban areas. Civil disobedience, as part of the peaceful
struggle in Ethiopia, empowered the protesters and proved once again that
Ethiopians can assert their natural rights by engaging in peaceful,
defiant acts.
Analyzing the Causes of Rejection and Downgrading of Semi-Finished Products in Ethiopian Leather and Leather Industries: Situational analysis of Semi-Finished Products from the Sheba Leather Industry Hadush Berhe Asgedom, Assistant Professor, Tsegay Tesfay Mezgebe, Lecturer, Ethiopian Institute of Technology-Mekelle, Mekelle University; and Asayehgn Desta, Sarlo Distinguished Professor of sustainable economic development, Dominican University of California, USA Executive Summary
The quality of semi-finished products has implications for production costs and sales prices. Poor quality materials are expensive to process and result in a high percentage of low grade products including rejects. Leather is an important industry involving a large number of institutions, associations, government and non-governmental institutions, and private entities in Ethiopia. However, leather defects are imperfections occurring on the surface or within the structure of the raw material ultimately resulting in an unsightly appearance and weakness of the resulting product leading to rejection and down-grading.
We
need to build a strong institution, where the tenets of accountability,
responsibility and transparency are internalized to last longer than any
individual or leadership.In
the more rapidly changing world, what has worked in the past is insufficient,
and therefore one needs a leadership
that is able to adapt to a changing
environment. If the current leadership needs to stay in power, its
performance must change in response to the changing needs of the people.
Leaders who lack vision, knowledge and flexibility blinded by their
inadequacies should be humble enough to realize their shortcoming and
drastically change their ways for betterment
of the society or hand over their powers to better-qualified
citizens. Sixty thousand fearless fighters
paid so huge sacrifices, in order to empower the mass, which should have
the final say or at the helm in all relevant issues instead of taking a
backseat.This should be a
clear message, which can energize and inspire people, bedrock
upon which the future is built.
ETHIOPIA: A CALL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
Teshome Abebe
January 23, 2016
A few days after the TPLF forces entered Addis Abeba in 1991, a lone tank rolled down a gravel highway from Kobo, a small town in Eastern Hararghe, West to a commercial town called Deder. Before entering Deder itself, the tank commander and its crew stopped to chat with the curious onlookers who had come to investigate why the beastly looking motorized vehicle was in the area. The commander asked the crowd if any one had noticed armed men in the area, and specifically, if members of an Oromo liberation front force (ONLF) were present in the vicinity. Perhaps satisfied with the responses, the commander ordered the tank crew to head back to Kobo and to whatever other mission he had in mind. It never occurred to the tank crew that there was a population of citizens who would be at the mercy of the belligerent group hiding in plain view or, if it did occur to them, they did not care.
Based on the recent unrest that has been precipitated by the Oromo people in Ethiopia, a number of observers such as Davison,2015;Muindi, 2016; and Borago, 2016, have argued that the Addis Ababa Master Plan has not only undermined self-determination but also contributed to a further loss of autonomy and the marginalization of Oromos living on the outskirts of the Federal capital, Addis Ababa. As stated by the European Parliament (1, 21, 2016): for the past two months,
…Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromia, has been hit by a wave of mass protests over the expansion of the municipal boundary of the capital, Addis Abba, which has posed risks of eviction for farmers from their land.
Good Governance as an Ultimate Weapon to Eradicate Poverty:
The Utmost Wish of the Tigrai People to Own that Weapon!
Asghedom Ghebremichael, PhD Canada: 21 Jan. 2016
Good Governance Conference 2016: an Event that Ushered in Hope and Optimism
Yes, this was good news to many. Acknowledging existence of the social disease called corruption,
manifested through mischievous activities of rent-seeking selfish individuals, is a very good start
strategically. Observing a reigning government admitting the challenges it is facing and considering
good governance (detailed below) as an ultimate weapon to defeat the enemy number one, poverty, has ushered
in hope and optimism among many of us, who are willing to contribute our shares. We look forward to
reading the final resolutions’ 11-point Communiqué of the Conference.
To complement and support the efforts of the Administration of the Tigray Region that is currently undertaking promotion of good governance
(ሰናይ ምምሕድ). Citizens and friends of the country around the globe spoke up candidly and passionately to strengthen it. Enjoy Part I of our conversation. Part 2 and 3 coming
soon.
Ethiopia Should Manage Internal Political Crisis and Deflect External Threats
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD January 18, 2016
This article is intended to address the current political crisis surrounding Oromo outbursts in Ethiopia by providing a general pattern of political science theory in regards to crisis management.
The present Oromo protestation is instigated by the so-called “Addis Ababa-Oromia Integrated Master Plan” because protestors perceived the Master Plan as ‘land grab’ from the Oromia region. To the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing as ‘land grab’ unless there is a hidden agenda of the Addis Ababa City Administration to systematically expand the Addis Ababa Zone by incorporating Oromia adjacent lands.
In
this video we examine the evidence that Ethiopians from Axum discovered South America. This evidence include writing , religion and cultural features.
Find out more about Blacks in the Americas by purchasing the book African Empires in Ancient America, by Dr. Clyde Winters
I
hope you will listen and enjoy our interview of the month with the vibrant
and talented Rahel Buluts who opened an innovative art gallery in Mekele
Tigray.
Cultural Racism in the Obama Era
Bronx Currents gives Bronxites the opportunity to attend community meetings, debates, and symposiums, now via BRONXNET. Bronx Currents provides full coverage of many of the events that help to determine the future of our borough. Additionally, the program features documentaries that capture the people and flavor of our borough and sporting events featuring local high school and college teams - See more
Reflecting the 1983-85 Ethiopian Famine -- Former TPLF fighters Mr. Mulu Sendeq and Abowenber G/hewot shared with us the challenges the Ethiopian people and the front faced during the 1983-1985 famine. Both fighters had been at the forefront of the tragedy. I am delighted and honored to have talked to the courageous and brave history makers as well as share with you this piece of our history. This is Part I – the next part will be coming soon. Relax and listen part of you history.
Enjoy
It's Time for Washington to Get Out of Bed With the Wahhabists Saudis
HuffPost
When is enough, enough? Another day, another terrorist attack?
How is it possible that the United States is an "ally" with a regime as brutal as Assad that refuses to stop spreading its hateful, misogynistic anti-secular Wahhabists ideology all over the world (hereandhere)? And, how is it that We the People of the United States, a beacon of democracy throughout the world are tolerating a Congress who have been shamefully silent on this medieval self-anointed "royal family" of Islamic extremist bankrollers and terrorist enablers?
Famine and Development: Contradiction in terms in the Ethiopian Context
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD December 6, 2015
Given the promises of development in my home country, I never thought I was going to write on the Ethiopian famine again, because it logically follows that famine (a widespread hunger) would not apt to occur in the midst of intensive development projects such as infrastructure (which is visibly testified) and agricultural and rural as well as industrial developments (which could not be verified easily and which require research and close scrutiny to understand).
Saudi Arabia and the GCC are Expanding To Eritrea. Geopolitical Implications for Ethiopia
By Andrew Korybko Global Research, November 18, 2015 This
coastal state is one of the world’s newest, having gained its
independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after fighting a three-decade-long war
to achieve it. Peace came only after the government in Addis Ababa, at
that time run by a military entity known as “The Derg”, was dissolved
in 1987 and its leader Mengistu Haile Mariam was ousted in 1991 by a
coalition of ethno-centric rebel groups. Due to the near-continuous
fighting that took place on its territory, post-independence Eritrea was a
wreck, but President Isais Afwerki helped to achieve stability and
elevated living conditions, as attested to by journalist Andre Vltchek who
visited a year ago.
Time to defund the International Criminal Court
Dr David Hoile
The Assembly of States Parties is meeting this month in The Hague to review the work of the International Criminal Court and to discuss the ICC’s budget. The ASP is the International Criminal Court’s management oversight and legislative body. The Assembly also elects the judges and prosecutors and decides the Court's budget. The court’s proposed budget for 2016 amounts to €153.32 million, representing an increase of €22.66 million, or 17.3 per cent, over the 2015 approved budget. At face value, far from increasing the budget for the ICC, the Assembly of State Parties should be demanding a refund.
Ethiopian Airlines dispatched its first-ever flight operated by a crew that is all female to Bangkok on Thursday.
Women filled every role on the flight from the pilots and cabin crew to in flight ramp operations as well as flight dispatchers on ground, the company revealed in a press release.
The airline says it wants to promote women’s empowerment and encourage more African women to pursue aviation careers.In an earlier statement, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said attracting more women to jobs in aviation is one of the reasons for hosting the all-female flight, together with empowering women.
“It’s going to be very inspiring for all the women all over the world, aviation women and particularly the African woman. Because, as you know, here in the continent of Africa, we are lagging behind in women empowerment. So this is going to inspire all the school girls in Africa that they have a very bright future in the 21st century,” he said.
The quest for good governance in the Ethiopian public sector
By Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe On November 16, 2015
Good governance is a dismal performance in the Ethiopian public sector. Very recently, there was a live broadcast on Ethiopian Television focused on a study report on good governance in the Ethiopian public sector. The report highlighted that the absence of good governance is prevalent in all sectors and regions without any variation. The report further indicated that the problem seems systemic rather than episodic to some sectors, regions, or circumstances. All top officials of the regime including the prime minister seemed to be in agreement with the findings of the report. The top officials suggested that the problem is testing the survival and continuity of the ongoing development endeavors and agreed that the survival of the regime is at stake when and if the problems continue unabated.
In
the year 2012, the world registered about 1.035 billion or 1,035 million
tourists.Subsequently,
Africa’s share was about 52 million tourists.As past records showed (2011), Morocco and South Africa registered
about 9.3 & 8.3 million tourists, respectively, while Ethiopia picked
up about 523 thousand tourists. [1] Tourism, as a whole, is a service
based industry.It has strict
criteria that adhere to factors, ranging from good business environment to
safety and security.In order
to get a fair share from the industry, Ethiopia has to promote its immense
natural resources, and incorporate them into an exclusively service based
industry.
Ethiopia tries to avert another famine
Source: The Economist
Mindful of past disasters, Ethiopians are readier than before to deal with drought
Nov 2nd 2015 | North Wollo | Middle East and Africa
JUMPING a fence of prickly pears, Gumat Hussain, a local chief in the driest district of North Wollo, Ethiopia’s most drought-prone province, walks gloomily through his sorghum. “The crops have not produced grain. They are useless even for the animals,” he sighs. “My oxen and goats will soon die. Our people will wait only for the government to respond.”
In many lowland parts of North Wollo, a day’s drive north of Addis Ababa, the capital, the annual midsummer rains lasted for under a week. This was because of a particularly strong El Niño effect, which this year made swathes of Africa drier than usual, along with a longer-term drying of Ethiopia’s climate, especially in the north and east. Now it is harvest time and the tall, green crops belie their fruitlessness.
African immigrant population in U.S. steadily climbs
By Monica Anderson
Source: Pew Research
African immigrants make up a small share of the U.S. immigrant population, but their numbers are growing – roughly doubling every decade since 1970, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data.
There were 1.8 million African immigrants living in the U.S. in 2013, up from 881,000 in 2000 and a substantial increase from 1970, when the U.S. was home to only 80,000 foreign-born Africans. They accounted for 4.4% of the immigrant population in 2013, up from 0.8% in 1970.
Ethiopia, 30 years after the famine
Three decades after images that shocked the world, country has become darling of the global development community – and the scourge of the human rights lobby
To be in Ethiopia is to witness an economic miracle. The country has enjoyed close to double-digit growth for a decade. One study found it was creating millionaires faster than anywhere else on the continent. The streets of Addis Ababa reverberate with hammering from construction workers as the concrete skeletons of new towers and a light rail project rise into the crane-dotted sky. Ethiopia’s government says it is on course to meet most of the millennium development goals and, by 2025, to be a middle-income country.
The Paradox of History: When Chauvinists Shift Positions and Forge Unholy Alliances
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD October 31, 201
The Ethiopian chauvinists are a rare breed of opportunities, shamefaced, undignified, and without remorse, but it looks they have now created a new political agenda under the guise of Ethiopian-Eritrean relations. These actors, who were either Derg members, that is, comrades-in-arms with the Henchman Mengistu HaileMariam who presided over the Red Terror and consumed an entire generation of Ethiopians; or ex-Mesione members who were advisors and mentors to the Derg but who later became victims of the man-eating Megistu politics; or former EPRP members, who were the number one enemy of the Derg and who resolutely fought for a people’s democratic Ethiopia, but have now created a rainbow coalition of unholy alliance with Eritrea.
SOCs between a rock and a hard place, leadership crisis compounds challenge
By Dr Nimrod Mbele
As South Africans we’re always quick to tell a joke in a crisis. At the height of load shedding, for example, we heard jokes like, “What did South Africa use before candles? Electricity.” And then there was the time, towards the end of last year, when SABC employees were asked for their matric certificates every time they went to a braai. (Apparently this one gets really old after the second or third time.)
Entoto: Ethiopia starts looking at the stars - from a nearly perfect location (CNN) For young people there is no limit, and in Addis Ababa dreams fly about classrooms with as much abandon as anywhere else in the world.
Seventeen year-old Meron Mekonnen wants to be a particle physicist. Demekel Demto a rocket scientist. Dagem Teresse is interested in inventing things and wants to become a robotics engineer.
Mekonnen is quick to note that Einstein was young when he published his Theory of Relativity, a 26 year-old university student. A single equation of his "changed the history of science," she points out: "I have plenty of thoughts..."
Ethiopia's $5bn project that could turn it into Africa's water powerhouse
Milena Veselinovic, for CNN
(CNN) It's called the Grand Renaissance Dam -- and the clue is in the name.
With some 8,500 laborers working around the clock on its construction, the imposingly-named dam is surely one of Africa's most ambitious infrastructure projects, reaffirming Ethiopia's ambitions of becoming a big regional player and a major exporter of power.
When completed, the project will generate around 6,000 megawatts of electricity for both domestic use and exports.
The Cradle of Ethiopian Islam - CNN Video
Tigray, Ethiopia (CNN) Ethiopia is often overlooked as a top destination for spiritual pilgrimage. This is an unfortunate oversight.
The country is not just the cradle of civilization, it has played a significant role in the formation of many of the world's top religions. It is not only the location of the biblical kingdom of Sheba, it is currently believed by some to house the Ark of the Covenant. Scroll through the gallery above for a list of the country's top religious sites.
Ethiopia: From Lion of Judah to economic lion
By Eliza Anyangwe, for CNN
(CNN)If there was ever a country that embodied the optimism of the "Africa rising" narrative, it would be Ethiopia. The economy of Africa's second-most populated country has for the past decade grown at an average of 10.8% every year.
Ethiopia has been a prominent player in modern world affairs since 1896, when it defeated Italy in the Battle of Adwa. The nation on the "horn of Africa" was among the first independent countries to sign the United Nations' Charter, and supported the decolonization of other countries and the birth and growth of Pan-Africanism. The African Union is based in capital city, Addis Ababa.
Fisshea Desta’s Reminiscence of the Ethiopian Revolution: A Critical Review Professor Desta, Asayehgn
Considering Meison’s visionary ideologue, EPRP’s firm convictions, and the Derg’s commitment to unity and sovereignty, if these were to operate in a conducive socio-political and economic environment, they would have ushered in Ethiopia’s successful development! (Fisshea Desta, as paraphrased by professor Desta.)
Last year, while we were reviewing KhasayAbraha Bisrats’ book , entitled “A Special Love for Assimba” at the National Archives and Library in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, one of the reviewers, Professor GebruTareke, brought to the attention of the audience that in addition to the books written by former President Mengistu Haile Mariam (hereafter Mengistu) and former Prime Minister Fikre Selassie Wegderase (hereafter Fikre Selassie), the former Vice President, Fisshea Desta (hereafter Fisshea, or the author) has written an account of his memories of the Ethiopian Revolution during the Derg’s (an Amharic word for committee) era. During a private conversation, Professor GebruTareke told me that Fisshea’s book would be favorably received by the public and probably would be marketed heavily when compared with the fictitious account of the Derg’s era written by Mengistu and Fikre Selassie. In addition, as Professor Gebru told me, which is now acknowledged by the author on page 4, Professor Gebru had advised the author to be truthful and profoundly search his memory to reconstruct the so-called“ bloodless revolution” that was usurped or snatched by the Derg from the genuine Ethiopian revolutionaries.
Africa's Governance Winners, Losers and Surprises
By John Allen
Cape Town — Zimbabwe is one of the African countries where governance has improved most in the four years up to 2014. Senegal just might surge ahead of its African counterparts in the future, to become one of the continent's powerhouses. Developments in Somalia, long the worst-governed country in Africa, can be described as "a good news story".
These are just some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the latest edition of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance which fly in the face of what might be called "conventional wisdom" about the
continent.
In 1965, A Conservative Tried To Keep America White. His Plan Backfired
October 03, 2015 Tom Gjelten
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a new immigration law that would change the face of the nation. But that dramatic impact, ironically, was in good part the result of a major miscalculation by those who actually wanted to limit the bill's effect.
The Immigration and Nationality Act, signed at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on Oct. 3, 1965, abolished the national origin quota system, under which immigrants were chosen on the basis of their race and ancestry. The quotas set aside tens of thousands of visas each year for immigrants from Northern and Western Europe, while many countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East were allocated barely 100 slots each. It was a blatantly discriminatory system.
"I don't know of any contributions that Ethiopia has made to the making of America."
Ethiopia stalls negotiations with Egypt and Sudan over Renaissance Dam
Future of negotiations remains unclear as Ethiopia asks to postpone the tripartite meeting of 4 October.
A tripartite meeting that was supposed to be held in Egypt on Sunday has been postponed upon the request of Addis Ababa in the latest setback to efforts to reach a compromise over Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam.
Egypt had invited Ethiopian and Sudanese officials, along with representatives from the consultancy firm studying the impact of the dam, to a meeting headed by the Egyptian National Committee of the Grand Ethiopian Dam
(TNC). The meeting was arranged to discuss the recent differences between the countries over the building of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia.
The tripartite meeting was scheduled to take place in Egypt on Sunday 4 October, a date that was confirmed during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn during the UN General Assembly meeting.
What Africa can learn from China about growing its agribusiness sector
August 31, 2015
The World Bank projects that agriculture and agribusiness in Africa will grow to be a US$1 trillion industry in Africa by 2030. To promote this outcome, the continent must review its incentive structures.
Agriculture averages 24% of GDP across the continent. With post-harvest activities taken into account, agriculture-related industry accounts for nearly half of all economic activity in sub-Saharan Africa.
The region holds about half of the world’s fertile and as-yet-unused land - and yet it spends US$25 billion annually importing food. It also uses only a tiny percentage of its renewable water resources.
How to Share Water Along the Nile
By JOHN H. LIENHARD V and KENNETH M. STRZEPEKSEPT. 28, 2015
Continue reading the main story Share This Page
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, construction is underway on a public
works project of gigantic physical proportions and exquisite political delicacy. The Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, now about halfway finished, amounts to a test: With water
becoming precious enough to be the stuff of war, can nations find ways to share it?
Ethiopia set to be the fastest growing country in the world
By Thabile Manala CNBC Africa
Ethiopia is head and shoulders above the rest of Africa in meeting the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG).The Gates Foundation has released a report “One foot on the ground, one foot in the air” tracking Ethiopia’s development despite having the lowest human development in the 1990s.
In the wake of massive agricultural investment, a sector which employs three in four Ethiopians and a government committed to pro-poor spending, the East African country is expected to halve its poverty.
According to the report, the agricultural sector has cut poverty by seven per cent between 2005 and 2011. With Ethiopia’s development finding its roots in an agriculturally-led environment, it has included, “Maintaining teams of agronomists across vast rural areas to boost productivity by recommending best agricultural practices and scientific innovation.
The Ethiopian security service on Sunday announced the return of a dissident Ethiopian general to the country with 800 rebel fighters, and praised the
neighboring Sudan for securing their repatriation to the country. The official Ethiopian TV broadcast a statement welcoming the return of the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (TPDM) fighters from Eritrea and described the move as a "Great Victory".
The statement further said the return of TPDM leader General Mola Asgedom comes as results of secret contacts conducted by the Ethiopian intelligence and security service with him since a year ago.The Ethiopian TV praised "the Sudanese government’s role in resolving the crisis," describing it as a "historical role that the people and the Government of Ethiopia will never forget".
It stressed that the Sudanese forces "strongly responded" to attempts by the Eritrean authorities to hunt Asdedom’s fighters inside the Sudanese territory, adding the latter received all the needed logistical and humanitarian support from the Sudan Armed Forces.
This Ethiopian prince was kidnapped by Britain – now it must release him
Maaza Mengiste
You see him first as he was soon after his father’s death: a seven-year-old boy staring, stunned, into the camera. He sits on a cloth-covered bench, next to a shield and a strip of animal hide. Around his shoulders, a long shamma drapes and gathers at his folded ankles. You note his bare feet, the way one toe, curled upward and tense, hints at the emotions he is keeping guarded. He wears the silver-baubled necklace that will travel with him from Ethiopia to England, the one also seen in pictures where he is made to sit for Julia Margaret Cameron and other photographers. His mother, if still alive, will soon die unexpectedly, leaving him in the hands of the same British men who came to confront his father. But for now, he has not lost everything.
Almost 15 years have passed since Ethiopia and Eritrea agreed, after ending the bloody war, to make peace. Although it is very difficult to say neither of them wanted peace, the very agreement the two signed has never went far from the papers. The Eritrean government, led by Eritrea People Liberation Front (EPLF), wants EPRDF hand over of Badme as agreed in Algiers. The Ethiopian government led by Ethiopian Revolutionary Front, (EPRDF), on the other hand, afraid of backlash from the people, who consider the verdict, admittedly, an outcome of its tactical and strategic mistakes, is focused instead on agreeing on
formalities.
Beyond the Usual: Re-thinking Ethiopia’s Ethnic Federalism for the 21st CenturyBy Professor Asayehgn Desta
Beyond the Usual: Re-thinking Ethiopia’s Ethnic Federalism for the Century. The implementation of Ethnic-federalism for the last twenty years in Ethiopia has produced polarizing debates
Abstract
A review of the political and ideological stalemate demonstrates that the concept of federalism has produced a polarizing debate among scholars. That is, federalist regimes have been rigorously challenged from theoretical and from practical points of view. Supporters of multi-ethnic federalism defend it as an effective operational device for granting autonomy to distinct peoples. They forcefully swear that federalism is indispensable for self-rule, encouraging shared governance, and giving each region the opportunity to enjoy a proportional share of economic investment to support development. On the other hand, the scholars that espouse a democratic autonomous self-ruling type of federalism are skeptical and also question the viability of a centralized Federal state.
His Excellency Leul Ras Mengesha Seyoum shares the legacy of his families and administration. He shades some light on first Weyane, Italian occupation, Badme, and his administration.
His Excellency Leul Ras Mengesha Seyuom was born in 1926 in Tigray province of Ethiopia. He is the son of Leule Ras Seyum Mangasha, the grandson of Leule Ras Mangasha Yohannes, and the great grandson of Emperor Yohannes IV. He was married to the late Princess Aida Desta, granddaughter of Emperor Haile
Selassie. We are grateful his excellency for taking the time to share part of our history.
Enjoy Part I – Part II
This
essay is intended to critically examine the policies and practices of the
Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Party (EPRDF), the ruling party of
Ethiopia, but before I delve into the main corpus of this paper, at the
outset, I like to make crystal clear that ‘critique’ is not synonymous
with ‘oppose’, although the latter is also perfectly healthy and
should be tolerated as such in a democratic political system. Thus,
‘critique’ means analyses of an objective reality critically examined
in order to influence public policy and consequently implement doable
development programs that, in turn, would transform the Ethiopian society.
Seattle Mayor Murray backs down on closing city’s hookah lounges
Originally published August 28, 2015 at 7:22 pm | August 29, 2015 at 10:58 am
Seattle officials have backed away from a plan to shut down all of the city’s hookah lounges after seeing lounge owners and allies pack City Council meetings in protest.
Rather than moving immediately to close the lounges, the city will work with the lounge owners to make sure the businesses are in full compliance with a state ban on indoor smoking in public places and places of employment, officials said Friday.
The mayor held a news conference Aug. 3 to announce the city would move to shutter the 11 lounges for violating the ban voters approved in 2005.
Murray linked the businesses to violent illegal activity, speaking emotionally about the July 23 fatal shooting of Chinatown International District community leader Donnie Chin outside a hookah lounge, and two other recent homicides near such lounges.
Hookah lounges: not the problem Seattle faces
Bereket Kiros
Activists gathered in Westlake Park on Monday before going to Seattle City Council to protest efforts to close hookah lounges and build a new juvenile detention facility. Credit: John Duffy/Flickr
Mayor Ed Murray’s announcement that the city is trying to close all of Seattle’s hookah lounges has created a wave of anger from civil right leaders, business owners and community activists. Hookahs, of course, are the Middle Eastern water pipes used for smoking flavored tobacco and, health risks from smoking aside, the city now says it believes the lounges are also magnets for violent crime.
Most business owners work hard, care for their families, pay their taxes and obey local laws. Closing the hookah lounges will not curb violence and gang-related crimes, or somehow improve society at large.
African Leaders To Sign Free Trade Agreement To Create Common Market
By Aditya Tejas
Leaders of 26 African countries gathered in Egypt on Wednesday to finalize and sign a free trade agreement that would create a common market across Africa. The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is set to stretch over half of the continent and include more than 600 million people.
The issue of boosting regional trade between Africa’s nations has remained in discussions since the end of colonialism, but moving goods between borders has been a challenge due to the continent’s inadequate infrastructure. Currently, only 12 percent of Africa’s trade is between its countries.
Bureaucratic Bottlenecks in the Ethiopian Embassy, Ottawa, Canada
Hagos T. Haimanot, PhD
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (a Diaspora guest): 17 Aug. 2015 The Plan and Motive
A momentous re-union of families and friends was planned to take place in Washington
DC. After that those members of the families interested in the festivities of Tigrai Festival 2015
had planned to travel to Seattle. Then, following the Festival, those research scientists,
academics, professionals, and business persons were going to travel to Addis to participate in the
Diaspora Week 2015. The family from Canada had and still has strong capacity to contribute to
successes of such civic activities. Unfortunately, only this family was unable to be part of the
whole plan of the social gatherings, because of a sheer administrative failure.
DNA clues to Queen of Sheba tale
By Helen Briggs BBC News 21 June 2012
From the section Science & Environment
Modern day Ethiopians show great cultural, linguistic and historical diversity
Clues to the origins of the Queen of Sheba legend are written in the DNA of some Africans, according to scientists.
Genetic research suggests Ethiopians mixed with Egyptian, Israeli or Syrian populations about 3,000 years ago.
This is the time the queen, mentioned in great religious works, is said to have ruled the kingdom of Sheba.
The research, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, also sheds light on human migration out of Africa 60,000 years ago.
Ethiopians's long-ago genetic mixing with populations from Israel and Egypt is a legacy of the Queen of Sheba and her companions, say researchers.
The Queen of Sheba's genetic legacy may live on in Ethiopia, according to new research that finds evidence of long-ago genetic mixing between Ethiopian populations and Syrian and Israeli people.
The Queen of Sheba, known in Ethiopia as Makeda, is mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. The Bible discusses diplomatic relations between this monarch and King Solomon of Israel, but Ethiopian tradition holds that their relationship went deeper: Makeda's son, Menelik I, the first emperor of Ethiopia, is said to be Solomon's offspring.
Over the past decade (2003 to 2013), Ethiopia has shown a dramatic increase in its economic growth. When compared to the regional average of 5.3 percent, Ethiopia’s Gross Domestic Product has grown at the rate of 10.8 percent per year. In tandem, Ethiopia’s extreme poverty line in both rural and urban areas has also declined from 38.7 percent from 2004-2005 to 29.6 percent in 2009-2010. As planned by the United Nations, Ethiopia has also achieved some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in areas such as child health services and safe water requirements. Moreover, Ethiopia has also made encouraging progress in gender parity mainly in primary education, as well as in HIV/AIDS, and malaria disease control (Ethiopia/Overview, April, 05, 2015). Given these dramatic, noticeable improvements, the cardinal question that stands to be answered is: can Ethiopia’s economic growth be attributable to market-enhancing
A candid conversation with Ayte Dawit G/egzabhier, a notable Business Executive, Investor, and Philanthropist. Mr. G/egzabhier echoed the importance of investing in Tigray, Ethiopia where he was born as well as in other parts of Ethiopia.. During our conversations, he also keenly shared his frustrations with the policy makers of the regional government of Tigray for failing to provide an environment that is conducive to investors.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s
announcement that the city is trying to close all of
Seattle
’s hookah lounges has created a wave of anger from civil right leaders,
business owners and community activists. Hookahs, of course, are the
Middle Eastern water pipes used for smoking flavored tobacco and, health
risks from smoking aside, the city now says it believes the lounges are
also magnets for violent crime.
Most business owners work hard, care
for their families, pay their taxes, and obey local laws. Closing the
hookahs will not curb violence and gang-related crimes, or somehow improve
society at large.
The Queen of Sheba
A Legend of the three Abrahamic Religions Konrad Melchers
„When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon she came to test him with hard
questions... Solomon answered all her questions ... And when the queen had seen all the wisdom
of Solomon ... she said to the king: ... Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard
... Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! ...
Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious
stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to
King Solomon ... Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from
Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. … And King Solomon gave to
the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the
bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.“ 1
Ethiopians put down roots in Washington to build their largest U.S. community
When Johannes Argay decided to open a small market selling food and spices from his native Ethiopia, he wasn’t intimidated by all the competition at Build America Plaza in Falls Church, Virginia, where dozens of shops bear orange-and-brown signs in English and Amharic.
“It depends on the quality,” says Argay, who formerly owned a restaurant in New York City. Opening a cooler case, he adds, “This fresh injera especially, we get every morning from Dulles Airport, direct from home. This is the best injera in the city.”Business owner Johannes Argay at his Showa Baltena Market, in Falls Church, Virginia. Argay’s store sells Ethiopian food and spices — and organic food grown on all-American Amish farms. (David Peterson/State Dept.)
IBM Rolls Out African Skills Initiative Nairobi, Kenya - 27 Jul 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an investment of $60 million over three years to develop the next generation of technical talent in Africa. As part of the initiative, IBM is expanding the Africa Technical Academy and the company’s Africa University Programme to over 20 African countries. IT professionals across the continent are set to benefit with advanced skills in analytics, cloud and big data technologies which are crucial to the next phase of Africa’s economic and social development.
Dear Tigray Festival of North America attendees
You paid hefty ticket prices and drove hundreds of miles to network and to celebrate your culture. You danced almost all night. You literary gave the festival a huge boost. Without your presence, July 29 to August 2 would have been just another days in the calendar. Cheers to our respected guests for allowing Seattle to serve you.
On behalf of Tigray Community Association of Seattle members, I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the Seattle and Portland energetic soccer players as well as volunteers who generously gave up their day to make the event a great success. On the same note, we would like to extend our best wishes and the same success to our brothers and sisters who are getting ready to have their moment in Frankfurt, Germany. Enjoy the clip
below.
Our honored guest of the month is Dr. Ephraim Isaac Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies, a founder and the very first professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University. Dr. Isaac is the founder of the Horn of Africa Peace & Development Center and the Coalition of Ethiopian Elders. Dr Isaac for many years played a spirited role to create harmony and reconciliation among religious and ethnic groups in his birth country Ethiopia and its neighbor to the north, Eritrea. He is best known as the father of peace by engaging elders as mediators, tapping into a tradition that has credibility within the Ethiopian community. This clip is peace of history. Please listen to it tentatively.
7 reasons why Obama should visit Ethiopia
By Rediet Wegayehu
Originally Published in The Hill Newspaper
Barack Obama will become the first ever sitting U.S. president to visit Ethiopia. This is a testament to the firm friendship that the two countries enjoy. Ethiopia has had a close relationship with the U.S. ever since Emperor Menlik II earned recognition as the only sovereign state leader in Africa after defeating Italy. Emperor Haile Selassie deepened the bond with his seven official state visits to the U.S during his reign.
President Obama’s trip to Ethiopia, although overdue, shows America’s growing confidence in the significant role Ethiopia plays in African affairs. But critics argue that the trip sends the wrong message and that the U.S. should stay away from Ethiopia, using unfounded data while underestimating that isolation policy can be destructive in the long
run.
President
Obama Delivers Remarks at the African Union
The World's Most Optimistic People Live in Africa
Emerging nations are home to more upbeat consumers, while advanced economies see dark clouds
by Michelle Jamrisko
Sure, France has Paris, Provence and the Palace of Versailles. But when it comes to optimism about the domestic economy, the French have nothing on Ethiopians.
The three countries with the brightest prospects in the next year are all emerging or developing economies in Africa, while three with the bleakest outlooks are advanced economies, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted March 25 through May 27.
Nigeria tops the charts, with 92 percent of respondents seeing their economy improving in the next 12 months, compared with a net 5 percent who said it would stay the same or worsen. Residents in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia were similarly upbeat, with more than 80 percent of people in each country projecting economic progress.
Adaptive Democratic Developmental State: The Pathways to Ethiopia’s Total Transformation
By Asghedom Ghebremichael, PhD
July 19, 2015
Our existence as humans is measured in terms of the pathways of time we travel, our longevity. As time goes-by, we become adults and our cognitive capacity expands, enabling us to accumulate knowledge, which in turn enables us to interpret and taste the meaning life. But, because our brain’s capacity does not allow us to predict every event in life, we go through the process of learning-by-doing. That is, the cognitive and predictive capacity of our brain to capture, process, and comprehend every piece of externally received information is very limited. This condition is referred to as a bounded rationality, which means human beings’ capability to rationalize a whole package of information is incomplete. Hence, we live in a world of uncertainties and risks. This condition calls for implementation of the precautionary principles (PPs). Three unavoidable conditions compel humans to adopt PPs: (i) the inevitability of life to take all necessary actions, (ii) the likelihood of a risk that might cause serious or irreversible harm, and (iii) the lack of complete-scientific certainty regarding what, when, where, and how natural and/or human-induced danger might occur.
Ethiopia struggles to meet soaring property demand in nation's capital
Reuters: A property boom in Ethiopia's capital is putting pressure on the government to keep homes affordable for some of Africa's poorest people who live in one of its fastest-growing economies.
Smart flats and hotels in mirror-glass buildings rise up in areas of Addis Ababa where shacks once stood. A new metro snakes through a city where an emerging middle class is snapping up new homes, but waiting lists for cheap state-built homes grow...
Revitalizing Ethiopia’s Manufacturing Enterprises through the Japanese Production Management Strategy, Kaizen, Tate Publishing 2015
Authored by Asayehgn Desta, PhD Reviewed by Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD
July 18, 2015
Asayehgn Desta, our colleague in the academia and scholarly research, has produced an excellent book on contemporary Ethiopia’s political economy in general and macroeconomic analysis in particular. The book presents a comprehensive survey, analysis, and critical remarks on Ethiopia’s industrial enterprises in the context of Kaizen, a Japanese management system that “a number of Ethiopian enterprises” have adopted in order “to redesign their manufacturing enterprises and eventually improve their competitiveness in the global market” as stated in the Introduction of the book.
The Ethiopians who predict an end to international aid
Andrew Harding
Africa correspondent
The rains have been poor again in this mountainous corner of north-eastern Ethiopia - the site of the 1984 famine in which hundreds of thousands of people starved to death.
But just north of the small market town of Korem, bright green fields and neatly terraced hillsides surround a vast lake, and in the brand new local hospital, the ward reserved for severely malnourished babies is all but empty.
Foreign aid is a notoriously difficult business - and much criticized.
But if you're looking for results, then this vast climate-change challenged country, led by a hugely ambitious and severely authoritarian government, is worth a visit.
In the first decade of this century, the number of Ethiopians living in poverty dropped by a third.
(CNN)You would be forgiven for thinking it was Spain, Thailand or Italy. But this year the accolade of World Best Tourism Destination has been given to a surprising candidate: Ethiopia.
The country has been praised for its outstanding natural beauty, dramatic landscapes and ancient culture, leading the European Council on Tourism and Trade to select it out of 31 countries as this year's top holiday spot.
Visitor numbers in the country have increased by 10% over the last decade, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Last year, more than 600,000 tourists visited Ethiopia, attracted by its fertile national parks, 3,000 year-old archeological history and nine UNESCO world heritage sites.
Editors Ethiopian Observer Here is the ranking of Universities in Africa and you can observe how the Universities in Ethiopia with their short periods of establishment as institutions have made enormous strides to come among the best 100 within a few years. In fact, there are even those, which were founded not a long ago to place themselves among the other rankings. This is however, the beginning in the ranking system and therefore the Universities have to make themselves visible in R&D activities of excellence, TLA with student engagement, student recruitment and engagement from near and far, quality assurance in education with creative and entrepreneurial skills, etc. and put themselves at the leading edge of the global competition. Although ranking is not the end in itself in academic endeavor, we wish to congratulate all who made real contributions to make the dreams come true in the expansion of universities from two (5 decades ago) to more than 30 at present. We would like to encourage the Universities to collaborate with other distinguished Universities and professionals and also academicians of Ethiopian heritage around the world so that they meet goals of higher learning/teaching and research associated with the country's needs of paramount significance.
Well done and keep up the good work!
We like it or not the history of the Ethiopian students’ movement, the Ethiopian youths’ movement, perhaps best characterized by organizations such as the notorious Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and its armed wing, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Army (EPRA), have now become part and parcel of the recent history of Ethiopia. Historians are often heard describing the history of Ethiopia as a vast and protracted collection of battles that was carried out during centuries for the control of the reigns of power. Mostly, such battles were led by people belonging or thinking to belong to the various royal families that claimed to hail from legitimate origins and thus deserving to be ordained to rule. Kings, queens, sultans, Rases, Dejazmatches, counts, chieftains and warlords of all sorts tried to fight and conquer power by force, and it was only when there were foreign invaders or aggression that these forced bonded disregarding their differences united and fought to safeguarding the sovereignty of the country.
The forum is hosted by the Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees & Communities of Color (CIRCC). CIRCC will post a recording of the forum online following the event. Lunch will be provided at the event.
District two and three encompass the east side of Seattle from the Lake Washington Canal to Beacon Ave. S. Find your district here:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/referenceresources/
The Eritrean Community Center is located at 12402 E. Spruce St., Seattle, WA 98122.
CIRCC plans to host follow-up meetings with candidates in order to “keep our representatives accountable to the people they serve — our community!” according to their press release for the forum. The previous forum hosted by CIRCC was on Oct. 14, 2014.
However Ethiopia, and by extension Africa, view the Obama political persona and character, call him prodigal son or the lost son of Africa, the land of the origin of humanity should welcome him as if he is her own son. In the micro sense, Obama is African-American but in the macro sense and also in the broader context of the etymology of the term Ethiopia (denoting ‘sun-burnt face’), he is Ethiopian. Therefore, his sojourn to Ethiopia on July 2015, in fact, evokes the Homeric depiction of Ethiopia, as land in which the gods enjoy their respective excursions. Obama, thus, will enjoy his sojourn in Ethiopia not only with the Ethiopian people but in the company of the gods as well.
Ethiopia should welcome Obama not only as her own son, but she also should baptize him with the sacred waters of the land and offer him an adopted Ethiopian name, preferably Tesfa (hope), because he is the hope for thousands upon thousands of young Americans, and more specifically for African Americans. By default, Obama has become the vital force and inspiration for black Americans who survive every single day against all odds in democratic and prosperous America.
Ethiopia is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in the world today, a far cry from 30 years ago when the East African country was hit by a severe famine. But how much has changed since the famine.
Every so often, a speaker at a conference says something provocative or simply voices an opinion that sparks discussions long after the event. At African conferences, brusque comments by Nigerian officials used to dominate conversations. Not anymore.
Ethiopians have usurped the role. And there are good reasons to support the Ethiopians' new assertiveness: they run one of the world's fastest growing economies; they have done a good job in meeting the Millennium Development Goals; they are building what will soon be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam; their national airline dominates the continent's skies; they have achieved an admirable level of political stability in one of the region's roughest
neighborhoods, and their capital Addis Ababa, whose skyline is dotted with construction cranes, is the continent's diplomatic capital, thanks to the presence of the African Union's headquarters.
Engineer G.E. Gorfu shared his background knowledge and observations on Philosophy, art, critical thinking, and his works on Poetry.
Ethiopian Prime Minister briefs Sudanese journalists on bilateral relations and Ethiopian economy
Sudanese media delegation concluded a working visit to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), they also met the Ethiopian Prime Minister Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn.
The Prime Minister briefed the delegation on Ethiopian economy, bilateral Ethio-Sudanese relations and the Ethiopian stand towards the challenges facing Africa; he defended the rejection of the South African government to arrest and hand over Sudanese President, Omer Hassan al-Bashir, to the International Criminal Court
(ICC).
San Francisco (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will in late July become the first sitting American leader to visit Ethiopia and the headquarters of the African Union, the White House said Friday.
to his father's homeland, press secretary Josh Earnest announced. Obama will meet both the Ethiopian government and AU leaders, for talks on how to "accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions and improve security."
The election of the United States' first black president -- and the first with an African parent -- raised high hopes on the continent, but Obama has been a cautious friend.
In August last year, the White House hosted a huge Washington summit of African leaders and the upcoming July trip is intended to build on progress towards closer economic ties.
A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.
The International Criminal Court has since suspended that prosecution, citing a lack of evidence and Kenya's failure to cooperate.
Question: Why did the Gates Foundation choose Ethiopia to host its first office in Africa?
Answer: It's for a few reasons, but primarily there are two reasons why we have a large concentration of our work here. First, the need is significant. There is a huge population with a heavy
poverty and disease burden. Second, we believe in the promise of Ethiopia. We think the government's commitment and investments to pro-poor sectors, with support from development partners, have enabled our investments to yield positive results. We place high value on partnerships, and since we understand the government's agenda, we are able to contribute in a way more aligned to their priorities. There are also some logistical reasons why Ethiopia makes sense. It's the diplomatic capital of Africa: you can reach the rest of Africa because the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa are based here.
Ethiopia to Begin Testing Railway to Djibouti Port in October
By William Davidson Bloomberg: Testing of an electrified railway from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa along its main trade route to Djibouti’s port will begin in October, according to Ethiopian Railways Corp.
The state-owned enterprise will soon tender for a management contract for the 656-kilometer (410-mile) link that should be fully operational by the end of the year, spokesman Dereje Teferra said by phone from Addis Ababa on Monday.
The best of Ethiopia - From Lalibela's ancient churches to Gondar's palaces and Tigray's mountain hideaways, magical Ethiopia awaits
From Lalibela's ancient churches to Gondar's palaces and Tigray's mountain hideaways, magical Ethiopia awaits By Stanley Stewart June 11, 2015 12:11
Home to some of the continent’s most traditional tribes, the Omo Valley is still wonderfully unaffected by the modern world
In a gorgeous region of forest and rolling uplands, of alpine lakes and fortress-like escarpments, Bale Mountains National Park is teeming with rare wildlife, including the endemic Ethiopian wolf
'Sleeping beauty': 2,000-year-old remains found in biblical city
By Daisy Carrington, CNN June 15, 2015
(CNN)- It was the Queen of Sheba that first drew Louise Schofield -- an archaeologist and former curator at the British Museum -- to the Gheralta plateau in northern Ethiopia. She'd heard tell of a 20-foot stone stele carved with an inscription and a symbol often linked to the biblical queen: a sun and crescent moon.
"The story of the Queen of Sheba has a central place in the heart of all Ethiopians, so I became interested in the story myself," she recalls (Sheba is thought to be located in parts of Ethiopia).
It was this initial visit that ultimately led her to discover the 2,000-year-old remains of a character she fondly refers to as "sleeping beauty."
Ethiopia eyes extra 12,000 MW in power projects by 2020
By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA, June 8
Reuters - Ethiopia plans to launch hydropower dams and other renewable energy projects over the five years to 2020 that will add an additional 12,000 megawatts of electricity upon completion, a senior official said on Monday.
With one of the continent's fastest-growing economies, Ethiopia wants to become a manufacturing hub and Africa's top energy exporter by tapping the numerous rivers that cascade through its highlands. Experts say the Horn of Africa nation has the potential to generate 45,000 megawatts of hydropower
Torture and Other Rights Abuses Are Widespread in Eritrea, U.N. Panel Says
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCEJUNE 8, 2015
GENEVA — President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea has imposed a reign of fear through systematic and extreme abuses of the population that may amount to crimes against humanity, a panel of United Nations investigators said on Monday.
The harsh actions of the government have prompted hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to flee the country, a major driver of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, the panel concluded.
“We seldom see human rights violations of the scope and scale as we see in Eritrea today,” Sheila B. Keetharuth, one of three members of a United Nations commission of inquiry, told journalists in Geneva.
Spectacular 2,000-year-old treasures from the Roman empire and the Aksumite kingdom, which ruled parts of north-east Africa for several centuries before 940AD, have been discovered by British archaeologists in northern Ethiopia.
Louise Schofield, a former British Museum curator, headed a major six-week excavation of the ancient city of Aksum where her team of 11 uncovered graves with “extraordinary”
artifacts dating from the first and second centuries. They offer evidence that the Romans were trading there hundreds of years earlier than previously thought.
Q&A: Why Ethiopia ‘just cannot be ignored anymore’
By Jaco Maritz on '1 June 2015'
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies with GDP growth of 10.3% in 2014. Coupled with a population of over 90 million, this is prompting many consumer-focused companies to look at Ethiopia with fresh eyes. How we made it in Africa spoke to Addis Alemayehou, managing partner of Ethiopian advertising agency 251 Communications, about the opportunities in the market.
How would you describe the opportunities in Ethiopia from a foreign investment perspective?
Ethiopia is a country that just cannot be ignored anymore. You’ve got a population of 95 million, most of them young people. Other than Nigeria, you can’t get much better than Ethiopia in terms of numbers. The economy is also one of the fastest growing in the continent, if not the world. In addition there is significant growth potential in terms of consumer spending. So for these reasons a lot of FMCG multinationals are investing huge resources in Ethiopia.
Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship
Africa is at the forefront of significant global economic growth and opportunity. Stanford GSB is excited to contribute to the region’s human and economic development by educating leaders committed to making an impact on the continent.
The Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship Program pays for tuition and associated fees (approximately US $140,000) for citizens of African countries with financial need who wish to obtain an MBA at Stanford GSB. Stanford will award up to eight Stanford Africa MBA Fellowships annually.
An event organized by Tigray Women’s Association of Seattle to honor all hard working and caring women. It was a fun-filled evening of entertainment, dinner, socializing. The entertainment was performed by tireless and talented Mr. Tadesse Abera
(Wedi Kokeb) and Abebe Tesfa. – The event was attended by many hardworking community members, their families, and friends. It is worth mentioning one of the highlight was, of course, the elegant and gorgeous Tigray women wearing their stunning cultural dresses. Cheers –Enjoy - ማቻ፡ ንዓኹም
Saturday May 30, 2015 – Seattle, WA ---
Abel G (ኣይተ፡
ኣቤል) video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNrvAJiN5c0&feature=youtu.be
Critical Reflection on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa Conference
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD May 29, 2015
This critical reflection aims to systematically appraise the papers presented by some panelists in ‘Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa Conference’ (May 9-10, 2015, Arlington, Virgina) and furnish constructive ideas for the sole purpose of provoking discussion among Ethiopians at home and in the Diaspora. I have seen some of the videos of the conference, but the one that I watched with some focus and interest was the panel of Ermias Legesse Waqjira, Drs Getachew Begashaw, Messai Kebedde, and Berhanu Nega.
Getachew, Messai, and Berhanu are scholars and academe and they are expected to fulfill their historical duty; otherwise, they will suffer from inherent biases and subjectivity implicit in political and cultural deprivation. 2) The Ethiopian Diaspora opposition should rethink its unholy alliance with the regime in Eritrea and recall or revisit Diodorus Siculus’ (90 BCE) testimony on Ethiopia: “Too many enemies have attempted to attack and conquer Ethiopia but none of them was successful.” To attack Ethiopia by cooperating with anti-Ethiopia forces is outright treason and betrayal of the motherland. Here, I have an obligation to clarify a side issue on Eritrea.
The
Economist
Ethiopia’s economy
Neither a sprint nor a marathon
Africa’s most impressive economic managers suffer from excessive caution
May 30th 2015 | ADDIS ABABA | From the print edition
NOWHERE in Africa is modern China more of a lodestar than in Ethiopia, which on May 24th held an uneventful election with a predetermined outcome: another term in office for the long-standing ruling party. The continent’s second most populous country and fastest-growing big economy has close intellectual links with China’s Communists and often sends officials to their party school in Beijing. There Ethiopians imbibe the gospel of
industrialization overseen by a strong state that exerts tight control over an ethnically diverse population with a history of strife
Ethiopians have been voting for a new parliament in the first election since the death of long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in 2012.
The outgoing parliament has only one opposition MP. Mr Zenawi's successor Hailemariam Desalegn is expected to hold on to power.
Polls closed at 18:00 local time.
No major irregularities were reported, election officials said. However, the opposition said their representatives were barred from some polling stations.
Observers from the African Union issued an initial assessment to say the polls were conducted in a calm and peaceful manner.
Some preliminary results will be announced this week, the electoral board says. Full results are due next month.
Election Eve Reality on the Ground and Possible Post-election Scenario in Ethiopia
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD May 22, 2015
However, smooth and civil debates in countries like Ethiopia with no prior democratic culture and some degree of tolerance amongst the fiercely competing political parties could be tricky. For all intents and purposes, Ethiopia’s current politics does not promise a transition to a full-fledged democracy because the latter requires a change of mindset on the part of the people, a thorough psychological preparedness on the part of ruling party and the opposition parties, and most importantly the establishment of robust democratic institutions, that are, for the most part, absent in Ethiopia. The absence of the latter institutions, however, should not be squarely put within the boundaries of the EPRDF or directly attributed to the ruling party, although arguably the Government and the ruling party should be held responsible, at least in the context of leadership, for the promotion of democratic culture. In the final analysis, however, all of us Ethiopians, especially intellectuals and professionals, should be held accountable for the delay or acceleration of the establishment of democracy in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's economy to grow 10.5 percent in 2015/16: World Bank
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's economy is expected to grow by 9.5 percent this fiscal year ending June before accelerating to 10.5 percent in 2015/16, the World Bank said on Friday, adding inflation will remain in single digits during this period.
The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has touted its economic achievements before Sunday's election, although no one doubts it will sweep to power again, as critics say it stifles any real opposition.
There is just one opposition member of the outgoing parliament.
Lars Christian Moller, the World Bank's lead economist and program leader for Ethiopia, told Reuters that falling oil prices should help quicken Ethiopia's growth in 2015/16.
Civic Urban Revolt in Contemporary Ethiopia
Nahusenay Belay
The very objective of this short piece is to explore the politically ‘visible’, but academically overlooked issue of urban civic revolt in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government is curious and cautious about this and the same is true to those who think and propagate orchestrating an urban civic revolt is a possibility.
The simple answer is: playing according to the established ‘rules of the game’ and enhance ones capacity to influence the dynamics. There is no perfect democracy and the challenges of an infant democracy are obviously multi-dimensional. It has to be noted, however, that violence can only bred another wave of violence.
Why Africa must cancel Economic Agreements, Political and Military with France?
Per Dr. Mehenou Amouzou
A few months ago we published "Culture and Development in Africa". The intent of this publication is to analyze the causes of underdevelopment in Africa and how Africa could catch up by becoming a prosperous continent and not at the mercy of all predators. The topics that were discussed are:
Culture encompassing social development;
Culture, economic development resources;
Culture, Democracy and Religion;
Africa can become a continent of the future, prosperous and children need no longer take the risk of crossing the Mediterranean to be the sole bread-winner for many families in the continent. This phenomenon is all the more distressing that one third perished at sea, and another one third are treated inhumanely in camps and the final third of the survivors are undocumented citizens and therefore faces an uncertain future!
Ethiopia Plans Export Hubs With $10 Billion Factory Parks
By'William Davison
Ethiopia is targeting $1 billion of annual investment in industrial parks over the next decade to boost exports and make it Africa’s top manufacturer, a special adviser to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said.
The government may invest half of the $10 billion needed for zones across the country that will house textile, leather, agro-processing and other labor-intensive factories, Arkebe Oqubay said in an interview in the capital, Addis Ababa. The International Finance Corp., the World Bank’s private lending arm, along with Chinese and European lenders and private-equity funds are interested in projects, he said.
“In terms of industrial development and manufacturing development, we want to put Ethiopia number one in Africa,” Arkebe said.
Global Tragedies of Neoliberalism: Lessons worth Critical Learning
by Asghedom Ghebremichael, PhD 17 May 2015
The Ethiopian Scene
With a 2014 population of approximately 97,970,452 (increased from 2013’s estimate of 95,045,679), Ethiopia is the second largest country in the continent of Africa , after Nigeria. This population estimate is based on the most recent United Nations projections. Possessing untapped highly productive labor force of a young generation, a huge wealth of natural resources, and a glorious history Ethiopia’s future should be bright. The country is regarded as the Mother of Africa’s freedom. But, abject poverty has become enemy number one that must be defeated and be eradicated from the Ethiopian landscape.
In Ethiopia, like in any other poor country, poverty is a multifaceted deprivation. Persistent poverty is a trap manifested through the horrors of:
We have asked many times for your support to expose this hideous crime and many of you have written us with a sympathetic letter for which we are thankful. But the case remains hidden. It is very difficult to know how long for. We believe every body has moral obligation to support this case . Up and down the country all MEPs, MPs and Cllrs have been informed on several occasions but till to day no body has spoken about this injustice openly. The UK people has to know the whole history of this crime and the only way will be through an inquiry conducted by the home office or the Prime
Minster's office. You can do this by writing to the Prime Minister David Cameron, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, the Communities and Local Government secretary, the justice secretary and the General secretary of UNISON. I believe this is premeditated murder and relates to Bow
neighborhood in the London borough of Tower Hamlets where I was working in the housing department. As the attached letter from UNISON confirms it, my brother was murdered because of mistaken identity.
Many thanks Alemseged Abay
Ethiopians Rally Olympic-Style, Chip in on Bonds for Dam
By William Davison
A horse-drawn carriage festooned with balloons and Ethiopian flags stops in front of a crowd at a ramshackle football stadium.
Two women in traditional white dresses pluck a gold trophy from the cart and place it on a stage inside a garland of red and white roses. Beneath is a computer-generated image of the $3.8 billion dam Ethiopia is building across the main tributary of the Nile River.
The trophy celebrating what will be the world’s seventh-biggest hydropower plant, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, has arrived at Debre Birhan town. It’s the latest stop in the African nation of almost 100 million people in an Olympic torch-style promotional tour.
A Saudi war fought with Eritrean troops?
By: Mohammad Abu Fares 8 May, 2015
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Houthis, Eritrea, Asmara, Isaias Afwerki
Analysis: Saudi Arabia has been cosying up to Eritrea, leading to reports the African nation will join Senegal in offering troops for the war in Yemen, says Mohammad Abu Fares.
Eritrea could be the second non-Arab African nation to contribute troops to the Saudi-led alliance against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Eritrea's president Isaias Afwerki visited Riyadh last week to meet King Salman and other leading Saudi officials. This has led many to believe that Eritrea could follow Senegal's lead - the West African nation announced earlier this week that it would send 2,100 soldiers to join the Saudi alliance.
Development Finance and Debt Sustainability in Ethiopia: Lesson to
Sub-Saharan African Countries
By Teshome A1.(PhD), Assistant Professor, Friday, May 08, 2015
1. Introduction Development is multi dimensional processes that required large amount of financial resources.
Economic theories have shown that financial resources are more important than natural resources
in the process of economic development (Teklu Kassu, D.K Mishra and Melesse Asefaw,
2014).The amount and the sources of development finance play major roles in realizing
sustainable economic development in developing countries. . There are two broad categories of
sources of development finance which know as internal and external sources of development
finance. The former sources of finance mainly relied on the domestic resource such as tax, nontax,
domestic loan.
Despite executions, drowning, some Ethiopians still dream of Europe
AFP May 1, 2015
By Karim Lebhour
Addis Ababa (AFP) - On the walls of homes in the poor Cherkos neighborhood
of Ethiopia's capital, the portraits of "martyrs" killed in their attempt to enter Europe offer a grim warning.
The murders of several Ethiopian Christians last month in Libya horrified Ethiopians and sparked global condemnation, including from Pope Francis who expressed his "great distress and sadness".
At least five of the victims out of the group of 28 migrants on the gruesome video were
recognized as coming from this poor neighborhood in the heart of the Ethiopian capital and its tightly packed clusters of simple brick, tin roof buildings.
"We were about to leave, now we will wait a bit, but not too long," said one young man aged around 20, sitting with friends, all shocked by having watched the horrific executions on their mobile
telephone
Strategies to combat and defeat the international menace of ISIS
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD May 3, 2015
Dedicated to the 30 Ethiopians who were shot and beheaded by ISIS in Libya on April 19, 2015
While the overall general trend of history could be reasonably predicted, history itself often comes up with relatively unfathomable phenomena, and we humans are caught at the crossroads and thresholds and rather become helpless. This might sound ironic but it happened many times in history every time societies encountered quandaries and conundrums, as well as social calamities manifested in the form of Nazism, Fascism, Jihad etc. In the above context, thus, the new ex machina of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), would be one more surprise of history. Ex machina, is a positive attribute to a Godly appearance in religious tenets or a sudden appearance of a character in a drama that would provide solution to an insoluble difficult problem; it would be inappropriate to depict ISIS as ex machina in its literal sense, but I am using it only as “a sudden appearance of a phenomenon.” ISIS, far from providing solutions to problems, is in fact an international menace and global challenge. This menace should be combated and defeated.
'It's degrading,' says Ethiopian-Israeli soldier beaten by police
By Oren Liebermann, CNN
Jerusalem (CNN)—The Ethiopian Jewish soldier at the center of a viral beating video that has sparked protests across Israel says he supports the anti-racism demonstrations, but condemns the violent clashes that erupted.
Cpl. Demas Fikadey, 21, told CNN he was a block away from his house in Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, when he tried to cross the street. Fikadey says an officer stopped him from crossing, then grabbed his bike and cell phone. Fikadey says he urged the police officer not to use force, but by then, another officer had joined in.
The video shows the two officers push Fikadey to the ground and hold him down for approximately one minute before allowing him to stand up. The entire incident is caught on a nearby security camera, but the video has no sound.
WASHINGTON
— President Obama nominated Gayle Smith, a senior White House official, on Thursday to be the next administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, administration officials said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Smith, a longtime development and Africa specialist in the Clinton and Obama administrations, would succeed Dr. Rajiv Shah, who left the agency in February after five years on the job.
Ms. Smith, 59, who is well-known in Washington development circles, would be responsible for leading the government’s response to humanitarian disasters like the earthquake in Nepal, the refugee crisis in Syria and the receding Ebola epidemic in West Africa, as well as managing the agency’s $20 billion budget.Ms. Smith spent 20 years in Africa — Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya — first as a freelance journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation, Reuters, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe, and then with nongovernmental groups. She is a co-founder of the Enough Project to end genocide.
The perilous journey migrants make to reach north Africa
30 April 2015 Last updated at 15:05 BST
For migrants it is a dangerous journey to cross sub-Saharan Africa to reach the north African coast.
It is estimated that 100,000 migrants will go through the town of Agadez in Niger this year, higher than in 2014, putting their lives into the hands of smugglers. Some migrants will never make it, dying of thirst en route, or sold to militia for money.
Our West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy reports from Agadez.
Ethiopians
in Seattle Mourns (ISIL) Victims
Ethiopian
Observer reporter
April
24, 2015Hosted by Ethiopian Community Council (ECC) at
Yesler Community Center mourns with joint Christian, Muslim and
representatives of Nation nationalities of Ethiopian community and The
Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color (CIRCC
serve communities through annual candidate’s forum, educational workshops, grassroots organizing, youth programming, arts & civic engagement, and community & policy
advocacy) for 30 Ethiopian and Eritrean
Christians believed to have been killed by the Islamic State of Iraq in
Libya. The apparent execution in a video released by ISIL murders, shown
in footage last week on Sunday, have horrified Ethiopians in Seattle and
sparked worldwide condemnation with great sorrow and sadness. Various
speakers noted that the killing of the innocent people like animals is
completely unacceptable, and inhuman.
The
speakers noted it is the duty of all of us to expose and raise our voice
to tell the world such barbaric deed had no place in any religion.
Ethiopians in Seattle has condemned the Perpetuated
killing of 30 Ethiopian
and Eritrean Christians shown in a video released by (ISIL). The Ethiopian
Community Council denounced the killings by ISIL as a "criminal"
effort to create religious divisions among the Christian and Islam
followers in Ethiopia. Throughout history
Ethiopians have stood with our Muslim brothers/sisters shoulder to
shoulder in peace and harmony. Their attempt to create havoc and
mayhem and misuse of Islam religion has no place in Ethiopia. The
29-minute video, titled until, “There Came to Them Clear Evidence,
appeared to be primarily aimed at offering religious justification for the
targeting of Christians. Seattle
Residents of Ethiopian origin denounces the mass slaughter of Christians
by the terror group ISIL depicts ‘Misuse of a noble religion'. Full
report coming soon.
We at the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) are disturbed by the ongoing xenophobic violence in South Africa against African immigrants. Hence we present this viewpoint and reflection so that our subscribers have a good flavor and understanding of the mob action against fellow Africans. We begin with a brief historical note and proceed in analyzing and critically examining the South African wave of anti-immigrant attacks.
South Africans and other Africans may not know or remember the Massavana story because it took place so long ago, but that of Mandela and the struggle of liberation is a recent memory and South Africans are cognizant of the sympathy and solidarity extended to them by fellow Africans. At least the South African leadership knows too well about Mandela’s training in Ethiopia, the African National Congress (ANC) base camp in Tanzania, and the support they have enjoyed from Zambia, Zimbabwe, other SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) nations, as well as other
Africans.
Residents of Addis Ababa held a huge rally against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) here in Addis Ababa at Meskel Square.
Hundreds of thousands of people joined the march, denouncing the terrorist group for killing 28 Ethiopian migrants in Libya.
Addressing the crowd, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, said that the “killing is intend to create division among Ethiopians. However, Ethiopia’s long history of religious tolerance will not be hampered by this evil act.”
The slaughter of Ethiopians by the terrorist group has no religious base and it is intended against all human being, he said.
Grief Mixes With Anger Over Christian Ethiopian Deaths
By JACEY FORTINAPRIL 22, 2015 NY Times
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — In a downtrodden neighborhood called Cherkos, not far from the headquarters of the African Union, an olive-green tent stands as a tangible symbol of this nation’s grief.
Two bereft families have gathered under its shade to mourn the loss of Eyasu Yikunoamlak and Balcha Belete, Ethiopian migrants who were killed in Libya by militants claiming to represent the Islamic State.
“Eyasu was a good person who just wanted to make money to help our mother, who is very sick,” said the victim’s brother, Seyoum Yikunoamlak, as women in black scarves wailed around him. “He was a follower of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and that is why they slaughtered
him.”
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)
— Many in Ethiopia are reeling from the news that several Ethiopians were killed in Libya by the Islamic State group, which over the weekend released a video purporting to show the
killings. The killings, which have shocked many in the predominantly Christian country, were condemned by Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
The victims were planning to go to Europe by boat from Libya but were captured and then killed by the Islamic extremists, said grieving family members and government officials. Ethiopia's government on Monday declared three days of mourning.
The Miracle of the Rising Anvil
We all know of the hammer that descends on the anvil, but who ever heard of an anvil that rises up to strike the hammer? That indeed, is a strange phenomenon. Dear reader, bear with me as I am about to recount my encounter with this amazing and incredible event for which I have no other explanation, except to say that it is indeed, a miracle.
It was in the middle of winter so cold that while walking, one can often hear the chatter of the teeth of the person walking next to one. In fact, that was how I met Abba Gebre-Yohannes, a monk from Abune Gebre-Menfes-Kidus Monastery. We met as both of us were standing on the side of the street one late afternoon, waiting for the bus, when he casually said, “It is really cold, isn’t it?
Ethiopia: Site of the Ark of the Covenant?
By Colin Hancock and Daisy Carrington, for CNN
Mon April 20, 2015
Tigray, Ethiopia (CNN)—Ethiopia is often overlooked as a top destination for spiritual pilgrimage. This is an unfortunate oversight.
The country is not just the cradle of civilization, it has played a significant role in the formation of many of the world's top religions. It is not only the location of the biblical kingdom of Sheba, it is currently believed by some to house the Ark of the Covenant. Click through the gallery above for a list of the country's top religious sites.
Once again we are witnessing another atrocious act of violence on immigrants in South Africa. Recently the number of violence and horrific act against immigrants in South Africa especially on immigrants from African nations has been off the chart. Witnesses and video footage on social media sites such as
Face book, Twitter and You Tube shows how much the level violence is escalated. The situation is becoming out of control.
This act of violence is happening again and again in South Africa. In short memory on May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra (in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg) when locals attacked migrants, killing two people and injuring 40 others.
Fictional stories serve useful purposes. Ethiopians tell teret, parables to convey a moral message; and Isaias, the EPLF, and its supporters have been telling the fiction that “Eritrea was a colony of Ethiopia” to sanction independence. Today, other ethnic fundamentalist groups, including the TPLF in the past, are doing the same.
Isaias told the two interviewers that the struggle in Eritrea was an anti-colonial struggle. Even after 25 years of Eritrea’s independence, even after having achieved his cherished dream, even after being crowned the “founding father” of Eritrea, he still repeats the false claim. It seems that the fiction has become an article of faith, almost a dogma, for him and for members of the EPLF.
The attacks on migrant shop owners in Durban this week reminds us the position of foreigner in South Africa is a complex one. After decades of isolation from the rest of the African continent, and the world, during apartheid, South Africa finally opened up to the rest of world in 1994.
Under apartheid, South Africa’s immigration mirrored the narrow mindedness and prejudice of the National Party. Several laws made visiting or living in South Africa unpalatable to many. Particularly those of non-European
descent. The violence against immigrants is “an expression of a terrible failure of memory by South Africans” who endured racial intolerance under apartheid, two South African foundations said. The foundations are named after anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who died in 2013, and Ahmed Kathrada, another campaigner against the white racist rule that ended in 1994.
South Africa grapples with outbreak of anti-immigrant violence
April 15, 2015, 11:50 AM|Reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa
It began after the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, told his followers last month that foreigners in South Africa should pack up and leave. President Jacob Zuma’s eldest son, Edward, chimed in that foreigners were “taking over the country” in a “ticking time bomb.”.
Then last week, violent attacks on immigrant shopkeepers in Durban townships exploded and have continued since. Dozens of immigrants in Johannesburg and other cities shuttered their shops Wednesday as anonymous
cell phone text messages warned that Zulu people were coming to kill immigrants in neighborhoods with large migrant populations.
In 1991, as the Cold War drew to an end, the only African country that had never been colonized by European imperialists was but a pale reflection of the Great Ethiopia that generations of the kingdom’s monarchs had pursued. A million people lay dead following two decades of civil war. Secessionist movements in the provinces clamored for self-determination. The economy was in tatters, and another catastrophic famine loomed. The world came to associate Ethiopia with images hoards of starving children, and the country’s regional and domestic decline opened questions about its very survival.
Ethiopia has come a long way since the dark days of a quarter-century ago. Its resurgence, domestically and internationally, is unmistakable. Never have so many Ethiopians had so much reason to be optimistic and confident about the future. The Ethiopian vision of a Nile Basin where resources no longer lead to zero-sum competition and violent (proxy) wars, but rather to joint strategies to tackle poverty, unemployment, and climate change deserves wide-ranging support. Simultaneously, however, Ethiopia’s rulers know that they will face a long, uphill struggle to persuade their neighbours of their good intentions:
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest and most profitable airline, has been ranked as the 6th most dependable airlines in the world according to CBS news. With a fleet size of 76 aircraft and more than 100 destinations , 81 of them internationally, Ethiopia's flag carrier has an on-time record of 71% and is ranked as the 6th most dependable airlines in the world.
Ethiopian flies to more destinations in Africa than any other airline in the world and it is Africa's dominant airline in Asia, flying to 21 cities in Asia including the Middle East and Gulf.
The most dependable airline in the ranking is Qatar Airways followed by Emirates and China Eastern. Singaopre Airlines is ranked 4th and China Southern Airlines 5th. You can see the complete list on
CBC
News
Ethiopia 5th largest source of Black Immigrants in America
A Rising Share of the U.S. Black Population Is Foreign Born Source: Pew Research
A record 3.8 million black immigrants live in the United States today, more than four times the number in 1980, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Black immigrants now account for 8.7% of the nation’s black population, nearly triple their share in 1980.
Irish
Times
A safe country for tourists, well managed with a young educated workforce and a culture that runs much deeper than old headlines suggest.
I’m crazy about Ethiopia. It’s exciting and elegant and stuffed full of history and drama. It offers vast distances between its remarkable tourist sites so, for a
traveler like me who wants to get lost in the journey, it’s a fascinating place to visit and one that’s rapidly changing. It’s six years since my last trip here and change is everywhere.
AFRICA BUSINESS-Foreign brewers battle for Ethiopia's beer drinkers
* Entry of drinks firms helping to transform business landscape
* Competition has driven down beer prices, improved supply
* Government keeps foreigners away from telecoms, banks By Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blai
57 Peace Corps Volunteers Sworn in at U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia
US Embassy
Addis Ababa, April 3, 2015 – Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach administered the oath of service to 57 new Peace Corps Volunteers at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa today. 33 of these Volunteers will be working within Peace Corps Ethiopia’s Community Health and HIV Project while the remaining 24 will be working within the its Environment Project. With this new group there are now 223 Peace Corps Volunteers in
Ethiopia.
Perspectives on the Declaration of Principles regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Minga Negash, Seid Hassan, Mammo Muchie and Abu Girma1
I. Introduction
On March 23, 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan signed a declaration of principles on the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam2 (GERD). Since then, an intense debate has been going on regarding
the modalities and core principles which were spelled out in the Declaration. Unfortunately, the
principles contained in the Declaration have invited unhealthy rhetoric, particularly within Egypt,
Ethiopia and among the Ethiopian diaspora. There are two fundamental reasons for the negative
discourses. The first one involves the non‐cooperative,
Revitalizing Ethiopia's Manufacturing Enterprises through the Japanese Production Management Strategy
by Asayehgn Desta
Currently, the Ethiopian manufacturers are at a disadvantage in the international market due to the preponderance of unskilled human resources, the scarcity of capital and differentiated management tools, and the lack of knowledge-based technology. The major span of the book entitled Revitalizing Ethiopia's Manufacturing Enterprises through the Japanese Production Management Strategy "Kaizen": A Critical Analysis explores in detail how a number of public and private enterprises in contemporary Ethiopia are in the process of discarding the Benchmarking process and the Business Process Reengineering techniques and redesigning their manufacturing and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to apply the Japanese Kaizen strategy in order to continuously improve their manpower, quality, and productivity of their products and services.
The concern of the lack thereof of free press and by extension democracy in Ethiopia is the concern of all Ethiopians who genuinely aspire to witness the establishment of a democratic culture in their country. The question pertaining to free press is not forwarded by me alone; a lot of Ethiopians, including Tewodros Abebe, have raised it. In a recent opinion posted in the Washington Post, Tewodros argues, “If the government of Ethiopia is concerned for its citizens, as a spokesman asserted in a February 13 letter [“The Ethiopian government’s duty is to protect all of its citizens”], it should respect the rights and views of journalists and civilians who oppose its policies. It is repressive to block popular web sites and broadcasts such as the Voice of America that provide an alternative to government-controlled media…
For Immediate Use
•Eritrean refugees kidnapped, tortured and ransomed in Sinai desert
The Sound of Torture is a haunting, multi-award-winning documentary about the plight of Eritrean refugees.
In the last decade, more than 300 000 Eritreans have fled the military dictatorship in their homeland, despite a ‘shoot to kill’ policy on the borders. They are followed by an estimated 3 000 every month.
Since 2006, when Europe closed its borders to Africans seeking asylum, more and more Eritreans have sought refuge in Israel, reachable by land via the Sinai desert.
In 2009, Bedouin smugglers in the Sinai desert started kidnapping, torturing and ransoming these refugees.
The Sound of Torture follows Meron Estefanos, an Eritrean journalist living in Sweden. She broadcasts a weekly programme on Radio Erena called Voices of Eritrean Refugees. Meron says, “In this radio programme, we give voice to those in the torture camp and to those who are trying to set them free.”
Ayele Bekerie, PhD
Adwa, Ethiopia (TADIAS) –119 years ago, on March 1, 1896, at the Battle of Adwa, the unexpected happened. Ethiopia, an African country, defeated Italy, a European country. The defeat was decisive and the victory was permanent. More than 100,000 Ethiopian troops, who were led by Emperor Menelik II, were mobilized from all corners of the country and marched to victory at the battle that lasted less than half-a-day. The victory was so decisive, according to Fitawrari Tekle Hawariat, the 20,000 Italian and their ‘native’ soldiers were rushing to surrender and to be declared prisoners of war.
Spirit vs. War-machine: A Patriotic Resistance to Italian Occupation of Ethiopia (1936-1941)
Aregawi Berhe (PhD) Introduction
For the second time in forty years, a European power, Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. Until this time, Ethiopia was a traditional polity with a predominantly feudal socio-political system, while Italy was an industrialized nation under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. The invasion was conducted with the most advanced military organization and hardware -vast killing machine-against a spirited people of an old nation. In defiance of the occupation that ensued, the Ethiopians were engaged for five years in a multi-dimensional ‘patriotic resistance’ to drive the invaders out of their country, while the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie was engaged in an outmatched diplomatic struggle from exile.
Baobab tree or in Dima in Tigrigna is a huge tree found throughout Ethiopia"I hid in its wet hollowed trunk, used it for liquid and shelter. I called it mother. It stood strong against the sun with branches spread yards beyond its bulging womb. I slept beneath oblong fruit and knew the promise of food." (Excerpt from the "The baobab tree", 1996 by Susan Hahn) The baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) is known as ድማ (dima) in Tigrigna or ባምባ (bamba) in Amharic.
First
and foremost let me make my position crystal clear
why I decided to write this piece. I am not
affiliated to any political organization nor am I
interested to address any party, governing elite,
or government in relation to this essay. I see
myself as an independent scholar who advances a
modicum of advocacy on behalf of Ethiopia, and I
would be more than willing to perform as a
spokesperson for my country.
As
the subtitle of this essay implies, I am
critiquing the recent video clip entitled US
Policy: Ethiopia A Failed State1that has been circulating among Ethiopians in
the Diaspora.I am perplexed and flabbergasted by the
contents of the narrative of the video surrounding
a pending disaster for Ethiopia, and while I am
not interested in totally refuting what has been
presented in the video, I am however disappointed
by the egregious negligence and exclusion of the
Ethiopian people, the ultimate force who play a
pivotal role in determining the fate of Ethiopia.
Moreover, the video completely ignores the
greatness of Ethiopia that I will address later in
order to reinforce my thesis of ‘Ethiopia, too
big a nation to fail’.
The Miracle of the Rising Anvil
We all know of the hammer that descends on the anvil, but who ever heard of an anvil that rises up to strike the hammer? That indeed, is a strange phenomenon. Dear reader, bear with me as I am about to recount my encounter with this amazing and incredible event for which I have no other explanation, except to say that it is indeed, a miracle.
Ethiopia bets on grand projects in drive for industrial power
By Edmund Blair and Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Chinese workers mingle with Ethiopians putting the finishing touches to a metro line that cuts through Addis Ababa, one of a series of grand state infrastructure projects that Ethiopia hopes will help it mimic Asia's industrial rise.
Brought to its knees by "Red Terror" communist purges in the 1970s and famine in the 1980s, Ethiopia has been transformed in the last quarter century, becoming one of Africa's fastest-growing economies.
At the heart of the state's "Growth and Transformation Plan" are railway, road and dam projects to give the landlocked nation cheap power and reliable transport, as well as the metro line - the first urban light railway network in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"This is the future," said Abate Yaye, 27, from the poor south as he helped complete the $475 million system being built by China Railway Engineering Corp, much of it on concrete stilts to keep it above the crowded streets of an expanding capital.
The Ethiopian landscape is endowed with awesome nature with variations in high altitudes and sinks, ranging from zones with high plateau and mountain ranges, intermediate zones to lowlands. It is a mesmerizing experience to discover places, where we normally do not pay attention to or even bother about. We seldom venture outside large cities and towns to investigate our surroundings. This is especially the case for the diaspora Ethiopians or Ethiopians living in the country, who are not used to internal tourism during their weekends and holidays.
One of the most beautiful and exciting places to visit is one of the world’s active volcanoes Erta Ale or the “smoking mountain” as it is called by the Afars of Ethiopia. This is a unique creation of our mother nature, where the magma chamber continuously releases a sea of lava from within the deep crater. It now and then spews its natural “fireworks” one to two meters high, the lava flowing and out-flowing within the crater 10 meters deep, while the visitors standing on the edge after hours of trekking bustle to take photos and videos clips of this magnificent display(see
below Video)
Obituary: Ato Nega Woldeslassie.
A well-known Sport Journalist who contributed a lot to Ethiopian sport Federation, Ato Nega Woldeslassie passed away at age of 78 on February 5 2015 in Montreal Canada after a brief illness. He was born in Adwa and worked as Sport Journalist in the Ministry of Information of Ethiopia for over 20 Years before he moved to Canada. He was a father of three.
His family and friends thank to those who comforted and encouraged them.
__________________________________________________________________
Hardback. Awet Tewelde Weldemichael. 2013.Third World Colonialism and Strategies of Liberation
is a comparative case study of the liberation strategies in Eritrea and East Timor using interviews with key actors, United Nations (UN) documents, government and nongovernmental materials, and scholarly publications. Through a historical examination of Eritrea’s and East Timor’s respective struggles for independence from Ethiopia and Indonesia, the book challenges the Western- and state-centric notions of colonial-ism, grand strategy, and terrorism. It also answers why, despite similar circumstances of decolonization from Western countries and secondary colonization by its adjacent neighbors, Eritrea and East Timor undertook divergent pathways toward independence and, subsequently, different forms of governance. In doing so, the book aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the peace prospects in the Horn of Africa and Southeast Asia.
Can Ethiopia’s Resource Wealth Contribute to its Growth and Transformation?
January 26, 2015 ADDIS ABABA, January 26, 2015 – Ethiopia has averaged a 10.7% economic growth rate over the last 10 years, more than double the annual average of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was around 5.2%. However, despite having a huge potential to contribute to Ethiopia’s economy, the development of oil, gas, and mineral resources are not among the key drivers of the country’s growth.
Although the country has geological potential for the discovery of new, sizeable oil, gas and mineral deposits, most of its extractive industry is still in its infancy stage. Currently, there is one large-scale gold mine in operation, while a growing number of large mining projects are under development and exploration for oil and natural gas is intensifying after significant discoveries in neighboring countries. Ethiopia also has an extensive and unique artisanal mining sector; the government estimates there are around 1 million miners, making it an important source of job creation, and an important source of foreign currency.
Experts Rank Ethiopia's Coffee Among Best
Marthe van der Wolf January 21, 2015 10:43 AM
ADDIS ABABA—
Ethiopia’s coffee has been ranked as the best in the world by an international group of coffee connoisseurs. Not surprisingly, coffee is a top export for the country. But at home it is a source of pride.
International coffee experts travel the world to find the best tasting cup. They keep coming back to Ethiopia, where importers like Morton Wennersgaard say the climate produces quality coffee beans.
Poverty in Ethiopia Down 33 Percent Since 2000
January 20, 2015
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia January 20, 2015- Agricultural growth was the main driver of poverty reduction in Ethiopia since 2000, according to the World Bank Group’s latest Poverty Assessment. Poverty in Ethiopia fell from 44 percent in 2000 to 30 percent in 2011, which translated to a 33 percent reduction in the share of people living in poverty. This decline was underpinned by high and consistent economic growth.
Since 2005, agricultural growth has been responsible for a reduction in poverty of 4 percent a year, suggesting that the agricultural growth strategy pursued by the Government of Ethiopia has paid off. High food prices and good weather ensured that increased use of fertilizer was translated into higher incomes for poor farmers with access to markets. Government spending on basic services and effective rural safety nets has also helped the least well-off in Ethiopia. The Productive Safety Net Program alone has pushed 1.5 million people out of poverty.
UNESCO Should Recognize Ethiopian Epiphany as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD January 24, 2015 UNESCO has already recognized Ethiopia’s most popular Meskel festival (the founding of the True Cross holiday) as one of the world’s intangible heritages and Ethiopians were appreciative of the constructive undertaking rendered by the UN agency for education, science, and culture. There is no doubt that Ethiopians would be more appreciative if UNESCO recognizes Timket (Ethiopian epiphany), which is as popular as Meskel, as yet another intangible Ethiopian heritage.
The faithful Ethiopians, thousands upon thousands of them, will converge near a body of water or Timkete-Bahir (pool, river, stream, or artificial fountain) to observer the celebration of the divine-liturgy, as early as 2 am in the morning. On the 18th of January (known as Kerem or eve of epiphany) the faithful have already taken their spaces around the water and they will not return home until the real celebration takes place on the 19th of January every year (or on the 20th of January on a leap year).
I
am gratified to witness the renewed
Ethiopian-Egyptian diplomacy and cooperation after
much turbulence, mistrust, and bellicose political
climate that have griped the two African nations
for decades. To be sure, it was Egypt that had
promoted animus
belligerendi (a near war attitude) against
Ethiopia since the days of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Now, thanks to the wise leadership of President
Field Marshall Abdel Fatah el-Sisi and the
pragmatic vision of the Egyptian people, Egypt has
completely reversed its old policy and enhanced a
friendly foreign policy toward Ethiopia. Ethiopia,
on the other hand, had advanced a more
conciliatory and compromise
d’arbitrage (resolving disputes peacefully)
policy toward Egypt, but finally, so it looks, the
Ethiopian patience paid off.
.
Ethiopian
Observer editors believed readers deserve to read
different opinions, we are not specialized in
singling out any forum of political organization. The views and opinions of
the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect Ethioobserver
position. Ethioobserver doesn't exercise any
editorial control over the information therein.
Despite having the opportunity of ruling our country for the last 24 years--albeit by force—the government is an unfortunate regime that has been unable to guarantee good governance, justice, democratic and human rights for which it had supposedly struggled in the name of the people. The fact of the matter is that, the Ethiopian government chooses to repress than listen to the people. (As has been said often, EPRDF has a mouth but does not have the ears nor will of the people). We should not allow shiny buildings nor instant created multimillionaires to help us be bling with what is taking place in Ethiopia.
Recently,
I wrote an article on Mr. Gebru’ s book to
contribute to the ongoing discussion on
Ethiopia’s unity.Gebru is a courageous fighter who came
forward with proposed solution for the country he
loves against all odds.I heard Mr. Gebru’s interview in various
media outlets and I salute the behavior he
presented and the way he approached the questions.
He is outspoken, matured person who handled all
questions thrown at him unlike Aboy Sbihat’s
fierce reaction to the publication of book and the
issues. Even though, Sebhat was not a stranger for
his controversial comments in the past, the
interview he made commenting on this book was full
of inconsistency and untrustworthy. He questioned
Gebru on motive for publishing the book.
(MoFA) 12-26-14 In the 1980s, Ethiopia, with images of starving
Ethiopian children filling the Western media,
became a symbol of humanitarian need.
Subsequently, this was twisted into a
representation of an incompetent African
government dependent upon wasteful foreign aid and
disinterested in the suffering of its people.
These conveniently simplistic journalistic images
were never very accurate. Today, they are totally
wrong.
I
read the book thoroughly in some cases
repetitively to grasp every bit of information on
it. There is no doubt; it is well-written book
which adds a lot to our knowledge of the past how
the country went through the bad days.Mr. Gebru is a fighter who gave his whole
precious life for the peoples’ cause.He is a selfless and never tried to
accumulate wealth for his personal benefit.He is courageous to come forward to the
public for judgment by admitting mistakes done in
the past. He criticizes himself at center and
blamed the organization who loves for the blunders
and mistakes done during and after the struggle.
This is a book that every citizen has to read and
have fresh discussion on the issues.
Over the past forty years, we have been hearing and reading a lot about the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which dismantled the inhuman and atrocious Military dictatorship that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1991. It was not only highly skilled in military operations but was visionary. The impression that was widely circulated was that when the TPLF came to power it would protect Ethiopia’s sovereignty, adhere to the rules of law and ensure that equity and social justice would prevail , and above all democracy would be the norm of Ethiopian society.
The
unification of Ethiopia and Djibouti would be a
historical reaffirmation of the genetic linkage of
the two peoples. I argue that the peoples of
Ethiopia and Djibouti are genetically and
historically inextricably linked together, not
only to imply that their respective countries are
geo-politically intertwined, but also to undergird
the common heritage, historical experiences, the
oneness of cultural ethos, same language, and
linguistic semiotics shared by the two peoples on
either side of the Ethiopia-Djibouti border. The
two main ethnic groups that make up Djibouti are
the Afar and Issa, whose ancestral homes are in
Ethiopia. Wherever they may be, all Afar people
claim Awsa, Ethiopia as the birthplace of their
ancestors. Likewise, all Issa (a Somali clan)
strongly believe that their original home is Ugaz
(in greater Dire Dawa, Ethiopia).
Ethiopia’s rapid growth: Miracle or mirage? December 14 2014 at 10:42am
By William Gumede Source: Independent
Ethiopia, like many of Africa’s new growing economies, began achieving high growth rates from a low base, writes William
Gumede.Thirty years ago, in 1984, Ethiopia was plunged into a terrifying famine, with hundreds of thousands starving to death and the economy in
freefall. For about 10 years, the country has notched up double-digit economic growth rates. The average annual rate in the past 10 years has been 10.9 percent, according to figures from the African Development Bank.
By contrast, other sub-Saharan African economies grew 5.4 percent on average in the same
period. By the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year, Ethiopia’s economy had grown by 9.7 percent, according to the 2014 Economic Report on Africa from the UN Economic Commission for Africa. This year it will probably show bumper growth.
Touching documentary Out of 30 adopted Ethiopians, 9 of them are homeless in Seattle
American Journalist Dan Rather has produced a documentary - "Unwanted in America" - which highlights how nine out of 30 children adopted from Ethiopia ended up homeless in the streets of Seattle. The documentary is heartbreaking for all fellow human beings, let alone Ethiopians. The documentary should serve those of us living in Seattle as a wakeup call to stop the crime against
innocent children.
I
want to die in my own country; I don’t want to
die in somebody’s country
Abey,
Ethiopian homeless in Seattle, Washington
Children
with no voice
Pastor
Berhanu Seyoum, Mekane Iyesus Ethiopian Church,
Seattle, Washington
The
Dan Rather video clip on abused adoptees and
subsequent homeless Ethiopian teenagers in
Seattle, Washington is a wakeup call for all of us
Ethiopians. After exchange of ideas and
information and discussing the adoption enigma in
some detail, we at the Ethiopian Observer and the
Institute of Development and Education for Africa
(IDEA) have decided to take a more proactive
position on the problem of illegal human
trafficking and adoption of apparently orphan
Ethiopian children, and use this opportunity to
call upon all Ethiopians in the Diaspora and the
Ethiopian Government to come up with some novel
solution to this invidious problem.
Kidnapped, raped and left for dead: who will protect Ethiopia's girls?
The Guardian
One day in early October, Hanna Lalango, 16, did not return from school to her home in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at the usual time. Her father Lalongo Hayesso was worried about his youngest daughter.
“We waited for her at her usual time … but we had to wait for 11 days to hear that she had been abandoned on the street. She was incapacitated and couldn’t even get up,” said
Hayesso. His daughter had been abducted, gang-raped and left for dead. Hanna was not able to get to hospital until 12 days after her attack, where she was treated for traumatic gynaecological fistula and other injuries. She died on 1 November.
African Diaspora: Come Back with Glory or Don’t Come Back At All!
By: Mawuna Remarque KOUTONIN
Africans in diaspora must understand that a Lizard in US or UK can not suddenly become an Alligator in Nigeria or Kenya, just because their plane have just landed from NY or London!
If you are a returnee who have to compete with locals for job, business or attention, you’ll face an unspoken resentment of returnees, which will translate into many forms of ostracism or rejection.
People coming from human zoos (Europe, USA, etc) will be shocked because it’s not a zoo here. You have no one who is responsible for you, guard you, or give you a list of things not to eat or to drink. You have to constantly use 100% of your native survival instincts and trust them
Travel: Ethiopia Rocks
By Aaron Mashoo Reuters
Addis Ababa - When Scottish explorer James Bruce published a five-volume work in 1790 about his search in Ethiopia for the source of the Nile, European readers dismissed his account of ancient churches and castles – surely no such thing existed in the heart of Africa.
Fast-forward to this year and Solomon Tadesse sometimes feels he faces similar preconceptions as he seeks to attract tourists three decades after images of famine and communist purges filled TV screens and shaped the world’s view for a generation.
Yet Solomon’s Ethiopian Tourism Organization is making headway in the battle to change attitudes. Visitor numbers have risen 12 percent a year in the past decade to reach 600 000 this year. His target next year is one million.
Ethiopia Completes Debut Dollar Bond Sale
Landmark Deal Caps a Record Year for Frontier Market Debt Issuance
By Ben Edwards The
Wall Street Journal
Ethiopia completed its debut dollar bond sale on Thursday, capping off a record year for frontier market debt issuance.
The 10-year bond priced to yield 6.625% and raised $1 billion, according to one of the banks working on the deal. Investors said demand for the bond had reached about $2 billion.
The deal is another landmark sale for Africa, having seen a bumper $2 billion debut issue from Kenya in June—one of the largest ever first-time sales from the region.
“We’re running out of new names that can issue,” said Kevin Daly, a fund manager at Aberdeen Asset Management in London, adding that Ethiopia is the poorest country on a per-capita basis that has issued international bonds.
Ahmed Salim, an analyst at advisory firm Teneo Intelligence, said the interest in the bond wasn’t surprising given that Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Gross domestic product growth hit an estimated 8.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Ethiopia is rated B1 by Moody’s Investors Service and B by Standard & Poor’s Corp. and Fitch Ratings, four and five levels below investment grade, respectively.
Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan were managing the bond sale.
Dedicated to Hanna Lalango ለ ሃና ላላንጎ መታሰብያ
This scholarly article on Ethiopian social issues attempts to fill a lacuna in Ethiopian contemporary social studies with particular focus on social ills that have proliferated in Ethiopia as of recent but ironically underreported by the Ethiopian media. Social problems, including crimes, are not unique to Ethiopia and they are apt to develop, if not mushroom, especially in nascent expanding urban centers. However, we Ethiopians, and especially intellectuals, have historical responsibility to research and study the social problems and influence public policy for the sole purpose of overcoming the problems.
We can learn a few lessons from Ethiopia
Source: News Day
Ethiopia has not been a good example over the decades despite priding itself of not having been colonised.
DEVELOP ME WITH TAPIWA GOMO
There are number of reasons why the world may not have fairly judged Ethiopia, some of which include the 1984 drought, the incompatibility of their governance to those of the generally acceptable standards.
As much as the Western intellectual machinery has imposed the lenses through which we view governance systems, an unquestioned conclusion has been imposed on them and that such governance system is responsible for the high poverty and suffering of Ethiopians. Western scholarship teaches us that leaders must leave office at a certain period of time to allow the country to develop.
Ali
Mazrui, a scholar and prolific author who set off a tsunami of criticism in 1986 by writing and hosting “The Africans: A Triple Heritage,” a public television series that culminated in what seemed to be an endorsement of African nations’ acquiring nuclear weapons, died on Oct. 12 at his home in Vestal, N.Y. He was 81.
His family announced the death without specifying a cause.
Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of Kenya, where Professor Mazrui was born, said at the time of his death that he was “a towering academician whose intellectual contributions played a major role in shaping African scholarship.”“The Africans,” a nine-part series that was originally broadcast by the BBC and later shown on PBS, portrayed Africa as having been defined by the interplay of indigenous, Islamic and Western influences. Professor Mazrui had acquired the perspective by growing up speaking Swahili, practicing Islam and attending an English-speaking school in
Mombasa, Kenya. “My three worlds overlapped,” he said in the interview with The Times.
Published on Oct 31, 2014
Round table discussion with Former TPLF executive Leader, Tigrai Governor and current member and Leader of ARENA a Legal Opposition group in Ethiopia. The discussion was held via a tele conference and was mainly about his latest book "Luelawinet and Democracy in Ethiopia". The interview is presented in a three part series and mainly concentrates on the handling of the Eritrea issue, Democracy in Ethiopia and the challenges that exist today and on Gebru's account about TPLF/EPRDF revolutionary democracy shortcomings as far as building democracy and good governance in Ethiopia. (Source: Aigaforum.com)
Spike in Eritreans fleeing into Ethiopia More than 200 risk their lives every day, UN says, crossing a heavily-fortified border between arch enemy states. AFP
Over 200 Eritrean refugees are crossing the heavily fortified and dangerous border into neighbouring Ethiopia daily, the United Nations said in a report noting a "spike" in those fleeing.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the Horn of Africa country, escaping open-ended conscription and the iron-grip rule of President Issaias Afewerki, with many continuing northwards to brave the often harrowing journey towards Europe.
Is Ethiopia’s Sovereign Debt Sustainable?
By Seid Hassan, Minga Negash, Tesfaye T. Lemma and Abu Girma Moges
Although sovereign debts have usually been at the root of many of the financial crises in recent history, scholars allude to the complexity of assessing the sustainability of a nation’s public debt and hence the lack of consensus on the most apt approach. The financial economics literature identifies various models and proxies that could be used for the purpose of gauging the sustainability of a country’s debt. The commonly used benchmarks to measure the sustainability of a country’s debt include, inter alia, a country’s: (i) debt to GDP ratio; (ii) debt to export ratio; (iii) debt to revenue ratio; (iv) trade balance; (v) the primary fiscal gap; (vi) debt service to budgetary revenue; (vii) interest to GDP ratio; and (viii) interest to domestic budgetary revenue. We make a number of important observations with respect to the sustainability of Ethiopia’s public debt by invoking relevant benchmarks and other contextual variables.
Regreening program to restore one-sixth of Ethiopia's land
Tree and shrub-planting program has transformed degraded and deforested land across Africa, with Ethiopia planning to restore a further 15m hectares by 2030
Fifteen years years ago the villages around
Abraha Weatsbha in northern Ethiopia were on the point of being abandoned. The hillsides were barren, the communities, plagued by floods and droughts, needed constant food aid, and the soil was being washed
away. Today, Abraha Weatsbha in the Tigray region is
unrecognizable and an environmental catastrophe has been averted following the planting of many millions of tree and bush seedlings. Wells that were dry have been recharged, the soil is in better shape, fruit trees grow in the valleys and the hillsides are green again.
Eritrea: Conversation with the resistance mov’t inside Asmara
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Horn Affairs
“There is something happening in Asmara that I had never seen before.The streets are quiet but the tension is important, especially as shortages of water, electricity and fuel have become unbearable. As for the trucks and soldiers which were seen outside Asmara, it is possible that they were positioned to conduct raids in the city. But it is also possible that they were parked in a safe place because of the gasoline shortage.”
One thing is clear: The government is in a state of extreme tension, especially since this summer conscripts go into hiding, or stay on leave and no longer report to the barracks. For him, this silent rebellion is motivated by the fact that many people – who are married with children and working in the informal sectors to earn a little money – refuse to lose their meager livelihoods and leave their families destitute by going back to the army.
Why It Is a MUST for Sudan to Join Entebbe Agreement
Dr. Salman Mohamed Ahmed Salman – Sudanow
The Sudanese Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Mutaz Mussa, said in a statement carried by local and regional media on 9 October 2014 that the Sudan would not sign Entebbe Agreement in its present form unless an agreement is reached on the pending issues. The Minister said the Sudan’s constant position is continued cooperation around the Nile Basin issues, stressing the importance of this cooperation irrespective of the framework agreement which the Sudan considers a means for cooperation, rather than an end.
In the wake of the Sudan’s support to construction of the Renaissance Dam, the benefits that can be collected from a sincere cooperation have become apparent. The same benefits can be gained from Entebbe Agreement, which is founded on cooperation, opening up new and wider horizons for cooperation with the other Nile Basin states. If it joins the Agreement, the Sudan, which encompasses the largest part of the Nile Basin, will be regarded as a serious state for cooperation on common basins. The country will also occupy an influential position in the Nile Basin Commission which will be the spearhead for cooperation, exchange of information and conflict resolution. Joining the Entebbe Agreement will show that the Sudan possesses a political will-power for taking decisions that serve its own interests, just as it has done with regard to the Renaissance Dam.
The Foreign-Born Population from Africa: 2008-2012
American Community Survey Briefs, ACSBR/12-16
By Christine P. Gambino, Edward N. Trevelyan, and John Thomas Fitzwater
October 2014
Of the 1.6 million foreign born from Africa in the United States, 36 percent were from Western Africa, 29 percent were from Eastern Africa, and 17 percent were from Northern Africa, followed by Southern Africa (5 percent), Middle Africa (5 per- cent), and other Africa (7 percent) (Figure 2, Table 1). Since 2000, the foreign born from Africa increased by over 700,000 persons, up from a total of 881,300. Over 490,000, or about 70 percent of that growth, has been from countries in Western and Eastern Africa.
The largest African-born populations were from Nigeria and Ghana in Western Africa; Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in Eastern Africa; Egypt in Northern Africa; and South Africa in Southern Africa. Of these seven, the four largest were Nigeria (221,000 or 14 percent of the African-born population), Ethiopia (164,000 or 10 percent), Egypt (143,000 or 9 percent), and Ghana (121,000 or 8 percent), together constituting 41 percent of the African-born total.
Ethiopia’s ‘African tiger’ leaps towards middle income
The Guardian
Progress has been remarkable since 1984’s ‘biblical famine’, but inequality, ethnic tension and civil rights issues need to be addressed.
It is now three decades since Ethiopia experienced the infamous famine that cost the lives of more than a million people. The tragedy prompted the BBC’s Michael Buerk to describe it as “a biblical famine in the 20th century” and “the closest thing to hell on Earth”.
In sharp contrast with that devastating poverty, Ethiopia is now widely considered to be one of a pack of “African tigers”, with ambitious plans to become a middle-income country by 2025. The nation has, “like the proverbial phoenix, managed to rise from the ashes to become Africa’s fastest-growing non-energy-driven economy”, a senior tax adviser at KPMG Kenya recently noted.
Gail Reed: Where to train the world's doctors? Cuba.
Big problems need big solutions, sparked by big ideas, imagination and audacity. In this talk, journalist Gail Reed profiles one big solution worth noting: Havana’s
Latin American Medical School, which trains global physicians to serve the local communities that need them most.
This
article intends to critically examine the state of
educational developments in Botswana and South
Africa from Southern Africa; Ethiopia and Tanzania
from East Africa; Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and
Sierra Leone from West Africa; and Egypt and
Morocco from North Africa. The methodology
employed throughout the text of this article is
the comparative and international education
perspective, but the latter, as some people
assume, is not simply about comparisons and
contrasts. It goes deeper rather in exploring the
educational theory and practice in international
context, delves into the purposes of schooling,
educational access and opportunities,
accountability, as well as professionalism and
quality education. The methodology also involves
demographic attributes, geographical and economic
realities, as well as political and cultural
factors.
He came to America at age 17 with just $500 in his pocket and supported himself working as a cab driver. While working on a student project at San Francisco City College, Dosho came up with the idea for the Bowflex exercise machine. He patented the concept and attempted to license the idea to fitness equipment manufacturers. Lacking vision, they all declined. He then wrote a business plan with help from the MBDA, and started marketing the product directly to consumers in the early 1980s. He led his company to a successful IPO, forming a public company called Direct Focus, Inc. (DFXI) with a market cap of over $1 billion. Millions of Bowflex units have been sold in the United State and abroad, and the brand is now owned and marketed by The Nautilus Group (NYSE:NLS). Dosho has 14 patents and 4 pending patents worldwide.
CIRCC Candidate Forum draws political heavyweights to Rainier Valley
The three-year-old Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color is helping South Seattle's diverse communities speak with one voice. And politicians are listening up.
By David Kroman October 13, 2014.
The Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color (CIRCC) is still in its “infant stage,” according to Bereket Kiros, an Ethiopian immigrant and south Seattle resident. But last weekend’s third annual Candidates Forum, hosted by the Coalition in Rainier Avenue’s Eritrean Community Center, was proof that that the community is important in the upcoming November election.
Dspite Kiros' disappointment, the potential for CIRCC is enormous. In three years, this small,
under funded organization had convinced local, state and national policymakers to sit down with them and respond to their issues. Every panel ended with the same question: “Do you, if elected, promise to meet with the Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color within 60 days? Please answer yes or no.” Every candidate said yes.
Whether candidates make good on those promises remains to be seen. But to extract that sort of public commitment from such a large number of prominent candidates is no small thing for an “infant” organization like CIRCC, which is helping the diverse communities of South Seattle speak with one, coherent voice.
GUBA, Ethiopia — There is a remote stretch of land in Ethiopia’s forested northwest where the dust never settles. All week, day and night, thousands of workers pulverize rocks and lay concrete along a major tributary of the Nile River. It is the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the continent’s biggest hydropower plant and one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever in Africa.
Ethiopia is a poor country, often known best for its past famines, but officials say the dam will be paid for without foreign assistance — a point of national pride. Computer-generated images of the finished structure are framed in government offices, splashed across city billboards and broadcast in repeated specials on the state-owned television channel
Perhaps the greatest threat to Ethiopia comes from within
Some of Addis Ababa’s national-development initiatives are bringing the government into conflict with its own people Ahmed Soliman
Since 2000 Ethiopia has registered some of the greatest gains in human development seen anywhere on the planet. It is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, with near double-digit GDP growth over the past decade and large-scale
infrastructure development. Ethiopia’s geostrategic significance is built on a base of relative stability in a volatile region, enabling it to foster international partnerships on development and regional security. But its largely rural population remains poor, and images of drought, famine, poverty and war from the 1970s and 1980s have endured in the popular imagination around the world.
Egypt: Situation Not to Escalate to War If Dam Talks Collapse - Ethiopian President Cairo — Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) has accomplished 40 per cent of the building process, Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said Friday, adding that the first phase will be complete next June producing 700 megawatts.
The tripartite committee and international consultancy office are not arbitrators, Teshome added in an interview with Sky News Arabia, referring to the expert committee formed by the three Nile Basin countries to provide an advisory opinion over the building process and the harms it might cause.
The committee, which is set to resort to international advisory companies, will produce a detailed study on the dam's effect on the flow of the Nile's water as well as the project's environmental, economic and social effects on Egypt and Sudan. It should conclude its report within six months, by March, and its results are to be binding for all.
Emptying Eritrea: Travelling to Europe against all odds
By FARAI SEVENZO | Monday, September 29 2014
The Mediterranean is fast becoming a massive watery grave for Africans.
Another 500 reportedly drowned off the coast of Italy the other week, while the attention span of the world quickly moves away.
But who are these Africans willing to risk all to reach European shores where they are not wanted?
Those of us following the story of African migration will have noticed a marked increase in the number of Eritreans being interviewed in refugee camps on the edge of Europe.
President Isaias Afewerki is accused by human rights groups of turning the tiny East African country into "one giant prison" and brooks no opposition.
The Eritrean parliament has not met since 2002. As for elections, they have not happened since Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia voting for independence in 1993.
The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
27 September 2014
Ethiopia: Where Did Egypt's "We Are Happy" Stance Come From All of a Sudden?
I wanted to write this piece a long time ago, but events in Gaza caught all my attention and I decided to delay it.
As we all followed the events of the last couples of weeks,the politics of the Nile River has gotten another momentum. Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan started the tripartite talks all over again after months of being at a standstill. It was all over the media that negotiations of technical expertise among water ministers from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia had reached a dead end after all parties refused the proposals set by Egypt to reorganize an international committee to restudy the impact of the ongoing construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Those who followed the issue clearly understand that Egypt was following the deep-rooted unjust stand of "historical right" in its foreign policy. This policy had clearly affected the negotiation process and delayed the agreement to be reached between Nile basin countries. We had been hearing presidential and political leaders speeches including "Our blood substitutes any decrease of the flow of the river waters, even a single drop" for several times on several occasions.
The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
20 September 2014 Ethiopia: Water to Djibouti and Discourse With Egypt
By Abebe Aynete
What is new in resuming tripartite talks on an Ethiopian multi-billion dollar hydroelectric dam on the Nile after eight months of disruption? Indeed the three countries, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have conducted talks from August 25-26 in Khartoum.
The negotiation however, was suspended in January 2014 amid mounting tension between Cairo and Addis Ababa.
The new development in the negotiation has picked up where it left off at the time of its interruption, which is the formation of a committee for implementing the agreed proposal involves a hydrology simulation model and a trans-boundary social, economic and environmental impact assessment.
The negotiations resumed after Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn and Egyptian President Al-Sissi's meeting during the 23rd African Union (AU) summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
27 September 2014 Ethiopia Not Ripe for Microsoft Branch Office By Henok Reta
While meeting the Ethiopian Information Technology (IT) professionals in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, Edwin Kinoti, Microsoft's Regional Channel Partner Sales Executive-East Africa, told The Reporter that although the global IT giant considers Ethiopia as one of the major markets in the continent, there is no immediate plan to open a regional office here.
Kenya is a hub for Microsoft operations in Eastern Africa region. However, the regional division head is not convinced that the growing market in Ethiopia is up to the level where the company needs to set up shop to oversee operations here. Kinoti believes that Microsoft East Africa office in Kenya is fully capable of serving the entire Ethiopian and Eastern African Region for the time being.
The ISIS Factor: What Islamic Jihad Means for Ethiopia and the Rest of Africa
IDEA Viewpoint
Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD September 20, 2014
ISIS is the latest mystique obscurity of the Islamic Jihad variety, but Jihad is not novice to Ethiopia and/or the rest of Africa. The acronym ISIS actually should read ISIL meaning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (the geographic area that includes Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Syria, and parts of Turkey). The geopolitics of ISIS, though conceptual rather than actual, includes the entire Middle East, all Horn of Africa countries, all North African countries, some African countries, Spain, and countries like Indonesia in South East Asia.
The new ISIL Jihad extremists who gained momentum in destabilized Syria and Iraq have preferred to use the name ISIS, perhaps inadvertently or by design, in order to have a catchy name that corresponds to the ancient Egyptian goddess, Isis
(Aset).
Colin
Benjamin September 06,2014 -
The release of two African-American men from prison in North Carolina after 30 years of incarceration for a murder they didn’t commit is yet another example of the American justice system’s racist targeting of African-Americans as the supposed primary criminal class in the country. Between this outrageous case, the recent police broad daylight execution of Mike Brown, and the chokehold killing of Eric Garner, we must ask: isn’t it time we launch a movement to defeat the racist law enforcement and criminal justice system’s systematic war on Black-America? -
Ethiopia, Kenya & Ghana bid to host 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
BBC News
Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana have announced their interest in bidding to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations following Libya's withdrawal as the host nation.
Libya pulled out last week because of ongoing fighting in the country that has delayed plans to build new stadiums for the 16-team tournament.
Ethiopia, who hosted the tournament in 1962, 1968 and 1976, say they will submit their proposal
immediately." Our government is ready and interested to do everything it can to bring the tournament back to Ethiopia."
Kenya said in a statement that they are also considering a joint bid with Tanzania or Uganda or Rwanda.
Egypt, Sudan Agree to Six-Month Study of Ethiopia Hydropower Dam
By William Davison
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed to complete studies within six months on the impact of an Ethiopian hydropower dam on the main tributary of the Nile river after Egypt raised concern about water shortages.
A committee of four experts from each nation will investigate the hydrological, social and environmental effects of the $4.2 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said on its website today. International consultants will implement the findings, it said. Foreign experts will help settle any disputes. The dam is scheduled to be finished in 2017.
Ethiopia considers devaluing currency
Tuesday 26 August 2014
ETHIOPIA - Ethiopia says it’s considering the World Bank’s suggestion to devalue its currency, the Birr, but government says it wants to
minimize the impact on the wider economy.
In July, the World Bank released its third economic report on Ethiopia and advised the country to devalue its currency.
The global lender argues that Ethiopia’s Birr is overvalued
and that the country would benefit from making the move, but it wouldn't be the first time for Ethiopia.
In 2010, the government devalued the Birr by ten percent - and by 20 percent the year after; all in line with the country’s Growth and Transformation Plan.
Ethiopia Draws Asia Manufacturing Interest
VOA News
For a long time, economists have discussed East Africa's chances to "get a foot in the door" of global manufacturing. China, as the world's leading hub for mass production, has become expensive due to rising labor and energy costs. Meanwhile, East Africa offers a large young and cheap labor force. Until recently though, delays at ports, bad roads, power outages and political instability have prevented a shift from happening. But now, the Ethiopian government is building new industrial mega-zones that have successfully attracted some foreign investors who are moving manufacturing from China.
US-Africa Summit Underway in Washington
VOA News
August 05, 2014 12:33 AM
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is working to strengthen ties with Africa at a three-day summit in Washington for some 50 African heads of state.
Monday's opening forums touched on a range of issues including security, health, the environment and corruption.
At one panel focused on trade, South African President Jacob Zuma urged the United States to renew the trade agreement, African Growth and Opportunity Act, when it expires next year.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud focused on security issues, saying extremists threaten to hamper progress in eastern Africa, while Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn touched on climate
change.
Business Process Reengineering
(BPR) deals with fundamental organizational change, or is the great-leap approach to redesigning and retooling. It seeks to bring a radical approach to creating a breakthrough in organizations trapped in outmoded and outdated business processes. Top managers and consultants design new ways of doing things and force companies to go beyond continuous improvement of existing products, services, and processes. Though innovative, BPR is being challenged by some companies looking for a strategic remedy that will contribute to the sustainable improvement of their performance and quality, add value for their customers while minimizing cost and eliminating waste.
The highly anticipated, well organized, and colorful fund raising event was held at the Emerald City, Seattle, WA to benefit the Kilte-Awlaelo (ክልተ፡ ኣውላዕሎ) Schools Development Association. The association continues to electrify us with their level of careful organization, not only to achieve their vision but also cater, accommodate, and entertain their guests. They persistently strive to raise the bar toward standardizing perfection.
Their primary goal is to complement the government efforts by providing opportunities and increase their learning experiences of the young minds around Kilte Awlaelo areas. The association is determined to seal the gaps and address barriers by building schools and other necessary resources.
Good work Team,
Abel
The Ethiopian Ambassador to Sudan Abadi Zemo appreciates the Role of Sudanese Media on Ethio-Sudanese Ties
Adam Sudacal: We are Committed to lead More Initiatives on Ethio-Sudanese Relations.
The Sudanese Organization for Press Freedom and Sudacal International Companies Group organized in Khartoum last week a reception and acknowledgment party for the Sudanese media delegation to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - GERD. The delegation comprises of nearly 30 Sudanese journalists started their mission from 2-14 July counting almost two weeks in a land trip from Khartoum to the site of the GERD South West of Ethiopia.
We have a lot of good examples for media activities between Sudan and Ethiopia addressing Ethio-Sudanese relations but most of these activities are cultural and social with a little involvement in economic and development issues. People from Ethiopia and Sudan usually prefer to attend cultural festivals that represent Ethiopian and Sudanese cultures and they enjoy them pretty much than political activities. To some extent people feel that development issues are official and government-to-government rather than social and people-to-people issues but such an activity like the latest media delegation has totally changed this notion or conceptualization, however, the Sudanese media delegation from both government and private sectors mixed politics with development with all other issues and published articles and reports which are very enjoyable for all people to read.
Report: Africa loses $58bn yearly to the rest of the world By PAUL REDFERN in London |
Wednesday, July 16 2014 Africa is losing a staggering $58 billion every year to the rest of the world.
For the first time, a group of UK and East African NGOs have put the figure on the amount sub-Saharan Africa loses through debt repayments, illicit financial flows and illegal activities.
The group is led by Health Poverty Action, but also includes the People’s Health Movement Kenya, the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, the World Development Movement, War on Want and eight other NGOs.
While $134 billion flows into the continent each year, predominantly in loans, foreign investment and aid, $192 billion is taken out, mainly in profits made by foreign companies, tax evasion and the costs of adapting to climate change.
Economic cooperation between Egypt and Ethiopia on the rise
Source: Al Monitor
Cairo is working on resuming the Ethiopian-Egyptian activities that were suspended on all levels. This comes in tandem with the preparations for the expected visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Ethiopia, and as part of the restoration of dialogue aiming to settle the dispute between the countries over the Renaissance Dam under construction on the Blue Nile. The dialogue was re-opened following the meeting that was held between the Ethiopian prime minister and Sisi on the sidelines of the last African Summit held in Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia PM Hailemariam defends Andargachew Tsege arrest - BBC
11 July 2014
Ethiopia had a moral obligation to arrest the opposition leader who was controversially extradited from Yemen last month, Ethiopian leader Hailemariam Desalegn has told the BBC.
"Andargachew Tsege is a Trojan horse for the Eritrean government to destabilise this country," he said.
In a rare interview Prime Minister Hailemariam has also told the BBC that he will not be swayed by foreign pressure on Ethiopian matters.
He spoke to Emmanuel Igunza, who asked him how he would ensure that next year's elections will be fair and all inclusive.
Consuming what we don't produce, producing what we don't consume
By DANIEL K. KALINAKI | Tuesday, July 8 2014
African Review Illicit outflows
The bigger problem with finance, however, is not with how much comes into Africa but how much leaves. A joint report by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Global Financial Integrity, a US-based research group, found that cumulative illicit outflows from Africa between 1980 and 2009 ranged between $1.2 trillion and $1.4 trillion.
More than a decade ago, when the young Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was struggling to get her first novel, “Purple Hibiscus,” published, an agent told her that things would be easier “if only you were Indian,” because Indian writers were in vogue. Another suggested changing the setting from Nigeria to America. Ms. Adichie didn’t take this as commentary on her work, she said, but on the timidity of the publishing world when it came to unknown writers and unfamiliar cultures, especially African ones.
These days she wouldn’t receive that kind of advice. Black literary writers with African roots (though some grew up elsewhere), mostly young cosmopolitans who write in English, are making a splash in the book world, especially in the United States. They are on best-seller lists, garner high profile reviews and win major awards, in America and in Britain. Ms. Adichie, 36, the author of “Americanah,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction this year, is a prominent member of an expanding group that includes Dinaw Mengestu, Helen Oyeyemi, NoViolet Bulawayo, Teju Cole, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Taiye Selasi,
Egypt and Ethiopia agree that tripartite dam committee will resume its work
Al Ahram Online
The Egyptian foreign minister along with his Ethiopian counterpart stressed that Ethiopia will understand the importance of the Nile River to Egypt and that Egypt will understand the Ethiopian need for development
Egypt and Ethiopia will form a joint committee in the upcoming three months to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries, the foreign ministers of both countries announced in a joint statement on Friday.The statement came after Egypt`s new president, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, after the African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea's capital Malabo.
An Appeal letter to Diaspora Ethiopian
Tigreans!
Dear Ethiopian Tegaru Diaspora Members who are coming for Tigray Festival to Meqelle! We residents of Tigray would like to bring our concern to your attention. This is an appeal posted by Save Adina on FB and we find it relevant to send it to websites to be published. When we heard our sisters/brothers are coming home, we are highly motivated to herald Save Adna’s message to them believing that they are not coming home for vacation only. Hence, we hope this call will get to every Ethiopian Tigaru’s address!
International Tigray Festival 2014
A Call for Action
International Tigray Festival 2014 Resource Mobilization Teaming up with Natna Lowti-Our Change Foundation at -
http://www.ourchangefoundation.com
Tigray Festival - 2014 which is scheduled to take place from July 31, to August 6, 2014 in Mekelle, Ethiopia is fast approaching. The event is the first of its kind, and will be a landmark in history. Tigray Festival 2014 has an ambitious plan that we hope will play a big role in reversing the current brain drain in our mother land. That project is The Heritage-Youth CenterThere is no doubt in our mind the home grown endowments like EFFORT, and local NGOs, like TDA, and REST, will join us
in the noble project. While the Heritage-Youth Center is a long term project of the festival, we also have a current plan.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Thursday, June 12, 2014 2:30 pm
Kim Wenzel
Isaias Afewerki, led the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, a movement that won independence from Ethiopia in 1991, after 30 years of armed conflict. The Eritrean people celebrated with delight! The old saying, it seemed to-good-to-be-true, applied. The new president and hero, Isaias Afewerki, quickly turned into a dictator.
May 24 of this year marked the 21st birthday of the young nation. The average citizen in the country of six million did little celebrating. Tens of thousands of young people have fled the country over the years, and those remaining live in fear.
Today, the Eritrean regime tolerates no dissent of any kind: there is no free media, no university, and even the ruling party — renamed the People’s Front for Freedom and Democracy — has not held a party conference for years.
President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi signaled a thaw in ties with Addis Ababa, when he said in an inaugural speech that he would not allow a dispute over Ethiopia’s construction of a hydraulic dam on the Nile to “cause a crisis” between both countries or affect inter-African cooperation.
“In his
inaugural speech, Al Sissi sought to remove the impact of Mursi’s notorious meeting,” Hani Raslan, an expert at the state-run Al Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies said. “By signaling readiness to cooperate with Ethiopia, Al Sissi also sought to deprive Ethiopia of its argument that Egypt stands against development in
Africa.”
Three significant events were held in Seattle on the same day-
(ሆይ፡ይባሃል፡አሎ)
The Tigrai Community Association of Seattle celebrated three important events under one roof on the same day. The community celebrated the 23rd anniversary of Ginbot 20 victory which marked the swift victory of the former repressive regime; rejoiced the graduation of 30 TCA youth members; and held a fund raising auction to benefit our late PM Meles Zenawi’s foundation.
The official memorial ceremony began at 8pm on 6/14/14 with 30 seconds of prayers to honor those men and women who have laid down their life for our freedom. The organizing committee kicked off the fund raining activities to benefit the Meles foundation where several generous donors including former fighters made this event a success. Ms. Mebrat Beyene of the consulate general of Ethiopia in Los Angeles attended the event.
Eritrea: Int'l Community Urged to Probe Iran's Toxic Waste Dumped in Eritrea
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, 10 June 2014 Source Allafrica Addis Ababa — An Eritrean opposition political organization, the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) on Tuesday renewed its appeal up on the international community to investigate hazardous waste allegedly dumped inside the red sea nation.
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, RSADO's leader, Ibrahim Haron, said the international community has gave "deaf ears" in responding to the group's first official appeal in 2010, when a brown coloured toxic waste materials were first detected.
While strongly denouncing what he said was the Eritrea government's "irresponsible and criminal acts" the opposition official alleged that the nuclear and industrial toxic wastes were exported from Iran to Eritrea in exchange of money.
Uganda, S. Sudan oppose Nile deal review
anzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Kamillius Membe has called for a review of the agreement to consider Egypt's water needs.
World Bulletin / News Desk
Uganda and South Sudan have both expressed their opposition to a Tanzanian proposal to review a 2010 Comprehensive Framework Agreement (CFA) signed by upstream Nile Basin countries, known as the Entebbe agreement, in order to consider Egypt's water needs.South Sudan's Foreign Ministry said the Entebbe agreement had to be maintained, since it took into consideration the right of all riparian states to Nile water.
"The agreement speaks of freedom to use the Nile water. Any country along the Nile has the freedom to use the water for their good," ministry spokesperson Mawien Makol Arik told AA.
Cairo and Khartoum caught in the winds of the Ethiopian dam
Yasser Al-Hussain Thursday, 05 June 2014
Egyptian-Sudanese relations have yet to address any of the major points that are being discussed between the two countries today and this is primarily due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Sudan is greatly concerned that Egyptian officials believe that it is within the best interests of their country's national security to prevent any dams from being built outside of their national borders. Meanwhile for Sudan, any agricultural development is directly tied to building more dams, particularly outside the Sudanese borders.
Cairo and Khartoum caught in the winds of the Ethiopian dam .
Yasser Al-Hussain
Egyptian-Sudanese relations have yet to address any of the major points that are being discussed between the two countries today and this is primarily due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Sudan is greatly concerned that Egyptian officials believe that it is within the best interests of their country's national security to prevent any dams from being built outside of their national borders. Meanwhile for Sudan, any agricultural development is directly tied to building more dams, particularly outside the Sudanese borders.
Water storage facilities in Sudan are not capable of housing the amounts of water resources that are needed to irrigate the vast amounts of agricultural planes in the country. Even when it comes to the question of Halayeb, an area of disputed land between the Egyptian and Sudanese border which is currently under Egyptian control much to the fear of the Sudanese, it is likely that Egypt will use this territory as a playing card with which it will place pressure on Sudan to give up some of its most basic water rights.
Book Review: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Official version
Former Egyptian irrigation and water resources minister examines the history of Ethiopia's plans to construct a dam on the Nile River
Mahmoud El-Wardani, Thursday 15 May 2014
Azmat Sadd Al-Nahda Al-Ethiopi (The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Crisis) by Mohamed Nasr El-Din Allam, Dar Al-Mahroussa Publishing, Cairo, 2014. pp.242
The story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia has already started to construct, has a long history that dates back to the 1950s. Ethiopia has attempted many times to control the sources of the Nile -- Egypt's lifeline.
The book's author is a former Egyptian minister of irrigation and water resources, who took office in 2009 in a decisive period in which Ethiopia attempted to build an alliance of upstream states against downstream states. The objective of this alliance was to breach the historic Nile treaties.
Certainly the author is not just an official running one of the oldest ministries in Egypt and the most bureaucratic, but he also has intimate knowledge of the minutest details of the issue. This issue is directly linked to Egyptian national security. It goes without saying that all documents, treaties, maps, data and agreements were at his disposal.
Egypt: Why Is Egypt's Hydro-Political Concern More Intense On Sudan?
By Nurye Yassin, 31 May 2014 Allafrica
opinion
The world has recently witnessed the long march of Egypt's indignation to Ethiopia's move on the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) over the Blue Nile
(Abay) River.
Many Egyptian politicians and hydro-political strategists with their media acolytes promptly have portrayed the GERD as the bell ringing the complete final apocalypse of Egypt. To discard the apocalyptic imagery of the GERD and clear the clouds of such a vision of the said strategists, Ethiopia has tried to unravel the real benefits of the Dam to Egyptian and Sudanese citizens with great caution and the sine qua non of genuine cooperation and dialogue to finalize the recommendations of the International Panel of Experts (IPoE) report.
Ethiopian power project wins backing from geothermal fund
The contract, worth up to $8 million, was signed by the African Union (AU) and the Icelandic-US private developer Reykjavik Geothermal Limited (RG) for drilling the wells at the Corbetti geothermal power project.
The grant was awarded under the AU-led ‘geothermal risk mitigation facility’, which is designed to encourage public private investment and financial support for geothermal exploration in East Africa. The grant was approved at an international donor meeting in Iceland last week hosted by the AU Commission and the International Development Bank.
Ethiopia is among the fastest growing economies
in the world and has maintained an average GDP
growth rate of 11percent in the last ten years. In 2012/13 fiscal year the economy grew by 9.7 percent, which
is higher than the sub-Saharan Africa‘s average GDP growth rate of 4 percent.
Gross Domestic Product. Ethiopia’s GDP is $ 47 Billion by end of 2012/13, the
economy has been growing by 10.9% on average in the past decade, and growth is estimated to be 11.2 percent
for 2013/14. Agriculture accounted for 43% of GDP in 2013 in contrast to 51% share in 2007. The sector generates over 70%
export values and employs 85% of the population. The share of the service sector has been increasing in the
past decade and reached 45% in 2013 from 39.8% in 2007 Industry’s share remains low at around 12%.
Elias S. Siraj, M.D., F.A.C.E., F.A.C.P., is a Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also Director of Endocrinology Fellowship Training Program and Director of Diabetes Program. He has also served Temple as the Director of Clinical Endocrinology.
Dr. Siraj attended medical school in Ethiopia at Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Addis Ababa University. He was then awarded a scholarship to do residency and research training at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Subsequently, he completed his residency and fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
Source
African Report
Ethiopia on Tuesday received a $250 million dollar loan from the World Bank to finance the implementation of a competitiveness and job creation project in the country.
The agreement intends to support Ethiopia's efforts of creating new jobs and increase competitiveness in the light of a growing manufacturing sector through the development of industrial zones in Addis Ababa and enhancing linkages with the local economy.
Prisoners of Past History or Producers of a Better Future?
By Tesfaye Habisso,
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” [Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826]
. “The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind; for in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find yourself and your country both examples and warnings; fine things to take as models, base things rotten through and through, to avoid.” [Livy]
Since recent times, my wife and I have somehow developed a sort of deep interest or passion for Pastor (Dr.) Gamachis Desta’s* evangelical sermons on the Elshaddai program broadcasted to Christian followers in Ethiopia every week.
The Ancient Rock-Carved Churches of
Lalibela, Ethiopia [360-Degree Panorama]
Last updated on May 15th, 2014 by Audrey Scott
The story goes: almost 900 years ago in Ethiopia there lived a visionary king named Lalibela.
Lalibela traveled far and wide, including an extended pilgrimage he took to Jerusalem, after which he brought back home to Ethiopia all he’d seen and learned.
When Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the late 12th century and it became too dangerous for devout Ethiopian Christians to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem itself, Lalibela fashioned a work-around: to build a New Jerusalem in his home country.
Why ‘Made in Ethiopia’ Could Be The ‘Next Made in China’ Mounting labor costs in China are part of what makes Africa so attractive. The average monthly wage for a low-skilled Ethiopian factory worker, for example, is about 25% of the pay for a comparable Chinese worker, according to the World Bank. As the wage gap widens between unskilled Chinese workers and their counterparts elsewhere in Asia and in Africa, as many as 85 million factory jobs could leave China in the coming years, according to former World Bank chief economist Justin Yifu Lin.
Djibouti (HAN) May 14, 2014. Regular Expert Analysis , Your Power & Regional Influence Magazine. The Horn of Africa country of Eritrea is a new gold mining zones with a number of exciting mining developments taking place. Some of these are occuring in remote, semi desert locations, presenting particular challenges to the mining companies and the staff. These challenges can include temperatures that approach 50°C and dust storms. Eritrean authority led by President Isaias Afwerki rejected as “cheap shots and lies” a report by Human Rights Watch that said forced labor was used to construct a gold mine it owns with Canada’s Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NSU)Segen Construction Co. According to the reporters by William Davison in
Addis Ababa,By the time construction commenced at Bisha in late 2008, forced labour was an inseparable feature of Eritrea’s economy. Nevsun appreciated this. “We recognized that there was a potential National Service issue with respect to the subcontractor,” CEO Cliff Davis told a parliamentary subcommittee in 2012.
In his appeal for assistance addressed to the United African Congress (UAC) and Give Them a Hand Foundation, the president of the African Center in Kiev, King Assante-Yeboa chronicles the daily travails and existential threats the Africans face in these turbulent times in the Ukraine.
He goes on to say: “As visible minorities especially Africans and African-Ukrainians still face racially motivated abuses, some of them are compelled to stay in doors to avoid possibility of being physically attacked”.
The heads of households have been deprived of their ability to provide for their families; victims of intimidation and assaults in a deteriorating and increasingly uncertain economic and political environment. Many are in need of urgent material assistance to help pay for food and rent.
Trends in the formation of ethnic-national and regional federalism have recently spurred literature on political economy. Since these legitimate bases, contents, and divisions are the central themes of federalism, a number of researchers have addressed the dilemmas and opportunities faced by a number of federalist states. More specifically, researchers are attempting to articulate important exogenous and endogenous factors and then to examine them critically for their viability for federalism. The most profound issue that surrounds federalism is that unitary sovereign states are breaking into autonomous ethnic or cultural cleavages. Regions are seeking a combination of self-rule and shared rule without facing constrained control from the central government. Given the relationship between the doctrine of federalism and the diffusion of central governmental power to impose its norms upon the autonomous regions, the central focus of this study is to examine the modalities of federalism.
Ethiopia: Having Your Cake and Eating It Too: Egyptian Style
By Awash Lemma
Introduction
The Benefits of the GERD to Ethiopia and also to the downstream countries of Egypt and the Sudan have been discussed exhaustively elsewhere and I do not intend to repeat them here. This piece is triggered by the mindless hysteric propaganda from Cairo - declaration after declaration - threatening, blackmailing, posturing - abuses of all sorts against Ethiopia. The motto seems to be ‘a declaration a day will blow the GERD away!’ The Egyptians even gave Ethiopia the status of god, by demanding Ethiopia should guarantee that the volume of water flowing from the Nile will never change because of the construction of the GERD.
There is no doubt that Yohannes was in favor of Ethiopian Muslims embracing Christianity, and he was also in favor of the Holy City of Askum to be free of Muslims but he did not support the idea of congregating Muslims at Addi Gwatsiya, a ghetto-like area for the followers of Islam. On the contrary, he granted them land in Mekelle, not far from his palace and in many other cities such as Koda and Mai Kumel near Aksum; Edaga Malka in Naeder, and Addi Dahno in Shire; Addi Agam in Awger; Hatsiba in Enda Abba Tsahma; Addi Tegemes in Zengui; Begié Ella in Segli; Addi Zeamere in Enticho; Enda Abba Qendi in Enda Chewa, and Negash in Kilte Awlaélo. (p. 31)
National Bank of Ethiopia Defying Government Proclamation 270/2002 I read an article in Waltainfo.com that heads as “Standard Bank to Open Ethiopian Office”. If this is true, then the foreign bank must have some information that others do not have. Bank ownership in Ethiopia is legally closed to foreign ownership, meaning only Ethiopians are allowed to have ownership and operations in the financial sector. In the context of Ethiopians, the government has found a compromise to include all Ethiopians in Diaspora, including those with foreign pass with the proclamation 270/2002. The only requirement is to have the so called “Yellow ID Card” from the respective Embassy of Ethiopia.
Endless echoes of Egypt's disrelish, imaginative fear, uncorroborated reports from partisan experts, and mythical prophecies of the perils of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) upon the peoples of Egypt have reverberated and resonated over the geopolitical sphere of the Eastern Nile
Basin. The media, academia, polity and hydro-diplomacy deployed are also calling to halt the construction of the Dam. It is very timely and quite essential to unveil and fathom Egypt's enigmatic hydro-political calculation and conclusion behind the Aswan Dam and Ethiopia's aspirations to make GERD an emblem of regional progress and
prosperity. Egypt's colonial, paternalistic mentality of if I win, you lose must wither and Ethiopia's win-win must flourish over the hemisphere of the Nile Basin. Egypt's leadership must innovate itself than extending the singular delusory principle of the country to control the Nile. As Ethiopia's Reawakening is being manifested, Egypt's must be borne for the sustainability of humankind on the Nile River.
Jakarta, Manila Pegged as Global Leaders
By Jake Maxwell Watts
Jakarta and Manila, two of Asia’s most chaotic, congested cities, are likely to get a lot better in the next two decades, according to a new ranking by A.T. Kearney.
The U.S.-based consulting firm placed Indonesia’s capital at the top of a list of 34 cities in low and middle income countries most likely to become a global leader in everything from business activity to workforce health and security. The Philippine capital grabbed second place, followed by Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
The only other Southeast Asian countries on the list were Kuala Lumpur (10), Bangkok (21), and Ho Chi Minh City (29).
Authored by Haggai Erlich, PhD The Red Sea Press, 2014
Reviewed by Ghelawdewos
Araia, PhD April 17, 2014
Haggai
Erlich is a renowned Israeli historian and an
Ethiopianist, and this is not the first time he is
writing about Ethiopia. One of his excellent books
on Ethiopia put out by the Lynne Rienner
Publishers in 1986 is Ethiopia and the
Challenge of Independence. What makes Alliance
and Alienation different is the fact that the
book is heavily focused on diplomacy and
intelligence with respect to the Ethiopian-Israeli
relations. The book also provides the reader some
secretly conducted diplomatic ventures and
investments of the Israeli Government as well as
the unofficial sojourn of Israeli leaders in
Ethiopia.
The Misdirection of Healthcare Facilities:
Don’t You Need to Wake up Before it's Too Late? Professor Desta, Asayehgn
While the fundamentals of human rights place health services as indispensable for the exercise of other human rights conducive to living a life of dignity, the human capital theory locates health as fundamental to enhancing the efficiency and productivity of the labor force. Given these as fundamental rights of health services, it is disheartening to note that a number of policy makers in a number of developing countries don’t seem to have a sustained political will to allocate their limited heath sector budget to providing accessible health care facilities for their citizens.
International Rivers Network (IRN), an extremist anti-dam group based in the People's Republic of Berkeley has been slammed by the Ethiopian government for its one sided report against the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on Ethiopia's mighty Abay river.
The National Panel of Experts of GERD accused IRN "of subverting Ethiopia’s efforts to develop its water resources and lift its vast and growing population out of poverty." It accused the IRN of being paid by Egypt in order to lobby against the Renaissance Dam internationally.
"Again, the IRN never loses opportunity to lobby for its Egyptian paymasters. Not only does the IRN talk about the 'oversize' of GERD, but also about the Egyptians’ negative emotions over GERD: anger and fear."
Being Ethiopian in Seattle
A book explores the experiences of Ethiopian refugees adapting to Seattle and suggests their presence is changing the community
By Jerry Large
Seattle Times staff columnist
Retired UW sociologist
Joseph Scott
In 1980, the federal government started placing Ethiopian refugees in Seattle, one of a few cities chosen to receive what would eventually be thousands of people — at least 10,000 now just in the Seattle area.
“It is the first significant migration of black Africans to America since slavery times,” Joseph Scott told me when we spoke Monday at his home in Southeast Seattle.
Scott, an ethnologist and sociologist, wrote “Little Ethiopia of the Pacific Northwest” (Transaction Publishers, 2013) in collaboration with Solomon A. Getahun, a history professor at Central Michigan University, and himself a refugee.
Ethiopia is ranked as Sub-Saharan Africa's strongest military power
Ethiopia is ranked as the strongest military power in Sub Saharan Africa, according to a study by Global Fire Power. The study claims to make use of over 40 factors to determine each country's power index. Ethiopia with with a total population of 93 million people has 182,500 active frontline personnel. More than 24 million people are considered fit for military service.
In its arsenal, Ethiopia's military has over 560 tanks, more than 780 armored fighting vehicles. It also has one of the strongest air power in the continent with more than 81 fighting aircraft and as well as 8 attack helicopters.
Ethiopia dismisses International Rivers as Egypt’s proxy Daniel Berhane
Ethiopia rejected anti-dam group’s call for the cessation of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam. The American-based International Rivers Network made the demand on March 31 in a statement titled “GERD panel of Experts Report: Big Questions Remain”.
Addis Ababa responded today in a press release by her National Panel of Experts (NPoE) rebuking International Rivers Network’s (IRN) statement as “full of lies and distortions”, adding that:
we condemn IRN’s unfair and biased support for Egypt in its disagreements with Ethiopia contrary to its own mission statement. We categorically reject IRN’s advice to Ethiopia to accept its proposal and halt construction of GERD….. IRN is doing ethically dubious job and propagating proxy campaigns against Ethiopia on behalf of Egypt.
Dr. Desta, Asayehgn, the recipient of Melba Beals Award for Excellence in Diversity
A humble scholar, quiet leader, and a person who never shirks his responsibility to ask the difficult questions, this recipient has a sustained, long-term history for diversity work at Dominican that dates back to 1993. He has published books, financially supports a vocational school in Ethiopia all by himself, serves as a role model for faculty and students, and has been at the forefront of diversity work that has paved the way for many faculty and students of color who have entered DUOC. He has been a persistent advocate for diversity even when his questions and observations have been unpopular – so much so that his struggle to diversify the campus as one of the few faculty of color at DUOC when he started 27 years ago can be identified as a pioneering foundation for all that has followed. Multiple faculty of color and others acknowledge his deep and abiding work for diversity at DUOC, internationally, across continents, and the African Diaspora. He is recognized for his excellence in diversity work for not just his accomplishments, but for his humanity, and for always being a person who stands up for what is right and for giving voice to the diversity of people who need it most. We recognize Dr. Asayeghn Desta for his sustained efforts toward diversity and inclusion at DUOC and in the international community.
Asmamaw Temesgen was a native of Lake Tana Region, source of the Abay River, April 7, 2014.
This article was designed to provide a brief overview on the Geo-scientific information and the economic potential of the enormous natural water reserves in the North African Region. Focus was made to the growing water resource demands of the region, particularly on the “Nile River Saga”. The writer has a Geo-scientific back ground and aims to draw more attention to some of the relevant information about the ground water potential of the region that has not been covered from the Egyptian’s standpoint.
Last year Europe received around 484,600 asylum applications, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). Among those, 21,293 were Eritrean refugees, the majority of whom had arrived by boat from Libya to Italy.
The tragedy in which 366 Eritrean migrants drowned in a boat off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa last October is still raw in the minds of many people who lost friends and relatives. But this will not stop other refugees from making the same journey.
For the last decade a continuous flow of people have left Eritrea, unable to bear life in what they describe as a prison state. Eritrea has not held free elections since 1993 when Eritreans voted for independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year-long struggle. After a few years of peace, in 1998 a war broke out between Eritrea and Ethiopia that lasted two years. Ever since then the entire population has been fully militarized.
Egypt’s Historic Right over the River Nile
By G. E. Gorfu
Since the first foundation stone was laid on the Grand Renaissance Dam (GRD) Egypt has shown its eternal belligerence towards Ethiopia, demanding Ethiopia honor the 1929 and 1959 Colonial treaties. At times Egypt walks out from the negotiations; at times it pretends to go along with the agreements but refuses to sign the Nile Basin Treaty; at times Egypt demands more studies to be done, refusing to accept various studies done so far; at times it threatens it would wage war. And it continues to harp on its “Historic Right” over the waters of the River Nile.
I was born millions of years ago
Perhaps 180 million years geological timeline
When Gondwanaland broke up
During the Mesozoic period
When crustal extension took place
Beyond the Lake Ţana Near the mountain called Denquez
Desta, Asayehgn, Ph.D, Sarlo Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Economic Development, Dominican University of California
Introduction
The defeat of Italy by Ethiopia on March 1, 1896 at the Battle of Adwa, then the vibrant capital of Tigrai, not only demonstrated the resilience and patriotism of Ethiopians but also made Ethiopia the steward of future hopes for the emancipation of the other nations that were subjugated under foreign rule. For example, Japan, used Ethiopia’s experience as its model and developed a strategy to fight against Russia in 1904. However, for a number of the European colonialists, when they heard that Italy was defeated by the heroic Ethiopian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, they were surprised and humiliated that members of the white race had lost. They suddenly had to rethink their ideas and policies about Africa being predominantly inhabited by primitive people that needed colonial rule in order to advance into a modern world.
FORTUNE: The Private Health Sector Program (PHSP) in which you are involved aims to optimise, regulate and cement partnership with the public sector for sustainable universal access. But how is it possible for the Program to achieve these, as the two sectors have been mired in misgivings and complaints against one another?
Tesfaye G. Kidan: I would say that the basis for any progress, be it among people or groups, is creating common ground. Thus, there has to be an atmosphere of understanding.
It begins, in this case, with identifying the complaints by the private sector and the demands of the public health sector. These need to be clearly understood. Then, the trial to devise a solution to bring the two together can come.
THE NILE WATER ISSUE AND…
A PEACEFUL SOLUTION SUGGESTED MANY YEARS AGO… Open Letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
by G. E. Gorfu
Dear Prime Minister, I only have one question: When did Ethiopia become a protectorate of Egypt? Otherwise, why on earth is Ethiopia requesting the permission of Egypt to use the waters that rightly belong to her? I am sure you know very well the history of our ancestors: Haileselassie, Menelik, Yohannes, Alula, Tewodros, and many others. Not one of them would ever go this low as to beg Egypt's permission for the use of a body of water found in the heart of Ethiopia? Why should Ethiopia uphold any treaty signed between Egypt and England, or any other two nations for that matter, to which Ethiopia was not a party of, or signatory to? Other riparian nations rejected those treaties, and Ethiopia too, should never uphold them.
On
behalf of the Institute of Development and
Education for Africa (IDEA), Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia will soon begin reviewing several books on
Ethiopia and two of the books whose image is shown
here, 'Alliance and Alienation' by Haggai
Erlich and 'Yohannes IV of Ethiopia'
(revised edition) by Zewde Gebre-Selassie will
be the first to be reviewed. Readers interested inpurchasing the books can directly contact the the publisher at the
address below:
Somalia: The Diplomat’s feeling of political confederation system linking Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea
Ambassador Samantar: I feel that if a system of political confederation linking Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea were someday established on the basis of the right of peoples to self-determination, the Horn of Africa would be transformed into an oasis of peace, stability, and prosperity. If that happened, Somalia would rediscover its lost unity, Ethiopia would have access to both the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, Eritrea could freely choose its destiny, and Djibouti would find tranquility without being coveted by its big sisters. Peace could finally be established in that part of the African continent, and that is the sine qua non condition for its development, which alone will enable the inhabitants to view the future with optimism and hope. - See more at:
http://geeskaafrika.com/?p=2047#sthash.lYILj0Mk.dpuf
UNSC: The Somalia and Eritrea Sanctions Committee Revises its Guidelines -
New York (HAN) On 26 March 2014,REVISES ITS GUIDELINES SECURITY COUNCIL 751 AND 1907 COMMITTEE ON SOMALIA AND ERITREA - the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea adopted revised Guidelines for the Conduct of its Work. These latest Guidelines reflect Security Council resolution 2142 (2014). The Committee has adopted the revised Guidelines to facilitate the conduct of its own work and provide useful guidance to Member States in their efforts to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions. The English language version of the revised Guidelines is available on the Committee’s website* and versions of the Guidelines in all six official languages will be made available on the website in due course. - See more at:
http://geeskaafrika.com/?p=1970#sthash.HPBzPbOY.dpuf
Ethiopia lashed out at longstanding rival Eritrea
ADDIS ABABA (HAN) March 28, 2014 – The Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman
atto. Mufti has lashed out at longstanding rival Eritrea, accusing the latter of destabilizing the East Africa region, while also blasting Egypt for the latter’s “malicious” media campaign against Ethiopia’s multibillion-dollar hydroelectric dam project. ”Eritrea’s involvement in regional conflicts has been the case for long now,” Ambassador Dina Mufti told foreign journalists at a weekly press briefing on Thursday.
According to Mufti, Eritrea has played a role in the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. ”We have circumstantial evidence of Eritrea’s involvement [in the South Sudan crisis],” the spokesman said. - See more at:
http://geeskaafrika.com/?p=2015#sthash.KFj26HoT.dpuf
Japan brings kaizen philosophy to Ethiopia
By Paul Melly BBC News, Ethiopia
"Sorting, setting in order, shining, standardising, sustaining," proclaims a handwritten poster stuck to the wall of a shed where women gather twice a week to make craft items in the village of
Faniekir. Kaizen, the workplace philosophy that helped guide Japan's recovery from the ruins of defeat in World War Two, has reached the rural uplands of southern Ethiopia.
Simple principles of tidiness and self-discipline are among the foundations of an approach that so impressed the late prime minister Meles Zenawi that he adopted it as national strategy.
Eritrea – bordering on the Red Sea – is a land of extremes. The searing heat of its deserts and the harness of the mountains are softened by abundant valleys and a green, fertile plateau. Much the same can be said of its politics. Fierce and stubborn in their 30-year war of independence from Ethiopia that ended in May 1991, the Eritrean people briefly held the promise of a model state, with an open democracy and real hopes of prosperity.
Yet today Eritrea is among the most repressive states in Africa. Thousands of its youth, desperate to escape interminable conscription, flee the country, running the risk of drowning in the Mediterranean or being sold to people-traffickers in the
Sinai.
CAIRO - When Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi said in June 2013 that “all options” including military intervention, were on the table if Ethiopia continued to develop dams on the Nile River, many dismissed it as posturing. But experts claim Cairo is deadly serious about defending its historic water allotment, and if Ethiopia proceeds with construction of what is set to become Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, a military strike is not out of the question.
Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia have soured since Ethiopia began construction on the 4.2 billion dollar Grand Renaissance Dam in 2011.
Egypt fears the new dam, slated to begin operation in 2017, will reduce the downstream flow of the Nile, which 85 million Egyptians rely on for almost all of their water needs. Officials in the Ministry of Irrigation claim Egypt will lose 20 to 30 percent of its share of Nile water and nearly a third of the electricity generated by its Aswan High Dam.
But of all the inexplicable opposition to the GERD, the voices being heard from Egypt are the most intractable. There is no hiding the fact that Egypt would as soon not see the progress of the GERD in line with its long opposition to the development of the Nile Basin countries, particularly Ethiopia. This opposition has been documented time and again, and it is not necessary to repeat them here. Suffice it to state as bizarre the most recent declaration by some within Egypt that they would plant the entire Sudanese and Egyptian deserts with green banana tress to create so much rainfall that it would render the GERD useless.
The current disagreement over the GERD is a technical one. Ethiopia does not have a political, military or border disagreement with Egypt. In fact, Ethiopia has continued to be generous both with its goodwill as well as its accommodation of Egypt’s understandable anxiety over the dam and the Nile. But what ought to be clear as well is that Ethiopia has no legal responsibility to Egyptians to provide them with plenty of water to use or even waste.
Ethiopia Sees Output at Africa’s Biggest Power Plant by 2015
Source: Bloomberg
Ethiopia will begin generating electricity within 18 months from what will be Africa’s largest power plant, the government said.The sale of 7.1 billion birr ($367 million) of bonds over the past three years to domestic investors, has contributed to the 27 billion birr spent so far on the 75.5 billion birr Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam hydropower project, said Zadig Abraha, deputy general director of the GERD national coordination office. The central bank in April 2011 ordered banks to buy government bonds equivalent to 27 percent of their loans to help fund infrastructure projects
Ethiopian fashion designer Fikirte Addis kneels down and wraps a tape measure around the waist of a customer, before scribbling on a piece of paper on which the outline of a flowing gown takes shape.
The customer, Rihana Aman, owns a cafe in the capital, Addis Ababa, and went to Ms Fikirte's shop in the city, Yefikir Design, for a wedding dress fitting.
The dress, however, is actually for her sister, who lives and works in London, but will soon return to her homeland with her English fiance.
Ethiopia and U.S. to join anti-corruption drive
(Reuters) - Ethiopia, the United States and Papua New Guinea are on course to join the leading world initiative to combat corruption in the energy and mining industries.
The Oslo-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) approved their applications on Wednesday, drawing swift criticism from human rights campaigners for admitting Ethiopia. The three now have three years comply with EITI standards.
Ethiopia has no proven petroleum reserves and a small mining industry driven by potash producers. Rights activists accuse it of political repression.
Folder Header: Nepotism and misappropriation as management practices within the African Peer Review Mechanism By Ramata Sore
1st article: Do The UNDP and the European Union encourage poor governance?
This is the question that one needs to ask himself. These two international institutions for several years are informed of misappropriation that take place in the APRM. But their lethargy toward this situation has fuelled an environment conducive to discrediting the APRM, its leaders, and by extension the African continent.
The
Horn of Africa is the most conflict ridden region
in the world. The people and the land are
devastated by endless wars. The de facto no war no
peace policy that has persisted between Ethiopia
and Eritrea for the last 13 years affects the
lives of millions in both countries and the
stability of the whole region. Bringing this
conflict to a peaceful resolution is of paramount
importance.The
devastating 1998 - 2000 war between Ethiopia and
Eritrea cost billions of dollars in infrastructure
damage, missed investment opportunities and lost
aid, claimed about 100,000 lives, and dislocated
millionsof
people. Instead of the end of the war bringing
peace, for the last fourteen years the policy of
both countries has been “no war no peace.”As bad as open war is, an endless no war no
peace situation is insufferable.
Professor
Raymond Jonas
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1985
I
am a historian of the modern era. My most recent work concerns African resistance to European expansion. The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire (Harvard, 2011) aims both to narrate this signal event in global history and to follow the Adwa story as it rolls through African and European diasporic communities. A companion web site BattleOfAdwa.org augments and extends this work.
Earlier work elaborated the political culture of counter-revolution, notably in art, architecture, and ritual. France and the Cult of the Sacred Heart: an Epic Tale for Modern Times (California, 2000) explores key features of the cold civil war that simmered for over a century after the Revolution of 1789. The Tragic Tale of Claire Ferchaud and the Great War (California, 2005) adopts the biographical form to follow an unusual personality as she navigates the boundary between divine inspiration and hysteria.
Industry and Politics in Rural France, 1870-1914 (Cornell, 1994) subverts the conventional story of the making of the European working class by focusing on unconventional members of it.
Book Review: Essays on the Socio-Political and Economic Perspectives of Ethiopia
Francisco Goya, documenting the Spanish Wars of the 19th Century in scores of his paintings, demonstrated history can be presented in one of many ways – through the art of colors on canvass. Such is Professor Desta Asayehegn’s Essays on the Socio-Political and Economic Perspectives of Ethiopia, a fast paced work of art which has fourteen essays that can be seen as independent and stand-alone chapters on historic epochs of Ethiopia, but are in reality a well crafted and carefully documented series on the history of Ethiopia spanning the last hundred years. These essays focus on the interaction between the major and underlying economic forces, both on, and by international and domestic actors, and how Ethiopia’s history progressed from the era of Menelik and Italian invasion and occupation to develop into what we have today.
In
anticipation of World Water Day, which will be
observed on March 22, the Institute of Development
and Education for Africa (IDEA) presents ideas and
strategies to overcome the problem of water
scarcity and water public works in Ethiopia. It
may sound paradoxical for Ethiopians (the people
of the Blue Nile) to go thirsty when their
country, in fact, is the source of all waters that
replenish the gift of life for the neighboring
peoples. But, that is the stark reality now.
Therefore, this Amharic article proposes several
methods to solve water shortage problems in
Ethiopian communities and IDEA hopes they will be
implemented and effectively reverse the current
problem that has afflicted many districts in the
country.
February 10, 2014
What happened to the African Renaissance?
Postliberation Eritrea
Special issue of the journal Africa Today, Volume 60.2
Guest editor: Tekle M. Woldemikael AFT-60_2-Cover-1
Twenty years ago, Eritrea conducted a successful referendum, gaining independent state status. It received recognition as a new African Renaissance state, and was on the forefront of African renewal and rebirth, which included the nations of South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, and Ethiopia as well. This occurred after many gloomy years of pessimism about progress, stability, and democracy in Africa. In the 1990s, a series of African nationalist liberation movements gained power that stimulated international and local observers’ imagination for the dawning of an African Renaissance. There was hope that the Pan-Africanist dream of African unity would bring a new level of continental unity, economic growth, and political stability. This task rested on the shoulders of a new generation of African leaders
Imperialism in Africa, its Implications and the Way forward for African People
I think lack of a strong & far visionary and patriotic leadership in Africa with impeccable commitment to Africa’s cause is problem number one to the continent today. My understanding is that behind every success or failure, there is a factor of leadership. For example, it is painful really that in the today’s 21st Century, we still have leaders many of whom are sectarian including at presidential level.
The Somalization of Eritrea: Stuck at Its Fluid Stage of Totalitarianism
Source Asmerino.com
The melting down of the nation state Eritrea, as displayed in its institutional, economic,
infrastructural, military, political and demographic meltdowns, has now reached its highest level. Even though these meltdowns keep feeding on one another to reach the critical stages they are at, it is the demographic one that is driving the nation to the brink of collapse, in the process hollowing out the army, the labor force, the family, the villages, towns and cities, and eventually the nation itself.
If one of those self-proclaimed nations in Somalia – Somaliland, Puntland, etc – were to find itself in fear of further fragmentation, it would have been natural to ask whether that has to do with itself being the result of fragmentation from the bigger Somalia. If so, it would also be natural to raise a similar question in regard to Eritrea.
Source
OilPrice
Sitting athwart the headwaters of the Blue Nile, Ethiopia has long seen its energy future in its hydropower potential, being able to export electricity to neighboring countries.
That picture may be about to be somewhat altered however. British oil firm New Age (African Global Energy) Ltd works a concession in Ethiopia’s southeastern Ogaden basin blocs 7-8 and its Adigala lease with its Canadian oil firm partner Africa Oil.
For the moment, Ethiopia is pressing forward with its grandiose hydroelectric plans, most notably the $4.2 billion, 6,000-megawatt Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which has unsettled Egypt. Egypt fears that the dam’s completion would diminish 20 percent of its Nilotic water flow, leading Cairo last month to demand Ethiopia suspend construction work on the dam on the Nile’s main tributary. After Ethiopia rejected Egypt's demand Egypt vowed to protect its "historical rights" to the Nile "at any cost."
A Wretched of the Earth Ethiopian Genius
February 26, 2014
The Ancient Egyptian Kemetic creation theory and the Big Bang creation theory of the universe have something in common: Void. Out of nothing (empty space) came out something. This Ethiopian genius, whose name is Ishak Ayiris also came out from an impoverished Ethiopian parents, who had nothing and who were in fact wretched of the earth, to borrow Fanon’s book title. Ishak has now a bright future and the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), with pleasure, brings the story of Ishak Ayiris to the attention of its readers. Please read! http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eton-college-council-estate-kid-3185903
This
essay, as its title suggests, intends to critique
and supplement Bank Sector Reform in Ethiopia
by Drs. Desta Asayehgn and Admassu Bezabeh that
was published by (IDEA) Inc. (www.africanidea.org/Banking_sector_in_Ethiopia.html).
I found their abstract interesting, especially in
some parts where the authors present sound
arguments and are leveled against government
policies as constructive criticism, and I will
endorse the ideas that I agree with. On some of
their ideas, however, I have different views,
reservations and disagreements; hence I will
critique those ideas in an effort to make input
and insight for future considerations.
THE NILE WATER ISSUE AND…
A PEACEFUL SOLUTION SUGGESTED MANY YEARS AGO… Open Letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
by G. E. Gorfu
H.E. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Sir: The BBC's Mike Thomson (Feb. 3, 2005) reports: "Mr. Meles says he is becoming increasingly angry at Egypt's long running objections to requests from other Nile basin nations to use the river's waters for major irrigation projects… While Egypt is taking the Nile water to transform the Sahara Desert into something green, we in Ethiopia - who are the source of 85% of that water - are denied the possibility of using it to feed ourselves. And we are being forced to beg for food every year..."1
On
February 16, 2014 at Yesler Community Center in
Seattle,Ethiopians
welcomed high ranking officials accompanied by
Deputy the Consul General Consulate General of
Ethiopia Weizero Mebrat
Beyane, WeizeroFikerte Tamir W/Agegnehue Civil
Associations and other Structure & Event
Organization Directorate Directors, and Ato ZadigAbraha, Coordination of Public
Participation on the Construction of the Grand
Renaissance Dam, and the Deputy General Director
to discuss about the Millennium Dam which will be
the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa
when completed and create one of the continent’s
largest reservoirs. As speakers noted after the
completion of the Millennium Dam, we Ethiopians
will restore our past glory and contribute, not
only transforming the lives of our people, but
also improving the climate of our continent by
producingclean
energy to our neighbors. In June, a panel of
international experts tasked with studying the
impacts of the Ethiopian dam on lower riparian
countries, including Sudan and Egypt, found that
the dam project will not cause significant harm to
either country.
Admassu Bezabeh, Ph.D, School of Business and Leadership, Dominican University of California San Rafael, California
Desta, Asayehgn, Ph.D. School of Business and Leadership , Dominican University of California, San Rafael, California.
The fragile and inefficient state-dominated banking sector that existed in Ethiopia during the military government (1974-1991) was a major hindrance to economic growth. Since it took power in 1991, the current government has implemented a number of reforms. For instance, in 1994, the government legalized domestic private investment in the banking industry. In addition, it restructured the two development banks as commercial banks, and introduced a new Banking and Monetary Proclamation that gave more autonomy and further clarified the National Bank of Ethiopia’s activities as the regulator and supervisor of the banking sector.
“An estimated 3 million girls in Africa are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) every year. In other words a girl is cut every 10 seconds. This is a shocking and shameful statistic as FGM is already recognised as a human rights violation and there are laws against it in most of the countries where it takes place,” says Dr Ann-Marie Wilson, Executive Director of anti FGM charity 28 Too Many. “This is an international problem requiring urgent action in all countries where FGM is practised.”
Economist: Manufacturing in Africa: An Awakening Giant
February 7, 2014
A quiet boom in manufacturing in Africa is already taking place. Farming and services are still dominant, backed by the export of commodities, but new industries are emerging in a lot of African
countries." Less than an hour's drive outside Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, a farmer walks along a narrow path on a green valley floor after milking his cows. Muhammad Gettu is carrying two ten-litre cans to a local market, where he will sell them for less than half of what they would fetch at a dairy in the city. Sadly, he has no transport. A bicycle sturdy enough to survive unpaved tracks would be enough to double his revenues. At the moment none is easily available. But that may be about to
change. A construction boom is fostering access to high-voltage power. The spread of mobile telephony, including mobile banking, helps small suppliers struggling with overheads. IBM, an American computer giant with an eye on Africa, goes so far as to say that “software is the manufacturing of the future”. Consumers will still want to buy hardware, but growing local demand is creating a market for African app and software developers
On Jan. 8, Ethiopia turned down Egypt’s demand that it suspend construction of its mega-dam on the Nile, further escalating tensions between the two states. Fearing that Ethiopia’s $4.2 billion project would reduce the river’s flow, Egypt calls for a halt in construction until the dam’s downstream impact is determined. Otherwise, it has vowed to protect its “historical rights” to the Nile at “any cost.”
While scoffing at Egyptian threats, Ethiopia has called for Cairo’s collaboration in negotiations and claims that the dam will have no adverse effect on Egypt. It would, in fact, decrease evaporation and improve water flow. Ethiopia hopes that the ambitious hydroelectric project, slated to be completed in 2017, would catapult the country out of poverty. Frustrated by what it described as Ethiopia’s stubborn stance, Cairo is threatening to take the issue to the United Nations Security Council.
Ethiopia and Egypt clash over mega-dam - UPI
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Egypt and Ethiopia remain at loggerheads over Addis Ababa's plan to build a $4.2 billion, 6,000-megawatt dam on a major tributary of the Nile River that Cairo says will greatly reduce the flow of water that is Egypt's
lifeline. Tension between the two African states rose sharply in January after Ethiopia rejected Egypt's demand it suspend construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the 4,130-mile river, the world's longest.
Egypt has vowed to protect its "historical rights" to the Nile "at any cost" and says it could lose 20 percent of its water if the giant dam in northwestern Ethiopia, one of several hydroelectric projects planned by Addis Ababa, is completed.
Robert Reich Explains the War on the Poor and Working Families
By Nick Berning. Friday, February 7 2014
Connect the dots between policies that keep many of our fellow Americans desperate, and you’ll see they add up to a war on the poor and working families. Robert Reich explains:
Desta,
Asayehgn, Sarlo Distinguished Professor of
Sustainable Economic Development, Dominican
University of California;and Hadush
Berhe Asgedom, lecturer, Industrial Engineering
Program;Alula
Gebresas, Lecturer, Industrial Engineering
Program; and Mengstu Asheber, Lecturer, Industrial
Engineering Program, Makelle University, Tigrai,
Ethiopia
Abstract
From the ashes of the Second World War, Japan
through its culturally embedded innovative
management system has succeeded in rebuilding an
economy that is emulated by the community of
nations(Waheed,
etal., 2010). For example, in the 1980s, the
manufacturing industry in Japan showed a
significant growth through the adoption of the
kaizen process of management. The key elements of
the Japanese management system and the kaizen
strategy were embedded to achieve a never-ending
journey towards increasing productivity, and
efficiency, and to foster the spirit of quality
improvement. In order to stay competitive in an
increasingly global marketplace with increasing
customer demands, by following Japan’s example,
a number of Ethiopian-based manufacturingcompanies are using the kaizen management
approach to lower costs of production, minimize
waste, improve productivity, boost quality, and
achieve sustainability.
By Tony Carroll
Contributor: Natnael A / January 31, 2014
Ethiopia and Eritrea ceased business relations upon the commencement of the border war in 1998. While a small amount of barter trade still exists, it is fair to say that trade relations between the two countries are non-existent – this is very much to the detriment of the private sectors in both countries (and across the region). - See more at:
s reported by my friends Ambassadors Cohen, Shinn and Lyman, this appears to be a moment of inflection in the relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Certainly the implementation of the border agreement and the resumption of commercial relations will not be an easy process. However, the economic benefits that would accrue to both countries could be substantial and should motivate leadership in both to expedite the process. - See more at:
Increase the Ethiopia ICT
Monday, February 3rd, 2014
Monica Chung (info@koreaittimes.com)
SEOUL, KOREA - This is a freedom story all the world should have to know.
2It all starts in July 25, 1950 when war broke out in Korea. The Korean war kills about 1.4 million soldiers and 374,00 civilians. the only reason of the war was the need of freedom by the Korean people.
At that time crossing 15,000 kilometers distance to participate in the foreign country war was almost impossible. Its difficult to think the present Korean advancement and development without the help of 1270 Ethiopian soldiers who came to Korean land to maintain peace and freedom.
Global Voices: Stemming the African brain drain
Times Colonist January 24, 2014
Last year the Canadian health-care system managed to save $400 million — by poaching trained doctors from the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world. A recent study by the University of Ottawa indicates that even as Canadian aid programs help Africa to build better health-care systems, our health-care system is taking away their doctors. According to Canada-based CUSO International, between 1990 and 2006, Ethiopia trained 3,700 doctors. Only 700 of them stayed to work there. Africa’s health-care system isn’t the only sector hemorrhaging skilled workers — there are more African-born engineers and scientists living in Canada and the U.S. than in all of Africa. - See more
War tops talks as African leaders gather in Ethiopia for AU summit
Source: AFP
ADDIS ABABA — Conflict and humanitarian crises rather than growing economies and development top the agenda for African leaders this week as they meet for a summit of the continental bloc.
War in the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan are key priorities, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said ahead of the two-day African Union (AU) meeting that opens on
Thursday. The controversial role on the continent of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is also expected to be addressed.
Many observers agree that recent unfortunate developments in the Middle East can easily spillover to the Greater Horn of Africa region. There are groups that are fanning ideologies advanced by the various actors in Middle East’s sectarian conflict. In the light of the new developments in the region, it makes sense for the United States to review its relationship with Eritrea and Ethiopia and rebalance its portfolio. The interesting question for Eritrea and Ethiopia is therefore how to respond to the apparent shift in superpower policy towards the region. In this rejoinder I review the recent articles that were written by two former Ambassadors, examine the difficult areas in the relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and outline the options that are available for Ethiopia.
Wednesday 06 April 2011Migration of trained medical staff is an issue faced by countries all over the world. But Ethiopia’s brain drain has left just one doctor for nearly 30,000 people. How can a country with some of the worst health problems cope with such a loss of its human health resources? Even fewer doctors work in rural regions where the majority of the country’s population lives. So what’s driving doctors away and what measures are being taken to keep them in the country?
Claudia Hammond travels to Ethiopia to find out more about their medical brain drain. There she meets medical students to find out why they want to work abroad. She meets the country’s Health Minister to find out about his measures to keep doctors in the country and why he hopes quadrupling the number of medical students helps tackle the problem. She also talks to a general practitioner working in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa to find out what working life for an Ethiopian doctor is really like
press release
Jan. 27, 2014, 6:01 a.m. EST
Tigray Announces Initial Terakimti Mineral Resource Estimate at the Harvest Project in Ethiopia
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Jan 27, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Tigray Resources Inc. CA:TIG +25.00% ("Tigray" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its initial National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") compliant gold, copper, silver and zinc mineral resource estimate for the Terakimti volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit on the Company's 70%-owned Harvest project (the "Harvest Project") located in the Arabian Nubian Shield in northern Ethiopia. This mineral resource estimate is contained within the first prospect discovered at the Harvest Project in 2009 and incorporates 16,495 metres of drilling in 79 diamond drill holes
Move over quinoa, Ethiopia's teff poised to be next big super grain
Rich in calcium, iron and protein, gluten-free teff offers Ethiopia the promise of new and lucrative markets in the west.
At Addis Ababa airport, visitors are greeted by pictures of golden grains, minute ochre-red seeds and a group of men gathered around a giant pancake. Billboards boast: "Teff: the ultimate gluten-free crop!"Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries, well-known for its precarious food security situation. But it is also the native home of teff, a highly nutritious ancient grain increasingly finding its way into health-food shops and supermarkets in Europe and America.Teff's tiny seeds – the size of poppy seeds – are high in calcium, iron and protein, and boast an impressive set of amino acids. Naturally gluten-free, the grain can substitute for wheat flour in anything from bread and pasta to waffles and pizza bases. Like quinoa, the Andean grain, teff's superb nutritional profile offers the promise of new and lucrative markets in the west.
Asayehgn
Desta, Sarlo Distinguished
Professor Sustainable Economic DevelopmentJanuary 4, 2014, I drove from
San Rafael to Oakland, California, for about
forty-five minutes to have a get-together dinner
with one of my best friends, Kidane Haile and
learn more about the innovative projects that he
is undertaking in Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco. In
the course of our discussion, the owner of the
restaurant came and showed us a book entitled “Ya Assimba Fekere” or My Special Love for Assimba.”
Since
the beginnings of people-to-people and
state-to-state interaction thousands of years ago,
the Horn of Africa has always been a troubled
region and by comparison the most volatile and
unstable area in Africa. The impetus behind these
continuous conflicts is partly induced by
geopolitics and foreign intervention and partly
engendered by complex mode of productions as well
as the mindset and lack of vision of the people.
South Sudan, rebels sign cease-fire
By ELIAS MESERET
The Associated Press ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia —
South Sudan's government and rebels signed a cease-fire deal Thursday that leaders hope will put a pause to five weeks of warfare that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.
The peace deal represents the first real progress since political friction turned violent Dec. 15, fueling countrywide battles with ethnic overtones. But questions were immediately raised about whether all fighters in South Sudan would abide by the agreement, and how long others would follow it.
Africa: White House On U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit
By Office of the Press Secretary, 21 January 2014
The White House is pleased to announce that the United States will host the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC on August 5 and 6, 2014.
President Obama looks forward to welcoming leaders from across the African continent to the Nation's Capital to further strengthen ties with one of the world's most dynamic and fastest-growing regions. The Summit will build on the progress made since the President's trip to Africa last summer, advance the Administration's focus on trade and investment in Africa, and highlight America's commitment to Africa's security, its democratic development, and its people.
In vigilant defense of press freedom
The Ethiopian Reporter
Article 29 of the Ethiopian constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of the press and provides that the press shall, as an institution, enjoy legal protection to ensure its operational independence and its capacity to entertain diverse opinions.
This provision is a replica of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Article 29 enshrines the right to hold opinions without interference, as well as the right to freedom of expression without any interference including freedom to seek, receive and impart information through any medium of one’s choice. It also prohibits any form of censorship and stipulates that any citizen who violates any legal limitations on the exercise of these rights may be held liable under the law.
WATER IS LIFE… FIGHTING FOR THE NILE WATERS
by G. E. GORFU
If the case is decided in favor of Ethiopia and the other rightful owners of the Nile, it is doubtful Egypt will quietly accept and abide by that decision either, and is most likely to declare a war. It is imperative, therefore, and of the highest importance, that Ethiopia and the other Nile nations immediately form a united front and prepare for that eventuality, to defend themselves by any and all means against an aggressor that seems only too eager to declare a war. This issue might still have to be decided on the battlefield, and the final chapter written in blood on the sands of the Egyptian desert.
Egypt may take Nile dam dispute with Ethiopia to UN
After all attempts to solve the Egyptian-Ethiopian crisis over the Renaissance Dam at the negotiating table ended in failure after a third round of negotiations on Jan. 4, with Egypt withdrawing from the discussions and conferences being held in Khartoum, there is now talk at the governmental level about internationalizing the issue. At the same time, Egypt is witnessing rising popular demands to resort to the UN Security Council to establish Egypt’s right to veto the establishment of the Renaissance Dam, given the potential danger it represents to Egyptian water security.
Happy Birthday (Tribute Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday) -- St
The desperate and hostile nature of Egyptian move against Ethiopia
Posted by Awramba Times on January 21, 2014
By W.Yilma
Egyptian relation with Ethiopia lack coherence and logic. Leave alone for political observers, it is not hard for ordinary person to understand the desperate, demonic and deceptive motives of the Egyptian “politicians” towards Ethiopia when it comes to the Nile water issues. We are witnessing to observe the infantile and uncivilized diplomatic maneuverings and dirty games the Egyptians are perusing for many years. The Egyptian traditional animosity became more apparent since the start of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) construction.
Ethiopia: Keepers of the Lost Ark?
Ed's Note: This article was first published in 2007.
Christians in Ethiopia have long claimed to have the ark of the covenant. Our reporter investigated By Paul Raffaele SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
"They shall make an ark of acacia wood," God commanded Moses in the Book of Exodus, after delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And so the Israelites built an ark, or chest, gilding it inside and out. And into this chest Moses placed stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, as given to him on Mount Sinai.
Thus the ark “was worshipped by the Israelites as the embodiment of God Himself,” writes Graham Hancock in The Sign and the Seal. "Biblical and other archaic sources speak of the Ark blazing with fire and light...stopping rivers, blasting whole armies." (Steven Spielberg's 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark provides a special-effects approximation.) According to the First Book of Kings, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem to house the ark. It was venerated there during Solomon's reign (c. 970-930 B.C.) and beyond.
Beyond remittances, diaspora and development
By IRIN | Thursday, January 9 2014
The African diaspora and migrants have for years been instrumental in helping family and friends at home get by, as huge annual remittance flows illustrate, but their contributions beyond remittances could have a significant impact on development, if tapped
into. According to the World Bank, African diaspora savings, at $53 billion every year, exceed annual remittances to the continent and are mostly invested
abroad." If one in every 10 members of the diaspora could be persuaded to invest $1,000 in his or her country of
origin, Africa could raise $3 billion a year for development financing,” Dilip Ratha and Sonia Plaza write in the World Bank’s 2011 report, Diaspora for Development in Africa.
Renaissance dam right on track: Ethiopia irrigation minister
Contradicting earlier statements by Egypt Irrigation Ministry official, Ethiopian minister says on Monday Grand Renaissance Dam faces neither financial nor technical problems
Ethiopian Minister of Irrigation and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu said on Monday the process of building the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam was on track without difficulties, adding that the project will be completed on schedule.
The Ethiopian minister's words contrast with statements made by the Egyptian Irrigation Ministry Spokesman Khaled Waseef who, on 8 January, said in a press statement the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam faces financial as well as technical problems, as reported by
MENA.
Abyssinia’s
Ruler said to be a Heavy Buyer of America Railways
Stock
Today the Abyssinian ruler has extended the range
of his financial operations to the United States,
and is a heavy investor in American Railroads.
What with his American Securities and his French
and Belgian mining investments. Menelik has a
private fortune estimated at no less than twenty-
five million dollars.
By ANDUALEM SISAY in Addis Ababa | Wednesday, January 1 Source Africa Review
On a sunny afternoon in Huruta Dore town some 200 kilometers
south-east of the capital Addis Ababa young riders on their motorbikes noisily kick up some dust. They are the emerging generation of well-to-do farmers of Ethiopia who are reaping from using irrigation.
Found in Arsi zone of the Oromia region of the country, this semi-desert town has been known as a drought area, with the inhabitants used to relying on wheat aid. Today, its over 500 hectares of land is teeming with a rich cover of various crops and
vegetables. Due to the regional government diverting the Awash River to pass through the town five years ago, it is no longer desert.
A Proven Strategy to End Conflict in South Sudan
By Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kulwant Singh and Dr. David Leffler
A new technology of defense is now available that has been scientifically shown to prevent war and create peace by harnessing the deepest level of nature's functioning.
War is ultimately a human problem requiring a human solution. Experts in the field of conflict resolution maintain that the underlying cause of war is accumulated "social stress" - i.e., mounting political, religious and/or ethnic tensions between rival factions in critical hotspots throughout the world. As social stress builds, divisions grow stronger, groups take sides, diplomats become unable to resolve differences, and enemies arise within or outside the nation.
An open letter to an inquisitive young Ethiopian sister
Ethiopian history is not three thousand years!
Dear Beloved Ethiopian Sister,
Thank you very much for your important question about the origin and extent of Ethiopian history.
Thank you for inspiring me to write this response.
I am prompted to write the response to your question in a public forum. I do so because many of your doubting friends to whom you refer would also be able to see my answers.
You write, “Edeminot, I would like to ask you something if you have [the] time. [Many] people … specially the young…have doubts about our 3000 years history … they ask [for] evidence... Some comment that[one ethnic group] wrote the history like they want… [But] they doubt if our history is even 100 years…. Can you suggest [to] me [a] good book… about
Ethiopia?
The Africa Competitiveness Report 2013,
put out by the World Economic Forum (WE Forum), is
a comprehensive analysis and critique of the
overall development status of thirty-eight African
countries. It has also recommendations on how
Africa can uplift itself and successfully become
part of the global economy. Based on the World
Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) data
base and recommendations, the Report makes a
thorough assessment of African countries’
economic parameters, ranging from their use of
information technology to regional integration in
the context of other successful countries outside
Africa, as well as developed nations that could
become major foreign direct investment (FDI)
potentials.
Ethiopian history is not three thousand years! (Ephraim Isaac, PhD)
Posted by admin on December 28, 2013
You write, “Edeminot, I would like to ask you something if you have [the] time. [Many] people … specially the young…have doubts about our 3000 years history … they ask [for] evidence… Some comment that[one ethnic group] wrote the history like they want… [But] they doubt if our history is even 100 years…. Can you suggest [to] me [a] good book… about
Ethiopia? Thank you, Sir”[M.B.]
I have always known young Ethiopians to be bright and inquisitive. Over 600 years ago it was written in Mashafa Berhan (please see my own translation The Book of Light, EJ Brill,1973) from Emperor Zar’aYa’eqob (1434-68) time: “all the peoples of Ethiopia are thirsty for knowledge”. So, I am really not surprised to know that our young continue the ancient tradition of our people to be thirsty for knowledge. I am especially happy that they are inquisitive about our common history. May the Almighty bless them and open the door for them to learn and teach.
Egypt's minister says new Ethiopian dam won’t affect Egypt’s water supply
Source: Daily News Egypt
Minister Mohamed Abdel Moteleb says a new dam in Gondar will not affect water flow to Lake Nasser
The construction of a new dam in Ethiopia will not affect the supply of water flowing to Egypt, said Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources on Saturday.
Construction on the Megech Dam, located near the Ethiopian city of Gondar, began earlier this month and has been allocated funding of approximately USD $125m, according to privately-owned Ethiopian Walta and its Information and Public Relations Center. The dam is planned to hold 1.8 billion cubic metres of water when it is constructed, and will be used for irrigation purposes and drinking water for
Gondar.
Research uncovers lost African school of painting
Analysis of illuminated gospels suggests that first Christian manuscript art may have come from Ethiopia By Martin Bailey. News, Issue 252, December 2013
Evidence has emerged for a previously unknown school of painting in sub-Saharan Africa that may have been responsible for the earliest Christian paintings in manuscripts. New research suggests that illuminations in two Ethiopian gospels dating back 1,500 years were painted in the ancient kingdom of Aksum, and not in the Middle East, as previously believed.
These illustrations, which include a set of the Evangelists, are evidence of an Aksumite School of painting, says Jacques Mercier, a specialist in Ethiopian art at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. Aksum lies in
northern Ethiopia. If Mercier’s theory is correct, it sheds new light on the development of early Christian art.
Ethiopia: Djibouti Gives Ethiopia Cargo Ultimatum
By Tamrat G. Giorgis, 15 December 2013
Release of cargo will change come January, according to the ultimatum, which some believe to be in breach of a bilateral agreement.
The government of Djibouti has given a deadline of January 15, 2014, for challenging the manner in which cargo is released from its ports. The new rules will state that no cargo inbound to Ethiopia will be released until the clearing agent in Djibouti produces a note from banks stating that foreign exchange to pay for transport, transit and forwarding services has actually been transferred.
A circular instructing offices in Djibouti to this effect has been distributed by the government, according to diplomatic sources in Djibouti.
After being part of Ethiopia for forty years, the people of Eritrea held a referendum in April 1993 and decided to establish an independent state.
The referendum took place in the aftermath of a thirty-year insurgency against two successive Ethiopian regimes waged by the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF).
At the same time, an allied insurgent group, the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), took over power in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after the military collapse of the Soviet-supported regime headed by President Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Ethiopia: Gilgel Gibe III Near Completion - to Go Operational in September
17 December 2013
One of the biggest power generating projects in Ethiopia, the Gilgel Gibe III, is expected to go fully operational on September 2014. H.E. Ato Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy said that so far 80% of construction work has been completed. One of the power projects planned to be commissioned within the GTP period, the Gilgel Gibe III will add 1,870MW electric power to the national grid upon its completion in September.
A
wonderful spectacle and a colorful Ethiopia-Somali
origin State, hosted the 8th Nations and
Nationalities Day on Sunday in Seattle at the
Kings Hall. The celebration was attended by the
Honorable Ambassador Zerihun Retta, Consul General
of Ethiopia at Los Angeles, the newly appointed
former Director of Ethiopian Diaspora General
Directorate of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Weizero
Mebrat Beyane and
over 350 Ethiopians. The Ethiopian Somalia
community invited all Ethiopians in Seattle to
celebrate the economic and political rights that
have been guaranteed under the constitutional
framework. The Ethiopian Somalis underscored the
degree of liberty they have gained in education
and economic opportunity. One of the highlights of
the event that captured the imagination of the
audience was the enthusiastic and upbeat attitude
of the future generations’ promise to lead
Ethiopia to prosperity. Each youth expressed what
it takes to be a leader is respect, responsibility
and to value your own culture and other cultures
in order to create a social harmony that leads to
solid foundation.
In July 1962, Col Fekadu Wakene taught South African political activist Nelson Mandela the tricks of guerrilla warfare - including how to plant explosives before slipping quietly away into the night.
Mr Mandela was in Ethiopia, learning how to be the commander-in-chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe - the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC).The group had announced its arrival at the end of 1961 by blowing-up electricity pylons in various places in South Africa.
Continue reading the main story “Then on 11 January 1962, Mr Mandela had secretly, and illegally, slipped out of South Africa.
His mission was to meet as many African political leaders as possible and garner assistance for the ANC, including money and training for its military wing.
And to be moulded into a soldier himself. During this trip, he visited Ethiopia twice and left a deep impression on those who met him during his stay in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Jerusalem — The refusal of Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross to accept blood from an Ethiopian Jewish lawmaker sparked demands on Wednesday for a review of guidelines seen as deeply discriminatory.The rejection of the blood from Pnina Tamano-Shata by an official of Magen David Adom came at a donor drive outside parliament and was caught on video footage which was widely aired by Israeli television channels."Under health ministry directives, we are unable to accept blood from donors of Ethiopian Jewish origin," the health official is heard to say as he spurns the donation.
Top Magen David Adom officials later agreed they could take Tamano-Shata's blood, but only to freeze it, not to put it into the national blood bank, the Ynet news website reported
Somalia: U.S. Blames Eritrea Still Supporting Al Shabab Militant Group in Somalia
December 9, 2013
The U.S state department has blamed again that Eritrea is still supporting Somalia's militant group Al Shabab. A report by the state department has blamed that Eritrean officials were in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region to give training and other mechanical support to Al Shabab fighters in Somalia, battling against the Federal Government forces and the African Union troops
(AMISOM). The report did not name the individuals from Eritrea in Somalia. Also Somali Government sources could not confirm the existence of such Eritrean presence in its territory.
Eritrea has been always blamed for supporting the militant group of Al Shabab, a claim Asmara regime constantly denied.
A new species of horse, 4.4 million years old CLEVELAND—Two teams of researchers, including a scientist from Case Western Reserve University, have announced the discovery of a new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old fossil-rich deposits in Ethiopia.
About the size of a small zebra, Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli—named for geologist Giday WoldeGabriel, who earned his PhD at Case Western Reserve in 1987—had three-toed hooves and grazed the grasslands and shrubby woods in the Afar Region, the scientists say.
Members of the Ethiopian Diaspora residing in Seattle will celebrate the Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and People's Day
at Kings Hall2929 27th
Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 December 15, 2013 at
2.00PM
Cultural Exchange Festival of Nations and Nationalities in Jijiga
Ethiopia
Somali Regional State, Jijiga Hostsed the 8th
Nations and Nationalities Day on Sunday at the
Capital of Jigjiga Somali Regional State. To be
recall the celebration was attended by Prime
Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Djiboutian
President Ismail Omar Guelleh and observers from
Rwanda and Kenya. Among the key note speakers were
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Speaker of
the House of Federation, Kassa Tekleberhan, Head
of Somali Regional Sate, Abdi Mohammed Umer and
Mayor of Jijiga. The Ethiopian Somalian community
invites all Ethiopians in Seattle to celebrate the
economic and political rights that have been
guaranteed under the constitutional framework. Ambassador
Zerihun Retta Consulate General of Ethiopia in LA
and other ranking officials will be present.
Address:Kings Hall2929 27th
Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 December 15, 2013 at
2.00PM
The
Ethiopian Somalis know very well the degree of
liberty they have gained. It is the price of their
struggle that blossom. For the first time of
Ethiopian history, Ethiopia is able to make
commitment to eradicate discrimination guarantying
the rights of nationalities self-determination
principle of recognition. For majority of
Ethiopian nationalities such arrangement is a
keystone to eliminate inequalities and subjection
of other dominant culture. Ethiopia will and can
survival as a political entity only through
recognized and understood civil and political
right. One way the other the point is protecting
the rights of nationalities to choose the
political, economic and cultural autonomy without
interference any form of imposition have created
an atmosphere of solid unity and stability to
propel Ethiopia as fast growing economy in the
world.
Water ministers meet in Sudan for latest round of talks on how to share Africa's fabled river.
Play a game of word association almost anywhere in the world, and if you try the word "Nile", the answer will be "Egypt". Herodotus famously said the country was a gift of the fabled river, and it's no exaggeration - given that Egypt is almost totally dependent on the Nile for water and agriculture.
But upstream of Cairo, there's a country where the answer to the word association wouldn't be Egypt - where the people don't even call the it the Nile, and where more than 85 percent of the river's water originates. That place is Ethiopia, and it has enraged Egypt by starting to build a huge dam on the river.
Ethiopia and Eritrea: Brothers at war no more
New internal and external dynamics are shaping the relations between the two countries.
Last updated: 08 Dec 2013
A refugee crisis, high-level defections, and a recent mutiny in the army, are some of many indications that Afwerki's regime is facing an existential threat that may lead to its demise in the near future.
Afwerki is now on "survival mode" and may engage in new and desperate gestures to prolong his time in power, such as opening up to the international community for dialogue and humanitarian aid. However, if his past
behavior is anything to go by, such moves are only likely to be tactical survival
maneuvers that will not reverse the current political trajectory.
It is now time to think about what the relationship between these two states will look like without the two omnipresent strongmen that have heavily shaped their histories.
The
great Nelson Mandela has departed; he left us for
good but his soul, his ideas, and his openly
declared determination for the liberation of his
fellow Africans lives on. He himself foretold his
passing when he remarked on the death of Walter
Sisulu ten years ago. Sisulu’s “passing was
not unexpected,” said Mandela, “we had long
passed the age when either of us would protest
against the brevity of life.” I made reference
to the above quote in my eulogy article entitled
“Sharing Nelson Mandela’s Grief over the Death
of Walter Sisulu” in 2003. In that article, this
is what I said in part:
This essay is intended to address some important issues surrounding 'clash of civilizations' as discussed by Seife Hailu in his article entitled "Is the war of the west equal to the war on the rest? What can we learn from the anti-Ethiopians "wars" in Saudi Arabia?" This article was posted on
www.tigraionline.com on November 20, 2013. I am interested in thematically highlighting the points I have concerns with only. Otherwise, the author has done a good job in his overall approach to solving or dealing with a problem, and I like to extend my gratitude to him. In the latter spirit, thus, I am going to make some input by way of critiquing the conceptual framework of ‘clash of civilizations’
Genomics and African Queens: Diversity Within Ethiopian Genomes Reveals Imprints of Historical Events
June 21, 2012 — Researchers have started to unveil the genetic heritage of Ethiopian populations, who are among the most diverse in the world, and lie at the gateway from Africa. They found that the genomes of some Ethiopian populations bear striking similarities to those of populations in Israel and Syria, a potential genetic legacy of the Queen of Sheba and her companions.The team detected mixing between some Ethiopians and non-African populations dating to approximately 3,000 years ago. The origin and date of this genomic admixture, along with previous linguistic studies, is consistent with the legend of the Queen of Sheba, who according to the Ethiopian Kebra Nagast book had a child with King Solomon from Israel and is mentioned in both the Bible and the Qur'an.
Ethiopia hailed as 'African lion' with fastest creation of millionaires
Michael Buerk's famished Ethiopia of 1984 has become a nation achieving 93% GDP growth in six years, finds study. Dawn. And as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korem it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century. This place, say workers here, is the closest thing to hell on
earth. "That television news report by the BBC's Michael Buerk in 1984 framed Ethiopia for a generation as a place of famine and in need of salvation.
Dear fellow Ethiopians, our people’s problems are way far from over. We need to continue to UNITE and address the situation carefully and in a professional manner. This is the time to come together and help the raped, beaten, tortured and murdered and their families. Dear all, I respectfully urge each one of us to donate everything we can. Let us share the burdens of our brothers and
sisters. Please continue to support the voiceless immigrants by:
1. Forward and encourage others to sign the petition
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-violence-against-5?mailing_id=17122&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on Abuse Dawit Giorgis [2], David Andrew Weinberg [3]
November 22, 2013
There are an estimated nine million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, mostly doing jobs that Saudis themselves do not want to take. And so far, the sudden crackdown is mainly just causing disruptions to Saudi Arabia’s national economy. According to a story in the [6] [6]Saudi Gazette [6], twenty thousand schools in the country are now short of janitors, and 40 percent of small construction firms have stopped operations. One observer even counted thirteen facilities for the religious ritual of washing dead bodies that had been shuttered in Jeddah because the workers responsible for this thankless task had been forced to flee.
Radicalism as a challenge to Ethiopia
By AMAN SETHI
Source: The HINDU
Sporadic outbursts of violence across Ethiopia show how state intervention in religion has alienated sections of Muslim youth and generated the kind of anti-regime sentiments the government had hoped to defuse
A knock on the door well after midnight. Mohammed Hassan Abdalla opens the door to find that a posse of policemen have come for his elder brother, Sheikh Abdulsalam Abdalla, a preacher in the local mosque in this rural settlement of Wabe, 300 km southwest of the Ethiopian capital, of Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia rejects Egypt’s request to build Renaissance Dam jointly
Al-Masry Al-Youm
The Turkish Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that Ethiopia rejected a request by Egypt to jointly build all stages of the Renaissance Dam so as to make sure that Egypt’s share of Nile water is not affected.
The agency quoted an Ethiopian diplomat that attended a meeting between Egyptian Interim President Adli Mansour and Ethiopian Prime Minister Mariam Desalegn on the sidelines of the Arab-African summit in Kuwait as saying that Desalegn adhered to the Entebbe Convention and rejected any Egyptian supervision or participation in the construction of the dam.
The
killings, torture or
inhuman treatment of
fellow Ethiopians and the
deaf ear of the West that
claims they have the
highest regard for
Humanity, seems to have
lost their collective
conscience. What is
happening in Saudi Arabia
against Ethiopians
gruesome torture, rape and
killing is a tragedy that
could have been easily
avoided. The
more shocking cases over
the past seven days cruel
methods, not a single
Western embassy is known
to have protested nor has
responsible African Union
or international
organization expressed
concern over the
Ethiopians vulnerability
in the hands of coward
Saudi forces and their
thugs.
Secret Saudi executions shame the West
Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent, reveals a frenzy of beheadings in the first of a series on women victims of Gulf 'justice'
Amid a frenzy of executions in the Arab Gulf states, at least 12 women have been put to death after Islamic trials, most of them publicly beheaded by the sword in Saudi Arabia. The majority of the executions were kept secret from all but spectators for fear of public reaction in the West, and followed unfair hearings which often denied the women a
Defence lawyer. Among the more shocking cases over the past three years were a mother and her daughter who were decapitated together in front of an audience of men in a Dhahran market last August for allegedly killing the elder woman's husband.
The nature of the Islamic trials and the cruel methods of execution call into question the morality of the West's military and political support for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states whose supposedly civilised values were defended by 500,000 US, British and other Western troops after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Not a single Western embassy, however, is known to have protested at the beheading of women - nor at the increasingly ferocious lashing of hundreds of foreign female workers in the Gulf for alleged misdemeanors.
still many members of the organization, but that the world should end.
When he was 14, Ali al Khawaher stabbed a friend in the spine, paralysing him from the waist down, Amnesty International said.
The London-based human rights group said Mr al Khawaher, now 24, has spent 10 years in jail waiting to be
paralyzed surgically unless his family pays one million Saudi riyals (£180,000) to the victim.
Amnesty said the case demonstrated the need for Saudi Arabia to review its laws to “start respecting their international obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law”.
Saudi judges have in the past ordered Sharia punishments that included tooth extraction, flogging, eye gouging and – in murder cases – death.
NB: This article was written almost ten years ago and posted in www.tecolahagos.com. It is a voice of prophecy and acute observation of the State of Saudi Arabia, Its ruling autocracy, and the characteristics of Saudis. This is a nation of abominable subhuman creatures should be completely isolated from the rest of humankind and dissolved in its own oil filth. TWH
The governments of the World community cannot simply make sanctimonious public statements and do nothing by way of taking effective action to stop the enslavement and degradation of human beings in Arab Countries cited in the Report of the State Department. There are both treaty-based principles dealing with human rights issues and customary international law principles that provide us the legal regime to demand that the World community take steps against the Saudi Government and others for their violations of human rights.
Africans decry 'discrimination' in India
Murder of a Nigerian in Goa turns spotlight on African community, many of whom say they face unfair treatment.
Elizabeth Soumya Last updated: 14 Nov 2013
Ties between India and Nigeria have hit a new low in the aftermath of the recent murder of a Nigerian in the
western Indian state of Goa.The killing led to angry demonstrations by other Nigerian nationals in the state, besides triggering an ugly spat between Indian politicians and Nigerian envoys in the country.
Following the murder and the subsequent arson, the authorities in Goa have embarked on a drive to detect and deport Nigerians living without valid visas.
The drive has angered Nigerian embassy officials in New Delhi and evoked angry response.
"There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over a million Indians living in Nigeria.Thousands of Indians living there will be thrown out on the streets if the forcible eviction of Nigerians in Goa does not stop," Jacob Nwadibia, an administrative attaché of the Nigerian high commission in New
....
In a very ironic move, a host of countries with questionable human rights records on Tuesday won seats on none other than the UN Human Rights Council.
Among the countries to win seats on the council are China, Russia, Algeria, Cuba, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia which came under fire from Amnesty International over its poor human rights record as recently as last month.
AFP reported that the UN General Assembly elected 14 seats on the 47-member council which is taking on increased diplomatic importance because of Syria's civil war and other conflicts.
In addition to the above, France and Britain returned to the Geneva-based body. South Africa, Morocco, Namibia, Maldives, Macedonia and Mexico also secured three year terms, according to
AFP.
Ghelawdewos
Araia, PhD
IDEA Editorial November
12, 2013
The
Saudis may not be held
responsible for what they
do to their citizens, but
they should not walk away
with murder when they
attack and brutalize other
nationals. For this
apparent reason, the
Ethiopian Government
should file charge against
Saudi Arabia for the
maiming, assault, rape,
and murder of Ethiopian
citizens. Moreover,
Ethiopia should seriously
reconsider its diplomatic
ties with Saudi Arabia.
Any nation’s
independence is tested by
its performance in
securing the sovereignty
and territorial integrity
of the nation, and by
safeguarding the
fundamental rights of its
citizens.
If Saudi Arabia is not
going to redeem the
wrongful act wrought
against Ethiopians and
continues to violate
international norms and
breach international law
in relation to human
rights, the United Nations
should consider to expel
the country and terminate
its membership unless and
until it honors, respects,
and implements the UN
Declaration on Human
Rights, and this by
extension should apply to
all other nations that
breach international law
with respect to human
rights.
The
recent episode that was
perpetuated to those poor
innocent immigrants in
particular Ethiopians is a
sad saga that needs
worldwide attention. The
Saudi are no strangers to
such inhuman drama using
unnecessary force. The
question of human rights
is one of that many Arab
governments has
persistently evaded or
ignored. For many years
the security of the
immigrants has been
ignored. Ethiopian
Observer editors call upon
Amnesty International and
Africa Watch the atrocity
being committed by Saudi
force against those
defenseless immigrants.
Those vast immigrants are
deprived the opportunity
to repatriate in timely
manner.
Thousands
of Ethiopians in Riyadh
seek repatriation after
riot
RIYADH: Thousands of
mostly African workers
gathered in Riyadh on
Sunday seeking
repatriation after two
people were killed in
overnight rioting that
followed a visa crackdown
by Saudi authorities.
One of those killed was a
Saudi, said a government
statement, and the other
was not identified. An
Ethiopian man was killed
in a visa raid last week.
Ethiopia’s foreign
minister condemned the
deaths, and told Reuters
his government was working
to bring its citizens
home. “This is
unacceptable. We call on
the Saudi government to
investigate this issue
seriously. We are also
happy to take our
citizens, who should be
treated with dignity while
they are there,” Foreign
Affairs Minister Tedros
Adhanom said. He said
Addis Ababa had formally
complained to Riyadh and
that embassy staff were
working to help Ethiopians
return home.
US
companies awarded 300MW PV
project in Ethiopia
Three solar power stations
totalling 300MW will be
built and operated in
Ethiopia by two US
companies, Global Trade
and Development Consulting
(GTDC) and Energy
Ventures.
The
Ethiopian Ministry of
Water and Energy and
directors at the Ethiopian
Electric Power Corporation
awarded the two Maryland
companies the contracts
for the three photovoltaic
(PV) plants, each 100MW
capacity in size. The
three projects in
Ethiopia, located in the
eastern region of the
country, were site
selected and due diligence
performed before receiving
technical and financial
approval from the two
Ethiopian government
bodies. The thee 100MW
facilities, referred to
collectively as the 300MW
Solar Project, will create
around 2,000 construction
jobs. According to Energy
Ventures, the project will
inject “several million
dollars into the Ethiopian
economy”. The company
claims that ongoing
operations will also
contribute several hundred
jobs.
(CNN)
-- Ethiopia is turning to
renewable energy
technology as the East
African country looks to
become a powerhouse for
its regional partners.
Last month, Ethiopia
launched one of the
continent's largest wind
farms in a bid to rapidly
boost its generating
capacity over the next
three to five years. Both
developments will see
Ethiopia's transition into
one of the regions biggest
energy exporters as
electric output surges
from 2,000 megawatts (MW)
to 10,000 MW. More than
half of this is expected
to come from the
Renaissance Dam. And with
further commitments to
geothermal power and
potential for oil
exploration, Ethiopia's
energy resources are set
to be among the most
diversified in Africa.
Understanding
Africa's water wars
By JANET OTIENO |
Wednesday, November 6
The world is replete with
cases of water being used
as a weapon to score
either political or
socio-economic goals,
especially if many
countries share the common
resource. So, what are
some of the causes of the
current water wars in
Africa and what are their
impact on the environment?
Egypt and Ethiopia are
going at each other’s
throat over River Nile.
Ethiopia is busy
constructing a
controversial dam, which
Egypt complains will
disrupt the river’s
flow, with detrimental
impact on its population
that is almost entirely
dependent on the Nile.
Addis Ababa embarked on
construction of the $4.2
billion Grand Ethiopia’s
Renaissance Dam (GERD)
with 6,000MW electric
power generation capacity
in April 2011, possibly
taking advantage of the
Arab Spring, that
distracted Cairo.
This move angered Egypt so
much that at one point
Cairo threatened military
action against Ethiopia,
though the parties later
agreed to dialogue over
River Nile’s governance.
Ethiopian
Airlines announced that it
took delivery of its first
Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
on Friday. The carrier
said it will take delivery
of three additional
777-300ERs in the coming
months.The airline’s
first 777-300ER is able to
seat approximately 400
passengers in a two-class
configuration. The
aircraft also features
Boeing Signature Interior,
which offers wider seats
and aisles, as well as
more headroom and seating
flexibility. The Boeing
777-300ER is the world’s
largest long-range
twin-engine jetliner. It
has a range of 7,825
nautical miles (14,490
kilometers). Ethiopian
Airlines serves 76
destinations across the
globe. Earlier this year
in August, the carrier
took delivery of its first
787 Dreamliner.
Egypt
and Ethiopia Disagree on
Probe of Nile Dam Impact
By Ahmed Feteha &
William Davison
Egypt called for
international experts to
help prepare a new study
on the regional impact of
a $4.2 billion dam in
Ethiopia, which said a
team made up of officials
from the two nations and
Sudan is
enough.
Egypt
wants “trusted
international
consultancies” to look
into how the hydropower
project on a tributary of
the Nile River will affect
the waterway’s flow well
as safety issues, Egyptian
Irrigation Minister
Mohamed Abdel-Moteleb said
after meeting his Sudanese
and Ethiopian counterparts
in Sudan’s capital,
Khartoum, on Nov. 4.
Ethiopian Water and Energy
Minister Alemayehu Tegenu
said including such a
group was unnecessary
after global experts
completed a report earlier
this year.
The
Country That's Never Had
an Election Posted By Tiffany Lynch
Wednesday, November 6,
2013 -
Source:.foreignpolicy.com
Eritrea,
a country of roughly 6
million people on the Horn
of Africa, is one of the
world's most repressive
states. There is no
freedom of speech, press,
or religion. Not a single
election has been held
since the country achieved
independence two decades
ago after a 30-year war
with Ethiopia. Prolonged
detention and torture are
routine for any
dissenters. And adults are
forcibly conscripted
mandatory military or
national service that can
last as long as the
government decides.
Yet despite Eritrea's
ghastly human rights
record, few human rights
activists, policy makers,
or world leaders ever
mention the place.
Here are ten reasons why
we should care about the
state of human rights in
this oft-forgotten corner
of the world:
Ethiopia
among Lonely Planet’s 10
best value travel
destinations for 2014
Ethiopia has been named as
one of the 10 best value
travel destinations for
2014 by Lonely Planet, the
largest travel guide book
publisher in the world.
Ethiopia is 'one slice of
Africa that rewards the
curious as well as the
deep-pocketed', writes the
publication. Tourists can
see a huge amount of its
highlights by taking
great-value and
time-saving flights along
the country’s Historic
Route. This astonishing
journey includes the Lake
Tana monasteries and the
Blue Nile Falls, the
rock-hewn wonders of
Lalibela and much more,
writes Lonely
Planet.
Ethiopia
opens Africa's largest
wind farm to boost power
production
(Reuters) - Africa's
biggest wind farm began
production in Ethiopia on
Saturday, aiding efforts
to diversify electricity
generation from hydropower
plants and help the
country become a major
regional exporter of
energy. The Horn of Africa
country - plagued by
frequent blackouts - plans
to boost generating
capacity from 2,000 MW to
10,000 MW within the next
three to five years, much
of it coming from the
6,000 MW Grand Renaissance
Dam under construction on
the Nile.
Real
wildcatters go to Ethiopia
to hunt for oil
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia,
Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Amid East
Africa's oil and gas boom,
the more adventurous
oilmen are starting to
gravitate toward the vast
Ogaden desert region of
Ethiopia, where drilling
activity has been sparse
since rebels attacked an
exploration team in 2007,
killing nine Chinese and
65 Ethiopians. Initial
estimates are that
Ethiopia has oil reserves
of around 2.7 billion
barrels. That's a modest
enough total in global
terms, but it's a
potential bonanza for an
impoverished state like
Ethiopia, which has been
land-locked since Eritrea
broke away to form an
independent state on the
Red Sea in 1991 after a
30-year separatist war.
Dear
Professor Ghelawdewos, I
just read your review of
the fascinating book Tower
in the Sky by Hiwot
Teffera. Incidentally, I
came across it right after
I finished reading the
book, which I acquired a
few days ago. As many were
happy to see those
brilliant young boys after
years of absence just a
few days earlier, this
unexpected cruel act
shocked the entire town. I
always remember them, as
they used to come to play
football to our place in
the good days preceding
the red terror. They could
really play football.
Having heard of 'mercy'
offered by the regime, I
was then hopeful to see
them in the university
soon as they were some of
the outstanding students
of the time. I hoped, they
would one day free their
parents from destitution.
It was all nightmare. I
have no idea what
thereafter happened to
their parents, whose hopes
had been dashed cruelly
and forever.
Ethiopia
opens Africa's largest
wind farm to boost power
production
(Reuters) - Africa's
biggest wind farm began
production in Ethiopia on
Saturday, aiding efforts
to diversify electricity
generation from hydropower
plants and help the
country become a major
regional exporter of
energy. The Horn of Africa
country - plagued by
frequent blackouts - plans
to boost generating
capacity from 2,000 MW to
10,000 MW within the next
three to five years, much
of it coming from the
6,000 MW Grand Renaissance
Dam under construction on
the Nile.
East
Africa’s 5 dollar
billionaires and 55
million poor people
By PAUL REDFERN and JEFF
OTIENO | Sunday, October
13
Economists said the
widening of the income
inequality gap has become
the Achilles’ heel of
the region’s ambitious
growth projects as wealth
continued to be
concentrated among the
rich.
The numbers of people
living in absolute poverty
— less than $1.25 a day
— across East Africa
remains high, with Burundi
and Tanzania having the
highest percentage (at
over 81 and 67 per cent
respectively) and Ethiopia
and Uganda (at 30 and 38
per cent respectively),
the lowest in the region,
according to the World
Bank statistics compiled
between 2005 and 2012.
Ethiopia
signs US$4b geothermal
deal
Source: AFP
Ethiopia signed a US$4
billion deal Wednesday
with American-Icelandic
company Reykjavik
Geothermal to develop a
1000-megawatt geothermal
farm, officials said.
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia
signed a US$4 billion deal
Wednesday with
American-Icelandic company
Reykjavik Geothermal to
develop a 1000-megawatt
geothermal farm, officials
said.
When completed, the
project to provide energy
for both local consumption
and export will be the
largest source of foreign
direct investment in
Ethiopia.
Ethiopia
bans citizens from
traveling abroad for work
Source: BBC
Ethiopia's government has
temporarily banned its
citizens from traveling
abroad to look for work,
the state-run Erta news
agency reports. The
foreign ministry was
quoted as saying countless
Ethiopians had lost their
lives or undergone untold
physical and psychological
trauma because of illegal
human trafficking. The
decision was meant to
"safeguard the
well-being of
citizens", it added.
The travel ban will remain
in place until a
"lasting
solution" is found.
The ministry said the
government had taken
various measures to limit
the suffering of its
citizens, including
setting up a national
council and a taskforce to
educate them.
This
essay will make a brief
historical synopsis and
analysis of the crimes
perpetrated by the Italian
fascists against the
Ethiopian people in the
1930s. At this particular
juncture, it may sound
ironic to revisit the
crimes against humanity
committed in Ethiopia by
Fascist henchmen like
Marshall Pietro Badoglio
and Marshal Rodolfo
Graziani, but sometimes
the past contends with the
present especially if
justice has not been
served and no official
apologies extended by
state and/or religious
leaders of the perpetrator
nation.This essay is also
aimed at reinforcing the
Global Alliance for
Ethiopia, a group of
Ethiopians’ initiative
in an effort to convince
the Vatican and Pope
Benedict XVI to apologize
to Ethiopians as he has
done to the Jews in
Germany with respect to
the Holocaust committed by
the Nazis. As a matter of
fact, one of the members
of the Global Alliance for
Ethiopia, Ato Kidane
Alemayehu has written a
letter to the Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI (Vatican_Apology_to_Ethiopia.doc)
but to this day no answer
was given.
Ethiopia,
Egypt and Sudan Mull New
Probe Nile Dam Impact
By William Davison
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt
agreed to examine the
regional impact of a $4.2
billion dam being built on
a Nile river tributary in
Ethiopia after experts
said earlier studies were
inconclusive.
A meeting of water
ministers and delegates in
Sudan’s capital,
Khartoum, on Nov. 4 will
discuss conducting a new
study of the hydropower
project’s downstream
effect and more detailed
appraisals of its
environmental and social
impact, said Fekahmed
Negash, head of the
Ethiopian Water
Ministry’s Boundary and
Transboundary Rivers
Affairs Directorate.
Eritrea
teetering on the brink
By Chamara Sumanapala
With a coastline of 600
miles, Eritrea occupies an
important place in the Red
Sea. It even takes its
name from the Latin term
for Red Sea, Mare
Erythraeum. After a three
decade long war of
independence with
Ethiopia, Eritrea
overwhelmingly voted for
independence in April,
1993. After just over 20
years, some analysts fear
that Eritrea is on the
verge of collapse. Eritrea
is a nation of six million
people belonging to nine
officially recognized
ethnic groups. Roughly
half the population is
Sunni Muslim and the other
half belongs to several
Christian denominations.
Ethiopia
unveils telescope in first
phase of space programme
Source: AFP
Addis Ababa — Ethiopia
unveiled Friday the first
phase of a space
exploration programme,
which includes East
Africa's largest
observatory designed to
promote astronomy research
in the region.
"The optical
astronomical telescope is
mainly intended for
astronomy and astrophysics
observation
research," said
observatory director
Solomon Belay.
The observatory, which
will formally be opened on
Saturday, boasts two
telescopes, each one metre
(over three feet) wide, to
see "extra planets,
different types of stars,
the Milky Way, and deep
galaxies," Solomon
added.
Ethiopia
Gears Up To Emulate China,
Vietnam And South Korea In
Factory Output
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia --
From the outside, the
China-Africa Overseas
Leather Products tannery
looks eerily idle. Long
white buildings with
blue-tinted windows
surround a nearly empty
parking lot, and the
facility is so quiet you
can hear the fluttering of
the Chinese and Ethiopian
flags out front.
But inside the gate and
down past the office
buildings -- where many of
the Chinese employees work
and live -- is a
collection of massive
workshops, and there you
can hear the whirr of
machinery as animal hides
are soaked, threshed,
tanned, shaved, colored
and finished. About 450
Ethiopian workers are
there to move things
along.
Ethiopia,
Egypt Set to Start Talks
Over $4.3 Bln Dam Row
October 16, 2013 at 9:23am
*Addis Ababa, which is
fully funding the project,
has pledged to sell excess
power to Egypt.
By Nicholas Bariyo,
WSJ.com
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan
will hold discussions next
week over the impact of a
new $4.3 billion hydro
power plant along the
river Nile, which Egypt
fears will hurt water
supply to its 84 million
people. "The meeting
is scheduled to take
place...on Oct. 22, 2013
between officials of the
three countries," the
Ethiopian foreign ministry
said in a statement. The
meeting will be the first
since experts submitted
their recommendations on
the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam project
more than three months
ago. Egypt fears the 6,000
megawatt plant is likely
to hurt its water supply
when it comes on-stream
around 2017. Majority of
the Egyptian population is
centered near the Nile
valley and the desert
nation depends on the
river for around 95% of
its water.
Tower
In The Sky
Authored by Hiwot Teffera Addis Ababa University
Press, 2012
Reviewed by Ghelawdewos
Araia, PhD
October 17, 2013
Tower In The Sky wholly
and thoroughly examines
the struggles of the EPRP
in a very lucid and cogent
way, but not only in terms
of narrating the complex
Ethiopian politics of the
time and praising the
fallen heroes in due
course of the struggle,
but also in criticizing
the shortcomings and
failures of the Party.
Hiwot Teffera eloquently
captures in a dramatic
fashion EPRP’s
clandestine operations
from the outburst of the
Ethiopian Revolution in
1974 to her incarceration
and her release in 1986.
Is
the Horn of Africa facing
another collapsing state?
AljazeeraAljazeera –
Tue, Oct 15, 2013..
Is the Horn of Africa
facing another collapsing
state?
Is the Horn of Africa
facing another collapsing
state?
Just as the Horn of Africa
is witnessing the slow
restoration of one
collapsed state - after
more than two decades of
anarchic conditions in
Somalia - it may be facing
the collapse of another.
The small country of
Eritrea, only 20 years
after gaining independence
from Ethiopia, has emerged
as one of the largest
sources of refugees in
Africa - as well as one of
the most militarised
societies in the world. It
is increasingly displaying
signs of withering state
structures and an
unsustainable humanitarian
situation. The Eritrean
state has, since a 1998
border war with Ethiopia,
been caught in a negative
spiral of autocracy and
deteriorating conditions.
President Isaias Afewerki
- the only leader this
young nation has known -
used the threat posed by
Ethiopia as a pretext to
eliminate all domestic
opposition and
indefinitely defer
implementing the
constitution and holding
elections.
The
International Criminal
Court and African
Leaders’ Concern
IDEA Editorial
October 11, 2013
The precursor to the
International Criminal
Court (ICC) is the Paris
Peace Conference of 1919
that was called upon by
the Commission of
Responsibilities. The
Paris Conference
initiative to establish an
international tribunal,
however, did not gain
currency until the League
of Nations addressed the
issue again on November
1937, in which only
thirteen countries signed
but the idea of finding a
permanent international
tribunal was not ratified.
Nevertheless, the idea
persisted and this time it
was precipitated by the
Nuremberg Trials and the
Tokyo Tribunals presided
over by the Allied Forces
following WWII. By 1950,
the UN General Assembly
was poised to establish an
international tribunal,
but this initiative too
was circumvented by the
Cold War.
African
Union summit opens with
attack on ICC
By ANDUALEM SISAY in Addis
Ababa | Friday, October 11
Ethiopia’s Foreign
Affairs minister Tedros
Adhanom has condemned the
manner of trial of
Kenya’s President Uhuru
Kenyatta and his Deputy
William Ruto by
International Criminal
Court (ICC).
Mr Tedros said the demand
for the two to attend all
the court proceedings at
The Hague was a threat
against Kenya’s
sovereignty. “ICC’s
decision does not only
undermine the ability of
the Kenyan leaders in the
discharge of their
constitutional
responsibilities, but also
poses significant threats
against the country's
sovereignty,” said Mr
Tedros, in his address to
the African ministers
gathered in Addis Ababa
Friday.
Special
Report: The Darfur
conflict's deadly gold
rush
By Ulf Laessing
KHARTOUM | Tue Oct 8, 2013
8:17am EDT
(Reuters) - With its
scrubland, unpaved roads
and mud brick huts, the
Jebel Amer area in Darfur,
western Sudan, can look
like a poor and desolate
place. Under the ground,
though, lies something
sought by people
everywhere: gold. In the
past year or so the
precious metal has begun
to alter the nature of the
decade-old conflict in
Darfur, transforming it
from an ethnic and
political fight to one
that, at least in part, is
over precious metal.
Fighting between rival
tribes over the Jebel Amer
gold mine that stretches
for some 10 km (six miles)
beneath the sandy hills of
North Darfur has killed
more than 800 people and
displaced some 150,000
others since January. Arab
tribes, once heavily armed
by the government to
suppress insurgents, have
turned their guns on each
other to get their hands
on the mines. Rebel groups
that oppose the government
also want the metal.
Ethiopian
premier says Hague court
has 'double standards'
By Aaron Maasho and Edmund
Blair
ADDIS ABABA | Thu Oct 10,
2013 3:19pm EDT
(Reuters) - The
International Criminal
Court has shown
"double
standards" by
pursuing only Africans so
far and should defer
trials of Kenya's leaders
or take other steps so
they can fulfill their
elected offices,
Ethiopia's prime minister
said on Thursday.
Hailemariam Desalegn was
speaking before an African
Union summit in Addis
Ababa that will discuss
relations with the court
which has convicted only
one man, an African
warlord. The only others
charged are also Africans.
Paris-based
radio broke shipwreck news
to Eritreans
By AFP | Thursday, October
10 2013
When tragedy struck off
Italy's coast last week,
it was a Paris-based radio
station that broke the
news to Eritrea, home to a
majority of the 300-plus
men, women and children
feared dead in the
shipwreck. State media in
the tiny Horn of Africa
nation made no mention of
the Eritrean nationals who
perished last Thursday
near the southern island
of Lampedusa. Their boat
caught fire in the worst
recent migrant disaster in
the Mediterranean. That
came as no surprise from a
country where former rebel
leader turned president
Issaias Afeworki has ruled
with an iron fist for two
decades, prompting a
steady exodus of refugees.
The country ranked last
below North Korea in a
global survey on press
freedom by media watchdog
Reporters Without Borders
(RSF). According to the
United Nations, about
3,000 people flee Eritrea
every month.But for
staffers at Radio Erena,
an independent radio
station set up in 2009
with backing from RSF,
covering the tragedy was
"almost a personal
mission," said its
chief Biniam Simon.
Over
1 million Ethiopians
'graduate' from poverty
By ANDUALEM SISAY in Addis
Ababa | Wednesday, October
9
Over one million
Ethiopians were lifted out
of poverty within a year
from July 2012 to end of
June 2013 fiscal year,
said the government. The
development, explained the
State Minister of Finance
and Economic Development,
Dr Abraham Tekestea, was
due to the 9.7 per cent
economic growth the
country registered last
year. The minister was
briefing the media in his
office Wednesday about
Ethiopia's economic
performance during the
last fiscal year ended
July, 7, 2013. “As a
result of the 9.7 per cent
GDP growth rate we
registered last year, we
are able to lift over one
million people out of
poverty,” he said.
“Our growth is
broad-based and the GDP
growth we registered last
year is above the minimum
requirement to halve
poverty as indicated in
the Millennium Development
Goals. It is also above
the sub-Saharan GDP
growth,” added the
minister. He disclosed
that currently, Ethiopia's
GDP per capita had reached
$550 from $510 last year,
while the country’s GDP
was $47 billion.
Desta,
Asayehgn, Ph. D. Sarlo
Distinguished Professor of
Sustainable Economic
Development Abstract:
In
contrast to other
socialization agencies
such as the family, peer
groups, religious
institutions and the
tribal elders, and mass
media, there is no doubt
that schooling commands
nearly undivided attention
of students for long hours
over many years and
remains the most
controllable channel for
important cognitive and
affective political
socialization. During
Haile Selassie’s regime
(1930-1974) in Ethiopia,
in addition to regarding
education as one of the
major players for training
and the development of
human resources essential
for economic growth, the
overarching goal of public
schooling has been to
build national pride, a
strong common national
identity dominated by one
ethnic group, obedience to
rules and laws, and the
development of respect
espousing legitimacy for
government and the
political institution. In
keeping with the socialist
slogan pursued by the
Military Junta from
1974-1991, Ethiopian
schools, under the threat
of the gun, were assigned
to instill Ethiopian
nationalism in order to
create socialistic-minded
Ethiopians under their
authoritarian, military
rule. Galvanized
by the mass terror in
Ethiopia under the
leadership of the Derg,
eventually, the various
ethnic groups, preserved
through decades of
cultural persecution,
economic,....
An
amazing gala and a
colorful fundraising for
Tigrai Community event
that depicts Ethiopian
diversity was concluded
yesterday with the
presence of City of
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn
along with his wife Peg
Lynch, Deputy Mayor of
Community Darryl Smith,
the Honorable Ambassador
Zerihun Retta Counsul
General of Ethiopia at Los
Angeles, and other high
ranking officials from
City of Seattle. As he
ushered to the podium
accompanied by community
representative for the
event Abel Girmay and
Tigrai community chairman
Addisu Bahta the audience
was electrifying with
standing ovation.
Indeed Mayor Mike McGinn
is a true defender and
advocate of immigrant and
refugee communities in
Seattle.
Viewers
Open Wallets After 'World
News' Report on $11 Cure
That Lets Some Blind See
Erin McLaughlin More from
Erin »Oct. 3, 2013
An American doctor has
been overwhelmed with
donations from viewers who
want to give the gift of
sight to the millions in
the developing world who
live in darkness, after
ABC's "World
News" reported
Wednesday on the doctor's
efforts in Africa.
In fact, $139,186 was
donated in the first 24
hours after ABC News'
report, according to the
Himalayan Cataract
Project, enough to buy
12,653 lenses for patients
with cataract blindness.
"Thank you so much to
all the viewers. Your
donations mean thousands
more surgeries will now be
possible," said Job
Heintz, of the Himalayan
Cataract Project.
"Patients will
receive sight restoring
surgery thanks to your
story."
Ethiopia:
More Arrests in High
Profile Corruption Case
By Elleni Araya, 29
September 2013
Gebreselassie Hailemariam,
a.k.a Aleqa Gebreselassie
- owner of the COMET
Building in the Hayahulet
Mazoria area in Bole
District, and father of
Yemane Gebreselassie, who
owns the new Capital Hotel
& Spa on Haile
Gebreselassie Avenue- was
arrested three weeks ago,
in connection with the
current high profile
corruption crackdown on
the tax sector by the
Federal Ethics & Anti
Corruption Commission (FEACC).
He has already been
indicted and has joined
other high profile
officials in prison,
Fortune confirmed from
investigators. He joins
the ranks of other high
profile businessmen
arrested over the last
four months. It started
with Nega Gebregziabehere,
shareholder in Netsa
Trading Plc; Simachew
Kebede, part-owner of the
Intercontinental Hotel,
and Ketema Kebede,
shareholder in K.K Plc,
all of whom were arrested
in May.
Senait
Fisseha leads a new
initiative to train
Ethiopian doctors. Credit:
William Foreman
Brain drain is so severe
in Ethiopia that the
nation's health minister
has complained there are
more Ethiopian doctors in
Chicago than in his own
country. The good news is
that the East African
nation has one of the
world's fastest-growing
economies and is
recovering from the
nightmare decades of civil
war and famine. Tackling
the health care crisis is
high on the priority list
of the government, which
has opened 13 new medical
schools in the last two
years. But training the
doctors is still a huge
challenge. One physician
who is playing a key role
in Ethiopia's bold medical
initiative is Senait
Fisseha, an associate
professor of obstetrics
and gynecology at the
University of Michigan.
She's leading a U-M effort
to develop a postgraduate
training program for
doctors of obstetrics and
gynecology that is
fast-becoming a national
model for Ethiopia.
September
30, 2013 – The U.S.
Embassy in Addis Ababa is
please to share, below,
the Department of State
announcement for the 2015
Diversity Visa Program
(DV-2015). Ethiopia is an
eligible country for
DV-2015. DV-2015
applicants must submit
entries online to the
website address below.
There is no charge for
applications. Persons or
entities that represent
themselves as authorized
agents of the U.S.
Government and that charge
a fee to submit
applications or provide
other services are
fraudulent.
Eritrea:
Dozens of Eritrean
Mutineers Killed Says Army
Deserter
30 September 2013
Shire — An Eritrean
soldier who recently fled
to Ethiopia has alleged
that many of the dissident
soldiers who in January
laid siege at the ministry
of information building in
the capital Asmara have
been killed. Over 100
Eritrean dissident
soldiers on January 21,
2013 stormed and took
control of the ministry of
information in Asmara and
called for political
reform and a return to the
country's 1997
constitution. The day-long
mutiny ended after Special
Forces loyal to President
Isaias Afeorki surrounded
the building and the
mutineers agreed to
release hostages and to
peacefully return to their
base. The Eritrean army
deserter who refused to be
named for fear of reprisal
against his relatives back
in Asmera, said most of
the mutineers were
arrested days after their
failed mutineer.
"Ethiopia
is killing us," taxi
driver Ahmed Hossam said,
as he picked his way
through Cairo's
notoriously
traffic-clogged streets.
"If they build this
dam, there will be no
Nile. If there's no Nile,
then there's no
Egypt." Projects on
the scale of the $4.7
billion, 1.1-mile-long
(1.7-kilometer-long) Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
often encounter
impassioned resistance,
but few inspire the kind
of dread and fury with
which most Egyptians
regard plans to dam the
Blue Nile River.The dam is
now 20 percent built, and
on schedule to be
completed by 2017,
according to Ethiopian
officials. The Grand
Renaissance Dam, it seems,
is going to get built. But
what happens next depends
on how Egypt adjusts to
its changed circumstances.
"Egypt needs to wake
up to the new world,"
Verhoeven said. "This
doesn't need to be a
problem."
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan Mull New Probe Nile Dam Impact
By William Davison
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt agreed to examine the regional impact of a $4.2 billion dam being built on a Nile river tributary in Ethiopia after experts said earlier studies were inconclusive.
A meeting of water ministers and delegates in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, on Nov. 4 will discuss conducting a new study of the hydropower project’s downstream effect and more detailed appraisals of its environmental and social impact, said Fekahmed Negash, head of the Ethiopian Water Ministry’s Boundary and Transboundary Rivers Affairs Directorate.
Eritrea teetering on the brink
By Chamara Sumanapala
With a coastline of 600 miles, Eritrea occupies an important place in the Red Sea. It even takes its name from the Latin term for Red Sea, Mare Erythraeum. After a three decade long war of independence with Ethiopia, Eritrea overwhelmingly voted for independence in April, 1993. After just over 20 years, some analysts fear that Eritrea is on the verge of collapse. Eritrea is a nation of six million people belonging to nine officially recognized ethnic groups. Roughly half the population is Sunni Muslim and the other half belongs to several Christian denominations.
Ethiopia unveils telescope in first phase of space programme
Source: AFP
Addis Ababa — Ethiopia unveiled Friday the first phase of a space exploration programme, which includes East Africa's largest observatory designed to promote astronomy research in the region.
"The optical astronomical telescope is mainly intended for astronomy and astrophysics observation research," said observatory director Solomon Belay.
The observatory, which will formally be opened on Saturday, boasts two telescopes, each one metre (over three feet) wide, to see "extra planets, different types of stars, the Milky Way, and deep galaxies," Solomon added.
Ethiopia Gears Up To Emulate China, Vietnam And South Korea In Factory Output
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- From the outside, the China-Africa Overseas Leather Products tannery looks eerily idle. Long white buildings with blue-tinted windows surround a nearly empty parking lot, and the facility is so quiet you can hear the fluttering of the Chinese and Ethiopian flags out front.
But inside the gate and down past the office buildings -- where many of the Chinese employees work and live -- is a collection of massive workshops, and there you can hear the whirr of machinery as animal hides are soaked, threshed, tanned, shaved, colored and finished. About 450 Ethiopian workers are there to move things along.
Ethiopia, Egypt Set to Start Talks Over $4.3 Bln Dam Row
October 16, 2013 at 9:23am
*Addis Ababa, which is fully funding the project, has pledged to sell excess power to Egypt.
By Nicholas Bariyo, WSJ.com
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan will hold discussions next week over the impact of a new $4.3 billion hydro power plant along the river Nile, which Egypt fears will hurt water supply to its 84 million people.
"The meeting is scheduled to take place...on Oct. 22, 2013 between officials of the three countries," the Ethiopian foreign ministry said in a statement. The meeting will be the first since experts submitted their recommendations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project more than three months ago.
Egypt fears the 6,000 megawatt plant is likely to hurt its water supply when it comes on-stream around 2017. Majority of the Egyptian population is centered near the Nile valley and the desert nation depends on the river for around 95% of its water.
Tower In The Sky
Authored by Hiwot Teffera Addis Ababa University Press, 2012
Reviewed by Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD
October 17, 2013
Tower In The Sky wholly and thoroughly examines the struggles of the EPRP in a very lucid and cogent way, but not only in terms of narrating the complex Ethiopian politics of the time and praising the fallen heroes in due course of the struggle, but also in criticizing the shortcomings and failures of the Party. Hiwot Teffera eloquently captures in a dramatic fashion EPRP’s clandestine operations from the outburst of the Ethiopian Revolution in 1974 to her incarceration and her release in 1986.
Is the Horn of Africa facing another collapsing state?
AljazeeraAljazeera – Tue, Oct 15, 2013..
Is the Horn of Africa facing another collapsing state?
Is the Horn of Africa facing another collapsing state?
Just as the Horn of Africa is witnessing the slow restoration of one collapsed state - after more than two decades of anarchic conditions in Somalia - it may be facing the collapse of another.
The small country of Eritrea, only 20 years after gaining independence from Ethiopia, has emerged as one of the largest sources of refugees in Africa - as well as one of the most militarised societies in the world. It is increasingly displaying signs of withering state structures and an unsustainable humanitarian situation.
The Eritrean state has, since a 1998 border war with Ethiopia, been caught in a negative spiral of autocracy and deteriorating conditions. President Isaias Afewerki - the only leader this young nation has known - used the threat posed by Ethiopia as a pretext to eliminate all domestic opposition and indefinitely defer implementing the constitution and holding elections.
The International Criminal Court and African Leaders’ Concern
IDEA Editorial
October 11, 2013
The precursor to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 that was called upon by the Commission of Responsibilities. The Paris Conference initiative to establish an international tribunal, however, did not gain currency until the League of Nations addressed the issue again on November 1937, in which only thirteen countries signed but the idea of finding a permanent international tribunal was not ratified. Nevertheless, the idea persisted and this time it was precipitated by the Nuremberg Trials and the Tokyo Tribunals presided over by the Allied Forces following WWII. By 1950, the UN General Assembly was poised to establish an international tribunal, but this initiative too was circumvented by the Cold War.
African Union summit opens with attack on ICC
By ANDUALEM SISAY in Addis Ababa | Friday, October 11
Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs minister Tedros Adhanom has condemned the manner of trial of Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto by International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mr Tedros said the demand for the two to attend all the court proceedings at The Hague was a threat against Kenya’s sovereignty.
“ICC’s decision does not only undermine the ability of the Kenyan leaders in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities, but also poses significant threats against the country's sovereignty,”
said Mr Tedros, in his address to the African ministers gathered in Addis Ababa Friday.
Special Report: The Darfur conflict's deadly gold rush
By Ulf Laessing
KHARTOUM | Tue Oct 8, 2013 8:17am EDT
(Reuters) - With its scrubland, unpaved roads and mud brick huts, the Jebel Amer area in Darfur, western Sudan, can look like a poor and desolate place. Under the ground, though, lies something sought by people everywhere: gold.
In the past year or so the precious metal has begun to alter the nature of the decade-old conflict in Darfur, transforming it from an ethnic and political fight to one that, at least in part, is over precious metal.
Fighting between rival tribes over the Jebel Amer gold mine that stretches for some 10 km (six miles) beneath the sandy hills of North Darfur has killed more than 800 people and displaced some 150,000 others since January. Arab tribes, once heavily armed by the government to suppress insurgents, have turned their guns on each other to get their hands on the mines. Rebel groups that oppose the government also want the metal.
Ethiopian premier says Hague court has 'double standards'
By Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair
ADDIS ABABA | Thu Oct 10, 2013 3:19pm EDT
(Reuters) - The International Criminal Court has shown "double standards" by pursuing only Africans so far and should defer trials of Kenya's leaders or take other steps so they can fulfill their elected offices, Ethiopia's prime minister said on Thursday.
Hailemariam Desalegn was speaking before an African Union summit in Addis Ababa that will discuss relations with the court which has convicted only one man, an African warlord. The only others charged are also Africans.
Paris-based radio broke shipwreck news to Eritreans
By AFP | Thursday, October 10 2013
When tragedy struck off Italy's coast last week, it was a Paris-based radio station that broke the news to Eritrea, home to a majority of the 300-plus men, women and children feared dead in the shipwreck.
State media in the tiny Horn of Africa nation made no mention of the Eritrean nationals who perished last Thursday near the southern island of Lampedusa. Their boat caught fire in the worst recent migrant disaster in the Mediterranean.
That came as no surprise from a country where former rebel leader turned president Issaias Afeworki has ruled with an iron fist for two decades, prompting a steady exodus of
refugees. The country ranked last below North Korea in a global survey on press freedom by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to the United Nations, about 3,000 people flee Eritrea every month.But for staffers at Radio Erena, an independent radio station set up in 2009 with backing from RSF, covering the tragedy was "almost a personal mission," said its chief Biniam Simon.
Over 1 million Ethiopians 'graduate' from poverty
By ANDUALEM SISAY in Addis Ababa | Wednesday, October 9
Over one million Ethiopians were lifted out of poverty within a year from July 2012 to end of June 2013 fiscal year, said the government.
The development, explained the State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Abraham Tekestea, was due to the 9.7 per cent economic growth the country registered last year.
The minister was briefing the media in his office Wednesday about Ethiopia's economic performance during the last fiscal year ended July, 7, 2013.
“As a result of the 9.7 per cent GDP growth rate we registered last year, we are able to lift over one million people out of poverty,” he said.
“Our growth is broad-based and the GDP growth we registered last year is above the minimum requirement to halve poverty as indicated in the Millennium Development Goals. It is also above the sub-Saharan GDP growth,” added the minister.
He disclosed that currently, Ethiopia's GDP per capita had reached $550 from $510 last year, while the country’s GDP was $47 billion.
Desta, Asayehgn, Ph. D. Sarlo Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Economic Development Abstract:
In
contrast to other socialization agencies such as the family, peer groups,
religious institutions and the tribal elders, and mass media, there is no
doubt that schooling commands nearly undivided attention of students for
long hours over many years and remains the most controllable channel for
important cognitive and affective political socialization. During Haile
Selassie’s regime (1930-1974) in Ethiopia, in addition to regarding
education as one of the major players for training and the development of
human resources essential for economic growth, the overarching goal of
public schooling has been to build national pride, a strong common
national identity dominated by one ethnic group, obedience to rules and
laws, and the development of respect espousing legitimacy for government
and the political institution. In
keeping with the socialist slogan pursued by the Military Junta from
1974-1991, Ethiopian schools, under the threat of the gun, were assigned
to instill Ethiopian nationalism in order to create socialistic-minded
Ethiopians under their authoritarian, military rule. Galvanized
by the mass terror in Ethiopia under the leadership of the Derg,
eventually, the various ethnic groups, preserved through decades of
cultural persecution, economic,....
An
amazing gala and a colorful fundraising for Tigrai Community event that
depicts Ethiopian diversity was concluded yesterday with the presence of
City of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn along with his wife Peg Lynch, Deputy
Mayor of Community Darryl Smith, the Honorable Ambassador Zerihun Retta
Counsul General of Ethiopia at Los Angeles, and other high ranking
officials from City of Seattle. As he ushered to the podium accompanied by
community representative for the event Abel Girmay and Tigrai community
chairman Addisu Bahta the audience was electrifying with standing ovation.
Indeed Mayor Mike McGinn is a true defender and advocate of immigrant and
refugee communities in Seattle.
Viewers Open Wallets After 'World News' Report on $11 Cure That Lets Some Blind See
Erin McLaughlin More from Erin »Oct. 3, 2013
An American doctor has been overwhelmed with donations from viewers who want to give the gift of sight to the millions in the developing world who live in darkness, after ABC's "World News" reported Wednesday on the doctor's efforts in Africa.
In fact, $139,186 was donated in the first 24 hours after ABC News' report, according to the Himalayan Cataract Project, enough to buy 12,653 lenses for patients with cataract blindness.
"Thank you so much to all the viewers. Your donations mean thousands more surgeries will now be possible," said Job Heintz, of the Himalayan Cataract Project. "Patients will receive sight restoring surgery thanks to your story."
Ethiopia: More Arrests in High Profile Corruption Case
By Elleni Araya, 29 September 2013
Gebreselassie Hailemariam, a.k.a Aleqa Gebreselassie - owner of the COMET Building in the Hayahulet Mazoria area in Bole District, and father of Yemane Gebreselassie, who owns the new Capital Hotel & Spa on Haile Gebreselassie Avenue- was arrested three weeks ago, in connection with the current high profile corruption crackdown on the tax sector by the Federal Ethics & Anti Corruption Commission (FEACC). He has already been indicted and has joined other high profile officials in prison, Fortune confirmed from investigators.
He joins the ranks of other high profile businessmen arrested over the last four months. It started with Nega Gebregziabehere, shareholder in Netsa Trading Plc; Simachew Kebede, part-owner of the Intercontinental Hotel, and Ketema Kebede, shareholder in K.K Plc, all of whom were arrested in May.
Senait
Fisseha leads a new initiative to train Ethiopian doctors. Credit: William
Foreman
Brain drain is so severe in Ethiopia that the nation's health minister has complained there are more Ethiopian doctors in Chicago than in his own country.
The good news is that the East African nation has one of the world's fastest-growing economies and is recovering from the nightmare decades of civil war and famine. Tackling the health care crisis is high on the priority list of the government, which has opened 13 new medical schools in the last two years. But training the doctors is still a huge
challenge. One physician who is playing a key role in Ethiopia's bold medical initiative is Senait Fisseha, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan. She's leading a U-M effort to develop a postgraduate training program for doctors of obstetrics and gynecology that is fast-becoming a national model for Ethiopia.
September
30, 2013 – The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is please to share, below,
the Department of State announcement for the 2015 Diversity Visa Program
(DV-2015). Ethiopia is an eligible country for DV-2015. DV-2015 applicants
must submit entries online to the website address below. There is no
charge for applications. Persons or entities that represent themselves as
authorized agents of the U.S. Government and that charge a fee to submit
applications or provide other services are fraudulent.
Eritrea: Dozens of Eritrean Mutineers Killed Says Army Deserter
30 September 2013
Shire — An Eritrean soldier who recently fled to Ethiopia has alleged that many of the dissident soldiers who in January laid siege at the ministry of information building in the capital Asmara have been killed.
Over 100 Eritrean dissident soldiers on January 21, 2013 stormed and took control of the ministry of information in Asmara and called for political reform and a return to the country's 1997 constitution.
The day-long mutiny ended after Special Forces loyal to President Isaias Afeorki surrounded the building and the mutineers agreed to release hostages and to peacefully return to their base.
The Eritrean army deserter who refused to be named for fear of reprisal against his relatives back in Asmera, said most of the mutineers were arrested days after their failed mutineer.
The persistent foreign
meddling, greed of Ethiopian leaders, personal ambitions of very
many Ethiopian political opposition members, and all forms of past
and present idiosyncratic political structures did force Ethiopia
into a spiraling cycle of instability. The politics of division
and personal ambitions of individuals have set the political
agenda of our time; however, in reality our system is as old as
the centuries old process that has gone into the making of modern
Ethiopia. This kind of process has been with us for a century.
Leaders can make a profound difference in shaping the destiny of a
nation and a people. In light of this, different scholars and
historians advance their views to deal with the age-old scourge of
war, and the betrayal and deception of the ruling elites of
Ethiopia. In general, the Ethiopian situation is a picture of
strife and turmoil, political instability, and social
deterioration.
Note:
The Egyptian Air Force is the 4th largest F-16 operator in the world, mustering about 195 F-16s of 220 ordered. Their overall fighter fleet is a mix of high-end F-16s and Mirage 2000s, low-end Chinese F-7s (MiG-21 copy) bought from the Chinese, a few F-4 Phantom II jets, and upgraded but very aged Soviet MiG-21s and French Mirage 5s
Mr. Girmay Aregawi is a highly gifted author, song writer, poet, and journalist who lives and work in the greater city of
Mekelle, Tigray Ethiopia. He published several notable books that had been recognized and utilized by many colleges and universities. He is very creative and unpretentious writer and person. He is also the owner and editor of the website
www.felhitube.com
based in Tigray, Ethiopia.
For Interpretation Services of Ethiopian Languages
(Tigrinya, Amharic) please contact the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) by calling 203-747-2763 or writing via
webmaster@africanidea.org
Book Launching and Discussion on Contemporary Ethiopia
The
Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) is proud to
announce the launching of Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia’s book, Ethiopia:
Democracy, Devolution ofPower, and The Developmental State
in Washington DC on June 28, 2014.
IDEA
encourages all Ethiopians and scholars on Ethiopia in the Washington DC
Metro Area to join the fascinating discussion on contemporary Ethiopia.
Professor Haile Gerima will introduce the book signing ceremony and Dr.
Araia will engage the audience in a lively and interactive intellectual
discussion.
Venue:
Sanfoka Video and Books, 2714 Georgia Ave, Washington DC 20001
In memoriam
Professor Jemal Abdulkadir
Elias S Siraj, Ahmed Reja, and Solomon Tesfaye
On Saturday August 24th, 2013, the world diabetes community lost Professor Jemal Abdulkadir, a pioneer
of diabetes care in his native country, Ethiopia and theAfrican continent.
Socialist wins seat on Seattle city council
November 16, 2013
Seattle voters have elected a socialist to city council for the first time in modern history. Kshama Sawant, a member of the populist Occupy Seattle movement, ran on a platform of raising Washington State’s minimum wage to $15 and levying a “millionaire tax” to pay for mass transit and public education.
It was devastating news on Wednesday, October 10, 2013, to learn that Ato Bekele Berhane, an alumni and one of the original founders of the Queen Sheba School, Adwa, Tigrai, Ethiopia, has passed away, surrounded by his brothers, sisters, children, and a number of friends.
Atse
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia crowned January 12 Born
the son of Mercha the Shum of Tembien and his wife Woizero Silass Dimtsu (Amata
Selassie) of Enderta, Dejazmatch Kassai could claim Solomonic
blood through the line of his paternal grandmother
Queen Sheba Schools
Alumni Association and Friends - International is holding a fundraising
event in Dallas Chapter
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In the first of a three-part series, Fasil Amdetsion looks at the evolution of Italy’s relationship with its former colonies in the Horn of Africa.
Earlier this year, Italy hosted the first ever Italy-Africa Ministerial Conference in Rome. Held at the cavernous travertine-laden Farnesina headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was attended by high-level delegations from over 40 African countries.
In his closing remarks, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi underscored his intention of broadening political and economic ties with the African continent, by voicing his hope for a “future in which Africa is seen not as the greatest threat—as some demagogues would have it—but as the greatest
opportunity." The conference, which is intended to be a biennial affair, and Renzi’s visits to sub-Saharan Africa (the first ever by a sitting Italian premier) reflect the Italian government’s commitment to reinvigorating the relationship.
Geneva - The United Nations rights council on Friday called on the African Union to investigate Eritrean leaders over alleged crimes against humanity after a damning report by a UN commission.
April 2014
Ethiopian
Observer editorial: January 25, 2016
Ethiopian Airlines dispatched its first-ever flight operated by a crew that is all female to Bangkok on Thursday.
Women filled every role on the flight from the pilots and cabin crew to in flight ramp operations as well as flight dispatchers on ground, the company revealed in a press release.
His Excellency Leul Ras Mengesha Seyoum shares the legacy of his families and administration. He shades some light on first Weyane, Italian occupation, Badme, and his administration. 
Ethiopia is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in the world today, a far cry from 30 years ago when the East African country was hit by a severe famine. But how much has changed since the famine.
Every so often, a speaker at a conference says something provocative or simply voices an opinion that sparks discussions long after the event. At African conferences, brusque comments by Nigerian officials used to dominate conversations. Not anymore.
Ethiopians have usurped the role. And there are good reasons to support the Ethiopians' new assertiveness: they run one of the world's fastest growing economies; they have done a good job in meeting the Millennium Development Goals; they are building what will soon be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam; their national airline dominates the continent's skies; they have achieved an admirable level of political stability in one of the region's roughest
neighborhoods, and their capital Addis Ababa, whose skyline is dotted with construction cranes, is the continent's diplomatic capital, thanks to the presence of the African Union's headquarters.
San Francisco (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will in late July become the first sitting American leader to visit Ethiopia and the headquarters of the African Union, the White House said Friday.
Ethiopians have been voting for a new parliament in the first election since the death of long-serving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in 2012.
The outgoing parliament has only one opposition MP. Mr Zenawi's successor Hailemariam Desalegn is expected to hold on to power.
Mogous Abay
WASHINGTON
— President Obama nominated Gayle Smith, a senior White House official, on Thursday to be the next administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, administration officials said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Smith, a longtime development and Africa specialist in the Clinton and Obama administrations, would succeed Dr. Rajiv Shah, who left the agency in February after five years on the job.
Ms. Smith, 59, who is well-known in Washington development circles, would be responsible for leading the government’s response to humanitarian disasters like the earthquake in Nepal, the refugee crisis in Syria and the receding Ebola epidemic in West Africa, as well as managing the agency’s $20 billion budget.Ms. Smith spent 20 years in Africa — Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya — first as a freelance journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation, Reuters, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe, and then with nongovernmental groups. She is a co-founder of the Enough Project to end genocide.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)
— Many in Ethiopia are reeling from the news that several Ethiopians were killed in Libya by the Islamic State group, which over the weekend released a video purporting to show the
killings. The killings, which have shocked many in the predominantly Christian country, were condemned by Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
FORTUNE: The Private Health Sector Program (PHSP) in which you are involved aims to optimise, regulate and cement partnership with the public sector for sustainable universal access. But how is it possible for the Program to achieve these, as the two sectors have been mired in misgivings and complaints against one another?
Tesfaye G. Kidan: I would say that the basis for any progress, be it among people or groups, is creating common ground. Thus, there has to be an atmosphere of understanding.
Born
the son of Mercha the Shum of Tembien and his wife Woizero Silass Dimtsu (Amata
Selassie) of Enderta, Dejazmatch Kassai could claim 
Vertical
Ethiopia: Climbing Toward Possibility in the Horn of Africa