By Alemayehu G. Maraim

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4. 1967.

There is a fierce urgency of now to vote out Donald Trump on November 3, 2020!

 Get out the vote for Biden-Harris and vote out Trump-Pence on November 3, 2020

Today is exactly 7 days before D-Day. DUMP TRUMP DAY!

On November 13, 2016, I wrote a prophetic commentary entitled, “Darkness at Noon in AmeriKKKa?”.

It was my warning Donald Trump in the following four years will prove to be America’s Chief of Grief and not Commander-in-Chief.

I presaged Trump will march his campaign into the presidency and pursue a neo-fascist agenda.

I presaged Trump will continue to propagate paranoia, lies, conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation.

I argued against myself, hoping against hope. “No, I do not believe it will be darkness at noon on January 20, 2017 at 12 p.m. On January 20, 2017 at 12 p.m., America will remain a shining city upon a hill despite a Trump penumbra.”

Well, Trump has been a total eclipse on the American Sun for the past four years.

Trump in four years has transformed the City Upon the Hill into a Hamburger Hill of culture wars, white supremacy, social strife and needless deaths from a pandemic.

In August 2016, I wrote a commentary on “Donald Trump the Sacrificer-in-Chief.”

I argued Trump has sacrificed American hope, faith and charity on blaring bumper stickers of hate, bigotry and sectarianism.

Over the past four years, Trump has sacrificed reason, decency, morality and abiding American principles and values on the altar of  bigotry, xenophobia and misogyny.

Trump has transformed the American Dream into the American Nightmare.

Enough of Trump’s lies, corruption, wickedness, degeneracy, depravity and meanness: It is high time to save America’s soul!

November 3, 2020 will go down as America’s quintessential defining moment since WW II.

On November 3, 2020, decent, sensible, fair, principled and freedom-loving Americans will define the moment by throwing out Trump-Pence into the trash heap of history or leap into the abyss of the politics of degeneracy, depravity and irreversible decline.

Joe Biden says, “this campaign isn’t just about winning votes. It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America.”

I wholeheartedly agree!

The soul of America has been hijacked by a lying con man for the past four years.

The price paid in lost souls is incalculable.

Over 226 thousand souls perished in America because Trump lied and deliberately misinformed Americans about the seriousness of the Covid pandemic and completely mismanaged the crisis.

Today, over 12.5 million souls in America are unemployed.

Today, 83 million souls in America have either no health insurance or the insurance they have is woefully inadequate.

The moment is upon all good American men and women to come to the rescue of America’s soul.

Why I am supporting Biden-Harris and you should too

I voted early for Biden-Harris because it was eternity for me to wait until November 3, 2020.

The contrasting positions of Biden and Trump on specific issues are readily available.

But there are some issues that are near and dear to my heart which have compelled me to vote Biden-Harris.

Biden has taken a firm position on the issues and pledged to:  

Fully support the Affordable Health Care Act giving millions of Americans a lifeline and allow consumers to import prescription drugs putting an end to Big Pharma rip offs.

Increase the federal minimum wage to $15 and hour giving youth entering the labor market and others with limited education and means a fighting chance at economic survival.

Prevent cuts to Social Security and extend more support for our oldest Americans because they are among the most vulnerable segment of our population.

Fight climate change by eliminating carbon emissions from the electric sector by 2035, impose stricter gas mileage standards, and fund investments to weatherize millions of homes and commercial buildings and upgrade the nation’s transportation system.  Biden has pledged to convene a global climate summit to persuade leaders to set more ambitious and enforceable targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Overhaul the immigration laws, stop Trump’s nonsense border wall and provide means for immigrants to adjust their residency status with the ultimate possibility of citizenship for those who are law abiding.

Invest $640 billion over 10 years to ensure every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy and energy efficient.

Spend an additional $300 million a year on community policing initiatives and condition federal funding of law enforcement on structural reforms in police departments.

Decriminalize substance abuse and deal with drug addiction as a public health issue requiring treatment and rehabilitation.

End the federal use of private prisons and incentivize states to stop using them along with restoration of voting rights for people convicted of crimes who have paid their debt to society.

Provide free college tuition to students with family incomes below $125,000 thousand and relief to the 46 million college students and graduates suffocating under crushing educational debt. Students with federal undergraduate loans would not have to pay no more than 5% of their discretionary income over $25,000.

Revitalize U.S. relations with Africa and provide appropriate development and humanitarian aid. Trump calls Africa a bunch of “s**thole countries” and has openly advocated war among African countries by urging Egypt to attack the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

D- Day, DUMP TRUMP DAY November 3, 2020

On November 3, 2020, Ethiopian Americans and other recent immigrants from Africa who have become U.S. citizens, like all of their other decent freedom-loving American brothers and sisters, will have an opportunity to decide whether they want to live in America or AmeriKKKa.

There is one and only one way for us to continue living in America and not in AmeriKKKa.

That way is the Way of the Vote.

We must vote early.

We must vote by mail and absentee ballot.

If we are unable to vote early, by mail or absentee ballot, we must come out in full force on Dump Trump Day and kick him out of office at the voting booth.

We must mobilize our friends, neighbors and colleagues to vote out Trump.

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

This is the time to vote out Trump-Pence and dump them on the trash heap of history.

On November 3, 2020 America shall triumph over AmeriKKKa!

The post I Support Biden-Harris Because I Don’t Want America to beAmeriKKKa! appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

Eritrean Press

The main obstacle to any negotiation between Addis Ababa and Mekele is the strong stands of Asmara, a source tells Eritrean Press.

The frustrated TPLF top brass (pictured) are furious that the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki still ignoring their plea to grant them a meeting and “restore the good relationship” Asmara and Mekelle had between 1991-97.

The source says part of the anger stems from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s frequent shuttle travel to Asmara and Isaias regular visit to Ethiopia’s power base 4 Kilo.

“Abiy didn’t give TPLF the same attention, so every time the Ethiopian PM travelled to Asmara it irritated them and demanded either they speak to Isaias as well or Abiy must end relationship and communication with Eritrea,” says our source.

Abiy received the Nobel Peace prize in 2019 for his work in re-establishing diplomatic ties with Eritrea, which had not had normal relations when TPLF was in power.

The post “Either we speak with Isaias or Abiy cuts ties with Eritrea,” – TPLF’s demands appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

2 November 2020

Amnesty International can reveal that at least 54 people from the Amhara ethnic group were killed in an attack late on 1 November by suspected members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) armed group.

The attack on Gawa Qanqa village in Guliso District of West Wellega Zone took place just a day after Ethiopian Defense Forces troops withdrew from the area unexpectedly and without explanation. Witnesses said dozens of men, women and children were killed, property looted and what the militants could not carry away, they set on fire.

This senseless attack is the latest in a series of killings in the country in which members of ethnic minorities have been deliberately targeted.

“This senseless attack is the latest in a series of killings in the country in which members of ethnic minorities have been deliberately targeted. The fact that this horrendous incident occurred shortly after government troops abruptly withdrew from the area in unexplained circumstances raises questions that must be answered,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

“The Ethiopian authorities must investigate what happened and prosecute those responsible for the attack through fair trials.”

The Ethiopian authorities must investigate what happened and prosecute those responsible for the attack through fair trials.

Amnesty International spoke to some of the survivors of the heinous attack who escaped death by hiding in a nearby forest. They said that the attackers had identified themselves as OLA and said that they “controlled” the area as soon as government troops left on 31 October.

The survivors said they had counted 54 bodies in a school compound where the militants gathered people who did not manage to flee, mainly women, children and the elderly, and killed them. One man told Amnesty International that three of his relatives were killed – his father, his sister and his wife’s grandfather. Another said he lost his brother, sister-in-law and three children including nephews and cousins. Their bodies were found in the school grounds with bullet wounds.

“The Ethiopian government must step up its efforts to end armed attacks on minority groups and protect their lives and stop the destruction of homes, not only in Oromia, but across the country,” said Deprose Muchena.

The post Ethiopia: Over 50 ethnic Amhara killed in attack on village by armed group appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – Survivors of a massacre by rebels in western Ethiopia on Sunday counted 54 bodies in a schoolyard, the latest attack in which members of ethnic minorities have been deliberately targeted, Amnesty International said Monday.

Human rights groups are asking why federal soldiers left the area just hours before attackers moved in and targeted ethnic Amharas.

Ethiopia´s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, denounced the killing of people based on identity, adding that security forces had been deployed to the area and “started taking measures.”

Ethnic violence in Ethiopia is posing the greatest challenge yet to the prime minister, who was last year´s Nobel Peace Prize winner for his sweeping political reforms.

“Ethiopia´s enemies are vowing either to rule the country or ruin it, and they are doing everything they can to achieve this,” Abiy said in a Facebook post. “One of their tactics is to arm civilians and carry out barbaric attacks based on identity. (For me) this is heartbreaking.”

Ethiopia’s government blamed a rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Army, for the attacks in the far western part of Oromia, in an area bordering South Sudan and a few hundred kilometers from the capital, Addis Ababa.

The head of the Oromia region police commission, Ararsa Merdasa, told the state broadcaster the death toll was 32 and “some 200 families have fled the area.”

Survivors of the attack in Guliso District of West Wellega Zone told Amnesty International that federal troops had withdrawn unexpectedly and the rebels arrived hours later, identifying themselves as the OLA and announcing that they now controlled the area.

“Militants gathered people who did not manage to flee, mainly women, children and the elderly, and killed them,” the Amnesty statement said. Survivors hid in a forest nearby. One told the human rights group he found the bodies of his brother, sister-in-law and three children in the schoolyard with bullet wounds.

“The fact that this horrendous incident occurred shortly after government troops abruptly withdrew from the area in unexplained circumstances raises questions that must be answered,” said Amnesty International’s regional director Deprose Muchena.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in its own statement noted the government’s death toll of 32 but said preliminary evidence it obtained “indicate the number is very likely to exceed that tally.”

Attackers numbered up to 60, the commission said, citing sources. Ethnic Amharas “were dragged from their homes and taken to a school, where they were killed.”

The commission urged the federal government to “shed light on the reasons behind the military´s withdrawal from an area long known to be vulnerable to attacks” and to make sure civilians are protected.

Amharas are the second most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia after Oromos. They also have been targeted by gunmen in the Western Benishangul Gumuz and Southern regions in recent weeks, leaving several dozen dead.

The Oromia region´s communications office in a statement called the latest assault a “brutal terror attack.” Getachew Balcha, the region´s spokesman, said it was aimed at creating havoc and putting psychological pressure on citizens.

“The armed group gathered 200 people for a meeting around 5 p.m., and then started shooting at them,” the Amhara region´s affiliated broadcaster, Amhara Mass Media Agency, quoted one survivor as saying. The survivor said a school and some 120 houses were burned.

“The government has failed in its duty to protect the safety of citizens,” Dessalegn Chanie, a senior member of the opposition National Movement of Amhara party, told The Associated Press, adding that Ethiopia´s language-based federal system is the main cause for the killings: “Ethnic Amharas residing outside of the Amhara region are being labeled as outsiders and are exposed to repeated attacks.”

Under the system, Afan Oromo speakers generally live in Oromia, Amharic speakers generally live in the Amhara region and so on. The structure gives locals more say in local affairs.

The Oromo Liberation Army hasn´t commented on the attack allegations. It has denied similar reports in the past.

The rebel group, a splinter wing of the Oromo Liberation Front party, has used the western Oromia region as its base since its members returned to Ethiopia after Abiy shortly after taking office in 2018 invited once-banned groups to return home from exile.

The post Survivors count 54 dead after Ethiopia massacre, group says appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

NETWORK of ETHIOPIAN SCHOLARS (www.nesglobal.org)
Title: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD): A Call for Successful Mediation to Create Full Agreement by All Involved on 28-29 January, 2020 in Washington D.C

By  Mammo Muchie

(DST/NRF Research Professor on Innovation Studies, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa)

Inspiration

“The World Fears time
Time Fears History
History fears Ethiopia”

“Ethiopia by her suffering throughout her long history of independence has given spiritual (not material) strength and wealth to the world” (Mammo Muchie

1. Background

Ethiopia has not received the much needed and full support to complete the GERD on time until now. The GERD should have been completed three years ago in 2017. It is remarkable because of the lack of support mainly from the Government of Egypt and its close allies; the completion of GERD unfortunately has been far too much delayed. The Government of Egypt should refrain from continuing to delay the GERD and come fully on board knowing truly that the GERD is not just only for Ethiopia; it is a real treasure and asset for all in the River Nile region, Africa and the rest of the world.

Ethiopia and Sudan will surely welcome Egypt and they know GERD is beneficial to all and not just to Ethiopia, despite the fact Ethiopia is the principal driver of the GERD initiative. What benefits Ethiopia also benefits Egypt and conversely what benefits Egypt can benefit Ethiopia too. The win-win and mutually beneficial high way should prevail for all in the region rather than overloading it with the unnecessary selfish political consumption and traffic entirely free from any external interference. The recognition and acknowledgment by all in the region is much needed, that Ethiopia has the right to compensation to the Nile River water and the soil that cascades to Sudan and Egypt. The proper handling to stop the opposition to GERD in order to bring justice where all can gain can come when the Ethiopia that has been losing for years and years is compensated for both the water and soil.  Let all share and not take advantage and use unnecessary political moves to promote ethnic fracturing to divide Ethiopia. It is worrisome to read currently the media coverages that in 2020 the ethnic division that is also promoted with external actors in Ethiopia has been reported to become the biggest threat to the country.

Egypt and Ethiopia can draw lessons from Lesotho and South Africa. It is truly   an exemplary model to witness the mutual beneficial relation between Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa annually pays to Lesotho for the river water that flows from Lesotho to South Africa. Egypt should learn from South Africa and must agree to compensate Ethiopia for both the Nile River water and the cascading soil. This offer should have come from Egypt a long time ago. It is not late. Egypt needs to make a mind-set and paradigm shift to go from opposition and conflict by choosing to become a true and regular partner in supporting the construction of GERD without fail.

The South African President is going to become the chair of the Africa Union in February 2020.  The Prime Minister of Ethiopia has asked the president of South Africa in his role as chair of the Africa Union to assist in making sure there is collaboration to complete the GERD between Egypt and Ethiopia and both with Sudan. Ethiopia should consider its right of obtaining due compensation for its investment in the GERD project which is of benefit not only to Ethiopia but also to the Sudan and Egypt.

Although international conventions regarding riparian water rights accord benefits for all concerned adjacent countries, the specific applications depend on the extent to which each country exerts rights. Unfortunately, current and recent regimes in Ethiopia have not exerted the required influence to make sure Ethiopia also benefits. It is time that such an action is taken now with full agreement so the GERD can be completed mainly with full support from all Governments in the Nile River region. The Africa Union should facilitate and make sure the GERD construction is fully achieved by all in the region by avoiding external divisive influences.

There is now a mediation-taking place in Washington DC managed by the US Government Treasury involving Ethiopia with Egypt, Sudan, the U.S. Government and the World Bank to produce an agreement with a declaration to come out a Communique by 28-29 January 2020 signed by all the partners.

How it would have been truly, right if only the Nile River Regions could have taken time and solve any issues.  If the Nile River regions wish to involve others, it is strongly recommended that they request the Africa Union to join them and resolve any issues by taking all the time they need.

Let us hope that the mediation in Washington DC will recommend ways for the Nile River region countries to address the GERD construction time and learn to agree. The agreement must be fair, mutually beneficial, tangible, measurable, actionable and sustainable where all join to make sure the GERD can be completed fully as soon as possible.

We expect all those who will produce the communique in a week’s time to take the following recommendations that are now being shared to all involved to draft the communique in order to   open the opportunity for GERD to be fast-tracked and completed very soon free from all the conflicting politics.

II: Recommendation for a Successful Mediation on GERD

1. GERD should not have been subjected to conflict. That was truly a big mistake. Those who made the mistake should acknowledge and come back to support the earliest possible completion of the GERD. There should have been engagement of all in the Nile region how best to generate hydroelectricity without any loss of water. In fact, there should have been applied research to make sure that more hydroelectric power can be generated with the increase in water volume as the region is bestowed with  winter and spring seasons when the Nile River Region is awash   with flood. The applied GERD project based action research should have also been used how to increase the water level even at the summer and drier time when there is no wet and flood. The entire weather pattern and climate can be examined systematically to make sure the water level is never reduced. There can be also solar panels that can be used to store the heat from the sun during hot seasons to retain the green zone on the ground and retain water. We have created the African solar energy network to harness the heat and light from the sun to create electricity and continue to use the land to produce as many fruits and crops as possible. (ansole.org).

2. There are many possibilities and opportunities that the region as a whole can gain from GERD. What is lacking is focus to find real solutions to any problem. The much-needed applicable research is not often done. This is what should have been undertaken by joining the research team and not go alone by each side and come out with information to create problems rather than solutions. The power of knowledge should have been used to empower all the countries together rather than using the power of unnecessary and divisive politics, prejudice and selfish interest to divide and fight rather than build the GERD and unite.

3. The filling of the dam can be accomplished with water gain by discovering the right and agreed high way to avoid water loss. What all of you must put in the Communique is that this opportunity for water gain rather than water loss is fully available. It is a matter of how on the journey all can agree to share and work to achieve high quality output on both the hydroelectricity and water level sides. In Japan, they can now recycle toilet water. There is no reason why we cannot apply engineering knowledge to make sure that the water level can continue to increase rather than play unnecessary politics by claiming building the dam brings risk rather than opportunity.

4. The weather condition and climate can be thoroughly examined with now space satellites with remote sensing communications and a variety of ground and water level experiments that are waiting to be applied, used and assist to make sure the water is not only retained but also ways can be discovered to recycle the water and increase the level by regulating the flow annually.

5. Consideration should be given to methodologies of saving the water being lost due to evaporation, to deal with the water flow value chain from Ethiopia to Egypt and the optimal waste management to address systematically the environmental challenges all the three countries face.

6. The principle of mutual benefit must guide the relationship of all the countries that are now meeting to produce the final Communique to move forward with peace and security for all. It is critical to recognize no conflict is necessary to prevent the GERD to reach the final stage of completion.

7. All the countries in the region such as Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan that share the waters of the Nile River along with the countries that are directly and indirectly involved (e.g. the USA, Israel and some of the countries in the Middle East) have to agree even when they disagree to re-agree to create a win-win outcome in every sphere related to the GERD. They all must clearly articulate this commitment in the coming communique.

8. There is no justification in using any threats of violence, war and interference to fast track the full completion of the GERD by not losing more time anymore now.

9. The interference in the internal politics to polarize by inflicting ethnic and religious divisions to distract Ethiopia from completing the GERD is a violation of human rights and international law. Governments that spearhead such interventions must stop and apologize for all the damage that Ethiopia has been continuing to suffer. The Communique should explicitly articulate the risk that Ethiopia has suffered and make it explicit that there will be no interference to promote tribal conflict in Ethiopia to distract Ethiopia from finalizing the completion of the GERD.

III: GERD: Resource to Generate Abundance of Electricity and Water

10. GERD will not reduce the water level. In fact, the engineering design and model can be framed in such a way that GERD’s hydroelectricity can come with the increase rather than the decrease of the water level in the Nile River region as a whole.

11. The communique should explicitly recommend for all the Governments of the Nile region to apply science, technology, engineering and innovation to understand the space, the land and the water in the Nile River region to generate hydroelectric power by increasing the water level rather than reducing it. If all the politicians from all the countries involved can agree to apply scientific knowledge rather than entering into conflict, there will be absolutely no reason to prevent the GERD from being completed as soon as possible.

12. GERD can in fact make it possible for Egypt to get even more water than what it is getting now. What is needed is to create the dam without any sabotage to facilitate both the provision of water and electricity. The engineering to store the water is not difficult. What is very damaging is the unnecessary politics that the politicians and media play. The politicians, the extremists and media preferred to promote ethnic political division openly to hurt and divide Ethiopia rather than learning to agree on how best both electricity and water can be shared. What cost is involved and how best to agree to share the needed cost? South Africa pays annually to Lesotho for the water that flows to them. The Nile River water is the source of life for Egypt that flows from Ethiopia. Egypt too like South Africa does should have paid. In the Communique on 28-29, 2020, Egypt should agree to contribute and agree to pay even for all the years it has shared the water of the Nile River.

13. Egypt should also commit to contribute for building GERD rather than opposing and delaying it any more. Egypt should learn from China that contributed to help build the renaissance dam on time to make all in the region benefit from the provision of preserved water with the dam. It is much better to create and use the dam and reservoir than relying on downstream water levels that flow at different rates depending on the cycle of dry and wet season.

14. The communique should also advise all the regional countries never to fail to find restorative and rehabilitative justice to resolve any differences. They must all apply the rich spiritual heritage that promotes African values, traditions and associational culture to do the needed, necessary and honestly done mediation and resolve any problem by addressing systematically all the issues to move forward together by all undertaking a shared future.

15. The Communique should clearly articulate a road map of how all the Nile River Regional states can deal with any difference with one another from here on. It is better they do it themselves than involving all other external actors.

16. If the outsiders are to get involved, be good if the AU can be recommended to handle it. It will be good to find African solutions to African problems.

17. We appreciate all who can contribute to make sure all the regional states are engaged to solve problems rather than create problems. Let all in the Nile region create unity, rather than division, create peace rather than war, undertake  sustainable and enduring engagement to make the people to be innovative, inventive, and  integrative  to make  sustainable and transformative development future  for all by making the health, safety and prosperity of  all the people the priority of priorities.

18. The inspiring part of the GERD is how the payment for the construction has been made. There is no aid requested. It is the people that contribute. Those from outside also do not give loans, they contribute like China did.

19. Payment for the GERD construction should continue without bringing loan, aid, and debt. Encouragements are needed to make all the people to contribute and make them all proud together they have made history by the completed achievement of the GERD construction.

20. We ask Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to become three as one and one as three united firmly, anchored to promote the well-being of the people and the safety of the water, soil and nature to make the GERD construction done now without taking any more time with full agreement. All those from Africa and the rest of the world are welcome to contribute but not to lend loans and create debt. GERD must be purely a people’s project done by the people and for all the people.

IV: Concluding Remarks

We are all eagerly looking forward that the expected Communique will recommend strongly for GERD to be delayed never and to be implemented soonest ever. The agreement must be based on clear principle and value to make sure mutual benefit comes first and guides the shared route to achieve the construction of the GERD. Any conflict must be resolved with the principle, culture, grace and value of reconciliation and virtue. The GERD is a real asset not just for Ethiopia but also for all. Let peace prevail and GERD be achieved and done, now, now and now.

Mammo Muchie

Prof. Mammo Muchie, DPhil

DST/NRF SARChI Research Professor on Science, Technology, Innovation and Development: Tshwane University of Technology, Adjunct Professor in BDU & Harmaya, Ethiopia, and Riara University in Kenya, and Associate Faculty Professor, Sussex University, U.K.  (www.sarchi.org)

e-mail: muchiem@tut.ac.za, mammo.muchie@gmail.com,

Website: www.tut.a.c.za  www.tmd-oxford.org/content/mammo-muchie

www.tandfonline.com/rajs, www.nesglobal.org and http://nesglobal.org/eejrif4/index.php?journal=admin

NB: Sincere appreciation to all of you who sent me your comments and feedback.

The post Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD): A Call for Successful Mediation to Create Full Agreement appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

UNHCR

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and partners are appealing for robust international support for refugee operations in Ethiopia with the launch of a funding appeal for US$658 million to assist over 735,000 refugees and more than half a million Ethiopian hosts in 2020.

International support and solidarity is vital to ensure the implementation of the wide range of rights granted to refugees by Ethiopia during the last three years. The country’s revised laws grant refugees the right to work and access social services, facilitating their inclusion among the communities where they live in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopia Refugee Response Plan, launched in Addis Ababa this morning, covers humanitarian activities by UNHCR and 57 other humanitarian partners. It seeks to address huge gaps in health and nutrition, education, and shelter while also investing in sectors including sanitation, energy and livelihoods.

In January last year Ethiopia adopted progressive laws, which allow refugees to obtain work permits, access primary education and obtain drivers’ licenses. Additionally, they enable refugees to register essential events such as births and gain access to national financial services, such as banking.

Resources are needed to expand existing social services infrastructure in health, education, water and sanitation, environmental protection, social protection and employment as part of the broad refugee response.

Ethiopia has a long history of hosting refugees and asylum seekers. It is currently hosting more than 735,000 from 26 nationalities, the majority from South Sudan (329,123), Somalia (191,575), Eritreans (139,281) and Sudan (42,285). The number of refugees is expected to grow substantially during the course of the year as the country continues to receive refugees with nearly 100,000 new arrivals last year.

The country is also dealing with its own internal displacement and food insecurity challenges that leave 8.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2020.

UNHCR is part of inter-agency humanitarian efforts to assist over 1.5 million Ethiopians displaced due to conflicts and climate shocks. Following the government’s large-scale IDP return operation last year, UNHCR has been supporting reintegration and recovery effort for displacement-affected Ethiopians, including returnees and vulnerable host communities.

The post UNHCR seeks support for refugees and hosts in Ethiopia appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

The Media Line

The fatal shooting of Yehuda Biadga by a police officer and months later, another young Ethiopian-Israeli Solomon Tekah by an off-duty cop – underscores plight of demographic that wants answers to what they say is systematic discrimination.

In the living room of their cozy rented apartment in the central city of Lod, Ethiopian immigrants Atalay and Mamey Biadga share fond memories of their son, Yehuda.

“Yehuda will never come back to us,” Mamey says. “The only thing I want is that people should know how the government, which has a responsibility for its citizens, didn’t do anything about Yehuda. They killed him and don’t care, and I know it’s about color.”

The post A year after killing, Ethiopian community in even worse plight appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

The Ethiopian Council of Ministers has decided to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) research and development center.

The move was taken “to safeguard Ethiopia’s national interests through the development of artificial intelligence services, products and solutions based on research, development and implementation,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement issued on late Friday.

The decision calls for “a conducive environment for beginner developers and startups working in the artificial intelligence sector.”

This was the latest of a series of measures taken by Ethiopia, Africa’s second populous nation with a a population of about 107 million, to step up AI research and development in particular and advance information and Communications technology (ICT) in general.

In November, Ethiopia signed a memo with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group on the creation of an Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP).

On Dec. 20, Ethiopia launched its Chinese-backed maiden satellite, ETRSS-1, into space, from a space center in China.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the launch “marked the start of a historic moment in Ethiopia’s quest toward the development of space science sector,” which “will play a crucial role in modernizing our agriculture sector by creating a conducive environment through the provision of scientific data and knowledge.”

“It will also inject a much-needed capacity for our country to compete and penetrate African and global market,” he said.

The multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite is expected to monitor the environment and weather patterns for better agricultural planning, drought early warning, mining activities and forestry management of the country.

The post Ethiopia to establish AI research center appeared first on Satenaw Ethiopian News/Breaking News/.

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) — South Sudanese nationals represent the largest refugee population in Ethiopia, totaling 329,123 at the end of 2019, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Ethiopia, which hosts one of the largest refugee population in Africa along with Uganda and Sudan, is now home to more than 735,000 refugees, the majority of which from neighboring South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan, Kisut Gebregziabher, spokesperson for office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ethiopia, told Xinhua.

Amid the influx of South Sudanese nationals in recent years fleeing the conflict that affected the world’s youngest nation since late 2013, Ethiopia’s Gambella regional state received 8,219 new arrivals in 2019, according to the latest UNHCR figures.

Refugees from Somalia represent the second largest refugee population in Ethiopia, totaling 191,575 at the end of 2019.

Somalia refugees constitute 26.1 percent of the registered refugees in Ethiopia, with 8,736 new arrivals in Ethiopia’s Somali regional state during 2019, fleeing drought and generalized instability.

Of the 139,281 Eritrean refugees recorded at the end of last year, 72,737 were new arrivals.

The number of Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia was at 42,285, and 6,456 of them arrived in 2019.

The UNHCR urged the international community to support its humanitarian response activities in Ethiopia.

“The UN refugee agency and its partners are appealing for robust international support for refugee operations in Ethiopia with the launch of a funding appeal for 658 million U.S. dollars to assist over 735,000 refugees and more than half a million Ethiopian hosts in 2020,” Gebregziabher told Xinhua on Friday.

“International support and solidarity is vital to ensure the implementation of the wide range of rights granted to refugees by Ethiopia during the last three years,” he said.

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BBC

Demonstrations have taken place across northern Ethiopia about the failure of the authorities to find a group of 27 students abducted 50 days ago.

The students – from the Amhara community – were kidnapped as they fled an outbreak of ethnic violence at Dembi Dolo University in the Oromia region.

It is not clear who is behind the abduction of the students, believed to be mainly young women, but local officials say armed men are active in the area.

Tens of thousands took to the streets on Tuesday across the northern Amhara region, following an intensive social media campaign.

They chanted anti-government slogans, accusing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of not doing enough to secure the students’ release.

It comes more than two weeks after the authorities said they had secured the release of 21 students, but their families say nothing has been heard from them.

Mergeta Yeneh Adugna, the father of one of the abducted girls, told the BBC that he feared for his daughter.

“I’m afraid they have killed them. I wish they tell us the truth if that is the case. It’s affecting our mental health. My wife is already sick because she is worried too much. I wish they tell us the truth, even if they are killed.”

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At least 4 Mosques set ablaze; more than 150 Muslim shops, properties vandalized, robbed since last December

ANKARA

In Ethiopia, an environment of fear prevails amid ongoing religious and ethnic conflicts. Political experts and residents of the East African country told Anadolu Agency the government has remained silent amid a spate of hate crimes.

Idris Yeba, a political analyst living in Turkey’s capital Ankara, believes the government is busy focusing on secondary issues when its primary function should be maintaining law and order.

“Rather than rebuilding institutions and addressing popular demand, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been busy dismantling party institutions and recentralizing state power,” Idris said.

On Jan. 21, unknown attackers vandalized and destroyed Muslim shops and properties and spray-painted hate slogans on parked cars. Yet the media and government officials neither denounced it nor took legal action.

The hate crime took place during the celebration of Ethiopian epiphany after a group of people refused to allow Christians to hang flags on a mosque’s walls a day before the holiday.

Yared Getachew — a resident of Addis Ababa who once lived in Harar, the city which saw the recent hate crime — told Anadolu Agency that Harar was a city known for peaceful and harmonious co-existence between Muslims and Christians.

“Things are becoming worse, especially after the change,” he said, referring to the recent action.

“The elite is playing at the expense of the community,” he said, adding people had been living peacefully in spite of their religious and ethnic differences.

Deterioration amid positive reforms

Neima Salih, 25, an Ethiopian citizen, said religion was the “red line” that the community respected for years.

“Respect towards religion was very impressive, but it is deteriorating these days,” she said, noting these horrible ethnic and religious conflicts are creating frustration despite the positive reforms.

Ethiopia was dubbed a nation exhibiting democratization during the past year amid the astonishing reforms brought by Abiy, the country’s Nobel laureate prime minister.

The release of detained journalists and politicians, peace diplomacy with neighboring countries and a more inclusive Cabinet reshuffle in terms of gender, religion and ethnicity were among the major reforms he initiated after coming to office in 2018.

But since last December, following the torching of mosques in the Christian-dominated northern state of Amhara, religious extremism has become a major factor that have damaged the positive view towards the country’s recent political reforms.

On Dec. 20, at least four mosques were set ablaze and more than 150 Muslim shops and properties were robbed or damaged, according to a report by the Ethiopian Muslim Affairs Supreme Council.

Christians also claim that several churches have been torched by “Muslim extremists”.

On Jan. 23, Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers in its 78th regular session passed several bills to be approved by parliament, including one to tackle the organized crime that has recently been spreading throughout the country.

Stressing that this is the nature of transition, such problems could be addressed by restructuring the whole security system of the country, according to a politician who requested anonymity.

Mobilized by religious ‘elites’

Ustaz Bedru Hussein, an acclaimed religious preacher and public figure, underlined that these hate crimes were the work of long efforts by so-called religious leaders.

Hussain is one of the 17 leaders who represented Ethiopian Muslims in 2011 to request the government for solutions of long mourned problems of them through different ways, including a face-to-face meeting. He was imprisoned for over five years due to false allegations.

Referring to the hate crimes in the Amhara region and vandalization in Harar, he told Anadolu Agency that such kind of hate crimes were deliberately inculcated by some Islamophobic government officials and preachers.

“There are spread of hate speeches lined with orchestrated Islamophobic videos in churches, leading some emotional youth act upon it.” Hussein said.

He also said there is a plan to mobilize worldwide fundraising coming Friday to support those who lost their properties due to these actions.

Aba Michael Gebru, an Ethiopian cleric serving at a church in Turkey’s central province of Konya, agreed with Bedru.

He told Anadolu Agency that many discourteous individuals want to destroy the solidarity between Muslims and Christians in the country.

Remembering multiple scenarios that demonstrated Muslim-Christian unity, he underlined that the recent turmoil were deliberate actions of those who are seeking political gains.

“We are a model to any other country in our tolerance and harmonious life, but recent problems are inculcated to avert this centuries-old solidarity for a tiny political gain,”he said, stressing the government is making a mistake by being silent over such unacceptable issues.

Legacy of authoritarian regime

Habib Yesuf, a constitutional law expert, said Ethiopia is facing the aftermath of an authoritarian regime before government reform.

Referring to the current ethnic and religious tensions, he said that could be seen as the hangover of 30 years of an authoritarian regime added to the mismanagement by the current administration.

He told Anadolu Agency that real constitutional federalism was not implemented in the country, adding federalism is being used as a means of dividing the citizens.

“Ethnic and religious identity have been mobilized for political advantage against minorities which tend to turn everything into an ethnic and religious issue, increasing chaos and polarization,” he added.

Habib, pursuing a doctoral degree in the field of constitutional law, underlines that the politics of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) are irreconcilable with the ideals of human rights and democracy as it is clearly stated in the constitution.

“The EPRDF has never been applying federalism as is stipulated in the federal supreme constitution. Citation of federalism and human rights here and there was only rhetoric,” he said.

Ethiopia, home to at least 80 ethnic groups and four religions, is facing decades-long debate over a prejudiced political and bureaucratic structure.

According to experts, Ethiopia has two political idealists which are believed to be the cause of such problems.

Idris said one of them is the ethno-nationalists, which he said are those who claim to be conservative nationalists but are accused of focusing on one religion and cultural standards.

The other is the federalist team, which is supposed to believe in self-determination and the proper inclusivity of all ethnic groups in Ethiopia. However, they are also ascribed with having separatist ideas.

Idris said the future of Ethiopia depends on an open discussion and a common understanding of these main political idealists.

 

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Mahlet Fasil

Addis Abeba, January 28/2020 – For the first time since news of the kidnapping of 17 Dembi Dollo university students in western Oromia surfaced, the university’s president Dr. Leta Tesfaye is quoted by Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) as saying that 12 of the 17 kidnapped students are from the university campus. According to the report, Dr Tesfaye said that the university has confirmed 12 of the names from the students list of the campus.

This was disclosed at a meeting which took place at Dembi Dollo university yesterday. The meeting was also attended by the minister of peace Muferiat Kamil, federal police commission commissioner Endeshaw Tasew and press secretariat of the office of PM Abiy Ahmed Negussu Tilahun as well as representatives of from the federal army and intelligence apparatus. Participants of the discussion have also raised concerns that similar kidnappings have targeted business people and other civilians in the area.

“A senior investigation unit is established to investigate and establish the facts on the identities of the kidnappers, the reason behind the kidnapping, as well as how and why they were kidnapped,” Commissioner Endeshaw is quoted as saying.

Negussu Tilahun is also quoted as saying that his January 11 statement of the rescue of 21 students (13 female and eight male students) who he said were rescued following negotiations with the kidnappers is correct. “When we disclosed the rescue of 21 students, the number of the kidnapped was higher. We are playing number game on this matter; we released the number of individuals who were kidnapped and were rescued. We re working not just as a government body but as families of the kidnapped,” AMMA quoted Negussu. “The statement we gave was correct; 21 students were released and we are diligently working to secure the release of the remaining.”

AMMA also said the investigation unit was being overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen.

Meanwhile, massive protest rallies were conducted today in multiple cities and towns across the Amhara regional state. Hundreds of thousands who went out to voice their protests have carried posters denouncing the kidnapping and demanding answers from the federal and regional governments, among others. AS

_________________________________________//________________________

Editor’s note: This news is compiled based on the story published on AMMA. Below is the full screenshot of the news.

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Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across northern Ethiopia on Tuesday, demanding answers from the government over the kidnapping of 27 students more than 50 days ago. In DR Congo, the country has experimented with President Felix Tshisekedi’s flagship reform for free primary schools. And a ban on dreadlocks in Malawian classrooms is reversed after a court ruling upholds Rastafarianism as a religion.

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With a joint ministerial meeting in Washington set to sign an agreement on the GERD, it is essential that all the parties are cool-headed, even-handed and wise in their approach to this crucial issue
Mohamed Hegazi, Tuesday 28 Jan 2020
GERD

The ministers of irrigation and water resources from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia will meet in Washington in a few days to sign an agreement at the end of intensive rounds of negotiations on the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The agreement, mediated by the US and the World Bank, sets out the rules for filling and operating the dam on the basis of the six principles that the three parties agreed to in their last meeting in Washington on 15 January. Listed in the joint statement of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, the US and the World Bank posted on the US Department of the Treasury website that day, the six points are as follows:

– “The filling of the GERD will be executed in stages and will be undertaken in an adaptive and cooperative manner that takes into consideration the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the potential impact of the filling on downstream reservoirs.” (It should be noted, here, that these are general principles. The statement did not clarify executive measures and left room open for possible disagreements that would be worked out in further discussions.)

– “The filling will take place during the wet season, generally from July to August, and will continue in September subject to certain conditions.” (It has always been understood that the filling would take place in the rainy season. No mention is made of the relationship between the first filling of the GERD and the water levels in the reservoirs of downstream dams in Sudan and Egypt.)

– “The initial filling stage of the GERD will provide for the rapid achievement of a level of 595 m above sea level (m.a.s.l.) and the early generation of electricity, while providing appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan in case of severe droughts during this stage.” (Essentially this means that some 14 billion m3 of water will be retained in the early weeks of the first filling without consideration for the total level of rainfall during that season, because this is impossible to predict so early on. Also, no mention is made of how much will be retained as dead storage and how much will be released through the dam’s outlets for electricity generation.)

– “The subsequent stages of filling will be done according to a mechanism to be agreed that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that addresses the filling goals of Ethiopia and provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.” (As there is a linkage to sustaining certain water levels in the reservoirs of Egypt’s Aswan High Dam and the Sudanese dams, this means that the GERD’s electricity generation capacity will not be affected by drought and that the burden will fall on Egypt and Sudan with some unspecified mitigations at some point during “prolonged” periods of drought.)

– “During long-term operation, the GERD will operate according to a mechanism that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.” (In other words, the same rules apply to subsequent refillings as to the initial filling. They guarantee the GERD’s electricity production and provide mitigation to Egypt and Sudan in the event of prolonged drought.)

– “An effective coordination mechanism and provisions for the settlement of disputes will be established.”

It is important to consider the likely dynamics and output of the ministerial meeting in Washington and to develop a plan of action accordingly. Clearly, the primary result from the meeting should be a comprehensive political, legal and technical agreement binding on the parties, especially Addis Ababa, whose previous behaviour has underscored the need for an explicit, unambiguously worded and authoritative text deposited with regional and international organisations and that will have the power to govern future cooperation in the management of shared water resources, open horizons for regional cooperation and promote the concept of collective regional security, as opposed to rival national security initiatives.

Such an outcome will achieve Egypt’s water security and stability on the condition that it ensures Egypt’s right to 86 per cent of the waters of the Blue Nile regardless of possible reductions in the flow due to the impacts of the GERD. If this is set as a ceiling, binding on all sides, then, even if in the event that Blue Nile flows are lower than expected, compensation for shortages can be made either through cooperation with Sudan in accordance with the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement or through projects that aim to reduce water loss, regulate consumption, redesign cultivation systems, engage new irrigation technologies or upgrade water recycling methods and uses.

Obviously, the desired agreement must be worked out in a spirit of compromise and serve to suggest horizons for comprehensive cooperation in which water is only part of the cooperative vision. Despite the grave concerns raised by the GERD project, a framework of cooperation that opens horizons to broader inter-regional partnerships compels Ethiopia to set a ceiling to its ambitions and to resolve on a stable water relationship with Egypt and Sudan.

After all, sustaining a healthy relationship with downstream nations is an essential condition for sustained benefits from Ethiopia’s main mega-project, the GERD, after all the resources it has invested in developing it and mobilising international support for it, and after all the social, political and economic hopes and plans it has built around it.

For Egypt, pinning down Ethiopia through such cooperation will be a major strategic gain achieved by the hoped-for agreement in Washington, especially since the US and the World Bank, which acted as sponsors, mediators and witnesses, will serve as guarantees and authorities to turn to in the event of any future disputes.

Perhaps it is important now for Egypt and Sudan to hold an emergency meeting of the Permanent Joint Technical Commission created by the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement to discuss ways to respond to the Washington agreement and how to manage their common water concerns in the light of anticipated shortages arising from the first filling of the GERD reservoir.

In this regard, they would apply point two of the fifth section of the 1959 Waters Agreement, which provides that Egypt and Sudan would share the burden of such shortages equally.

Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

As part of the institutional framework for cooperation between the Blue Nile states, Egypt should take courses of action during the forthcoming period to help the agreement to take root and to make cooperation attractive to Ethiopia.

I will suggest two proposals towards this end, if, as hoped, the parties sign an agreement that provides for the cooperative management of water resources.

– A Regional Committee for the management of cooperation in the Blue Nile Basin:

This committee could be created within the framework of a comprehensive agreement between Cairo, Addis Ababa and Khartoum that in its first section would lay out the aims and principles of their cooperation. Subsequent sections would address the establishment of a joint authority for the management of water resources and development projects, the mechanisms for supervising and managing the three countries’ dams and controlling the waters discharged from them, and methods for managing the technical and legal relationship between the three Blue Nile Basin countries, such as resident missions at the dams in order to coordinate their operations in accordance with agreed on standards.

This proposal includes subsidiary projects such as connecting overland roads and railroads and a shared electricity grid. Such projects could be carried out with the aid of the infrastructure fund that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi proposed on the sidelines of the Africa Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2016 and reiterated in the Tripartite Summit in Addis Ababa on 26 January 2018.

The proposed fund was also mentioned in the outputs of the “3×3” meeting in Addis Ababa on 15 May 2018. These underscored the need for a unified management authority as a means to regulate the joint utilisation of water resources and systematise cooperative relations under a comprehensive and stable agreement.

It is an established fact that river basins are discrete and comprehensive ecosystems. Accordingly, the Nile should be treated as a single, natural, geographical and environmental entity, and its water resources should be managed in a collective and coordinated manner, as should the development of its agricultural and industrial resources and, indeed, its social, human and cultural resources.

– The Eastern Development Corridor:

In addition to major economic gains, this comprehensive development project, which would be overseen by the Blue Nile Basin Authority, would promote a regional political consensus and reduce the potential for tensions and clashes between the Blue Nile Basin states. It would also achieve geo-economic benefits. Ethiopia, a landlocked nation, would find a maritime outlet in the Mediterranean via Egyptian ports, making closer cooperation particularly attractive to Addis Ababa, while promoting the interests of all three parties.

In the framework of the project, water-resource management would become part of a broader and multifaceted cooperation ecosystem. The Eastern Development Corridor would include cooperation in numerous and diverse fields, such as electricity and overland and maritime passenger and freight transport. Generating such close and extensive ties would promote mutual gains and incentives, as opposed to dissension and division, and their consequent tolls.

A major component of the Eastern Development Corridor project, which begins with the GERD and the agreement to coordinate its operations with those of downriver dams in accordance with agreed-upon standards, is an electricity grid covering the three countries, enabling them all to share a clean energy source for use in industry or export. The project also envisions a transnational highway and railroad from Ethiopia through Khartoum to Aswan, giving landlocked Ethiopia an overland link to Mediterranean ports.

As a further incentive, Ethiopia could join Sudan and other Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries in using the Suez Canal Economic Corridor as a logistics hub for freight and export, facilitating the marketing of its agricultural and other products to Arab, European and American markets.

One of the priorities of the Blue Nile Basin Authority would be to explore possibilities for cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Eastern Development Corridor. As soon as it is launched, the joint authority would host a conference of donor nations keen to support the three countries and invest in the above-mentioned projects, which will generate a large Nilotic environment conducive to mutual cooperation, political stability and regional security.

The authority could also extend its invitation to others, such as the Chinese who might be interested in the Eastern Development Corridor in the framework of its Belt and Road project and Beijing’s drive to strengthen relations with pivotal countries along it.

The Egyptian minister of irrigation’s proposal of a river transportation system linking Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean offers another avenue for broadening the scope of the Eastern Development Corridor. In this broader context, Khartoum would become the meeting point for two major regional projects: the Eastern Development Corridor centred on the Blue Nile and the Lake Victoria-Mediterranean river transportation project. Both connect landlocked countries to Mediterranean ports, which may be one reason why Addis Ababa has already expressed interest in the latter project.

This comprehensive vision for the management and development of the Blue Nile Basin is consistent in its aims and substance with the outlooks and mechanisms of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) that established the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) as one of its three centres. It also situates it in the larger scope of Nile Basin management and other Nilotic hydraulic projects, opening avenues for cooperation with South Sudan, for example, and water loss reduction projects in the Sudd region and other development projects in southern Sudan and South Sudan.

A CONTINGENCY PROPOSAL

The two proposals above represent approaches to managing Egypt’s relations with Ethiopia and Sudan in a regional cooperative framework in the event that the negotiations in Washington reach a binding legal agreement on the GERD.

The following is a third proposal that would be called into play if the negotiations fail or in the event of a setback in the implementation of the agreement due to any Ethiopian failure to abide by its commitments. The proposal is to compile a comprehensive, three-part portfolio on the subject. The first part would cover technical aspects related to Egypt’s vision for the management of Blue Nile hydraulics, inclusive of a complete set of rules for filling and operating the GERD in coordination with downstream dams so that the three countries can benefit from the Blue Nile in a spirit of mutual respect for their right to develop and their right to life.

Accordingly, Ethiopia would be able to fulfil its electricity generation aspirations, Sudan would be able to implement irrigation projects utilising Blue Nile waters, and Egypt would be able to safeguard its vital share of these waters.

The second part would include a proposal for comprehensive regional cooperation that would include an important initiative for the joint management of water resources as the key to the conservation of the riparian ecosystem, the preservation of peace and security, and the guarantee for the sustainable development of the three countries dependent on the Blue Nile. Like the second project mentioned above, this also envisions the Nile waters as a part of a broader cooperative system that extends beyond the mutually beneficent coordinated management of the Ethiopian, Sudanese and Egyptian dams to electricity linkups and road and rail networks that would offer Ethiopia an outlet on the Mediterranean.

As for the third part, it would incorporate the first two (the technical section covering the rules of filling and operation and the regional cooperation proposal) into a draft agreement. Conceived along the lines of the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement between Egypt and Sudan, this would be legally binding on all parties and regulate their relations concerning the management of their common water resources in a mutually beneficial manner that would allay all their concerns.

The work involved in this third proposal is essential in order to confront any backsliding on the part of Ethiopia, which has a record of equivocation and evasiveness on the question of the GERD. A binding agreement set in the framework of a project for mutual cooperation is the only way to ensure that Addis Ababa sets a ceiling to its water ambitions and helps to create a Nilotic ecosystem that is environmentally, economically, politically and culturally beneficial to all its inhabitants and that opens horizons to interregional cooperation, fostering sustainable collective security, stability and prosperity.

At the same time, the work involved in compiling this three-part portfolio would vary in the event that the negotiations in Washington fall through and the question of the GERD proceeds through other tracks involving third-party mediation, the UN Security Council or the International Court of Justice. That said, I find it hard to believe that the leaders of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt cannot come together over a matter that has such important implications for the stability and security of their countries and, indeed, for the continent as a whole, and that also holds such promise for a major regional development project of great potential benefit for all the peoples in the north-eastern corner of Africa.

We stand at a historic crossroads. As President Al-Sisi has indicated, what is needed at this critical juncture is a cool-headed, even-handed and wise approach to the crucial matter of the GERD. If it is well-managed, all the parties will emerge as winners.

*The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

**A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Addis Ababa last week to cement Ethiopia-China strategic partnerships for 2019 and pave way for continued bilateral relations in 2020.

During his meeting with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa, Wang Yi said: “Beijing’s friendship with Addis Ababa has withstood the tests of unstable international situations and is unbreakable.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the visit as a “testimony to the point that China is a true friend of Ethiopian and African people”.

The visit comes days after Ethiopia’s first satellite, ETRSS-1, was successfully launched into space from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China on December 20.

The satellite was developed by 21 Ethiopian engineers in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Chinese government who provided $6m funding for the project.

The satellite, which was launched from the Taiyuan space in northern China, will be used for weather forecast and crop monitoring. The launch makes Ethiopia the eleventh African country to have a satellite into space. Egypt was the first in 1998.

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By Giulia Paravicini

TULI GULED, Ethiopia (Reuters) – First, drought in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region destroyed Asha Khalif Ali’s crops and animals. Then her husband and brother were killed in ethnic violence. She fled with her seven children, the youngest on her back, and watched their small faces grow gaunt with hunger as they sought safety.

Scientists and humanitarians say Asha’s story – of a once prosperous family endlessly buffeted by the intertwined plagues of climate change and violence –  will become more familiar around the world as repeated disasters push families into competition for ever-scarcer resources.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Jan. 21 the world needs to prepare for “millions” more climate change refugees and cited a U.N. ruling this month that such people deserved international protection.

Behind each number lies a story of suffering.

For Asha, the drought that ended two years ago exacerbated simmering tensions over resources between ethnic groups. After gunmen from a rival ethnic group killed her husband, she fled into the mountains with her children.

They marched barefoot for five days. The children’s feet bled; her milk dried up. When they finally reached a safe village, Asha collapsed. She and four of her children were hospitalized.

They found refuge in the village of Tuli Guled in the eastern Somali region, where the International Committee of the Red Cross gave them seeds and tools. Then heavy rains and desert locusts destroyed her crop and her hope.

“Life has changed a lot since the seasons changed. Food is more expensive. We used to have three meals a day. Now I can only afford one,” Asha said, sitting on three bags of rotten wheat. Her two youngest children squirmed in her lap as she struggled to hold back tears.

“I fear my children may starve.”

INTER-ETHNIC VIOLENCE

The World Meteorological Organization says more extreme weather events linked to temperature rises of 3-5 degrees Celsius can be expected if carbon dioxide emissions, which hit a new record in 2018, keep rising at the current rate.

Ethiopia had the highest number of new internally displaced people in the world in 2018 – 2.9 million – according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. Some fled drought or floods, others fled clashes.

It’s hard to measure the impact of climate change on violence, and it is not the cause of all inter-ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia, which have flared since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power in April 2018.

His political and economic reforms, though widely praised, have also unleashed long-repressed tensions among Ethiopia’s myriad ethnic groups as they lay claim to disputed territory.

However, recent data and testimonies from displaced people such as Asha demonstrate the complex interaction between climate change and violence.

“Many make the link today between their experience of violent conflicts and climate change,” said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as he toured Ethiopian villages devastated by violence, drought, heavy rains and desert locusts.

“The struggle over less productive land is at the origin of much of what they suffer.”

(Editing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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ADDIS ABABA (VOA) – Ethiopians are expressing anger and frustration over several university students, most of them female, who remain missing after their kidnapping two months ago.

A growing social media campaign echoes the (hash)BringBackOurGirls activism in Nigeria over the mass kidnapping there of scores of schoolgirls in 2014. Ethiopians are pressuring the government for answers in the abduction in the Oromia region.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been praised for appointing women to prominent positions “but with regard to the abducted girls, in its silence, it is violating a tremendous number of their human rights,” Yared Hailemariam, director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia, said in a statement Monday. “Ethiopian authorities have failed to protect the victims of the abduction and to take necessary measures to bring them back.”

It is not clear how many of the students remain captive. The prime minister’s press secretary, Nigussu Tilahun, disclosed on Jan. 11 that 21 students from Dembi Dollo University were released while six remained captive.

But family members say they haven’t heard from their loved ones.

“The last time I heard from my daughter was a month ago. She said youths from the local area took them to the forest. I don’t know what happened to her since,” Yeneneh Adugna, who lives in Central Gondar in the Amhara region, told The Associated Press. “We are living in an anguish every day. We are crying every day. We want to know whether they are alive or dead. No one is giving us any information.”

The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia says 18 university students, 14 of them female, were seized while returning home from university.

No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Oromia regional officials have blamed the armed Oromo Liberation Army, which is clashing with government forces in the Western Oromia region. The armed group has denied the accusation and said the government itself was to blame for the kidnapping.

VOA

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WASHINGTON – The latest round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in Washington has failed to reach a comprehensive agreement on the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydropower project on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile River.

The White House released a statement saying President Trump spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday, and “expressed optimism” that a deal was close.

The tripartite meeting hosted by the U.S. Treasury is the parties’ last-ditch attempt to resolve the question of the operation of the dam, particularly the filling of its reservoir, an issue that has triggered concerns of a “water war” between Egypt and Ethiopia.

The meeting was scheduled to end Wednesday but continued until Friday without an agreement on filling the reservoir.

The U.S. Treasury released a statement Friday that the parties will continue to work on the legal and technical aspects of the agreement for a signing by the end of February. The agreement would include a schedule for a stage-based filling plan of the reservoir, and a mitigation mechanism for filling and operations during periods of drought and prolonged drought.

Ethiopia and Egypt have been negotiating for years, but several technical sticking points remain, including the duration and rate at which Ethiopia will draw water out of the Nile and the quantity of water that will be retained. Cairo fears Ethiopia’s plans to rapidly fill the reservoir could threaten Egypt’s source of fresh water.

The technical details of how, when, and where the water will flow are a life-and-death matter for each party,” said Bronwyn Bruton, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. Bruton added that the situation is complicated by “international organizations and mediating third party countries, which all come with their own interests and agendas.”

With the Trump administration’s urging, last November the parties agreed to hold four technical governmental meetings at the level of water ministers with the World Bank and the United States attending as observers. They agreed to a deadline of January 15, 2020, for reaching an accord. When they failed to reach an agreement, the parties agreed to another round of talks this week.

The main issue has been a lack of consensus, said Mirette Mabrouk, director of the Egypt Program at the Middle East Institute. “Ethiopia’s priority has been to complete the dam and Egypt’s priority has been to ensure that its near sole source of water is not decimated,” Mabrouk said.

A flexible treaty

In previous statements, the ministers have recognized that flexibility in trans-boundary water management is essential considering the constantly changing levels of the Nile.

They have agreed that guidelines for the filling and operation of the GERD “may be adjusted by the three countries, in accordance with the hydrological conditions in the given year.”

However, competing hydrological and political interests have hindered negotiations.

The director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina, Aaron Salzberg said that parties are striving for an agreement that is “easily codified in terms of numbers” –how fast you can fill, how much water is released.”   At the same time, he says, the agreement must establish a joint decision-making process that allows flexibility in responding to changing conditions, but not one that may be “too open to interpretation and set the stage for conflict down the line.”

This is not something that should be forced, Salzberg added.   “The parties themselves must drive the process. This is an agreement that will need to last multiple lifetimes,” he said.

Mediation?

On their first Washington meeting on November 6, the foreign ministers agreed that if a deal is not reached by January 15, 2020, Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles will be invoked.

Article 10 of the declaration, signed in Khartoum, addresses the peaceful settlement of disputes. It states that “if the parties involved do not succeed in solving the dispute through talks or negotiations, they can ask for mediation or refer the matter to their heads of states or prime ministers.”

Egypt has long-sought external mediation, while Ethiopia wants to keep the negotiations on a tripartite level. But earlier this month Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed said he has asked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene. Ramaphosa has accepted the task.

Under the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement between Egypt and Sudan, signed before Egypt began constructing the Aswan High Dam, Egypt can take up to 55.5 billion cubic meters of water from the Nile each year, and Sudan can take up to 18.5 billion. Ethiopia was not part of that agreement.

US involvement

U.S. involvement in the dam issue came about after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi last year requested that President Trump help mediate the conflict. A senior Trump administration official confirmed that the president had offered “the good offices of Mnuchin” to lead the effort and the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has played the role of host and observer in negotiations since last November.

Trump appears to have sustained his interest on the negotiations and has even gone so far as inviting the ministers to impromptu meetings at the Oval Office on November 6 and January 14.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Just had a meeting with top representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to help solve their long running dispute on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, one of the largest in the world, currently being built. The meeting went well and discussions will continue during the day!

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11:10 AM – Nov 6, 2019

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After the last meeting, the White House released a statement that Trump emphasized to the foreign and water resources ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan that the United States “wants to see all of these countries thrive and expressed hope that each country will take this opportunity to work together so that future generations may succeed and benefit from critical water resources.”

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