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We have met the enemy
We’ve met the enemy and he is us. By Yilma Bekele ‘…. he was feared far beyond his might and respected far beyond his support, both which in the end proved meager. … would play one official off of another, promoting sons above their fathers, pitting the members of too-powerful families or clans or unions [...]
Hegemony: Potential for war between Ethiopia & Eritrea
By Robele Ababya The writing is mainly in response to Ethiomedia Editor’s question: “Will Eritrea and Ethiopia go back to war over the ‘volcano attack’? If yes, what do we have to do to stop the return to the 1998-2000 carnage?” posted on 26/01/12. Internecine war of 1998 -2000 The root cause of the ugly [...]
Illegal PDF of Mengistu Haile Mariam’s Memoir
By Prof. Donal Levine–The leaders in the EPRP organization who authorized the scanning and posting of the book published by Tsehai Publishers on debteraw.com committed an act that was illegal, unethical, and imprudent. To my mind, that marks it as “un-Ethiopian. ”As I have come to know Ethiopians in many traditions and walks of life, at first hand and through the reports of numerous scholars, I find them essentially law-respecting, ethical, and prudent human beings. Whether it is in observing the laws enacted by an Oromo gumi gayo assembly, a Sidamo town meeting, or Tigrayan court of justice, Ethiopians traditionally express a strong sense of devotion to validly formulated laws and judicial pronouncement
Open letter to President Barack Obama
The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America The White House Washington, D. C. Mister President Ethiopia is deemed to be an ‘important regional security partner’ by the US government and is one of the largest recipients of US aid – over $1 billion a year since 2007. According to Human Right [...]
Ethiopia: Another instance of dysfunction
By Sam Juliano This past week saw a strange and somewhat comical scenario play out in one of the world’s preeminent track powers. Ethiopia, somewhat reeling from a disappointing team performance at the World Championships in Daegu, suspended indefinitely 35 of its finest athletes for not showing at a scheduled training camp. The suspension included [...]
Resettlement debate highlights Ethiopia’s rights problem
By William Davidson (AfricaArguments) Human Rights Watch released its latest highly critical report on Ethiopia last week, claiming abuse and coercion in a resettlement program. While Ethiopia’s government detests the interventions of foreign rights groups, a restrictive law means there are virtually no domestic monitors of abuses. ‘Waiting Here for Death’ screamed the headline of [...]
EFJA calls for concerted global effort to stop abuses
Press release The Ethiopian Free Press Association (EFJA) strongly condemns the use of Ethiopia’s controversial anti-terrorism law to persecute, muzzle and silence critics and journalists. EFJA also calls upon press freedom advocates, human rights organizations and freedom-loving individuals around the world to make concerted international efforts to stop widespread violations of human rights that are [...]
Homeless at home
By Yilma Bekele That is not the worst that has happened to my beloved cousin but that is good enough point to start this tragic saga. I know you are the perfect people I can share this sad story with. I can picture you my dear Ethiopian cousins, upon reading the headline you will bow [...]
The new way of thinking about redistribution
By Geletaw Zeleke For my discussion of the concept of Redistribution I thought it would be good to look at the formation of the word itself first. The term redistribution made of the dependent morpheme re- prefixed to the normative form of the word to distribute. The prefix re- telling of the repetition of the [...]
ክቡር ጠ/ሚኒስትር ፊስቡክ ላይ አድ አርጉኝ! (አቤ ቶኪቻ)
For PDF version click here አቤ ቶኪቻው abeto2007@yahoo.com ውድ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር… ብዬ ልጀምር ነበር “ዶሮን ሲያታልሏት በመጫኛ ጣሏት!” ሲሉኝ ታየኝና ተውኩት። አቤ ቶኪቻው ቆይ እስቲ ወዳጄ መጀመሪያ ከእርስዎ ጋር ሰላምታ እንለዋወጥ። እርስዎ ኖት ቀሪ ሃብቴ…! እንዴት አሉልኝ…? ጤናዎ አማን ነው? ግራ ቀኙ ሁሉ ሰላም ውሎ አድሯል? ጎሽ እንዲህ ነው እንጂ የጨዋ መልስ! እርሱ ጠባቂው ለወደፊቱም [...]
USAID supports land grab in Ethiopia (Petition)
Target: President Barack Obama and Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator Sponsored by: The Oakland Institute & Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) Sign Petition Ethiopia, which is deemed an “important regional security partner” by the US government and one of the largest recipients of US aid (over $1 billion a year since 2007), is [...]
Ethiopians in Atlanta to hold ESAT fundraiser
ESAT Atlanta to hold grand fundraiser on February 4, 2012 (Listen)
Ethiopia: Terrorism verdict quashes free speech
(Nairobi) – The Ethiopian Federal High Court on January 19, 2012, convicted three Ethiopian journalists, an opposition leader, and a fifth person under an anti-terrorism law that violates free expression and due process rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The Ethiopian government should immediately drop the case, release the defendants, and investigate their allegations of torture in detention.
Schadomsky and complaints of self-censorship at DW
By Tesfay Atsbeha I wrote an article under the title: “Forced indoctrination” in August 2011 and sent it to several Ethiopian websites. I made the following remark in relation to Mr. Ludger Schadomsky on the last page of the article: “It is unbelievable that some individuals even in the Voice of America and the Deutsche [...]
Ethiopia: Middle Passage to the Middle East
Alemayehu G. Mariam From the International Slave Trade to the International Maid Trade In the days of the Atlantic slave trade, the Middle Passage was the journey of slave trading ships from the west coast of Africa to the New World. Portuguese, British, French, Spanish, Dutch and other slave traders maintained outposts along the African [...]
Standing with Ethiopia’s tenacious blogger, Eskinder Nega
By Jason McLure (CPJ Guest Blogger) It would be hard to find a better symbol of media repression in Africa than Eskinder Nega. The veteran Ethiopian journalist and dissident blogger has been detained at least seven times by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government over the past two decades, and was put back in jail on September 14, 2011, after he published a column calling for the government to respect freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and to end torture in prisons. Eskinder now faces terrorism charges, and if convicted could face the death sentence. He’s not alone: Ethiopia currently has seven journalists behind bars. More journalists have fled Ethiopia over the past decade than any other country in the world, according to CPJ.
OLF and Ethiopian sovereignty
By Zerihun Abebe Recently there is a growing debate within OLF regarding its stand on the question of a democratic Ethiopian unity and there seem to be a revitalization of the question of ethno-nationalism and Ethiopian sovereignty among the Diaspora. There are now a group of individuals who officially identified themselves and recognized by others [...]
The integrity of public writing
By Ephrem Madebo The recent land mark program change decision by one of the OLF factions has created a political wave that rocked political actors, civic society leaders and everyday Ethiopians from San Francesco to London, from Norway to Down Under and in all localities of Ethiopia. As important and as bold the decision was, [...]
A tale of two Swedish journalists
By Hindessa Abdul On July 1, 2011 freelance journalist Johan Persson and photo journalist Martin Schibbye were detained in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. There are two versions as to why the Swedes were in the area. The first one, according to The Local, a Swedish online news journal, was to “report on the conflict [...]
Abusive old OLF leaders short of new ideas
By Robele Ababya, 11 January 2012 The new OLF’s reversal of its secession policy has no doubt sent a shockwave in the camp of Old OLF’s faction linked to the pariah dictator of Eritrea supporting the terrorist Al Shabab. The outpouring support to the new OLF has eclipsed the cry in the wilderness of the [...]
Why ethnic-federalism deters development
Aklog Birara, PhD “Hunger is actually the worst of all weapons of mass destruction, claiming millions of victims every year. Fighting hunger and poverty and promoting development are the truly sustainable way to achieve world peace. There will be no peace without development, and there will be neither peace nor development without justice.” Brazilian President [...]
The tell-tale signs of a falling ‘empire’
By Yohanes Berhe Empires don’t just fall suddenly, it’s a gradual process. A classic example is the “The fall of Roman Empire”, where the phrase itself become part of the conventional parlance to denote the occurrence of such event. The Romans did not wake up one day to find their Empire gone. Notwithstanding the ongoing [...]
OLF and Ethiopia
By Yilma Bekele The news that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has decided to struggle for freedom in consort with all Democratic forces in Ethiopia is the best Christmas present the Ethiopian people gave themselves. There is no question we are entering a new chapter in our struggle to be free like any other human [...]
Meles Zenawi and the “Republic of Tigray”
Amanuel Biedemariam On a recent interview with ESAT, former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Herman Cohen made some startling revelations regarding matters that influenced the history of the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia. While I am not a fan of the Ambassador and cognizant of the negative roles he played on [...]
The ‘new’ OLF program: much ado about nothing
by Jawar Mohammed Earlier this week, one of the several OLF factions announced that it had adapted a new political program that apparently drops the ‘secessionist’ agenda. This announcement was preceded and followed by hyped fanfare by Ginbot 7 and its affiliates. The news had excited a segment of Ethiopia’s political community long haunted by [...]
Meles’ shame and the dead-end of hatred
By Messay Kebede (PhD) Meles Zenawi’s blatant hatred of Ethiopia is a puzzle that Ethiopian intellectual circles have in vain tried to decipher. While some propose the suggestion that the hatred betrays his commitment to his Eritrean side, others consider it as an expression of his ethnic racism. Still others remain baffled, unable as they [...]
OLF’s bold move to reverse secession
By Robele Ababya It was like I was hit by a thunderbolt when I heard the long yearned news that the OLF has reversed and discarded its secessionist policy at last affirming its commitment to the unity of Ethiopia and vowing to fully participate in coordinated struggles to stem tyranny in Ethiopia. I was numb [...]
Bereket Simon writes a book?
By Yilma Bekele Did you see what was coming out of North Korea this week? Someone referred to it as the ‘world’s largest display of uncontrollable grief.’ Kim Jung un ‘the Brilliant Comrade’ succeeded his father Kim Jung il ‘the Dear Leader’ who took over from his Grand Father the ‘Great Leader.’ The Korean people [...]
G7, OLF and EPRDF in 2012
By Yared Ayicheh, January 2, 2012 Ethiopia’s politics is hungry for result, for that matter, any result, from anyone, from Satan or God. But we want result. At least I know I want result, not talk, I want to see the political stalemate to end. But deep inside I know that is out of desperateness [...]
Ethiopians can indeed unite…
Ethiopians Can Indeed Unite if they are Willing, Part Six (d) of six Aklog Birara, PhD The December 28, 2011, video on “Ethiopian domestic workers in the Middle East” represents the ugly and inhumane face of uncaring, callous and debilitating governance in Ethiopia today. The voice of the young woman whose cries and pleas moved [...]
An “African Spring” in 2012?
Alemayehu G Mariam Waiting for the Dawn of “Africa’s Spring” in 2012? How about an “EthiopianTsedey” in 2012? In 2011, we witnessed the “Winter of Arab” discontent made glorious by an “Arab Spring” followed by an increasingly hot “Arab Summer” and deeply troubled “Arab Fall”. Bashir al-Assad continues to massacre his people by the dozens [...]
USCIS and alleged fraud of exporting Ethiopian children
Yosef Yacob, PhD, LLM, JD The processing of petitions filed by United States citizens for adoption of children from Ethiopia continues to raise serious legal and ethical concerns. [How Ethiopia's Adoption Industry Dupes Families and Bullies Activists.] In an earlier commentary, I sought to highlight the potential national security implications incident to the apparent failure [...]
Loving Ethiopia to death – the teacher
By Yilma Bekele The last few months I have been inflicted with a Herman Cain (HC) moment. You remember his interview with a newspaper publisher and when asked his opinion regarding President Obama’s policy on the uprising in Libya? My good old friend was completely stumped. After crossing his legs, shifting in his seat, clapping [...]
Ethiopians Can Indeed Unite
Ethiopians Can Indeed Unite if they are Willing, Part Six (c) of Six Aklog Birara, PhD In my capacity as the World Bank Group’s first and only Senior Advisor on Racial Equality (SARE), I had the privilege of representing this multilateral agency in numerous forums around the globe. The issue at hand was racial, gender, [...]
Ethiopia: 2011 in the Republic of Corruptistan
Alemayehu G. Mariam In December 2008, I wrote a weekly column entitled “Groundhog Year in Prison Nation” summarizing some of my weekly columns for that year. I used the “groundhog” metaphor from a popular motion picture in which a hapless television weatherman is trapped in a time warp and finds himself reliving the same day [...]
Operation ‘bulk coffee’ busted
By Wondwossen Mezlekia December 20, 2011 Last month, coffee buyers across the globe had a rare glimpse into Ethiopians’ day to day experience, where haphazard policymaking is used by the government to interfere in and control people’s business whenever it feels like it. A new directive requiring the shipment of coffee in bulk container (a [...]
Evolution of Dictatorship: Contrasting Burma with Ethiopia
Messay Kebede Since the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the iconic leader of the opposition to the military rule, Burma’s (Myanmar) political evolution has become an important discussion topic for political observers and analysts. Detecting a promising shift toward democratic opening, Hillary Clinton recently visited Burma and held talks with political leaders. The hope [...]
Ethiopia: Land of blood or land of corruption?
Alemayehu G Mariam–Lately, the portrait of Ethiopia painted in the reports of Transparency International (Corruption Index) and Global Financial Integrity shows a “Land of Corruption”. That contrasts with an equally revolting portrait of Ethiopia painted in a recent broadcast of a fear-mongering three-part propaganda programentitled “Akeldama” (or Land of Blood) on state-owned television.
Ethiopians can indeed unite…
Ethiopians Can Indeed Unite if they are Willing Part Six (b) of Six—continuation Aklog Birara, PhD In Part Six (a), I offered a set of suggestions about our individual and group behaviors that must change in order to advance the human condition in Ethiopia. The tendency of my own generation to see issues in “black [...]
A climate of corruption, Ethiopian edition
By Janice Winter (Daily Maverick) COP17 is being hailed as “groundbreaking” as a deal was agreed after 14 days of difficult and, at times, deadlocked talks. One of the most contentious issues for Africa was the Green Climate Fund, which will go ahead despite anger at the overall failure of developed countries to commit investments. [...]
Thank you Amnesty, says Birtukan
Ahmar Mustikhan’s note: I first heard heard her name at Busboys & Poets at an event three years ago that was organized by the Amnesty International DC volunteers, a group of young Americans in the nation’s capital dedicated to making a difference in the world. Since then I made it a point to ask any [...]
Girma Birru, the dam, and the capital outflow
By Teferi Mengistie In a recent meeting held in Dallas, the soft spoken, Ambassador Girma Birru has tried his best to explain the rationale behind building the much heralded Renaissance Dam. I happen to have a chance to hear what he said in that fund raising night. In his narration, he stretched the timeline to [...]
“Akeldam” can’t eclipse demand for justice
The people’s demand for democracy and justice cannot be eclipsed by the “Akeldama” drama A press statement issued by Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) Despite the fact that the people of Ethiopia have, for over four decades, waged a struggle that required precious sacrifices, they have not been able to establish a democratic system [...]
Ethiopians can indeed unite
Aklog Birara, PhD ( Six (a) of Six) The road ahead calls for sea changes in mindset I should like to set the framework for the set of specific suggestions promised in Part Five (b) of Six. Unity does not occur by chance. It takes commitment, hard work, a sense of belonging; and cooperation from [...]
Swedish journalists expect verdict
By Peter Heinlein (VOA) The trial of two Swedish journalists charged with supporting terrorism in Ethiopia has ended with a discussion of the role of reporters in conflict zones. The defense wrapped up its case by calling two veteran foreign correspondents as witnesses. A three-judge Ethiopian federal court panel is to hand down a verdict [...]
The fallacy of identity politics
By Yohannes Berhe Reason over emotion A favourite motto of mine, by the late Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, is “Reason over Passion / La raison avant la passion”. Among his many initiatives as Prime Minster, the charismatic Trudeau was particularly known for leading the fight against the separatist movement in the province of [...]
Famine of morality and superfluity of hypocrisy
Belayneh Abate I have never witnessed universal peace although one of the current ill-famed and self- acclaimed patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido church claims on his official stamp that he is the honorary president of the world religious peace. As a result, I have been searching to find out parameters that could guide me [...]
I am Eskinder Nega
By Anonymous I am one of the many voices of Eskinder Nega…. Eskinder is now in the infamous Maekelawi prison but he lives within all of us. He had baptized us all to become his followers with the incessant truth that was oozing consistently out of his pen. Eskinder is now a free man who [...]
Why Ethiopians must unite (Aklog Birara)
Part Five (b) of Six Aklog Birara, PhD In Part Five (a) of this series, I presented what I believe is a compelling case why the current political and socioeconomic system is inimical to the vast majority of the Ethiopian people. Among other things, the system has literally disempowered and disenfranchised them. It arrests, jails [...]
TPLF and the unbalanced growth strategy
By Geletaw Zeleke To help boost the economies of low income countries a development strategy named unbalanced growth theory was introduced by development theorists. With the use of this strategy select economic zones grow at rapid rates, while other economic zones experience stagnation or reduced growth as a result. The objective of this strategy is [...]
The Eruption of a revolution: A time bomb ticking
by Kiflu Hussain, Kampala The Arab world is not yet done with the Arab Spring. While the Egyptians and Yemenians have refused to give no quarter to their respective military dictators, the people of Bahrain whom I thought chickened out are showing us that they have only made a tactical retreat. Once again, they came [...]
Are we condemned to repeat history?
By Yohannes Berhe Close to a half decade now the Ethiopian people have been caught consistently off guard by the wind of change blowing across the nation purporting to establish a new political and social order. The 1960 coup attempt of Brigadier-General Mengistu Neway and his younger brother Girmame Newaye was one of the early [...]
Intervene and deny strategy in Somalia
By Keffyalew Gebremedhin Why deny what the obvious, perhaps a necessary evil? As a matter of habit, Ethiopia is in denial again about dispatching a sizable force across into Somalia nearly a week ago. This is not the first time Ethiopia has been equivocal about such actions. For instance, in November 2006 it did exactly [...]
The November Massacre and the voice of martyrs
By Kirubeal Bekele This is November. November is martyrs month. It belongs to them. November is another name for our Martyrs. This was the month in 2005 when 200 innocent sons and daughters of Ethiopia were massacred on the streets of Addis Abeba. Their innocent heads busted. Their bodies mutilated. Lying on the streets on [...]
Why Ethiopians Must Unite (Aklog Birara)
Aklog Birara, PhD “Give a man a fish and he will eat it for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a life time.” Confucius In the previous five commentaries, I provided compelling evidence that Ethiopia’s governance is repressive, exclusionary, discriminatory and essentially rent-seeking. The system reinforces itself and keeps [...]
Ethiopian Patriot Yenesew Gebre: Give me Liberty or Give me Death!
By Alemayehu G. Mariam–On 11/11/11, Yenesew Gebre, a 29 year-old Ethiopian school teacher and human rights activist set himself ablaze outside a public meeting hall in the town of Tarcha located in Dawro Zone in Southern Ethiopia. He died three days later from his injuries.
Yenesew paid epic price for freedom in Ethiopia
By Robele Ababya Gratitude to the priceless sacrifice of Yenesew Yenesew Gabre torched himself and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the universally immutable values of freedom, liberty, equality, democracy, social justice, pursuit of happiness for every individual living in a compassionate and caring society governed by the law of the people made by the people [...]
I am another Eskinder Nega
Anonymous From the confines of the dark dungeon in the Kaliti Prison where he is caged, I hear Eskindir’s voice, the whisper of his moving spirit and see the light it emits across Ethiopia and beyond. That must be why, like the millions of my fellow Ethiopians, I have become him, the freedom fighter – [...]
Yenesew’s self-immolation: The ultimate call for justice
By Jawar Mohammed–The self-immolation of Ethiopian high school teacher, Yenesew Gebre, 29, signals a clear message to Ethiopian leaders and their international supporters. In Ethiopian politics, practically everything is contested, a contest that has often taken an ugly face leading to arrests, tortures and disappearances of dissidents.
Love Ethiopia, Fear Its Government
By Temesgen Zewdie It is certainly pleasing to belong to a nation of people known for their hospitality, communal life of sharing and caring, refined social mores, compassionate to faults and longest surviving civilization in the world. With greater initiative and modern marketing, Ethiopia could have been the most preferred tourist destination of Africa, not [...]
Ethiopia: Terrorism and journalists
By Hindessa Abdul The Ethiopian Federal High Court was busy this past week looking into the case of scores of terror suspects that were paraded before them. Unfortunately dozens of them are still at large, but nonetheless tried in absentia. Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs will be a little busy over the next couple of [...]
Tribute to heroic victims of Zenawi’s terrorism
By Robele Ababya Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains – Jean-Jacques Rousseau Agonizing news of torture We have heard the gruesome news that our heroes leading peaceful struggle have been brought in chains to the Kangaroo Court in Addis Ababa. Zenawi controls all pillars of democracy as well as the armed [...]
“Freedom of expression has shrunk”
By Keffyalew Gebremedhin Finland’s Minister of International Development Heidi Hautala visited Ethiopia for four days from 23 October to see for herself what difference Finnish aid has made to Ethiopians. It was clear from her engagements with Ethiopian officials and from her public statement where she stands on policy:”In [the] cooperation between Ethiopia and Finland, [...]
I am Andualem Aragie
I am Andualem Aragie. I am Eskinder Nega’s brother in the struggle for democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia. We are both political prisoners inside Meles Zenawi’s Maekelawi Prison. I have many brothers and sisters in this prison. Debebe Eshetu, the great stage and film actor is here with me. Others [...]
Why Ethiopians Must Unite
Aklog Birara, PhD (Part 4) In part three of this series, I indicated that there are major social and economic hurdles ordinary Ethiopians face each day that should compel Ethiopian opposition groups within and outside the country and the rest of us to make is their singular business to advance the cause of unity and [...]
የነገው አስፈራኝ (የሻንበል በላይነህ አዲስ ዘፈን)
በክፍሌ አቦቸር ተደርሶና በሻንበል በላይነህ አቀንቃኝነት ለህዝብ የቀረበው “የነገው አስፈራኝ” የተሰኘው ዜማ ጥልቅ መልክት የያዘ ነው። ይህ ዘፈን ዛሬ ህዝብን ከፋፍሎና አዱን ባንዱ ላይ እያነሳሱ የመግዛት ስልት ነገ ኢትዮጵያን አስፈሪ አዘቅት ውስጥ እንደሚከት ያስገነዝባል። ይህ ዜማ ለኢሳት አማካኝነት ለህዝብ እንዲደርስ በስጥታ ተበርክትዋል። “የነገው አስፈራኝ”
Gear up for the long haul
What I have grown to dislike is the reading of articles predicting the imminent collapse of Meles and his regime. Often written by people who sound serious, the articles affirm, with a nauseating regularity, that the regime is on its last legs without, however, giving any evidence supporting their prediction, except the state of generalized dissatisfaction of the Ethiopian society.
To Catch Africa’s Biggest Thieves Hiding in America!
Al Mariam–For the past four decades, a plague of cold-blooded thieves has descended upon Africa like a swarm of blood sucking ticks. These thieves masquerading as leaders have been trafficking in Africa’s natural resources and trading in the wealth created by the blood, tears and sweat of African peoples.
Dr. David Shinn and his peasant-based analysis
By Hewan Daniel, California–I watched a recent interview Abebe Gellaw held with Ambassador Dr. David Shinn, former US Ambassador to Ethiopia, on the Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT). He is a professor and Horn of Africa analyst. I have found the interview very informative and insightful especially in terms of understanding how the US, just like during the Cold War, is still obsessed with narrow “national interest” at the expense universal values of liberty and democracy, and of course when it comes to weaker African countries like Ethiopia.
African Dictators: The People Don’t Love You!
Alemayehu G. Mariam In February 2011, at the onset of the Libyan Revolution, Moamar Gadhaffi trumpeted to the world, “They love me. All my people with me, they love me. They will die to protect me, my people.” He called the rebels fighting to oust him from power “rats and cockroaches”. He believed it was [...]
The courage to swallow the bitter truth
The Courage to Swallow the Bitter Truth By Tecola W. Hagos “Life is fired at us point blank.” [José Ortega y Gasset (1883 – 1955)] I. Introduction The main purpose of my recent article “Men for All Seasons” (Part One and Part Two) was to help bring about the freedom of Eskinder Nega and Andualem [...]
Meles urging Africa to move to green economy…
By Keffyalew Gebremedhin These days, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is in his ‘green economy’ mind. The problem with this state of mind is its inadequacy to differentiate between reality and aspirations. Whatever his definition of green economy, Meles has not said it in clearer terms heretofore in the Ethiopian context, i.e., until Tuesday 25 October [...]
SOS Awramba Times and Fetehe
By Hindessa Abdul Two Ethiopian privately owned newspapers are on the verge of folding. Six months ago the ploy used to kill the private press was a price hike on printing costs. That evidently did not work. Now the government is trying to silence them by all means possible. An orchestrated campaign against these newspapers [...]
Kangaroo justice for two Swedish journalists
Alemayehu G. Mariam–The old adage is that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Could it be said equally that arrogance excuses ignorance of the law? Dictator-in-chief Meles Zenawi recently proclaimed the guilt of freelance Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye on charges of “terrorism” while visiting Norway.
What Indian companies do in Ethiopia…
African land grab: what Indian companies do in Ethiopia is What they are not allowed to do In India By Keffyalew Gebremedhin The question of land grab in Ethiopia and indeed in other developing countries would remain a topic of national and international conversations. The Ethiopian government is fully aware of this and has been [...]
Zenawi rubbing Sweden’s nose in the mud
By G. Samson The Meles Zenawi dictatorial regime is aiming at retaliating against Sweden for its longstanding criticisms of its human rights records. For a long time, Meles has also been angered by the pressure brought to bear on his regime by the previous Swedish government in being persistent about the release of Judge Britukan [...]
Ordeal of heroes and heroines under arrest in Ethiopia
BY Robele Ababya–I salute with all humility and candor all suffering ladies – among them Serkalem Fasil and Dr. Selam Aschalew who are dearly missing their spouses languishing in prison and Reeyot Alemu – the trio and other illustrious heroines are making heavy sacrifices on behalf of all their fellow citizens; they and other ladies in similar hardship are bearers of our hope for dignity, liberty, freedom, prosperity, democracy and justice in our Motherland, Ethiopia.
Defending the indefensible
By Tibebe Samuel Ferenji In mid 1994, when my father Samuel Ferenji, wrote and published a piece about the history of emperor Yohannes, the Honorable Mamo Wudneh responded by criticizing the historical accounts of my father. In his response, the Honorable Mamo Wudneh began by stating that it was considered unethical in Ethiopia’s Ministry of [...]
Eskinder Nega and Andualem Arage: Men of all seasons
We Ethiopians in the Diaspora do not seem to have a clear understanding of the seriousness of our problems. Over and above the political fracture and the economic total failure that Ethiopia is subjected to, our moral and social values are being destroyed also by greed and by total unfettered selfishness.
Eskinder Nega and Andualem Arage: Men for all Seasons
By Tecola W. Hagos “Will you walk into my parlor?” said the Spider to the Fly, “Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.” Mary Howitt (1799-1888) PART ONE I. Eskinder Nega and Andualem Arage: Men for all Seasons [...]
Ethiopia’s highly distorted monetary policy
By Keffyalew Gebremedhin The Ethiopian Central Statistics Agency (CSA) on 11 October reported that overall inflation in Ethiopia in September 2011 remained as high as 40.1 percent. At the same time, food inflation has risen to 51 percent. With an increase of 24.2 percent, non-food inflation has stuck at 24.7 percent. The main reason for [...]
Don’t Kill Them; Break Them
By Messay Kebede (PhD) In the final analysis, the difference between the Derg and the Woyanne regime in terms of repression and exclusiveness is becoming blurred by the day since the 2005 election. In a previous article, I indicated that the toughening of repression is part of a political strategy associated with the “implementation” of [...]
Land grab and food security in Ethiopia
By Shawel Betru, Ph.D. We need food; we don’t have that much land! Food is the most basic of all needs. As early as 18th century the great political economist David Recardo saw man’s never ending demand regardless of his progress. In his Nobel Prize speech in 1970 Norman Borlaug said “civilization as it is [...]
Ethiopia: Divide and Misrule? Unite and Lead!
Alemayehu G. Mariam We, the People… Unity is the most powerful gravitational force in the life of any people or nation. When the Americans founded their Republic, they were driven to transform their colonial identity by creating unity in a new American community. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a [...]
Serkalem Fasil: Eskinder’s Path
[This is a translation of a piece written in Amharic by the international award-winning Ethiopian journalist Sekalem Fasil on her husband Eskinder Nega, a very well respected and much loved Ethiopian journalist recently jailed by Meles Zenawi’s regime in Ethiopia.] You all know journalist Eskinder Nega. The government agents who recently arrested him say they [...]
Evil Genius, Dictator Meles of Ethiopia
By Dula Abdu Meles uses brute force at home and a massive PR machine abroad to crowd out the opposition and to hide his evil empire. Until their fall many evil geniuses like Ivan the Terrible, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and Leopold II of Belgium exhibited similar behavior. Internationally, far too many individuals have become [...]
Ethiopian girl died starved in America (Court Document)
Ethiopia: The danger of ethnocentric democracy
A Call for Dialogue By Rev. Tegga Lendado, PhD. The dynamics of democracy and ethnocentricity set a puzzling paradox to my layman’s mind. I am troubled by thinkers who juggle with both political concepts. I will therefore, try to show the danger of African or Ethiopian ethnocentric democracy that advocates the principle of separate but [...]
Open letter to RH Andrew Mitchell
By Zerihun Zelalem Rt. Honourable Andrew Mitchell MP Secretary of State for International Development – UK Dear Sir, I was initiated to write this letter after watching the piece featured on News Night program of the BBC on 21st September 2011, regarding the abuse of aid by the Ethiopian authorities and the interview you gave [...]
Letter to US Secreatary of State Hillary Clinton
The Honorable Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton US Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Madam Secretary: We are Ethiopian-Americans, Ethiopians, and friends of Ethiopia residing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. We are gathered here in front of the U.S. Department of State today, 26 September 2011, in the wake [...]
Analysis: Did DFID properly investigate Ethiopian aid allegations?
By Angus Stickler (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism) Last month a joint, undercover investigation by the Bureau and Newsnight revealed sickening human rights abuses and the systematic misuse of aid by the Ethiopian government. The response from officials working for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to the investigation was as expected: a vitriolic attack on our [...]
Born in pain, tortured in life
By Ephrem Madebo Six years ago – a predisposed Ethiopian prosecutor accused journalist Eskinder Nega and his wife, Serkalem Fasil, and charged them with treason. The young couples who love their country and profession were expecting their first child when they were sent to the notorious Kality prison. While in prison, Serkalem gave birth to [...]
Wave of arrests shatters hope for democracy
By Robele Ababya, 20 September 2011 Lives on the line in defense of basic values Parents, grandparents and indeed all genuine Ethiopians and citizens of Ethiopian origin, wherever they are living in our global village, cannot stay put in the face of the increasingly intensifying wave of arrests of Ethiopian political leaders most of them [...]