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In a new national initiative to transform and grow the tourism sector in Ethiopia, the country’s immigration agency has launched an online visa application and issuance system for eligible citizens of some 37 countries mostly from Europe, North America, and East Asia. Citizens of Kenya and Djibouti can enter Ethiopia with out visas as they are exempt from visa requirement.
Citizens of the 37 eligible countries can securely fill out entry visa application online and upon approval will receive an email which they can show on arrival in Ethiopia to get the visa stamped on their passports.
Regarding the new service Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam remarked, “Ethiopia, the oldest independent civilization in Africa and one of the oldest in the world, is endowed with historical places, natural beauty, colourful and diverse cultural activities and various endemic wild animals which are of great interest to international tourists. However; we have not made best use of these natural resources to attract large number of tourists. To this effect, this project is part of a new national initiative to transform the tourism sector in the country. The full commencement of the Online Visa application and issuance system will promote tourism, trade and investment to the country. It will save time, energy and cost for travelers to Ethiopia in addition to the simplicity and convenience that it facilitates. With direct flights to/from more than 95 destinations from all corners of the world operated by the most modern airplanes, we will continue to make travel to Ethiopia, dependable, easy, convenient and affordable. I will take this opportunity to thank our IT team and our colleagues at the Main Department for Immigration & Nationality Affairs for the commendable collaboration and the job well done.”
The list of eligible countries for the online visa program are: Argentina, Australia, Austria,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,Czech Republic,Denmark,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait,Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and China.
Kenya and Djibouti are exempted from visa requirement
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Harlaa mosque view EthiopiaImage copyrightPROF TIM INSOLL, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Image caption
These are the remains of a 12th Century mosque
A forgotten city thought to date back as far as the 10th century AD has been uncovered by a team of archaeologists in eastern Ethiopia.
Artefacts from Egypt, India and China have been found in the city in the Harlaa region.
The archaeologists also uncovered a 12th Century mosque which is similar to those found in Tanzania and Somaliland.
Archaeologists says this proves historic connections between different Islamic communities in Africa.
“This discovery revolutionises our understanding of trade in an archaeologically neglected part of Ethiopia. What we have found shows this area was the centre of trade in that region,” lead archaeologist Professor Timothy Insoll from the University of Exeter said.
The team also found jewellery and other artefacts from Madagascar, the Maldives, Yemen and China.
Harlaa was a “rich, cosmopolitan” centre for jewellery making, Prof Insoll said.
“Residents of Harlaa were a mixed community of foreigners and local people who traded with others in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and possibly as far away as the Arabian Gulf,” he said.
BBC Ethiopia correspondent Emmanuel Igunza says there was a local myth that the area was occupied by giants because the settlement buildings and walls were constructed with large stone blocks that could not be lifted by ordinary people.
However the archaeologists found no evidence of this.
“We have obviously disproved that, but I’m not sure they fully believe us yet,” said Prof Insoll.
A statement from the team says the remains of some of the 300 people buried in the cemetery are being analysed to find out what their diet consisted of.
Further excavations are expected to be conducted next year.
Ethiopia was one of the earliest places known to be inhabited by humans. In 2015 researchers discovered jaw bones and teeth in the north-west of the country dating to between 3.3m and 3.5m years old.
Coptic Christianity was introduced from Egypt and was adopted as the religion of the Kingdom of Aksum in 333 AD. The Ethiopian church maintains that the Old Testament figure of the Queen of Sheba travelled from Aksum in northern Ethiopia to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem.
Islam arrived in Ethiopia in the 7th Century as early Muslim disciples fled persecution in Mecca. The main seat of Islamic learning in Ethiopia was Harar, which is located near Harlaa. Harar is said to be among the holiest Islamic cities and has 82 mosques, including three dating from the 10th Century, and 102 shrines, according to Unesco.
Today there are about 30m Christians and 25m Muslims in the country, according to 2007 census figures.
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by David Goodman
Djibouti on Thursday inaugurated a new port that will serve as the main gateway for potash exports from neighouring Ethiopia, the second of four new ports that will boost the tiny Horn of Africa nation’s position as a continental hub.
The port in the small fishing town of Tadjourah in the north of the country is the closest outlet for Ethiopia’s Afar and Tigray regions, where a number of foreign companies are developing potash mines.
Built at a cost of $90 million, the port has capacity of 4 million tonnes of potash a year.
“Ultimately, 35 percent of the volume of goods destined for Ethiopia can be unloaded here,” the Chairman of Ports and Free Trade Zones, Aboubaker Hadi, told Reuters.
“It is, therefore, a major port for the entire region.”
The inauguration comes a month after the country’s Doraleh multipurpose port was upgraded as part of a Chinese-backed plan to establish Africa’s largest free-trade zone, with the ability to handle goods worth $7 billion a year.
Doraleh’s bulk terminal can handle 2 million tons of cargo a year and offers space to store 100,000 tons of fertiliser and 100,000 tons of grain, plus warehouses for other goods.
The new infrastructure will supplement the country’s main port in Djibouti City, which handles roughly 95 percent of the inbound trade for landlocked Ethiopia, Africa’s second most-populous nation. Djibouti Port mainly handles goods from Asia, representing nearly 60 percent of traffic that increased by 20 percent to 5.7 million tonnes in 2015.
Another port designed for salt exports will also open this month.
Tiny Djibouti, with a population of 876,000, hosts large U.S. and French naval bases. China is also building a naval base in the country. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Abdourahim Arteh; Writing by Aaron Maasho; Editing by David Goodman)
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Eritrea’s president has blamed Washington for ongoing tensions between his country and neighboring Ethiopia, which have been in a state of near-conflict for almost two decades.
Isaias Afwerki, who has led the authoritarian regime in Eritrea since it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, wrote a letter to unnamed heads of state earlier in June, requesting support in overturning a U.N. Security Council arms embargo in place since 2009, according to state-run media outlet Shabait.
Afwerki urged the heads of state to use their influence at the Security Council to reverse the arms embargo, which was put in place after the U.N. claimed that the Eritrean regime was supporting Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, Al-Shabab.
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Eritrea fought a 30-year independence war against Ethiopia from 1961 to 1991, finally achieving self-rule in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1993.
Full-scale war broke out between the two countries in 1998 over the status of the border town of Badme, and an estimated 70,000 people were killed in the war. Since the conflict ended in 2000, relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have been characterized as “no war, no peace.”
“The ‘border dispute’ was a simple ruse as the boundary between the two countries was defined and determined without any ambiguity in colonial times. But Washington feverishly worked at the time, through the State Department, to drive a wedge between the two peoples who have deep historical and strategic ties in order to foment a crisis and micromanage the affairs of the Horn of Africa,” said Afwerki in the letter, according to Shabait.
In 2009, the United Nations imposed an open-ended arms embargo on the supply of all arms and military equipment to and from Eritrea. The country is already isolated with few international allies and has been dubbed Africa’s North Korea for the authoritarian tactics of Afwerki’s regime and the absence of a free press.
The arms embargo was imposed after the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia found that Eritrea had provided political, financial and logistical support to Al-Shabab, which is waging a war against Somalia’s Western-backed federal government.
Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki addresses the 66th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters, in New York, September 23, 2011. Afwerki has blamed the U.S. for stoking a border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia.CHIP EAST/REUTERS
Afwerki said that the U.S. and its allies had “concocted a fictitious case…to impose unwarranted sanctions against the country.” The Eritrean president said that it was “high time” for the sanctions to be lifted and for the “incessant attacks” against his country to come to an end.
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea remain tense. The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrea of fomenting widespread protests in the Oromia region, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa. Protests broke out in November 2015, and hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces.
Ethiopia and Eritrea have also traded accusations about an alleged attempted attack on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a flagship project of the government in Addis Ababa that will be the biggest hydropower dam in Africa when complete. Ethiopia claimed that 20 members of an Eritrean-backed rebel movement were arrested while trying to damage the dam, but Eritrea rejected the accusations as “preposterous.”
The U.S. State Department imposed further sanctions on Eritrea’s navy earlier in 2017 after a U.N. sanctions monitoring body said it had found a shipment of North Korean-made military communications equipment leaving Pyongyang for Eritrea in 2016. The U.S. proscribes trading in certain types of military equipment with North Korea, Syria and Iran.
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Dr. Fekadu Bekele
essential for the mobilization of all kinds of resources.
Dr. Fekadu Bekele is specialized in development economics. He has published numerous articles on various topics about development economics and international political systems. He is the author of African Predicaments and the methodology to solve them effectively.
fekadubekele@gmx.de
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BRKITE HAFTOM/FACEBOOK
Mother and son Brkite and Biruk Haftom lived in Grenfell Tower
Several British nationals of Ethiopian origin are still missing after the huge fire in a tower block in West London, says the Ethiopian embassy in the UK.
They are mother and son Brkite and Biruk Haftom, and Hashim Kidir, his wife and their three children. Isaac Shawo, five, has been confirmed dead.
At least 30 people are known to have died and 12 are in critical care.
The police say that at the moment there is no evidence that the blaze was started deliberately.
“I cannot imagine what these families must be going through right now. This has hit home because we know these families ” said Ethiopia’s ambassador to the UK Hailemichael Aberra Aferwork after visiting some of those affected.
Brkite and Biruk Haftom lived in Flat 155 of Grenfell Tower.
Family friend Dejan Araya says Brkite’s sister and friend have been searching hospitals for news of their whereabouts and are inconsolable.
Dejan Araya said the last time there was any contact with them was at around 22:00 BST on the night of the fire.
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U.S and U.K. issue warning to their citizens planning travel in Ethiopia
Time was tourists flocked to Ethiopia in search of the “Land of 13-Months of Sunshine” and adventure. Ziggy Marley, son of the late great reggae king Bob Marley, even wrote a song about it:
13 Months of Sunshine/Is what we got/Take us to, take us to, take us to that land/Who shall ascend the hill/Stand in that holy place/Lift up your heads/
O ancient gates/13 Months of Sunshine/Is what she got/Forward to , Forward to , Forward to that land/Where the water run (free)/We want to be
In 2017, the song heard from the U.S. of A and the U.K. is, “Get away, begone from that Land!”
For the past quarter of a century, Ethiopia has become “Land of 13-Months of Darkness” under the corrupt tyrannical rule of the Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF). Some 400 thousand Ethiopians have fled to Saudi Arabia alone, the vast majority are “undocumented”. Millions of others scattered throughout the world. Ethiopians are leaving their country by sea, land and air to escape oppression, injustice, brutality, abuse, persecution and the indignity of second class citizenship under T-TPLF rule. They cry out, “Take us out of the Land of 13-Months of Darkness because we can’t breathe with T-TPLF boots on our necks”.
Now the Governments of the U.S. and U.K. are advising their citizens, in no uncertain terms but with diplomatic delicacy, “Avoid Ethiopia like the plague! If you travel to Ethiopia and get in a jam, and the likelihood of getting jammed is high, you are on your own. Don’t call us because you can’t. Normal communications are shut down. We can’t help you.”
On June 13, the U.S. State Department issued a “Travel Warning” advising
U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Ethiopia due to the potential for civil unrest and arbitrary detention since a state of emergency was imposed in October 2016. The Government of Ethiopia extended the state of emergency on March 15, 2017, and there continue to be reports of unrest, particularly in Gondar and Bahir Dar in Amhara State. This replaces the Travel Warning of December 6, 2016…
The Government of Ethiopia routinely restricts or shuts downs internet, cellular data, and phone services, impeding the U.S. Embassy’s ability to communicate with U.S. citizens in Ethiopia and limiting the Embassy’s ability to provide consular services. Additionally, the Government of Ethiopia does not inform the U.S. Embassy of detentions or arrests of U.S. citizens in Ethiopia… (Emphasis added.)
What exactly does this travel warning mean?
The U.S. issues two types of travel notices. A “travel warning” is issued when U.S. officials recognize the existence of a high risk situation to personal safety and seek to urge U.S. citizens “to consider very carefully whether they should go to a country at all.” Such a warning is issued when there is “unstable government, civil war, ongoing intense crime or violence, or frequent terrorist attacks”; and “remains in place until the situation changes; some have been in effect for years.”
A “Travel Alert” is issued “for short-term events we think you should know about when planning travel to a country”, often because the destination country is experiencing “strikes, demonstrations, disturbances, health issues or an elevated risk of terrorist attacks.”
On June 13, the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office also issued a travel warning advising its citizens to prepare their own “alternative communication plans when travelling in Ethiopia”. The warning strongly advises against travel to a number of locations in the country, including the “Bole area (in the capital) at night and in more secluded areas, such as the Entoto Hills” because of “incidents of violent assaults”. The warning urges against any travel in the “Amhara”, “Somali”, “Gambella” and other regions.
On June 13, the T-TPLF announced the launch of its “e-visa service” (electronic travel authorization for international visitors) for travelers to Ethiopia effective June 12, 2017.” The service is alleged to be “part of a new national initiative to transform the tourism sector in the country.”
How cleverly convenient?! Vintage T-TPLF. They love one-upmanship, trying to stay one step ahead in the game and do an end run to score a touchdown.
Of course, the T-TPLF was notified in advance of the travel warning by the U.S and the U.K. officials. The T-TPLF guys just could not resist the opportunity to stick it in the face of Uncle Sam and John Bull by announcing that visitors can just cyber-walk (cakewalk) their way into Ethiopia, travel warning or no.
There have been previous U.S. travel warnings in Ethiopia.
In December 2016, the State Department issued a “Travel Alert”, set to expire in February 2017, informing “U.S. citizens of the risks of traveling in certain regions of Ethiopia due to anti-government protests, some of which have involved violence.”
In May 2015, the State Department issued a “Travel Alert”, with an expiration date of June 30, notifying “U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Ethiopia of the upcoming elections scheduled for May 24, 2015.”
In April 2010, the State Department issued a “Travel Alert”, set to expire in July 2010, informing “U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Ethiopia before and after national parliamentary elections scheduled for May 23, 2010.”
For the first time, the U.S. issued a “Travel Warning” in June 2017.
Tourism in Ethiopia went to the dogs after the T-TPLF declared a state of emergency in October 2016
According to data cooked in the kitchens of T-TPLF tourism office, statistical agency and central banks and smoothly massaged and craftily laundered through the World Bank, (I did not say Bankrupt), the International Monetary Fund, tour operators, travel agents and others, Ethiopia has been on a steep trajectory of massive increases in tourism.
2006 330,000 2007 358,000
2008 383,000 2009 427,000
2010 468,000 2011 523,000
2012 597,000 2013 681,000
2014 770,000 2015 864,000
The T-TPLF allegesEthiopia earned over $5.6 billion from tourism activities in 2016 with over 800, 000 tourists. By November 2016, tourism had dropped by 100,000. Yet, the “Ministry of Culture and Tourism hopes to increase the number of tourists to one million and the revenue to well over $29.8 billion in 2017.”
From $5.6 billion to $29.8 billion in one year! Such a thing can only happen on Planet T-TPLF (nom de terre Thugistan).
Over the past year, tourism in Ethiopia has nosedived.
Estimates vary but tourists are staying away from that country in droves, possibly by the hundreds of thousands. Travel alerts and warnings issued by the State Department are making Americans planning to travel in Ethiopia skittish. There is substantial anecdotal evidence of trip cancellations, changes in travel plans, re-routings to other African destinations and travel postponements by American citizens. Informed American travelers believe it is too dangerous and highly risky to travel to Ethiopia and check out the usual historic tourist spots. To complicate things and make matters even worse, the T-TPLF has turned back upon arrival at Bole airport a number of Ethiopian Americans whom it suspects or believes are its opponents.
The impact of a dried up tourism industry on the local services economy has been devastating.
A story in Addis Standard in March stated that tour businesses were reporting cancellations of “more than 95% of the bookings for the high season.” One tour operator complained, “But there are no tourists now and we can’t even rent the cars to business tourists coming to Addis Abeba. We don’t know what to do. We are just paying rent, maintaining a small staff and hoping for the best at the moment.” most of their clients come from abroad after communicating with them via the internet, guide, says he is now considering a change in career.” The operator added, “Last year at this time, I worked at least 4 days a week. Now getting tourism work has become very difficult. Some of my friends have started working as taxi drivers. At this point, we don’t know what is going to happen next and that is scary.” Many tour guides are also changing professions and looking for other non-tourism related work.
The T-TPLF has sought to drum up tourism by participating in tourism fairs and exhibitions and conducting “workshops” for travel agents and tour operators in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and other cities. They have also launched tourism web-marketing under the tagline “Land of Origins” in apparent reference to Ethiopia as the “origin of mankind” and of the “Blue Nile”. None of the public relations efforts have worked. Tourists are staying away.
The collapse of tourism appears to have been blamed on the former chief executive officer (CEO) of “Ethiopian Tourism Organization” (ETO) who has been in office since 2014. According to a recent report in the Ethiopian Observer, the CEO was appointed to “to promote the country’s tourist destinations and to restore the country’s bad image in the western media.” But, “Last year after a wave of anti-government protests in Oromia and Amhara regions, and the government’s move in declaring state of emergency,… the number of foreign tourists visiting the country has fallen by half. The inflow of European tourists fell dramatically due to travel restrictions and sales of travel packages.” Leo Tolstoy observed, “It’s too easy to criticize a man when he’s out of favor, and to make him shoulder the blame for everybody else’s mistakes.”
The decline in tourism has also impacted the availability of foreign currency. Tourism contributes significantly to the country’s foreign currency supply which is used to finance imports (I did not say imports of luxury cars, designer clothes and fancy construction supplies for T-TPLF bosses and cronies). The black market for greenbacks and Euros is said to be sizzling hot. Word on the street is that one U.S. dollars could fetch up to 31 T-TPLF birr, especially if the conversion amount is over USD$1 thousand.
The IMF says the birr is overvalued, which among other things, makes exports relatively more expensive, dampen domestic demand and increase spending on imports. With declining exports (in 2011, Ethiopia allegedly exported nearly $870 million worth of commodities compared to barely $600 million in 2016), chronic shortages of hard currency, an insatiable demand for imports (imports in Ethiopia increased to $4.2 billion in the third quarter of 2016 and averaged $2.7 billion from 2006 until 2016), widening trade deficit ($3.2 billion in 2016), crushing foreign debt (nearly $40 billion in 2016 representing 54.8 percent of GDP), the Ethiopian economy is spiraling downward as average Ethiopians drown in a morass of a mismanaged economy.
Two weeks ago, “the Auditor General’s latest report” to the “Parliament” “revealed illegitimate transactions close to 20 billion Br in 158 federal institutions during the past fiscal year.
A pariah among nations?
What exactly is the message the U.S. and the U.K. governments are communicating by issuing travel warnings in Ethiopia?
On the surface, a travel warning is just that, but does it signify something deeper about U.S./UK perceptions of the political situation in the country? Is there a hidden message buried in the warnings?
Reading between the lines, there is little question that the U.S. and U.K. governments have concluded there will be no end to the political turmoil in Ethiopia which remains barely contained by a state of emergency decree which authorizes illegal mass arrests and incarcerations and use of live fire on protests including peaceful ones. It is clear to both the U.S. and the U.K. that T-TPLF has no legitimacy whatsoever in the eyes of the vast majority of the Ethiopian population. They know the T-TPLF is sitting atop an ethnic powder keg connected to a slow burning fuse fast approaching the loaded barrel. The T-TPLF barely hangs on to power because it has minimal control over the military. However, the military is highly fragmented along ethnic lines. Nearly all of the military brass are ethnically affiliated with T-TPLF regime leaders. The vast majority of the rank and file are members of other ethnic groups.
The U.S. warning speaks about the “unpredictability” and state of “unrest” “particularly in Gondar and Bahir Dar in Amhara State”. The U.K. warning concurs. That fact is corroborated by substantial anecdotal evidence of individuals who have visited those areas in the recent past. The areas mentioned in “Amhara State” are now self-administering. There is little doubt that the T-TPLF has lost complete political and military control in a number of areas throughout the country. Just a few days ago, the T-TPLF sent a contingent of troops to suppress resistance in the Arba Minch and Gamu Gofa areas some 500 km south of the Ethiopian capital.
The U.S. perceives a direct relationship between the “state of emergency and the unpredictable security situation” in Ethiopia in urging its citizens to avoid travel to Ethiopia. The U.S. understands that the T-TPLF would not have resorted to a “state of emergency” unless it believed it was facing a clear and imminent existential threat. There is little question that there currently exists a vast groundswell of opposition to T-TPLF rule. The T-TPLF claims “protests and demonstrations” against its rule are limited to a few isolated areas remotely managed by overseas opposition groups. That is inconsistent with the fact that the T-TPLF issued a nationwide state of emergency. For the T-TPLF to impose a nationwide state of emergency decree, it must necessarily believe there is broad and deep resistance to its tyrannical rule throughout the nation.
The U.S. is manifestly disapproving of the means the T-TPLF is using to impose its will on the vast majority of the Ethiopian population and its excessive and indiscriminate use of violence on peaceful protesters. The U.S. is communicating its disapproval in its advisory language underscoring the fact that there is “widespread arbitrary arrests and detentions throughout the country” and the intentional failure of the T-TPLF to “notify the U.S. Embassy of detentions or arrests of U.S. citizens in Ethiopia.”
The U.S. expects notification of arrest of its citizens abroad within 24-72 hours. But the T-TPLF does not honor such diplomatic courtesy. There was a time when such reporting was required (Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations between the United States of America and Ethiopia, Sept. 7, 1951, art. 6(2) (entered into force Oct. 8, 1953). Art. 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) also provides for consular communication and contact with nationals of a foreign state when arrested in the host country.
Of course, legal obligations mean nothing to the T-TPLF ignoramuses who have absolutely no regard for the rule of constitutional and international law. As I have often remarked, preaching the rule of (international) law to the T-TPLF is like sermonizing Scripture to Heathen or pouring water over a slab of granite. It is a complete and total exercise in futility!!!
The U.S. Congress is righteously indignant about the T-TPLF’s “use of force and live fire in response to demonstrations” and on “peaceful gatherings”. In February, Representative Christopher Smith introduced H.R. 128 condemning the use of excessive violence and to “support respect for human rights and encourage inclusive governance” in Ethiopia. In May, Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced S.R. 168, co-sponsored by 14 senators, which mirrors the House version. I discussed these bills in my May 29 op-ed piece in The Hill.
The T-TPLF’s “disruptions” of communication throughout the country by “routinely restricting or shutting down internet, cellular data, and phone services” are a sore point for the U.S. and the U.K. In its annual human rights report for 2016, the State department expressed its disapproval of the “Ethiopian government’s shut down of mobile access to the internet, wired access to several social media and communication sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber, news websites such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, and many other sites, including foreign university homepages and online shopping sites such as Amazon.”
My informed conclusion is that it is highly unlikely that the T-TPLF will make a monkey out of the Trump Administration. I cannot imagine the T-TPLF wrapping the Trump Administration around its little fingers as they did the Obama Administration.
I do not doubt that the T-TPLF leaders believe they are so crafty and clever that they could outfox, outmaneuver and outsmart Trump and his administration any day of the week. Why else would they take hire a $2 million dollars from the mouths of starving Ethiopian babies and feed the voracious appetite of a Washington lobby firm in January unless they believed they can make a patsy of the Trump Administration?
I believe the Trump Administration has given some consideration to the points I raised in my letter to Trump dated February 3, 2017 and other follow-up communications.
President Trump is the object of savage criticism for his “America First” foreign policy”. During the presidential campaign, I was one of his harshest critics on a variety of issues. On the issue of human rights and cuts in U.S. aid to dictatorships, I agree with him completely.
As I defended U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in my op-ed piece in The Hill last week, the Trump Administration is right in its decision (yet to be implemented) to quit the U.N. Human Rights Council than be part of an organization that is run by the some of the world’s notorious human rights violators, including Ethiopia. Haley was absolutely right when she declared, “Being a member of this council is a privilege, and no country who is a human rights violator should be allowed a seat at the table.” Haley had the courage to stand up and tell dictators to shape up or ship out.
I am so glad that Nikki Haley is no Susan Rice, Obama’s Ambassador to the U.N. In 2012, Rice canonized the late Meles Zenawi, the ruthless and bloodthirsty genocider, as “brilliant and a son of Ethiopia and a father to its rebirth.”
Rice has never been able to tell the difference between the death and rebirth of a nation in Ethiopia, Rwanda or anywhere else. There has never been a murderous African dictator Susan Rice did not madly love.
The question is “not to be or not to be”. The question is who is on the wrong side of history on the issue of human rights? Obama or Trump?!
Trump’s “America First” foreign policy is “focused on American interests and American national security”, not about the feeding and care of savage African dictators or making excuses for the mess they have created. It is about “withdrawing” from messy entanglements that cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars. It is about accountability and not giving handouts and free money to African dictators who stash it in their offshore accounts.
The Obama Administration prolonged the political life of the T-TPLF with infusion of massive amounts of American tax dollars. It is unlikely that Trump will dump hard-earned American tax dollars to prop up a bloodthirsty thugtatorship; and will certainly not buy the “terrorism partnership” scam of the T-TPLF.
I believe the Trump Administration has concluded that things in Ethiopia have gone beyond a point of no return when the T-TPLF renewed its state of emergency in March. No doubt, the T-TPLF will continue to renew its emergency decree until it is removed from power.
When that time comes, que sera, sera (“what will be, will be”)!
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A Sincere Call for Attention to Serious Issues in Ethiopian: Speech Made at the Ethiopian National Movement (ENM) Meeting held in Oslo, Norway on June 17, 2017
By Lencho Leta
Lencho Leta
Dear Ethiopians,
In the name of the leadership of the Ethiopian National Movement (ENM) and also in my own name I would like to thank you all for accepting the organizers’ call and attending this meeting. Let me begin my speech by asking worrisome questions:- What can possibly happen next in Ethiopia? Does that worry you?
I am very worried about what could happen next in Ethiopia because of one reason: conditions have gone from bad to worse after every regime change in that country.
I started thinking about politics during the era of Emperor Haile Selassie. Many members of my generation hated the Emperor’s regime. We were convinced that a worse regime is inconceivable. But history proved us wrong for the Dergue became more oppressive and murderous.
Then we started thinking that anything would be better than the Dergue. We were proven wrong once again because the TPLF/EPRDF proved more oppressive and murderous. The Dergue committed its crimes openly and righteously. Under the TPLF/EPRDF, however, crimes are committed in secrecy. So figuring out the number of people killed or tortured is impossible. But we can state one fact with confidence. More people have been imprisoned for political reasons under the TPLF/EPRDF than before. Similarly, the number of people summarily executed may also exceed that of the Dergue era.
So once again we are tempted to think that a regime worse than the present one is inconceivable. We should be careful lest we repeat our previous mistakes for there is one condition that would be worse than TPLF/EPRDF dictatorship. And that is the breakdown of order. A breakdown of order could be what would happen next in Ethiopia. And this is what worries me most.
Some of us have witnessed first-hand the descent of countries into disorder in the Horn of Africa one after the other. And we have come to identify one important factor leading to the breakdown of order. When political contestants agree only on opposing the incumbent and nothing else, then a breakdown of order becomes inevitable.
This is what we witnessed in Somali’s descent into the chaos from which they are yet to emerge. Somalia’s very powerful national consensus was based on opposing Ethiopia. They were united in hating and working to defeat Ethiopia.
I walked through the Issa settlement to Djibouti in 1978 right after the end of the Ethio-Somali war. And all the Issa Somalis we met expressed deep-seated hatred of what they called the “Habash.” Even illiterate nomadic old women raved and ranted against the “Habash”.
This outward directed hatred of the “other” started turning inward after the coup attempt of 1978. Thereafter, Somali national consensus started unravelling at fast rate. Ultimately, numerous clan-based opposition forces started working to defeat the Siad Bare dictatorship. Once again they all agreed on unseating Siad Bare and nothing else. When Siad was driven out of power in 1991, these groups turned on each other for they had nothing in common other than hating and desiring the unseat the Siad dictatorship.
South Sudan became the second country to descend into chaos in the Horn of Africa. Here again agreeing on whom to hate and oppose was the only factor uniting South Sudanese during their struggle against Northern domination. South Sudanese communities were always severely divided but were united in hating Northern domination. Once that common sentiment disappeared after independence nothing remained to hold them together.
There are certain things that we have learned from the cases of state collapse in our immediate neighbourhood. First, there is an intimate relationship between dictatorship and state collapse. One is the precondition of the other. Second, it is hard to identify the point of no return in the progression to state collapse. Third, it is easy to find oneself in the situation of state collapse and monumentally difficult to emerge from it.
Hence, there is no point in wailing and complaining after experiencing state collapse. Instead all stakeholders should pool their energies, voices and influences in order to avoid it. One way to do so is to agree on the political values that bind together all stakeholders. The birth of ENM is a good starting point for such a project but much more needs to be done.
As all are aware the issues of consensus underpinning the ENM are quite limited. In fact, member organisation disagree on more issues than they hold in common. We have to accept this fact and jointly work to build ever increasing areas of consensus. And in order to do this we have to conduct open, civil and responsible debate.
One obvious area of difference concerns the so-called “ethnic politics”. Positions for or against this issue are rock solid. Defenders of “Ethiopian unity” identify “ethnic politics” as the greatest danger to the country. And we nationalists fear the rhetoric of “Ethiopian unity” as a pretext to revive the kind of political order that we spent the best part of our life fighting against. And neither side bothers to define what it means by “Ethiopian unity”.
The same thing applies to Ethiopian national identity or Ethiopiawinnet. We can only get out of this apparent impasse by agreeing on a couple of premises. First, there should be nothing unconditional in our political discourse. For me, I am not unconditionally opposed to Ethiopia remaining a united country and I do not accept unconditional unity.
I take this stand because Ethiopian unity to date is based only on force, on coercion. I will resist unity based on coercion to the end of my life. Instead I welcome unity drawing on solidarity. And this trend has encouragingly started to emerge back home. This is exemplified by the solidarity between Oromos and the Amharas of the north during the last popular uprising in the homelands of both communities. We need to recognize and build on and deepen this promising trend.
I have clear reasons why I oppose the revival of Ethiopian unity as promoted by previous regimes. It was premised on fanning the disunity of some communities and not others. Unity demanding the disunity of some and not others is not only unfair but also futile. For example, this type of Ethiopian unity was predicated on the disunity of Oromos, Afars, Sidamas and many others. Unity drawing on the disunity of some hinders the expression of solidarity among those experiencing disunity while encouraging and celebrating the solidarity of those whose unity is unaffected. And this is clearly unfair.
A more fair and robust Ethiopian unity is one based on solidarity within and among Ethiopia’s diverse communities. The building blocks of this type of Ethiopian unity are communities united in the shared opposition to domination of any kind.
There is a version of Ethiopian identity (Ethiopiawinnet) that goes along with this type of Ethiopian unity. The Ethiopiawinnet of the past was envisaged to be founded and blossom on the graves of Oromonnet, Sidamannet, Afarinnet, and the identities of other communities. I totally reject this type of Ethiopiawinnet. On the other hand, I work for a kind of Ethiopiawinnet that embraces and reflects Oromonnet, Afarinnet, Sidamannet and the identities of all communities. This is a more colourful Ethiopiawinnet that does not negatively impact the self-respect and dignity of anyone.
There are, of course, those who are not in the position to identify themselves as Oromos, Amharas, Gurages, etc. We should not impose on these types of individuals some other identity than calling themselves Ethiopian. They should not also demand those of us who prefer to identify ourselves as Oromos and Ethiopians to drop our Oromonness.
The version of Ethiopiawinnet that I am talking about is different from the one promoted by previous regimes. The previous version of Ethiopiawinnet did not include all sectors of the population. So some could recognize themselves in it while others could not. The excluded ones ultimately tabled demands for self-determination. The only way to reconcile this demand with the continuation of Ethiopia as a united country would be by rearticulating Ethiopiawinnet as a composite of the identities of all its communities.
I believe simultaneously being an Oromo and an Ethiopian is possible and does not hurt anybody. Making this simultaneous invocation of both identities impossible would force some of us to make a choice between the two. Many nationalist would very likely drop the Ethiopian identity and stick to their national identity. And this does not augur well for Ethiopia remaining a united country.
The other controversial issue concerns the use of languages in administration, justice and primary education. And this is a fundamental question of democracy. One prominent feature of a democratic order is the accessibility of institutions and administrators to all citizens. Which means communication between state officials and service seekers should be direct and unhindered. Introducing a translator between them would undermine this direct communication.
There was a time in Ethiopia when communication between state officials and service seekers had to be through a translator. It is called “simaa balaw”. In my childhood I attended a court case being translated into Amharic by somebody whose command of afaan Oromo was either limited or he was deliberately distorting what he was supposed to translate. It was a travesty that I could not forget to this day.
Who gets hurt if Oromos get administrative, judicial and educational service in their mother tongue? Did anybody benefit from Oromos going through the “simaa balaw” process in the past? The only limiting factor in exercising any right should be whether it negatively affects the rights of others or not.
There are many problems that the present rulers of Ethiopia inherited and exacerbated instead of resolving. There are others that they deliberately introduced in order to stay in power. But there is one over which they have very limited influence. And that is the galloping population growth rate.
When the present rulers came to power over a quarter of a century ago, Ethiopia’s population was a little over 50 million. Today it is close to a hundred million. This poses a tremendous burden on the country’s carrying capacity. And it is a problem that whoever comes to power next would inevitably inherit.
What is surprising is the fact that this matter hardly figures in the discourse of opposition groups. It is this silence on a very critical matter that worries me most as an indicator that Ethiopia is on the verge of state collapse. How can we be silent about a matter that is so glaringly threatening?
People who have been in the Ethiopian capital would tell you how noticeable population density has become. Just the street scenes testify to a fast rising congestion. But there is one factor that does not go with this image. Crime is very limited. Gangs do not exist to a noticeable extent.
How can abject poverty and congestion not lead to armed robbery and other sorts of violent crimes? The answer lies in the behaviour of the peoples. Ethiopian peoples are truly noble. They uphold the law by their very nature. They are also God-fearing. These are the factors that holding Ethiopia together much more than coercion by the state authorities.
But these noble values can be lost. And they are not likely to be retrieved once lost. Hence, it is incumbent on political leaders to do everything possible to avert such a scenario. We have much work to do. And let us get down to it under the directions laid down by the Ethiopian National Movement (ENM).
Last but not least, I would like to take this historical forum to request all Ethiopian organizations, groups and individuals to put aside their minor differences and join ENM in order to practically support the all-round efforts of the Movement through all possible ways.
Thank you.
The post Lencho Leta Speech at the Ethiopian National Movement (ENM) Meeting held in Oslo, Norway appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
The African Union (AU) has urged Djibouti and Eritrea to show “restraint” as tensions over a disputed border territory intensified and threatened to revive a long-standing and at times violent dispute.
Djibouti on Friday accused Eritrean soldiers of occupying territory in the contested Doumeira region following the departure of Qatari peacekeepers from the location earlier this week.
Doumeira is situated northeast of Djibouti and east of Eritrea near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway at the foot of the Red Sea through which nearly four million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the United States and Asia.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU commission chairperson, said on Saturday that the union would send a “fact-finding mission to the Djibouti-Eritrea border”.
The AU is “ready to assist Djibouti and Eritrea to normalise their relations and promote good neighbourliness within the framework of relevant AU instruments,” he said.
Qatar announced that it was pulling its contingent out on June 14, days after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies in a major diplomatic standoff with Doha.
Qatar’s foreign ministry did not give a reason for the move.
Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssef said on Friday that his country’s army was “on alert” and accused Eritrea of “moving its forces” into the Doumeira region where Qatari peacekeepers had been stationed since 2010 as a buffer between the two nations’ armies.
READ MORE: Djibouti accuses Eritrea of occupying disputed area
In a statement issued on Saturday, Eritrea did not address the allegations directly, saying it would not respond to “news – factual and speculative – churned out in the last few days”.
“The government of Eritrea will make its views known when it obtains full information of the entire episode,” said the statement issued by the information ministry in Asmara.
Djibouti, a close Western ally, has repeatedly clashed with Eritrea over the disputed territory, raising fears that the spat could engulf the entire region.
Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June 2008, which triggered several days of fighting that killed a dozen Djiboutian troops.
Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.
The UN Security Council then requested both sides withdraw from the area before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.
The post AU calls for calm amid Djibouti-Eritrea border tensions appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
SBS Amharic Interview with Artist Yadesa Zewge Bojia
The post SBS Amharic Interview with Artist Yadesa Zewge Bojia appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
Hiber Radio Daily Ethiopian News June 19, 2017
The post Hiber Radio Daily Ethiopian News June 19, 2017 appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
June 19, 2017
T.Goshu
“Difficult relationships are caused by two people: the person who does wrong or irresponsible things and the person who allows it.” Elisabeth B. Brown, Living Successfully with Screwed-up People, 1999.
Needless to say, this argument of the author strongly typifies how the problem of opportunistic behavior towards not only the ruling circle but also the notorious division and ugly squabble within and among political opposition organizations which declare the political struggle against tyranny has made the Ethiopian people pay huge price for a quarter of a century. I understand that this kind political culture and sentiment will take time, and desperately needs patience and perseverance. However, the way some fellowmen and fellowmen think and behave even after two decades of horrible socio-political experience in our country is incredibly idiotic. Why and how? It is partly because as Elisabeth argues, the majority of us do allow them to do so. Readers of this piece may ask me what I am talking about. I will be clear as I proceed.
“When emotional, you greatly want things to go a certain way, and you feel highly motivated to get what you want or avoid what you do not want.” Albert Ellis, How to Control Your Anger Before It Controls You (1997)
This is one of the serious challenges of human behavior or attitude. As a matter of fact, it is not possible to totally avoid or control this characteristic of human being. What is possible is to deal with it in such a way that it should not go out of control and causes crisis which in its turn can result in the destruction of highly desirable social, cultural, moral/ethical, spiritual values of a society.
Needless to say, it is when we fail to rationally (not emotionally) deal with this undesirable but not totally avoidable challenge that we make things worse to the extent of creating a fertile ground for hatred, divisiveness, and acts of aggression that may lead to mutual destruction. The very seed of hatred and hostility germinates and develops in our state of mind. When we fail to deal with this destructive behavior or attitude rationally, tolerantly, amicably, wisely, constructively and with a sense of looking-forward; we invite the reign of disorder and mutual obliteration. Simply put, what is in our state of mind and how we communicate it and for what purpose manifests itself either as the right and constructive means or as the wrong and terribly destructive instrument which can cause devastating conflicts, wars and disintegration which breed more hatred and hostility .
As Albert Ellis argues, the mentality of avoidance of ideas and beliefs for the simple reason that we do not want or do not like not only the issues for discussion but also a person or persons who bring them forward is the greatest enemy of pursuing a common good through a collective course of action. Not properly and wisely handled, this type of mind- set can lead to a socio-political chaos and territorial disintegration which makes people behave emotionally and irrationally and fight against each other as if they had never lived together and shared great common values.
What significantly if not mainly contributes to the occurrence of this horribly undesirable situation? Unless we want to fool ourselves, it is our own wicked political state of mind and behavior: cynicism, hypocrisy, conspiracy, deception, deeply rooted apathy, moral and ethical degradation, spiritual bankruptcy. Who contributes most to the occurrence and devastating consequences of this evil-driven situation? Not the people; but first it is the brutal ruling circle, and secondly it is those of us who consider ourselves as advocates of freedom and justice whereas we are totally consumed by a serious problem of looking at things beyond and above our own notoriously voracious egos. That is exactly what we are encountering at this very critical moment which desperately demands us to behave and act differently than we did for a quarter of a century.
It goes without saying that our case is a typical example of how not to deal with the differences of ideas and beliefs we may have rationally, tolerantly, amicably, and progressively is painfully troubling. The tyrannical ruling elites have badly manipulated the situation for coming to power and are perpetuating it by using those evil means such as hatred, mistrust, division, animosity, and destructive conflicts between and among ethnic groups. As a matter of the very nature and behavior of minority ethno-centric ruling parties in general and that of TPLF/EPRDF in particular, that is the only best way they can stay in power. What is horribly paradoxical is when we as citizens, political opposition groups and civic entities are not genuinely willing and able to engage in rational, healthy and constructive criticism leave alone to change things on the ground through collective action. Sadly enough, we are not still realistically and morally courageous to strike back at the very foolish but damaging attitudes and behaviors of some compatriots who terribly mess with practically positive efforts being made by truly concerned Ethiopians.
We cannot afford just keep blaming the ruthless ruling circle of TPLF/EPRDF only. True, the root cause of the incredible degree of political persecution, socio-economic destitution, and horrifying injustice, embarrassing moral and spiritual degradation is the minority ethno-centric tyranny. However, it is one thing to be critical of the highly toxic political system, but it is quite another thing to be courageous and honest enough to seriously look into what went horribly wrong within ourselves as induvial citizens, groupings and as a people in general. Sadly enough, the situation becomes much more painful when some individuals and groupings use criticism either for the sole purpose of self-defense or as an instrument to attack what they do not like or what they disagree with.
Admit it or not, it is this very damaging aspect of our socio-political discourse that has been and continued to be as painful as the the brutal ruling circle has done for the past two decades and continued to do so. Finding ourselves in a situation where there is no substantial and constructive way of criticizing each other’s ideas , views and deeds after going through an extremely painful socio-political dehumanization and national disgrace for a quarter of a century is hard to explain and justify. The problem is we just keep making wonderful rhetoric without internalizing it deep inside our minds and hearts. Our failure does not stop here. It goes to the extent of destroying each other’s ideas, views and practical endeavors regardless of the credibility of their importance in the name of criticism and self-expression because we personally do not like each other or we are victims of our voracious self-centered interests.
The political culture and attitude of using sensitive identity and cultural concepts of unity (Ethiopiaeinet) and ethnic identity (multitude of them) in our country for getting our own highly self-centered and voracious personal or group political or any other aspiration is one of the most challenging reality we are facing in this twenty-first century. This is because the moment we base our political critique on the very idea of either Ethiopianwinet or each of our ethnic identity as if they are not beauties of unity within diversity, we put our common interest and destiny as a people in a serious jeopardy. Unfortunately enough, that is how some fellowmen and fellowmen are behaving and acting.
What is more painfully disturbing is that the way we criticize each other’s ideas, behaviors and actions is not only a matter of foolishness and distortion but it also goes to the extent of destroying what we do not like or disagree with. That is exactly what we continued to witness at this very devastating political situation in our country in which the people are forced to live under an absolute brutality of state of emergency (state terrorism) which is approaching to “the celebration of its one year anniversary”. Is this not terribly disgraceful not only at individual or group or certain section of our society level but also at the vey national (countrywide) level? Absolutely it is!
Take deep breath and try to think deep in your inner soul and feel it how we have become captives of nostalgia for history made by our forefathers and foremothers hundreds and thousands of years ago without making our history of this 21st century. It painfully disturbs to witness some fellow Ethiopians attacking those sons and daughters of Ethiopia who are doing their best right on the ground, not from across oceans where they use to live their own decent and much better way of living. Genuinely concerned Ethiopians, we have to dare to critically and straightforwardly challenge those compatriots who terribly mess with the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice with their notoriously nonsensical propaganda which is of course a serious sickness of political mentality.
Frantz Fanon, the author of Black Skin, White Masks, 1952 (English translation by Richard Philcox 1982) argues what a desirable essence of mutual recognition in human relations does mean; and how the other side of it, keeping each of us apart and make the two-way movement and communication closed is essentially mutual deprivation. Yes, whenever we “shut of the circuit” or disturb it with all kinds of foolish and distorted criticism, we end up being trapped by the very damaging trend of mutual exclusion and deprivation. This becomes extremely painful in dealing with a very age-old, complicated, seriously challenging, and of course sensitive socio-political situation in our country. If we have to make a desirably positive difference in our political discourse and subsequently our course of action, there is a desperate need to work hard to make our criticism rational, objective, respectful, issue-focused, constructive and forward-looking.
Here is how Fanon puts it: “It is when I go beyond my immediate existential being that I apprehend the being of the other as a natural reality, and more than that. If I shut of the circuit, if I make the two-way movement unachievable, I keep the other within himself. In an extreme degree, I deprive him even of this being for-himself.”
Unfortunately enough, what we have continued to witness is the making of the already difficult political discourse much more difficult with our foolish, destructive and distorted way of criticism. What is terribly ridiculous is when we try to justify our damaging bevaoiur and attitude in the name of the right to criticism, freedom of expression and opposition. I do not think there would be any other typical example of this delusional way of thinking than the way we deal with our socio-political challenges. It is self-evident that this is because of our failure to learn a very hard lesson from what horribly went wrong in the past quarter of a century.
The political sentiment or attitude of embracing what we want (agree with) and avoiding what we do not want (disagree with) is the very consequence of allowing ourselves to be victims of excessive egoism, uncontrollable emotion, irrational and dangerously short-sighted way of thinking. Simply put, the sentiment or attitude of “I do not want to be part of the discussion on an issue regardless of its importance because I do not like certain individuals or groups” has been one of the most painful failures for the past two decades that puts our country and her people at an incredible level of suffering and dehumanization.
It goes without saying that it is this kind of mentality and attitude that has made the struggle against the very ruthless political tyranny of minority ethno-centrism unsuccessful. As if the very consequence of this failure for more than two decades is not enough yet, we still do not seem willing and able to reach some kind of mutual understanding of how to use criticism in dealing with the pivotal issues which determine our common destiny.
If we do not somehow and somewhere become genuinely cognizant of this self-defeating behavior and attitude and ready to do things the way they serve the public good, there wouldn’t be any convincing reason or justification for ending the bloody politics of minority ethno-centrism and establishing a system that would be responsive to its all citizens and accountable for all its misdeeds.
The way we engage in a conversation and the way we forward our critique is not in most cases based on what are the issues raised and how to deal with them and find a common ground, but based on the very wrong perspective of subjectivity which goes to the extent of name calling and direct personal attacks. As Fanon argues, this kind of behavior and attitude breeds nothing but mutual exclusion and deprivation, and if it is not dealt with properly, it would be resulting in mutual destruction.
To come to the specific comment and opinion I want to raise and discuss about, I read Ato Epherem Madebo’s note of recollection and impression about his trip to Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) posted on ECADF and the ZeHabesha, Amharic pages on 5/18/17. To my understanding, he has effectively communicated his message with his very interesting style of writing (neither difficult nor boring). He began his message by letting his readers know that it reflects his own personal observation, understanding and impression about his trip. Letting readers or audiences know that a writer or speaker is the sole source of what he or she wrote and spoke and responsible for any eventuality is quite normal and appropriate not only in a political arena but also in the arena of any professional duties and responsibilities.
Here is how I understood the content of his message in brief:
1) To express his deeply felt admiration and gratitude to Ethiopians living in that part of the world for their unreserved and patriotic love and support they have shown during his work trip. He expressed his sincere belief that the love, compassion and the real sense of togetherness he has witnessed was and is a strong testimony of seeing the future of our country bright, not dim or dark. He has expressed his heartfelt impression about truly enthusiastic Ethiopian Diasporas in that part of the world as evidence of how the quality of commitment to the just cause of one’s country is much more powerful than mere quantity.
Here is the way they expressed their deep-rooted feelings to each other:The young man to Ephrem, “Your strength is Ethiopia; my strength is you!”Patriot Ephrem’s reply; “The strength of both (all) of us is Ethiopia!” How powerfully meaningful these messages are!
Leaving the rest of the memoir to truly concerned Ethiopians to read and have their own understanding and judgment, I would like to proceed accordingly.
Soon after the publication of Ato Ephrem Madebo’s message of recollection and impression, I came across comments by some fellowmen namely: Andualem Tefera, Solomon Dagnachew and of course Tekle Yeshaw.
As Tekle Yeshaw’s response is quite long, notoriously and negatively redundant; many of the points of my comment would focus on the way how he conducted his criticism. I would be highlighting the ones which I believe readers should pay heed.
Let me once again be clear that I have no any intention of either simply defending Ato Ephrem Madebo’s political view and practical commitment or attacking those who question and challenge him with their own perception and perspective. Neither am I naively intended to defend Arbegnoch Ginbot 7 and the Ethiopian Satellite Television and Radio nor to argue that those fellowmen have no the right to criticize the weaknesses or wrong doings those political and media entities may not be immune from. My very intention is to express my points of view on the question of how the way we use criticism can negatively or positively shapes and affects our political discourse. I would be heedful of not to attack people’s personal and private behaviors and matters as such. But I would be as straightforward and critical as I should be towards the way they think and behave at this very critical political moment in the country. I am a strong believer of not to be shy away from calling a spade a spade whenever and wherever appropriate and necessary.
I found the comments of the three interesting not because they are rational, realistic, and constructive, but because they have made themselves much more clear how they are not willing and able to behave and act as grown-up politicians whose time and energy should not be wasted in the business of foolish and distorted criticism. Neither am I surprised nor frustrated with the very undesirable, if not distractive behavior of those fellow Ethiopians because I understand that this is one of the toughest challenges not only in the struggle against ethno-centric tyranny but also afterwards.
The response of Solomon Dagnachew is short and essentially covered by the two others. That is why my comment would focus on the criticism of the two fellow Ethiopians and more particularly on Tekle Yeshaw’s long, jargonized and highly redundant response as follows:
Organization, he or she totally loses his or her personal identity, independent and critical thinking, ideas, thoughts, views and principles which is a terribly distorted way of looking at the relationship between a person and the organization he or she belongs to.
Tekle Yeshaw makes his foolish and distorted way of looking at the relationship between a member and his or her organization more clear when he says, “Ginbot 7 means its members and all what its members say is that of Ginbot 7.” What he essentially is saying is that an organization is simply a collection of people who totally dissolve their individual identity and perspective of looking at things and simply become a bunch of brains saying yes or no regardless of who is right or wrong, or who says what. Is this not a terribly idiotic way of political thinking? Absolutely it is! I hate to say but I have to say that this kind of political sentiment is not unexpected from a person who “leads his organization” at his own wishes and guidance of “Moresh means Tekle and Tekle means Moresh.” I wonder how a person with this type ignorant arrogance can be a democratic asset to the birth and development of Amhara’s democratic political organization let alone to a democratically feasible and inclusive Ethiopian political umbrella. I strongly argue that not only the Amhara in particular but also the Ethiopian people in general cannot afford to give due recognition let alone to extend whatever support they can to those who wage all kinds of cynical, hypocritical and conspiratorial propaganda against those Ethiopians who are doing their best in the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice.
I want to underscore here that no any ordinary Ethiopian with his or her right mind let alone Arbegnoch Ginbot 7 and its members and freedom fighters argues and stands against the fundamental rights of not only Amhara but any other ethnic group or section the society as far as my recollection and understanding is concerned. I am quite certain that millions of open-minded, rational/realistic and constructive thinking Ethiopians share this perspective of mine.
What all those genuinely concerned Ethiopians argue is not whether Amhara or any other ethnic group has the right to organize itself in any way it believes to do so or not. What they strongly and without reservation argue is that Amahras have no problem whatsoever to join all other Ethiopians and fight for freedom and justice for all. That is why we are hearing clear and loud voices calling for stopping the bloodshed of innocent Ethiopians wherever it is committed by the TPLF /EPRDF killing machine. The voices we do hear clear and loud at this very critical moment declares, “The bloodshed in Oromia and Amara regions is the blood of innocent brothers and sisters of Ethiopia. “
The three fellowmen (Tekle, Andualem and Solomon) puts this clear, loud and straightforward message of the innocent people of the two majority ethnic groups up side down when they try hard to convince us that it is politically and morally right to drag the Amaras down to the level of the politics of pure ethnic identity and then come back to what the people are demanding for latter. These fellowmen are either victims of ignorant arrogance or griped by uncontrollable obsession with personal or group egos. Otherwise, they could have sincerely listen the very demand of Amhara in particular and all other Ethiopians in general, and be genuine contributors to the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice. And that demand is nothing but stopping the politically motivated bloodshed of all innocent brothers and sisters of Ethiopia through collective and compassionate political action and subsequently build a country of freedom and justice for all.
I strongly argue that it is absolutely wrong and damaging for some fellow Ethiopians especially in the diaspora to drag down Amhara to the level of the politics of ethnic-based hatred, fragmentation and chaos of TPLF/EPRDF as if a quarter of a century is not enough yet. Needless to say, trying to deal the very socio-political dehumanization of Amaharas under TPLF/EPRDF with extremely sensational / emotional and terribly shortsighted way of doing politics as well as with the very ugly and mutually destructive mentality and behavior of those in the diaspora is a serious political moral sickness, to say the least.
I know those who may badly disagree with this view of mine may respond with all kinds of wicked categorization and characterization. I wish I could make them happy and get their admiration and “blessings.” But that is not the way I am. I am person of belief that it is the right thing to call a spade a spade whenever and wherever appropriate and necessary. Yes, I would like to reiterate that those fellowmen/women in the diaspora who have declared the formation of multiple of political or advocacy groups of friends and political acquaintances of the same political mentality in the name of rescuing Amhara will cause serious disruption to the ongoing struggle which desperately demands the construction and strengthening of multi-national (country widely inclusive) umbrella of political plan and action.
Genuinely concerned Ethiopians, how a person who claims himself as advocate and promoter of desirable Ethiopian culture and tradition totally lose some level of moral and factual decency whenever he criticizes the works of his own compatriot? Why and how Ato Tekle Yeshaw tried hard in search of bloody words for his topic to express his disappointment and disagreement with another Ethiopian who with all his weaknesses and mistakes we may argue about is doing the best he can to his country and people? This clearly tells and shows how some fellowmen and fellowmen such as Ato Tekle Yeshaw have made themselves victims of the total bankruptcy of rational and constructive way of thinking and doing politics.
Hoping that those fellowmen may have some grain of truth and constructiveness, I tried to read their writings as carefully as possible. Sadly enough, I ended up finding no real sense of criticism, but the throwing of all kinds of extremely irrational, if not terribly stupid words and expressions of personal attack against Ato Ehprem and waging dirty political propaganda against Arbegnoch Ginbot 7, ESAT and other individuals and political parties and movements. This terribly nonsensical socio-political mentality and behavior should not be allowed to continue obstructing and damaging the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice for which truly patriotic Ethiopians such as Ephrem Madebo are paying necessary sacrifices at the very forefront of operational ground.
Andualem declares, “What currently exists is a government of Tigrayans, not Ethiopian government. Amhara is struggling against the Tigrayans government, not Ethiopian government. The annihilation of Amhara for the prosperity of Tigrayans.” Genuinely concerned Ethiopians, I do not want to go into the business of discussing this self-explanatory argument. But I have to express how it is stupidly awful both political and morally to use the description of Ethiopian /Amahra government and the Tigraynas government as if Tigrayans as a people are responsible for what the very few individuals who belong to some families of Tigrayans are ruling Ethiopia with iron fist. I wonder how some fellowmen in the diaspora with this kind of wicked and idiotic political mentality and behavior dare to claim themselves as defenders of the democratic right of Amhara whereas they are making the socio-political rift created by TPLF/EPRDF much more deep and wide. Is this not horribly awful political mentality and behavior? Absolutely it is!
Ato Tekle Yeshaw made a very foolish distortion when he tried to use this very clear and simple personal experience to reinforce his argument against those Ethiopians who have no any leisure and time to entertain all kinds of nonsensical, if not idiotic political tag of war . Tekle should be embarrassed by his own political personality which has gone to this extent of using any opportunity that makes himself more disparaged and disgraceful.
He “reported” to his readers that “because of the awareness of Amhara about not only the “ineffectiveness” of Arbegnoch Ginbot 7 but also its “anti-Amhara agenda”, thanks to the leadership of Moresh, Ato Ephrem returned empty handed.” What he is declaring is that his dream of evil wish and his daydream calculation of seeing the political bankruptcy of those patriotic and heroic Ethiopians who are in action on the ground where the fight for freedom is taking place must become true.
He stupidly believes that Ethiopian diasporas have no either any clue or their own judgement about his multiple journey to Oceania, Europe and North America to promote his own voracious personal ego and to sell his books of sensationally appealing especially to his political moto of “Amhara by itself and for itself.” Needless to say, Ato Tekle Yeshaw and his likes do not have both moral and factual ground to convince millions of genuinely concerned Ethiopians that those who left their decent or better way of living and their beloved families behind and put themselves at the forefront of the struggle are not serious about the fate of their country.
Accusing and condemning the generation which was forced to choose a radical means of change (socialist ideology) because of the closing of any other peaceful means of reform by the then rulers as destroyer its own country and people with no any qualification is the characteristic of small minded political personalities, not broad-minded.
Here is what Ato Tekle Yeshaw further complains; “If ESAT was welcoming to all Ethiopians, it would have make possible for those who make their voices about Ethiopia and Amhara such as Dr. Abeba Fekade, Dr. Asefa Negash and ato Getachew Reda to air their voices.” I do not know if it is a legitimate complaint or just a perception that he uses as additional point of attack against the credibility of ESAT.
I could say more and more. But believing that I highlighted and discussed some of the main political ideas and behaviors which reflects sicknesses of socio-political mind-sets in our political discourse, I have to end here. Let me end by saying that the undesirable political thinking and behavior I tried to discuss were, are and would continue to be parts of the socio-political history of any human society. Needless to say, the challenges they pose differs from country to country. The more developed and democratic, the less the negative impact and vice versa. I do not need to lecture you where we are. I strongly believe that one of the main reasons for us not be able to make a breakthrough and shorten the untold sufferings of the people of Ethiopia is because we allow those compatriots who pose a serious setback every time they see any progress that is not satisfactory to their notoriously narcissist and hypocritical political personal or group behaviors and interests. I truly want to remain optimistic that we as individuals, as members of political or civic organizations, as professionals of media outlets, as a community and above all as a people will learn a hard lesson from what terribly went wrong and make our own political history sooner, not latter.
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London)
PRESS RELEASE
Up to 60 percent of Ethiopia’s coffee production area could become unsuitable for coffee farming before the end of the century, says a new study. Moving coffee production to higher ground plus forest conservation and restoration could substantially increase the area suitable for coffee growing in Ethiopia, the study adds.
Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and collaborators in Ethiopia have today published an innovative new study on the impact of climate change on coffee farming in Ethiopia. The research, conducted over a three-year period, investigated the potential for building a climate resilient coffee economy for Ethiopia.
The paper, published today in Nature Plants, is called ‘Resilience potential of the Ethiopian coffee sector under climate change’.
Ethiopia is the world’s fifth largest coffee producer and Africa’s main exporter. In 2015/16, 180,000 metric tonnes of coffee at a value of US$800m was exported from the country, generating a quarter of the country’s export earnings and providing livelihoods for around 15 million Ethiopians.
Against a backdrop of rapidly increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall, there was an urgent need to understand how climate change is influencing coffee production and what the options for the future are.
Justin Moat, co-leader of the study at Kew Gardens said: “This is the culmination of many years work, where we are trying to understand in detail the influence of climate change on coffee production in Ethiopia.
“We found that a ‘business as usual’ approach could be disastrous for the Ethiopian coffee economy in the long-term. Timely, precise, science-based decision making is required now and over the coming decades, to ensure sustainability and resilience for the Ethiopian coffee sector.”
In its wild state Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) is a forest plant restricted to the highlands of Ethiopia and neighbouring South Sudan. It has been used in Ethiopia as a food and beverage for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Currently 80% of Ethiopia’s coffee comes from forests or forest-like habitats, and covers around 20,000km of the country’s landscape, with another 20% grown in small plots in sun or partial shade.
The new study uses detailed computer modelling developed by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and high resolution satellite imagery to map the coffee growing landscape of Ethiopia, in combination with numerous computer simulations, to project changes in climatic suitability for coffee under different climate change scenarios until the end of this century.
The research shows that an increase in temperature of around 4°C by the end of this century could lead to a 39-59% decrease in the current coffee-growing area of Ethiopia, if no interventions are made.
Conversely, relocation of coffee-growing areas could potentially result in a fourfold increase in the coffee farming area within Ethiopia, even under climate change. This would require a major shift in the coffee growing landscape, mostly to higher altitudes, as temperatures continue to increase. Considerable numbers of farmers would need to diversify away from coffee, whilst others would need to take up coffee growing for the first time.
Generally, those areas that are currently marginal for coffee farming will decline first, although some areas that are highly suitable today are projected to decline more rapidly than expected. Some areas will have in-built climate resilience, mainly due to their current suitability and geographical position. The research provides climate change projections for each of Ethiopia’s 16 main coffee growing areas.
Feedback from coffee farmers and field study of coffee farming sites, indicates that coffee farming has already been negatively influenced by climate change in Ethiopia, and that these changes happen slowly (over many decades) until tipping points are reached.
Dr Aaron Davis of RBG Kew, co-leader of the research said: “On the basis of the study we now have a clear vision of what needs to be done to make the Ethiopian coffee sector climate resilient, at least until the end of this century. The sector has the potential to increase production, even under climate change. In the longer term, however, the only truly sustainable solution is to combat the root causes of climate change.”
Professor Sebsebe Demissew, a senior botanical scientist from the University of Addis Ababa and a co-author of the research said: “Arabica coffee originates from the highland forests of Ethiopia, and it is our gift to the world. As Ethiopia is the main natural storehouse of genetic diversity for Arabica coffee, what happens in Ethiopia could have long-term impacts for coffee farming globally. “
Background
The study was conducted for the project Building a Climate Resilient Coffee Economy for Ethiopia, within the Strategic Climate Institutions Programme (SCIP) Fund, financed by the governments of the UK (DFID), Denmark and Norway; the views expressed in the study do not necessarily reflect the UK, Norway and Denmark governments’ official policies.
The study was led and managed by Dr Aaron Davis (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK) and Justin Moat (RBG Kew and University of Nottingham) and Dr Tadesse Woldermariam Gole (Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), Ethiopia).
The report that accompanies the research paper, Coffee Farming and Climate Change in Ethiopia: Impacts, Forecasts, Resilience and Opportunities, provides details on the location, timing, and severity of projected climate change impacts for the 16 coffee farming areas of Ethiopia.
Access the study http://www.kew.org/science/projects/building-a-climate-resilient-coff ee-economy-for-ethiopia
Access the report https://www.nature.com/articles/nplants201781
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international and a top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of landscaped gardens, and Kew’s country estate, Wakehurst, attract over 1.5 million visits every year. www.kew.org
Facts and figures: Ethiopia and Coffee
Coffee and climate in Ethiopia
Coffee and climate change in Ethiopia
Climate change and its influence on Ethiopian coffee farming
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By Mahlet Fasil
Dr. Merera, Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC)
Federal prosecutors have today submitted their objections against the statement from Dr. Merera Gudina. Last month, Dr. Merera’ lawyers have submitted a letter requesting for the criminal charges against him to be separated from the terrorism charges against the two foreign based media organizations OMN and ESAT, in the same file. Today, the court received the written objection from the prosecutors and adjourned the next hearing to give its verdict to July 07.
Dr. Merera, Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) has objected to the charges stating, among others, the multiple criminal charges he is facing as having nothing to do with the terrorism charges brought against OMN and ESAT, which are co-defendants in the same file.
In their response today, prosecutors have asked the court to dismiss Dr. Merera’s objection on the grounds that he has failed to include his objection along with his preliminary Objection. Prosecutors have also made a case that the charges against all defendants in the same file, including Jawar Mohammed, executive director of OMN, and Dr. Berhanu Nega, leader the Patriotic G7, a rebel group already listed as a terrorist organization, are interrelated in many ways.
Dr. Merera’s initial preliminary objection included for the charges against him to be dismissed all together or his right to a bail to be upheld. The court dismissed both and upheld prosecutors’ request. However, on June 02, the defense team of Dr. Merera submitted another objection stating the criminal charges against Dr. Merera to be separated from the terrorism charges against OMN and ESAT, listed as co-defendants in a file under his name.
Dr. Merera is facing multiple criminal charges that include an attempt to violently overthrow the constitutional order. Except for Dr. Merera, the case against all defendants is being seen in absentia.
**
In a related news, during the last hearing on June 2nd, the judges have told federal Prosecutors that the terrorism charges against OMN and ESAT lacked critical details such as the legal status of the organizations, timeline of their establishments and countries they were operating from. Today, prosecutors have submitted an improved version of the charges against the two media organizations.
However, this morning the court has declined to give copies of the improved charges to lawyers representing Dr. Merera Gudina stating that they were not representing the media organizations. The court also adjourned to give its response to the improved charges on the same date on July 07.
– AS
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By Teshome Debalke
After all, no united people and democratic nation was ever possible without institutionally vetting the elites and penalizing violators to submit for the will of the people, none. Therefore, Ethiopian political elites must cut to the chase of talking on both side of their mouth and unconditionally surrender for consent of the governed to liberate the people of Ethiopia from their dysfunctional behavior that unleashed the nuisance of tyranny. It is as simple as that.
The Ethiopian National Unity Convention recently held in Seattle, Washington part 1 2… unlike any is the beginning of institutional probe on violators of the public trust long overdue in contemporary Ethiopian politics.
Unity of contemporary elites for purpose of emancipating the people of Ethiopia from the dysfunctional elites that have been bargaining our people’s freedom and rights away for their own ambitions is unheard of in modern Ethiopian politics and as simple as it can get to end tyrannical rule for good.
To give the Convention the badly needed moral clarity in the old Ethiopian religious tradition long forgotten by most contemporary elites like everything Ethiopian, the presence of our religious leaders to render spiritual advice to soften the hardened hearts and to reaffirm their commitment to speak out for justice and morality to free our religious institutions taken hostage by the ethnic Mafia elites was the icing on the cake.
The legendry 20th century German born America abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann once said; “simplicity is the ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary, so that the necessary may speak.”
Indeed. Whether in religion, politics, social and economics; simplicity is the mother of all ‘to eliminate the unnecessary, so that the necessary may speak.”
Likewise, Politics is ‘the art of the possibilities’ because its ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary noise of self-appointed political elites, so that the people may speak freely on the substance of democratic governance. Unfortunately, the reverse is true when it comes to our political elites’ zero-sum disengagements for as long as we can remember as if the democratic struggle is about them instead of the people of Ethiopia.
Thus, the Convention began to end self-serving politics at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia as we know it and should be applauded for opening the door of accountability. It not only showed where the bottleneck that kept our people apart and the ethnic Apartheid Mafia regime alive to create more chaos than otherwise but, provided platform for political, civic, Media… ‘organizations’ leaders to submit for the will of the people and to answer the tough questions of the public interest than throw mud on each other hiding behind the rogue Mafia regime to avoid public scrutiny for their own transgressions.
The ground-breaking Convention must continue its effort of identify every political, civic, Media… organizations and their leaders involved in the Ethiopian affairs to come out for public scrutiny and accountability.
Quit honestly, my wish is; the Convention to be transformed in to a permanent Watch Dog organization that oversee the hazard of dysfunctional behaviors of the elites that causing pain and suffering of the people of Ethiopia in general and the transgression of every political, social, economic and Media organizations and their leaders on behalf of the people of Ethiopia. In other words, it should be named to the ‘Ethiopian Unity and Democracy Watch’ with a broad mission of independently investigating who-is-who selling the interest of the people of Ethiopia short in every sector and take the necessary actions to stop it.
At the meantime, the formation of the Ethiopian National Movement last year and its recent multi cities tours around the world is the end clandestine politics against our people’s interest as we know it and the beginning of accountability. The Movement’s members’ official submission for the consent of the governed is a testimony unheard of in the political history of Ethiopia and the end self-entitlement to rule without consent the people as we know it.
As I said before, ENM is the best thing that happened to the people of Ethiopia since the Ethiopian Satellite Television Network hit the airwaves. I said that; not because the people behind ENM are necessarily smarter or better than anybody else but, because their moral superiority to submit for the consent of the governed thus, the rule of law and democracy by their actions than words is unmatched by any political elites that flaunt their credentials but yet couldn’t figure out what it means for the people of Ethiopia other than their own ambition visible for the necked eye.
Therefore, any Ethiopian that is blind sighted by the self-appointed representatives’ empty talk and by Woyane instigated ethnic Apartheid institutionalized divide and extortion is missing the big picture of the Ethiopian National Unity Convention’s platform and the Ethiopian National Movement submission for the will of the people of Ethiopia. After all, what good is Unity without the end of self-appointment of the political elites as representative of our people or democracy without the unconditional surrender for the consent of the governed that doesn’t require a PhD to figure out.
Thus, self-appointed political elites that made career out of using ethnicity or unity as a means of bargaining the people of Ethiopia’s’ rights and liberties away or as a meal ticket to illegitimate political power and corruption are nothing less than ‘the devil in disguise’ as we witnessed the rogue TPLF Mafia elites make a mockery of consent and democratic governance for 40 plus long years.
Before I dip in why the Ethiopian Unity Convention is the beginning and end of all dysfunctional behavior of contemporary elites, my appreciation for the distinguished Ethiopian public intellectual Professor Mesfin Woldemariam for simplifying the problem when he said; “ኢትዮጵያኖች መንቀል እንጂ መትከል አንችልም” and summed up the source of all the crises facing the people of Ethiopia and where to begin solving it.
In his remark, he made a telling story about modern education as a possible trigger of the elites’ dysfunctional behavior. Observing many highly educated contemporary Ethiopian elites’ propensity for cronyism and corruption and disregard for the rule of law and accountability on the expenses of their fellow Ethiopians, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say; modern education is the principal contributor for contemporary elites’ dysfunctional behavior thus, the source of lawlessness and the pain-and-suffering of our people in general and the atrocities and corruption of the ruling ethnic Mafia elites. Listen to his full speech here.
Given his advice mightn’t sink-in the minds of highly polarized and narcissistic contemporary political elites’ that feel entitled to continue circling the same old Marxist’s class and ethnic divide wagon not to speak the universal language of the rule of law and democracy, the time has come for all Ethiopians to make each-and- every one of them accountable as the Ethiopian Unity Convention began to do. After all, how long Ethiopians can tolerate contemporary elites to experiment every political, social, and economic transgression known to man without taking any personal responsibility whatsoever or unwilling to tell the truth to remedy them?
Regardless, the past is for historians to document and justice to take its course in future time as many progressive participants of the Convention alluded. Looking forward; no individual Ethiopian elite simplify the gist of the solution missing in the vocabulary of contemporary political elites for so long than Dr Kunte Mussa. In recusing himself from claiming to represent our people, he said; ‘I am an individual and don’t represent the Afar people or anyone else. No one voted for me to represent them’; and hammered the nail on the coffin of self-appointed representative of our people — the primary cause of the problem on the struggle for freedom, justice and democracy that cost so many lives, rights, liberty and resources of the people of Ethiopia for so long.
But, no one — speaking on behalf of the Patriotic-Ginbot Seven Movement and member of the Ethiopian National Movement buried the coffin of self-appointment for good than Dr Berhanu Nega that earned him terrorism charge from none other than the self-appointed ethnic elite representatives of our people in Tigray masquerading as the Government of Ethiopia.
Therefore, the problem for struggle for freedom and democracy is nothing more than the self-appointed representative of our people’s refusal to surrender for consent of the governed as their notorious Woyane counterparts. Unfortunately, it continued to be the one-and-only bottleneck facing the people of Ethiopia from ending the Apartheid Mafia rule as it is the case for all people around the world under despotic regimes run by dysfunctional elites that vehemently refuse to surrender for the consent of the governed thus, for the rule of law and democratic governance.
For the record, the former Kinjit that won the 2005 Ethiopian National Election hands down followed by Patriotic-Ginbot Seven Movement for Freedom, Justice and Democracy are the only political organizations in the history of the Ethiopia that officially submitted for the consent of the people until the four progressive member parties of the Ethiopian National Movement unconditionally surrender for will of the people of Ethiopia last year to unite their effort.
The Ethiopian National Movement was born out of the necessity ‘to eliminate the unnecessary’ (the political elites’ entitlement to self-appoint themselves as the representative of our people) as acknowledged by the Chairman Dr Beyan Asoba. Quite frankly, Ethiopians can’t get it any better than that and should take ENM seriously to help end tyranny from body politics of Ethiopia as we know it.
If you really think about it, the entire political, social and economic crises brought on our people that resulted in the emergence of a self-professed Marxist Military junta known as Derg followed by a self-professed Marxist ethnic Mercenary/Mafia known as Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) masquerading as the Ethiopian governments; it is because of the audacity contemporary political elites’ refusal to submit for the consent of the governed, the rule of law thus, democratic governance ever since Ethiopians embarked in the struggle for freedom and democracy from the traditional monarchy rule. Nothing less noting more to it.
Therefore, self-appointed representative of our people at home and abroad that are supposedly educated enough to know better than their traditional counterparts brought chaos— division, confusion, rights violations, corruption, poverty, death, distraction, displacement… and can no longer be allowed to continue the politics of chaos as the usual for their enablers’ benefits.
Unfortunately, old habits die hard and many continued to do the same. Crimes after crimes of Woyane dysfunctional elites and blunders after blunders of the rest; the self-appointed representative of our people couldn’t budge but, double down to justify their existence on the expenses of our people for far too long. Where is the justice for our people in that?
When I wrote several critical articles about contemporary elites playing hide-and-seek starting on January 21 titled the politics of against vs. for the people of Ethiopia followed by another article on February of 2017 titled; “The ‘Ethiopian Crisis’: Isn’t the intellectual elites’ willful ignorance that caused the crises?” it was out frustration not finding much info about the same old Summit call on Ethiopian Crises sponsored by the Ethiopian American Council and ‘Consultative Conference’ sponsored by Shengo, the Ethiopian National Transition Congress and Ethiopian Youth National Movement. I couldn’t help but ask;
“Could the Crises of Ethiopia the lack of transparency of those that claim to address the Crises?”
After the summit and the Consultative Conference’ to nowhere ended, on March 2017 I wrote another article titled “Two wrongs don’t make right nor help institute the rule of law over the jungle law” to reinforce; self-appointed representative of our people are mixing apples and oranges in the name of ethnicity, unity, peace, democracy… by coming up with their own jungle law. I said;
“Unfortunately, there are enough dysfunctional elites that embrace the jungle law of their own liking that benefited TPLF/Woyane warlords to empower them to ram the jungle law further — mixing and matching ‘alternative’ facts for far too long. More disheartening is; Diaspora dysfunctional elites’ persistence to sustain and mainstream the jungle law halfway across the world — reinforcing; you can get the boys out of the jungle but, not the jungle out of them.”
Think about it, where in this world people get away with self-appointing themselves as representative of the people of a nation without the consent of the governed but, contemporary dysfunctional political elites from their hiding?
Quite frankly, I don’t know how any organization leader in the business of solving the political problem of Ethiopia feels entitled to speak on behalf our people beyond the universal suffrage of the people of Ethiopia and democratic rule regardless of the outcomes. To do so is not only an insult to the intelligence and the integrity of the civilized people of Ethiopia but, a conspiracy to undermine the unity and the democratic struggle of our people.
But again, what do I know about contemporary politics when the most educated elites couldn’t figure out the difference between their petty interest and the public interest?
Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that create them”
It is true anytime a political party, civic organization or Media leaders deviate from the consent of the governed, the rule of law and democratic governance as the principle driving force for freedom and liberty of our PEOPLE; crises like what the people of Ethiopia faced all these years at enormous cost to lives, rights and livelihoods and the integrity of the nation is inevitable. Then, why do contemporary political elites do it over-and-over again and why the rest of their peers allow them?
If the past is any indication; ideological differences wasn’t the issue between contemporary political elites. After all, they all embraced Marxism then as they claim to embrace democracy now but, never walk-the-talk or agreed to work together on the basic principle of Marxism then or democracy they publicly proclaim now. Nor, the absences of the rule of law and personal accountability is their concern then as it is not now by their own actions-and-inactions. Therefore, by embracing despotism (the rule of the jungle) and secrecy (lack of accountability) over the consent of the governed, the rule of law and accountability (democracy); their dysfunctional behavior become the norm not the exception as it was summed up by our wise people’s saying “እኔው ብቻ ልግዛው ሆነና ነገሩ ደግሞ በሰማይ ቤት እንዳያስቸግሩ”.
Can Ethiopians afford self-appointed representative of our people to negotiate with each other our rights and fate any longer remained the million dollars question.
Therefore, when the Ethiopian National Unity Convention began the process of the long-awaited accountability of the self-appointed representatives our people to consent for the governed in the shadow the ruling ethnic Mafia elites hellbent to sustain ethnic Apartheid regime backed by the international community; it was fresh air to make us all sing halleluiah.
But, the usual loud noises not only came fast from the stooges of the rogue Mafia regime as expected but, from every self-appointed elite that claim to represent our people. It seems anything that brings Ethiopians together to discuss the right course of actions to take to make all political elites surrender for the consent of the people of Ethiopia is the end of the world or death sentence for their entitlement. Where is the justice for our people in that?’
Therefore, the attacks on anybody that striped their entitlement intensified before the Convention’s proceedings’ ‘ink dried’. For instance, those attempting to pock hole on the Ethiopian Unity Conference came on Media platforms run by clandestine individuals hiding in their bunkers. The open season of attacks, diversion, character assassination, incrimination… against the Unity Convention itself, the organizers and participants as well as leaders of the Ethiopian National Movement, particularly Patriotic-Ginbot Seven Movement’s leaders shouldn’t alarm Ethiopians and remind us what Professor Mesfin said– “ኢትዮጵያኖች መንቀል እንጂ መትከል አንችልም”.
The challenge for Ethiopians in general as well as organizers of the Ethiopian Unity Conference and member of the Ethiopian National Movement is simple. That is; to sort out the political elites that talk for the sake of talking/opposing and others that claim to represent a party or organization on behalf of our people but refuse to walk-the-talk and make them personally responsible. After all, isn’t that why Ethiopians are disgusted by the crimes of the dysfunctional Mafia elites of Woyane?
Unfortunately, to see only members of the Ethiopian National Movement submit for consent of the people of Ethiopia means there is more work to be done to bring about individual and institutional accountability from all. The question is; who and how?
The role of the Media and civic organizations
As they say, Media Matters. Unfortunately, most contemporary elites’ run ‘Medias’ are political hacks with obvious agenda not to matter for the interest of the people of Ethiopia just like their self-appointed political counterparts.
The handful Media operators that officially submit for the interest of the people of Ethiopia led by the Ethiopian Satellite Television Network Verses the many others that submit for self-appointed political elites of one kind or another including Woyane Mafia elites is where the problem began and must end. Again, the solution is simple. Medias that submit for the interest of the people of Ethiopia have the responsibility and the duty to identify and sort out those that don’t. Likewise, civic organization can also play a role to sort out the real from the fake Medias.
Likewise, the Ethiopian Unity Convention organizers (the future Ethiopian National Unity and Democracy Watch) must also hold convention on the State of the Ethiopian Media to identify and sort out those that submit for the people will verses their own or their enablers’ will. After all, whether political party, civic and economic organizations or Medias, if they don’t submit for the interest of the people; what good can they be but, trumpets of interest groups of their choice that take advantage of the chaos the Mafia regime created at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia.
As the mudslinging and flame throwing on Ethiopians intensify from the usual suspects mostly from faceless and nameless characters, organizers of the Ethiopian Unity Convention as well as all Ethiopians must be vigilant to identify and expose them to the people of Ethiopia. What they shouldn’t do is be sidetracked by those that attempt to derail the democratic struggle and focus on the bigger issue of individual accountability from one-and-all away from guilt by associations. After all, isn’t guilt by associations the criminal way of denying of our people justice the dysfunctional Woyane Mafia elites strive on?
Finally, the door is wide open for one and all political parties, civic organization and Medias to submit for the consent of the people of Ethiopia and explain how they plan to bring about unity, freedom, the rule of law and democratic governance to sort out who is responsible for causing havoc on the people of Ethiopia beside the expected Mafia regime’s elites hiding behind the ethnic Apartheid Revolutionary Democracy and everything in between.
I don’t know about you my people. But, for me as Ethiopian; no one represent my people until they say so in their free will. And, any organization, political or otherwise that officially submit for the will of my people worth every support, respect and more.
After all, no united people and democratic nation was ever possible without institutionally vetting the elites and penalizing violators to submit for the will of the people, none. Therefore, Ethiopian political elites must cut to the chase of talking on both side of their mouth and unconditionally surrender for consent of the governed to liberate the people of Ethiopia from their dysfunctional behavior that unleashed the nuisance of tyranny. It is as simple as that.
The article is dedicated for the organizers of the Ethiopian National Unity Convention in Seattle Washington for opening the door of accountability and members of the Ethiopian National Movement that set the standard of democratic rule by officially submitting for the consent of the people of Ethiopia. Whether we love them or hate them for whatever petty reason, they proved to be morally superior than any to love their people more than they love themselves. As they say, ‘if you love them; set them free’.
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ESAT Latest Ethiopian News June 21, 2017
The post ESAT Latest Ethiopian News June 21, 2017 appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
by Aklog Birara (Dr)
Open Letter
Aklog Birara (DR)
Barely three years after more than 160,000 Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia were expelled from the Kingdom, an estimated 400,000-750,000 Ethiopian migrant workers face a dire situation again. No one really knows the exact number involved; but it is in the hundreds of thousands. The eminent nature of these mass deportations reveal two intractable and interrelated fundamental human rights issues in international and domestic policy.
Despite its constant rhetoric that it has embarked upon a period of unprecedented “renaissance” for its large population, Ethiopia’s police state is incapable of creating work opportunities or providing basic services. Instead, the regime resorts to all forms of cruel and inhumane treatments including encouraging hundreds of thousands to leave Ethiopia. The exodus of people is unprecedented in Ethiopian history. The regime continues to believe that this exodus generates foreign exchange and is therefore worth the sacrifice of tens of thousands of lives and the dignity of Ethiopians.First and foremost is the inability of the Ethiopian government to meet the hopes and aspirations of its bulging youth. Those under the age of 35 constitute 70 percent of Ethiopia’s 104 million people. Experts estimate that Ethiopia needs to create more than 2.5 million jobs each year. Compounding this lack of opportunity is a crushing and debilitating system of government that crushes all forms of dissent, rejects the right to demand services and to hold government officials accountable for crimes against extrajudicial killings, forcible disappearances, evictions, displacements, jailing and torture.
Hence, the allure of a better life abroad and the push from cruel and inhumane treatment constitute the key divers of indescribable flight and brain drain from Ethiopia. Ordinary Ethiopians prefer to take risks and leave their homeland in droves than to suffer from humiliation, recurrent assaults and slow deaths at home. The government of Ethiopia is incapable of removing the root causes that led millions of peaceful citizens in Oromia, Amhara, Konso and other locations to revolt against this crushing system barely one year ago. More than 1,000 innocent people were murdered; and no one has been held accountable for these atrocities. Unwilling to respond to the popular revolt, the regime declared a State of Emergency for six months that it has now extended by 4 more months. For practical purposes, political, social and spiritual space is totally closed. A closed society cannot create jobs or establish an environment in which citizens would have a fighting chance to make a living in their homeland.
If the regime has failed to match the East Asian Miracle of growth and development over the past 27 years, do not expect that it can match them in the next 30 or 50 years. The fundamentals are broken and cannot be fixed by the same crowd that enriched themselves over a quarter century!! The tragedy in exclusionary and repressive governance shrouded under the developmental state is that, the regime’s leaders refuse to compare their contributions with the best of the best in the East and South Asia, Latin America, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, they keep telling the Ethiopian people that the regime is doing better than the Imperial regime and the Dergue, both of which are long gone and history. Why not dare to compare Ethiopia’s growth with current success stories such as Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles, Namibia and increasingly Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda etc.? Ethiopia’s per capita income is a third of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The regime has failed miserably in meeting the demands and needs of Ethiopian youth. They leaves in droves because the system is both hostile and disempowering. Any regime incapable of responding to its youthful population is at the same time incapable of serving the country and all of its citizens. Immigrants suffer from this vicious and cruel system.
Second, even in better times, Saudi Arabia is not known for humane treatment of migrant workers. Migrant workers do not have human rights; they are treated as disposable modern “slaves.” Therefore, the Saudi Arabia’s “Saudization” or indigenization program comes at the worst time for Ethiopian migrant workers. Millions of Ethiopians suffer from one of the worst cases of drought famine. A 2017 assessment of fragile states by the Fund for Peace identifies Ethiopia among the 15 most fragile countries in the world. The report underscores the fact that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that dominates the government exercises total monopoly over political, economic, security and other policy and decision-making institutions. “The TPLF control is self-evident. The military establishment is Tigrean.” Group grievances are common and are left un-addressed. Ethiopia’s middle class is in
shambles. Wealth is concentrated in a few hands, mostly Tigreans. The TPLF controls almost all natural resources.
In a similar vein the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace opined that “The EPRDF position of power remains fundamentally fragile, owning primarily to the internal contradictions of the EPRDF regime.” Consequently, the regime is incapable and unable to meet the basic needs of citizens.
Against these dire conditions, migrant workers face enormous problems in Ethiopia. History is likely to repeat itself. Three years ago, those who returned to Ethiopia from Saudi Arabia found themselves in a worst condition and thus returned to Saudi Arabia and other countries in droves. At the time, Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups reported degrading conditions, indescribable human rights abuses by police and gangs in Saudi detention camps. The current deportation order might be far worse than the last. Because the numbers are far greater and the decision is not reversible or flexible. On 19 March, 2017, the Ministry of the Interior of Saudi Arabia issued a national campaign under the title of ‘A Nation Without Violations’ and gave “illegal migrants” 90 days from March 29, 2017 to leave the country without paying penalties. According to the edict, “illegal migrants” who fail to leave within the time frame will be evicted forcibly or face other punishments.
What is the responsibility of the government of Ethiopia?
First and foremost is for the Ethiopian government to express outrage against this cruel and unusual punishment and to defend the human rights of Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. It is to urge the government of Saudi Arabia to treat Ethiopians with respect and dignity and to negotiate a reasonable, honorable and safe exit for all Ethiopians regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnicity, health condition, income level and marital status. On this score, Ethiopian officials are consistently numb and show zero interest for Ethiopian lives either at home or abroad.
The decision by Saudi authorities to “revive the economies of companies and establishments and protect small businesses and projects from illegal expats, while also reducing unemployment rates and creating a safe economic and social environment” might seem reasonable on the surface. After all, all nations serve their national interests first. Currently, Saudi society depends on an estimated 9-12 million foreigners to support the economy, especially services. The Middle East Monitor estimates that a third of Saudi’s population is composed of foreigners from a broad spectrum of countries including Ethiopia. These foreigners claim that they are “unpaid, underpaid and ill-treated” by their employers. Worse off among these are migrant workers and illegal immigrants. Those who protest for decent wages and decent treatment are often “flogged and jailed.” They are treated worse than “dogs.”
The world community and callous governments such as Ethiopia’s show minimal interest. Ethiopian officials are much keener to benefit from remittances migrant workers send to Ethiopia more than they show an ounce of empathy for their ill treatment. The Ethiopian Embassy is literally closed for business when it comes to migrant workers.
It is true that in 2013, international pressure and especially vigorous and worldwide campaign spearheaded by Ethiopian Diaspora groups, most notably by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia and now the Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians (GARE) did a terrific job persuading both the Saudis and Ethiopian authorities to repatriate more than 160,000 Ethiopians.
Given the magnitude of the problem and the intractable root causes that push Ethiopians out of their homeland, Diaspora fund mobilization and support to repatriate more than 400,000 Ethiopians is virtually untenable.
The cost of repatriation must therefore be borne primarily by the government of Ethiopia. It is unreasonable to expect poor migrants who borrowed and used all family savings to migrate to Saudi Arabia to pay for their transportation to the country they left in the first place. The government ought to also entertain the notion of “regularization or legalization” of migrant workers whose skill sets are in demand within Saudi Arabia. It is inevitable that given lack of opportunities in Ethiopia, many thousands will renter Saudi Arabia, making the administrative costs of repeated reentry and expulsion prohibitive for the Saudis while tarnishing their public image perpetually and irreparably.
Further, the government of Ethiopia owes it to Ethiopian families of migrants to demand that the government of Saudi Arabia stop its barbaric treatment and abusive treatment of Ethiopian migrant workers. In 2013 Human Rights Watch and the Regional Mixed Migration Screening (RMMS) reported that returnees told them that “they were detained for weeks by Saudi authorities in appalling conditions with severe overcrowding, lack of access to air and daylight, sweltering heat and limited medical assistance.
Further Ethiopians suffered from “theft of migrants’ belongings, beatings, sexual abuses, rapes, maiming, flogging and killings.” Sadly, the government of Ethiopia never voiced concern let alone outrage. Given this negligence by Ethiopian officials, the international media did not report the atrocities.
Ethiopians should therefore conclude from this that similar atrocities will persist. If they cannot count on the government to deal with the root causes for their flight, it is unlikely that it will take a different position this time around. Yet, the situation in 2017 is even more ominous and much more urgent. In 2013/2014 165,000 Ethiopians were deported over the course of only 4 months. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDSA) estimates that at least 260,000 Ethiopian migrant workers returned to Saudi Arabia in 2016 alone.” UNDSA maintains a data base on the number of legal or regular Ethiopian migrants to Saudi Arabia, which in 2016 numbered 124,000. It does not have an accurate count of irregular or illegal migrants estimated at more than 4 times this number. Sadly, Ethiopians continue to migrate through Yemen and other locations, often risking their lives and human rights. Expulsions alone have done little to nothing to contain the tide.
Reports indicate that the government of Ethiopia has granted 50,000-80,000 entry visas to Ethiopians. At least twenty thousand have returned to Ethiopia. Depending on which source you believe, hundreds of thousands are in limbo and desperate. Reports indicate that Saudi authorities have begun to arrest thousands. These prisoners are housed in concentration camps where they face the prospect of communicable diseases, hunger and ill-treatment.
This humanitarian crisis requires urgent and concerted response from the global community in general and human rights groups such as UNHCR, Red Crescent, the International Red Cross, the International Office for Migration (IOM) and other non-governmental organizations. IOM is best prepared and equipped to facilitate the deportation process while providing sustenance to those in detention centers as it did in Yemen in 2013. It is IOM that quotes the much higher figure of 750,000 Ethiopian migrants in limbo and facing deportation immediately.
The sheer number of these migrants makes it virtually impossible for the government of Ethiopia to repatriate all of them at the same time. Far worse, Ethiopia does not have the economic and infrastructural capacity to accommodate returnees and to restore their lives. This is the reason why the government requested IOM to raise global awareness, mobilize funds, spearhead the repatriation effort, provide post-arrival assistance and assist in the reintegration process.
However, IOM cannot negotiate the terms of treatment of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia or defend and safeguard that their fundamental human rights and human dignity. It cannot negotiate a longer grace period and time frame. Only Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn can do these.
At minimum, the Prime Minister should make an official visit to Saudi Arabia and make a personal plea to the highest officials of the Kingdom. The Prime Minister should also call on his own government to establish a high level Commission of Experts to look into the root causes of the problem; and come up with long term solutions for this recurring tragedy. Ethiopia should change its national shame image by offering solutions to social ills rather than punish dissent and crush human rights.
In the meantime, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister should commit his government to repatriate all those willing to leave Saudi Arabia free of charge. The safe return of Ethiopians cannot be left to the government of Saudi Arabia that wants them out. Nor can it be left to a third non-governmental organization whose primary role is facilitation.
The government of Ethiopia can no longer mask the problem. It is a national disgrace. It should be honest and bold enough to tell the Saudis and the global community that it cannot accommodate this enormous demand without global funding, including funding from the World Bank.
The large Ethiopian Diaspora has a vital role to play.
In this connection, Human Rights Watch’s report “Detained, Beaten, Deported: Saudi Abuses against Migrants during Mass Expulsions” depicts the structural problems deportees face. “Many arrived back in their countries destitute, unable to buy food or pay for transportation to their home areas, in some cases because Saudi officials arbitrarily confiscated their personal property. Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrants Saudi Arabia has deported in the last year and a half have been sent back to places where their safety is threatened.”
Evidence shows that Ethiopians won’t be safe at home when they return. By all measurements, the condition in Ethiopia is more suffocating, hostile and unwelcoming than it was three years ago.
What should we urge the government of Saudi Arabia to do?
The post The Endless Plight of Ethiopian Migrant Workers: Death at Home and Dehumanization Abroad appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
Washington D.C. — Ethiopian Advocacy Network (EAN) submitted a letter to the 35th Session of the UN Human Rights Council urging the members to support a draft resolution entitled “Situation of Human Rights in Ethiopia.”
EAN’s letter details the systematic violation of fundamental human rights, particularly freedom of expression and association, arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders, opposition leaders and attacks on civil society through the promulgation of draconian laws (the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation, Anti-Terrorism Law) effectively criminalizing internationally recognized fundamental rights.
These egregious violations, in contravention of its obligations under numerous international human rights treaties, have led to the continuous censure of the Ethiopian government for its lack of adherence to international human rights standards by respected rights groups.
The letter emphasizes the use of excessive and lethal force since November 2015 by the security forces to suppress peaceful protest in the Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia that constitute 70% of Ethiopia’s more than 100 million population. It also points out the draconian state of emergency that was declared in October 2016 with sweeping restrictions that go far beyond what is permissible under international law virtually eliminating what little space there was for the peaceful expression of critical views.
Ethiopia, a founding member of the United Nations, the African Union, a current member of the Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council cannot be allowed to repeatedly flout its international obligations, to which it is a party to. As the oldest nation and the regional power in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia’s consistent failure to uphold the rule of law and play a positive role in Africa should no longer be ignored or tolerated by the international community.
The letter strongly urges the members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to support this resolution to send a bold message to Ethiopia to stop hiding its horrific human rights record from international scrutiny. As a member of both the Human Rights Council and the Security Council, it’s imperative for Ethiopia to cooperate fully
and to allow access to an international, independent, impartial UN team to conduct a transparent investigation into the use of lethal force that has resulted in the death of peaceful protesters to avert further social and political unrest.
Ethiopian Advocacy Network is a grassroots organization that was formed in January 2015 by Ethiopian-Americans, Ethiopian activists and community organizers to promote democracy, human rights, and justice in Ethiopia through advocacy, civic education and grass roots mobilization. EAN has a global presence with members in USA, Africa, Canada and Europe.
The post Ethiopian Advocacy Network Submits a Letter to Members of the Human Rights Council Urging their Support for L 38 a Draft Resolution of “Situation of Human Rights in Ethiopia.” appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.
Waldiba Monastery TPLF Spy
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