Sudan appreciates Ethiopia’s stance to ICC decision

By Tesfa-alem Tekle (Sudan Tribune)

April 7, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) – Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly on Monday appreciated Ethiopia for her strong opposition against the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant decision for Sudan’s head of state, President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

Speaker Ahmed Ibrahim El-Tahir who is in the Ethiopian capital to attend the 120th Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Assembly (IPU) has hold discussions with his Ethiopian counterpart, Teshome Toga.

On March 4, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Ethiopia is one of the first countries which swiftly voiced her opposition against last month’s ICC decision against Sudanese president.

The government of Ethiopia earlier last month condemned the arrest warrant issued by ICC saying it is against the interest of Sudan and Africa. It also said that the move undermines peace efforts.

"Though the Sudanese issue is not the agenda of the 120th IPU assembly we want to clearly demonstrate our country’s prevailing issue to IPU member nations" Ahmed Ibrahin EL-Tahir said.

"We will keep on trying to change the negative impacts of the arrest warrant" the Sudanese speaker added.

Conferring with his Sudanese counterpart, Ethiopia’ house speaker, Teshome Toga reaffirmed that his country, Ethiopia, would never accept decision made by ICC.

Beshir, 65, who is expected to visit Ethiopia in the upcoming days, is the first sitting president to face ICC arrest warrant since the world’s first independent and permanent tribunal on war crimes (ICC) began its work in 2002.

(ST)

Meles Zenawi Hardtalk Interview

BBC- In a HARDtalk interview broadcast on 9 April 2009, Zeinab Badawi talks to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.

Ethiopia is host to the African Union and plays a prominent role in the AU's affairs.

As well as representing Africa at the G20 gatherings and sending troops to keep out the Islamists in neighbouring Somalia, it has been vocal in opposing the ICC indictment of Sudan's president.

Zeinab Badawi talks to Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi. Does his domestic record justify his taking such a lead on the continent? Click here to watch the interview.

Reviewing the political damages of the Ethiopian diaspora

By Maru Gubena (Ph.D.)

The title below, “Can Democracy take Root in a Country where Family, Group Orientation and Regionalism are entrenched and Political Culture is lacking?” is a sub-topic of a larger paper titled: “Reviewing the Damaging Effects of Ethiopian Diaspora Politics on the Wider Community and its Future Initiatives: The Search for Alternative Mechanisms,” of which the first and second parts have already been published on various Ethiopian and friends of Ethiopia websites in the recent past. It is in fact the final part of the larger paper, and was meant to be discussed and posted later, so I am clearly aware that some of you among my readers may be surprised, and see this short presentation as “putting the cart before the horse,” since I am posting this short text before writing up and publishing all of the related sub-topics. Yes, while admitting the applicability of the saying “putting the cart before the horse,” I would, however, say that this is not without a reason – a reason that somehow compelled me to produce this brief summary. More clearly, the reason for me to skip the two other important sub-topics for the moment and give a short review of the final sub-title is that, though many readers’ comments were based on emotions and far remote from the socio-cultural and political realities facing Ethiopia and its people today, a substantial number of the comments expressed and questions raised focused exclusively on issues related to this subject matter – the absence of a mature political culture in Ethiopian society.

Click on 'Read More.'

As I mentioned in the second part of the larger article, soon after posting part one (and again, after the second part was posted), I received e-mails from readers with the most encouraging words and statements, a few of them exceptionally powerful and penetrating, to the point of awakening my long hidden feelings and painful memories. But I also have received a good number of e-mails from those who consider themselves as “proud Ethiopians and proud of their culture,” and who see our culture, not just as something “great, unique and special” that deserves the love and respect of all of us, but also as something “sacrosanct.” As a result, these “proud” Ethiopian compatriots appeared to be convinced, at least according to their e-mail messages, that our Ethiopian culture has little or nothing to do with the never-ending, increasing internal feuds and conflicts, including the long standing political repression and economic impoverishment that have continued to plague Ethiopians for decades and beyond. I also have the impression from the comments in the e-mails received that I, Maru Gubena, as someone who belongs to the generation of those who have voiced and demanded so relentlessly, tirelessly and selflessly for respect of the rule of law, for basic freedom and democracy in our country and for an equal distribution of Ethiopia’s economic resources and socio-political position, was personally responsible for the bloody upheavals of the 1974 Ethiopian revolution and its subsequent repercussions, including Ethiopia’s endless predicaments and sufferings. Additionally, the authors of these e-mails argued that, instead of simply supporting individual leaders of opposition political parties morally, financially and wholeheartedly so as to shorten the lifespan of Meles Zenawi’s regime, I was unnecessarily attacking our Ethiopian culture, which they consider to be sacrosanct and untouchable.

My response to such comments and charges is brief and simple. Even though the analysis, understandings and perspectives of Ethiopians about our culture may differ, in my entire lifetime I have never personally met or seen a single Ethiopian who is not proud of his or her country, people and culture. It is also my view that looking more closely, constructively and critically at Ethiopia’s culture and its multifaceted components, and its ability to accommodate different points of view, including the mindsets of Ethiopians in all our diversity, does not make a person different from others, including those “proud Ethiopians.” In fact, someone with a profound interest and the capacity to critically and constructively examine, articulate and link Ethiopia’s unhealed, painfully widening wounds and scars – wounds and scars that are to be found on the faces and other parts of the bodies of almost all Ethiopians of my generation – to our culturally molded attitudes and perceptions can and should probably be seen as more involved in and concerned about the persisting predicaments and sufferings of his or her country and people than those “proud and true children of Ethiopia,” and in fact deserves the appreciation of socially, culturally and politically conscious Ethiopians. It is additionally useful and even healthy, at least in my view, to ask some serious, burning questions and examine them in a more mature and balanced way, if possible in a historical context, so as to understand why our problems persist, never coming to an end. In this I am grateful to all of those who have taken the time to send their comments and questions.

Having said this, let me now consider my topic for today. Also, in an attempt to respond to the questions put to me by my readers and to help trigger some interest for discussion with Ethiopian compatriots and friends of Ethiopia, I will do my best to raise a number of questions that I deem to be relevant in relation to the relentless issues that are under discussion.


Can Democracy take Root in a Country where Family, Group Orientation and Regionalism are entrenched and Political Culture is lacking?

The history of the nation state called Ethiopia, as we have been taught, is not only long but also complex, unique, and for some of us, enormously difficult to understand, unless one is willing to make lengthy and tremendously arduous efforts. The same is true for the history of the process of state formation of Ethiopia itself – how it came about. It is probably this process of state formation that has been a persistent source of protracted disputes and sporadic clashes between certain sections, small or large, of Ethiopia society. As was true for the process of state formation and the shaping face of Ethiopia, the basis for political leadership in Ethiopia has never been dependent upon the choices of the people; it has always been determined by the will and desire of those with more power and personal influence, as well as support from the well-known members of their extended family and the groups, networks and region(s) to which the supposed individual ruler or rulers belong, who with great conviction believe that they themselves are the “Elect of God,” assigned to rule the land and its people, due either to their personal skills and wisdom or to their heredity. More essentially, except for a few individuals closely linked to certain rulers or socio-political positions, Ethiopians in general have had little or nothing to say about those who rule them, or about what was and is good or bad for them and their country. It is evident that the active participation of Ethiopians in both traditional and recent politics has been limited to a singing and dancing role in the coronation ceremonies of their rulers, and to defending, not just their country from foreign enemies and invaders, but also their kings or emperors from their personal internal opponents and from other interest groups. Consequently, Ethiopians have never had the opportunity either to face or to test the fruits of being ruled under a democratically structured political system, democratically elected leadership and the rule of law, or to learn the precise meaning of the terms, “basic individual freedoms,” or “the rule of law and democracy,” with their multi-faceted components.

Also, as the experience of the past four or more decades has shown, and because Ethiopia has not, or to a very limited degree, been open to learning from the cultural and political processes in other nations, the development process of Ethiopian society has been determined only by the needs and aspirations of successive rulers, who have emphasized our superiority. As a consequence, in general terms the majority of Ethiopians, if not almost the entire population, are extremely proud of the history and culture of their country and of those who shaped the Ethiopian culture and molded the attitudes and behaviours of Ethiopians. For these reasons Ethiopians today tend to remain, at least internally, solidly attached to their convictions: proud of their culture and their previous rulers. The direct and indirect result is that the contemporary Ethiopian society, both individually and collectively, is not fascinated by or even interested in the creativity and dynamism of modern socio-political cultures and the technological advancements of other nations. Our society is not flexible and or open enough to adopt the most indispensable political elements, systems and technological advancements of other countries, even when these could in fact be conducive to modifying or perhaps even transforming certain dysfunctional cultural elements and individual attitudes and behaviours – advancements that could help to decrease our glaring poverty and shameful health conditions, that could extend the life expectancy of our people; lead to economic improvement and development of various fields and sectors; and more importantly, help to forge an effective common bond that would expand or create the badly needed peace and tranquility within Ethiopian society.

In conclusion, it would not be wrong to say that these dysfunctional, detrimental cultural elements, attitudes and behaviours have unquestionably remained, forming a permanent and immovable bottleneck to forging an effective common bond among Ethiopians, to the cultivation of a modern organizational and political culture, to a relatively democratic system, and to the establishment and expansion of civil society in the land of Ethiopia.

The most difficult and still more painful question, which most of us prefer not to discuss or even to hear about, is then: can democracy, with its many essential components, take root in a country where modern political culture is entirely absent or non-existent; whose people themselves appear to be historically and culturally oriented to family and group, regionalist and undemocratic, with little or no love for Ethiopia as a nation state, and who, paradoxically enough, choose to remain in conflict and animosity with each other above forging bonds, working and living side by side in peace and harmony with others who also belong to the land of Ethiopia?

For the reasons indicated above, including a further response to the questions and comments of readers, and because others who have not yet responded may disagree, I imagine, with my statements here or in previously posted articles, I pose the following additional questions in the hope that many, if not all, of you will be ready – and have the courage – to respond, so that I and others can understand and learn from your views and assessments.

To start with: where should we search for the sources of our deep-seated and unrelenting resentment, vindictiveness, endless internal feuds and conflicts, and our persistent predicaments and sufferings, either political or economic, if not within our culture and the complete absence of common bonds among us as a nation, both at home and in the Diaspora? Otherwise how do we explain the complex, interlinked and never-ending tragedies and the acute and prolonged crisis of trust and confidence from which we suffer painfully, and which are responsible for making our country and its people a permanent beggar nation? What other factors and role players might be responsible for prolonging the regimes of our succession of repressive rulers, and for making these cruel, greedy leaders almost exclusively dependent upon outsiders and outside forces, rather than on their own people, whom they rule with the barrel of a gun, in the complete absence of a modern, mature political culture? What could the explanation be? No one could argue that Ethiopia lacks the necessary natural resources to feed its people and enrich itself, so how has Ethiopia come to be such a famine- and conflict-prone nation, often suffering horrendous and costly devastation? Aren’t all these tragedies the direct and indirect results of our culturally molded mentalities and habits – our inability to live and work together peacefully, as responsible citizens?

Further, what reasons lie behind the consistent choices of some members of our Diaspora community to single-handedly visit various departments of European and US ministries and to produce fruitless letters directed at western Parliamentarians and US Senators, rather than to visit or write to them using a collective voice? If not from our culture, where did we acquire these seemingly irremovable habits, with the addiction to “going it alone” when it comes to the well being of our people and to many of the issues of our country? Why on earth, if not due to our cultural perceptions, rigidly molded attitudes and behaviours, are we, as members of the Ethiopian Diaspora community, unable to organize ourselves under a single roof and turn our divided but most skillful, highly educated and experienced community members into a peaceful force for diplomacy, a productive warehouse to help educate ourselves as a community in areas including communications and the meaning and functions of democracy; to help enrich our community with knowledge and organizational culture; and to wage convincing, wisely envisioned and crafted diplomatic wars against the repressive and successive regimes and systems that have been and are still dragging our country and its people backward?

How come we don’t get mad at ourselves, don’t get jealous and confront ourselves with loaded questions about the fact that many countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya and Zimbabwe – which have experienced more or less the same upheavals as our country – have nevertheless eventually been able, after countless bitter and sometimes treacherous discussions, confrontations and diplomatic and physical wars, to settle the dust of their potentially dangerous differences and conflicts, accepting each other and each others’ viewpoints and policies, to work together and live side by side?

Also, isn’t it because we do not have our own Diaspora House that all of the indispensible, essential documents, recorded video and audio related to Ethiopia’s historical and current events are to be found, not in one library or at least in an organized list, identifying resources to be found in community organizations or community libraries, but rather, scattered across the private living rooms of individual Ethiopian Diaspora community members? Why is it that we, as an Ethiopian Diaspora community, do not own our own relatively mature, cultured community media outlets, such as radio, professionally organized magazines, newspapers, websites, and other related means of communications capable of embracing of all segments and views of our community? How can we explain the fact that each of us within the Ethiopian Diaspora is exclusively dependent upon individually owned, generally unprofessionally organized communications media, including websites whose owners often, if not always, behave like lovers, exclusively committed to a few individuals who contribute articles? Does it make sense for active community members and article contributors to be dependent on the goodwill, health, time – and individual judgment, whether socially or politically motivated – of media outlet owners for the publication of book reviews, articles, announcements and advertisements?

Even though I am clearly aware that every individual in a given community can’t be and need not be involved in the political activities of their country, nevertheless I wonder how we are to explain the fact that fewer than one in a thousand, or perhaps two thousand, among the Diaspora community are doing more than talking randomly, and are instead thinking and writing in an organized way about issues related to the problems facing our country and its people? Should we really believe the unsubstantiated assumptions stated by some individuals, who say that these huge numbers of Ethiopian compatriots, those who are not involved and not thoughtfully discussing Ethiopian politics and the related problems, “don’t care and don’t really love their country?”

Finally, I actually wonder – perhaps with other readers – about the views of my “proud” Ethiopian compatriots. How would they respond to the questions raised above?

Having put my efforts and energy together in an attempt, not just to review the historical and cardinal foundation of Ethiopian leadership, including its family, group and regionalist nature, but also to respond as realistically and constructively as I could to statements made and questions raised by the readers of my recently published parts one and two of this article, and having raised a number of essential and mind-provoking questions in an attempt to expand the debates and discussions that have already been initiated, I will now turn my attention to alternative directions and mechanisms and do my best to provide ideas on organizational processes and discourses that I hope can help to mend bridges among us, and to revive and strengthen the bonds that previously existed among our forefathers.


Coming soon: The Search for Alternative directions and Mechanisms: Concluding Remarks

Dear readers: the remaining section of the entire paper (“Reviewing the Damaging Effects of Ethiopian Diaspora Politics on the Wider Community and its Future Initiatives: The Search for Alternative Mechanisms”) is coming soon, and will be titled “The Search for Alternative directions and Mechanisms: Concluding Remarks.” Initially this was to be published together with the text above (part three), but for smooth reading and because I attach a high value to the alternatives and remarks it contains, I thought it would be wiser and even more readable to publish them separately. For me this final section is a must-read text, the backbone of the entire paper, and I hope not only that the alternatives suggested and concluding remarks will receive broad attention, but also that they will lead to a fruitful discussion. In addition to briefly reviewing the body of the entire paper and the reasons behind the persistent reluctance of Ethiopian Diaspora political movements, their interest groups and supporters to pay attention to the repeatedly made proposals to establish a single, united and respected Ethiopian Diaspora House – an institution that functions professionally and embraces all of the segments of the Ethiopian Diaspora community – this section will provide bold and unambiguous alternatives to the current course of Ethiopian Diaspora politics and our political groupings In its closing remarks, the paper envisages a gloomy future, with a painfully disappointing conclusion for who have even minimal expectations for concrete results from Diaspora politics, if the current course continues. The paper ends with a forceful but bleak statement:

“…Without having the required confidence in each other, we will not be able to work closely together, and without working hand in glove, all the efforts we have been and are making from time to time, whether individually or in small groups, will be fruitless, and will even produce more tension, anxiety, frustration and pain within the Ethiopian Diaspora community and for the people of Ethiopia at large. And we, as the Ethiopian Diaspora community, will continue to mature within our own family and group circles and will die as scattered and as hostile to each other as we are today, exactly as a sizable number of the “White Russian Refugees” of 1920 and 1940, who, due to their failure to agree and to work together against the Bolsheviks who seized power during the October Russian Revolution of 1917, melted almost without a trace into the beautiful western mountains, into peaceful and relaxing rural landscapes and wealthy capitalist societies, to the point where no one today would notice either their origin or culture….”

Focus: A war crimes perpetrator at the G-20 summit

By Robele Ababya

Despotic rulers scared of their shadows

Al Bashir of Sudan received instant support from his fuming buddies in neighbouring Eritrea and Ethiopia as soon as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese tyrant. As the old adage goes, “Birds of the same feather flock together”. Meles ranks among top dictators of the stature of Al Bashir in committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and gross violation of basic human rights. This time guilt has made the despotic leaders in the Horn of Africa to flock together.

The triplets in evil deeds no doubt have a common purpose of mutilating Ethiopia until she is diminished to the level of insignificance and even vanish from the map altogether. The ruler of the largest country in Africa is getting more land from Ethiopia; he has a willing partner in Meles to that end.

Judging from the exodus of especially young Eritreans fleeing injustice and poverty, Isaias is depopulating the country. His one time hope of keeping Eritrea exclusively to himself and rule Ethiopia by proxy is shattered along with his desire of becoming the uncontested regional power. The peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea will reconsider their common culture deeply rooted in their history in order to reconcile and bring sanity to regional politics.
Click on 'Read More.'
Darfur is a living hell for black Africans. The draconian misery of black people meant nothing to the trio. For the trio, saving their necks was the number one priority in the face of the fast approaching day to account for their crimes and the havoc that they have unleashed in the Horn of Africa.

God will never forsake Ethiopia. Vengeance belongs to God and the stinging brinkmanship of the trio has caught up with them; there is no way they can escape. The evidence of their gross violation of fundamental human rights is well documented and justice will soon be done to assuage the anguish of those who lost their loved ones and the misery of those who were forcibly displaced.


Plain truth bites the inner core of TPLF

It is natural that one complains incessantly about a persistently excruciating pain, even if that persistence might be an irritant, moronic or monotonous to those opportunistic and greedy elites subservient to the genocide-in-chief, Meles Zenawi. The thugs in the inner circle of the tyrant are adept at finishing in troubled waters and feeding on the misery of others to get fat. So the repugnant crimes of the blood-thirsty dictator shall be told as long as the acute pains on his victims continue. Future generations will read the atrocities in history books.

The elites of Aigaland are quick to embark on character assassination of those who tell the truth about the atrocities of the ruling regime. They call it moronic when acts of genocide committed against the Anuaks, Somalis, and Amharas are repeatedly told. They would have preferred to pull the trigger which they are good at if they only could. But it is in the nature of truth that it is repeatedly told until those denying it confess.

The President of Genocide Watch, Dr Gregory Stanton, is quoted as saying that “there was substantial evidence against the regime that proves that it committed genocide and atrocities against the Anuaks, Somalis and Amharas” and that in his open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that “one of the first leaders to defend Omar Al Bashir and condemn the warrant was Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, whose government has also been implicated in a pattern of widespread perpetration of serious human rights atrocities in Ethiopia and in Somalia.”

This plain truth is no doubt biting the inner core of the TPLF regime and it should be repeatedly brought to the attention of the international community, more so that the regime has conveniently violated its own constitution and failed to show magnanimity and compassion throughout its oppressive rule.


Perpetrator of genocide at the G-20 Summit

The butcher of Addis Ababa made it to the G-20 Summit in London and sat at the dinner table vividly looking lonesome, isolated and indisputably neglected by those sitting beside and in front of him. Those dignitaries were perhaps wondering why a leader who terrorizes his own people was given the honour. Tyrant Meles seems lost in deep thoughts amid plenty with his index fingers on his nose and thumbs under his chin. He looks so sad and silent while other dignitaries around him seem relaxed and conversing. Is it because his heinous crimes were haunting him? May be he was contemplating his disgraceful fall from his position as master of peasant tenants in his serfdom. Disclosure of accounts in Swiss banks advocated by Chancellor Angela Merkel may have frightened him. Surely he must have been terrified more by the thunderous call of those brave and resolute Ethiopians at the mammoth demonstration outside calling on the international community to bring him to justice, a call which leaders at the Summit must have heard. It is fair to stress that the ‘roaring lion’ of Aigaland was mute and appeared demoralized.

God bless those Ethiopians who took part in the mammoth demonstration some waving and others clad in our beautiful tri-colour flag as we know it – without the eyesore emblem printed by TPLF on the yellow band. The triumphant demonstration marked a historic day that has uplifted the morale of true Ethiopians around the world. It was a memorable day for the families, relatives and indeed for all of us that the martyrs under the brutal rule of Meles are not forgotten and never will be.

The tyrant so far ruled by the strategy of hatching deep hatred for the Amhara ethnic group leaving no stone unturned to falsely blame it for anything that went wrong in the past; showing contempt for the Oromos and oppressing them; suppressing the entrepreneurial prowess of the Gurages. He did so by exploiting his purported Tigrean root to use the valiant people of Tigrai as a tool for his evil scheme of betrayals.

The stunning demonstration in London clearly shows that there are encouraging signs that Ethiopians are awakening and uniting to avert further damage to their country and gruesome violation of human rights of citizens. There are positive signs now emerging in the world political arena that the divisive strategy of tyrant Meles is on the verge of being shattered. This a beacon of hope and a guiding light in the march to victory over tyranny.


Intriguing paradox

The taxpaying peasants and the poor with little incomes:

- foot the bill for unbridled spending spree of the totalitarian government.

- build prisons with their labour and money in which their children are crammed.

- pay salaries to prison guards ironically coming from their ranks to torture their children.

- foot the bill for aggressive wars created by dictators in which their children die and or incur permanent bodily injuries.

The list goes on. Our man in focus enjoys it all and we stay put fighting like dogs over the ‘ethnic’ bone that Meles keeps throwing at us. We must coordinate our efforts to enlighten the peasants living in serfdom and the rest of Ethiopians earning low income to refuse paying taxes to the ruthless regime.


Greed, Corruption, and economic mismanagement

Greed is abominable morally and unacceptable socially. It is a formidable impediment to economic growth. Corruption stifles creativity and impedes economic growth. Economic mismanagement is attributable to inept leadership embroiled in greed and corruption as in the case under the Meles regime churning out dubious statistics.

Competition in a transparent and conducive environment is good for economic growth. Individuals operating in such environment are of course entitled to getting rich and enjoying the fruits of their labour; compassion to share with the needy is a bonus for it cleanses the conscience adding to ones happiness. Unfortunately, the words like compassion and transparency do not exist in the lexicon of the regime.

The world is in deep economic crisis that no one knows how to get out of it The G-20 Summit was convened to tackle the draconian crisis blamed on corruption, greed and economic mismanagement. The Wall Street took a lion’s portion of the blame for the crisis. It is hoped eliminating tax evading havens and depositing stolen money in secret accounts in Swiss banks will be a thing of the past. It is good that the law caught up with individuals like Bernard Mardoff who swindled 65 billion dollars from unsuspecting investors and charity organizations. His property and that of his family including his wife and brother are being seized everywhere by the Federal authorities. The same fate awaits Meles and his family in regard to the looting of Ethiopian property for the last 18 years. More importantly, what makes Meles different from Bernie is that he will answer for committing genocide and heinous crimes against humanity. He was in the wrong place at the G-20 Summit!


Secession is a detrimental option

The struggle for national liberation including cessation is tantamount to a number of mini-states running into a trap of slavery. Some reflection on the environment in which our country finds itself would give support to this assertion. This is done in the following paragraphs:


- Ethiopia is a water tower on which neighbouring countries depend in varying degrees. Beneficiaries of our waters no doubt want to determine the already skewed quantity in their favour. It is known the Blue Nile River carries 84% of the water to the Sudan and Egypt, which makes no secret of its traditional desire to control the sources of the River in our country. Therefore retrogressive forces in Egypt will leave no stone unturned to weaken our strength, disrupt our unity, stifle our prosperity and instigate regional instability.

- The messenger-in-chief had invaded Somalia without any compelling reason. That invasion has left vestige of enmity that may persist for decades. The Wabi Shebele River which is a lifeline for Somalia will add to sour relations which may crop up from time to time in the future. Certainly, the naked invasion of Somalia by the agazi forces of the repressive regime under the direct command of Meles has made any future normal relations between Somalia and Ethiopia remote and extremely difficult.

- Sudan has been traditionally unfriendly to Ethiopia and the recent secret ceding of fertile land to it by the TPLF has made the prospect for peace in the region improbable. The land ceded to the Sudan includes portions from the Amahara and Oromia regions putting the onus primarily on these most populous ethnic groups to put aside any differences concocted and exacerbated by Meles and work in unison to subdue his excessive abuse of power. One would ardently hope that OLF listens to the sage Dr.Bultcha Demekssa who said that the majority does not cede. The strategic location of Ethiopia was irresistible to Italian colonial ambitions to overrun adjacent countries. It is known that the Bath political parties of Syria and Iraq (under Saddam Hussein) were ardent supporters of the Eritrean liberation movements.

The list goes on. It is obvious that Ethiopia finds herself in a hostile environment conducive to claims on her resources – water, land and strategic geographic location. One would hate to imagine a scenario of a worsening situation where some mini-states ceding from Ethiopia would fight over water flowing from sources upstream to their borders.

A strong and democratic Ethiopia united in diversity will therefore be in the best interest of all its ethnic groups as well as to neighbouring States and countries in the Middle East where the quest for democracy is gaining momentum.

Judge Birtukan Midekssa , Artist Theodros Kassahun and thousands of other political prisoners mainly of Oromo ethnic group are held in filthy jails in flagrant breach of the TPLF constitution. Any direct fund flow from the G-20 to the treasury of the ruling regime would be immoral and a sign of double standard of Western powers.

The despotic ruler in focus will enjoy his game of divide-and-rule. Let us end his game for good.

Long Live Ethiopia!

Book prompts campus protest

Addis Journal- Hundreds of Addis Ababa University’s Oromo students protested against the sale of a book which they said was a “distorted” history of the Oromos at the book fair being held at Sidist Kilo campus.

The students on Wednesday morning boycotted class and gathered in front of the University president’s office to protest the book by Prof. Getachew Haile which contains works and analysis of Aba Bahrey, an Ethiopian Christian monk who wrote about the history of the Oromos in 1593.

The students said that the book is “a gross distortion that defames the history of the Oromos” and asked it be removed from the fair where it has been on sale starting from March 25.

Click on 'Read More.'
The student’s representative talked to Prof. Andreas Eshete, who reportedly told them that he was sorry and agreed to assess the complaints against the book and take necessary steps.

Shortly after the protest, the book was removed from the booth where it has been displayed.The book that triggered this protest contains many collections of documents on the Oromos but it was Aba Bahrey’s account that has genrated much of the controversy.One previous English version of the book is banned in Ethiopia.Professor Donald Levine writing the introduction of the book said that it is a text “that harbor’s biased and perhaps offensively pejorative statements which today’s critical readers have little difficulty putting into context as well as errors due to lack of information which subsequent scholarship corrected.” But it is also “a text that provides our first written documentation, for example, of the fundamental division of Oromo society into all-encompassing moieties (Known then as the Borana and the Bareytuma) and of the remarkable gada system of governance as well as the ritual character of the butta wars which formed the medium of Oromo expansion, ’ according to Prof. Levine.

Aba Bahrey is thought to have lived on one of the island monasteries of the Rift Valley lakes.

The lion of Aiga too scared to roar at G20

By Abebe Gellaw

It may be too disappointing for some folks to be told that a hyena or a fox is not expected to behave and act like a lion. If a poor hyena gets a chance to mix up with decent lions, the hyena may get puffed up and try to roar and walk like a lion. But all the effort is futile as no great cosmetic surgeon or a revered magician can do a miracle of transforming the poor beast into the king of the jungle. This is a reality of life that even the most ardent admirers of the hyena, those like the silly cheerleaders and propagandists blowing trumpets from mount Aiga, should live with.

Meles Zenawi is a despot, who has been committing heinous crimes against defenceless civilians in Ethiopia. This is a well-known and well-substantiated fact. No amount of hand shakes with leaders of great nations, queens or kings can wipe his blood drenched hands. Nothing can obliterate the harsh truth that he has to face wherever he goes. The pains of facing the haunting reality are understandable but at the same time it should be noted that they are all self-inflicted with his countless misdeeds.

Click on 'Read More.'
Ethiopians all over the world could have descended in London during the G20 summit, not for a protest rally, but to honour Zenawi holding his images, not effigies to torch, chanting nothing but praise. The crowd could have paid homage to him had he been a true leader who has not caused all the untold grief and pains against the suffering people of Ethiopia. They have no fanciful desires other than having a decent meal without fear of being killed, jailed, mauled or strangled in their own country.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Genocide Watch, Reporters without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, World Organisation against Torture, the European Parliament, even the benevolent US State Department… Ethiopians all over the world, all those who have been condemning Zenawi’s atrocities , individuals or organizations, are not a bunch of moronic conspiracy theorists out to tarnish his image. All the smart kids and upright old men are not reciting figments of their own imagination. They are reading from the dark books of atrocities written by the dictator himself through his misdeeds.

If at all attending the G20 summit will exonerate Meles and transform him into a lion, as his mindless Aiga cheerleaders are trying to blatantly hoodwink us into believing, we should wish them good luck and feel wholehearted pity for their desperation. When they tell us that their ‘lion’ roared in London, no one does not need to hold any grudges against the desperados who have been exhausted over the years as a result of their futile efforts to defend his long list of atrocities. The psychological impact of trying to hide and cover the blood and wounded flesh of the countless victims of torture, genocide, senseless wars and executions must be too immense to bear. Deep in their hearts, they probably feel sad, ashamed and guilty. That is human nature, if at all they have human hearts pumping enough blood to reach their brains to function.

It is an open secret that Africa is a continent badly misruled by so many corrupt tyrants. Why would it tickles anyone and cause excitement to see Meles misrepresenting the tragic continent at the G20? It was just a few weeks ago that the same African rulers, who gathered in Addis Ababa in early February, elected Gaddafi by acclamation to lead the continent as African Union Chairman. Emboldened with the unanimous endorsement by his peers, the Libyan tyrant immediately named himself “King of Kings of Africa” and advised African rulers that “democracy in Africa leads to bloodshed.” According to him, the best model for Africa is Libya, a country he has been brutally misruling since he came to power in a coup d’état forty years ago, before the majority of Africans were born. After all, life expectancy in Africa is far shorter than the time most African rulers cling to power.

In his little book called the Green Book, which every Libyan is forced to study even if it reveals nothing but his weird tantrums, he wrote, “Parliaments are the backbone of that conventional democracy prevailing in the world today. Parliament is a misrepresentation of the people, and parliamentary systems are a false solution to the problem of democracy. A parliament is originally founded to represent the people, but this in itself is undemocratic as democracy means the authority of the people and not an authority acting on their behalf.” For Gaddafi, the solution to rectify the shortcomings of democracy is a one-man rule. That is exactly what African rulers like Meles love to hear, anything that justifies their abhorrent tyranny.

The same Africa Union summit endorsed the request of Meles Zenawi to voice African concerns over the global financial crisis at the G20 Summit in London. In fact, he was peerless, nobody being like him among the G20 leaders. He was the embodiment of failure, corruption, indignity, crimes and tyranny. In a way, that was a true representation of African rulers, but on the contrary all that doesn’t reflect the aspirations of ordinary Africans. Nonetheless, for the handful of citizens in Aigaland, this was a great victory that will shame those who have been voicing dissent against Zenawi’s misrule and tyranny. And then, there was another great victory! The “statesman” of Aiga was seen mingling and shaking hands with some famous decent people and that was enough to spin them in hysteria. “Our lion has roared,” they sang pasting his pictures all over their websites. But the American economist Milton Friedman once said: “One man’s opportunism is another man’s statesmanship.” That seems exactly the case!

Leaving the desperate spin-doctors aside, it might be good to put a simple reminder. Statesmanship is not measured by mingling with great leaders. Neither oratory nor acting proves skills of leadership. A sincere effort to improve the fate of others, even if doomed to fail, is much better than a successful endeavour to promote one’s selfish agenda to prolong the misery of fellow human beings. Meles Zenawi has spent his entire adult life fighting his endless wars with his countless enemies, dividing people, wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa, causing bloodbath, large scale displacement, death and destruction. What did he achieve after he replaced the brutal dictator before him? Nothing but eighteen years of one-man rule, competing with his inspiring friends like Gadaffi, Al-Bashir and Mugabe. While he was at the G20, Genocide Watch was appealing to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the atrocities of Meles to help the ICC nail him down like his Sudanese friend, the demon of Darfur, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.

According to his faithful followers, Meles Zenawi is a great leader who is committed to pulling Ethiopia out of grinding poverty. That can only be true if facts don’t contradict the illogical assertion. Is there any leader in the world who willingly landlocked his country denying nearly 80 million people their rightful access to the sea dismissing them as colonialists? Is there any leader in the world who squanders nearly a billion dollars per year on port services in another country while the entire export revenue of his poor country is far less than a billion dollars annually? Does that make a business or economic sense? Is here any leader in the world who redraws borders to the detriment of his country? If there is such a leader, he must be a rare fictional character, like our own Peter Pan, ruling a nation called Neverland. In Neverland, they say Peter Pan never grows up. May be in Neverland, they blame all the moronic blunders of a tyrant that has caused scarcity of hard currency on coffee exporters and farmers whose entire effort has become meaningless as it cannot even pay for the cost of using a port of a tiny neighbour. This can happened nowhere else on earth except in Ethiopia, whom a tyrant may think is a land of fools.

Anyway, the lion of Aiga had a great time in London. He met the queen of England, talked to Obama, Gordon Brown, Sarkozy et al but nothing has changed. He has flown back home where his oppressed victims, prisoners, emaciated children on the verge of death , sick and wounded citizens are cursing him for all what he is doing against them. He flew back home to sleep in his palace as if nothing had happened, as if judge Birtukan Mideksa and so many thousands of others were not suffering in his dungeons. Nothing has changed… it is the same old story. He may have escaped the curses of protesters in London who were on CNN, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, CBS, VOA, BBC and many more global media outlets demanding justice, an end to his brutal rule and the release of Birtukan Mideksa and all prisoners of conscience. Can he escape the inconvenient truth?

In a way, Meles is a fool for being too quick to be where he doesn’t belong . His profit is mostly attracting unnecessary attention and bad publicity. According to news reports, he even cancelled a scheduled press conference at the G20 after the media blitz by his countrymen calling him to account to his crimes against humanity and genocide. He seemed too scared to face inconvenient questions. If Meles Zenawi had been a real lion, he would have jumped out of his car, mauled and devoured all those noisy protesters in London who were watched on TV by hundreds of millions of people across the world cursing and condemning his crimes. But the lion of Aiga was in a country where the rule of law is too scary to violate.

Meles should have rather been inspired by leaders like Obama who have won the will and trust of their people. They are cheered and admired everywhere they go. There is nothing in their record which hints their tendency of tyranny, corruption, brutality, crimes or stupidity. They are extraordinary and bright people who have been elected to lead their people. Unfortunately, Meles has a different record. It is his record which is making life too miserable for him. The protesters condemning him in Europe or America are not lying. They are just ordinary people reading his own records. Whatever they chant is true, however sad it may be to the trumpeters of Aiga, who have a difficulty of understanding the fact that there are much worthier things in life than trying to sell a fake African lion and liberator hiding in free countries.

Those who filter the truth and his accomplices would help the poor lion, hyena or whatever they call him and do him a favour if they teach him how to accept the realities of life in stead of telling him that no matter what he does, he is always right. In any law, hiding the crimes of an outlaw or trying to tamper with evidence is a crime. As the French philosopher and essayist, Charles Peguy, said: “He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars, criminals and forgers.” So the simple message for the trumpeters of Aiga should be simple: don’t join any crowd, just join the truth which saves a great deal of time and energy spent in futile endeavours.

Did anyone hear any fake lions roaring in London? Nobody did because only real lions roar. Apparently hyenas laugh, hypos bray, monkeys chatter and foxes yelp but none of them can roar like lions. That must be sad for the trumpeters of Aigland, the fairyland of tyranny where despots never fall sick or die.

Anyway, the cat among pigeons show at this year’s G20 summit was quite entertaining as the international media gave it a good amount of airtime. I bet Aiga will soon try to nominate for Oscars the lead actor, Meles Zenawi, who outshone everyone as the fake lion of Africa that never roars. What a futility!

Ethiopia government takes coffee business to itself

ADDIS ABABA (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia, Africa’s largest coffee producer, will start exporting beans itself after closing the warehouses of six of the country’s largest exporters, which it claims are stockpiling coffee and contributing to a shortage of foreign currency.
(Note: Also read the critically-acclaimed blog - ENV - for further understanding of the crisis in Ethiopia).

A drop in export income, because of a poor coffee harvest, weak world prices and a ban on Ethiopian beans in Japan, is being exacerbated by stockpiling, Eleni Gabre-Madhin, chief executive officer of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, said on March2.

Today, the Horn of Africa nation said it would start exporting coffee via the state-owned Ethiopian Grain Trade Enterprise in a bid to improve the situation.

Click on 'Read More.'
“Ethiopian Grain Trade Enterprise knows that it has the capacity to do this and it has a very good opportunity to fill this export gap,” said Berhane Hailu, the company’s general manager, by phone from Addis Ababa today.

The company has started trading coffee on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange and is in talks with foreign buyers about exports, he said.

Ethiopia suspended the licenses of six of the country’s largest exporters last week after accusing them of hoarding coffee and illegally selling export-grade beans on the country’s domestic market.

The country has experienced shortages of hard currency over the past year, with the nation’s reserves falling to as little as $850 million, enough to cover just one month of imports, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on March 19. The shortfall has led to rationing and shortages, including cement and medical supplies, because companies can’t import goods or raw materials.

Foreign Currency

Ethiopian Grain Trade Enterprise may use the foreign currency from coffee exports to purchase and deliver wheat to Ethiopia’s urban poor as part of a government program to subsidize food prices, Hailu said.

Ethiopian coffee shipments have dropped more than 10 percent to 76,674 tons during the first eight months of the country’s fiscal year, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Trade Ministry.

The country has earned $221.7 million from coffee exports over the period, short of a government target of $446.7 million. Last year, the government also blamed rising food prices on hoarding by traders.

What a picture!

By Yilma Bekele

When they said ‘a picture speaks a thousand words,’ they could have been thinking about this one. The setting definitely is a reception. The people sitting around the table appear very important since there appear to be as many servers as guests. In addition to this, we see many photographers documenting the event. It is difficult to determine if this is the beginning or the end of the event. Whatever it is, it is a very lavish and formal affair.

A person sitting right around the center is the only one wearing some kind of head covering, which would lead us to assume that he is from the Middle East. Further down you can see the lone woman. Other than that, it is mainly a men’s affair. One can also assume that it is a formal event since the men are wearing dark suits. The majority of them seem to be white.

Let’s examine the person in the left foreground. He seems lonely, left out, or sad? He is definitely brooding about something. If you look around, you will notice that those in front of him as well as those on his right are engaged in deep conversation. The man on his left has given him his shoulder.

Who is he? What is he doing here? How come he is not engaged with anyone? Why is everyone ignoring him? If they did not want him there, why was he invited?

He definitely does not appear comfortable. You can tell that from his stiff shoulders and his general posture. His hands are clasped in a prayer position. He is probably not praying, but he is definitely in deep thought. It is difficult to tell how long he has been sitting ignored and isolated. Why didn’t the host find him a partner? He is not smiling, and his somber look conveys he is not enjoying the moment.

Why is he there if he is not comfortable, and why was he invited if he is not part of the group? Could there have been some mix up? Could he have been drafted at the last moment? Was he warned about the cold shoulder he might encounter? Did he send a scouting party to assess the situation? Did they lie to him to embarrass him? Was this a calculated risk that blew up in his face? Could it be that he is not able to engage with the others as an equal?

It does not look like a good situation for our friend sitting in the bottom left. It can be considered a form of psychological torture to invite someone to such a dinner and ignore him. At the same time, it is not a good idea to crash a party where one is not welcome. Maybe our friend is praying for the party to be over. Maybe there is nothing here. Yeah right, the picture is lying.