A town hall meeting with Dr. Berhanu Nega, Chairman, Patriotic Ginbot 7 Organized by the Washington DC Chapter to address the current situation in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa

The Executive Council of the African Union (AU) has, except for one vote from the Senegalese representation, endorsed the bid of Tedros Adhanom’s (PhD) to replace Margaret Chan as Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The foreign minister of Ethiopia, known within the international community for his contribution to the development of the country’s health sector during his tenure as Minister of Health (MoH) between 2005 and 2012, has yet to make an official statement on his interest in heading the global body.

Tedros’ attempt is the second recent attempt by an official of the incumbent Ethiopian government, after that of Sufian Ahmed, former minister of Finance & Economic Development (MoFED) and now advisor to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, to replace Donald Kaberuka (PhD) as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) failed in 2015. Tedros’ effort, however, seems to have gained traction with the support from the continental body currently having its annual summit in Addis Abeba.

The existing Director-General of WHO, the Hong Kong Chinese and Canadian physician, Margaret Chan, is serving her second term, which will end on July 30, 2017.

It is said that Tedros’ bid, which is being made a year and a half before Chan’s term ends, has the full support of the government. Tedros has a PhD in Community Health, an MSc in Immunology of Infectious Diseases, and a BA in Biology. Traits the WHO Director-General ought to have include, a strong public health background, strong evidence of public health leadership, competency in organisational management, and sensitivity to cultural and political differences, according to the manual of the WHO.

Source:: addisfortune

January 29, 2016 (GAMBELLA) – Deadly clashes occurred on Thursday and continued on Friday in the Ethiopian region of Gambella between the two majority communities of Nuer and Anyuak in the area.

Tens of thousands gathered at Gambella regional stadium celebrating cultural event of all tribes in Ethiopia, Gambella, 9 December 2015 (ST Photo)

Multiple sources told Sudan Tribunethat dozens of people have been killed on both sides and many more wounded when members of Nuer and Anyuak, the two ethnic groups which constitute the first and second largest, respectively, in Gambella region, clashed in the outskirts regional capital, Gambella, and spread to the center of the town.

The cause of the fighting between the two dominant ethnic groups who have been living peacefully for many years has remained unclear with conflicting explanations.

A resident in Gambella town told Sudan Tribune that the Anyuak attempted to revenge for one of their members who got killed by Nuer village warriors in October last year in a Nuer village, about 40km away from Gambella town on Gambella-Nyinenyang road. The Anyuak victim was allegedly attempting to steal Nuer cows in the village where he met his fate, but his colleagues escaped unharmed and reported his death to their community members back home.

On Thursday, a Nuer government official in Gambella who was sent for official mission to Abobo, an Anyuak county headquarters, was killed by a mob of Anyuak warriors in the town, allegedly for revenge.

An eye witness who spoke on condition of anonymity however told Sudan Tribune on Friday that the latest clashes inside the town started when a member of the Anyuak community threw a hand grenade [bomb] at seated Nuer college students in an Anyuak neighborhood, south of the town, across the Gambella bridge, resulting to response by Nuer students and the clashes ensued.

The clashes lasted for hours inside the regional capital resulting to killing of unspecified number, but an eyewitness said dozens of bodies were found on the ground and many more unaccounted for.

The whole Anyuak population which resided in areas inside the main town have fled across the river, southwards, as their houses were reportedly set on fire by angry Nuer youth members.

There are reports that the fighting also escalated to nearby villages inhabited by the two ethnic groups in the region.

Government officials said the situation was arrested, but remained tense as the Anyuak could be returning for further attacks.

An official, who preferred to be referred to as Bol, said the state government has deployed police forces throughout the town to restore calm and allow the Anyuak population that fled the town to return.

“We have deployed police forces in the town and the situation is now calm,” he said.

He said he suspected that a long time militia group from the Anyuak, who have been against the Ethiopian government and allegedly supported by the South Sudanese government could be behind the instigation.

He however said an investigation was being carried out to ascertain the cause of the renewed enmity between the two communities, who despite being foes in the past, had successfully mended their relations for many years.

President [governor] of Gambella region, Gatluak Tut Khot, a Nuer, is said to have gone on a peace mission outside the capital to the areas inhabited by the two ethnic groups in order to reconcile them and restore peace and stability.

Gambella region is located west of Ethiopia, and it is 777km from Addis Ababa, the national capital. It is close to the South Sudanese border.

The two ethnic groups also share languages and cultures with their neighbouring communities across the border in Jonglei and Upper Nile states of South Sudan.

(ST)

ESAT Radio Fri 29 Jan 2016

CAUGHT ON CAMERA SHOCKING TPLF FEDERAL POLICE PUBLIC TORTURE PROTESTERS IN SULUTA ETHIOPIA

Before You Move To #Eritrea To Marry Two Wives – Adeola Fayehun

Seife Nebelbal Radio, January 30, 2016

…the country can still avoid catastrophe by the government employing dialogue and making concessions. For instance, if it must go ahead with its Addis Ababa Master Plan, it needs to negotiate with the owners of the lands to be affected. Labeling the farmers and students leading those protests as terrorists and using that as a pretext to physically eliminate them is dangerous. Also, the Tigray-dominated government, nominally led by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgn (who is from Southern Ethiopia), need to relax the rules in the country and allow fundamental human rights to reign.

Ethiopia is primarily in the news this week, but not because it is hosting the on-going African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit. Rather, it is about two worrying developments. The advancing drought for which needed international funds are in short supply and an estimated 350,000 newborns being expected in drought-affected communities between March and August, 2016. The other reason is the renewed violent protests by the Oromo in which 140 souls have been dispatched by security forces to early graves.

The protests are not coming to me and other Ethiopia watchers as a surprise. I told myself in 2013, after a visit to the holiday resort town of Debre Zeyit, a picturesque haven with five crater lakes, that violent reaction was not far from the surface. At the resort, I got confused after realising that I was actually in Bishoftu, and the signboards were there to announce where I actually was. My confusion was cleared when I was educated that the two names were for one and the same town. The official name for many years, Debre Zeyit is Amharic, which is the official language of the country, while the inhabitants who are Oromo insist on the traditional name, Bishoftu. I dug deeper and found out that all the way from the resort to Addis Ababa, the capital, shops and businesses have two names; one written in the official language, and the other in Oromo. This was a show of Oromo nationalism. The Oromo, who constitute 40 percent of the Ethiopian population, feel marginalised, oppressed and repressed. They think their language and culture have been relegated to the background.

The immediate trigger of the protests is the government decision to implement an Addis Ababa Master Plan which would further expand the capital and develop the outlining farmlands near it into a business zone. But the Oromo who own these lands will have none of it. They see the plan as an attempt by other ethnic groups to seize more of their lands. The protesting Oromo have not forgotten that they were the original owners of the capital before they were conquered by the Christian Abyssinian Kingdom, which then moved its capital to Oromo land, and established Addis Ababa in 1886.

Feeling increasingly marginalised, the Oromo bided their time for the return to democratic rule under which they hoped to use their numerical strength to gain political power… In the 1995 and 2000 elections, the ruling party won easily amidst claims by the opposition that force, intimidation and rigging gave the winners victory.

To be sure, Ethiopia is a very complex country. For many years, the Amharic who are 30 percent of the population, ruled, first as a monarchy and later as a military junta under Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam. The Tigrayans who constitute 15 percent were regarded as the warriors, while the Oromo felt left out. From the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie (said to be actually of Oromo parentage) to Mengistu, there was an armed rebellion by three component parts of the country. The Oromo had in 1973 founded the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) with the objective of winning self-determination for their people. The Tigrayans founded the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) while the Eritreans founded the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF). The combined forces and pressure of the three groups were too much for the Mengistu regime, which gave way.

With that collapse, the Eritreans gained independence and became a separate country while the Tigray-dominated Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) led by Meles Zenawi Asres, pushed into the country and seized power. With that, the power equation in the country changed, with the Tigrayans becoming the new ruling group.

Feeling increasingly marginalised, the Oromo bided their time for the return to democratic rule under which they hoped to use their numerical strength to gain political power. There was also understandable disaffection amongst the Amharic. In the 1995 and 2000 elections, the ruling party won easily amidst claims by the opposition that force, intimidation and rigging gave the winners victory.

Freedom of expression and press freedom are observed more in the breach and many Ethiopians have left the country to do menial jobs, mainly in the Middle East where they have no labour rights. Many have also embarked on the perilous journey of crossing the Mediterranean Sea in overcrowded, makeshift boats to seek refuge in Europe.

However, the 2005 elections were different. The opposition, led by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), made a very strong showing and believed it had won the elections. The CUD, for instance, won all the 23 seats in Addis Ababa and made good showing in the Oromo, Amharic and Southern areas. The official election results however gave a different narration; the ruling party had 327 seats, its allies, 40 seats, while the opposition seats increased from 12 in the previous elections to 174. The official results triggered street protests in November 2005 in which security forces allegedly gunned down hundreds of persons. The government followed up with the mass arrests of the opposition including the Mayor of Addis Ababa, local election observers and thirteen journalists. They were charged with treason which attracted the death penalty.

The Oromo claimed that between 2005 and 2008, 594 Oromo were extra-judicially executed while 43 disappeared. The renewed protests by the Oromo is therefore not unexpected. Similar protests in April and May, 2014 led to another round of killings.
But it must be emphasised that the challenge in Ethiopia is not primarily about the Oromo; there is marked depression in the country with many, including journalists, fleeing. Freedom of expression and press freedom are observed more in the breach and many Ethiopians have left the country to do menial jobs, mainly in the Middle East where they have no labour rights. Many have also embarked on the perilous journey of crossing the Mediterranean Sea in overcrowded, makeshift boats to seek refuge in Europe.

Now is the time to take a new direction.

But the country can still avoid catastrophe by the government employing dialogue and making concessions. For instance, if it must go ahead with its Addis Ababa Master Plan, it needs to negotiate with the owners of the lands to be affected. Labeling the farmers and students leading those protests as terrorists and using that as a pretext to physically eliminate them is dangerous. Also, the Tigray-dominated government, nominally led by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgn (who is from Southern Ethiopia), need to relax the rules in the country and allow fundamental human rights to reign. But if it insists on a continued clamping of the lid on Ethiopians, one day, the lid will blow off and Africa may experience another tragedy with a huge toll on human lives. Now is the time to take a new direction.

WASHINGTON— Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe ended his year-long term as the chair of the African Union body, with a nearly hour-long speech that seemed to indicate an increasing intolerance for the West’s involvement in Africa’s affairs.

President Mugabe instructed United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was in attendance, to tell the West to “shut their mouths,” in voicing its opposition to his 35-year rule, or that of other revolutionary parties like Tanzania’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi, which recently retained control of the government through an election.

“Regime change, Mugabe should not be there, we want someone else,” Mr. Mugabe mocked, referring to U.S. and other Western countries that he has accused often of trying to oust him by strengthening the opposition and civil society groups.

While rumors of ill-health due to his advanced age, and infighting in his Zanu-PF party have raised speculation about his ability to remain in power, Mr. Mugabe, who turns 92 next month, said as long as he’s alive, he’ll be in charge.

““I will be there until God said come, and join the others. But as long as I am still alive, I’ll still have the punch,” said President Mugabe to rousing applause.

A long-time critic of the UN, President Mugabe, however, spared Mr. Ban of any wrong, despite the fact that Ban, who is from South Korea, is nearing the end of his second and final five-year term as UN Chief.

“But you [Ban] have done a good job for us.  You have visited our countries, you have wept with us where disease has visited us, whether it was Ebola, or some other, where calamities have occurred, where fights have taken place, where terrorism has also affected us.  We thank you for that,” said Mr. Mugabe, adding, “of course you don’t come from those countries.”

Ethiopia African Union Summit

Ethiopia African Union Summit

​Among President Mugabe’s biggest gripe with the UN body, is the absence of Africa in the crucial decision-making  Security Council, which comprises five permanent members with veto power – the U.S., France, Britain, China and Russia – while the rest of the countries serve on a rotational basis, with little influence.

President Mugabe and other African leaders have been pushing for Africa to have at least two permanent seats in the Security Council, with equal veto power, arguing that Africa’s 54-member countries justify the need for a say in crucial decisions, many of which affect the continent.

“But no, two members, 54 countries here, this is the body, the body of respected people. The body of Africa,” President Mugabe stressed, again urging Mr. Ban to deliver his message.

“Tell them, tell them we are not ghosts, that we also belong to the world … part of the world called Africa, and Africans shall no longer tolerate a position of slavery, slavery by any other name.  By denial of rights, slavery by being treated in a manner we regard as not equal to the manner in which they treat themselves.”

Failure by the UN to reform per Africa’s request, President Mugabe suggested a mass exodus of African countries from the body, as was proposed in the case of the International Criminal Court, which has been accused of targeting African countries, though many are members.

“If we decide as we shall certainly do so one of these days, that down with the United Nations, we are not members of it, others are real members of it, we are artificial members of it, and we, we can’t continue to be artificial members of it,” said Mr. Mugabe.

“If the United Nations is to survive, we must be equal members of it.  Equal members, members … who can say when we go to the body, that we can now, speaking truly as members with a voice that is understood, respected and honored. “

Taking the argument further, President Mugabe, who was interrupted often with loud applause and at times standing ovation from the member countries, questioned the location of the UN headquarters – New York – saying it should be where the majority of its members are, namely Africa and Asia.

“Where do you have most of the people?” Mr. Mugabe queried, after calculating that more than three billion just in China, India and Africa, alone.

“Now put us together, just us three, and then put those with the white faces and pink noses, put them together against us.  How many are there, even man to a man?  And do we allow that that group should continue harassing us, even in our independent countries?”

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: 

President Barack Obama gestures during his joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sept. 4, 2013, at the Rosenbad Building in Stockholm, Sweden.

.

President Barack Obama gestures during his joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sept. 4, 2013, at the Rosenbad Building in Stockholm, Sweden.

In attacking the West, President Mugabe has been specially critical of the U.S. which has imposed targeted sanctions on the country as a pre-condition for better governance and human rights practices.

While in the past Mr. Mugabe was quick to attack by name, former U.S. President George Bush who signed into law the controversial Zimbabwe Democracy And Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) in early 2000, the name of current U.S. President Barack Obama, has been used more sparingly.

However, in his speech, President Mugabe took a swipe at the U.S.’s first president of color, insinuating that President Obama, has no real power because of his race.

“There is (President) Obama today, yes, but what is he?  What is he?  A voice to speak their language, to act their act. And not our act, but their act.  They are still superiors.”

President Mugabe referred to a predominantly African-American neighborhood in New York city, Harlem, where he said not much is said about the injustices against blacks there, while Western countries are quick to raise alarm over similar situations in African countries.

“The blacks, when you go to Harlem, you’ll shed tears today,” said Mr. Mugabe. There is no education for all.  No health (care) for all.  Blacks in the streets, and nobody seems to talk about it.  But they (whites) instead, still want to talk about us. “

President Mugabe accused the West of falsely using its advocacy role against injustice as a means to enter African countries and force change of governments.

“They are everywhere in Africa.  If not physically, through NGOs (loud applause) through spies, through pretenders who come to us and say they are here in Africa to assist us. Even in groups, armed groups in some of our territories. What help is coming from them? Regime change,” Mr. Mugabe concluded.

A SELF-SUFFICIENT AFRICA

President Mugabe and his government adopted a “Look East” policy a few years ago, to counter its growing isolation from the West and the assistance that came with it.

President Mugabe in his speech, indicated a similar trend across Africa, where he referred to “enhanced cooperation between Africa and its strategic partners,” in 2015.   Several big forums took place in 2015 between African countries and India and China, namely the 3^rd Africa –India Summit, which took place in India, and the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), in South Africa, immediately following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s to Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe described the partnerships as “important platforms to advance our (Africa) agenda, with a view to ensuring mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.”

Beyond the partnerships, however, President Mugabe also stressed on the importance of the African Union members to be current in their member fees, and also take more financial ownership of the AU’s own initiatives such as long-term Agenda 2063, that sets development targets for Africa over the next 50 years.

“The Assembly took a principled position to progressively meet from our own resources, the bulk of our budget in order to ensure and safeguard the ownership of African Agenda and processes by Africans,” said President Mugabe.

“By the end of the next 5 years, beginning in 2016, we must meet 100% of our operations budget, 75% of our programs budget and 25% of the peace and security budget.”

Mr. Mugabe noted that “the implementation of this commitment would be a clear demonstration of our will and commitment to our organization, the African Union and will enable Africa to occupy its rightful place in the community of nations.”

He also stressed the need to step up industrialization which the Zimbabwean leader said is the key to uplifting the lives of citizens by creating unemployment and ending poverty.

“We must not spare efforts to push for the industrialization of our countries and regions with value addition and beneficiation at the core. Implementation of the African Industrialization Strategy should be prioritized.”

Despite challenges that Africa faces in terms of hot spots such as Libya, Somalia, South Sudan and several others, President Mugabe said overall, “Africa has come of age and that democracy is alive on our continent.”

President Mugabe handed over chairmanship of the AU to Chadian President Idriss Deby.

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

President of the Republic of Chad, Idriss Deby was on Saturday elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union during the 26^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.

He takes over from the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.

During the handing over ceremony, the outgoing Chairperson of the Union, President Mugabe thanked his pairs and his country for the support they gave him during his mandate.

He commended the AU Commission under the leadership of Dr Dlamini-Zuma for pursuing the transformation reforms under Agenda 2063 and for the support they gave the team.

President Mugabe said he had the privilege as Chair of the Union to travel all over the continent and beyond adding that he had the opportunity to visit many African countries and he cherished the moments when he met with the young people who are the future of tomorrow.

“It was an honour to guide our Organisation to implement its vision of the Africa We Want”, concluded President Mugabe before handing over the symbols of the Union to his successor, the President Idriss Deby of Chad.

“You can continue to count on my support, I shall be here to offer any help until God says come,” noted the outgoing Chairperson.

The newly elected Chair of the Union, hailed the outgoing Chairperson for his pan-African spirit and commitment to put Africa’s Agenda at the center of priorities during his term as Chair of the Union.

President Idriss said he will have among other important duties to ensure the implementation by AU Member States of the theme 2016: African Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women and the Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.

He will further mobilize the continent to implement the AU Agenda 2063 with the view to place Africa as a key player in the world arena.

The newly elected bureau of the African Union is as follows:

Chairperson: Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad.

First Vice-Chairperson: Yayi Bony Thomas, President of the Republic of Benin

Second Vice-Chairperson: Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

Fourth Vice- Chairperson: Hamida Homa, Vice-president of Parliament of Libya

Fourth Vice-Chairperson: Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

(CCTV Africa)

ይህ መምህር ዛሬ የት እንዳለ የሚያውቅ ይኖር ይሆን ?
በተለይ አንቀጽ 39 ኝን ቁጭ ብሎ ያጸደቀ ባንዳ በቅንነት ሀገር ይመራል ብሎ ማሰብ ይከብዳል የሚገርመው ሁሉንም ቁጭ ብለን በአይናችን ብሌን አየነው . ምስጋናዬ ከፍ ያለ ነው ለዚህ ምሁር . ሰውዬውም ተሳስቶ ነው ከዪንበርስቲ ምሁር ጋር የገጠመው እንደልማዱ ጥያቄ የማያነሱ የተነገራቸውን ተቀብለው ፓርላማውን የሀገር  ጉዳይ የሚወሰንበት ሳይሆን ትያትር የሚታይበት አደራሽ እስኪመሰል በንግግራቸው የሚስቁላቸውን መሀይሞች ቢሰበስቡ ይሻላቸው ነበር -bale tedare

Mogachoch EBS Latest Series Drama Part 57

UK,Sunday 31 January 2016

Young engineers from Massachusetts’ Institute of Technology beat 1,000 competitors to design the transport of the future.

MIT students have won the chance to design tech pioneer Elon Musk’s so-called Hyperloop transport system, which will see people travel at around 700mph in a 12-foot diameter tube.

The design concept submitted by the young engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology beat enterprise projects put forward by 1,000 competitors from 100 universities across the US.

Passengers would be transported in aluminium pods, each holding 20 to 30 people, moving over air bearings – similar to how a disc moves on an air hockey table.

Entrepreneur and Hyperloop creator Elon Musk

Mr Musk says this would allow people to move at supersonic speeds with low friction by accelerating them through a travelling electromagnetic pulse.

As the pod nears it destination, it would be slowed by the same electromagnets and the kinetic energy absorbed back into the system.

Mr Musk says the system is designed to run between cities that are several hundred miles apart, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The winning team will build their pods and test them at the world’s first Hyperloop Test Track, being built adjacent to SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California headquarters.

Delft University of Technology from The Netherlands finished second, the University of Wisconsin third, Virginia Tech fourth and the University of California, Irvine, fifth.

http://news.sky.com

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

January 28, 2016 (MANDA/ ETHIOPIA) – An Eritrean rebel group known as the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) claimed on Thursday that killed six government intelligence agents in an early morning strike on forces loyal to president Isaias Afeworki.

Fighters of the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization at the frontline January 26, 2016 (ST Photo)

The rebel group’s leader, Ibrahim Haron told Sudan Tribune the attack was carried out against a military garrison within the northern Red Sea region.

Ibrahim, the commander in chief of the RSADO forces, said the military camp belonged to the 15th sub-division’s third battalion intelligence unit.

He said many other intelligence personnel were allegedly also wounded during the strike and various types of military hardware were captured.

“Our gallant forces have completely destroyed the military camp”, said Ibrahim.

After the “surprise” attack, the rebel leader claimed the remaining dozens of Eritrean soldiers “went in disarray leaving behind their weapons”.

The latest assault was reportedly in retaliation to the 15th sub-division intelligence unit’s different forms of oppression against ethnic Afar minorities residing around Alhan area.

There is no an immediate comment by the Eritrean government over the alleged attacks but Asmara has, in the past, repeatedly denied such attack claims mainly carried out by the Ibrahim-led rebel movement.

The Ethiopia-based Afar rebel group says the ethnic Afar Eritreans are being persecuted by Eritrea and it would continue military attacks until the rights and self-determination of the Afar people are guaranteed.

RSADO CONFERENCE

Meanwhile, the RSADO on Wednesday concluded a conference it held in Ethiopia Afar region’s Manda town in connection with its 17th anniversary.

The conference condemned Eritrea’s role in the ongoing Saudi-led offensive against Yemen’s Shiite militant Houthi group.

The East African nation recently announced that it was joining the Saudi-led Arab coalition to boost the ongoing Saudi Arabia’s military campaign.

Asmara said it will be sending hundreds of its troops to join the Arab alliance and it will also allow its airspace, its port, and territorial waters for the coalition forces to easily carryout offensives against the rebel positions.

In exchange for its contribution, Eritrea will be benefited with robust financial and other types of economic aid package from Riyadh.

RSADO officials said the arrangement made with Saudi violates the Security Council resolutions, which were imposed against the country.

They claim the Eritrean dictatorial regime will use the financial compensation to repress and terrorize its people to sustain grip on power.

Participants further said those hefty compensation packages could be diverted and used to destabilize the volatile horn region citing to negative roles Eritrea was playing in the region particularly in Somalia.

In 2009, the UN Security Council slapped sanctions on Eritrea for financing and aiding al-Qaida allied Islamist militants in Somalia.

The conference has also condemned remarks made by president Afeworki last week when he dismissed food crises concerns despite Elino induced drought forcing millions to depend on food aid across East Africa.

The long-time Eritrean leader said his country doesn’t have any food problems and the country won’t face any food crisis despite the fact of reduced agricultural output.

He said this was because of the Government of Eritrea’s “judicious policy and its approach to bolstering its strategic food reserves”

However the UN has warned that Eritrea was among the regional states which are at risk of food crises.

RSADO said the president’s remarks were completely contrary to what’s happening on ground.

The rebel official said people particularly in the Afar region are dying of causes related to chronic hunger and hunger-related diseases.

They added thousands of people most children and mothers in the Afar region are affected by malnutrition and are at imminent risk of death.

Ibrahim appealed on the international community to intervene on the situation and put pressure on the Eritrean government to allow foreign aid before the crises worsens.

Eritrea has increasingly restricted operations of NGOs and foreign aid agencies forcing most to leave the secretive nation which is painted as a pariah state by African and Western powers.

RSADO has long been accusing the Eritrean government of ethnic cleansing against Afar minorities.

Asmara suspects Eritrean Afars of being aligned to Ethiopia and having links to fellow Afar tribes in Ethiopia.

Ibrahim said President Afeworki’s denial over the food crises is a system the government is deliberately using to block aid to the region and punish the Afars by starving them to death.

RSADO – which is seen as militarily stronger than other Eritrean opposition groups – vow to step up its armed struggle to oust the regime.

(ST)

Feb 1, 2016

A Panel discussion: Does Ethiopia need a new land reform? – Pt 1- SBS Amharic

From Da’amat to EPRDF- Emperor Tewodros II – SBS Amharic