Ethiopia - With all due respect

By Tibebe Samuel Ferenji | February 24, 2010

When I wrote the piece Mr. Isaias: A friend of Ethiopia? I was not aware of Al Jazeera’s interview with Mr. Issaias; nor was I aware of the planned protest opposing the UN sanction on Eritrea. Having been in politics for too long, I am surprised the uproar that the piece I wrote created in the Ethio cyber world. It is interesting to read the comments of my fellow Ethiopians and Eritreans in other websites. Some took their time to send encouraging, supportive and extremely graceful comments to my personal e-mail. Others who are upset with me personally have attempted to bully me also through my personal e-mail. I know how hot the political kitchen is on this sensitive issue and the fire does not threaten me. It would be nice if all of us could keep our eyes on the ball and deal with the issues at hand instead of resorting to character assassination and unfounded allegations. I don’t think anyone could achieve anything through cyber gorilla warfare.

The purpose of this piece is not to indulge on a personal matter but to remind my fellow readers to stick with the issue - let us deal with the subject at hand instead of with the person. I am prompted to write this after reading the BBC news and because I was reminded repeatedly by my fellow Eritreans regarding the “successful” protest that “Eritreans” and “Ethiopians” held around the world condemning the UN sanction on Eritrea.

It was entertaining to read “the success” of the protest although I do not know how that “success” was measured. If the objective of the protest was to help lift the sanction on Eritrea, I would say the protest was “a successful failure”. What is amusing is that the people who are exercising their right for free speech are protesting so the Eritrean people could continue to live without exercising their right for free speech. This is a thing that makes you say hummmm. Mind you, the protest was held in Europe and North America. Thanks for Western democracy, as I said; these individuals have exercised their God given rights. I do applaud them for standing for what they believe in and for expressing their frustration and displeasure with the UN. I hope they will respect my right to express my disagreement with their protest as much as I respect their right for protesting.

As I read the news, I was reminded the quote of American journalist and philosopher Walter Lippmann; Mr. Lippmann was right when he said: “It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf”. It is unfortunate that the protesters who are “Wise” enough to realize that they have God given rights to express their dissatisfactions with any State or any International organization, have failed to display an iota of “wisdom” that showed any concern for the democratic rights of the Eritrean people. The notion that democratic rights should be exercised only in the Western countries and that the Eritreans should be happy with the tyrant ruler who is more interested to satisfy his ego than the well being of his nation is extremely tragic.

Through various media outlets the United Nations has made it clear the objective of the sanction is to pressure the regime in Eritrea to stop meddling in other countries affairs. The sanction is not against the Eritrean people and does not apply to food and other essential commodities. If the protesters are serious in their desire for the UN to lift the sanction all they have to do is pressure the despot regime they support to stop supporting terrorists and to stop meddling in the affairs of other countries. It is as simple as that. The question however is does the regime in Eritrea and its ardent supporters want the sanction to be lifted? The answer in my opinion is a resounding No!

I am reminded the movie that was made during the Clinton era titled “Wag the Dog” which was directed by Barry Levinson. The movie is a political spin in Washington. Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal. The whole purpose was to divert attention to the war in order to save the president from the sex scandal. If we look at the situation in Eritrea in the same light, then we will see similar tactics. I believe that Mr. Issaias can no longer feed empty hope to the people of Eritrea. All the signs are there that his brutality has reached an epic proportion. The only thing that would save Issaias at this juncture is a new diversion. Thus, I believe, the sanction has become blessing in disguise. Though the sanction is in the best interest of Issaias, he has to make some noise in order to claim that he is a victim of international conspiracy. We have heard such claim before from Nazi Germany and brutal criminals like Melosovich.

The sanction may benefit Mr. Issaias politically temporarily, but it will not have a lasting effect. I know that the people of Eritrea are tired of PFDJ’s excuses the last 19 years. It is now time to say “putt up or Shut up”. During the Aljezera interview, Mr. Issaias had made it clear that he did not promise any thing to the Eritrean people. I beg to differ; Mr. Issaias and his cronies promised the Eritrean people freedom, justice, democracy, and the rule of law. Like all Ethiopians, the Eritrean people sacrificed a great deal yearning for freedom from the military junta’s brutal rule. The people of Eritrea did not sacrifice their children so the aspiration and the hope of living in a free society to be hijacked by few who believe that they are destined to rule. The people of Eritrea deserve better than a man who tell his soldiers to shoot to kill their fellow citizens if they attempt to cross Eritrean border fleeing from the government that is chocking the life out of them.

With all due respect to the protesters, it would have been genuine in their part if they experience what the Eritrean people are experiencing; these protesters are in safe heaven far away from the killing machine of Issaias Afworki; these protesters are not experiencing the excruciating pain that an Eritrean mother whose son has been in a malaria infested military camp the last ten years waiting for a pseudo war from neighboring country; these protesters are not feeling the agony of an Eritrean woman whose husband has been deployed to the “war front” for number of years to no end; nor could they imagine the anguish an Eritrean child is experiencing for he has not seen his mother for years because she is serving the high ranking officers who are administering the SAWA camp. I would have respected the protesters if they had said the Eritrean people deserve the kind of freedom that we are having; if they had said we want the rule of law in Eritrea; and if they had said the life of every Eritrean is as valuable as ours and they should not be shot to death because they defy a regime so brutal, so inhumane, that makes the devil looks like an angel.

My father journalist Samuel Ferenji called Mengistu Hailmariam “Angel of Death” in one of his articles few years ago. Sadly, Issaias Afworki is not any different from the tyrant he had replaced. This angel of death has brought untold misery and suffering to the Eritrean people. Some have said ‘this is what Eritreans chose when they decided to be separated from Ethiopia; therefore, they deserve what they have got’. Do they really deserve what they have got? Whether as part of Ethiopia or as an independent nation, like any human beings, Eritreans deserve to be free of brutality. It is a historical mistake for any Ethiopian opposition to ally with and support Mr. Issaias. It is not only that Issaias is not trust worthy, but hoping to leap to Menlike Palace by stepping on innocent Eritreans and Ethiopians blood would only backfire. It is ironic that some in the Ethiopian opposition camp who are pleading with the international community to impose sanction on the Ethiopian regime are opposing sanction against Eritrea. Such hypocrisy would only damage their credibility and would only make them useful idiots. More over, they will have no moral authority to speak of justice, freedom and democracy.

I have no illusion that these few insignificant individuals within the Ethiopian opposition camp would have any effect on the Ethiopian regime by allying with Mr. Issaias; rather my concern is that such “support” may give a wrong impression to the Eritrean people that such vocal but do nothings could remove the regime in Ethiopia with armed struggle and with that Freedom may come to Eritrea. Such foolish conduct may give false hope and may send a wrong message that says Issaias would have no excuse for not implementing the constitution that was drafted in 1996 after Woyane is removed from power.

Do not be fooled, Mr. Issaias is like the Scorpion that crossed the river on the back of the frog and end up killing the frog by stinging it after it got what it wanted. It is high time for the Ethiopian opposition to focus in changing the political dynamics in Ethiopia. Lack of strategic planning and political myopia has allowed the regime in Ethiopia to continue its human rights abuse. The Ethiopian opposition needs to analyze its strength, weakness, opportunity and threats. It is high time that the bickering stops and the opposition unite in the objective of bringing about a genuine democratic change in Ethiopia. Election is not the end game; election in any country is a tool that takes people to the desired path. We keep focusing on election every five years that seems to be the only political agenda that the opposition has. Let the opposition work together to bring about the desired change in Ethiopia. We want visionary leaders with genuine concern to our people. What we do no want is self serving egomaniacs who continue to waste valuable times and resources by diverting the effort of genuine opposition to an unattainable goal.

Once in our past, Ethiopia was a beacon of hope not only to her neighbors but also to the continent. How could we forget that other African freedom fighters fought against the colonizers in one hand holding their flags and waving the Ethiopian flag on their other hands? It is time that this generation brings back the legacy of our forefathers. Let us be a true beacon of hope for the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea who are suffering under delusional and merciless brutes.

For those brothers and sisters who are knowingly or naively supporting Mr. Issaias I will leave them with this quote from Mr. Lippmann:

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on”. Unfortunately, Issaias has destroyed the will, the conviction and the hope of the future generation; instead of building a better Eritrea, young Eritreans have chosen to flee their country knowing the risk of being shot to death by their fellow citizens. With all due respect, ladies and gentleman, this is what you have supported by protesting for Issaias. Would it be too much to ask for the people of Eritrea to exercise the same rights that you have enjoyed exercising in your host countries?

Young amputee returns to Ethiopia armed for independence

Abayneh Adefris, the 14-year-old Ethiopian boy brought to the United States by the Snohomish County chapter of Healing the Children, returned to Ethiopia on Monday with a prosthetic arm and new skills for an independent life.

By Nancy Bartley

Seattle Times staff reporter

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Abayneh Adefris, 14, gets a farewell kiss at Sea-Tac Airport from Traci Grant, of Mill Creek, his foster mom for much of his stay. He returned to Ethiopia with a prosthetic arm, after losing both of his in a train accident, and 142 pounds of bags that included a bicycle.

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Abayneh, with a Ken Griffey Jr. backpack, heads to the security checkpoint with chaperone Gene Gillock, who will meet with the boy's family.

A gift of an arm

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Gallery | Abayneh goes home
Gallery | Local nonprofit donates new arm to Ethiopian boy
He had only four months in the United States, but what Abayneh Adefris took back to Ethiopia with him on Monday will likely last him a lifetime.

Tears trickled down the 14-year-old's face as he gave goodbye hugs to his foster mother, Traci Grant, and her daughter, Carly, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"We're going to pray for you everyday," promised Grant, of Mill Creek, who has been instrumental in Abayneh's transformation from dependent amputee to independent teenager.

Abayneh arrived in October weighing only 60 pounds and carrying little more than the clothing he wore. He's returning home 20 pounds heavier, loaded with 142 pounds of luggage (including clothing for his brothers), an iPod, a bike, and most important, a prosthetic arm and the skills to use it. Those skills will make it possible for him to have an independent life — even at home in Ethiopia, say those who have cared for him during his stay.

Abayneh was brought to the U.S. by the regional chapter of Healing the Children, which is headquartered in Mukilteo. The nonprofit matches children needing medical care with agencies, doctors and hospitals willing to donate it.

Abayneh lost his arms three years ago in a train accident, and afterward his mother was unable to work outside the home because she had to do everything for him — from helping him bathe to feeding him, said Deanne Gillock, one of the missionaries who found him in Ethiopia. Abayneh was unable to go to school because there were no programs for disabled students.

Gillock and her husband, Gene, of Portland, were working as missionaries for Blessing the Children (no relationship to Healing the Children) and began teaching Abayneh to read and write by using his feet. Deanne Gillock began looking for an agency that could provide Abayneh with prosthetic arms and eventually found Healing the Children. It in turn brought Abayneh to Everett's Cornerstone Prosthetics, which made him a prosthetic arm for free.

Gene Gillock is returning to Ethiopia with Abayneh and plans to meet with his family to encourage them to let the boy do as much as possible for himself.

"Gene is best at the tough-love approach," Deanne Gillock said. "We want the family to understand he has to keep doing the things he's been doing here."

Abayneh returns to a one-room home, without running water or plumbing, in a small village. His father works in a coffee shop and walks miles to work every day. But things will be better for Abayneh nonetheless. Now he will be able to return to school.

"Do you think people will stare at me?" he asked Gene Gillock.

"Yeah, people will look and then get back to their own lives," he was told.



As the final minutes ticked past, a crowd of Abayneh's American friends gathered to say goodbye.

"He's such an unusual boy," said Grant's mother, Sharan Courounes. "You'd think he would have arrived here dependent and clingy after all he'd been through, but he's just an everyday 14-year-old boy with opinions."

While he was in the U.S., Abayneh loved pizza, riding bikes and driving the golf carts around the Mill Creek Country Club course as a reward for working hard in his physical therapy.

"The pro said the next time he comes to America he'll rig up a club and teach him to golf," Courounes said.
He had only four months in the United States, but what Abayneh Adefris took back to Ethiopia with him on Monday will likely last him a lifetime.

Tears trickled down the 14-year-old's face as he gave goodbye hugs to his foster mother, Traci Grant, and her daughter, Carly, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"We're going to pray for you everyday," promised Grant, of Mill Creek, who has been instrumental in Abayneh's transformation from dependent amputee to independent teenager.

Abayneh arrived in October weighing only 60 pounds and carrying little more than the clothing he wore. He's returning home 20 pounds heavier, loaded with 142 pounds of luggage (including clothing for his brothers), an iPod, a bike, and most important, a prosthetic arm and the skills to use it. Those skills will make it possible for him to have an independent life — even at home in Ethiopia, say those who have cared for him during his stay.

Abayneh was brought to the U.S. by the regional chapter of Healing the Children, which is headquartered in Mukilteo. The nonprofit matches children needing medical care with agencies, doctors and hospitals willing to donate it.

Abayneh lost his arms three years ago in a train accident, and afterward his mother was unable to work outside the home because she had to do everything for him — from helping him bathe to feeding him, said Deanne Gillock, one of the missionaries who found him in Ethiopia. Abayneh was unable to go to school because there were no programs for disabled students.

Gillock and her husband, Gene, of Portland, were working as missionaries for Blessing the Children (no relationship to Healing the Children) and began teaching Abayneh to read and write by using his feet. Deanne Gillock began looking for an agency that could provide Abayneh with prosthetic arms and eventually found Healing the Children. It in turn brought Abayneh to Everett's Cornerstone Prosthetics, which made him a prosthetic arm for free.

Gene Gillock is returning to Ethiopia with Abayneh and plans to meet with his family to encourage them to let the boy do as much as possible for himself.

"Gene is best at the tough-love approach," Deanne Gillock said. "We want the family to understand he has to keep doing the things he's been doing here."

Abayneh returns to a one-room home, without running water or plumbing, in a small village. His father works in a coffee shop and walks miles to work every day. But things will be better for Abayneh nonetheless. Now he will be able to return to school.

"Do you think people will stare at me?" he asked Gene Gillock.

"Yeah, people will look and then get back to their own lives," he was told.



As the final minutes ticked past, a crowd of Abayneh's American friends gathered to say goodbye.

"He's such an unusual boy," said Grant's mother, Sharan Courounes. "You'd think he would have arrived here dependent and clingy after all he'd been through, but he's just an everyday 14-year-old boy with opinions."

While he was in the U.S., Abayneh loved pizza, riding bikes and driving the golf carts around the Mill Creek Country Club course as a reward for working hard in his physical therapy.

"The pro said the next time he comes to America he'll rig up a club and teach him to golf," Courounes said
He had only four months in the United States, but what Abayneh Adefris took back to Ethiopia with him on Monday will likely last him a lifetime.

Tears trickled down the 14-year-old's face as he gave goodbye hugs to his foster mother, Traci Grant, and her daughter, Carly, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"We're going to pray for you everyday," promised Grant, of Mill Creek, who has been instrumental in Abayneh's transformation from dependent amputee to independent teenager.

Abayneh arrived in October weighing only 60 pounds and carrying little more than the clothing he wore. He's returning home 20 pounds heavier, loaded with 142 pounds of luggage (including clothing for his brothers), an iPod, a bike, and most important, a prosthetic arm and the skills to use it. Those skills will make it possible for him to have an independent life — even at home in Ethiopia, say those who have cared for him during his stay.

Abayneh was brought to the U.S. by the regional chapter of Healing the Children, which is headquartered in Mukilteo. The nonprofit matches children needing medical care with agencies, doctors and hospitals willing to donate it.

Abayneh lost his arms three years ago in a train accident, and afterward his mother was unable to work outside the home because she had to do everything for him — from helping him bathe to feeding him, said Deanne Gillock, one of the missionaries who found him in Ethiopia. Abayneh was unable to go to school because there were no programs for disabled students.

Gillock and her husband, Gene, of Portland, were working as missionaries for Blessing the Children (no relationship to Healing the Children) and began teaching Abayneh to read and write by using his feet. Deanne Gillock began looking for an agency that could provide Abayneh with prosthetic arms and eventually found Healing the Children. It in turn brought Abayneh to Everett's Cornerstone Prosthetics, which made him a prosthetic arm for free.

Gene Gillock is returning to Ethiopia with Abayneh and plans to meet with his family to encourage them to let the boy do as much as possible for himself.

"Gene is best at the tough-love approach," Deanne Gillock said. "We want the family to understand he has to keep doing the things he's been doing here."

Abayneh returns to a one-room home, without running water or plumbing, in a small village. His father works in a coffee shop and walks miles to work every day. But things will be better for Abayneh nonetheless. Now he will be able to return to school.

"Do you think people will stare at me?" he asked Gene Gillock.

"Yeah, people will look and then get back to their own lives," he was told.



As the final minutes ticked past, a crowd of Abayneh's American friends gathered to say goodbye.

"He's such an unusual boy," said Grant's mother, Sharan Courounes. "You'd think he would have arrived here dependent and clingy after all he'd been through, but he's just an everyday 14-year-old boy with opinions."

While he was in the U.S., Abayneh loved pizza, riding bikes and driving the golf carts around the Mill Creek Country Club course as a reward for working hard in his physical therapy.

"The pro said the next time he comes to America he'll rig up a club and teach him to golf," Courounes said
He had only four months in the United States, but what Abayneh Adefris took back to Ethiopia with him on Monday will likely last him a lifetime.

Tears trickled down the 14-year-old's face as he gave goodbye hugs to his foster mother, Traci Grant, and her daughter, Carly, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"We're going to pray for you everyday," promised Grant, of Mill Creek, who has been instrumental in Abayneh's transformation from dependent amputee to independent teenager.

Abayneh arrived in October weighing only 60 pounds and carrying little more than the clothing he wore. He's returning home 20 pounds heavier, loaded with 142 pounds of luggage (including clothing for his brothers), an iPod, a bike, and most important, a prosthetic arm and the skills to use it. Those skills will make it possible for him to have an independent life — even at home in Ethiopia, say those who have cared for him during his stay.

Abayneh was brought to the U.S. by the regional chapter of Healing the Children, which is headquartered in Mukilteo. The nonprofit matches children needing medical care with agencies, doctors and hospitals willing to donate it.

Abayneh lost his arms three years ago in a train accident, and afterward his mother was unable to work outside the home because she had to do everything for him — from helping him bathe to feeding him, said Deanne Gillock, one of the missionaries who found him in Ethiopia. Abayneh was unable to go to school because there were no programs for disabled students.
Gillock and her husband, Gene, of Portland, were working as missionaries for Blessing the Children (no relationship to Healing the Children) and began teaching Abayneh to read and write by using his feet. Deanne Gillock began looking for an agency that could provide Abayneh with prosthetic arms and eventually found Healing the Children. It in turn brought Abayneh to Everett's Cornerstone Prosthetics, which made him a prosthetic arm for free.

Gene Gillock is returning to Ethiopia with Abayneh and plans to meet with his family to encourage them to let the boy do as much as possible for himself.

"Gene is best at the tough-love approach," Deanne Gillock said. "We want the family to understand he has to keep doing the things he's been doing here."

Abayneh returns to a one-room home, without running water or plumbing, in a small village. His father works in a coffee shop and walks miles to work every day. But things will be better for Abayneh nonetheless. Now he will be able to return to school.

"Do you think people will stare at me?" he asked Gene Gillock.

"Yeah, people will look and then get back to their own lives," he was told.



As the final minutes ticked past, a crowd of Abayneh's American friends gathered to say goodbye.

"He's such an unusual boy," said Grant's mother, Sharan Courounes. "You'd think he would have arrived here dependent and clingy after all he'd been through, but he's just an everyday 14-year-old boy with opinions."

While he was in the U.S., Abayneh loved pizza, riding bikes and driving the golf carts around the Mill Creek Country Club course as a reward for working hard in his physical therapy.

"The pro said the next time he comes to America he'll rig up a club and teach him to golf," Courounes said

Mr Issaias: The friend of Ethiopia?

I know it is not April and no one is playing April the fools’ day. It seems that some in the Ethiopian Opposition camp and particularly those in the cyber arena are infatuated with a crazy idea of “Shabeya freeing Ethiopia”; and they seem to have a party that is making them foolishly drunk. Thanks for the party but I cannot dance with them.
Though this crazy idea is not born in the Diaspora’s cyber womb, it is mindboggling to read serious people entertaining such a possibility. Let me state it at the outset that I am an Eritrean by birth and have several cousins who hold high positions in the Eritrean government; among them is Mr. Semere Ressuom, the former Eritrean ambassador to the United States and the current Minister of Education in Eritrea. Let me also make it clear that my family was victimized by the regime in Ethiopia simply because of our ‘Eritrean heritage”. During the 1998 cruel war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, my mother and my then 9-year-old niece were deported to Eritrea in a cruel manner.

Having said that let me put my two cents for the new found “Ethiopian Hero” in the Diaspora’s web world. Mr. Issaias Afeworki is one of the worst dictators ever lived on the face of the Earth. To equate him with Patrice Lumumba and other African freedom fighters is to make a cruel joke in the suffering of the Eritrean people. Some, who consider themselves journalists, nonetheless practice yellow journalism, had interviewed Mr. Issaias and subjected us to his arrogant and child-like “wisdom”. Do not get me wrong: these individuals have every right to interview Mr. Issaias, and have every right to state their opinions. However, they do not have the right to shove down our throats to accept Mr. Issaias as the “new Messiah” who is going to save Ethiopia. The fact remains Mr. Issaias has such a deep hatred for Ethiopia and would do everything possible to assert his direct or indirect control of Ethiopia’s resources.



Mr. Issaias has showed the entire world his utter defiance to opinions other than his. This is the man who has mercilessly destroyed the lives of his comrades in arms. The fact remains that people like Petros Solomon who spent most of their adult lives fighting for the rights of the Eritrean people are languishing in jail without any trial. Former Ethiopian soldiers are subjected to hard labor in Adiqualla and in a condition that is not suitable to any human beings. Several journalists, religious leaders, human rights activists and many Eritrean citizens are held incommunicado accused of treason and other frivolous charges by the Eritrean regime. There is no freedom of the press, no election, even a fake one in Eritrea.

It is no wonder that Mr. Issaias feels that the whole world is against him and chastised organizations like the UN and AU. He can join people like Mugabe and Al Bashir in that regard. Sadly, every dictator and despot feels that the whole world is against him. Mr. Issaias is not any different. This man has become the worst nightmare for the Eritrean people. Young Eritreans who have lost hope in the future of their nation are fleeing the country in thousands trying to save their lives from this monster. Although I have no objection to Mr. Issaias’ interview by those who claim to care for Ethiopia and Ethiopians and the people of Eritrea, I’m appalled that these individuals failed to recognize the suffering of the Eritrean people and the danger that this man has posed to the interest of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. It is equally appalling that those who claim to advocate for human rights and democracy have failed to criticize this dictator for his Iron-Fist rule in Eritrea. Such double standard defies journalistic ethics (even for those who practice yellow journalism) and logic.

The irony is that those who are infatuated with Mr. Issaias claim that they are opposing the regime in Ethiopia because of the Ethiopian regime’s dictatorial rule. If that is the case, how could we have any respect for them when they roll out the red carpet to one of the worst and the cruelest dictators in the world? It has been said that what we learn from history is that we do not learn from history. History shows us that it is Mr. Issaias and his cronies who created the TPLF and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) for the sole purpose of creating havoc in Ethiopia and with diabolical interest of disintegrating Ethiopia. After putting the TPLF in power, Mr. Issaias and his cronies directly controlled Ethiopia’s resources and sucked it like there is no tomorrow until May 1998. It is when the TPLF said “NOT ANY MORE” that the Issaias regime picked a fight with Ethiopia.

In June 1998, when Center for International Strategic Studies invited Eritrean and Ethiopian embassy officials with few individuals in the US, I was one of the few who were present at that meeting. I had a lengthy discussion with some of the Eritrean officials. These officials admitted to me that the border issue was not the real issue. They stated that “Weyane was trying to strangle us economically, thus we had to act quickly”. It is when Ethiopia said that the Eritrean regime is no longer welcome to be a parasite in Ethiopia that Eritrrean soldiers marched into Ethiopian territory with their guns and with our Tanks in their control.

For any learned Ethiopian it is clear that what Issaias wants is a disintegrated Ethiopia. Period. If anyone has an illusion about that, then they need to re-read their history and learn from it once again. As most reports and reliable sources inform us, Mr. Issaias did not only pick a fight with Ethiopia; he also picked a fight with Yemen, Djibouti and the Sudan. Those in the Ethiopian opposition camp who think they can trust Issaias are making a strategic mistake and a political suicide by allying themselves with the sworn enemy of the Ethiopian people and one of the worst human beings on the face of the earth.

One thing we should realize is that the Ethiopian people hate Issaias more than they hate the TPLF. Make no Mistake about it. That is the reason Ethiopians mobilized coast to coast when Eritrea invaded Ethiopia in 1998. This is not the first time Eritrea rolled out its tainted red carpet for propaganda; Solomon Tekalegne and Mr. Demes Belete were used at one point for such propaganda. Unfortunately, Mr. Issaias is referred to as the “president of Eritrea”; Mr. Issaias is not qualified to be referred to as the “Eritrean President” by any measure. He is the cruel ruler of Eritrea. It is amusing to hear when those who ardently oppose Mr. Meles and support Issaias call Issaias “President Issaias”, and when they are having a hard time calling Mr. Meles Prime Minister Meles. The people of Eritrea, despite their enormous struggle and sacrifice, did not get a chance to elect their president, nor did they have the opportunity to hold a democratic referendum. Their struggle has been hijacked by Mr. Issaias’ leadership and they lead a miserable life, cruelly ruled by people who consider Eritrea as a piece of Real Estate they own.

Today, thousands of Eritreans are fleeing Eritrea to Ethiopia. I hope and pray one day the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea will unite under the right circumstances. However, attempting to allow Mr. Issaias to float to glory with innocent Ethiopians and Eritreans blood is unforgivable tragedy. How many of you forget the Ethiopians who were uprooted from Eritrea in 1991 when Shabya took power in Eritrea? Some of the Ethiopians gold teeth were pulled by pliers. Mr. Issaias should be charged with crimes against humanity and for war crimes in the International Court. He is yet to answer for the whereabouts and the circumstances of POW Colonel Bezabeh Petros.

Please do us all a favor, because you hate Woyane, do not glorify Issaias. Issaias is a man who hijacked Eritreans freedom and subjected Eritreans to an enormous suffering. He has been ruling Eritreans with fear, terror and death using his “Red Flower” (KEYEH EMBABA) thugs. Even one of his earlier admirers, Dr. Bereket Habteselassie, has turned against Mr. Issaias because he realized that a dictator in arms is also a dictator in “his kingdom”. Thank you for the party, but the music is distorted, the dancing is crooked and I cannot dance with those who are immersed in the blood of innocent people.

----
The writer can be reached at tibebesamuel@yahoo.com

Gunmen stop Ethiopia candidates registering-group

EPRDF~ PLEASE STOP DECEIVING THE WORLD!

By Barry Malone

Ethiopia's main opposition coalition said on Wednesday that some of its candidates were being prevented at gunpoint from registering for national elections in May.

The eight-party coalition, Medrek, also said it had obtained a ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) newsletter calling on party officials to follow, photograph and document the movements of opposition members.

"In a lot of areas we have faced serious problems," Medrek spokesman Merera Gudina told a news conference.

"In some areas our candidates were turned back at gunpoint. A candidate's driver was told to leave town immediately or his car would be burned," he said.

The Horn of Africa country's election will be the first since a government victory in 2005 was disputed by the opposition. About 200 street protesters were killed by security forces and the main opposition leaders imprisoned.

Analysts say Medrek is the main threat to the 18-year-old government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, but the ruling party is still expected to win the May 23 poll.

The opposition says this is because they are harassed and jailed. The government says the opposition is trying to discredit the poll because it has no chance of winning.

Meles was hailed as part of a new generation of democratic African leaders in the 1990s but rights groups have increasingly criticised him for cracking down on opposition in sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous nation.

GATHERING EVIDENCE

Meles has agreed an electoral code of conduct with three opposition parties -- two of which are dismissed by opponents as EPRDF aligned. Medrek refused to take part in talks saying crucial issues such as electoral board reform were left out.

Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told Reuters the code outlined complaint procedures but the opposition had not yet used it to make allegations about being threatened at gunpoint.

"If they want to make the complaints officially they can, and they will be investigated," Shimeles said. "Why haven't they? Most of the complaints the opposition have made publicly so far have been proven to be false."

Medrek described the EPRDF members newsletter it had obtained as an "election manual".

"It describes us as anti-Ethiopia, anti-people, anti-peace, anti-development, all kinds of anti," Merera said, showing the document in Amharic to the media.

Former Ethiopian President Negaso Gidada, who joined the opposition after falling out with Meles, said the newsletter tells ruling party officials to track opposition members.

"It tells them to get any kind of document in your hand from opposition parties in your area," Negaso told Reuters. "And these documents could serve as evidence to be used against opposition leaders to accuse them and bring them to court."

Ruling party spokesman, Hailemariam Desalegn, acknowledged that EPRDF members had been told to observe opposition members, but only to ensure they were not violating the code of conduct or provoking civil disobedience.

"The opposition always makes unfounded allegations against us," Hailemariam told Reuters. "We need to ensure that if we accuse them, we have evidence."

Source

Attacks on the Press 2009: Ethiopia

Source CBJ

Ahead of national elections scheduled for May 2010, the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) further curtailed the limited freedom of the country’s small number of independent newspapers. The government enacted harsh legislation that criminalized coverage of vaguely defined “terrorist” activities, and used administrative restrictions, criminal prosecutions, and imprisonments to induce self-censorship. In all, four reporters and editors were being held when CPJ conducted its annual census of imprisoned journalists on December 1.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was expected to seek another five-year term in the 2010 vote, the first general election since the disputed 2005 vote, which was marred by a bloody crackdown on political dissent and Ethiopia’s once-vibrant Amharic-language press. With control of more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, virtually all local council seats, and a weakened opposition, Zenawi’s administration tightened its control of the press as well.
In July, the EPRDF-controlled Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives passed the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation despite concerns by opposition lawmakers and legal experts about its far-reaching provisions, according to local journalists. Some reporters who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity said they had been pressured by officials and government supporters to censor coverage that scrutinized the legislation, which added to an existing body of law that restricts the press and the activities of nongovernmental organizations.

A provision of the terrorism law punishes “whosoever writes, edits, prints, publishes, publicizes, disseminates, shows, makes to be heard any promotional statements encouraging, supporting or advancing terrorist acts” with as much as 20 years in prison, according to CPJ research. The legislation conflated political opposition with terrorism. It contained broad definitions of a “terrorist organization,” including any organization the government bans under the law, and of “terrorist acts,” which include destruction of public property and “disruption of public services,” according to an analysis by Human Rights Watch.
The legislation was detrimental to media coverage of political opposition groups that the government had banned and labeled as terrorist. In August, a public prosecutor convicted in absentia exiled journalists Dereje Habtewold and Fasil Yenealem. They were found guilty of involvement in a coup plot by the “terror network” of exiled opposition leader Berhanu Nega, according to news reports. Habtewold and Yenealem were editors of the political newsletter of Nega’s Ginbot 7 movement, which is banned in Ethiopia. The same week in August, the government invoked the specter of terrorism when it unsuccessfully attempted to force private Kenyan broadcaster Nation Television (NTV) to drop an exclusive report on separatist rebels of the Oromo Liberation Front in southern Ethiopia. In a letter to the broadcaster’s parent company, The Nation Media Group, Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya, Disasa Dirribsa, accused the station of speaking for “a terrorist group,” according to the Daily Nation. Nevertheless, the station dismissed the pressure and aired the four-part series, according to Linus Kaikai, NTV’s managing editor of broadcast news.
The terrorism legislation gave security agencies sweeping powers of warrantless interception of communications, and search and seizure, and allowed pretrial detention to extend up to four months, according to CPJ research. It was not clear whether the law would apply to Eritrean state television journalists Saleh Idris Gama and Tesfalidet Kidane who have been held incommunicado and without charge since late 2006 on suspicion of terrorism. Gama and Kidane were among 41 people the government said it had “captured” in Somalia. Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Wahde Belay told CPJ in October that he would provide no information about the two journalists.
The government dismissed concerns of potential abuse of the new terrorism law. “This is a government that is committed to the constitutional provisions, and in the constitution, any abuse of power is not allowed,” government spokesman Bereket Simon told the U.S. government-funded broadcaster Voice of America.
In fact, the administration’s official rhetoric was largely out of step with its actions, as noted in a 2008 human rights report issued by the U.S. State Department. “While the constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, the government did not respect these rights in practice,” the report said.
The dichotomy was reflected in February, when the Ethiopian government issued a press release asserting the administration’s commitment to “ensure the free flow of diverse ideas and information.” That month, three editors of Amharic-language weeklies were detained by police for their coverage, including Wosenseged Gebrekidan of Harambe, who spent 18 days in custody because he could not post bail in a criminal libel case. The arrest appeared to violate Ethiopia’s 2008 press law, which banned pretrial detention of journalists, according to CPJ research.
The government has had a longstanding practice of bringing trumped-up criminal cases against critical journalists, leaving the charges unresolved for years as a means of intimidating the defendants, and then reviving the cases at politically opportune moments, CPJ research shows. It continued the pattern in 2009. A judge sentenced editor Ibrahim Mohamed Ali of the Muslim-oriented newspaper Salafiyya to a year in prison in connection with a 2007 defamation charge related to a guest column criticizing the Ministry of Education’s proposal to restrict headscarves for female Muslim students at public educational institutions, according to defense lawyer Temam Ababulgu. The same judge handed the same sentence to Asrat Wedajo, former editor of the now-defunct Seife Nebelbal newspaper, in connection with a 2004 “false news” charge. Wedajo’s paper had run a story alleging human rights violations against the ethnic Oromos, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.
In another case in May, Meleskachew Amaha, a freelancer with Voice of America, was imprisoned for two weeks on spurious tax charges related to his involvement with private media group Addis Broadcasting Company in 2005, according to news reports and local journalists. Amaha was acquitted in July.
The arrests of journalists occurred in the context of waves of arrests of opposition party members, including outspoken opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa, who was jailed in December 2008 to serve a life sentence for contradicting government assertions about pardons given to political prisoners in 2005, according to news reports. Mideksa, who was one of the detainees, said the government had coerced statements of culpability from the prisoners.
Opposition political groups said hundreds of members were arrested in 2009, according to news reports, but government spokesman Simon denied the arrests were politically motivated. “Nobody has been imprisoned or killed for political activity, to my knowledge,” he told Reuters in November.
In a June interview with the Financial Times, Zenawi denied that the arrests of political dissidents and enactment of harsh legislation “contributed to an atmosphere where people do not feel free to speak.” He declared: “Have you read the local newspapers? Do they mince their words about the government?”
In reality, journalists with the handful of Amharic-language newspapers that covered current affairs worked under intense scrutiny of officials, government supporters, and the government-controlled media, according to CPJ research. Foreign journalists based in Addis Ababa, who worked under the constant threat of expulsion, were also affected by the government’s heavy hand. “When watched closely, you do tend to become very artful at balancing your pieces,” an international reporter told CPJ on the condition of anonymity.
Pointed coverage of sensitive topics routinely triggered accusations in the state media, threats, and government interrogations, according to local journalists. In November, for instance, the state daily Addis Zemen published columns accusing Addis Neger and Awramba Times of supporting banned political organizations and undermining national interests. Addis Neger, the leading independent political publication with a circulation of 30,000, announced in December it would halt publication “following legal and political harassment and intimidation by the Ethiopian government.” Five of its editors fled the country, citing fears of prosecution, according to news reports. At least 41 Ethiopian journalists have fled into exile this decade, according to CPJ research, although local groups say the number could be much higher.

The EPRDF further tightened its grip on the national public media and media regulatory agencies. In January, the government appointed administration spokesman Simon as board chairman of the national public broadcaster Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency, according to news reports. Simon’s deputy, Shimelis Kemal, formerly the chief government prosecutor who charged 15 journalists with antistate crimes in 2005, was in charge of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, overseeing the issuing of print media licenses.
The Broadcasting Authority, which is accountable to the prime minister, effectively became the government’s censorship arm as it issued restrictions against independent media. It immediately barred any media executive with more than 2 percent ownership share from assuming any editorial position, according to local news reports. In April, it denied licenses to three journalists imprisoned in 2005—award-winning publisher Serkalem Fasil; her husband, columnist Eskinder Nega; and publisher Sisay Agena—because of convictions against their now-dissolved publishing companies, according to local journalists. The same month, the authority briefly revoked the accreditations of VOA correspondents Eskinder Firew and Meleskachew Amaha, who had been jailed in May. Finally, in June, it ordered private Sheger Radio to stop carrying programs from VOA.
Authorities also continued to restrict Web sites discussing political dissent and other sensitive issues on the government-run national Internet service provider, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation. In October, OpenNet Initiative—a research project on Internet censorship—released the findings of a study that named Ethiopia as the only country in sub-Saharan Africa with “consistent” and “substantial” filtering of Web sites, including CPJ’s site and two major blogging platforms, Blogger and Nazret.

Group lists Iran on money laundering blacklist

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The international body fighting money laundering and terrorist financing on Thursday blacklisted Iran, Angola, North Korea, Ecuador and Ethiopia as posing risks to the international financial system.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), comprising governments and regional organizations named the countries after a meeting in The United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi.

Publication of the blacklist follows promises by the Group of 20 major economies last year to crack down on the problem, calling on the FATF to identify "uncooperative jurisdictions".

Iran has been named as a jurisdiction where risks emanate due to the ongoing and substantial money laundering and terrorist financing, the FATF said in a statement, urging member countries to apply counter measures against Iran to protect the international financial system.

"The FATF remains particularly concerned about Iran's failure to address the risk of terrorist financing and the serious threat this poses to the integrity of the international financial system," the statement said.

Angola, the People's Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ecuador and Ethiopia have been named as jurisdictions that have not committed to the FATFs action plan and the international anti-money laundering/countering terrorist financing standards.

Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Sao Tome & Principe are jurisdictions that continue to have anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing deficiencies that remain to be addressed, the statement said.

Global Witness, an international NGO welcomed the FATF move of coming out with such a list but said that majority of countries on the list are poor countries and not OECD members.

"There are also problems in the world's key financial centres where those systems allow exposed politicians, terrorists, nuclear proliferators and organised criminals to access funds they need," Anthea Lawson, a campaigner for Global Witness told Reuters by phone.

The latest list is based on evaluations by FATF on whether a country has laws in place. "What is not measured is whether these laws are enforced and if that is done, many more countries would be on the blacklist," she said, citing the example of the USA which is not showing signs of what it should do.

(Reporting by Stanley Carvalho; Editing by Ron Askew

Source

Charleston-based adoption agency accused of human trafficking

This Young girl said her Ethiopian father sold her.

By Ian Silver
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - An adoption agency based in Charleston has been accused of trafficking children.

The Christian World Adoption agency, one of 70 international adoption agencies licensed in
Ethiopia, was founded by Tomilee and Robert Harding in Charleston in 1991.

After a scathing report by the Australian Broadcasting Company, CBS Evening News' Armen Keteyian aired a story Monday evening accusing the organization of misleading adopted parents here in the States, and engaging in unethical practices in Ethiopia.

"Aside from the gender of the children, everything else proved to be a complete lie," adopted mother Katie Bradshaw said.

CBS' investigation tells the story of Bradshaw and her husband, who adopted three Ethiopian sister she was told were ages seven, four and six. Turns out the girls were actually thirteen, six and eleven. And the girls themselves were unaware they were being permanently adopted.

"I thought we were like exchange students, like you go back to your country and see your family," adopted Ethiopian Journee Bradshaw said. "Honestly, I never knew that I'm going to be here forever."

Making matters worse, the CBS investigation alleges the girls' father was paid by Christian World Adoption to give up his daughters.

"Your dad was paid," Keteyian said.
"Yup," adopted Ethiopian Mia Bradshaw said.

"By Christian World Adoption," Keteyian said.

"Yup." Mia Bradshaw said.

"For you to be adopted," Keteyian said.

"Yup," Bradshaw said.

"You were sold," Keteyian said.

"Yeah," Bradshaw said.

But Charleston attorney Curtis Bostic, who represents Christian World Adoption, says there's more to the story.

"How do you respond to charges that C.W.A. knowingly deceived or misled adopted parents through the adopting process in Ethiopia," Keteyian asked.

"Those allegations are completely unfounded," Bostic said.

Bostic says C.W.A. has a long record of successful and legal adoptions all over the world.

"Sometimes people are upset when they just simply misunderstand things," Bostic said. "And I believe that's exactly what you're hearing. There have been thousands and thousands of adoptions conducted by C.W.A. all over the world. Is there going to be a handful of folks who misunderstand or who aren't happy with their adoptions? There's going to be. And we regret that."

Live 5 News talked to Curtis Bostic Monday night, but we were unable to record an interview.

There are currently two legal actions against Christian World Adoption.

Christian World Adoption is listed as a fully accredited adoption agency on the U.S. State Department's Web site.

Read more

Ethiopia's `Ice Slider' prepares for 2nd Olympics

By JOHN WAWROW
The Associated Press
Friday, February 12, 2010; 7:09 AM

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- When Robel Teklemariam is asked if he has a nickname back home in Ethiopia, the Olympic men's cross-country skier - yes, you read that right - notes that there's no word for "snow" in his native language.

So Teklemariam goes by "Beredoe Shartate," which is loosely translated to mean "Ice Slider," a name that might be as curious as the athlete's presence at the Vancouver Games.

As Ethiopia's one and only Winter Olympic team member, Teklemariam stood out in his bright green, yellow and red jacket while attending a welcoming ceremony at the athletes' village on Thursday, a day before the games open.

"For me, I'm a team of one, but I'm representing 80 million people," he said. "It gives me a lot of pride and honor. It's the country that I love."

This is the second consecutive Winter Games for Teklemariam, 35. He became his country's first Winter Olympic athlete at Turin in 2006, when he finished 83rd in the 15km cross-country classical ski run.

Born in Ethiopia, a nation far better known for its endurance runners than skiers, Teklemariam learned about slopes in the early 1980s, when his family moved to New York after his mother got a job at the United Nations. Teklemariam was then placed in a boarding school in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he first encountered snow.

It was love at first flake.

"The kids built a jump outside on our hill after the first snowfall," he recalled. "So before I even learned how to make a turn, I was going off straight, jumping, crashing. There was nothing like it. I fell in love with the sport right away."

Teklemariam eventually tried several winter sports, including snowboarding, before concentrating on cross-country once he attended high school in Colorado. He proved good enough to earn a scholarship at the University of New Hampshire.

Though he trains in both Japan and Europe, Teklemariam now makes his permanent home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital.

Before traveling to Vancouver, Teklemariam said he attracted some interest in Ethiopia, where he was featured in several magazines and newspapers.

He's not the only athlete in Vancouver hailing from a place not normally associated with winter sports. Travers Dow is a skier from the Cayman Islands. Tucker Murphy is a cross-country skier from Bermuda, and Senegal is represented by skier Seck Leyti.

And, of course, there's Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, a skier from Ghana, who is the West African nation's first Winter Olympian. Nkrumah-Acheampong also goes by the nickname "The Snow Leopard," because of his leopard-print racing suit.

Teklemariam said he's also been nicknamed "The Snow Lion." But he prefers "Ice Slider," because it's a description that best reflects what he does and who he is.

"Ethiopians try to keep things very, very simple. We don't complicate things," Teklemariam said. "In English, they have so many words for snow, sleet, hail, everything. In Ethiopia, there's just one word for it, beredoe, which means anything frozen that comes down from the sky."

Ethiopia - Elias Kifle Pleading to Protest against UN Sanctions on Eritrea?

Alex Birhanu - alexbirhanu@yahoo.com

Introduction:

Elias Kifle of EthiopianEritrean review, the well known Issayas Afewerki boot-licker in Diaspora, is an impostor amidst the well known Ethiopian community in Washington DC. Usually, he pretends as a stout Ethiopian but in vain. As I heard from several other sources who know him closer, he is actually a hired agent paid by Afewerki and his PFDJ-military-junta to mislead Diaspora Ethiopians on issues pertaining to Eritrean realities and what Afewerki conkers to preside on regional matters.

A recent case in point worth noting here is his call on East Africans and implicitly Ethiopians alike in his Afewerki paid mouthpiece website to go out and demonstrate against the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) sanctions of December 23, 2009 on Eritrea. In this scribble Elias is begging Ethiopians in Diaspora to protest against UNSC-sanctions; and in support of rescuing Issayas Afewerki and his PFDJ-military junta from the embargo imposed on them. This is a clear evidence of Elias Kifle's stubborn and continued servitude to Issayas Afewerki and his PFDJ-junta as a boot-licker; and as a reliable conduit for Shaabia’s charm offensive on the Western World. Thus far one can refer to streams of invectives scribbles that Elias kifle has been throwing at organizations that courageously expose the symbiotic relations between Afewerki and Al-Shabab.

A year ago, in January 2009, Elias Kifle had no bad feelings at all when he publicly proclaimed on his web-page tyrant Afewerki of Eritrea - as Man of the Year. This was already sheer mockery and poor style of provocation. As far the wider world knows it for fact, Issayas Afewerki can’t be recognized as a man of democracy. After all, Afewerki and his PFDJ military junta still continue to implement harsh and indiscriminate methods of control on the Eritrean urban dwellers, peasants and pastoralists alike. These militaristic controls are varied in types including random roundups and house-to-house searches purportedly targeting ‘draft evaders,’ and conscripts suspected to be away without leave. Such indiscriminate roundups are implemented all over Eritrea under the command of the five major military commanders in charge of the current military administrative operations which replaced civil administration in 2001. The objective of the PFDJ-junta’s roundups is to terrorize the entire society and prevent any form of political disobedience. A clear indication of the spread of terror is apparent from a recent policy ushered by Issayas Afewerki, which collectively targets parents or relatives of ‘absconders’. Hence, in typical authoritarian fashion, Issayas Afewerki and his military junta continue to punish parents whose children have left the country to escape from continued subjugation and abuse.

Begging Ethiopians in Diaspora to protest against UNSC-Sanctions?

Few days ago, with his usual astonishing message, what Elias Kifle wrote to rescue Issayas Afewerki and his PFDJ-junta from the UNSC-sanctions comes out of his muddles as quoted here in below:

“Eritrean communities around the world are organizing a worldwide protest demonstration calling for the annulment of the ill-advised U.N. Security Council resolution against Eritrea that was passed in December 2009. Eritrea is being victimized for standing up on the side of the oppressed people of … Somalia ... When some misguided U.S. Department of State officials were unable to get a bill passed in the U.S. Senate against Eritrea; they gathered some corrupt African leaders such as Uganda's Museveni and pushed a resolution through the U.N. Security Council. The people of … all Horn of Africa countries stand with Eritrea in opposing the resolution… Let's stand in solidarity with our Eritrean brothers and sisters on February 22” (http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/12458).

Let us face it; Elias’s mockery and subterfuge put aside, majority Ethiopians acknowledge Issayas Afewerki as nothing but: ‘God father of all troubles infested within East Africa’. Afewerki is known for muddling in all directions starting from Sudan in the North down to Somalia in South East; From South Sudan and Northern Uganda in Central Africa; down to Rwanda and Burundi in Southern Africa region. In fact, Afewerki is the mother of all troubles breeding terrorist actions through Shaabia and Al-Shabab gangsters. That being the reality, Elias Kifle, the amatory website editor, is not even to shy back from his continuous commitment of spreading DC-fabricated and malicious news. Nor does he try to improve himself even after residing in Washington DC for over two decades now. Elias Kifle knows well Issayas Afewerki’s contempt against international condemnation. And yet, he is mockingly charging fire on already negatively unfolding reality within and outside Eritrea as if he can fool the world equipped with fast moving IT-mechanisms. Elias Kifle, as a barren bushy haired reporter is nothing but a chicken-headed person daring to label collectively all African leaders indiscriminately as thieves. But who does he think he is? Leave alone to mange as a heavy responsibility as being tasked with national leadership, he is not even able to put his bed room where he sleeps in good order; nor does he administer his website in fairness with those who aid him around. Recently, a co-worker was strongly attacked by Elias Kifle for commenting on an article submitted for publication by an Eritrean who resents on Afewarki’s tyrannical regime.

Honestly speaking, I’m ashamed of reading, among others, Elias Kifle’s 2-scribblings: (1) Informing in January 2009 the Ethiopians in Diaspora that the Eritrean Tyrant is the person of the year (by claiming that the selection is based on the contribution Afewarki has made for the betterment of Ethiopia). (2) Asking Ethiopians and people of Eastern Africa to go out and demonstrate on February 22, 2010 against the UNSC-sanctions imposed on Afewarki and his military junta. We know for sure no one will take this sham call for serious. But for the hake of it I wanted to comment on his scribble for the record and for any future eventualities and incidences where Elias Kifle may deep his nose into stubbornly and foolishly.

Elias Kifle’s and Issayas Afewerki’s joint simplistic strategy is to attract attention of the Western World and especially big powers; but USA is now seriously sick and tired of Afewerki’s utopia think-thank and his military junta that’s sponsoring not only terrorists within Eritrea, but also supporting those Al-Qaeda linked organisations like Al-Shabab within the region. In fact Elias Kifle and Afewerki work in clandestine hand and gloves by supporting terrorist groups like ONLF in Ogaden, OLF and other splinter groups within the region. Now when Issayas Afewerki sensed that he may be ousted off his throne in Asmara he started to beg Diaspora people of the region through Elias Kifle for his rescue; asking them actually to kneel down and beg for his mercy from the world community. Elias Kifle must realize by now that the snakes pit in Asmara is finally being targeted at for its demise; and stop aiding Issayas Afewerki’s tyrannical regime and other terrorist organizations in the region. Or else he too should face the heavy costs for committing treason not only against Ethiopia, but also against the USA, where he lives in comfort and scribbles his diatribes the way he sees it fit for his Shaabia, ONLF, OLF and Al-Shabab consumers.

Why Elias Kifle so adores Shaabia tugs like the ONLF, OLF and Al-Shabab is for simple hidden benefits at the cost of mocking on Ethiopia and Ethiopian national affairs. Thus, all Elias does in his tabloid website – “Ethiopian Review” is nothing but broadcast insults, slanders, blackmails and homemade tantrums. Elias Kifle’s primary intention of dwelling on such travesties actually reflects his malicious past, which many Ethiopians in Diaspora have now clearly understood and ignored from visiting his website.

Concluding Remarks:
That the UNSC imposed sanctions on Eritrea means that Afewerki and company are now globally recognized as running a pariah fiefdom. This is proven by the simple fact that UNSC veto- empowered nations like: USA, Russia, China, France, and the UK consider Eritrea not as a stable or a normal nation, but as a fiefdom led by an autocrat whose days are being counted. The lawless nature of Afewerki and his PFDJ-military junta have finally trapped them directly in world arena; live alone Africa.

On February 22nd, it is clear that part of the elite group (Eritrean highlanders in most cases) may finally be coming out of their comfort zones in support of their tyrant kin Afewerki and his PFDJ-junta half-heartedly. But it is already too late now even if they protest against the already implemented UNSC-sanctions. All the circumstances around the embargo are tightening by the day. Afewerki’s arrogant smile, the bank accounts that draw hard currency from Diaspora, the Kalashnikov supply will all eventually dry out. So my clear message for supporters of arrogant Afewerki is: Embrace democracy and fair play; get rid of Afewerki and his unimplemented draft constitution; call upon all ethnic groups within Eritrea as stakeholders to sit around a discussion table and come up with a new workable constitution that reflects the people, the cultures, ethos, and the land. Decentralize Eritrean government where Dankaliaya is run by an Afar local government; Kunama land run by a kunama local regime, and so on; and the same goes to Saho, Seraie, Akaleguzay, Hamasen and other communities within Eritrea. Then and only then can we talk of a representative federal Eritrean government concerned for all.

At the end of the day, Issayas Afewerki and his PFDJ-junta, when left as cornered as they are currently by the world community, they will eventually resort to compliance with all the UNSC- sanctions, dropping all the empty bravados and boastings aside. And for all I know, Elias Kifle will, when cornered, consistent with his hitherto behaviour may shamefacedly disappear from the scene, with all his empty bravados and boastings amounting to nothing. Finally, for as long as the current repressive and undemocratic Afewerki’s tyrannical system is in place, Eritrea’s problems will only increase and eventually endanger the very existence of Eritrea as nation

Ethiopian Airline crash off Beirut was an act of Al-Qaeda terror

Evidence has reached debkafile's counter-terror sources that the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 which crashed after takeoff from Beirut on January 25, killing all 92 aboard, was blown up in mid-air.

This was an al-Qaeda operation timed for one month to the day after its failed attempt to destroy an American Northwest airliner bound for Detroit.
It is becoming clear that either a bomb was planted on the Ethiopian flight with a timer or a passenger acted as suicide bomber.

Western security agencies in the Middle East involved in combating al Qaeda believe that its planners picked on the Ethiopian flight for more than one reason apart from the date: They had been tipped off that a group of French undercover agents, including Maria Sanchez Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Beirut, and top Hizballah operatives, including secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, would be aboard.
Mme Pietton lost her life in the crash, while the Hizballah travelers were saved by switching to another flight at the last minute.

The first bodies recovered from the Mediterranean off the Lebanese town of Naama showed all the hallmarks of explosion victims: They were found strapped to their seats with their heads, hands and feet blown off and scattered, typical effects of an explosive blast.

Eye-witnesses at the time heard a loud explosion and saw the plane enveloped in a ball of fire as it gained altitude after takeoff from Beirut international airport.
Both France and Hizballah have denied they were targets.

Lebanese officials, led by prime minister Saad Hariri, have spent two weeks trying to hide the fact that the Ethiopian airline disaster was caused by terror. But Lebanese health minister Jawad Khalifeh gave the game away by a slip of the tongue Tuesday, Feb. 9: “The plane exploded during flight and the cabin, as well as the bodies of those on board, were dispersed into the sea, in different locations,” he said, trying to explain why some of the corpses were found dismembered.
He then tried to correct himself by saying he "didn't mean a military explosion."

More confirmation of a terrorist hand behind the attack is found in the deep involvement of US intelligence, including the FBI, in the investigation of the disaster from the first moment. The US survey ship Ocean Alert was dispatched to the area of the crash and dropped a miniature submarine into the depths to retrieve fragments of the airliner from the seabed.
A US intelligence and naval headquarters was set up at Beirut harbor to coordinate the salvage of the plane from the sea. Treating the crash as terror-related, Washington ordered the plane to be reconstructed from recovered fragments to establish the site of the explosion and its cause.

US officials are also shy of discussing the case in public and admitting the crash was caused by an act of terror. It took place on January 25, shortly after President Barack Obama said “Al-Qaeda has been weakened." In an address to the American people to calm their anxieties after the Nigerian would-be bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had failed to detonate explosives carried in his underwear.
Al Qaeda's success in blowing a civilian airliner out of the sky over the Middle East proved the opposite. It therefore became the subject of a comprehensive cover-up, joined by France. Before the black box, recovered Tuesday, had even been examined, French sources announced that human error by the pilot was the cause of the Ethiopian airliner crash.

debkafile's counter-terror sources recall a previous al Qaeda attack on a civilian airliner in the Middle East.

Six years ago, on January 8, 2004, an Egyptian charter blew up after takeoff at Sharm al-Sheikh for Cairo, killing all 148 French citizens aboard on their way back to Paris from a Red Sea vacation.
Neither Cairo nor Paris ever admitted that the disaster was caused by terrorists

Source

US/UK Ethiopian policy - Full of words but void of deeds.

By Girma Kassa

UDJ Secretary General Andualem Aragie accused western governments for failing to stand by their rhetoric and support Human and Democracy in Ethiopia. “They are following the old way of doing business. They are partners in development with the Ethiopian government but I don’t think they are partners in freedom and democracy” said Mr. Adualem as reported by Bloomberg News’ Jason McClure.

As reported by Bloomberg news, Gavin cook a spokesman for the British Embassy said that the UK government has a frank and full dialog with the government of Ethiopia on human rights and democracy including Birtukan.

The former US Ambassador Donald Yamamotto as well as his boss Johnny Carson the assistance secretary of State for African affairs had on multiple occasion expressed similar views that Birtukan Mideksa must be freed and conditions for a free and democratic elections must be met.

Particularly with the new Obama administration Ethiopian Americans and Ethiopians all over the world had a big expectation that the US would re-assess its East African policy and refrained from coddling with dictators that are corrupt, and repressive.

Unfortunately to the dismay of many of us who supported the Obama campaign with our money and our time, the current US administration has proven itself to be no better than the previous Bush Administration.

US officials are still continuing talking the talk, and promising us that they are for democracy and human right. In a senate hearing to confirm the new US Ambassador in Ethiopia, the Ambassador nominee promised that he will try to convince the EPRDF officials not to hold people simply because they hold opposing political views. "limitations on political expression and economic activities as well as shortcomings in respect to basic human rights, run counter to American principles and risk becoming the seeds of future instability” he said.

It’s been more than three hundred eight days the popular woman Ethiopian opposition leader has been incarcerated in the notorious Kaliti Prison at the outskirt of Addis Ababa. From December 2008 to June 2009 Ms Mideksa was brutally placed in solitary confinement something even serial killers and rapists had not faced. Except for a 30 minutes visit by her 75 years old mother, access was denied to her lawyer, spiritual fathers, friends and relatives. The US and UK know all these very well. However they chose only to “talk”.

It was at the Imperial Hotel. UIS and UK diplomats were present. Testimonies of more than 25 UDJ supporters and members that came from all regions were presented. Genet Mersha from Yabelo Sidamo southern Ethiopia was fired from her 25 years government job because she allowed the UDJ to have one her house as its regional office. Daniel Welde Gabrail from Mettu Illibabour western Ethiopia, was arrested and beaten because he refused to stop supporting the UDJ. EPRDF security officers even jailed Mr. Woldegrabriel’s 12 years old son to intimidate his father. When atrocities such as these are committed by the Zenawi regime, the SU and the UK, knowing full well of what has been going on chose only to talk.

The latest news is the confirmation hearing of the new US Ambassador. From Ambassador Brazilia, to Charge D’Affairs Huddleston; from Huddleston to Ambassador Yamamato, from Yamamato to Charge d’Affairs John Yates. All along, be it democratic or republican administration, the US department policy has been consistent : “Talk about democracy and Human right but support tyranny and corruption”.

Therefore in spite of the good speech we have heard at the Senate hearing, one must be naïve and expect changes with the new US Ambassador Donald Booths. The US will continue codlling with dictators like the Zenawi regime. They will not do anything to get Ms Mideksa released. They will not do anything to make sure that the upcoming 2010 election is relatively free and fair. Should there be irregularities in the election, they will stand by their old friends. It may be hard to swallow but that is the fact; that is the track record.

What is the solution ? The Solution is for Ethiopian and Ethiopian Americans to believe in themselves. The solution is to have the “I can do attitude” and show those

Ethiopia law forces journalists to reveal sources

(AFP) – 5 hours ago

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's new anti-terror law strips journalists of the right to protect the identity of their sources, a top official said in a statement carried Saturday by the national news agency ENA.

"The anti-terrorism law revoked the rights of journalists not to disclose their information sources when they report on terrorism," the agency quoted State Minister for Communication Shimeles Kemal as saying.

"The new law revoked this right taking into consideration the magnitude of disasters caused by terrorism," he added.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, only one other African country has jailed more journalists than Ethiopia and only last week it imprisoned a columnist for criticising the prime minister.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch voiced concern before the bill was passed last year that some of its provisions were targeted at the nation's media.

"A journalist interviewing an opposition politician or a supporter of an armed opposition group could be deemed to be 'encouraging' terrorism merely by publicising the views of the interviewee," it said.

The Ethiopian government describes as terrorism the rebellions it has been trying to stamp out for years in the Oromo and Ogaden regions.
Source

Ethiopia gets Microsoft software in Amharic

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – US software giant Microsoft has launched Windows Vista in Amharic, the first operating system in the national language of Ethiopia, the official news agency said Saturday.

"Launching the Amharic version software is a major step forward for Amharic to be a language of technology," Director of the Ethiopian ICT Development Agency, Debretsion Gebremichael was quoted as saying by the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).

He said 40 scholars from the Addis Ababa University had taken part in the translation of the software and added that plans were being drafted for translation into some of the nation's other languages.

"Ethiopia as a country of over 80 million people, has its own language and alphabet, and it is Microsoft?s desire to let this huge country use its Amharic service pack," ENA quoted Microsoft's Africa boss Cheick Modibo Diarra as saying.

Ethiopia’s 2009 Coffee Crop at Least 25% Bigger (Update1)

By Jason McLure

Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The coffee harvest in Ethiopia, Africa’s biggest producer of the crop, was at least 25 percent higher than a year earlier, Ethiopia Commodity Exchange Chief Executive Officer Eleni Gabre-Madhin told reporters today in the capital, Addis Ababa.

She didn’t say what quantity of coffee was harvested during the season, which runs from October through December.

Volumes of specialty washed coffee traded on the exchange more than doubled last month to 2,173 metric tons, compared with a year earlier, because of the introduction of a new quality- certification system, improved support to farmers from government agents and greater use of the exchange by traders, she said.

Ethiopian farmers can expect better prices this year because of higher global coffee prices and improved quality, she said.

The exchange will open a new market Feb. 17 for specialty buyers that wish to buy directly from specific farmers and cooperatives. Coffee sold on the exchange’s current trading floor is identified only by region and grade.

Colorado-based Allegro Coffee Co., a supplier for Whole Foods Inc., Portland, Oregon-based Stumptown Coffee, and Switzerland-based Schluter SA are among the importers who have registered for the direct market, she said.

“Now there is an incentive for people to do the post- production processing more carefully,” Eleni said.

Coffee exports from Ethiopia fell to a six-year low in the year to July 7 after drought and disease cut shipments to 133,993 tons from 170,888 tons a year earlier. Ethiopia consumes about half the coffee it produces.

Source

Somalia, Djibouti appeal for tougher action against Eritrea

February 3, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – African leaders have collectively condemned Eritrea for its "unfolding destabilizing nature" in the East African region.

The leaders in the final day of their AU summit, on Tuesday said that the Eritrean government is still busy of its negative roles in destabilizing regional peace and security.

The governments of Djibouti and Somalia yesterday told AU summit that, despite the imposed sanction on Eritrea, the Red Sea nation, in defiance to the UN resolution, has continued to sending insurgents via their territories.

The two countries urged AU and the international community to establish strong organization to the enforcement of the sanctions to block the defiant acts of the Eritrean government.


On Saturday, one day before the AU summit kicked off, the Eritrean government urged the African Union that, country’s related agenda’s shouldn’t be discussed in the Addis Ababa’s gathering - calling on the union to respect its AU membership.

Asmara rather requested that own agenda’s must be deferred to next summit that is routinely held in a different country.

"should Ethiopia refuse to agree, Eritrea calls on the AU to stop holding further summits in Addis Ababa" Eritrean government statement said.

The statement accused rival Ethiopia of obstructing Eritrea’s rights to take part at AU summits and other AU meetings that held in Addis Ababa.

Last December, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea for illegally supplying arms to the suspected Al-Qaeda linked Islamist insurgents, who are battling the internationally recognized transitional government of Somalia.

The UN resolution demands that Eritrea stops training, arming and supporting armed groups of Somalia.

The sanction has also laid travel ban and an asset freeze to Eritrean military and government officials.

(ST)
Source

Birr Declines Further against Mighty Dollar

By TAMRAT G. GIORGIS
FORTUNE STAFF WRITER

Experts see no further policy-induced devaluation for some time to come


The value of the Birr against the dollar has become further devalued by five per cent, after Ethiopia's macro-economic team chaired by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi made the decision on Friday, January 30, 2009.

Banks in the country were told by the central bank on Saturday morning to exchange a dollar for 13.57 Br.

Central bank Governor, Teklewold Atnafu, is a member of the macro economic team; others include Girma Birru, minister of Trade and Industry (MoTI); Sufian Ahmed, minister of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED); and Neway-Chab Gebreab, senior macro-economic advisor to the Prime Minister.

This is the fourth macro-economic policy intervention in devaluating the Birr against the dollar since October 2008. The value of the Birr has depreciated by 30pc during this period; the largest jump was back in July 2009, when the team decided to devalue the Birr by 15pc.

The latest rate of devaluation is similar to the first policy move taken back in October 2008. A total of 10pc depreciation was observed in a period of one week.

Policymakers believe that the series of devaluations of the Birr has helped the export sector to remain competitive. But, there were policy advisors within and outside of the government who have been pushing for further but "modest" devaluations, for they believed the Birr remained "overvalued" to help the nation meet its export revenues target for the fiscal year.

"Ours is modest compared to our competitors," a macro-economic policy advisor told Fortune.

He compares the series of devaluation in Ethiopia to Kenya, a neighbouring but competing nation in the export market which devalued its currency by 45pc over the past one year.


The federal government was hoping to earn close to three billion dollars from export in 2009/10. This target has proven to be illusive. The performance for the first two quarters of the fiscal year has been registered at 709.6 million dollars, against what was planned which was 1.19 billion dollars. Only the export of Khat has met the plan, surpassing the 90 million dollars target for the half year by seven million dollars.

This has put pressure on the balance of payments, according to macro-economic experts. Thus last week's policy-induced devaluation is an attempt to ensure the stability of balance of payments.

"I believe they have gone enough in their macro-economic policy move," said a macro-economic analyst. "I don't think there will be anymore policy-induced measure for some time to come."

This is a view shared by the market.

It is unlikely that the government will make any further drastic and unexpected devaluation, a senior private bank executive told Fortune. But he sees that the government leaves it to the competitive bidding market among the banks.

"It seems they are satisfied with the results of the measures they have taken so far," the senior bank executive told Fortune.

source

Ethiopia Expects Economy to Expand by 10.1% This Year

By Jason McLure

Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia’s economy is expected to grow 10.1 percent in the year to July 7, from 9.9 percent the previous year, a finance ministry official said.

“Our economy has been the fastest non-oil and non-mineral economy in sub-Saharan Africa in the last six years,” Getachew Adem, head of development planning and research at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, told reporters today. “The financial crisis has not affected us much, but there was impact indirectly on our manufacturing sector.”

The financial crisis and power outages did keep growth last year below the government’s 11.2 percent forecast. The economy should expand by at least 10 percent through 2015, Getachew said in Addis Ababa, the capital.

The International Monetary Fund projected economic growth of 7 percent this year, according to a September report from the Washington-based lender.

A 14 percent expansion of the service industry led growth last year, Getachew said. Agriculture increased 6.4 percent while industrial output grew 9.9 percent.

The government may lift lending caps on banks that have slowed credit to the private industry by December if the annual inflation rate can be held at about 6 percent, he said. The inflation rate climbed to 7.1 percent in December from 0.6 percent the month before, according to the Central Statistical Agency.

“Banks cannot extend credit as they wish, and that is biting, but there is always a compromise,” Getachew said. Controlling inflation “is the government’s overriding objective in the medium and short term.”

Foreign currency shortages continue to hurt manufacturers and importers, he said. The government has rebuilt reserves from about $800 million November 2008 to $1.9 billion today, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg on pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Ethiopian air crash shines light on lives of migrant workers

One of the victims, Tigist Tadess Woldemariam, is remembered as a trusted friend and beloved nanny who one day hoped to launch a farming project in her homeland.

Reporting from Beirut - The woman from the small Ethiopian village of Nazareth was never content to toil in the shadows as a maid or nanny, one of the thousands of poor migrant workers who make their way to Lebanon from Asia or Africa.

Over the last decade, Tigist Tadess Woldemariam tried hard to set down roots here, winning the adoration of the family that hired her, becoming a respected member of her church and earning the loyalty of her friends.

And it was that love and unflinching trust of friends that compounded the tragedy of her death when her jetliner crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last week on her first trip back to Ethiopia in seven years.

Aboard the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, the 41-year-old carried not only her belongings, but also the labors and dreams of fellow Ethiopians who had entrusted her with envelopes full of cash, precious bundles of jewelry and carefully wrapped gifts to take back home.

"She was like a sister, more than that even," said Genet Ylimia, a 26-year-old Ethiopian who shared a room with Woldemariam. "She cared about everyone. Whatever you needed, she helped you out with."

The crash of Flight 409 during a ferocious storm has sent shock waves of grief throughout this small country of 4 million. More than 50 of the 90 passengers and crew were Lebanese.

But also among the passengers were Woldemariam and 22 other Ethiopians on their way to their homeland. Their deaths shined a brief light on the often anonymous lives of African and Asian migrant workers in the Middle East, many of whom live in cramped quarters, lack basic legal rights and face economic exploitation.

Friends say Woldemariam tried to forge a different path for herself in Lebanon. She cultivated ties to the Ethiopians in her community and to the country where she worked.

At a teary ceremony Sunday at her evangelical Christian church, friends and her employers, the Talhouk family, mourned her amid her portraits placed along the walls.

Woldemariam came from humble origins in Nazareth, 60 miles from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Her relatives worked for a small shop belonging to the Talhouks' previous maid, who recommended her to the French-Lebanese family about 10 years ago.

She immediately connected with the Talhouks. Their Francophonic daughter, 13-year-old Lea, practiced her English with Woldemariam, who also taught her words and songs in Amharic, the official Ethiopian language.

As a cook, she tried to invent new dishes for the Talhouks, who are vegetarians. "When she cooked and cleaned, she put her whole heart into it," said Sandrine Talhouk, the family matron.

At the Ethiopian Evangelical Church in the Badaro district of Beirut, Woldemariam served as a mentor to the younger domestic workers. "She was soft, kind . . . a lovely person," said pastor Elias Wolde. "She had a kind heart. She always gave people advice on life and spirituality."

Not only did Woldemariam send money home to her family, but she also gave donations to orphanages and charities in Ethiopia, despite her circumstances.

And she had a dream, said Lidet Tadese, 27, another of her friends. She was one of a group of Ethiopian women in Beirut saving money to launch a farming project in her homeland to provide jobs for fellow Ethiopians and a future for herself.

Her friends and employers said Woldemariam was thrilled to be going back to Ethiopia on a two-month visit for her brother's wedding. "She lived her last 10 days in total joy," Sandrine Talhouk said.

Friends at the church entrusted her with thousands of dollars in cash and valuables to take to their families. One gave her an envelope with $1,200, a year's savings for
a migrant domestic worker. Another handed her gold she had bought during her years abroad.

Hours before the Talhouks' driver took her to the terminal, Woldemariam made one last batch of vegetarian lasagna for the family, which they ate together.

"We cried even then," Sandrine Talhouk said.

Addis Ababa-bound Flight 409 crashed into the sea minutes after it took off from Beirut's international airport about 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 25. All passengers aboard are presumed to have perished.

As of Tuesday, the flight data and voice recorders had yet to be recovered.

Tadese said she had planned to call her friend once Woldemariam landed in Addis Ababa.

"I wanted to talk to her to see if she got home safely," she said, tears in her eyes. "Now I make special prayers for her."