by Zekarias Ezra

The Ethiopian people’s struggle is for the establishment of a truly democratic system of government. As such, the struggle is to see the end of rule by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front.

After nearly three years of sustained pro-democracy anti-EPRDF mass protests, led by gallant Amhara and Oromo youths, last February Hailemariam Desalegn resigned, signaling the prospect of a transition.

What happened in the ensuing months is a classic example of managed regime change. It is known that if police, security apparatus, army and senior officials think they have more to lose from revolution than from defending a regime, then even sustained mass protests can be defied and crushed, notwithstanding the cost. Remember Tiananmen Square. However, if insiders and the men with guns begin to question the wisdom of defending a regime—or can be bought off—then it implodes quickly. In other words, a regime collapses when insiders turn against it.

That was what happened in Ethiopia. A splinter group within EPRDF clearly saw the writing on the wall; that the front’s days were numbered if they didn’t do something to avert its impending downfall.

Then the group dubbed Team Lemma prevailed in intra-party elections and installed one of its own as Prime Minister. The party announced a reform agenda that included releasing all political prisoners and allowing exiles to return to struggle peacefully. This in no small way was the fruit of the pro-democracy struggle, although credit is due to Team Lemma for recognizing the reality and expediting the process, thereby sparing the country unnecessary chaos.

Mesmerizing Medemer

Optimism and euphoria for the new Prime Minister went through the roof following his speech of forgiveness, reconciliation, renewed passion for Ethiopian unity, and the slogan Medemer. The people who had been lamenting the daily erosion of the Ethiopia they know and for which their forefathers fought and died for, suddenly found in Lemma and Abiy leaders who equate Ethiopia as a life-giving “addiction”. The ecstasy of ordinary citizens was on display in the June 16 rally in Addis Ababa.

The imminent repeal of the draconian anti-terrorism law, the ushering in of press freedom, the willingness to sit and talk with all opposition parties, and the general political atmosphere in terms of people not being afraid to speak their minds, are all accomplishments that should be acknowledged and celebrated. Abiy and his administration showed political astuteness in fulfilling the legitimate demands of the populous by taking such measures, although in reality they had little choice.

Notwithstanding the promise of a democratic transition, however, the new administration has yet to put forth a coherent roadmap. The most progressive move is the excellent appointment of former opposition leader and political prisoner, Birtukan Mideksa, to lead the electoral board. But save a couple of meetings chaired by Birtukan with all political parties, no concrete steps have been taken to assure the public that work is underway. Ad hoc meetings such as the one attended by the Prime Minister and opposition leaders are not enough to address the longstanding demand of the people.

On key appointments, Abiy regrettably followed the pattern of TPLF Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and appointed Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) officials to key positions, as well as making the legally dubious appointment of a de facto mayor of Addis Ababa.

Amid all the feel-good drama, ethnic conflicts are unfolding on several fronts. The country is embroiled in crisis after crisis. As a result, in the first half of last year Ethiopia had the highest number of internally displaced people in the world, outpacing even Syria, Yemen and South Sudan.

It’s the EPRDF, stupid

The culprit for Ethiopia’s ills is none other than the EPRDF, which includes the newly installed administration. It was this front that imposed the language-based federal system which is the root cause of problems. The partitioning along ethnic lines led to the continuation and continued sprouting of ethno-nationalist movements, which weaken national unity, and create strife.

Today there are ethnic regions with their own paramilitary police and militias. They have become de facto semi-independent countries. There are now many ethnic groups demanding their own regions in the south, so they will also arm themselves and act as de facto nations. Unless this tendency is corrected quickly, balkanization is a risk.

Judging solely by their public pronouncements and attitude, it seems Abiy and Lemma very much want to address this burning issue. Yet, with the EPRDF establishment entrenched and TPLF, the Oromo Liberation Front, and other ethno-nationalists working to undermine everything and anything Ethiopian, they are caught between a rock and a hard place.

On the other hand, the disillusioned citizenry, perplexed, confused and overwhelmed by ethnic conflicts and the ongoing social and economic problems, have begun showing through vocal activists a hunger to punish the fallen TPLF and its allies. Finding themselves cornered, the victorious group, too, are now finding retribution against their old comrades can be a useful distraction from the economic and social problems, which didn’t disappear with the proclaimed reforms.

Judicious justice

It is irrefutable that the top leaders of EPRDF should be held to account for all their misdeeds. Yet, the victorious group must not be allowed to oversee process of bringing to justice their comrades. That would be a mockery of justice. There is clearly a conflict of interest. How could one justify holding to account Bereket Simon but not Abadula Gemeda, for example? Such a road is a recipe for a disaster. Such matters would better be left to a legitimately elected government.

Given the current volatile situation, it is unlikely any credible election activity will take place. More importantly, there is no strong opposition political party. It is an open secret that most of the parties—particularly the returnees—are in name only.

It is under these circumstances that ODP-led EPRDF 2.0 is working, and using the state apparatus, to emerge victorious in the upcoming election, and thereby guarantee their continued rule. It is quite possible they could once again change their party and front’s name. They could even change the make-up of the coalition. The end game though is clear: The splinter group will not relinquish power.

In the interim, this group will continue to methodically ostracize the defeated EPRDF group. The TPLF seems to be fighting for its survival, and is also accused of instigating proxy violence in Qemant areas as retaliation for the Amhara claims on Welkait and Raya. While these two EPRDF groups fight it out to establish a power equilibrium, the poor disillusioned populous continues to sing the ‘Medemer’ song without realizing the struggle is hijacked.

All is not lost

Abiy and Lemma still have a golden opportunity to correct course and focus on transitioning Ethiopia to a multi-party democracy. That means they must show the fortitude to see to it that the next election will be fair and free, as if they are not competing.

They must set out in more detail the purpose and direction of the ‘reform’. This roadmap must consider two critical points.

• Recognize that the peoples struggle, the pro-democracy protests and sacrifices, first and foremost was not for the reformation of EPRDF; rather it was and still is to transform the social and economic order of the country by removing the EPRDF
• Ensure by taking concrete steps that nothing fundamental will be done from the Palace or by groups of self-appointed elites and politicians claiming to be people’s representatives without the consent and authority of the people

The fundamental political issue of Ethiopia surrounding the question of what type of constitutional order is befitting the country has been a bone of contention for generations. This fundamental question, and others, must be left to the electorate, the Ethiopian people, to decide.

Abiy should see his leadership role to be that of a watchdog of the system for ordinary citizens, and as such must spend much of his energy in activities that help institute and pave the way for a transition to a liberal democratic system.

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By News from Elsewhere……as found by BBC Monitoring

Ethiopian Airlines is marking International Women’s Day by operating an all-women flight from Addis Ababa to Oslo.

The airline announced this in a tweet with a reference to the Beatles’ song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: “The Lucys are about to control the skies for the 5th time, flying to Oslo on the coming March 8.”

The flight will be operated by female professionals in the sky as well as on the ground, the airline posted on Facebook.

This means airport operations, flight dispatch, load control, ramp operation, on-board logistics, safety and security, catering as well as air-traffic control are to be carried out entirely by women.

Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Tewolde GabreMariam explained that the initiative celebrates women on a continent where “gender inequality still persists”.

Image copyrightETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

“We are immensely honoured that we have women trailblazers in every aspect of our aviation field,” he said.

“Women are an integral part of our success story from the start, and with this dedicated flight we honour and celebrate their indispensable contribution to our aviation group and the broader aviation industry, our country and the continent at large.”

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This isn’t a first for Africa’s largest airline. It has previously operated all-women crew flights to Bangkok, Kigali, Lagos and Buenos Aires.

Image copyrightETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

And it’s not the only airline to let women rule the skies.

To mark International Women’s Day last year, Air India said it had become the first airline to fly around the world with an all-female crew.

The entire flight was operated by the women of eight different departments.

And in another in a series of all-female flights to mark the day last year, British Airways ran the UK’s largest all-women flight – from London Heathrow to Glasgow – which involved over 60 women.

‘Female voice from the cockpit’

Ethiopian Airlines is keen to showcase women’s longer-term contribution to the industry and the progress they’ve made in conquering male-dominated professions, like those of pilot and aircraft technician.

Dr Saba Fikru, the head of the airline’s medical and health services, says that 35% of the company’s 16,000-strong workforce is female.

“These days, an increasing number of women are completing their pilot training successfully. Now we can hear a female voice coming from the flight deck or the cockpit,” she says.

Reporting by Krassi Twigg

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https://www.change.org/p/u-s-senate-people-of-ethiopia-requesting-extradition-of-hate-preacher-jawar-mohammed-from-the-u-s

save Ethiopia started this petition to President Donald J. Trump and 5 others

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March 9, 2019

Tegenaw Goshu

I am one of millions of ordinary Ethiopians who are genuinely concerned about the very undesirable if not dangerous political and social trends resurfacing at this very critical moment of getting rid of not only the very deadly political game of the inner circle of TPLF but also all elements of the same game, and about the question of how to deal with it accordingly. I am also one of those millions ordinary compatriots who sincerely believe that the country is at the very critical political juncture (urgent and decisive decision- making cross road) than any time in its political history. Yes, I am one of those millions of ordinary of fellowmen and fellowmen who strongly believe that it is absolutely crucial for us to choose the right road (way out) before it is too late. Needless to say, the only way out (road) is to make concerted efforts with a real sense of bring about a fundamentally democratic system that would enable us to live as civilized, dignified, prosperous, peaceful and peace-loving citizens of Ethiopia that truly and productively embraces the very essence of unity within diversity.

I read a statement by a cross-sectional grouping called Addis Ababachin: Association of Youth, Adults and Intellectuals (March 9, 2019) expressing its serious concern on the very dangerous political game being orchestrated and operational in and around Addis Ababa in particular and in the country in general. I carefully and seriously went through the outlined measures (actions) to be taken by both federal and local governments as well as by all genuinely concerned Ethiopians wherever they may live.

Here is the way I see and understand this very crystal clear, straight-forward, rational, realistic, constructive and of course patriotic statement of position and determination to fight back all kinds of evil-driven intentions and actions that are against the struggle for the prevalence and assurance of a democratic country in which the very fundamental rights and dignities of all citizens should be exercised and respected equally and equally only.

Let me start by saying that the statement is quite appropriate, legitimate, farsighted, and truly patriotic as far as the need to avert the very nonsensical but dangerous political threat not only to Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia and the very hub of Africa and the world) but also to the very survival of the country itself is concerned.

Yes, it is true that patience, tolerance, morality and humbleness are great to the extent of hurting oneself if they bear fruit of real mutual understanding, peace and mutual benefits. They are essential factors (elements) to deal with any disagreement, dispute and conflict, and to provide a desirable solution.  Their essentiality becomes much more critical when it comes to a country that has been terribly messed up by a political system designed and run by a bunch of people who have been so crazy about how to fulfil their own monstrously voracious self-interests in the name of serving the interests of ethnic groups or nationalities.

However, the very idea of morality, tolerance, patience and humbleness desperately does require a partner or compatriot who genuinely, rationally, critically, and productively understands the very essence and great outcome of working hard together for a common good with a real sense of mutual respect that should pay the way for advancing the pursuit of making the common density peaceful and prosperous. This is what is terribly missing in our political discourse.

Morality and tolerance without an appropriate and rational way of action are useless as a prayer without living by practical example is so meaningless. After paying huge and priceless sacrifices for a  long period of time, the people of Ethiopia are able to bring about a relatively encouraging change for the better within about a year.

Sadly enough, what we are witnessing and facing these days in our country is quite the contrary. Needless to say, the very ugly and destructive political trend of attempting to replace one terribly dictatorial (minority) ethno-centric regime of TPLF with another horribly dictatorial (majority) ethno-centric regime is dangerously opposite to what the people of Ethiopia sacrificed for. The sacrifice was and is to bring about a fundamentally democratic country in which all citizens could live with a real sense of freedom, justice, human dignity, equal opportunity, fraternity, peace, and shared prosperity within diversity.

It is very alarming these days  to witness  the very interests of the innocent people of Ethiopia particularly in Tigray and Oromia are being hijacked by those evil-driven fellowmen and fellowmen who felt losing their power of abusing everything for their own extremely wild self-interests as well as   by those ethno-centric extremists who very stupidly convince themselves that it is their turn to play  their deadly politics at the very expense of the very lives of the people and the very  survival of the country .    Deeply and unbearably painful!

It is from this perspective that I strongly appreciate the very message of the statement for calling a spade a spade and saying enough is enough before it is too late to avert the very dangerous political game being played by those elements of ethno-centrism operating either as parts of the government (the ruling circle) or as outside hijackers of peoples’ concerted efforts to bring about a democratic change with the very idea of unity within diversity.

The Truth and only the truth shall win! The only truth is that those compatriots (fellow Ethiopians) who try hard to mess with the very fundamental demand and interests of the innocent people of Ethiopia should not and cannot go without being challenged and of course without being  defeated and punished! Yes, enough is enough!!!

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ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – More than eight million people need food aid in Ethiopia, a 5 percent rise from last year, due to a surge in violence that has triggered mass displacement as well as the lingering effects of past droughts, officials said on Thursday.

The crisis has prompted an Ethiopian government appeal for $1.3 billion to provide emergency food and non-food assistance for 8.3 million people.

“The impacts of the climate change-induced droughts of 2016 and before have persisted. Moreover, violence in many parts of the country have added to the burden,” said Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopia’s commissioner of national disaster risk management.

Around 3 million people remain displaced in the Horn of Africa country of 100 million, according to the United Nations, largely due to a spate of ethnic clashes, mostly in the southwest and east, since last year.

The outburst of violence has overshadowed reforms initiated in late 2017 with mass releases of political prisoners that were intended to reduce tensions triggered by anti-government protests in 2015.

Abiy Ahmed, who took over as premier in April last year, has also presided over major political and economic changes that have included the pardoning of exiled rebel groups and reconciliation with longtime neighbouring foe Eritrea.

Although Ethiopia touts high growth rates, its economy still depends heavily on rain-fed farming, which employs three-quarters of the workforce.

Some 7.9 million people were in need of food assistance in 2018 and 5.6 million the year before, requiring over $3 billion in humanitarian aid.

Mitiku told reporters Ethiopia planned to spend over $107 million to cover the needs of this year’s impact from its own coffers. The government spent $342 million last year.

Editing by

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By Prof. Alemayehu G. Maiam

Praxis is simply the practical application of theory.

In praxis, one is not interested in trying to understand the world in the abstract but to act in the world in order to change it and make it better.

Last week, H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed was doing whirlwind shuttle diplomacy demonstrating the praxis of his Medemer “theory” to the distressing, tragic and often aggravating politics of the Horn of Africa.

On March 1, PM Abiy hosted President Uhuru Kenyatta, who brought with him as many as 100 Kenyan government authorities, corporate and business community representatives, to discuss a range of economic and investment issues.

On March 3, PM Abiy and President Uhuru flew to Asmara to meet President Isaias for trilateral discussions on regional economic integration.

On March 4, PM Abiy and President Isaias were in Juba, South Sudan to discuss “regional peace, economic ties and infrastructure development”.

On March 5, Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” arrived in Ethiopia for bilateral talks.

On March 6, PM Abiy was in Nairobi mediating a maritime border issue on the Indian Ocean between Kenya and Somalia.

All I have to say is, “Henry Kissinger, king of shuttle diplomacy, eat your heart out!”

I have previously discussed in detail what “Medemer” means to me and its practical implications.

Broadly stated, “Medemer” consists of specific political practices to determine the collective destiny of a given people.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often said, “We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools.”

“Medemer”, to me, is the road map out of the wilderness of the Valley of Fools in the Horn of Africa where we have lived for centuries as enemies hellbent on destroying each other.

PM Abiy’s Medemer in the Horn of Africa has a clear and unmistakable message and resonates the truth of MLK’s words:

We have great issues facing us today in the Horn of Africa. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone.  We are tied together in the Horn of Africa in a single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  And whatever affects one Horn country directly affects all indirectly.

The Horn of Africa today faces myriad issues ranging from grinding poverty, disease and ignorance to large scale population displacements (and population explosion) and endless strings of deadly conflicts.

What happens in each Horn country affects the others. War in one country threatens the peace in the other. Peace and democracy in one country becomes an example of good governance for others.

But for decades, Horn countries (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Djbouti, South Sudan and Uganda) have chosen the path of perishing as fools.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a needless war in the name of “national pride” and “territorial integrity”  between 1998-2000, which resulted in the deaths of as many as 100,000 people, displacement of up to one million and diversion of much needed resources to buy bullets instead of butter.

In July 2016, a “general” of the now defunct regime in Ethiopia openly advocatedwaging war against Eritrea for the purpose of regime change.

Not long ago, Sudan built up its troop presence on its eastern border with Eritrea on the pretext of potential conflict in the Red Sea.

Over the past several decades, Ethiopia and Somalia have had three full blown wars and numerous border clashes in which untold numbers of civilians were killed and displaced.

Somalia and Kenya have had low intensity conflict for decades. Last month, Kenya broke diplomatic relations with Somalia over off-shore gas and oil disputes.

There have been recent tensions between Eritrea and Djbouti.

And history continues to repeat itself in the Horn endlessly.

Since the creation of South Sudan in July 2011, President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar have manifestly decided not to live as brothers but perish as fools.

In 2013, a power struggle between President Kiir and Mr. Machar turned into armed conflict as Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup.

The two leaders mobilized their ethnic bases and South Sudan was headed to hell in a handbasket. Thousands died and thousands more were displaced.

A peace agreement was reached in 2015 but it did not last as conflict flared in July 2016 and Machar was forced to flee the country. South Sudan was again in the grips of civil strife and the suffering of the people continued.

In September 2018, Kiir and Machar signed a 128-page peace agreement with the aim of creating a “revitalized transitional government of national unity” and conduct new elections, among other things.

When Machar returned to South Sudan in November 2018, Kiir said he had forgiven Machar and was ready to start fresh. “I want to reiterate that the war in South Sudan has come to an end. To forgive is not an act of cowardice. It is a Christian obligation.”

There is no guarantee the tenuous peace between Kiir and Machar will hold. Thus, the peacemaking mission of PM Abiy and President Isaias.

Medemer or “the need to advance the cause of regional integration”

PM Abiy and President Isaias received a warm reception in Juba.

Regional integration is another phrase for “Medemer”.

PM Abiy’s office announceddiscussions with President Kiir will focus on “regional peace, economic ties and infrastructure development. In addition they will also be addressing issues of developing joint capacities and working together in an integrated manner.”

South Sudan’s foreign affairs minister Nhial Deng Nhial acknowledged the constructive role of the Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders and assured his government is  “committed to pushing for the smooth implementation of the peace agreement.”

In a Joint Statement, the three leaders declared their discussions “focused on the need to advance the cause of regional integration” and “agreed to work out the common projects that will facilitate the attainment o of the goal of Regional Economic integration and shared prosperity.

I read the Joint Statement to mean the following:

The root and true cause of the  political crises in South Sudan is not ethnic conflict or individual power struggle. The root cause is poverty. Poverty is an enemy no single country in the Horn can defeat on its own. There must be concerted effort by the countries in the region to uplift their people from poverty. In order to replace poverty with prosperity, there must be peace in each country in the Horn. Peace breeds prosperity; poverty breeds war.

Could South Sudanese faction leaders learn from PM Abiy and President Isaias?

In my view, the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea have never been enemies.

Neither do I believe the ordinary Dinkas and Nuers in South Sudan are enemies.

The problem of conflict is with the leaders and not the ordinary people.

I offer a simple thought experiment: If the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea were enemies, how can anyone explain the profusion of love, brotherhood and sisterhood we saw in Asmara and Addis Ababa when peace was declared and the two leaders visited each other’s capital?

Leaders may have differences and march their armies into war, but the people are never given a choice to decline peace and wage war.

For the past two decades, the drumbeat by the regime in Ethiopia was that Eritrea is the enemy. The Eritrean government responded in kind.

Both countries deployed troops on their borders pointing and occasionally firing their guns on each other’s position. For two decades, the leaders of the two countries conducted a war of words.

All that changed when PM Abiy took office in April 2018 and announced to the House of People’s Representatives that he will seek peace with Eritrea and finally settle the border issue as decided by international arbitration. That resulted in PM Abiy’s historic trip to Eritrea in July 2018, which was followed by President Isaias’ historic trip to Addis Ababa.

When the border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea were opened on September 11, 2018, I was present as a witness to history.

When I visited Ethiopia after 48 years, the last thing I expected was to be present in person at the border when Ethiopia and Eritrea opened their borders for the first time in two decades and let the dammed love flow once again.

It was a prophetic moment.

By opening their borders, the two leaders made a commitment in full view of the world that they shall hereafter “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

I hope to write about that intense moment when I became a witness to history someday. It was one of the defining moments in my life.

I was present in Bure, a forbidding desert where some of the fiercest battles took place during the Ethio-Eritrean war. As I stood looking over the barren moonscape, I tried to imagine the thousands who lost their lives.

And for what? How true the saying, “War is hell!”

I was present in Zalambessa, once a bustling border town reduced to a heap of rubble during the war.

I wondered if the wounded hearts of the survivors of Zalambessa would begin to heal now that they are allowed to have peace in a no war, no peace zone for the first time in 20 years.

I witnessed Eritreans and Ethiopians welcoming each other at the borders with tears of joy and ululation. I am confidently optimistic the best days of Ethiopia and Eritrea are yet to come.

The million dollar question is whether South Sudanese factions can learn from the peace and reconciliation process between Ethiopia and Eritrea and get their house in order.

Frankly, is there anyone better than PM Abiy and President Isaias to teach, preach and demonstrate in practice that it is perfectly possible to have peace and reconciliation among “enemies”?

The lesson for the South Sudanese leaders may lie in replicating the techniques and following in the footsteps and roadmap of PM Abiy and President Isaias.

How did PM Abiy and President Isaias manage to tear down the wall that had separated them for decades and build a bridge in just a few weeks that brought them together?

I am sure the two leaders will one day tell us how they did the impossible.

But in my speculative view, the two leaders were able to tear down the wall on their borders and replace it with bridges because they:

Took joint and full responsibility for the mistakes of the past without pointing fingers at each other.  That is why we did not hear words of recrimination and accusation about who is more culpable than the other. They both owned up to the mistakes of the past.

Decided to look at the future if their countries through the lens of peace and reconciliation rather that their old dark glasses of war.

Came to an existential realization that their peoples are inescapably connected by birth, marriage, religion, culture and language and are bound in a single garment of destiny.

Shared a common vision for the future of their two countries and decided to overcome the burden of the past by embracing a new future of interdependence.

Were willing to take a chance for peace and avoid risking war.

Understood they are not enemies of each other, but face three deadly common enemies named poverty, disease and ignorance. Every day they fight with each other, they assure total victory for  their deadly enemies.

Realized economic integration and interdependence are the only options for then to have a better and prosperous future. Peace and prosperity go hand in hand. Conflict, war and poverty will only result in misery.

Realized trust, good will, patience, integrity, giving each other the benefit of the doubt, avoiding tit-for-tat retaliation, keeping the channels of communication open are decisive  in peace-building.

Understood Mandela’s maxim, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”

Understood their people desperately need butter not bullets!

The future of Africa hangs in balance on the Horn

I hear some empty barrels criticizing PM Abiy for not “staying home and solve problems instead of trying to help neighbors solve their problems.”

I pity these benighted cry babies who cannot see beyond their noses.

These bellyachers fail to understand that not only the future of Ethiopia but the future of Africa hangs in the balance in the Horn.

As goes the Horn of Africa, so goes the rest of Africa.

The Horn is the laboratory, the proving grounds, for all of Africa. Will there be endless wars and conflicts that will bury the continent in the abyss of poverty? Are we on the cusp of a new era of collective prosperity and progress that will ensure Africa’s rightful place on the international stage?

If the Horn countries are able to come together (Medemer), make peace and build the foundation for peaceful and prosperous relations, the rest of Africa will follow in their footsteps.

The September 2018 South Sudan agreement is essentially about peace and reconciliation. Chapter V of that agreement talks about transitional justice, accountability, reconciliation and healing.

The people of South Sudan are not enemies of each other. If given a ghost of a chance, they would choose to live as brothers and decline their leaders’ offer to perish as fools.

The ordinary people of South Sudan are wise but they suffer greatly because of the foolishness of their leaders.

I am touched and share fully President Kiir’s statement that, “To forgive is not an act of cowardice. It is a Christian obligation.”

My personal view is forgiveness is the ultimate demonstration of human courage.  That is the only way in and out of Africa!

Given the history of failure of ceasefires, agreements and understandings in the past, one could easily fall prey to pessimism and expect the worse.

There are threats that if Machar fails to join the reconciliation process, he may lose his status as official opposition leader.

I am not discouraged by political rhetoric. With a little help from their friends and neighbors, South Sudan will experience peace soon. Hope springs eternal!

My African brother’s and sister’s keeper: “Medemer”, all for one and one for all

I commend PM Abiy and President Isaias for travelling to Juba to keep the flames of peace flickering, if not blazing.

In my view, the two leaders are teaching by example (praxis). They came together (Medemer) and made peace.

Now, they are demonstrating to the world that together they are their African brothers’ and sisters’ keeper. They do not want the people of South Sudan to go through the pain and suffering of their peoples over the past 20 years.

That touches my heart.

For me, compassion is the greatest of all virtues.

But it is all counter-intuitive.

What PM Abiy and President Isaias seem to be saying is that South Sudan cannot have peace and prosperity unless the whole Horn region has peace and prosperity.

It is a hard concept to grasp.

It is like saying a family in a given neighborhood can neither have peace nor prosperity if the neighborhood is constantly beset by violence, conflict and strife.

So, the destinies of the Horn countries are intertwined.

For there to be lasting and durable peace, there must be vital economic ties and interdependence between Horn countries.

In the Horn of Africa, the rule is united we stand divided we fall and perish like fools.

When the people of the Horn have jobs, quality education for their children, affordable health care for their families, they will have no reason to engage in ethnic, religious and regional conflicts.

Therein lies the simple secret of “Medemer”: All for one and one for all.

All Horn countries for South Sudan and South Sudan for all countries in the Horn because the Horn of Africa is bound in a single garment of destiny.

I have a dream that one day the Horn of Africa will be a Horn of Plenty.

That is plenty of peace.

Plenty of love.

Plenty of respect, appreciation and gratitude.

Plenty of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Plenty of food and clean drinkable water.

Plenty of jobs and opportunities.

Plenty of hospitals, clinic and doctors.

Plenty of modern technology.

Plenty of good will.

Plenty of good leaders.

Plenty of…

Medemer: All for one and one for all in the Horn of Africa!

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Frankly speaking, I started to doubt how far we can travel with ODP since the time  I heard Jawar saying he will win over Addis Abeba either through election or Fiticha. The reason is the ODP should have come out immediately to the media and denounced Jawar. They never did. These days  PM Abiys’s government and his Excellency Lemma Megersa are bowing to the demands of fundamentalist Oromos within (such as Addisu Arega) and outside (such as Jawar, Eskial Gabissa, Tsegaye Ararssa, Dereje Etena, etc) of ODP. Given the lenient nature of PM Abiy’s government to keep law and order, the absence of any significant power-sharing to a major ethnic group (Amaras) within PM Abiy’s government exposes Amaras and other ethnic groups living in Addis Abeba to grave danger. Today, all military apparatus in Addis Abeba, and at the federal level are run by Oromos which are reluctant to confront fundamental Oromos.

The Issue of Addis Abeba

The main problem and controversy facing Addis Abeba are whether ODP abides by the principles of democratic elections and whether ODP agrees to allow Addis Abebans to have a say in their own administration. ODP  along with Jawar et al., keep talking they own Addis Abeba despite the so-called constitution asserts otherwise. Other Ethiopians think Addis Abeba belongs to all citizens of Ethiopia. The constitution empowers Addis Abeba as a seat of the Federal Government and independent of any other states. Whereas Addis Abeba’s old boundary was within 80 km radius, it was liquidated since EPRDF came to power in the 1980s. The constitution stipulated Addis Abeba’s new areal extent was to be demarcated with Oromia in the future. This clearly shows  Addis Abeba is a separate entity. ODP need to see the experience of Washington D.C. that was created from land donated by the state of Virginia and Maryland. Washington is not owned by these states. It is under the jurisdiction of Congress. Washingtonians elect their mayor.  The best avenue for ODP is to build a brand new city and fence it so that other ethnic groups are not coming.  Fundamentalists, have a shame, do not try to steal other’s property.

Jawar’s illogical logic and his demand for dividends without buying a share

Jawar Mohammed has been demanding condominium be given to Oromo farmers. The reason behind his demand was the land was taken from them. First Jawar is in contradiction with the Ethiopian constitution masterminded by Meles Zenawi and Oromo elites. Jawar is known to praise the current constitution that subscribes ethnic federalism. But the irony is Jawar seems to select only what he wants. According to Jawar’s constitution, land and natural resources are public and government properties and no individual owns them. So the claim that farmers were confiscated is bogus. They can only claim compensation which they did and were given. While on the other side we who oppose ethnic federalism and the current constitution, believe that farmers are masters of their land and no one should evict them except when the land is wanted for public purposes and in such cases, farmers must be compensated with free market prices. Secondly, Jawar’s reasoning that farmers be given condos is without merit because these condos are built with a saving plan by the City of Addis Abeba and not Oromia. People who obtained the condos paid for them. Addis Abeba people had to reduce their humanly needs to make the savings. Obo Lemma was once heard saying he distributed plots of land for 500,000 Oromia government workers. Addis Abebans did not ask Obo Lemma to get these plots of land.  What Jawar is doing is, going to every company and ask for a dividend without having shares in these companies. Jawar Mohamed rather should teach his people how to work hard and overcome poverty. Trying to get what does not belong to oneself is robbery which the government of PM  Abiy is should not tolerate.

Time for ADP and NaMA to show leadership

I hope the ADP and NaMA will not underestimate the turmoil going on in Oromia. The message is clear: fundamentalist Oromos are transgressing the law and want to have it in their hands. What is of great concern is the uprising of Oromos outside of Addis Abeba following Jawar’s facebook message. These hooligans think their Oromoness gives them the legal right to own the land wherever they think there is Oromia administration closer to Addis Abeba. ADP in cooperation with NaMA should organize a defense squad quickly that will be stationed in North Shewa to defend Addis Abeba. Jawar Mohammed has bragged that he will one day order his qerroo troops to encircle Addis Abeba residents. It is time to show leadership for the two Amara parties, seek alliances from the South, Gambella, Afar and Somali as well as from the international community as Addis Abeba is a city for all. It is clear ODP is not interested to manage the security of Ethiopians,  including the capital. It has allowed fundamental Oromos to have unlimited access in the daily decision making of the ODP. In fact, if the ODP leaders are genuine let them ratify a bill accepting unequivocally that Addis Ababa is a city for all Ethiopians, and let ADP and ODP leaders come out in a union and provide a press release to the Ethiopian people. This is a guarantee for the reform to advance ahead.

Urgent Amendment to the Constitution

Since the emergence of PM Abiy as Ethiopia’s PM, nearly 2 million people have been displaced due to the propaganda of fundamentalist activists and bad apples within regional governments. The situation is not showing any sign of normalization. If not thrown, a  constitution that is not serving its citizens needs amendments. When the Derg solved the issue of land, the constitution at the time of His Majesty was thrown out. It is not possible to serve the people simply following the old constitution.  When EPRDF formed the current constitution after the Derg was removed from power, the constitution Mengistu’s party framed was thrown out.  Now when the TPLF is thrown out of power, the constitution it drafted should have been thrown out from the get-go. If PM Abiy has no guts to cancel the constitution, he should get it amended to serve citizens. It is no sense PM Abiy engages in other affairs of Ethiopia while the country is burning from the malfunctioning of the constitution. Thus, the right of citizens, the House of Federation and other areas of the constitution need urgent changes.

The right of citizens

Today, Ethiopian citizens have no government to rely on. This is not to belittle the great changes PM Abiy brought initially. As far as peace and security are concerned, PM Abiy has failed. Regional states have unlimited power to displace and or kill Ethiopian citizens under the pretext they do not belong here or there. Ethiopia is a signatory to the human right convention that guarantees the right to life. Jawar, Tesegaye Ararsa, and Dr. Ezkial Gabissa today are super-heading turmoil in the environs of Addis Abeba. Their reckless propaganda has served regional powers to commit excess unlawful acts against innocent citizens. Yet these activists are enjoying the unlimited right western countries give to anyone living in the respected countries. It is high time  PM Abiy institute a law that guarantees citizens to have continued save life in their places of residences. This law should put regional governments accountable and force them to provide protection and rehabilitation in the event of accidents (at the cost of regional governments).

The House of Federation

The House of Federation that includes all the tribes of the country irrespective of population size is undemocratic and in no way acceptable. As we see it now it is a mouthpiece of the TPLF. The conference held in Tigray recently is a clear testament to this assertion. The actors within the Federation’s Conference were TPLF representatives, TPLF intellectuals, and the chair of the House of Federation was a TPLF cc member. It will soon be a mouthpiece to ODP. The house of federation must reflect the population size and they must be elected periodically. The House of Federation should not be allowed to interpret the law.

New Armament law

It is in the media circle that the government of Ethiopia is considering a new law prohibiting certain military hardware from owning or carrying. This would-be new armament law is untimely. Right now,  the government of PM Abiy is not protecting citizens; law and order had been broken everywhere. Making a new law that will prohibit kilils like Amara from having armament to defend themselves is indirectly enabling others to have total control. If the Federal government wants this law, it should first disarm regions with excess arms. Ethsat’s analysis on this law is skin depth. They have not looked at the negative sides, and shortcomings of this would be bill.

Formation of a task committee

ADP and ODP should form a committee that oversights the progress of the changes Ethiopia has embarked since April 2018. They should identify obstacles and provide leadership. If the two parties do not meet from time to time and give solutions to the challenges our people are facing from every direction, I think the relationship with the two parties that brought the current marvelous changes in Ethiopia is going to evaporate soon. It is not impossible for a head-on collision between the two parties if things deteriorate at the current pace. The federal government has opted to be neutral against TPLF’s war drum against Amara, and ADP is not seen demanding the federal government punishes the TPLF. When  the TPLF trains over 70,000 military personnel what is ADP doing?  ADP’s failure to demand power in the federal military apparatus has caused PM Abiy to ignore Amara plight. ADP even failed to organize Amaras and defend itself. It is still in fear mood as it did for 27 years. ADP should now demand equitable power sharing in the military, federal cabinet  and Addis Abeba administration proportional to its seat in parliament. It should investigate the campaign by Takele Uma to distribute ID cards for Oromia permanent residents.

Yohannes Buayalew’s comments

In a recent meeting with Amara intellectuals in Addis Ababa, Yohannes tried to blame Amara intellectuals for failing to provide policy lines (comparing to what Oromo and Tigray intellectuals have been doing). I have high regard for Yohannes and he may have a point here. He is probably the guy with guts within ADP. However here is the problem Yohannes must understand. ADP (former ANDM) was chasing Amara intellectuals to please its master TPLF.  OPDO at least gave its elites recognition to undertake research and support their people, and forward opinion to them. TPLF managed to rule 27 years primarily because of the unlimited service it obtained from ANDM. The poverty of leadership in Amara region is primarily the work of ANDM.  At this point, the initiation should have come from ADP to call a large meeting and tell all the bad things they did in the past, and earnestly ask a pardon before their people. After TPLF was pushed out from the central government, it took ADP 4 months to remove Bereket Simon and Tadesse Tinkishu from the party, and it took 6 months to clean the rest of TPLF mouths.  An insult to injury, ADP did nothing to protect Amara from Qimant and Benishangule attacks. It is sickening to see over 100, 000 Amaras displaced from attack by a tiny group. If ADP cannot manage attacks from Qimant and Benishangule,  how can it withstand TPLF? It is a very shameful leadership Amaras have so far. Gedu’s resignation is welcome. It is long time overdue; he should have been made to resign when Amaras were displaced from Benishangul. Gedu is accountable for security failure in Amara. Leaders in every sphere should think ahead and forecast the direction of events to protect their people.  Perhaps a  younger and more energetic deputy officer is also required to support General Asamnew so that the general gets time to be engaged in the training of local security personnel.  Amaras need to be trained and armed.

ODP’s press release Regarding Condos and Addis Abeba

After completing writing this easy, I just read a press release by ODP which denounced the condo lottery that helped Addis Abeba residents obtain housing. The press from ODP is a  very sad situation. What Obo Lemma Megerssa is telling us is, “If you work in Washington, you can’t own a house and live in Maryland or Virginia”, emphasis mine. I am telling Obo Lemma that thousands of Ethiopians live in Maryland or Virginia and commute daily to work in Washington.

The ODP must know that the condos were built with money belonging to Addis Abebans, not Oromians. Where were you when the houses were built if you have border issue with Addis Ababa? Kuma Diriba,  central committee member of former OPDO (now ODP) presided over decisions to construct the houses. The ODP also stated that it is working to own Addis Abeba, a clear message that it is going the undemocratic route to displace Addis Abebans in mass. What did the TPLF do more than the consequences of this reckless news press release? In retrospect, PM Abiy’s power monopoly in the air force, ground defense, and the security at the Federal and Addis Ababa administration levels was a clear step taken to push the ADP out of power. What a cheating of the century!! This is backstabbing, the most blatant betrayal on ADP by OPD. No panicking, ADP!!! Problem brings a solution.

Amaras should now avoid fighting among themselves. There is a grand issue we all have to tackle – the collusion of Jawar et al., OLF and ODP. This is not without a blessing from the top party bosses. NaMA must mobilize all Amaras and reach out to other citizens of Ethiopia. Ginbot 7 is a hopless party. They are engaed in uplifting PM Abiy’s persona. I would not recommend ADP to go into friction with ODP at this time since things have to clear out, but rather urge it to work with ODP cordially until it is no more possible. It is not without reason PM Abiy showed less interest to maintain peace and security in Ethiopia, and in particular in Amara. It is now glaringly clear that there might be a plan behind it. PM Abiy’s calculation may well be to create chaos, and amid this condition transfers power to Oromo fundamentalists.

We now connect the dots that the promotion of Ahmed Shide, Moferiat Kamil and Aisha Mohammed in key positions was an attempt by PM Abiy to get an alliance from Somali, SEPDM and Afar governments and parties, respectively. The recent meeting of PM Abiy with five Agar dirjitoch (sister organizations) was an attempt by PM Abiy to get a coalition for ODP in order to control power using these minorities, effectively isolating Amara and Tigray regions. In a democracy, this, not a problem but not respecting the rule of law as in the case of Addis Ababa is a great danger for the country as a whole. ADP should approach the international community and expose ODP’s intent. PM Abiy is using his position to influence other parties and I do not believe this is a democratic way of doing business. Parties must not be forced by PM Abiy to go into ODP party structure.

Conclusions

There is an urgent need to make a constitutional amendment in Ethiopia to contain the increasing displacement of people. In this regard, there should be a new bill addressing the rights of citizens and the House of Federation. The House of Federation should be disbanded and replaced by elected leaders proportional to population size. Any bill addressing the use of armaments should be rejected if there is no prior measure taken to disarm highly armed groups.

Jawar is known to praise the current constitution that subscribes ethnic federalism. But the irony is Jawar seems to select only what he wants. According to Jawar’s constitution, land and natural resources are public and federal Government assets and no individual owns it. What Jawar is doing is like going to every company asking for dividends without having shares in these companies. Addis Abebans took sacrifice to make the savings for building the condos. Trying to get what does not belong to oneself is robbery which the government of PM Abiy should not tolerate.  Jawar Mohammed and ODP elites, let us agree on one thing: change the constitution to make the land a private property where no one displaces individuals without their consent and adequate compensation. I know you do not have the guts to do this because you want to ride the Oromo people.

The recent fundamentalist Oromos attitude in the environs of Addis Abeba is worrying. NaMA and ADP should sit down and strategize how to defend Amaras, Addis Abebans and other Ethiopians from ethnocentrism. Forget Ginbot 7. ADP must facilitate resources for NaMA as ODP is doing to Jawar et al. It is time to explore new alliances and options for Amara people.

ADP must be proactive if it wants recognition of its leadership by Amaras. You should not sit down and ponder helplessly over events. You rather get prepared to create and shape events by closely working with NaMA,  Amara people and other Ethiopians. Amaras are not a security risk to any ethnic group in Ethiopia. They believe in democracy and are ready to abide by the will of the people. We expect the same from our Oromo compatriots.

ADP should demand the formation of a task force with ODP to oversight the reform, peace and security, and address rights of citizens in all corners of Ethiopia. Sidelining ADP by ODP is not acceptable. Above all, PM Abiy government must show leadership against fundamentalists not ready to be governed by the rule of law and those not willing to abide by people’s choice.

The ODP is not a party to be trusted. It is a backstabber. It imports Oromos to Addis Ababa for the sole purpose of cheating elections. I highly doubt ODP’s leadership is genuine in the Amara-Oromo unity. On the issue of Addis Abeba, ADP should approach the international community and expose ODP’s intent. Demeke Mekonnen gave a very powerful speech, before PM Abiy during Gedu’s farewell party, that, I call leadership. My hats off! I hope Abiy gets it.  I am proud of ADP that it did not do the trust breach. Demeke Mekonnen, watch ODP leaders. Some are more sophisticated. Finally, I wish good luck and all success to the incoming Amara president, Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen.

Lastly, note PM Abiy is using his premier position to influence other smaller parties to join “ODP-EPRDF to form a pan Ethiopian party” and I do not believe this is a democratic way of doing business. Parties must not be forced by PM Abiy to go into an ODP party structure.

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BY ARIS FOLLEY

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, celebrated International Women’s Day on Friday with a flight operated entirely by women.

The airline announced on Twitter that its recent flight from Addis Ababa to Oslo, Norway, was made with an all-women crew.

The airline said on Facebook earlier this week that the flight was operated by women from “flight deck to the ground including airport operations, flight dispatch, load control, ramp operation, on-board logistics, safety and security, catering as well as traffic control.”

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GabreMariam told the BBC that the airline’s aim behind the initiative was to celebrate women on a continent where “gender inequality still persists.”

“We are immensely honored that we have women trailblazers in every aspect of our aviation field,” GabreMariam said.

“Women are an integral part of our success story from the start, and with this dedicated flight we honor and celebrate their indispensable contribution to our aviation group and the broader aviation industry, our country and the continent at large,” he added.

The airline has also reportedly staffed previous all-women crews on flights to Bangkok; Kigali, Rwanda; Lagos, Nigeria; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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By Haile-Gebriel Endeshaw

Do you know what TIA means? … Yes, TIA (tee-ayi-aee) is an acronym that stands for ‘This Is Africa’. Say… a foreigner (non-African) happens to get annoyed by a given African guy over his delay to appear at the appointed time. What the non-African guys will do in return is that they will take a glance at their wrist watch and solely say in amazement, ‘TIA’. This is to mean that such thing is common in Africa… or to say it bluntly, this is what westerners expect from the backward people of this continent. An available source put thus: TIA is used to shrug off a range of inconveniences, from power cuts and roadworks to general inefficiency, infuriating bureaucracy and questionable ethics… Having said this for the time being, let’s pass over to our main issue of discussion.

If you are an African journalist with your target audience westerners, this is what you should do while covering events for your stories. Here abiding by the rules and regulations of journalism may not be advisable. Your journalism and communications instructors might have taught you to use formal language while writing news stories. I tell you, buddy, we have nothing to do with this thing! Speak or write whatever you want in the informal way of communicating in the English language.

If you really need to capture attention of western audiences, make the solid foundation of your stories on famine, war, conflict, Kalashnikov, corruption, nepotism, coup d’état, unrest, civil conflict, clashes, skirmishes… The principles of journalism like proximity, responsibility, accuracy, fairness, truth, decency, impartiality, accountability…  should not be considered here. Tell your esteemed readers in the western world about an incident in which the police officers let their bulldogs against the black toddler who encroached on the farming estate of a white master. Show in your stories vividly how the bulldogs tore up the flesh of the young poor African kid like a piece of paper.

If you are given an assignment to cover events of thefts in one of the cities of African countries, don’t forget to recount your stories in a lively manner. Tell the audience how the crowd of young people put used up vehicle tires round the neck of the thief and roasted him alive. Don’t forget to put the photographs of the young man burning alive in the very front-page of your paper. See how mob justice is capturing attention of your readers. As I said, don’t give a damn to the ethics of journalism. Your major purpose is to get profit and attention from your western readers…

If you go out for reporting, I advise you not to forget to carry in your pocket a match-box or a lighter. You know why?… if you happen to see a crowd of young people who captured a street thief, feel for that match-box or lighter in your pocket…? Is it there? Yes!… Pass it over to a young boy running amok in the area and tell him to light alive the allegedly thief in the middle of the street. That’s a creative idea of having a worth reading story for your paper. I advise you to think of newsworthiness. Know the interest of your audiences… Your lead story may start like this: …a street thief who was caught red-handed while pickpocketing a business man was set alight near the transport hub here down town… See?  Yes, if you do this, you will get a number of readers who appreciate your stories. Now you can write a story of newsworthy. By doing this, probably you may receive an award or an appreciation letter from one of the western countries. The western readers will say in appreciation, “oh, my God! What a shit! … This is cool! …How interesting!”

As an African reporter, if you get a chance to write about a military coup d’état, don’t forget to come out with detailed account of the incident. How young soldiers raid the streets and terrorize the entire souls by shooting in the sky. How the military personnel shot point blank on the heads of civilian officials … How the skulls of the officials were shattered by the damning bullets… How the soldiers drag the dead bodies of civilian officials behind a truck…

I should remind you here that as our man, Binyavanga Wainaina put it down beautifully in his memorable piece, ‘How to Write about Africa’, writing about a genius African boy is worthless and be sure you will never get readers from among the westerners. It is rather advisable to write about a poor little girl who was raped by a gang of four or five young urbanites. Write about how many rape cases are reported on daily basis in the land of Africa. Don’t get tired of scribbling about the development efforts Africans are putting forth to purge themselves of abject poverty. No way! Don’t do that! … This is shit, my man! You will never get a single reader. You rather select jargons to beautify your stories that are recounting about child soldiers who invaded villages, burned houses, killed many mothers, sisters and elderly people. Tell your western readers how the real toddler soldiers smoke marijuana … rape big ladies (quite big enough to be their moms) and little girls. Mind you, in Africa, this is more newsworthy than any other hotchpotch.

Don’t write about an African scientist who have become known for his or her ground-breaking research in agriculture, medicine, rocket science, engineering…. You don’t need to write about a contemporary African soldier who can fly sophisticated fighter jets or helicopters. If you dare to discuss issues on the progress of Africans, be sure, you will never be accepted by western readers… or your newspaper will be tossed in to dust bin. Yes, if you need your news stories get the best attention of your western readership, create headlines like the ones listed here next… “AIDS hits Africa like a never-ending hurricane… Civil war causes displacement of over one million Africans… The entire African city gutted down by fire … Africa imports millions of machetes… More relief aid needed for starved poor Africans… AIDS and Ebola gobbling up young working force of Africa…Illicit trafficking of goods, live animals intercepted in an African country… Africa experiences major economic chaos… Africa suffers bureaucratic bottle necks, embezzlement of public funds…Gross enrollment rate at all levels of African schooling is said low… Africa’s school age children are out of school… Acute respiratory infection on the rise in Africa… The poor, downtrodden African citizens dying of hunger… Africa falls in to civil war… Civil war drags Africa in to an abyss of chaos…. President’s murder sparks unrest across Africa… Africa hit by inner party squabbles and political uncertainty… African government officials driven in to corruption by personal greed…” See how your story becomes newsworthy!

*****

“But why am I supposed to do this? …Why all these nasty things? …”

Did I hear you asking that? … Ok… Coming back to the very beginning of this piece… the response is TIA. You are from this backward, uncivilized and dark continent. This is what you deserve! … TIA! Period!! … As Africans, you are not supposed to deserve development, progress, better livelihood and modernization… Because …TIA! What you are damned to get in to are… Or what you are cursed to wallow in to are poverty, corruption, nepotism, famine, murder, civil war, coup d’état, backwardness, disaster, misery, quarrel, selfishness, disrespect, disagreement, arrogance, dishonesty, deception… My man, these are the things you are ‘blessed’ with… TIA… TIA! …Can you hear me!!

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by Muluken Gebeyew

This is  a summarised English account of four parts article I wrote in Amharic (one of Ethiopian language) for  people who don’t read Amharic on  what should I think to be taken in to  account  for  successful political transition period to benefit all or most Ethiopians.

Ethiopia is undergoing a political transition period in the last one year following a peaceful popular struggle against the 27 years brutal  and dictatorial TPLF (Tigry People’s Liberation Front) led EPRDF (Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front) regime. Although the struggle took decades to reach to its final phase, the reform oriented new leaders emerged with in regime in the last 2 years who managed successfully to assume the leadership position of the regime though still the  regime that ruled Ethiopians still exist. These reform oriented new leaders have  taken the responsibility to lead the political transition period without forming a transitional government comprising of all oppositions political parties or stakeholders despite a call for such.  As the new leadership made very bold promises  in the early days  to the Ethiopian people to  transform  the country towards democratic society and they have taken the popular measures which needed to be done at the start of every transition  ( for e.g. releasing political prisoners, inviting opposition political parties, allowing relative media freedom etc), the public have given them support (not letgimacy)  to “led” the transition period.

As this reform oriented transitional leaders are still part and parcel of the regime that brutally ruled the country and their failure to form all stakeholders transitional government, they are not able to process the transition process in the speed the public demand as desired. Although there are great visionary leaders among these leadership, they haven’t clearly spelled out transitional road map. They have been also to some extent hijacked by some former banned ethnic based political parties and activists who are allowed to exercise in the country without any legal restraint or orderly fashion. These created tension as this new groups are engaged in hateful, ethnic oriented media sensational claims and terrorizing actions in different part of our country which resulted in several death, displacement of people which don’t belong to certain ethnic members. Most of these actors were part of 70’s political culture who were convinced on oppression of one by others, reinvented themselves with Ethnic based political parties to achieve their ill fated desire to assume power through intimidation, fear and coercion. The transitional period leaders are confused and flag blustered by the agenda of this groups.  They  chose to engage  in competitive mood for setting or meeting agenda set out by this groups instead of leading the transition.  . As result, the country is once again on the cross road.

The transitional leaders were expected to facilitate a peaceful  national reconciliation process among the people  and political parties ( like  the South Africa post apartheid period) on  the crimes committed in the last half century  on Ethiopian people to close the past chapter. The victims and perpetrators to forgive, reconcile and live in a country with no return to the past habit. Unfortunately, this must do top priority agenda haven’t been yet addressed. This failure have resulted  further unwanted animosity, tension, displacement  among our people during this  transition period in the last 11 months mostly orchestrated by the  hateful ethnic propaganda from the new comers with simultaneous synergic action of the old TPLF guard  who are sought  to account for the crime they committed on Ethiopians people in the last 27 years. This could further darken the fate of the transition if the General Election  is to go a head as planned as the new comers  plan to fuel further ethnic tension based hate speech and campaign focused on people difference, false and exaggerated historical accounts  instead of what kind of political or economic policies  that will change the life of Ethiopians.

So what are  the best measures that will help this transition to success?

Though the political transition  has been derelict from its path, there is still time to bring it back to right course provided that all the stakeholders come to realize the big picture and prepared to do their share.

The fundamental truth for all stakeholders should acknowledge and work is the realization that people should be treated as an Ethiopian citizens with fundamental individual human rights  respected and  not to be defined and categorised  based on their ethnicity as if they are a heard of cattle. The stakeholders and the people have to be aware of there are opportunist groups who have well  prepared strategies to hoodwink the people struggle to change it to ethnic based balkanization to return back to  TPLF kind era,  mainly to achieve their hidden aim of  personal political ego, power, wealth rather than to help  the people they claim represent for. They refuse or fight against  political society  based on citizenry and individual rights. In order to achieve their ill fated aim, these groups wouldn’t stop division only by ethnicity but region and village they hail from.  They have secessionist agenda to  declare independent  country based on the ethnic enclave and map the TPLF regime draw for them.  This opportunist ethnic agenda followers  do not realise that people also differ in religion, gender, ability, age, body  size, height  wealth  etc in which case by their logic  all this can be basis to form a new  a country or secession from Ethiopia, which is illogical.

Ethiopia is a rich country of people with different language, culture, custom, religion  which we inherited from our forefathers. We can further preserve and develop these for better    but we make sure that this difference shouldn’t be a source of our conflict or basis to form or assume power. If we form a society where  individual human right is respected through independent judiciary, police, army, election board, free election, independent mass media and etc, most of the social ill of the people which resulted in subjection of oppression for decades can be solved. Citizenship-based politics which also respect our difference  and guarantee our individual freedom will be an essential political necessity for the our multi ethnic, religious and cultural country.

In order to achieve successful political transition, the leaders need to have and explain to the public a clear and bold Road map. The measures they have been taking shouldn’t be based on the willingness of the top leader or trouble shooting for the agenda the new comers give them. They have to come out from this confusion and quagmire they are in competing with new comers to get political support for post transition public support.  They should work with stakeholders and the people to focus on the big picture of peaceful national reconciliation among people and political parties, dismantle the divide and rule policy of the TPLF poisonous system and then ensure we can reform what is to  follow.

Following the national  reconciliation and people to people negotiation or discussion, we can easily identify the policies and laws that were put up on us by the former regime to divide, weaken us and easily to be ruled by ethnic  and opportunist dictators.

One of the legal frame work TPLF led regime enforced up on us is the country’s Constitution which was adopted as ruling means  by TPLF  which can  not  serve as the supreme law of the land to serve for generations. By thoroughly examining it, we can identify  and rectify those articles which would pose us for  future problems that  create rift among ourselves.  Or  we can adopt a new Constitution which should be discussed and ratified by the Ethiopian people.

Following this, the regional boundaries that are drawn by TPLF for divide and rule purpose which created pseudo identities  will be abandoned.  We can build a state structure of federal nature that would promote people to people relation, economic development  and growth.

All the stakeholders, media, and the leaders of the reform should make  several discussion and meeting with all parts of people with aim to dismantle ethnic based political parties which are segregationists, tribal and aim to force its wish against other fellow human being.  We can by law forbid such association as it is divisive, anti-people and create tensions among Ethiopian people.

We can build a state institution  (like a Minstery office )  that can promote and preserve  our culture, language, folklore, customs  etc of every part of Ethiopian in way that would benefit Ethiopians. This shouldn’t be the basis to form a fence and wall  among ourselves.

We can follow presidential system of government for a country like us where all citizens will have direct vote to elect  their leaders, governors and mayors. We need to build and expand different regional towns and cities  including the federal government representation in each cities instead of accumulating everything in the capital city of Addis Ababa. This would reduce the tensions in Addis Ababa and also give opportunity to other cities to grow and develop.

It is also good to discuss  our fear and potential future risk as discussing such will enable to combat our fear and examine the substance that entails such risk. As the opportunist ethnic politicians are dominating the agenda and the transitional “reform leaders” are confused by them  and preferred  not to combat their illegality, such groups have created  fear of secession of regions as independent country.

Lets assume the region Oromia  which is created by TPLF  in the last 25 years secede from the rest of Ethiopia  and form independent country  based on the map or boundary  the TPLF artificially drawn to fulfil its oppressive regime. (You can also assume another region to secede and form a new country like Amharaia, Ogadenia etc).

The artificial map drawn by the TPLF for these regions will be the source of conflict with neighbouring regions as the map is not true representative or factual. Oromia will be in war  with Ethio-Somlai region on its 1000km boundary, Oromia will be on war with Amhara region or country on the north due to these disputed territories, the same in the South and West with Southern people nations. There are more than 15 millions non ethnic Oromo Ethiopians in Oromia whom either they will be treated as second class citizens or  leave the country or deported. This is definite war issue  as most people were born, raised and lived their for many generations.

The Ethiopian people are mostly mixed heritage, related by blood. It is difficult to say any one  “I am pure Oromo or Amhara” specially in central Ethiopia, the same in Northern Ethiopia among Amhara and Tigre people, for Ethiopia Somali and Eastern Oromo people. The outcome will be eventual unending war that resembles that of Somalia,  Rwanda, Yemen, Yugoslavia etc. Those opportunists who are pushing for such will not entertain this but runaway to USA, Canada, Europe or Australia where they have a passport or citizenry. It is going to be the mass as usual that will be on fire. So it is important all Ethiopians know this fact and clearly discuss their fear in which case it will reveal the opportunist ethnic politicians aim.

The ethnic enclave politicians have made well studied strategies to achieve either or  agenda. If it happens that  the people will not go for their secessions agenda, they will use the ethnic political ambition against others as being the next rulers in Ethiopia as it is “our turn”  with claim that as the Amahars’ had such historically and the Tigray’s had the last 27 years. The opportunist are troubling the new transitional leaders with several demands,  trapping them  and dominated the political agenda. This is clearly what is happening in the media and public gathering run by the so called activists and ethnic political propagandists.

So the Ethiopian people and different stakeholders of this transition have to be patient, smart and work together to jump this obstacles and pit holes on the road towards  successful political transition.

As our country is currently on cross road, we have to take measured, smart and well thought measures in the next few months  as its implication will affect many years to come. Decisions we make should be inclusive, less divisive, democratic, reconciling, promote good relation among people and specially not to fall in the trap towards the divide and rule tactic . As per the reknown veteran professor Mesfin Wolde mariam said in his book,  we shouldn’t allow to continue the usual habit of Ethiopian people holding grudges while being suppressed and when time is ready to cooperate to dismantle the ruling regime but return back to home without new regime that will guarantee it will not subject them again to another suppression.

A well known young Ethiopian politician also raised an important issue in regard to the need to change the political culture of those who are on power and those who are in opposition as their political traditions of not flexible and not up to the people’s demand or quest. Some are engaged in personal ego, power, wealth and dominance instead of focus on the people’s quest. This bad political culture have to start to change.

If we analyse in simplistic way, things can be much more clearer. Either through the will of God or fate of history, we are born or created in country called Ethiopia. Most countries in the world are made through generations of people movement or migration,  war that defined their boundary and identity. Ethiopia is not exception from such facts. We can learn from history but not live in past history. When you study society’s development and historical facts, and specially the last 50-100 years, people/political parties/country can sit, negotiate peacefully and  make great difference in their life for good  and benefit from such. We can witness this from European countries which had been under difficult  two world war in the last one 100 years and defined their future through peaceful means.

Ethiopia is a home for all its citizen. It should serve as mother for all of us equally, some should  not be left out, or Ethiopia be as their step mother. We can all ensure  equal under the law when we form a society and government which is based on fundamental individual human rights. If we fall towards our difference in terms of language, ethnicity and culture as means of rift, superiority or division; we will lose the country we inherited from our forefathers (despite they managed  setting as side the  oppression experience  among themselves to do such for us). Our home will be taken by the other superior force. We will fail to hand over our country to future generation.

So What are the solutions expected during this political transition?

As I have stated firmly above, a society and government system based on citizenship would serve our multi-cultured, ethnic and religious country better than other system. Such system can help us to benefit from our differences for good instead of division.

Every Ethiopian citizen should  feel as right citizen when s/he is able to move and live in any part of the country and earn her/his means through lawful means without any subjection  to the origin of  ethnicity. In order to realize this right, the measures we take during this political transitions really matters.

I emphasis here what have been stated as above and the need for  significant focus to be paid by the transitional leaders and all stakeholders.

Though I have elaborated most of the measure that need be taken  during this transition period in this article above, I have listed them here as concluding remark.

1. As the current leaders of this political transition are part and parcel of the former oppressive regime which risks them to hinder  from making decisive and  transformative decisions; they need support from all rounded, well learned elders, intellectuals who would promote what is best for our  country and people. They should also consult and report to  a council  made of different political parties and stakeholders in the country.

1. There is an urgent and must do priority that National Reconciliation  and people to people discussion in our country to face  the past 50 years of misdeed and crimes,  so we can close the past chapter and define common future without the past ill.

1. The root cause of the suffering of our country in the last 27 years  are the divide and rule policy and related TPLF led regime imposed  political sanctions  which should necessarily  be dismantled.

1. The Constitution which is adopted by TPLF  for its divide and rule polices, forced up on us for as legitimate Supreme Law  need to be scrutinized, and Articles that will create  problem should be removed ;If necessary we should ratify a new Constitution that the whole public fully  participated with.

1. Following good detailed consultation with people and stakeholders, we need to ban organising political party based on ethnicity as it is segregationist, divisive and prone for suppressing one against other.

1. Those who are at the responsibility of running the country should fulfil their responsibility to maintain law and order in the country. Those  opportunist criminals  and bandits who carry weapon and terrorize the public in the name of ethnic army.  Those who preach hate, division and monger war in their media need to be accounted as well.

1.  We need to entertain any facilitate  different political opinions and position of any colour as long as no hate, or division and war agitating that would risk the country to war and the people in to significant distress.

1. Those on power either in the regional or federal states should know that they are  not legitimate leaders voted by the people as they were put there under shambolic election organised by the previous regime which was not representative. Their role at present is engage in peaceful transition of the political process and refrain from taking divisive actions, propaganda, hidden or overt political agenda that displace and hurt the country and the people or citizens of our country. Those who do such should be accounted and face the full force of the law.

1. Although TPLF’s  old guards and cadres take the lion share in TPLF led regime in the lat 27 years, many with in EPRDF and other affiliated political parties committed several crimes and should be equally accounted and face the full force of justice.

1. The people of Tigray should be part and parcel of the reform and transition and they should play pivotal role in the process for successful transition

1. Those political  governmental appointments given by the current transition leaders should be scrutinized to rule out any nepotism and intention to run covert political agenda.  As the current parliament is not yet fully independent and legitimate representation of the country,  a special neutral scrutinizing committee can do such with  the help of free independent media in exposing any such ill intentions.

1. Those major democratic infrastructure like independent judiciary, police, army, election board, human right commission  etc should be reformed in open and transparent way so they can’t  be a tool to the government on power but for all Ethiopians and any elected government.

1.  We should not rash to wards General Election before we make national reconciliation among the people and political parties  and agree on banning  any divisive, war mongering political agenda off from the election campaign slogans. Election campaign should be based on policy how to change the fate of Ethiopian citizens life from poverty and etc instead of revisiting past divisions and controversial histories and past misdeed.

1.  Those who are on power either at Federal or regional states should be aware the fact that they are not duly elected by the public in democratic genuine election but the public gave them support to led successfully this political transition. They need to be accounted for every measures and decisions (Actions or Commissions or Omission) they have to take or taken.  People and history will reckon them for their good work.

In general, this political transition has to yield genuine outcome as people have been struggling for the last 50 years  yearning for a democratic, inclusive, citizen based, human right respected society where majority  represented. A society and governance that treats citizens equally, ensure law and order, ensure genuine election and people exercise their citizenship right by working  and living in any part of the country  without any restriction . In order to reach such goal, we have to support each other during this political transition period and not set aside and criticise those sisters and brothers who are working for such.

May God help us to achieve this and make once again our country great!

The post Ethiopia : What should be done for a Successful Political Transition? appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

by Prof. Messay Kebede

Recent events are bringing Ethiopia closer to the limit beyond which ethnic politics enters into a zone perilous to the alliance of the ruling parties and, by extension, to the unity of the country. Among these events, the most explosive one is the rise of tension and deep divisions generated by protests in the Oromo region over the issue of Addis Ababa and the subsequent declaration of ODP (Oromo Democratic Party), a major partner in the ruling coalition, claiming ownership of Addis Ababa. The claim goes further than the usual demand for recognition of special rights of Oromia over the capital and clearly testifies to the growing impact of Oromo extremists on the ODP.

Observers and activists supporting the ongoing change no longer hide their disappointment over ODP’s declaration, especially over the surprising twist of its leader, Lemma Megersa, who so far was very much liked for his trans-ethnic openness. Many extend their disappointment to the Prime Minister, who, they say, is not forceful enough in the defense of the autonomous status of Addis Ababa. The ultimate fear is that the claim and the tepid reactions on the part of the parties in power may be the beginning of a déjà-vu trend, namely, the insidious evolution of one partner of the coalition into a hegemonic ruler.

Without questioning the well-founded nature of these disappointments, it is important to understand the rationale of the behaviors causing the setbacks. In my last posted response to Andreas Eshete and Samuel Assefa’s article, “Reflections on Expanding Ethiopia’s Democratic Space,” I underlined, in agreement with the article, the tension existing between the Pan-Ethiopian ideology of the reformers and their ethnic political basis. I wrote: “It stands to reason that the integration of nationalist and populist demands is the only way by which the various parties composing the EPRDF can compete against their rival regional parties and maintain their political relevance.” The issue of Addis Ababa is where the competition plays out in its most divisive and disruptive implications, given that all rival Oromo parties openly support the integration of the federal capital into Oromia. Evidently, some such extremist claim does not give much room to maneuver for those struggling to unite ethnic politics with a Pan-Ethiopian agenda and is thus quite efficient in undermining Abiy’s position.

Let us go further. In an article I posted early October titled “Where to Be, on the Right or Left of Abiy? That Is the Question,” I noted that Abiy’s determination to combine ethnic politics and Pan-Ethiopian ideology so covered the whole political space of moderation that rival Oromo ethnic parties had no other choice than to opt for extremism in order to retain some political significance.  I wrote: “As to competing political groups with moderate views, their problem is Abiy in that he is too big to the point of covering the entire political space. Consequently, these groups try to create new spaces for them by moving on the right or left of Abiy.” Addis Ababa is a perfect illustration of the dilemma compelling Oromo political parties to give up moderation in order to be politically relevant.

It is only when we understand the dilemma of Abiy and other Oromo reformists that we can temper the tendency of losing faith in the ongoing reform. Some supporters have already crossed the threshold by alluding to a scam to advance the long term goal of Oromo ethno-nationalists under the guise of reform. Yet, it is but obvious that the need to appeal to a carefully elaborated scheme subsides as soon as one carefully examines the sticky situation arising from Abiy’s commitment to implement, for the first time in Ethiopia, fair and free national elections. Nothing is easier than to inflame people by irresponsible and extremist rhetoric, especially where poverty, unemployment, and lack of democratic tradition prevail so extensively.

The question, then, is as follows: short of having recourse to authoritarian methods, what other option is there to counter extremism in a democratic national election taking place in a volatile situation? The solution I have recommended many times, namely, the election of a president with extensive executive power by universal suffrage, alongside regional elections on ethnic lines, requires a change in the constitution that is difficult to achieve given the prevailing political atmosphere.

The remaining way out is exactly what Addis Ababians seem to understand and initiate under the leadership of the indomitable Eskinder Nega, which is to mobilize and organize in defense of the autonomous status of the capital. The mobilization must target the de-ethnicization of the town as the unambiguous confirmation that it effectively belongs to Addis Ababians and all the peoples of Ethiopia. In addition, the cosmopolitan character of Addis Ababa must comprise its African vocation both as the birthplace and the seat of African Union and other pan-African organizations. In other words, the defense must not solely rely on the federal government and the provision of the Constitution stating that Addis Ababa is “the capital city of the Federal State” with “a full measure of self-government.” It has to include the understanding and the practical readiness stemming from one basic fact: Addis Ababians have only those rights that they can effectively defend. Moreover, as collective owners of the capital, all other ethnic groups and regional states must provide tangible support to the cause of autonomy and self-government.

Only when Addis Ababians organize to defend their town does the stake become clear to everybody. The stake is none other than the rights of people to govern themselves by freely electing their representatives and defending peacefully these rights. It is incumbent on the federal government to explain clearly that going against these rights, not only will lead to violence, but it will also permanently damage the consensus and mutual respect governing the ruling alliance of parties as well as the initiated democratization of the country. Needless to say, such a reversal will land us right where we were before the demise of the Woyanne dictatorship, with all the disastrous consequences that an Oromo hegemonic rule will necessary have on the preservation of peace and national unity.

Messay Kebede

University of Dayton

https://udayton.academia.edu/MessayKebede

The post Addis Ababa: Drawing a Line in the Sand of Ethnic Politics appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – The black boxes from the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday will be sent overseas for analysis because there is not capacity in the country to do it, an Ethiopian Airlines spokesman said on Wednesday.

“There is no capacity here so the black box will be sent elsewhere for analysis,” the spokesman said.

The post Black boxes from Ethiopia crash to be sent overseas: Ethiopian Airlines appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Our country Ethiopia is in a turmoil with a specter of being a failed state under our eyes! The displacement of fellow Ethiopians including children, elder-lies, women, and men in different parts of the country, conflicts between different ethnic groups, demands by different ethnic groups for regional (‘kilil’) status, destruction of churches and mosques, lawlessness, mob justice, the beatings and deaths of innocent citizens and looting of property have become day-to-day phenomena.

Parochialism is at its peak due to its propagation through social media, television, radio and press, some of whom are allegedly financed by foreign powers as well as by the defunct TPLF genocidal and kleptocratic criminals who are hiding in Tigray. Not only do these thugs have been sponsoring all sorts of terrorism on the people of Ethiopia but also beating the drums of war lately. Extremist elites who have never been given any mandate by a section of the Ethiopian people that they purport to represent seem to call the shots and be in the conductor sit of the train. Essentially what they have been doing lately, one of whom, Jawar Mohammed, glorified by the current Prime Minister as a “Freedom Fighter” during his visit to the U.S. simply fits the maxim of “the tail wags the dog”.

Some members of the so called change agents who the Ethiopian people embraced over the past nearly one year seem to change their color like a chameleon. The recent statements given by the Oromia Democratic Party regarding Addis Ababa, which is the capital city of our beloved Ethiopia and seat of the African Union and many other international organizations and diplomatic missions, claiming to own the city, the resettlement of fellow Ethiopians who were displaced in the Somalia region in and around the capital instead of returning them to their homes, and illegal issuance of Addis Ababa residence ID cards to people from their ethnic group with the aim of changing its demography show their ulterior motives. All the analogy between Ethiopianness and addiction and revival of “Ethiopia” into the political discourse have simply vanished into thin air!

Now the question is what is to be done? It is worrisome and greatly concerning that, in spite of all sorts of the mayhem that is taking place currently and the looming danger hovering on our country, no concrete action that could avert the peril is being taken either by the current government or political parties, civic organizations and our people. Few political parties and civic organizations have come out and condemned, for example, the recent bulldozing and eviction of our fellow Ethiopians in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Legetafo. Some political parties, in whom the Ethiopian people has vested its hope have astonishingly kept silent toward such horrible acts of the Oromia Government, whose political party, ODP is headed by the Prime Minister.

One wonders whether, unintentionally, the leaders of such parties have gone into the Prime Minister’s pocket!

It seems that a focused and concerted effort should be made by all concerned Ethiopians inside and outside of the country to prevent the worst immediately. We seem to be running out of time, “quarter to 6 p.m.” before the worst happens. Below are recommendations that could help in averting the impending danger; however they are by no means conclusive or even others could point us to other better and more effective solutions. As such, this article aims at sparking a discussion and debate among all concerned Ethiopians so we all play a part in preventing the danger.

Recommended Actions:

The Government of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed: Dr. Abiy was embraced by the Ethiopian people since he ascended to the highest office in the land a year ago. Our people accepted him almost all at once after his inaugural speech because he seemed to change the political discourse, preached love and peace, narrated the glories of our beloved Ethiopia after its trampling for decades by the secessionist parochial TPLF lords. The release of political prisoners en masse, opening of the political space, return of exiled political parties and leaders, restoration of peace with Eritrea are but some of the notable actions made by his Government.

This does not mean however that all that he has done so far are not without major flaws. Dr. Abiy ignored the calls by many to form a transitional government stating publicly that he alone would transition the country. Furthermore, when people realized that he was adamant in his stance, some recommended the formation of a transitional council composed of all stakeholders that would play an advisory role to his government; however this also fell on deaf ears. His government was not inclusive by any stretch; he made major decisions affecting the country on his own despite the fact that the country is in a transition period. The call for by many for a road map of the transition period was ignored. His government lacked transparency; agreements made with Eritrea and some Arab countries are cases in point. His party orchestrated the political appointment of a non-resident of Addis Ababa as its mayor, a typical TPLF-style maneuvering. More can be said about his speeches at different venues but it seems unnecessary to go any further. In spite of all that, however, our people gave him and his team the benefit of the doubt.

One thing that should not be overlooked and which is inexplicable is his recent “diplomatic shuttles” in East Africa while giving little concrete attention to what’s going on back home. It was pathetic that some touted it as dwarfing Henry Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy. No one disputes the fact that an effort by any leader of a nation to bring about peace, security and socio-economic integration in their region should be commended. However, it is “First things First”. In normal times the Prime Minister’s actions would definitely be commendable. However, our country’s situation is not at all normal; it does not take genius to say Ethiopia can become a failed state unless a preventative action is taken immediately. Social activist Marcus Garvey once said, “Charity starts at home.” Ignoring one’s home and appearing to take care of others is

simply preposterous. It fits the Ethiopian proverb “stirring someone else’s pot while one’s own dish is getting overcooked.”

Unless the Prime Minister is in denial, his “emotional bank account”, the popular support he garnered among our people since he came to power is diminishing fast since extremist nationalists such as Jawar Mohammed (it is alleged that he and his OMN are financed by foreign powers who do not wish well for our country) have hijacked his party. The extremist parochial measures that his party has taken recently have dazzled millions of Ethiopians!

In spite of all the above, I believe that Dr. Abiy and his government have still a chance to regain the confidence of our people provided he and his government take tangible measures such as the following:

1. Take concrete action to restore peace and security throughout the country as this is a major responsibility for any government.
2. Work closely with and provide the necessary support to regional governments to restore peace and security and return displaced citizens in different parts of the country to their homes, including those who have been resettled in and around Addis Ababa maliciously immediately.
3. Issue a press release to rectify the recent press release issued by his party on Addis Ababa and unequivocally declare that Addis Ababa belongs to the people of Ethiopia and not to one ethnic group. To preach and equivocate without taking concrete action would be a sign of arrogance and contempt for the people of Ethiopia.
4. Outlaw hate speech and propaganda that pits one section of the Ethiopian people against another. Hold individuals such as Jawar Mohammed to account through the court of law.
5. Hold to account through the court of law any media such as television, radio and newspaper that entice ethnic division and promote conflict among the people of Ethiopia immediately.
6. Postpone the population census indefinitely until peace and security is restored in the country. Unless there is a hidden agenda, census cannot be conducted under the present circumstances.
7. Convene all political parties, leaders of religions, intellectuals, elderlies and Abba Gedas, civic society leaders, prominent individuals, students, teachers, businessmen, etc. to start a series of serious discussions that focus and councils on the current socio-economic and political situations of the country and develop a road map for a peaceful transition toward a genuinely democratic system that benefits all people of Ethiopia equally.
8. Out of the stakeholders mentioned above, form a transitional body that plays an advisory role and works closely with the current government.
9. Discuss with all stakeholders the viability of the election which is scheduled to take place in about a year. Given the current political situation, it is safe to assume that a free and fair election cannot be held in such a short period and postponement seems to be inevitable.
10. Become transparent to the people of Ethiopia in all dealings with foreign nations and other international entities.

Political Parties: At present, there are a number of political parties operating in our country. Some of them have been in existence for decades mainly providing company and legitimacy to the brutal TPLF regime in and out of the parliament without any meaningful leadership to their base in the struggle against the regime.

Some have returned home from exile and have been in the country for about six months. There was a great hope and expectation particularly from those parties who advocate a citizen-based as opposed to ethnic-based politics however their muted response to the human right violations across the country has perplexed many. It seems kind of a common question these days, “Where is Patriotic Ginbot 7?”

Some members of ethnic parties under the shadow of extremist individuals such as Jawar Mohammed have left no stone unturned to create havoc in the country. They have done everything they could to realize their hidden secessionist agenda by promoting mob justice and driving the youth to destabilize the country (‘girgir le leba endimech’).

Whereas it is understandable that the current political climate which is poisoned by ethnic politics is difficult to operate in, it seems that those parties who genuinely struggle for our country’s freedom could have done much more under the circumstances. No one with clear conscience doubts and underestimates their intentions and sacrifice for the people of Ethiopia. However, they should and could have done much more than giving company to the “change agents” and presenting papers. The problems of our country are real, palpable, and require working with a great sense of urgency. In light of this, below are recommendations for what they are worth. As noted above, this is not to be prescriptive; however they are recommendations from a concerned citizen, which may be improved, developed and/or added to:

1. Start robust inter- and intra-party discussions in assessing the current socio-economic and political situation of our country and come up with recommendations to solve problems. It is clear that the parties have differences in their policies and programs; however, they need to keep such differences aside for an election season when it is due. Now is the time to save our country from the danger it is facing not for inter-party rivalries.

2. Engage Dr. Abiy’s government, support any genuine endeavor that it takes to bring about a democratic system and constructively criticize when it goes off track.

3. Enhance discussions with the public to the extent circumstances permit. This includes discussions with civic society organizations, leaders of religions, elders and Abba Geddas, youth, students, intellectuals, businessmen, civil service employees, etc. Show the people that you genuinely stand for and with them. That ultimately broadens the base. Discussions may be made in town hall meetings and through media such as television and radio.

4. Guide and support the youth to organize under various civic institutions (youth associations, women’s associations, professional associations, etc.) for them to engage in their own country’s affairs civilly and peacefully.

5. Collaborate and work with media outlets that work for the unity and freedom of our people across the country. Promote Ethiopiawinet through all possible media and beat the evil narratives of parochial groups and individuals.

6. Issue press releases and hold press conferences regularly to update Ethiopians where things are in the struggle. This will keep our people informed of the political process, develop the culture of transparency in our society that has been subjugated by secretive dictators, and promote the culture of accountability.

7. Engage Ethiopians in the diaspora to support the struggle for freedom, justice, democracy, and equality for all Ethiopians. The diaspora community could be of great resource in the diplomatic front as well as raising funds needed for the struggle. Since the “change agents” ascended to state power it seems all political parties have disengaged with the diaspora as if our quest for a free and democratic system has materialized.

The Ethiopian Youth: Since the past six decades, the Ethiopian youth have been at the center of the struggle for freedom, justice, democracy and equality for all Ethiopians across our country. Thousands upon thousands have paid the ultimate sacrifice for Ethiopia’s bright day that has yet to be realized.

The TPLF brutal regime did its utmost over the past three decades to divide our people along ethnic lines and our youth have been victims of such division. In spite of that, however, we have also witnessed during the struggle over the past three years when the youth in the Amhara Region came out shouting “Oromo’s blood is my blood”, which was reciprocated by the youth in the Oromia Region. Our youth in all parts of our country must realize that Ethiopia is for all of them and they are the ones that are most affected by what happens to our country since not only today but also the future belongs to them. Recognizing this fact, they should declare “No to ethnic politics!”, “We are brothers and sisters regardless of our ethnicity!”, “We are one people of Ethiopia!” and never fall victim for infantile lunatics such as Jawar Mohammed. They should take responsibility for their country and their future, organize themselves in different civic groups, stand together and continue their PEACFUL STRUGGLE until Ethiopia is genuinely democratic for all Ethiopians regardless of their ethnicity. A parochial mentality particularly in the era of globalization, in the 21^st century is simply madness!

In this globalized world, people from different parts of the world live and work together harmoniously. For example, according to some reports, in New York City more than 8 million people live and about 800 languages from all over the world are spoken in the city. Despite such enormous diversity, people are able to live peacefully together since there is a rule of law and generally all people enjoy freedom, justice and equality. Our youth must learn from this and stand together hand-in-hand and continue their struggle peacefully until a truly democratic system is established in our country.

Leaders of Churches and Mosques: Our religious leaders have served as a moral compass for our people for thousands of years. As all of us know, Ethiopia is one of the few countries who accepted Christianity early before others in the world. Similarly, our country was chosen by Prophet Mohammed as a refuge for his followers when they were persecuted. Since then Muslims and Christians in our country have lived together as one family. We shared our happiness and griefs together. Our forefathers fought foreign enemies together paying the ultimate sacrifice for the independence of our country. The roles of our Popes and Priests, Imams and Sheiks in such harmonious relationships have always been paramount.

Our religious leaders have a huge responsibility at present in educating our people in Churches and Mosques about the importance of living together as one people despite our differences in religion and ethnicity. They should intensify their teachings that we are all one people under God more than ever before to eradicate the evil spirit that is causing destruction across our country. In addition, I recommend that they declare a Prayer Day for the Unity of Our People across Ethiopia. The prayers may be held on a Jummah (Friday) and one day later on Elete Senbet (Sunday).

Prayers may also continue during this Kudade season for Christians and upcoming Ramadaan that begins in early May.

I hope and believe that their concerted effort in this regard could pre-empt and minimize the evil actions sponsored by TPLF lords and others who are suspected of getting support from foreign powers who have ill wish for our country.

Ethiopians in the Diaspora: Ethiopians abroad who feel responsibility for our country have supported the struggle for freedom, justice, democracy and equality at home over the past 27 years. They have been voice for the voiceless of the Ethiopian people through demonstrations and knocking at the doors of foreign government offices and international organizations and exposed the crimes against humanity and genocidal actions of the brutal TPLF regime. Furthermore, they have supported political parties and families of victims at home financially. Last but not certainly least is they have financed media organizations such the Ethiopian Satelite Television (ESAT) over the years.

I believe that Ethiopians in the diaspora should continue to support the struggle at home; given the current political climate support from the diaspora community is all the more important. In this regard:

1. Create urgently discussion fora across the globe, including in Europe, United States, Asia, Australia and Africa. The purpose of such discussions should be to assess the current socio-economic and political climate of our country and play a role in preventing a political crisis and state collapse. Organizations such as Global Alliance, Vision Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Advocacy Group, the Ethiopian American Council and other civic institutions, as well as media outlets such as ESAT, Voice of America, Deuce Velle, etc. could be instrumental in organizing and facilitating such discussions.

2. Continue to provide support to the struggle for freedom, justice, democracy and equality in our country. Details of the types of support and how those support can be given should be a decision of the diaspora community.

3. Continue to seek the support of the international community, particularly the U.S. and U.K. governments, the European Union, and other international organizations such as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in bringing to justice those who committed crimes against humanity and genocide on the people of Ethiopia. We all know that the process to hold Getachew Assefa under the Magnitsky Act accountable is a matter awaiting decision with the U.S. Government. The TPLF lords who committed such crimes with impunity are still beating the drums of war to commit other similar crimes and they should be deterred. Our Western allies know it all too well that given our geo-politics, any unrest and war could destabilize the region and have a spillover effect beyond the horn of Africa. And it is in the best interest not only of our country but also of the Western world to prevent any war and this provides an opportunity to make a legitimate case with those countries and institutions. Furthermore, continuing to seek the support of Friends of Ethiopia such as the Honorable Anna Gomez, member of the European Parliament and the Honorable Anders Österberg, member of the Swedish Parliament will help in this endeavor.

Finally, the responsibility for taking our beloved Ethiopia out of the current extremely difficult situation falls on the shoulders of each and every Ethiopian. Elders, Abba Geddas, prominent individuals, businessmen, intellectuals, students, teachers, farmers, civil service workers, carpenters, plumbers, men, women, and all of us from all walks of life have a role to play in this regard. Let’s hold each other hand-in-hand say in unison “NO!” to the evil operators who try relentlessly to divide us and use our division to grab state power! Let’s support our religious, political, and civic leaders who promote our unity and lead us to a genuine democratic Ethiopia in which the rule of law, democracy, equality and justice reign supreme!

As it is written in the Bible, Ethiopia stretches her hands to God! And God in His Mercy will protect our people and country as long as we align our hearts to what He desires for us all, His children! Let’s unite and stand together! Let’s speak in one voice for freedom, justice, democracy, and equality for all of us! Let’s all pray to God so He will free us from decades of division and destruction!

May Almighty God protect our people and country!!!

Asfaw Regasa

The writer can be reached at asfawregasa1@gmail.com

The post An Urgent Call to Avert the Imminent Danger in Our Country Ethiopia appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

The global standoff over the airworthiness of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jet intensified as U.S. regulators reiterated their support for the aircraft, even after the European Union and other authorities issued blanket bans.

Investigators are still trying to understand why an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 crashed near Addis Ababa on March 10, killing 157 people, less than five months after an identical Lion Air plane plunged into waters off Indonesia.

Key Developments:

Hong Kong, Lebanon, Thailand impose temporary bans on the 737 Max. FAA repeats it sees no safety issue with Boeing 737 Max. European aviation authority grounds 737 Max flights across region. Boeing shares fell 6.2 percent in New York. Boeing CEO defends plane on call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Where the Boeing 737 Max Is Grounded

Here are the latest developments (timestamps are local time in London):

China’s Clout (8:12 a.m.)

In grounding the 737 Max, centuries-old American allies including the U.K. and Australia broke convention by snubbing the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, an authority that has defined what’s airworthy — and what’s not — for decades. New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam on Wednesday became the latest countries to block the 737 Max, helping legitimize China’s early verdict on March 11 that the plane could be unsafe.

“The FAA’s credibility is being tested,” said Chad Ohlandt, a Rand Corp. senior engineer in Washington. “The Chinese want their regulatory agency to be considered a similar gold standard.”

Who Pays?

Norwegian Air Shuttle expects Boeing to compensate it for revenue lost on account of the grounding of its 737 Max fleet, Reuters reports.

Lebanon, Thailand

The 737 Max has been banned from Lebanese airport, airspace, NNA reports, while Thai authorities also followed suit.

Earlier:

Hong Kong

Hong Kong will impose a temporary ban on Boeing 737 Max aircraft over its airspace from 6 p.m., the Civil Aviation Department said in a statement.

India Expands Blockade

India will bar all Boeing 737 Max planes from entering or transiting in its airspace, extending an earlier ban that applied only to its airlines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the aircraft will be allowed to fly until 4 p.m. local time to enable foreign-registered jets to return to their home base and for planes operating locally to go to a maintenance facility for parking. Aviation ministry and airline officials will also meet at 4 p.m. local time, according to the ANI news agency.

Crash Similarities

Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Tewolde GebreMariam said in an interview with CNN that there are “substantial” similarities with the Lion Air crash in October involving the same Boeing plane model. The Ethiopian Airlines pilot had “flight control problems” shortly before the crash, GebreMariam said. In November, Indonesian investigators found that the Lion Air pilots battled multiple malfunctions almost as soon as their flight began.

Vietnam Suspends Jets

Vietnam suspended all Boeing 737 Max jets of its airlines starting 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, and said it won’t grant any operation permits for the aircraft until further notice. VietJet Aviation JSC, which doesn’t fly any 737 Max planes now but has 200 of the jets on order, will make a decision on its plans to use the aircraft after U.S. aviation officials finish their investigation, the Vietnamese airline said in a statement.

Russia’s S7 Grounds Planes

S7 Airlines suspended Boeing 737 Max flights from 00:01 Moscow time Wednesday until it receives detailed information on the latest crash, the carrier said on its website. The airline said it has two 737 Max planes in its fleet of 96 and the suspension won’t affect its schedule.

Sunwing Grounds Flights

Sunwing Airlines said it’s temporarily suspending its four Boeing 737 Max 8 jets “for evolving commercial reasons unrelated to safety including airspace restrictions being imposed by some of our partner destinations.” The carrier is in the process of revisiting its flying schedule to accommodate the temporary removal of Max aircraft from service.

Blackbox to U.K. or U.S.?

Ethiopia wanted to send the flight-data and cockpit voice recorders to the U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch to recover the data, causing U.S. investigators to hold intense behind-the-scenes talks to bring the remains to America, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. U.S. officials wanted to have the recorders sent to the National Transportation Safety Board on grounds that American government experts would provide the most reliable and accurate data downloads, according to the report. The U.S. hadn’t received a final decision as of late Tuesday, according to the Journal.

Canada Holds Off

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau told lawmakers he won’t hesitate to take action on Boeing if needed, but said it’s too early to determine the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. “Our responsibility is to stay clear-minded to navigate this evolving situation,” he said, according to a statement obtained by Bloomberg.

FAA Support

Federal Aviation Administration acting chief Daniel Elwell said the agency continues to closely monitor an investigation into the fatal crash in Ethiopia and will take action if necessary. No other civil aviation authorities have given the FAA data that would warrant action, the agency said.

New Zealand Ban

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority suspended Boeing 737 Max flights to or from the country after discussions with other authorities including the FAA. Only Fiji Airways flies the aircraft to New Zealand.

Gulf Hub Ban

The United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation Authority banned Boeing 737 Max jets from its airspace, state-run WAM reported. This means the aircraft is excluded from another major global transit hub, following a similar move by Singapore.

Boeing Call With Trump

Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg defended the safety of the 737 Max to U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call on Tuesday shortly after the president criticized modern airplanes for becoming too complicated, two people familiar with the matter said.

Indian Meetings

After India also banned the 737 Max, the country’s aviation minister said he’ll hold an emergency meeting to prepare contingency plans to minimize passenger disruption. Indian carriers SpiceJet Ltd. and Jet Airways India Ltd. have a combined fleet of about 20 of the planes altogether, with firm orders for more than 260 in total.

European Ban

The European Union’s aviation authority suspended all flight of the 737 Max 8 and larger 737 Max 9 in Europe. The agency, which usually goes along with the FAA, said it was acting out of an abundance of caution and out of concern for passenger safety.

Ethiopian Training

Ethiopian Airlines pilots got additional training on the Boeing 737 Max after the Lion Air crashed.

“We have installed the additional training procedures in our manuals and in our simulations,” Tewolde GebreMariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, told reporters in a broadcast on state-controlled ETV. Tewolde said certain elements of the technical investigation need to be sent abroad for analysis.

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By Dawit W Giorgis

I was able to go back to my country after 33 years in exile in Dec of last year.  I have thanked the government and the people of Ethiopia for creating the condition that enabled me to go back home. I am an old man by any standard. My purpose in continuing to write about Africa and Ethiopia is to share the wisdom that can only be gained only through age and experience. I have both. I have no other motives. I know some people would not like some of the contents in this article. I have no right or capacity to prescribe any solution but I have certainly the obligation to present and critically analyze the  situation.

In 1984 during the great famine, the international community viciously condemned the Ethiopian government (dergue) for the resettlement program it conducted. It accused the regime  for gross human rights violation.  The case was discussed in the UN Human Rights Council and in the US Congress several times. Though the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) I headed, was not in charge of the resettlement program, it was responsible for the provision of food to the settlers. The program was condemned for it’s political motivation and for moving the people against their will, though the stated goal of the project was humanitarian. It was to move people from drought affected, highly congested  and degraded lands to a more productive areas of Ethiopia, to Wolegga, to Gambela and some to Bale.  Looking back, it was indeed amazing how these settlers, mostly from Tigray, Wollo and Northern Showa  regions were received. People mostly Oromos were lined up on the streets to cheer and welcome the new settlers. They later helped in the construction of their new homes, invited them to their own homes until they adjusted and helped them in every possible way without any coercion from the government. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that the welcoming was sincere and in the best tradition of Ethiopians.  Those living, remember those days as the best of ‘Ethipiaiwinet’ and indeed it was.

Some members of the international community reported that the program had political motives particularly for those who were moved from Tigray.  I have discussed the resettlement in general and this particular project in detail in my book ‘Red Tears page 281 to 308’.   There were many such experiments on resettlement in Ethiopia but none were done to change the demography of a given area.

The last one was the brainchild of Mengistu: moving 300,000 families (1.5 million people)  from Wollo and Tigray to South Western Ethiopia, in nine months.  The stated objectives were then purely humanitarian though Mengistu included his own political agenda in this project.  The international community was merciless and consistently and strongly condemned these as human rights violations and placed sanctions on the Ethiopian regime.  It created an uproar within the international community.

Human Rights Watch states:   “ The details of the implementation of the program varied from place to place; at its worst, it was a brutal form of counter-insurgency, at its best, a fierce attack on the independence of the peasantry….In addition to the direct human cost of the resettlement program, it involved enormous indirect human costs, by the diversion of resources. Resettlement sites and transit camps received priority allocations of relief food from the RRC.” [1]

The Paradox

There was a very close scrutiny of the activities of the government then, partly because it was the times of the cold war and partly because the government’s (dergue) policies were brutal in many aspects. Fast-forward, and Ethiopia went through a 27-year ordeal that included not only forced eviction and resettlement but also ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, suppression of freedom of speech corruption and torture unprecedented in Ethiopian history. And yet the world kept silent. Instead it went on talking tirelessly of the fake economic growth of the nation. Meles was the darling of the West and East and there were little told about what went on behind the prison walls and the booming constructions across urban Ethiopia.  It was not because the West did not know because there were several witnesses and independent sources  which confirmed  the crimes committed by the Ethiopian regime.

In 2017 Forbes Magazine wrote about the UN Secretary General Guterres, speaking from Addis at the 28th Summit of the African Union, described Ethiopia as a “pillar of stability” in the tumultuous Horn of Africa, praised the government of Ethiopia and asked the world to show “total solidarity” with the regime. This was being said as the economy of Ethiopia was collapsing under the weight of its own corruption and the wide spread anger and rebellion of the people.

Forbes (the global media company) asks: “Why, despite ever-increasing amounts of foreign support, can’t this nation of 100 million clever, enterprising people feed itself? Other resource-poor countries facing difficult environmental challenges manage to do so. Two numbers tell the story in a nutshell:

1. The amount of American financial aid received by Ethiopia’s government since it took power: $30 billion.
2. The amount stolen by Ethiopia’s leaders since it took power: $30 billion

The West, including the so-called global financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF kept on hammering on the myth that that Ethiopia’s economy was the fastest growing economy.

This government, under the  previous PM, had conducted forced resettlements and the international community did not give it serious attention. Human Rights Watch reports:  “Ethiopia’s government has been accused of forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can be leased to foreign investors. People are being forcibly relocated to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland and facilities. Ethiopia has already leased out more than 3.6 million hectares (8.8m acres) of land – an area the size of The Netherlands “ [2]

Somehow the Ethiopian government escaped the harsh scrutiny of the UN, the US and the international community despite the obvious corruptions, oppression and human rights violations that they now shamelessly condemn while keeping silent while Ethiopian people suffered for 27 years.

Forced Eviction and Resettlement

This year, when Ethiopia and the world were expecting improved governance under  PM Abiy and the Lemma Team, the world is once again witnessing gross human rights violations, approved and told publicly by the most senior people in the government.  Some of the incidents are happening right in front of the doorsteps of the international community in Addis. These are the forced evictions of thousands of people from the homes they have lived in for over a decade and the demolition of their homes reminiscent of the destruction of houses in the occupied territories of Palestine.

People also witnessed the forced resettlement of Oromo farmers and villagers from their ancestral lands to places they have never been, without their consent. The President of the Oromo region Lemma Megersa revealed publicly, boldly and arrogantly that the forced resettlement of 500,000 Oromos was necessary. It was stated that the idea of moving people without their consent to Addis and surrounding areas was to change the demography of Addis Abeba, in favor of the Oromo tribe. It outraged and shocked people particularly because it came from Lemma, the man who was in the forefront of unity and human rights in Ethiopia. The shock reverberated across the nation putting in doubt the agenda of the leaders whom Ethiopians were quick to reward with a saintly image.  Besides creating a wave of discontent this action was also  a clear and gross human rights violation.

The AU, whose head quarter is in Addis Abeba, the  international community, the UN and the US have not condemned this blatant violation of human rights of evicting people from their homes and moving people to remote parts of Ethiopia for political reasons. Forced evictions and forced resettlements are human rights violations under international law.

United nations Human Rights Commission states:

“ Forced evictions commonly result in people being pushed into extreme poverty and as such pose a risk to the right of life itself. They have also been found to be tantamount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, particularly when carried out with violence or with discriminatory intent. During forced evictions, people are frequently harassed or beaten and occasionally subjected to inhumane treatment or killed. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to violence, including sexual violence, before, during and after an eviction. Forced evictions may also result in indirect violations of political rights, such as the right to vote, if persons are rendered homeless. They can also have a profound detrimental psychological impact on evictees, in particular children, who have been found to suffer both short- and long-term effects.”[3]

The silence of the PM while thousands of people were being evicted and illegally resettled, put people’s mind in doubt as to whether he was really the head of the country. International law is clearly against this

The United Nations Human Rights Commission states:

“Forced evictions commonly result in people being pushed into extreme poverty and as such pose a risk to the right to life itself. They have also been found to be tantamount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, particularly when carried out with violence or with discriminatory intent. During forced evictions, people are frequently harassed or beaten and occasionally subjected to inhumane treatment or killed. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to violence, including sexual violence, before, during and after an eviction. Forced evictions may also result in indirect violations of political rights, such as the right to vote, if persons are rendered homeless. They can also have a profound detrimental psychological impact on evictees, in particular children, who have been found to suffer both short- and long-term effects”[4]

There are numerous UN resolutions and declarations that make forced evictions and resettlement a human rights violation. The Expert Seminar on the Practice of Forced Evictions (Geneva, 11-13 June 1997) establishes guidelines for the practice of forced evictions under the international human rights provisions and instruments.  The guidelines state:

“Forced evictions constitute prima facie violations of a wide range of internationally recognized human rights and can only be carried out under exceptional circumstances and in full accordance with the present Guidelines and relevant provisions of international human rights law.”

Forced and violent evictions and displacements are taking place throughout Ethiopia, and the demolishing of houses by the regional authority in Legetafo is just the latest example.  The dispute over the ownership of Addis Abeba, the attempt to change the demography of the capital city and the forced evictions are   the most serious problems  that can trigger a countrywide unrest.  The international  community has been largely silent.  It is possible that the silence of the international community can  be perceived by the Ethiopian government as a green light.   PM Abiy is not a man deserving a Nobel Prize for peace unless he comes out clean from these crimes.  There could either be tacit or explicit agreement. But certainly it happened on his watch. It must be remembered hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi  to be stripped of her Nobel Prize  because of her country’s persecution of its Rohingya  Muslim minority.

For the sake of political stability, the Ethiopian government should rescind the policy of forced evictions, resettlement and land grabbing without due process of law.   If forced evictions continue unabated, Ethiopia can plunge into a civil war a political tensions rise

Hate Speech and Radicalization: The Jawar Factor.

The government has allowed extremists like Jawar Mohamed, the CEO of the Oromo Media Network (OMN), legally registered in Ethiopia to spread ethnic and religiously motivated hate speech.   PM Abiy’s tolerance of Jawar is perplexing.   Giving unchecked political power to extremists like Jawar can only further exacerbate the already tense political environment.   Some political observers suspect that there is either an explicit or implicit understanding between the PM and Jawar.  If that is the case, PM Abiy is allowing Jawar’s extreme voice to influence the youth, particularly in the Oromo region.  In any other country Jawar would have ended up in prison and prosecuted for crimes of incitements and possibly for terrorism.

OMN reminds one of Radio Télévision Libre des Milles  Collines (RTLM),  the hate radio that was instrumental in the Rwandan Genocide. “ It’s stated aim was “to create harmonious development in Rwandese society” but nothing could have been further from the truth, It was set up and financed by Hutu extremists to prepare the people of Rwanda for genocide by demonizing the Tutsi and encouraging hate and violence. Some people –including the Belgian ambassador and staff of several aid agencies –recognized the danger and asked for international help in shutting down the broadcast, but it was impossible to persuade Western diplomats to take it seriously. They dismissed the station as a joke” [5]

General Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian commander of the UN peacekeeping operation in Rwanda at the time of the genocide, said: “Simply jamming [the] broadcasts and replacing them with messages of peace and reconciliation would have had a significant impact on the course of events.” His advise was ignored and the UN and the international community regrets with great humility and embarrassment that, had it acted earlier the genocide would probably have not taken place.  There is a red line between freedom of expression and hate speech,  oratory and incitement. It is well established in the international legal instruments.

Security Council resolution 1624 (2005) further

“1. Calls upon all States to adopt such measures as may be necessary and appropriate and in accordance with their obligations under international law to:

(a) Prohibit by law incitement to commit a terrorist act or acts

(b) Prevent incitement to commit a terrorist act or acts

(c) Deny safe haven to any persons with respect to whom there is credible and relevant information giving serious reasons for considering that they have been guilty of incitement to commit a terrorist act or act

The UN resolution clearly leaves the responsibility to governments what to define what constitutes a terrorist act.  Many governments have defined it to use it

Based on these general guidelines the AU defines terrorism  as follows

Terrorist act means:

• Any act which is a violation of the criminal laws of a State Party and which may endanger the life, physical integrity or freedom of, or cause serious injury or death to, any person, any number or group of persons or causes or may cause damage to public or private property, natural resources, environmental or cultural heritage and is calculated or intended to:

• 3 (i) intimidate, put in fear, force, coerce or induce any government, body, institution, the general public or any segment thereof, to do or abstain from doing any act, or to adopt or abandon a particular standpoint, or to act according to certain principles; or

(ii) disrupt any public service, the delivery of any essential service to the public or to create a public emergency; or

(iii) create general insurrection in a State.

(b) any promotion, sponsoring, contribution to, command, aid, incitement, encouragement, attempt, threat, conspiracy, organizing, or procurement of any person, with the intent to commit any act referred to in paragraph (a) (i) to(iii). “

Though the previous regime in Ethiopia defined terrorism to stifle dissent and freedom of expression, there are ways for  democratic governments to define it in the genuine interest of the people. The implications of the absence of a universal definition of terrorism for legal purposes are wide-ranging.  I believe that Ethiopian government is conducting a study to replace the revamped pervious anti terrorism law. In doing so care will be taken so that the new law does not define terrorism in a manner that can restrict the freedom of people and violate the individual rights of expression, movement and actions. A suitable universal definition is elusive because different governments   have different definitions to suit their own particular politics and agenda. The UN and the AU, as indicated above,  have established the parameters and for now that should be sufficient to investigate people like Jawar Mohamed for terrorism or crime under the criminal law of the country or deport him to face the law in the US if he is a  US citizen.

A reasonable government should investigate all the activities, speeches, source of funds, affiliations   and their effects on current and future peace and stability and make him accountable through due process of law. Not doing so makes the government itself an accessory or a silent collaborator in what are believed to be  serious crimes.

END

[1] [1]https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/Ethiopia919.pdf

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-16590416

[3] https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FS25.Rev.1.pdf

[4] (https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FS25.Rev.1.pdf).

[5] http://www.rwandanstories.org/genocide/hate_radio.html

The post Forced Eviction and Resettlement, the Jawar Factor and the Absence of International Scrutiny appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

On March 10, the world was hit by the news that a passenger aircraft operated by Africa’s top national carrier had crashed. The reference point for the information was solely the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

It remained the most quoted source for hours before the flier, Ethiopian Airlines, confirmed with further details of the said incident.

The focus of this article is to put as much information as possible on the crash, straddling the before, during and aftermath of what is one of the deadliest incidents Ethiopian has faced in recent years.

You can read about the following areas below:

• Germany rejects, France accepts ‘black box analysis’
• US govt orders Boeing to ground all 737 MAX 9 and 9 jets
• Ethiopian Airlines CEO wants Boeing to ground 737 MAX planes
• Black boxes to be sent to Germany
• Airline CEO visits Bole International Airport
• Boeing team on ground in Addis Ababa
• Ethiopia appreciates global solidarity
• Black box retrieved from crash site
• PHOTOS: Search and rescue mission on site
• Who are the victims?
• Strong defense for Ethiopian’s safety record
• The Boeing 737 MAX8 – multi-pronged pressure
• PHOTOS: Memorial service in Addis Ababa
• Previous accidents by Ethiopian Airline
• The quality of information flow: govt and airline
• African, world leaders send condolences
• The departure and destination of ET302
• How long did the flight last, casualty list
• POEM: Travel gathered 157, death swooped
• About Ethiopian – Africa’s aviation leader

France accepts to analyze black box

France’s air accident investigation agency BEA will analyse black-box flight recorders from a Boeing 737 MAX 8 which crashed near Addis Ababa on Sunday, a spokesman said.

Ethiopian Airlines said earlier it would send the two cockpit voice and data recorders abroad for analysis.

The French announcement resolved uncertainty over the fate of the two recorders after Germany’s BFU said it had declined a request to handle them because it could not process the new type of recorder used on the 737 MAX jets, in service since 2017.

The BEA is one of the world’s most active air crash agencies alongside the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States and has laboratories at its Le Bourget headquarters.

REUTERS

US regulators orders Boeing to ground jets

Three days after the accident in Ethiopia and in the wake of global ‘blacklisting,’ the United States says the manufacturer will be ordered to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 jets.

Industry experts had long speculated that it was only a matter of time before the US Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, made the order.

Boeing had in earlier statements stressed that it was not going to suspend
the production. It has said in a recent statement that it respected the FAA’s latest decision.

View image on Twitter

The FAA

@FAANews

#FAA statement on the temporary grounding of @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in a U.S. territory.

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12:09 PM – Mar 13, 2019 · Washington, DC

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Foreign allies commiserate with Ethiopia – PM

Black boxes to be sent to Germany

Ethiopia lacks the forensic capabilities of other countries, a spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines said on Wednesday, explaining that the black box voice and data recorders recovered on Monday would be sent overseas for analysis.

What is the black box or flight recorder? It is basically an equipment that records information about the performance of an aircraft during flight.

“There is no capacity here so the black box will be sent elsewhere for analysis. The investigation team will decide where,” the spokesman told Reuters.

Reuters later confirmed that the European destination in question is Germany.

U.S. officials said the black box devices suffered some damage but they were confident of some initial results within 24 hours of the data being downloaded.

‘Ground all 737 MAX planes’: Ethiopian Airlines CEO

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told the BBC on Wednesday, that he believes Boeing Co should ground all of its 737 MAX 8 jets until it is established that they are safe to fly.

Ethiopian Airlines on Monday grounded its remaining fleet of 4 737 MAX planes after Sunday’s fatal crash.

Several other airlines all over the world have grounded this model of the plane, citing similarities between the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash and the Lion Air crash in October last year.

Spotlight on Boeing 737 MAX planes

In the aftermath of Sunday’s crash, which was the second involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8 within a space of six months, several airlines have grounded their fleets of the same plane model, while countries have banned the 737 MAX planes from operating in their airspaces.

Reuters calculations show that as of Wednesday morning, about two-thirds of the 371 Boeing 737 MAXplanes operating in the world have been grounded.

Adding to the pressure on Boeing, Norwegian Air said it would seek recompense for lost revenue and extra costs after grounding its 737 MAX aircraft.

“We expect Boeing to take this bill,” Norwegian said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

With no link proven between the two crashes, however, the United States has bucked the trend and allowed 737 MAX planes to continue operating even though Europe has suspended them.

Of the top 10 countries by air passenger travel, all but the United States and Japan have halted flights of the 737 MAX. The EU, China, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, India and others have temporarily suspended the plane.

Boeing, the world’s biggest planemaker, has said it retains “full confidence” in the 737 MAX. Its shares fell 6.1 percent on Tuesday, bringing losses to 11.15 percent since the crash, the steepest two-day loss for the stock since July 2009.

The drop has lopped $26.65 billion off Boeing’s market value.

Airline CEO visits Addis Ababa’s Bole Int’l Airport

CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, paid a visit to the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. Operations were continuing as normal with workers and passengers going through their usual routines.

Gebremariam was very much in the forefront of events on March 10 when the incident occured.

Visiting the accident site and later giving a press conference to update the general public on the extent of the accident at the time.

One photo that became defining during his visit showed him holding a part of the crashed plane at the site. It was Bulletin No. 2 in which the airline confirmed that all aboard the ET 320 had perished.

Ethiopian Airlines

@flyethiopian

Africa’s biggest hub Addis Ababa Bole international airport is as busy as always availing our customers of the standard service. Ethiopian airline’s GCO Mr.Tewolde Gebremariam has visited the terminals and witnessed the smooth operations.

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11:41 AM – Mar 12, 2019

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Boeing team joins investigators

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the plane crash in Bishoftu on Sunday, there are local and international experts involved in the process, reports have suggested.

Aircraft manufacturing company Boeing, announced a technical team which has since arrived on site of the Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed 157 people to provide technical assistance.

Boeing team in Ethiopia to provide assistance

Ethiopia appreciates global solidarity

The Prime Minister’s office on Monday sent out one message on social media in relation to the incident of 24-hours prior.

And it was a message of appreciation for the global solidarity that Ethiopia – government and airline got. Most of the messages of support were posted on Twitter aside the likely flooding in of diplomatic cables.

The PM’s message read: “On behalf of the FDRE Government, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expresses his gratitude to world leaders and the international community for their messages of condolence and support in our time of mourning all the precious lives we lost aboard ET 302.”

Black box retrieved from crash site

A key technical part of the plane, the black box, was retrieved by a search and rescue team that was dispatched to the site hours after the incident.

What is the black box or flight recorder? It is basically an equipment that records information about the performance of an aircraft during flight.

It is usually a very key component to getting to know the likely cause of the accident. Ethiopian confirmed that both parts had been retrieved: “The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered.”

PHOTOS: Search and rescue mission on site

There is a coordinated local and international response on the ground to help uncover the mystery that led to 157 lives perishing in a swoop.

The Airline and other responsible state outfits like the Federal Police and Transport Bureaus have been joined by experts from across the world, from the Kenya, South Africa, United States, Israel and INTERPOL among others. Manufacturer Boeing also is an integral part of the team.

Who are the victims?

A key plank of reportage on accidents in recent times is a focus on the victims, even perpetrators.

Social media in part did a great job of helping get profiles of victims a announcements were routinely made by families or employers.

Some governments also named their nationals via social media as was the case with Russia, Nigeria.

Read more about the victims on: Euronews, our France-based sister channel

Strong defence for Ethiopian’s safety record

The accident thrust the issue of flight safety to the fore. The figures show that the carrier had an impeccable safety record with industry players and people on social media mounting a robust defence.

One of the earliest to give Ethiopian a pass mark was Alex Macheras, who has since Saturday been busy giving perspectives to multiple media outlets regarding the ET302.

Here were his initial comments very early on:

The Boeing 737 MAX8 – multi-pronged pressure

Boeing and maybe insurers of Ethiopian Airlines will be one of the most concerned entities in these times. The manufacturer has been under serial pressure in the wake of the crash.

Its shares have plummeted but more worrying is the impact on continued usage of the particular jets. Close to a dozen carriers – Ethiopian being the first – have grounded all their 737 Max8 jets.

It turns out that it is the second deadly crash involving the same make of plane in five months. The first was when a Lion Air flight also crashed and claimed lives in October 2018.

Read more about the Boeing 737 Max8 Aircrafts

Previous fatal accidents by Ethiopian Airline

In 2010, its passenger jet crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut. 90 people were lost in the incident.

In 1996, 123 out of 175 persons on board a flight were killed after its plane was hijacked. One of the engines stopped when the flight run out of fuel.

An attempt at emergency water landing led the plane to hit a coral reef resulting in the losses.

Back in 1988, a departing plane struck a flock of pigeons and crash-landed as it returned towards the airport. 31 lives were lost.

In effect the March 10 accident becomes the worst in the company’s 74-years of operation. It was founded by Emperor Haile Selassie and is one of the crown jewels of the economy.

PHOTOS: Memorial service in Addis Ababa

The Ethiopian government declared a day of mourning on Monday, it was observed with flag flying at half-mast.

Solemn and sombre moods were also captured in Addis Ababa where friends, family and acquaintances even strangers gathered to observe a memorial.

Tears, emotions and shared grief enveloped the venue. Same was the case over in Nairobi at the opening of the UN conference as a minute silence was observed in memory of the departed.

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PHOTOS: Ethiopian Airline crash – Emotional memorials in Addis Ababa

Black box recovered: https://bit.ly/2VQFgME 

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The quality of information flow: govt and airline

Social media proved decisive in the wake of the Ethiopian Airline crash of March 10, 2019; as government through the Prime Minister’s office and the airline coordinated official response with disarming effect.

By close of day, the two entities had issued just about a dozen messages on Twitter but the content these messages carried were enough to fully inform of and assure of appropriate measures going forward.

The PM’s office issued three tweets in all against the Airline’s seven yet the media had seemingly been given enough on the incident by close of day March 10.

African, world leaders send condolences

On Sunday, March 10, 2019; African leaders united – this time not with the usual words of electoral congratulations or condemnation of terrorism but more over words of commiseration and brotherly support in a hard time.

This was after the Addis Ababa – Nairobi flight crashed in the early hours of Sunday morning. The incident had become the biggest global news item of the day – by a stretch.

The death toll had Kenya topping as the most affected nation with 32 citizens overall. Other African nations lost citizens as did the United States, Canada, Slovakia etc.

Here are tweets from some African and world leaders:

The departure point and destination of ET302

The basic facts are as follows: The flight had left the Bole International Airport in the capital Addis Ababa. It was heading for the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Why Addis Ababa and Nairobi: In the wake of Ethiopians rise and rise as Africa’s biggest carrier, the Bole International Airport plays a crucial role as hub from where most Ethiopia flights connect with the world.

Nairobi on the other hand hosts the United Nation’s biggest office in Africa. It is also a big conference destination and was billed to host the UN environment confab.

How long did the flight last, where did it crash and casualty list

It crashed only six minutes after take-off in the town of Bishoftu in Oromia region. Hours on, it was confirmed that all passengers (149) and crew (8) were killed in the incident.

A melange of passengers were aboard the flight – from humanitarian workers to professionals on their way to a United Nations Environment summit holding in Nairobi.

Since then the following issues have come up: identification and naming of victims, plane manufacturer Boeing under multi-pronged pressure, the world continues to solidarize with Ethiopia and all affected.

POEM: Travel gathered 157 lives, death swooped

Plans, dreams, aspirations, hopes and emotions plunged in Ethiopia
Over 30 nationalities united in a passenger flight hoping to reach
But reach they did not when the flight returned and “buried” them
The grief that tears through the world sears the hearts of millions
Despite loss of 157, it’s clear millions are hit – directly, indirectly
The ultimate leveller in all of this is the non-discriminator – death
The plane had arrived from South Africa and was passed fit to go
It won’t make it to Nairobi, the next stop, and none aboard made it
It crashed six-minutes after take-off, try as pilot did to return to base
In town of Bishoftu, Oromia region – Ethiopia’s biggest, most populous

Not the white or black
Not the rich or poor
Not the adult or child
Not the educated or illiterate
Not the tourist or official
Not the young or old
Not the father or child
Not the pilot or the passenger
Not the Muslim or Christian
Not the believer of atheist
Not the first or last to board
Not the first-timer of frequent flier
Not the economy or business class
Not the ordinary or the UN passport holder

The plane was evaluated and passed – it fell
The pilot attempted to return – it wasn’t to be
The people’d wished they weren’t aboard – they were
Some’d prayed for a safe flight – but death came
The safety procedures were given – didn’t count
Some’d been wished safe flight – didn’t happen
Travel gathered them in one place – death swooped
The passengers, plane, belongings – all gone
Captain with 8000 hours flying time – does death care?
The friends, family, Africa and the world – mourns
Same day other Ethiopian flights safely landed – fact
This day people will reconsider Ethiopian – human nature
Others will not blink and get aboard – accidents happen
May the “lessons” of March 10 save lives – legacy

About Ethiopian – Africa’s aviation leader

The airline currently flies to over 50 African cities in what is the largest network by a national carrier. It is also in talks to help about a dozen African countries to establish and manage their carriers.

Ethiopian – a member of the Star Alliance group in its seven decades of operation has become one of the continent’s leading carriers in terms of efficiency and operational success.

They command the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to 95 international destinations across five continents.

It is the first African operator to take delivery of the Boeing 787-9 dreamliner. Its operations have transformed the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa into a continental hub.

The post Ethiopian Airlines Crash Updates: Ethiopia to Send ‘Black Boxes’ Abroad for Analysis appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Though the damaged “black boxes” — devices that house the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — arrived in France Wednesday night, they didn’t arrive at the French aviation safety bureau, known as the BEA, until 1 p.m. local time on Thursday, the bureau said.

Meetings began after the Ethiopian investigators arrived, the BEA said, but “technical work will start tomorrow.”

That delay until Friday was apparently not known to the FAA’s acting administrator Daniel Elwell, who said on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” Thursday morning that he expected results “hopefully by the end of the day.”

By Friday, now the earliest possible day any initial data could be revealed, families of all 157 passengers who died on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 will have waited five days to learn more about what might have caused Sunday’s crash just outside Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. It will also extend the nearly-worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, an aircraft which has now been involved in two deadly crashes in less than five months.

“They have to figure it out fast. They know that. They’re under great pressure,” President Donald Trump said about Boeing at a White House photo-op on Thursday. He also reiterated his support for the company, saying grounding the planes was a “big thing” and calling Boeing “one of our largest exporters” as well as “one of the truly great companies of the world.”

(MORE: Trump announces FAA grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 planes in US after Ethiopia crash )

The expected data could address questions about whether there is a dangerous software problem with the aircraft, now grounded by more than 40 countries and all major airlinesaround the world.

@Bea_Aero/Twitter

The FAA reversed its assurances that the plane should stay in the air on Wednesday, making the U.S. one of the last to order the 737 MAX grounded. The decision, announced by Trump from inside the White House, followed days of back-and-forth between the president, Boeing and the FAA.

The FAA cited new evidence gathered at the site of the crash and “newly refined satellite data” available Wednesday morning as reason for the shift, though the president highlighted that it was made for a number of reasons, including “psychologically” — referring to the number of other countries and airlines who made the call ahead of the U.S., heightening concerns.

“I didn’t want to take any chances,” Trump said Wednesday. “We didn’t have to make this decision today. We could’ve delayed it. We maybe didn’t have to make it at all, but I felt — I felt it was important both psychologically and a lot of other ways. “

The FAA also said the grounding will continue until authorities fully examine the flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders contained in the black boxes, which are actually orange despite the name.

That remained the case Thursday morning.

“We don’t know how long the planes will be grounded,” Elwell told ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.”

Later Thursday, the president said he hoped it would be “a short period of time.”

The National Transportation Safety Board, an independent U.S. agency that investigates transportation accidents and issues widely-respected safety recommendations, sent three additional investigators to assist in the black box analysis in France, the agency said Thursday.

The NTSB investigators are specifically trained to analyze human factors and flight crew operations, as well as the recordings, the NTSB said.

A key question is whether the plane’s autopilot system might have played a role in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, as it seemed to have done in the fatal crash of an Indonesian Lion Air 737 MAX 8 last October. In that crash, it appears the pilots failed to disengage the autopilot when the plane’s nose began pitching up and down, perhaps because they were unaware of how to do so.

Complaints from at least two U.S. pilots disclosing similar problems with the autopilot function have surfaced in the aftermath of Sunday’s crash.

(MORE: 8 Americans among 157 people killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash: Officials)

Initially, the raw flight data available on Sunday and Monday did not match that of the Boeing 737 Max that crashed in October in Indonesia, Elwell said.

ABC News

But after the data were further examined — a joint effort by Boeing, the satellite data provider and the National Transportation Safety Board — similarities emerged, Elwell said.

“When we could see the refined data,” Elwell told Stephanopoulos, “it matched too closely to the Lion Air trajectory to figure that they weren’t similar.”

(MORE: China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, European Union ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after crash)

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A proposed software fix for the 737 is “almost complete,” Elwell said.

“We expect by the end of this month all the testing will be complete, and we will authorize implementation of the fix,” Elwell added.

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Betre Y. Getahun
Exiled Ethiopian Journalist
getakassa30@gmail.com

March 15, 2019

To Mr. António Guterres

The United Nation Secretary General

Dear Mr. Guterres,

I am writing you to share with you my concern over and opposition to the appointment of Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu Negewo of Ethiopia as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu was one of the most notorious politicians and senseless human rights abusers in Ethiopia. He served in different key government positions at regional and federal levels and was directly involved in many crimes committed in the country

Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu served as Commissioner General of the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission from 2001 to 2012 and was responsible for many of the human right violations committed during this period of time. While he served as Commissioner of the federal police, hundreds were killed and thousands were arbitrary arrested. He is particularly responsible for the killings, tortures and many other human right violations committed in and around Addis Ababa in the aftermath of the 2005 election. Independent reports revealed that hundreds were killed and many severely injured. However, the administration neither took responsibility nor punished those involved, including Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu.

As you may already know, the infamous Ethiopian Federal Police, the main institution that serves the regime, is an instrument that targets those who stand against the policies of the administration and silences dissenters. Thousands have been arrested, inhumanly tortured and prosecuted just for expressing their views and protesting the regime.

Most of these crimes and human right violations have been documented by the United Nations, as well as many other institutions, and reported globally by the international media.

According to independent reports, over 193 people, including women and children, were brutally murdered in the aftermath of the 2005 election and 763 others sustained injuries while more than 30,000 people were detained and tortured by security forces.

As I have reported, dear Mr. Guterres, I have been saddened and disturbed by the appointment of Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu since the day I received this bad news. What I have found most painful is that he was appointed by the United Nation, an organization in which I place great faith.

The United Nation is the greatest organization of our time in that it has been playing an important role in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of the world’s people since the end of World War II. Its human rights declarations and treaties have impacted billions of people around the globe. It has shaped the understanding of this generation about human dignity: its rights, freedom and justice as well as altered the nature of contemporary politics for the good. In light of all this, I believe that the bizarre appointment of Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu violates UN principles and undermines the purpose of the organization. The decision made to appoint him is ill advised, not to say an outrageous.

The appointment is also an insult to the struggle to uphold human rights around the world and disrespects Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu’s victims, as well as millions of Ethiopians who still suffering under the brutality of the current regime.

I believe that no nation big or small and no government official should be permitted to commit crimes and deny human rights and get away with it. Abusers like Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu must be brought to justice and receive punishment for the crimes they have committed. This is the fundamental principle of the rule of law and justice that the UN has been working so diligently to uphold.

Sincerely yours,

Betre Y. Getahun

Exiled Ethiopian Journalist

The post An Open Letter to the United Nation Secretary General Re: Mr. Workneh Gebeyehu Negewo appeared first on Satenaw Ethioopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

March 14, 2019

The Ethiopian Dialogue Forum (EDF), a not-for-profit think tank established to promote equitable and sustainable socioeconomic and political development through inclusive governance and genuine democratization through dialogue is deeply concerned that escalating ethnic-based conflicts and atrocities might lead to civil war and the Balkanization of the country.

EDF is convinced that the root causes of recurring violence against innocent civilians, ethnic-cleansing and genocide, theft and corruption, growing extremism, forms of terrorism, theft, corruption and illicit outflow of funds, unprecedented traffic of armaments, demagoguery, mob rule and hate speech based on ethnic affiliation, lack of confidence in the rule of law, in the governing party, the state as well as in the Federal government, regardless of who is in power, is the ethnic-Federal system and the government structure that divided the country into antagonistic, irreconcilable ethnic and linguistic groups in which exclusionary actions have become the norm.

EDF is convinced that, a democratic and unified Ethiopia is virtually unattainable on the basis of Ethnic- federalism and ethnic identity. It is an experiment that has failed.

The ethnic polarization engineered and planted by the TPLF/OLF and their allies over the past three decades has put asunder the cultural, spiritual, economic, social, geopolitical and other bonds that defined Ethiopia and Ethiopians for thousands of years. Today, ethnic zealots, vigilantes and mobs are fanning and inflaming an already inflammable political environment. The situation in Addis Ababa and its suburbs, for example, Burayu, Legetafo and Sululta foretell a dramatic escalation of ethnic-based
land and property grabbing; and the displacement of thousands of Ethiopians from their homes. There is no red-line; and no authority to stop the slide into chaos and catastrophe.

Addis Ababa, the federal capital, seat of the African Union (AU), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and a hub for the diplomatic community has become a flashpoint of contention. More than 5 million Ethiopians from all ethnic and religious groups live in this metropolitan city. Its status as a chartered city with its own administration is now contested. People are in fear. EDF believes that the democratic and human rights of the residents of Addis Ababa must be protected by the federal government. We also believe that Federal and municipal authorities should refrain from
nitiating substantial policy or structural or deliberate demographic changes. The people of Addis Ababa
must be allowed to exercise their fundamental citizenship rights through the electoral process. Addis
Ababa belongs to all Ethiopians.

EDF recognizes the merit of motivational speeches and aspirational goals that Prime Minister Dr. Abiy
Ahmed espouses. However, these utterances have not dissuaded extremist voices and forces to
appreciate the importance of Ethiopia as one country; and the vital role unfettered inclusion for the
prosperity of all Ethiopians. The rule of law continues to be illusive. The formation of a truly democratic
Ethiopia is but a distant dream.

The litmus test for Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, in power for almost one year, is whether or not he
can face and address the systemic and institutional issues that emanate from the ethnicization of
politics in Ethiopia. Ethnic-elites managing their ethnic- regional states (Kilils) feel strongly that they
have evolved into independent homogenous nations: the Tigray region for Tigreans; the Oromia region
or Oromos; the Amhara for the Amhara; the Somali region for the Somalis etc. etc. This narrative has
diminished Ethiopia as a country; and Ethiopians as citizens. This model is a losing proposition.

Rightly or wrongly, millions of Ethiopians perceive that the ethnic-based supremacy, oppression and
corruption by the TPLF and its allies has now morphed to that of Oromo-led dominance by the Oromo
Democratic Party (ODP) and those who dictate the terms. In its report No. 269 dated February 21, 2019,
the International Crisis Group (ICG) said that “Among non-Oromo ethnic groups, some fear that they
have turned the page on years of Tigrayan supremacy only for the Oromo to dominate.”

EDF’s assessment is that ethnic politics and ethnic polarization are not only cancerous for Ethiopia; these
ethnic elite-led and propagated tools are also leading this strategic multiethnic nation into the abyss of
Balkanization. Our estimation is that the costs of Balkanization will be catastrophic not only for
Ethiopia’s 110 million people; but also for the Horn and the rest of Africa as well as the Middle East and
the world.

Accordingly, we urge the global community, especially the European Union, the United States and
members of the African Union to respond quickly and urge the Abiy government and all Ethiopian
stakeholders to convene an all Inclusive Convention for National Consensus, Peace and Reconciliation;
and, the formation of a transitional government of national unity that will facilitate a free and fair
election within a reasonable period of time.

In the interim, Abiy’s government must have the courage to change the ethnic-based Federal
Constitution; to ban political propagation and organization on the basis of ethnic and religious affiliation;
and, instead, to embrace identity and citizenship solely on the basis of Ethiopiawinnet (ኢትዮጵያዊነት). This
is the primary reason why we joined millions of Ethiopians at home and abroad and expressed jubilation
and adulation for the Prime Minister when he was selected to lead Ethiopia.

We recognize the notion that events on the ground over the past few months do not bode well for the
Government of Ethiopia under Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s watch for the following illustrative
reasons:

1. By the government’s own admission, the number of internally displaced Ethiopians
most of them of Oromo nationality, exceeds 3 million; more than 90,000 Amhara in Gondar are also displaced and thousands forced to flee their homes to the Sudan;

2. As Reuters reported in August 2018, Oromo youth led by Qeerro “replaced Ethiopia’s national flags in the capital and surrounding areas with OLF banners…In the following days, clashes erupted in Burayu” and “58 non-Oromo nationals were killed.” Inevitably, “hate speeches on social media” targeting non-Oromo spread like wild fire. They have not subsided.

3. Over the past several weeks, residents of the town of Legetafo were evicted from their homes forcibly. While the situation has calmed down, there is widespread fear that similar actions will be taken in other parts of the city of Addis Ababa and elsewhere in the country. Ethnic cleansing has reached a boiling point and must be stopped now.

4. The situation in numerous parts of Oromia where non-Oromo Ethiopians live and work; and the
humanitarian crisis in the Southern Regional State of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples where
56 ethnic groups live side by side is grave, explosive and out of control.

EDF wishes to highlight the volatility of Ethiopia’s unsettled and recurring ethnic conflicts. On March 3,
2018, one month before Dr. Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minster after Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn
resigned his post abruptly amid a growing country wide crisis, International Policy Digest posed the
ominous question “Is Ethiopia Headed towards a Civil War?”

A year later on March 14, 2019, the Guardian revealed one of the worst humanitarian crisis that depict
the horrors of famine, rape, violence against children and women, wanton destruction of homes and
property, massive displacement and ethnic-cleansing that Ethiopia has ever faced. In its investigative
report “Shadow falls over Ethiopia reforms as warnings of crisis go unheeded,” the Guardian reported
this. “In southern Ethiopia, tens of thousands of people are enduring what aid workers say is a full-
blown humanitarian crisis. But the government of the new Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, appears not to
be listening.” This is region is home to 56 ethnic groups who have coexisted side by side peacefully for
generations.

The scale and the number of people involved is simply staggering. Equally outrageous is the targeting of
a specific ethnic group of people, the Gedeos. “More than a million Ethiopians were forced from their
homes by ethnic violence in 2018 – the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of any
country last year. The worst of it took place in the south, where an estimated 800,000 mostly ethnic
Gedeos fled the district of West Guji in Oromia, the country’s largest region. This is a higher number,
and over a shorter period of time, than occurred at the height of Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis in 2017….
Gruesome reports of lynchings, rapes and beheadings, and of complicity among local officials, police
and militia, makes it seem more like organized ethnic cleansing than an ordinary tribal clash.”

How is it possible for Ethiopians to inflict such savagery and inhumanity against other Ethiopians in the
21st century? How is it possible for these atrocities to go on with impunity against a background of
hope, reconciliation, peace, national forgiveness, love, bonding and togetherness” promoted and
propagated by the country’s Prime Minister?

EDF shares the question posed by the Guardian. “Why and under whose authority such a problematic
policy has been pursued is unclear. Ethiopia’s system of decentralized, ethnically organized federalism
blurs lines of responsibility.” This is the reason why millions of Ethiopians suggest that there is no
legitimate public authority in Ethiopia. Artificial decentralization does not work; it camouflages
oppression and suppression.

At minimum, EDF urges Prime Minister Dr. Abiy to visit the sites of the atrocities. More important, he
needs to take a hard look at the root cause of the systemic problem now rather than tomorrow. This is
because Ethiopia’s humanitarian crisis is an existential threat for the country and for the regime.
Regardless of location and ethnicity, the displacement of Ethiopians is an affront to Ethiopian and
human dignity.

Members of the EDF joined and expressed their adulation to Abiy for a reason. In their hearts they
believed that the days of ethnic based hate, division and corruption were over. In his acceptance speech
he mentioned the name “Ethiopia” 63 times. It was no longer a taboo or a liability to identify oneself as
an Ethiopian. We recognize that the Prime Minister initiated substantial reforms. He released
thousands of political prisoners. He invited members of the opposition within and outside the country
and urged them to promote peaceful democratic change. He opened up political, spiritual and social
space for all stakeholders. He changed the narrative from ethnic division, animosity, hate and division to
that of a unified Ethiopia embracing its rich past and diversity. He took the unprecedented proactive
diplomatic step by restoring peaceful relations with the government of Eritrea; and forged robust
relations with other Horn, Eastern Africa and Arab countries. Abiy reached out to Ethiopia’s huge
Diaspora in North America and Europe, urging all of us to visit the homeland and to invest our
intellectual and material resources for the common good.

But, the asymmetry between talk and action; between proactive diplomacy and domestic conflict
resolution is stark. Dr. Abiy Ahmed ignored or shunned the “Big elephant in the room,” namely, the
ethnic-based Constitution and the administrative structure of government that was intentionally and
deliberately established by ethnic elites on the basis of ethnicity and language; as well as “Revolutionary
Democracy” that guides the ideology of the governing party that gives elites the upper hand.

EDF finds it indefensible that the Oromo Democratic Party (ODF) released a press statement stating
unequivocally that “Ethnic-Federalism and the Kilil system of administration is non-negotiable.”

Under Abiy, ethnic conflict erupted in both the South and the north. As a consequence, close to 3 million
Ethiopians have been displaced and billions of dollars of property has been destroyed. Millions of
Ethiopians are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a key
member of the governing party, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has
garrisoned itself in the Tigray capital of Mekele and is calling for an all-out war with the Amhara regional
state. The TPLF is not alone. Others are using the cover of reform to inflict pain too.

Extremist groups and ultranationalist Oromo have unleashed a level of ethnic hatred and division that
pose danger for both the Abiy led regime; and for Ethiopia as a country.

As noted above, the capital city Addis Ababa is a point of contention with Oromo nationalists demanding
the restoration of lands to their regional state, government and people. Thousands of non-ethnic Oromo
nationals have been evicted from their homes in Addis Ababa and its environs.

In the north, there are ominous signs that civil war might break out between the Tigrean and Amhara
nationality groups. The primary cause in Addis Ababa, the north and in other parts of the county is land
and other natural resources. The ideological narrative is ethnic identity and affiliation that excludes
others on the basis of ethnicity and language.

While EDF supports Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s proactive diplomatic activities in the Horn and Eastern
Africa, we find it baffling why his leadership is unable or unwilling to exercise similar leadership in
addressing the root causes that trigger civil conflict, the displacement of millions, and the current
volatile and potentially explosive situation in the country.

In the light of the dangers Ethiopia faces, EDF calls on Prime Minister Dr. Abiy, representatives of all
opposition, civil society, religious, youth, academic, professional, business and other stakeholders within
and outside Ethiopia to convene an All-Inclusive Conference towards sustainable reconciliation, peace
and national consensus; as well as a transitional government that will lead to free and fair elections as
soon as possible.

EDF also calls on the governments of the United States, members of the European Union as well as the leaderships of the African Union and the UN to help avert a potential catastrophe in one of the most volatile and conflict-ridden parts of the globe, Ethiopia and the Horn.

EDF calls on all Ethiopian intellectuals, associations and others to stop self-censorship and address the country’s core ethnic problems boldly and truthfully; and speak out on behalf of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people as a whole now.

Finally, EDF calls on all concerned Ethiopians to convene forums and discussions on the current crisis in Ethiopia and offer to the Ethiopian public as well as to the global community constructive alternatives and possible road-maps for the future.

Long Live Ethiopia!!! March 14, 2019

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