Ethiopia: Arabsat suspends ETV broadcast in retaliatory action
Arab Satellites Communication Organization (Arabsat) has suspended the Woyanne-controlled Ethiopian Television (ETV) after the Meles regime has repeatedly interfered with Arabsat signals to jam Ethiopian Satellite TV (ESAT), according to Addisvoice. Arabsat, which is owned by the Arab League, has been forced to take retaliatory action after the lawless regime in Ethiopia jammed ESAT for the third time yesterday. ESAT was airing a captivating story about an Ethiopian air force officer when it suddenly went off air.
Posted by Webmaster on Wednesday 28 July 2010 - 23:49:14
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Zenawi Gov jams its own ETV station
In an attempt to disrupt ESAT (Opposition) signals, Meles Zenawi’s regime knocked off the broadcast signals of its own ETV along with a number of other international satellite service providers, ESAT revealson Tuesday. According to the press release by ESAT, The Ethiopian Government by attempting to knock out ESAT ended up knocking itself off the air.
Posted by Webmaster on Wednesday 28 July 2010 - 23:28:28
Ethiopia: US to seize money stolen from Africans
By Angelo Izama, Daily Monitor
Munyonyo — The United States will not provide a safe haven for money stolen from Africa by its corrupt leaders, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday.
Addressing at least 23 African leaders attending the African Union summit in Munyonyo, Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder said Washington would seize money stolen by corrupt leaders and hidden in America and the West.
Posted by Webmaster on Wednesday 28 July 2010 - 23:25:27
Ethiopia: Steel vises, clenched fists and closing walls (Part II)
By Prof. Al Mariam, News Release
If the Silenced Majority Could Talk...
If the silenced majority inside of what has become Prison Nation Ethiopia (PNE) could talk, what would they tell President Obama and Secretary Clinton about U.S. human rights policy? Would they pat them on the back and say, "Good job! Thank you for helping us live in dignity with our rights protected."? Or would they angrily wag an accusatory finger and charge, "You speak with forked tongue. You wax eloquent on your lofty principles to us in the morning while you consort with thugs and murderers in the afternoon." What would the thousands of political prisoners rotting within the closed walls of dictator Meles Zenawi's prisons say of America's big human rights talk? "Practice what you preach, Mr. President!" What would Birtukan Midekssa, Ethiopia's No. 1 political prisoner, first woman political party leader in Ethiopian history and the undisputed heroine of 80 million Ethiopians say to President Obama were she allowed to speak to him?
Posted by Webmaster on Wednesday 28 July 2010 - 23:23:44
Sunday 25 July 2010
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's main Opposition party condemns terrorist attack in Uganda
In a press release to local media, the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) opposition party of Ethiopia sent its condolences to the families and friends of Ethiopian, Ugandan and other victims of the terrorist attacks in Kampala. The party said it condemns the bombing which is reported to be carried out by al shabab militants from Somalia.
Posted by Webmaster on Sunday 25 July 2010 - 10:46:16
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Embassy dismisses rumors on president’s health
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS
RIYADH: Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, 85, who is currently at the Riyadh Military Hospital for a routine health checkup, is in stable condition, the Ethiopian Embassy said on Saturday.
Mohammed Ali, Ethiopian charge d’affaires in Riyadh, refuted speculations about the frail health of President Girma, saying “there is nothing to worry as far as the president’s health is concerned.”
Posted by Webmaster on Sunday 25 July 2010 - 10:44:56
Ethiopia: European Investment Bank Stops Funding Gilgel Gibe III
July 23, 2010 -- The European Investment Bank said it has stopped funding environmental and social impact studies for the Gibe III hydroelectric dam project in Ethiopia, according Businessweek news report.
The EIB stopped funding the studies due to the alternative financing and not because of the “results of these preliminary studies,” it said.
Posted by Webmaster on Sunday 25 July 2010 - 10:43:02
Saturday 24 July 2010
Ethiopia: Ethiopia, where food aid sustains hunger
By Abebe Gellaw, Live Aid, which celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this month, was conceived after heart wrenching TV footages of dying children and emaciated adults weeping for the dead, as well as the abhorrent misery they had to face, globally brought into sharp focus the forgotten horrors of war and famine in Ethiopia.
Posted by Webmaster on Saturday 24 July 2010 - 10:51:41
ethiopia: A new opportunity for the opposition
By Eskinder Nega,
Ethiopia’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, this week passed a ruling against Medrek’s legal bid for a re-run of the election in unyielding words: “No substantial case for a re-run has been presented.” The ruling put an end to Medrek’s 80-page petition, concurring in almost exact words with an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court. This being the end of the legal recourse (but not the constitutional and political recourse), Medrek, rather to the surprise of its supporters, did not even feign an outrage, but in line with its abruptly subdued tone after the election, simply relayed the news to select journalists.
Posted by Webmaster on Saturday 24 July 2010 - 10:48:51
Friday 23 July 2010
Ethiopia: Disgraced statutes of Stalin are bad omen for Meles et al
By Robele Ababya,
The two monuments of Stalin erected in his life time in his home state of Georgia were removed from public squares in Georgia with effect from June 2010. But the shocking memories of his gross violations of human rights are alive in the evil deeds emulated by despots like Meles who ranks among the top 10 worst of the worst dictators in the world. Ethiopia under Meles is number 17th out of 56 failed states in the 21st century – falling far behind Eritrea in both cases. Under his rule, 90% of Ethiopians are poor – ranking last but one in the world. His insidious evil policy of the last 19 years resulting in economic mismanagement and grave violation of human rights is no longer bearable.
Posted by Webmaster on Friday 23 July 2010 - 20:43:29
Africa's year of elections The democracy bug is fitfully catching on
By economist.com
Africa is in the throes of election fever. But more voting does not necessarily mean more democracy
BURUNDI has just had one, as has Guinea. That came hot on the heels of the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland’s, which followed Ethiopia’s. Rwanda is bracing itself for one at the beginning of next month, and after that Tanzania, Chad and several others are due to follow. By the end of December a score of sub-Saharan Africa’s 48 countries should have gone to the polls for an assortment of local, regional and national elections. Kenya is also holding a vital constitutional referendum on August 4th. This is a big year for African voters. The electoral calendar has never been so crowded.
Indeed, elections have become a normal occurrence on a continent once better known for the frequency and violence of its coups and civil wars. Since the late 1990s the number of coups has fallen sharply (see chart), whereas the number of elections has increased, sometimes in the unlikeliest of places.
Posted by Webmaster on Friday 23 July 2010 - 13:23:28
Ethiopia: Did Uganda enter Somalia without an exit strategy?
By O. Kalinge-Nnyago,
When Ethiopia routed the Union of Islamic Courts from Mogadishu in December 2006, a lot of footwork followed. President Museveni swiftly flew to Addis Ababa. The then US Undersecretary for Africa, Ms Jendayi Frazer, was in Nairobi a few days into the new year to meet the ‘victorious’ Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other members of the Somali Contact Group. The Union of Islamic Courts was an alliance of Islamic Somali groups that had managed to bring stability to Somalia for over six months before the US, using Ethiopia as proxy, decided that peace in Somalia was desirable, yes, but not if it was brought about by Islamic elements.
Museveni pledged 1,000 soldiers and later another 1,000 to a Somali peace mission. By the time he did so, he had not yet brought the matter before Parliament. He later did. The NRM-dominated Parliament rubber stamped his decision. But not before intense debate, resulting in a minority report from the Defence Committee by opposition legislators. The deployment had to be done quickly, because each day that passed before a peace force was deployed, Ethiopia got into more trouble in Somalia and at home too.
Posted by Webmaster on Friday 23 July 2010 - 13:18:19
Ethiopia: Analysts say Eritrea is not supporting al-Shabab
By Michael Oniego, VOA
NAIROBI - The International Crisis Group has dismissed alleged links between Eritrea and Somali insurgent group al-Shabab following calls from an United States lawmaker to designate the country a state sponsor of terrorism.
In a letter sent Tuesday, U.S. Congressman Ed Royce advised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to add Eritrea to the country's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
The letter was sent following a July 11 terrorist attack in Kampala, Uganda that killed at least 76 people, including one American. Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Posted by Webmaster on Friday 23 July 2010 - 13:16:50
Ethiopia: Is OLF's call for alliance really meaningful?
Shiferaw Abebe
Following its 4th regular session early this month, the OLF National Council issued a communiqué wherein it calls upon “all the forces opposed to the dictatorial regime of the TPLF to struggle for liberation, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, peace, and prosperity”. The communiqué states that there is “no more option left except to rise up in unison and struggle to get rid of the tyrannical minority rule.”
To this end, the Council instructs to “set our priorities in order and forge a meaningful alliance against the TPLF rule.” Then the Communiqué states that OLF is ready for “a meaningful cooperation and alliance with serious political organizations fighting and struggling for liberation democracy, the rule of law, and human rights and human dignity for all the peoples in Ethiopia.”
Posted by Webmaster on Friday 23 July 2010 - 13:15:50
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Opposition Fails in Its Final Appeal Against Conduct of Election
By William Davison,
Ethiopia’s main opposition group said its final legal appeal against the conduct of May’s general election was rejected by the Court of Cassation today.
Medrek, a coalition of eight parties, made an unsuccessful complaint to the National Electoral Board about irregularities surrounding the May 23 poll, and then took the case to the Supreme Court, which upheld the board’s decision. Today, the Supreme Court’s decision was also upheld, Medrek spokesman Negasso Gidada said by phone from the capital, Addis Ababa.
Posted by Webmaster on Monday 19 July 2010 - 12:34:28
Ethiopia: Steel vises, clenched fists and closing walls (Part I)
By Alemayehu G. Mariam,
Note: This is the first installment in a series of commentaries I intend to offer on U.S. foreign policy (or lack thereof as some would argue) in Ethiopia. In this piece, I explore the human rights rhetoric in U.S. foreign policy and argue that lofty talk without action has emboldened Ethiopia's dictators to ply their usual trade with greater audacity and made the U.S. a silent partner and a deaf-mute witness to their crimes. I urge the U.S. to back up its big human rights talk with big human rights action in Ethiopia.
Has the Mighty Eagle Turned Clucking Chicken?
Teddy "The Rough Rider" Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States, had many faults, but one of them was not inability to distinguish between talk and action. The old warhorse understood that "Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big." Roosevelt believed the U.S. should "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Exactly a century later, appeasement seems to be the hallmark of U.S. foreign policy, at least in dealing with the world's thugs operating gangsterdoms disguised as governments. The new American slogan appears to be: "Talk big about human rights and watch from the sidelines with folded arms as thugs and gangsters clamp their peoples' heads in steel vises, punch them in the gut with clenched fists and hang, draw and quarter them behind closed prison walls." Has the mighty eagle turned clucking chicken?
Posted by Webmaster on Monday 19 July 2010 - 12:32:48
Sunday 18 July 2010
Ethiopia: Remember lady liberty on Mandela Day
By Abebe Gellaw,
Today marks the first Nelson Mandela International Day. It was last November that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a special resolution declaring July 18th an international Mandela day to be observed annually.
Mandela Day is undoubtedly a befitting tribute to a man who spent 27 years of his life in jails. The defunct Apartheid regime had given many opportunities to Mandela, who is celebrating his 92nd birthday, to renounce the struggle and walk out of jail. He never budged and resolutely chose to die in jail than kneel down to one of the most abhorrent systems history has ever known.
Posted by Webmaster on Sunday 18 July 2010 - 13:29:57
Bombings in Uganda : Somalia comes to Uganda
Bombings in Uganda
The Shabab fighters who want to conquer Somalia have begun to bomb their opponents elsewhere in the region, too
THE bombs went off as Ugandans were watching the football World Cup final on the evening of July 11th. The first hit an Ethiopian restaurant in the centre of Kampala, the capital. The second and third, more devastating, ripped through a crowd of people watching the game on a big-screen television at a rugby club on the other side of the city. At least 76 were killed, including an American and several other foreigners.