Unanswered Questions from Aboy Sebhat Nega By Yikuno Mesfin

Ethiopia charges 46 with 'assassination plot'

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia on Thursday charged 46 people, most of them ex-military, of plotting to assassinate government officials, a government spokesman said.

"The charges can be summed up as conspiring to kill different government officials and conspiring to demolish public utilities," Communications Minister Bereket Simon told reporters.

"The prosecution presented the charges to the court today," he said, more than a month after their arrest.To read the complete story, click here.

The Africa Confidential Interview

Meles: The old leadership which was leading the EPRDF during the armed struggle and up to now, myself included. That, to some extent is a sign of strength and it is also a sign of weakness that needs to be addressed and, as I said, the EPRDF is aware of it and is trying to address it. It is not just about X, Y or Z, it is about the whole group of leadership which has been in very senior leadership positions for a bit too long for the health of the party.To read the complete story, click here.

Response to Ginbot 7's Press release From kassa

UN Security Council to focus on African hotspots AP 05/15/2009

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The U.N. Security Council arrived Friday in Ethiopia to begin a tour focusing on Africa's hotspots — the war in Darfur and its spillover into neighboring Chad, fighting in Somalia and efforts to bring peace to eastern Congo.

Ambassadors and diplomats from the 15 council nations declined to speak to journalists on arrival in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, which is also where the African Union's headquarters is located.

TO ALL CONCERNED TEGARU From Ayder Memorial Library Project Committee April 2009

Ethiopia, Top African Coffee Grower, Shuts Warehouses (Update3 Bloomberg 03/25/2009

March 25 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia, Africa’s largest coffee producer, closed the warehouses of the country’s six largest exporters of the beans and suspended their licenses after accusing the brokers of hoarding the crop, the government said.

“They have five days to appeal their case,” Ermias Legesse, the state minister of government communication affairs, said by phone from the capital, Addis Ababa, today. To read the complete story, click here.

Ethiopian refugee teaches students lessons of life by ROSS COURTNEY
Yakima Herald-Republic

"No matter what happens to you in life, don't complain," he told about 200 Sunnyside High School English and history students Wednesday in the school's auditorium.

Asgedom, 32, was born in northern, rural Ethiopia during a civil war that lasted nearly 30 years. Rebel groups often conscripted boys as young as 12 and men as old as 65, he said, into battle against a socialist military junta.To read the complete story, click here.

Clinton says al-Bashir can "have his day in court" Reuters 03/04/2009

BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday if Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir believed he had been wrongly charged for war crimes in Darfur he could "have his day in court".

Speaking to reporters en route to Brussels, Clinton said she hoped the indictment issued earlier by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague would not lead to "increased violence" on the part of Sudan's government.

"President Bashir would have a chance to have his day in court if he believes that the indictment is wrongly charged. He can certainly contest it," said Clinton.

"I certainly hope that it does not lead to any additional actions of violence or punishment on the part of the Bashir government," added Clinton.

Yekatit 11 Remembring our Martyrs By Yikuno Mesfin Feb. 13, 2009

Gaddafi condemns Africa democracy 02/04/2009

The new African Union (AU) chairman, Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi, has said that multi-party democracy in Africa leads to bloodshed. Speaking at the AU summit in Ethiopia, Col Gaddafi said Africa was essentially tribal and political parties became tribalised, which led to bloodshed. He concluded the best model for Africa was his own country, where opposition parties are not allowed

TISJD's Press Release on Birtukan Mideksa UDJ President PDF 01/14/2009

Ethiopia imposes aid agency curbs 01/06/2009

Ethiopia's parliament has passed a controversial bill imposing tight restrictions on aid agencies. Foreign agencies are prohibited from a number of areas including human rights, equality, conflict resolution and the rights of children. Local groups that receive more than 10% of their funding from abroad are also banned from working in these areas. Under discussion for months, the bill has already been considerably modified amid objections from aid organisations.

Ethiopia Leaves Somalia With Many Questions Unanswered VOA 01/05/2009

George Washington University Professor David Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia, spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about whether Ethiopia can declare “mission accomplished.”

Ethiopian Army Begins Leaving Mogadishu New York Times 01/02/2009

Ethiopian Army trucks, packed with soldiers, tents, mattresses and other gear, began Friday to pull out of Mogadishu, Somalia’s battle-zone of a capital, in the first signs of the expected Ethiopian withdrawal.

Many Somalis in their path immediately fled, predicting that the departing Ethiopian troops would be attacked by mines and insurgents. Almost as soon as they began to move, the Ethiopians hit a roadside bomb. At least nine civilians and an unknown number of Ethiopian soldiers were killed.

Thousands of Ethiopian troops stormed into Mogadishu two years ago in an attempt to shore up Somalia’s weak transitional government and to wipe out an Islamist administration that the Ethiopians considered a terrorist threat.

Ethiopia leaves Uganda in Somalia quagmire 12/19/2008

By January 2009, many fighting Somali factions might have what they have been hoping for – the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from their country. Recently, Ethiopia announced it intends to pull out its troops by the end this month, ending a two-year occupation of the lawless Horn of African nation.

The withdraw is in line with the Djibouti Accord, agreed upon in June this year by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG )in Somalia and the opposition the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) better known as “The Alliance”.

The Ethiopians will only retain their troops around the border areas if all goes according to plan.

Although Ethiopia’s presence has been unpopular among Somalis who saw it as foreign occupation, the troops have held areas which would most likely by now be under the Islamist militants.

 

Somali parliament approves peace deal, moves to impeach president 12/17/2008

The Somali legislative body on Wednesday unanimously endorsed the peace agreement between the transitional government and a major opposition group, and started the impeachment proceeding against President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed, accusing him of "being an obstacle to peace", the Speaker said Thursday.     A hundred and fifty-three parliamentarians present voted unanimously in favor of the agreement between the government and opposition coalition, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), led by the moderate Islamist leader Sheik Sharif sheik Ahmed, said the Speaker Sheikh Adan Madobe after voting in the southern town of Baidoa, the seat of parliament.

undisclosed number of Iranian troops and weapons at the Eritrean port town of Assab The Cutting Edge 12/10/2008

The city of Assab sits at the Horn of Africa in the Arabian Sea. As such, Assab offers a strategic position as the world nervously eyes the precarious routes through which a seaborne oil traverses daily.

ANALYSIS-Ethiopia pullout opens door for Somali Islamists Reuters 12/09/2008

The exit of Ethiopia's remaining 3,000 or so troops at the end of the year will leave the weak, Western-backed government exposed to Islamist insurgents already knocking on Mogadishu's door.

The government controls little more than its own bases in the capital and the parliamentary seat of Baidoa -- and even that with the help of Ethiopian soldiers

Ethiopia's Somalia dilemma BBC 12/02/2008

Ethiopia Singer ‘Teddy Afro’ Guilty of Manslaughter, AFP Says

Kassahun, known as Teddy Afro, was also found guilty by the nation’s Federal High Court of driving without a permit, the news agency said yesterday, citing Judge Leul Gebremariam. Kassahun, who faces as much as 15 years in prison, will be sentenced on Dec. 5, it said.

US issues travel warning for Eritrea, Somalia

The State Department also warned against travel to Eritrea, noting that "since September 13, the government of Eritrea has repeatedly, and in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, interfered with the unfettered delivery of the US Embassy's diplomatic pouches."

Flooding in Ethiopia kills 11, maroons hundreds

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A river in Ethiopia's highlands burst its banks after heavy rains, killing 11 people and stranding hundreds more, the state news agency said on Monday.

Flooding from the Wabe Shebelle river in southeast Ethiopia has submerged more than 100 villages, regional relief boss Eremdan Haji was quoted as saying by the Ethiopian News Agency.

Abyssinian Baptist Church Celebrates Ties to Ethiopia on the Occasion of Its 200th Anniversary Market Watch 11/12/2008

Leading newspaper editor beaten unconscious outside son’s school
3 November 2008

Reporters Without Borders condemns a violent attack on leading journalist Amare Aregawi on 31 October in Addis Ababa, in which he sustained serious head injuries. Aregawi edits The Reporter, a big-circulation newspaper published in Amharic and English-language versions. Full text

Response to TDVA From Yikuno Mesfin Boston 10/31/2008

Response Ethiopia to Withdraw From Somalia When Security Vacuum Filled VOA

Government spokesman Wahde Belay says Ethiopia fully backs the agreement signed Sunday between Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. The U.N.-mediated accord calls for a phased pullout of Ethiopian troops from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and the strategic town of Beledweyne beginning next month

Final border report on Ethiopia-Eritrea dispute sent to UN Security Council United Nations

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has transmitted to the Security Council the last report issued by the independent commission on Ethiopia and Eritrea's common boundary, said the United Nations in a statement Monday.

    The report noted that the commission's mandate has been fulfilled and that all administrative issues connected to its termination have wrapped up. Full text

Ethiopia falls one place as performance declines in latest

Ibrahim Index of African Governance. Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Newly published data shows that two thirds of sub-Saharan African countries have improved governance performance, with notable progress in participation and human rights

ADDIS ABABA , ETHIOPIA : The 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance published today by the

Mo Ibrahim Foundation shows that between 2005 and 2006 Ethiopia’s overall score declined to 50.9 out of 100, as the country fell one place to rank 31 st out of sub-Saharan Africa’s 48 countries.

According to the Ibrahim Index’s comprehensive measures of governance performance, Ethiopia’s scores have fallen in three out of the five categories; Safety and Security; Rule of Law, Transparency

and Corruption; and Participation and Human Rights. Ethiopia’s scores in the other two categories - Full text

On this day in 1935 Fascist Italy Invaded Ethiopia Courtesy of Nazreth Doc .com

On this day in 1935, Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia, one of the oldest independent nations on the face of the earth, to avenge for its humiliating defeat 39 years earlier. A paper reads with a banner headline that simply says "Battle in Ethiopia". It goes on to say, Hailesealssie mobilized 10,000,000 of his subjects. It was a Thursday and here is what the
Guardian wrote on October 3, 1935. full text

Arrena Tigray Public Meeting in Three key US Cities

 

Chicago October 4, 2008

Las Vegas October 8, 2008

Seattle October 11, 2008

Rested Gebrselassie Tops His World Record New York Times

Ethiopia's Seboka breaks women's course record in Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Canadian Press

Aid workers kidnapped in Ethiopia IOL 09/23/2008

"The two foreign aid workers - a male and a female - were kidnapped on Monday... in Ethiopia and were taken to central Somalia," said Hareri Hassan Barre, the commissioner for the Balanbale district in central Somalia.

"We are getting information that they are French nationals, but we have not confirmed that," he added.

Gebru Asrat's Speech at the Public Meeting on 09/20/2008 in Amharic (PDF)

Arena Tigray for democracy and sovereignty to stage a public meeting on September 20, 2008

In Amharic (PDF)

Open Letter to Senator Russ Feingold, Representative Donald Payne, and to all Members of the Congress of the United States

By Tecola W. Hagos

The Congress of the United States, which you are a part of at this moment, is the most inept Congress in the history of the United States. Collectively you have failed miserably in carrying out your first duty as elected members of Congress (in the Senate and in the House of Representatives) to protect the human and civil rights of the people who elected you. One has just to look at the content of the PATRIOT ACT to realize how Congress failed to protect the human and civil rights of American Citizens by giving wholesale-power to the Executive Branch of the United States Government. Particularly as part of the Congress, you have conceded over and over to President George Bush imperialistic power allowing him to do most anything without proper check and balance required by the Constitution of the United States. As Members of Congress, you have created a Caesar for President, and you have abandoned illegally your constitutionally mandated responsibilities. In general, all Members of Congress have acted in a cowardly manner masking their fear of losing voters pretending to be patriotic Full text

A National Treasure Returns to Ethiopia

Ethiopia unveils ancient obelisk BBC 09/04/2008

Ethiopia is celebrating the unveiling of the reassembled Axum obelisk, one of the country's greatest treasures.

The obelisk, at least 1,700 years old, was looted by Italian troops in the 1930s and returned to Ethiopia in 2005.

A giant Ethiopian flag was removed from the obelisk in front of what organisers said was a crowd of tens of thousands in the ancient northern town of Axum.

The ceremony is the last big event of Ethiopia's millennium year, the year 2000 by the country's Coptic calendar.

The president and prime minister were among the officials attending.

4 killed in explosion in Ethiopia USA Today 09/03/2008

Ethiopia: Domestic and Regional Challenges By Terrence Lyons 09/03/08

Ethiopia is becoming increasingly authoritarian and potentially faces a convergence of challenges that will stretch the regime’s capacity to manage multiple crises. The ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party weathered the immediate domestic crises that followed contentious national elections in 2005. Non-competitive local elections in April and the promulgation of a draft proclamation to restrict civil society

Newspaper editor Amare Aregawi freed on bail Update !!

Well-known newspaper editor arrested for article questioning big brewery’s labour practices Reporters Without Borders

Ethiopia, U.S. Billionaire's Titan Resources Signs Oil Accord Bloomberg.com 08/21/2008
The Dallas, Texas-based company will invest as much as $60 million to explore tracts of Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden basin and the northern Blue Nile basin, Abiy Hunegnaw, director of petroleum operations at the Addis Ababa-based ministry, said in a telephone interview yesterday. The two blocks combined cover an area larger than 100,000 square kilometers (38,610 square miles), Hunegnaw said. Titan and Ethiopia agreed to a 25-year production-sharing agreement.

US Suspends African Refugee Program After Discovering Fraud VOA News

Officials say the departments of State and Homeland Security decided to suspend the admissions program after DNA testing of applicants - begun in February in Kenya -- showed that only a fraction of them were actually blood relatives of refugees given residence in the United States.

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION ReliefWeb 08/18/2008

Key Issue: The food security situation in Somali Region has deteriorated following the failure of local crop production in the seven deyr receiving zones for three consecutive seasons, the Regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau (DPPB) notes. The general food price increase and continued decline in livelihood especially from livestock production has further weakened the purchasing power of the community. Serious food shortage is reported in most of the rural areas particularly Fik, Korahe and Gode zones. The community is resorting to unusual coping strategies including large-scale rural-urban migration in parts of Degehabur, Gode and Fik; reduction of meals; high level labor migration; and sale of productive female animals in Shinile, Korahe, Fik, Warder and Afder zones. Water scarcity has further exacerbated contributing to increased migration. Further, partners report that the level of intervention in Somali region needs to be scaled-up as current interventions are meeting a proportion of the identified needs in the region.

Embracing Ethiopia By Chester Higgins (Courtesy of TADIAS)

Long before I set foot in Ethiopia, the name itself summoned images of Biblical proportion for me and, I believe, for many other African Americans as well. In the Bible, ‘Ethiopia’ is a place of refuge, an amazing mystical land.

Then with the advent of Marcus Garvey and African nationalists, who rallied against the Italian invasion of Ethiopia during the Second World War, Ethiopia became a symbol of resistance to Colonialism. In the 1960s, when Emperor Haile Selassie appeared on national TV during a state visit to the US, millions more African American imaginations burned with the knowledge of an independent African people.

Ethiopia: Pain amid Plenty Time 08/08/2008

Hunger has swept East Africa this year, spurred by poor rains and rising food prices. The U.N. estimates that 14 million people urgently need food aid, including 2.6 million in Somalia and more than 1 million in Kenya. In Ethiopia, 4.6 million people are at risk, and 75,000 children have severe acute malnutrition. Nearly a quarter-century ago, an outright famine led to Live Aid, an international fund-raising effort promoted by rock stars, which produced an outpouring of global generosity: millions of tons of food flooded into the country. Yet, ironically, that very generosity may have contributed to today's crisis.

Eritrea's Border Troubles Council on foreign relations 08/04/2008

"One stupid war is enough," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Newsweek in April 2008, explaining why he doesn't want to war with Eritrea again. Yet a few hundred UN troops are all that stands between the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces massed on either side of the disputed border zone. Those peacekeepers will be withdrawn (Bloomberg) on July 31, when the UN ends its Ethiopia-Eritrea mission. Neither side says it wants war, but experts continue to worry the standoff could spark open conflict, potentially igniting skirmishes across Africa's volatile horn.

Bill Clinton Trades Presidential Trail for Annual African Tour

ABC 08/02/2008

In Ethiopia, health care clinics are few and far between.

There is one clinic for every 120,000 people. The roads are so bad and transportation so limited, that many people who are HIV-positive simply can't access life-saving antiretroviral drugs.

Security Council ends UN monitoring of Eritrea-Ethiopia row 07/30/2008

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to end UN monitoring of the festering border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia but urged the bitter rivals to refrain from any use of force.

The 15-member council adopted a Belgian-drafted resolution terminating the mandate of the 1,700-strong UN mission monitoring the border dispute (UNMEE), which expires Thursday.

Resolution 1827 calls on the two Horn of Africa rivals "to show maximum restraint and refrain from any threat or use of force against each other and to avoid provocative military activities."

Millions of Africans facing starvation Telegraph 07/28/2008

 

More than 14.5 million of the world's poorest people living in five countries across East Africa need immediate help, the United Nations said, 3.6 million more than during the last food crisis of 2006.

This has led to questions why international aid pleas for Africa's hungry are coming ever more frequently and for ever more numbers of people.

"The British public always responds generously to emergency appeals but they public be asking why does this happen year after year," agreed Barbara Stocking, Oxfam's chief executive.

"The answer is that the world consistently fails to address adequately the underlying causes of these crises." That failure means that this year's looming disaster threatens to be among the worst of recent years, due to what Mrs Stocking called a "toxic cocktail" of factors.

Restoring Ethiopia's great obelisk BBC 07/21/2008

Surge in violence pushes Ethiopia, Somalia to crisis point

National Post 07/18/2008

 

Killings, kidnappings and the threat of famine are turning the Horn of Africa into the most dangerous and deadly spot on earth.

Already plagued by drought, food shortages and massive malnutrition, Ethiopia and Somalia are now facing a potentially catastrophic humanitarian crisis, say international aid workers.

"Some people are equating it to 1991 and 1992," when hundreds of thousands died of starvation, said Marilyn McHarg, director of Medecins Sans Frontieres Canada.

"As far as the violence is concerned, we see that it is really deteriorating. The bottom line is anarchy, which impacts on the population."

Sudan says Ethiopia attacked military base

KHARTOUM, July 8 (Reuters) - Sudan's army accused Ethiopian troops on Tuesday of attacking a military camp in northern Sudan and killing about 19 people.

A senior Ethiopian official played down the allegation, saying any "minor incident" on the border could be easily resolved.

Sudan's military spokesman said the attack took place early on Monday in the Jabel Hantub area of Sennar state.

"They hit a camp belonging to the central reserve police and they killed about 19 people," the Sudanese army spokesman said. He did not know how many people were injured.

Is Ethiopia Really Enjoying Economic Development?

By Dr. Seid Hassan

Ethiopia: The true meaning of grass root volunteer service

In Wolayita, one of the most affected areas of Ethiopia, recurrent drought has reduced to almost nothing the availability of food for a chronically food-insecure population. The seasonal rains failed last year and again in the first two months of 2008. Crops that would normally have helped to sustain families through the past four months have not been available. In the village of Bibiso, for Alena Seta and his wife Alkase Ayele the food distribution could not have come at a better moment. Full text

Beyond the Fragile Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea: Averting New War Crisis Group 06/17/2008

the latest report from the International Crisis Group, analyses the frozen border conflict between two states who fought a major war in 1998-2000 and recommends an approach to overcome the stalemate. Following Ethiopia’s refusal to accept virtual demarcation of the border by the now defunct Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission (EEBC), Asmara unilaterally implemented it and forced out the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMEE), significantly raising the stakes and shattering Read the full Crisis Group report

Is Ethiopia government to blame? Have your say BBC

Famine is yet again threatening Africa's second most populous country - but is the government to blame?

Television pictures of starving Ethiopian children are once again on television screens across the world, reminiscent of the images from the 1984 famine .

The Ethiopian government has asked international donors for more than $300 million of emergency aid. More than 4.5 million people are now in need of help because of the drought which affected most of the country earlier this year.

The government has come under criticism for seeking aid money while simultaneously conducting a war in Somalia.

This week, the government announced it will be increasing its military.
Read more for comments

Press Release from TISJD on the Ethio-Sudan Boarder Issue / PDF in Amharic

 

The Sorrow is with us the anger comes latter.
In the 10th anniversary of Ayder School Masacer

The second bomb cut down the fathers, mothers and neighbors who had rushed to the playground upon hearing the children's screams. All told, 48 people were killed, including 10 children under 15. Washington post reporter

By Karl Vick
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, June 8, 1998; Page A01 Full report of Washington report

Tainted cooking oil kills 8 in Ethiopia 06/03/2008

ADDIS ABABA, June 3 (Reuters) - Authorities closed 16 cooking oil factories in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday after eight people were killed and scores sickened by food cooked with contaminated oil.

Three killed in Ethiopia blast: officials AFP 05/28/2008

Negelle Borena is a small town located 595 kilometres (320 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa, in the Oromo region, where rebels have fought for years over claims of marginalisation by the government. Full text

Ethiopia: Ex-Dictator Sentenced to Death New York Times 05/26/2008

Ethiopia to re-erect Axum obelisk AFP 05/22/2008

"This is an operation carried out under the sign of peace," the head of UNESCO's world heritage centre Francesco Bandarin told a news conference, insisting on the event's "major importance for Ethiopia and for Italy."

Italian soldiers carted away the 24-meter (78-foot), third-century AD granite funeral stela on the orders of then-dictator Benito Mussolini in 1937 during his attempt to colonise Ethiopia.

'Three dead' in Addis Ababa blast BBC 05/20/2008

Three people have been killed and nine wounded in a bomb explosion on a minibus in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, police say. The blast occurred at 1930 (1630 GMT) near the Ethiopian foreign ministry. All the dead and wounded were travelling on the bus, police say.

Statement at the Conclusion of the 2008 Article IV Consultation Mission to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia International Monetary Fund

"Ethiopia has recorded impressive growth during the past few years—the fastest for a non-oil exporting country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Growth has been supported by structural reforms and infrastructure development, as well as favorable agricultural conditions. Rapid growth has contributed to poverty reduction and progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, it has also been accompanied by rising pressures on prices and international reserves, exacerbated by sharply higher world oil prices. In March, the 12-month increase of overall inflation was 30 percent, with food price rises of 40 percent (year on year) having a particularly strong negative impact on the urban poor. Reserves were below 2 months of imports.

At least 3 million Ethiopians now need food aid – UN relief wing

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that as many as 6 million children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it is in danger of running out of supplies of relief commodities such as blended food, which is a special supplement for children and other vulnerable groups. full text

Ethiopia: Editor And Three Others Previously Arrested Over Magazine Story Now Out On Bail Allafrica com 05/15/2008

Mahtemework and three others, who have not been identified, appeared in court on May 6. The trial will resume on May 19. The charges are still not clear but local sources say the four are accused of publishing "stirring articles that could incite people." The defendants were held for five days before being released on bail.

Queen of Sheba's Palace Discovered in Ethiopia, University Says Bloomberg.com 05/08/2008

Ethiopian Christians contend that the ark left Jerusalem much earlier -- during the realm of Solomon -- and was brought to Ethiopia, where it has long been enshrined in a church and is now accessible only to its guardian, a monk. This theory was explored by the British author Graham Hancock in ``The Sign and the Seal.''

Ethiopia: A model of African food aid is now in trouble

The Christian Science Monitor 05/05/2008

Ethiopia is seen by aid organizations as a model of how to best help hungry nations. But in an effort to prevent food riots in cities, the government here is again relying on foreign food aid and now prohibits foreign aid groups from buying grains from local farmers. In effect, it may be undermining its own success story.

Ayder Memorial Library Project

Invites you to a fundraising Night

May 03, 2008

Please check their New website for details . WWW.Zkreayder.org

A call for all school Almuni and civic organizations

Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya: Drought DREF Operation No. MDR64002 ReliefWeb 04/24/2008

Drought conditions in several areas of the Greater Horn of Africa, including Djibouti, southern-eastern Ethiopia, and northern-eastern Kenya, are likely to prolong, further exacerbating severe water and pasture shortages and food insecurity. In combination with rising food prices, displacement, market disruptions, civil insecurity and conflict, there is a certain risk of a food crisis and humanitarian emergency for the second time in a little over two years. This operation aims at providing a demonstrated understanding of how people and communities currently affected by drought normally access food, the impact of the drought on their current and future food security, and hence the most appropriate response in areas where they are facing or at risk of facing high to extreme food insecurity. Full report

Envoy: Eritrea's treatment of UN peacekeepers unacceptable

AFP 04/23/2008

Security Council members agree that Eritrea's treatment of U.N. peacekeepers on its disputed border with Ethiopia is "unacceptable," but the council needs more time to deliberate, its president said.The Eritreans have obstructed U.N. peacekeeping efforts for the past 1 1/2 years with its military occupation of part of a buffer zone and restrictions on U.N. night patrols, supply routes and diesel fuel, according to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Direct from the source The Economist 04/18/2008

Ethiopia is the largest African producer. Its coffee sales last year were $425m, representing 36% of export earnings. It has a story to tell: an Ethiopian goatherd, Kaldi, is said to have discovered coffee's stimulating properties in the 9th century. Already, 40% of its production is premium coffee. Until recently, however, that did not yield higher prices for farmers. When the commodity price was low, villages starved.

Ethiopia blames rebels for blasts that killed 3 Reuters 04/16/2008

The attacks in Addis Ababa late on Monday came a day after the nation held the first round of local, regional and federal elections that have prompted opposition claims of harassment.

"This is the work of the enemy, trying to disrupt Ethiopia's ongoing democratic elections," Information Minister Berhan Hailu told Reuters. No arrests have been made yet, police said.

Ethiopia votes in local elections BBC 04/14/2008

The elections covered nearly 4 million positions, from local councils to many of the seats in parliament won by the opposition in 2005 but never taken up.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's EPRDF coalition is expected to win, with its candidates unopposed in many places.

UN chief lays out options for Eritrea-Ethiopia border dispute

AFP 04/11/2008

The UN mission monitoring the bitter dispute between the two Horn of Africa rivals (UNMEE) has temporarily relocated its military personnel and equipment from Eritrea after Asmara cut off diesel fuel supplies to the mission, crippling its monitoring activities.

In view of Eritrea's fuel and other restrictions, the UN secretary general proposes in his report that UNMEE be terminated, "leaving no United Nations peacekeeping presence in the area."

Ethiopia: Country Loses $1.4m Daily in Opportunity Costs Says Expert

All Africa.com 04/08/2008

Containers are kept for an average of 20 days (on sea port yard) and 45 days (inside the dry port), while vehicles stay for 28 days. Worse is break-bulk that is held up for two months. Although Port of Djibouti is believed to have a handling capacity of 22.5 million tonnes a year, it is with only one third of cargo pile-up that the congestion has occurred.

This costs Ethiopia, the largest user of the port, a considerable amount of money both in demurrage and opportunity cost, according to maritime experts. An Ethiopian senior expert in maritime transport estimated the daily losses due to warehouse fee at close to 200,000 dollars, while the opportunity cost from keeping cargo inside the port is estimated to reach 1.4 million dollars a day, says Mr. Hadi, the commercial director.

Ethiopia: Country Sentences Five Mengistu Officers to Death

Allafrican 04/07/2008

Ethiopian Air Force officers were accused of bombing Hawzen in the northern Tigray region, killing hundreds of civilians on a market day on June 23, 1980, prosecutors said.

Ethiopia arrests 8 suspects in oilfield attack Reuters 03/30/2008

The state-run Ethiopian News Agency said the detainees belonged to the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which killed 74 people during the April 2007 attack in the remote eastern

Ayder Memorial Library project

Invites you ta a fundraising Night

May 03, 2008 Full detailes

Lost shoe can't stop Bekele being crowned king of Holyrood

KENENISA Bekele lost a shoe for the first time yesterday, but won the IAAF World Cross Country Championship for the sixth.

Having equalled the five victories of Paul Ngugi and Paul Tergat two years ago, the Ethiopian is now the only man to win six long-course titles, and at the age of 25 is already established as one of the greatest distant athletes of all time.

FAO/WFP crop and food security assessment mission to Ethiopia (Phase 2) ReliefWeb 03/20/2008

The CFSAM phase-2 mission sought to integrate the findings of two assessments that took place more-or-less simultaneously in November and December 2007: the CFSAM phase-1 crop and food supply assessment and the government-led, multi-agency Meher emergency food security assessment (EFSA). The highlights are as follows:detailed report

NZ helps in African border dispute One News New Zealand 03/21/2008

"It's almost as good as being in the field and there's no mosquitoes," says Robertson.

UN Security Council Considers Somalia Options VOA 03/21/2008

Diplomats say sending a U.N. peacekeeping force to Somalia is not an immediate possibility. But it is one of several options Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has laid out for the council to consider in a new report on the situation in Somalia. 

Zalmay Khalilzad is the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

Blast on Ethiopia-Eritrea border BBC 03/13/2008

There has been a deadly explosion in a bus on the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopian officials said at least seven people were killed and 10 wounded when the bus exploded in the Ethiopian-controlled town of Humera.

They said they believed an explosive device had been attached to the bus.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices  - Ethiopia State Department

Government forces and armed elements of the ONLF were responsible for numerous targeted killings in the Somali Region during the year (see section 1.g.)

Security forces committed politically motivated killings during the year. Security forces committed arbitrary killings during the year. For example, on January 16, two police officers beat, shot, and killed Tesfaye Taddese, who was an organizer for the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) during the 2005 parliamentary elections. An autopsy later revealed that the victim had lost several teeth and one eye from the beating before being shot. The police officers were arrested and an investigation was ongoing at year's end. See Eritrea

Over 700 blue helmets relocated out of Eritrea UN News Center

More than 700 peacekeepers have been temporarily relocated to their home countries from Eritrea, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) reported.

A total of 397 Jordanian blue helmets and 305 Indian troops have returned to their respective countries, and the Mission notes that more flights out of Asmara are scheduled for next week to fly remaining UN personnel in Eritrea home.

 

Congressional Record Statement of Senator Russ Feingold
On the Political Crisis in Ethiopia U.S. Senaror Rus Feingold of Wisconsin

Mr. President, I am seriously concerned about the direction Ethiopia is headed – because according to many credible accounts, the political crisis that has been quietly growing and deepening over the past few years may be coming to a head. For years, faced with calls for political or economic reforms, the Ethiopian government has displayed a troubling tendency to react with alarmingly oppressive and disproportionate tactics Full text

Ethiopia Taps Grain Exchange In Its Battle on Hunger The Wall street Journal 02/26/2008

Their timing couldn't be better, with global grain prices soaring. From a world-wide perspective, more-productive farming here could help meet a surge in grain demand that has Western growers straining to keep up. World stockpiles of one crop that will be traded on the exchange here, wheat, are projected to reach 30-year lows.

In Ethiopia, does staying silent save lives?The Christian Science Monitor 02/25/2008

KENYA: Armed and dangerous IRIN 02/22/2008

Kenya is at risk of plunging into a new wave of violence, despite progress in negotiations to end a political crisis, because several armed groups are mobilising on all sides of the country’s ethno-political divisions, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank.

Firearms are much less widely available in Kenya than in neighbouring countries. In the context of this article, “armed groups” include those using machetes, spears, poison arrows and clubs.

UN Ethiopia-Eritrea peacekeepers move to Asmara Reuters 02/19/2008

Ethiopia arrests over 300 police for rebel links: AFP report 02/18/2008

Over 300 police officers suspected of links with separatists rebels have been arrested in Ethiopia's restive Ogaden region as part of a government crackdown, state-media reported on Monday

UN Withdraws Troops From Eritrean Border as Fuel Embargo Begins Bloomberg 02/14/2008

The first soldiers crossed the border by road to camps in Ethiopia on Feb. 11 and the main force began a temporary relocation yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office said.

``Without the fuel needed to conduct its operations, the mission has been effectively immobilized and rendered unable to carry out its critical functions,'' Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas said in a statement.

UN peacekeepers have patrolled the border since a 1998-2000 war between the two countries ended. The Eritrean government stopped diesel fuel supplies on Dec. 1 and protested when the Security Council voted Jan. 30 to extend the mandate of the 1,700-strong force.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's government is demanding that Ethiopia withdraw its soldiers from land it says was awarded to Eritrea by an independent boundary commission. Landlocked Ethiopia is seeking an agreement that would allow it access to Eritrean ports on the Red Sea in return for withdrawing its forces.

UN peacekeepers start pulling out of Eritrea Reuters 02/14/2008

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations has begun moving its peacekeeping force acting as a buffer along the Eritrean-Ethiopian border from Eritrea to Ethiopia after Asmara cut off fuel supplies, the world body said Thursday.

Ethiopia said Monday it would temporarily host the force but the mission would only have administrative, not operational status

Ethiopia agrees to temporarily host UN peacekeepers Reuters 02/08/2008

However, UNMEE forces being relocated in Ethiopia for a short time would not be operational, but only have an administrative status," it added.

21 Killed, 100 Wounded in Somalia Attack

Associated Press 02/07/2008

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A grenade attack in northeastern Somalia killed 21 people and wounded 100, officials said Wednesday, raising the toll a day after the explosion.

The grenade blew up Tuesday in a crowded residential neighborhood in Bossaso, a port town in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, officials said. At the time, authorities said 15 people had been killed and 50 wounded.

U.N. officials later provided updated figures showing that 21 people died and 100 were hurt, regional Gov. Muse Geele Yusuf said. Most were believed to be Ethiopians on their way to find work in the Arabian Peninsula, which lies across the Gulf of Aden, officials said. Full text

UN mission to relocate unless Eritrea lifts fuel restrictions in next two days

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Feb. 4, 2008

In a letter sent to the Security Council last Friday, Mr. Ban pointed out that the Mission’s fuel stocks will run out in the coming few days, leaving only the strategic reserves, which are intended exclusively for emergency evacuation purposes.

The Secretary-General said that if the Eritrean authorities do not reinstate the fuel supplies by 6 February, he will be compelled to instruct UNMEE to begin relocating the mission personnel and equipment from Eritrea, to avoid a total immobilization of the Mission and endangering the safety and security of UN personnel

 

SECURITY COUNCIL, CONCERNED ABOUT CONTINUING TENSION IN TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE, EXTENDS MANDATE OF UNITED NATIONS

MISSION IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA full text Security Council

Security Council extends UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea Un News Center 01/30/2008

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council called on the two sides to “show maximum restraint and refrain from any threat or use of force against each other, avoid provocative military activities and put an end to the exchange of hostile statements.”

The 15-member body also emphasized that “Eritrea and Ethiopia bear the primary responsibility for achieving a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the border dispute and normalizing their relations.”

New revelations about Eiraeiro prison camp Reporters without Borders 01/30/2008

UN’s Ethiopia-Eritrea force at risk Financial Times 01/30/208

The eight-year-old UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was deployed after a 1998-2000 border war in which 70,000 people were killed. The crisis that has paralysed the mission is the latest sign of worsening relations between the two countries. It comes at a time when the outside world is preoccupied with the deteriorating situations in nearby Kenya and in Somalia, where both Ethiopia and Eritrea have a strategic interest. Full text

African Union Chief Warns of Possible Genocide In Kenya

Konare said Sunday he had received a message from Kofi Annan, who is trying to broker a deal that would end the weeks of clashes that have killed more than 700 Kenyans and displaced at least a quarter of a million full text VOA 01/28/2008

AU Chairperson urges African FA Ministers to respect principles of democracy By Omer Redi

"Africa is one from north to south and from east to west, there is nothing like northern Africa opposed to sub-Saharan Africa", said the Chairperson of the Commission. He also said partnerships should not be done in a fragmented way between stakeholders and African countries, but rather in solidarity by letting Africa speak with one voice.

Seeye Abraha:  The Transformative Personality in Ethiopian Politics

By: Bereket Kiros

Ethiopia claims 234 Eritrean soldiers deserted in January

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — More than 450 Eritreans, including 234 soldiers, fled their country into Ethiopia in January alone, Ethiopia's adminstration for refugee and returnee affairs said Friday in a statement.

The statement said 469 Eritreans "fleeing oppression in their country" crossed into Ethiopia since the start of the year, including 54 women. Full text

Building food security for families in Ethiopia ReliefWeb 01/22/2008

Belaynesh Alemu is a resident of Siltie Woreda (district) in Gerbiber village. She became a single mother two years ago, which left her without any income to support her five children. To make ends meet, she moved in with her mother and began selling sugarcane and Areki, a local type of alcohol, for subsistence full text

 

Linking Rights and Foreign Aid for Ethiopia: The Case of HR 2003

Abigail Salisbury currently teaches at the the Mekelle University Law Faculty in Mek'ele, Ethiopia

 

Eritrea accepts "virtual" border with Ethiopia

ASMARA (Reuters) - Eritrea has accepted a "virtual demarcation" of its border with Ethiopia and wants Addis Ababa to remove its troops from Eritrean soil, a statement published on Wednesday said.

The two nations have been deadlocked over a 1,000 km (620 mile) border since a 2002 decision by an independent boundary commission gave the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea.

The Hague-based commission -- set up by a peace deal ending the 1998-2000 war -- "virtually" demarcated the border late last year based on the 2002 decision after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on their shared frontier. full text

 Kenya braces for tough week

 

But for many around the east African nation, the top priority was getting millions of children back to their studies after a one-week delay because of the turmoil since President Mwai Kibaki's re-election in a disputed December 27 vote.

 

SEYE ABRAHA: MYTH AND REALITY

By Tecola W. Hagos

 

The audience had irrupted with spontaneous applause in response to several key statements made by Seye during his two-hour speech. When Seye addressed the issue of the conflict and later war with Eritrea, there was an absolutely charged silence, people edging to the front of their seats, and straining their ears in order not to miss a single word. After Seye informed the audience that his was the only voice of dissent against the approval of the 2000 Algiers Agreement expressed as an abstention, the Audience applauded the loudest. Seye explained the main difference between the positions of fellow Officials (the Meles and Sebhat Group) and his was that he was adamant that the war against Eritrea should be prosecuted in the best national interest of Ethiopia.   full analysis

 

Seeye Abraha, Ethiopia’s National Treasure, speaks Truth to Power: An outline of Seeye’s New Thinking. full analysis

By Tedros Kiros, PhD

Ethiopia: Gov't Officials to Register Assets, Interests The Daily Moniton 01/2/2008

The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is preparing on the law that will oblige governmental and public institution officials to register their property in assets including financial interests, a senior official said on Monday According to Consultant Wendatir Deneke, the move was in an effort by the commission to exercise its power fully and discharge duties responsibilities of combating corruption and other impropriety.

Food security at risk in Ethiopia’s Somali region, UN warns UN news Center 12/31/2007

The humanitarian situation in the region has been compounded by poor rains and the decreasing availability of pasture and water, while food prices are being pushed up by restrictions on the cross-border movement of goods, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Exchange of gunfire on Eritrea-Ethiopia border: UN 12/27/2007

Some 200,000 troops are deployed along the border, fueling international fears of a new flare-up after the failure of a mediation between the two foes.

A border panel was dissolved a month ago with Ethiopia refusing to recognise a ruling that granted Eritrea a flashpoint border town. Full details

Ethiopia: Prisoners of conscience unfairly convicted; face possible 10-year prison terms

Amnesty International today condemned the convictions of two human rights defenders in Ethiopia on charges of provoking and preparing "outrages against the Constitution", saying that the two men are prisoners of conscience arrested solely for their peaceful human rights work. Both have been held in prison since November 2005. Full text

Ethiopia cracks open airwaves to commercial radio Christian Science Monitor 12/18/2007

In a country that has one of the most tightly controlled presses in the world, some skeptics think the issuance of the two radio licenses is no more than a token gesture by the government. Press freedom has deteriorated sharply here in the past five years, along with political freedom, according to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists and the Washington-based Freedom House.

Nonetheless, some free-press supporters in Ethiopia, too, see the move as a potential watershed. Tafari Wossen, a leading communications consultant, says the new private radio stations – even if part of a public relations maneuver – may stoke the growing demands for free press. "My generation had no concept of press freedom," he says. "Now the public is developing a taste for it."

Ethiopia denies Somalia bombing BBC 12/14/2007

Ethiopian troops backing the interim Somali government were earlier reported to be behind Thursday's shelling, in which more than 40 people were injured. Eyewitnesses said the deadly shells landed among shoppers. Ethiopian government adviser Berekat Simon said the insurgents had been severely weakened, so Ethiopia had no need to target markets.

However, in what is seen as a rare admission of the Somali government's weakness, a senior national security ministry official on Thursday said that 80% of the country is outside government control and not safe.

Free Assefa!! petition from concerned Tigreans

 

Seeye Abraha’s interview with Dehay after 6 years of incarceration. pdf

UN relief chief sounds alarm about crises in Ethiopia, Darfur and Somalia UN news center 12/07/2007

In Ethiopia’s impoverished Somali region, where the conflict between Government forces and the Ogaden National Liberation Front has intensified this year, he noted that fears are growing that up to 4.5 million people could soon face famine-like conditions. Full story

Highway linking Sudan, Ethiopia inaugurated China view 12/07/2007

In his address at the ceremony, the Sudanese president noted that the 156 km-long highway extending from Doka to the Ethiopian town of Matama would further boost the social relations between the two sisterly countries.

    Al-Bashir also reiterated his government's keenness on linking all neighboring countries through roads and telecommunications.

Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission Ends Work With No Resolution VOA 12/01/2007

The boundary commission dissolved itself Friday after a deadline passed for the two neighboring countries to agree on a new border.

Eritrea-Ethiopia deadline expires BBC 11/30/2007

A deadline for long-time foes Ethiopia and Eritrea to agree their shared border is to expire at midnight.

The date was set a year ago by the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission which was created following a bloody border war between the two countries. The commission says if it fails to hear anything it will consider the line it has drawn as the official border. Both sides say they accept its ruling, but neither has moved their troops to their own side of a buffer zone. Some 80,000 people died during the 1998-2000 war.

The United Nations has a peacekeeping force of 1,700 charged with monitoring a security zone along the new border.

 

Ethiopia: Opposition Urge for Fulfillment of Conditions Prior Elections

All African 11/26/2007

The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) expressed their concerns regarding the "unsuitable" conditions for holding the impending local elections and by-elections.

Ayder test

 

US to Double Aid to Ethiopia's Ogaden

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Henrietta Fore's talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi touched on tensions along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border and on efforts to rush emergency food aid to the insurgency-wracked Ogaden region.

 

HOW TRUE STATESMEN PERCEIVE ETHIOPIA

By Tecola W. Hagos

Ethiopia and Eritrea: Stopping the Slide to War Full report by the International Crisis Group

Don’t Turn on Ethiopia By VICKI HUDDLESTON and TIBOR NAGY

Sadly, Congress is poised to fuel the march toward war by passing a bill that threatens to cut off technical assistance to Ethiopia, one of our closest allies, if it does not, among other things, release political prisoners, ensure that the judiciary operates independently and permit the news media to operate freely. Ethiopia has already freed opposition leaders, reformed parliamentary rules to give opposition parties greater legislative responsibility and approved a new media law that meets international standards. By singling out Ethiopia for public embarrassment, the bill puts Congress unwittingly on the side of Islamic jihadists and insurgents.

US urges restraint to avert new Eritrea-Ethiopia war AFP 11/10/2007

"We are concerned about the military build up and tension on the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement

UN chief concerned at troop buildup along Eritrea-Ethiopia border ReliefWeb 11/07/2007

The continued stalemate on this issue (demarcation), the tension between the two parties and the military buildup along the border area are matters of serious concern," he said in his latest report, released here Wednesday.

Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Tensions Raise New International Alert VOA 11/07/2007

“We’ve been deeply concerned about the movement of some four to five-thousand Eritrean troops into the temporary security zone.  In addition, we’ve seen some movements from Ethiopia of troops towards the border, in some continuing buildup outside the temporary security zone by the Eritrean forces, such that we now have literally hundreds of thousands of forces facing off against each other.  In some cases, we’re looking at a distance between a potential combatant of less than 100 meters,” he warns.

New Eritrea-Ethiopia war fears BBC 11/05/2007

The International Boundary Commission has given the two countries till the end of November to mark the border physically or it will fix it on maps.

Uniquely in Africa, Ethiopia was never really colonised by Europeans

But its singular history has been a curse as much as a blessing. As the rest of Africa decolonised and modernised, albeit fitfully, after the second world war, Ethiopia remained stuck fast in a feudal fantasy presided over by a diminutive emperor, Haile Selassie. He was deposed only in 1974, by which time the modern world had largely passed Ethiopia by and the country had become known for poverty and famine. It still is.

Ethiopia was further damaged by the committee of military officers, known as the Derg, that overthrew the emperor. That regime degenerated into a “red terror” of gulags and summary executions; it also lost an expensive, wasteful war with Tigrayan and Eritrean separatists over what would become, in 1993, the new country of Eritrea. The Derg produced the dreadful famines of 1984-85, the first to be alleviated mainly by the efforts of Bob Geldof and a phalanx of rock stars Full text by the Economist 11/01/2007

Uncertainty Haunts Refugees as Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Tensions Rise VOA 10/31/2007

The red dirt streets of Shimelba refugee camp are as wide as a four lane-highway. But under the cloudless blue sky of this late October afternoon, not a car can be seen. Here and there, children play, veiled women trudge along, bent under the weight of twin buckets of water dangling from a branch balanced on their shoulders. Inside walled gardens, groups of men sit, whiling away the hours, the months, the years, playing cards.

Journalists Say Press Freedoms Lacking in Ethiopia VOA 10/31/2007

The Committee to Protect Journalists says Ethiopia is the country where press freedom has most deteriorated in the past five years. The international press watchdog group says that Ethiopian journalists routinely face censorship, harassment and imprisonment if they publish reports critical of the government. Cathy Majtenyi recently visited Ethiopia and sends this report to VOA.

Analyst Sees Ethiopian, US Pressure Behind Somali Prime Minister Resignation VOA 10/29/2007

Ali Mohamed Gedi has resigned as Prime Minister of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, the TFG. The resignation follows a power struggle between Gedi and President Abdullahi Yusef. However, as the power struggle continued, so did the insurgency sparked by the presence of Ethiopian troops. 

Eritrea expels over 800 Ethiopians home - official Sudan Tribune

He said I would rather refuse to tell my name because for every word I speak here with you, consequences could be followed to my families, who are left behind.”

UN Move on Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Issue Raises Fears of Stalemate Collapse 10/26/2007 VOA

With its U.N. mandate expiring in less than five weeks, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission acknowledges that seven years of negotiations to demarcate the border have largely failed. Full text

Ethiopia unveils first locally made car( Abay-Blue Nile ) IOL 10/19/2007

"We are bringing new technology to the country, offering customers to buy new cars instead of older and more expensive ones from Europe," Tadesse Tessema, co-founder the company

Cardiac surgeon lends a hand in native Ethiopia by DESIREE COOPER

In 1958, Asfaw's parents bought him a ticket to America on a cargo ship. He made the two-week voyage alone and was greeted on these shores by a sponsoring family in Virginia. full text

Ethiopia hosts Somali rift talks BBC 10/18/2007

She says the whole carefully pieced-together structure in Somalia is teetering, not because of Islamist attacks but because of a quarrel between the two leading players Mr Ghedi and President Abdullahi Yusuf.

Ethiopia: NeBE Approves Registration of New Political Parties Board Needs 75 Million Birr to Hold Local Elections 10/16/2007

The board is studying the application for registrations of the Oromo Peoples Congress (Regional party), the Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty (National party) and the Movement for Ethiopian Democratic Unity (National Party), among others, the Cahirperson indicated.

Ethiopia: a new view from a 4x4

by Sarah Jacobs

feel safe here - much safer than I do in London. Never before have I stepped off a plane in an African city - any city in fact - where I'm reassured it's safe to take a taxi on my own at night. Or where the first cab driver I meet accepts a knock-down fare because "it's your first time in Ethiopia". Full text

U.N. chief calls on Ethiopia and Eritrea to exercise "utmost restraint

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Thursday at rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea and urged the feuding Horn of Africa neighbors to exercise "utmost restraint."The appeal from the U.N. chief followed a call by Ethiopia's president to lawmakers on Monday to boost the country's military in the face of what he called a growing threat from longtime rival Eritrea. full text International Herald Tribune 10/12/2007

Ethiopia's president is urging the country's parliament to approve money for a military buildup in preparation for a possible war with neighboring Eritrea. Full text

Dismissive Ethiopia tests US indulgence FT.com 10/10/2007

In public, Jendayi Frazer, the US State department’s top Africa diplomat, remains staunchly pro-Ethiopian and the White House is known to be unhappy with this month’s congressional bill. But one US official says Washington has “titanic arguments” on many subjects with Mr Meles, whose star has fallen since he was hailed in the 1990s as one of a new generation of African leaders. “The Ethiopians are very proud and very independent,” the official adds. “On security, they have supported us strongly, but they also take positions which are not in line with ours.”

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Subcommittee on African and Global Health

Subcommittee Hearing on Ethiopia's Human Right Issues

Testimony by Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi E. Frazer and others

Editorial: Opposing H. R. 2003 by Tecola Hagos

May I remind every one that Ethiopia is not the “Fifty First” State of the United States. I cannot fathom the arrogance of this upstart Congress of the United States to have the temerity to title its local legislation “Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007” aimed to dictate to a nation that just celebrated its “Third” Millennium of existence, as an independent and sovereign nation. The United States and its arrogant Congress are barely two hundred years old.

Eritrea rejects Ethiopia warning BBC 09/26/2007

"Eritrea has nothing to do on this issue and as far as Eritrea is concerned, everything that has been said is irrelevant," Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told the BBC

Ethiopia threatens to terminate fragile peace accord with Eritrea AFP 9/25/2007

Press Release from The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has today transmitted a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea by which the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia notifies the State of Eritrea of its material breaches of the Algiers Agreements and of Ethiopia’s entitlement to invoke the breaches as grounds for considering its legal and peaceful options, including terminating the Agreements or suspending their ope ration in whole or in part.

Ethiopia: Towards a Real Renaissance!! The Reporter 09/24/2007

The residents of Jimma have, on New Year's day, condemned all forms of religious and ethnic conflicts and vowed to act in unison as Ethiopians. This feeling is one instance of a renaissance.--------------------------

Araaya said the opposition leaders signed the statement voluntarily with an apology to the Ethiopian government “We signed it voluntarily. We apologized to the people, to the government. Yes, we did. That’s what the paper said, and that’s what we signed,” he said. full text VOA 09/19/2007

Ethiopia says Eritrea must change stance on border dispute AP 09/17/2007

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Monday that Eritrea must change its stance if the protracted border dispute between the two countries is to be resolved.

Happy Ethiopian New Year September 11,2007

We thank Ethiopia for keeping up the flame of African unity Alpha Oumar Konare AU chairman Full text

Ethiopians in Washington, DC Celebrate Their Millennium VOA 09/13/2007

 

Ethiopia gets set for new Millennium BBC 09/10/2007

Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is ready for the new Millennium. Coloured lights are strung from the lamp posts - red, yellow and green like the national flag.

Somali opposition leaders unite against Ethiopia AP 09/06/2007

ASMARA (AFP) — Somali opposition figures, including top Islamist leaders, opened a 10-day congress in Eritrea on Thursday with a call for a swift withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from their war-torn country.

Warning of new Horn of Africa war BBC 09/06/2007

"After my last visit in the region, which took place in June, I really fear an escalating of the conflict and I will not exclude the possibility of a new war," Mr Bondevik warned.

Tens of thousands displaced by Ethiopia floods Reuters 09/04/2008

Particularly in the western part of the country, the risk of further flooding remains high," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in a statement.

Ethiopia denies civilians in conflict areas access to medical care EITB @24 09/04/2007

Doctors Without Borders said it was impossible to know how many people were hungry in the parched, famine-prone area without being able to do a proper assessment, but team members had seen no commercial trucks carrying food in areas where the fighting was fiercest, and had seen several cases of malnutrition before they were forced to pull out over deteriorating security.

US Announces Emergency Aid to Ethiopia's Ogaden Region VOA 08/24/2007

The U.S. says most of the $18.7 million will help provide food assistance through the United Nations World Food Program.  Some funds also will help pay for health, nutrition, and livelihood programs.

Ethiopian Air eyes routes to USA, Canada USA Today 08/20/2007

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake told ATWOnline that the carrier is trying to get permission to fly to Toronto and hopes to fly to New York JFK, Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta. ET's current North American service comprises six-times-weekly flights to Washington Dulles. Wake said the carrier also is considering two more destinations in India and China, where it currently serves five markets combined.

Back in Africa, Ethiopian plans to open its new hub in Lome by October. "We will lease two 737-300s or -400s for this operation and try to fly from Lome to five stations," he said. Opening further hubs on the continent is under discussion, with Lusaka and Harare among the options. ET, which operates 24 Boeing jets and five turboprops, will take delivery of its 12th 767-300ER in about two weeks, with a 13th to follow. It introduce its first 787 in September 2008 and will take a second the following month. "By 2010, I expect to have a total fleet of 30 jets," Wake added.

by Kurt Hofmann

Ethiopia Releases 32 Opposition Members Held for Two Years VOA 08/18/2007

Their release comes after Ethiopia pardoned another 38 opposition members last month. That group had received life sentences in court the week before their pardons.

None of the 32 freed Saturday had been charged in court with any crimes.

Fears after volcano in Ethiopia BBC 08/15/2007

Two people are reported missing in the remote north-eastern Afar region of Ethiopia after a volcanic eruption over the weekend

Ethiopia New Year terror thwarted BBC 08/15/2007

A statement from Ethiopia's anti-terrorism taskforce blamed the plot on members of the OLF acting, it said, on behalf of the Eritrean government.

Ethiopia signs Petronas to develop Ogaden gas field Gulf news 08/14/2007

"The agreement signed between Ethiopia and Petronas focuses on the development and marketing of Kalub and Hilal gas deposits in the Ogaden," said a Ministry of Mines and Energy official, who declined to be named. The official said $1.9 million would be paid in "administrative costs", but gave no total value for the deal

US tells Eritrea to close down consulate Middle East Times 08/13/2007

Officials in Asmara said that the closure reflected US support for neighboring Ethiopia, which remains in a tense border standoff with Eritrea following their 1998-2000 bloody war.
In Ethiopia, elders dissolve a crisis the traditional way Christian Science Monitor 08/09/2007

"In our tradition there is forgiveness and elders mediate and we do not believe in grudge and vengeance," Mr. Isaac explains. "This is a very rich culture."

Ethiopia sends 'Lucy' to the US IOL 08/07/2007

Lucy, named after the Beatles' song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," was discovered by American paleontologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray in 1974 in Ethiopia's northern Afar region.

Ethiopia carries out rare execution Reuters 08/03/2007

"Major Tsehai was executed after his appeal for clemency to the Supreme Court was turned down and his death sentence was approved by President Girma Wolde Giorgise," the Federal Prison Administration said in a statement.

Civilians die in Mogadishu battle BBC 08/03/2007

A BBC correspondent said most of the dead are civilians whose houses were bombarded by mortars

Security Council extends UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea UN news center 07/30/2007

Expressing regret over the lack of progress on demarcation, the Council called upon the parties to implement completely and without further delay or preconditions the delimitation decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, and to participate constructively and with sufficient authority in the 6 September meeting convened by that body in New York

What next for Ethiopia's freed leaders? BBC 07/23/2007

Their pardon was total - as well as their freedom, their civic rights were restored and they were free to vote and stand for public office.

Secondly, he said, pardon could be conditional or unconditional. Theirs was conditional, on their abiding by the promises they made in the letter they signed, asking for pardon.

Ethiopia Pardons 38 Opposition Members VOA 07/20/2007

Just hours after the pardons were announced, three buses were seen taking the 38 to freedom. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he hoped the pardons, issued Thursday but announced Friday, would show that his government would give people a second chance if they ask for it.

 

Press Release from the coordinating committee : Ato Siye Abraha's release from prison. July 07/15/2007 PDF in Amharic

Ethiopia life jail terms attacked BBC 07/16/2007

High court judge Adil Ahmed also barred the 30 Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leaders from voting or standing for election.

By Belay Gessese

 

Ethiopia: Seeye Abreha Out From Jail Addis fortune

The Reporter

 

Eritrea arrests head of British Council Guardian unlimited 07/11/2007

The diplomat is normally resident in Ethiopia, Eritrea's neighbour and foe. He has been prevented from flying home on at least one occasion since the incident. The British Council and Foreign Office have confirmed the arrest and travel restriction but declined to name the men involved.

Tigregna Poem by Kassa 07/10/2007

Death Sentences Recommended in Ethiopia Guardian 07/09/2007

The court is expected to issue a sentence on July 16. The accused, who have chosen not to defend themselves, did not speak during Monday's session but will have a chance to do so during next week's court session

Ethiopia’s uniquely African millenium

Ethiopia — known for its ancient history and rich heritage — is the only country in the world that has preserved the ancient Ethiopian Orthodox faith-based Julian calendar, which is seven years behind the Gregorian calendar that is commonly used by the rest of the world. 

Ethiopia's democracy on trial BBC 07/09/2007

In truth, these defendants always seemed like improbable candidates for armed insurrection - elderly professors in tweed or corduroy jackets, earnest young lawyers, a middle aged matron in a suit.

Africa: Accra Declaration - The Grand Debate AllAfrica.com 07/05/2007

4. We agree on the importance of involving the African peoples, including Africans in the Diaspora, in the processes leading to the formation of the Union Government

Ethiopia Says Jailed Opposition Leaders' Fate Rests With Judicial Process VOA 07/05/2007

In the past weeks there has been conflicting information about the fate of 38 Ethiopian opposition leaders jailed since that country’s 2005 election. They were convicted last month on charges of high treason and are scheduled to be sentenced sometime this month.

Eritrean refugees fly out of Ethiopia for a new life in the United States

Several hundred withdrew their applications for resettlement, apparently due to their strong sense of kinship and a desire to remain close to their ancestral lands. They hope that one day a lasting political solution will be found and they will be able to return home.

Ethiopia 'ready for Eritrea war' BBC 06/28/2007

United Nations peacekeepers are monitoring a buffer zone along the border but Ethiopia has long accused Eritrean troops of infiltrating the zone.

By: Kassa

East Africa: There's More Than a Border in Ethiopia, Eritrea Conflict All African 06/27/2007

So what happened that two cooperating liberation movements have convulsed the Horn of Africa through their conflict? The reasons have been about constitutions, economies, and regional security as well as geography. First, Eritrea's independence devastated Ethiopia's internal politics.

The Other Side of the Moon: Dead Beginnings and Dead Ends

 By: Gebre Yemane

Ethiopian Prisoners Sign Paper in Bid for Release World in Brief 06/21/2007
Only some of the 38 political detainees, whom Amnesty International has called prisoners of conscience, have agreed to sign the document. Others, including the senior opposition leaders, have refused, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are involved in the discussions.

When winning in a free election becomes a crime! By Solomon Medhanie 06/19/2007

The TRUTH behind EPRDF’S embarrassing loss of the entire seats in Addis was its own making. Its failure to tackle, in some sectors encourage, massive corruptions; its total ignorance to the plight of the Ethiopians when Shabia was brutally deporting them from the place they’ve known for years; its mistreatments and imprisonments of the Tegadelties who sacrificed their entire lives once in office; its gross violations of human rights and reported mass killings in Awassa, Gambella, etc.; its total negligence to take precautionary measures to protect the people in the border areas; its illegal deportations of thousands of innocent people to Eritrea Full text

Ethiopia verdict 'not political' BBC 06/12/2007

Sentencing is next month and they could face the death penalty, says the BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia: Country Likely to Take Highest Share of Bush's $30 Billion HIV/Aids Plan

Development Outreach and Communication Officer with the USAID/Ethiopia, Kimberly R. Glowers, told The Daily Monitor the five-year, $30 billion proposal would double the United States initial $15 billion commitment made in 2003.

IS EPRDF VERIDICAL ON ETHIOPIAN NATIONALISM ISSUES By Solomon Medhanie 06/07/2007

EDITORIAL: Part One: On the Interview Given by Sebhat Nega
By Tecola W. Hagos

I. The Treason of Sebhat Nega
In one ignominious interview on May 28, 2007, Sebhat Nega, the man regarded by many as the father of the TPLF, totally exposed his record of long struggle for utterly parochial cause against his own motherland Ethiopia. I listened to the interview a week later on June 3, 2007. I was shocked to my very core by the arrogance of Sebhat Nega’s uncalled for bravado and treasonous confession. I was appalled by his self-congratulatory expose of his past and present undying support of Eritrea at great cost and detriment to Ethiopia. I lost what ever little residual respect I might have for this man and his associates for just being human beings after listening to his interview.  Please read full text

Siye Abrah's court case is adjourned until June 22, 2007.

Ethiopia charges 55 govt opponents with rebellion Mail & Guardian Online 06/07/2007

Ethiopia said on Thursday it had detained 50 government and company officials for graft

They came from the Customs Authority, Addis Ababa City Administration, the Wonji Sugar Factory and various banks.

Ethiopia: Cut Flower Industry Said to Be One of the Biggest Exporters All Africa 05/30/2007

Jonathan Dimbleby Big Interviews - Meles Zenawi Video Information 05/27/2007

But are these policies enough to make Ethiopia a lower middle-income country in 20 years? And how does the Prime Minister counter allegations that some of his actions make him nothing less than a run-of-the-mill African autocrat

Teferra Walwa's

Comment Reporter 05/27/2007

Meseret Defar breaks world record Pravda 05/21/2007a

Ethiopia offers bountiful tales of beauty and history The Brunei Times 05/18/07

Yet, even mentioning the prospect of visiting Ethiopia is enough to shock friends and acquaintances. Recounting the wonders of the country its ancient culture, the proud and friendly people, a wild, romantic countryside and a capital city with a pulsating nightlife is usually encountered with sheer amazement. TV footage of parched land and the Live Aid concerts has fostered an image of Ethiopia as "famine country".

Deal Is Reached in Senate on Immigration New York Times 05/17/2007

The bill would provide an opportunity “right away” for millions of illegal aliens to correct their status, said Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts. It would emphasize family ties as well as employment skills in weighing how soon immigrants could become legal residents, he said.

Ethiopia warned on Somali pullout BBC 05/15/2007

"It would be a mistake for Ethiopia to withdraw. That said, we certainly want them to withdraw from Somalia as soon as possible," she told the BBC's Newshour programme.

Famed Harlem church celebrates 200 years AP 05/15/2007

A group of Ethiopian sea traders in lower Manhattan refused to participate in segregated church services and formed their own congregation, naming it for their homeland and taking many free blacks from other churches with them

Ethiopia says UN failing on Eritrea border dispute Reuters AlertNet 05/10/2007

Analysts say the lack of a final resolution over the border has boosted tensions that are being played out in a proxy war in neighbouring Somalia and insurgent attacks in Ethiopia

Somali government to confiscate houses that hide weapons Shabelle 04/10/2007

The allied forces confiscated the largest number of arms in a house in Yaqshid neighborhood, north of Somali Capital Mogadishu, today according government officials who spoke to journalists over the military weapons search operation

UN Security Council press statement on Ethiopia-Eritrea

Members of the Security Council are encouraged by the statement that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia made to Parliament on 29 March 2007 that the Ethiopian Government had accepted the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), and demand Ethiopia implement fully and without delay the EEBC decision.

see also: Ethiopia: Progress Report of the Secretary-General On Eritrea

 

Starbucks strikes Ethiopia deal BBC 05/03/2007

The two sides agreed in principle to sign a licensing and marketing deal which recognises the importance of Ethiopia's speciality coffee beans.

CPJ report reveals press freedom backsliders Ethiopia Tops them All.

1. ETHIOPIA
Leader: Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Indicators: Imprisonments rise from two to 18. Dozens forced into exile. In 2006 alone, authorities ban eight newspapers, expel two foreign reporters, and block critical Web sites.

Key fact: Only a handful of private newspapers now publish, all under intense self-censorship.

Chinese foreign ministry confirms release of seven kidnapped workers in Ethiopia People's Daily 04/30/2007

The Chinese government expressed gratitude to the Ethiopian government, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other related sides for their efforts to rescue the seven kidnapped Chinese workers, it added

US Congress on human rights situation in Eritrea !!

Ethiopia says Eritrean troops beat hostages Reuters 04/27/2007

The hostages were beaten by gunmen, who wore Eritrean military uniform, while they were kidnapped," the official Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said in a report.

One of the hostages told the agency they were subjected to continuous interrogation by Eritrean soldiers and at times threatened with death.

"We were forced to march barefoot for five days and nights after we were kidnapped from the Ethiopian territory of Afar and taken into Eritrea," another hostage, Yonas Mesfin, was quoted as telling ENA.

Death of a student sparks mass protest Addis Ababa University

Ethiopia Finds Itself Ensnared in Somalia Washington Post 04/27/2007

Some Observers See Similarities To U.S. in Iraq

Somali insurgency seen 'broken' The Washington times 04/26/2007

Allied Ethiopian and Somali government forces have "broken the backbone" of an Islamist insurgency in Somalia and are now engaged in a "mop-up operation," despite the recent surge in fighting on the streets of Mogadishu, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said in an interview this week

Remarks by Dr. David Shinn to the Somali Conference in Columbus, Ohio
By David H. Shinn

Mr. David Shinn is a former Ambassador of United State to Ethiopia.

Kindling Hope in Northern Ethiopia by Keeping Adolescent Girls in School UNFPA 04/24/2007

One of the factors that has contributed to the appalling reproductive health situation is the traditional practice of early marriag

Ethiopia Oil field massacre: another Eritrea sponsored act Courtsosy of African Path By: Bahailu Damte

Ethiopia attack 'leaves 74 dead' BBC news 04/24/2007

Sixty-five Ethiopians and nine Chinese oil workers were killed in the incident early on Tuesday, an adviser to the prime minister told the BBC

Hostages return to Ethiopia New 24 April 23, 2007

Ethiopian officials said the eight, found in the disputed border region of Ethiopia and Eritrea, were in good health despite their ordeal and should arrive later on Monday or on Tuesday

Ethiopia attacks Eritrea over hostage saga Reuters 04/23/2007

"The terrorist acts being perpetrated by the Eritrean government are similar to those being carried out by outlaws," Seyoum added, in a diatribe against Asmara

Somali alliance opposes Ethiopia BBC News 04/19/2007

Mr Aideed announced the move in the Eritrean capital and called for a probe into Ethiopia troops whom he accuses of genocide since arriving in December.

ETHIOPIA: Thousands exposed to danger from landmines Reuters AlertNet 04/18/2007

Most of the landmines were planted during the recent Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary war, which was mainly fought in the two states because they share borders with Eritrea. Data compiled by the national Landmine Action Office shows that 375,899 and 66,478 people in Tigray and Afar regional states, respectively, are exposed to the danger of landmines

Campaign to free Ethiopia hostages BBC 04/18/2007

Ashinafe and Debash were both orphaned in the 1984 famine in Ethiopia when an estimated 1m people died

Eritrea, Ethiopia feud threatens East African bloc Reuters 04/13/2007

Somalia and ally Ethiopia accused Eritrea of undermining Somalia's interim government by supplying weapons to insurgents involved in some of the worst violence in Mogadishu in 15 years

ETHIOPIA: Flash flood damages houses in Dire Dawa IRIN News 04/12/2007

According to the Ethiopian Meteorological Agency, heavy rainfall is expected to fall in the area over the next 10 days

Somalia Crumbles, Again Washington post Editorial 04/10/2007

Somalia's problems may be intractable, but some of the blame here must go to outsiders

A reward for Fighting inJustice the case of Ato Siye Abraha PDF in Tigregna Poem By Birhan Hailu

Ethiopia genocide charges dropped BBC 04/09/2007

An Ethiopian judge has quashed controversial charges of attempted genocide and treason against 111 people arrested after election protests.

CUD leaders ordered to defend case Reporter 04/05/2007

The accused that the court has ruled should defend their case, as listed in the charge file, are: Engineer Hailu Shawel, Ato Abayneh Berhanu, Major Getachew Mengiste, Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, Dr. Hailu Araya, Ato Muluneh Iyoel, Ato Sileshi Tena, Dr. Berhanu Nega, Dr. Befekadu Degife, Dr. Yakob Woldemariam, Weizerit Birtukan Mideksa,

Canada, Eritrea, Sweden seek information on detainees in Ethiopia International herald Tribune 04/05/2007

CUD Leaders and Ato Siye Abraha's case Reporter 04/04/2007

The court has ruled kinijit l