ESAT DC Daily News Thur 08 Mar 2018

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U S Secretary of State Rex Tillerson- Ambassador Cohen speaks on current political situation

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De Birhaner

Reveals How “Military Linked Newspaper Editor Samson Mammo & Unnamed Colonel’s Extortion ” Affected His Life, Access Real Estate Business

Ermias T. Amelga, an entrepreneur of several Ethiopian businesses and founder of Access Real Estate (ARE) S.C has been arrested by Ethiopian government was arrested in December 2015 and after he returned back to Ethiopia on February 19, 2015 after months of negotiation from America that he won’t be arrested. He was released after spending 80 days in the notorious Me’akelawi prison.

Auditors in 2012 found that ARE was unable to deliver over 2000 houses the company sold to home buyers. In 2013 Ermias left for the U.S.A. via another African country. It was after months of negotiation that Ermias returned to Ethiopia, when the government gave him exceptional immunity for one year and he proposed to deliver the houses.

Ermias studeid his undergraduate and postgraduate studied in the U.S., where he also worked in the U.S. finance industry for several years. Returning to Ethiopia in 1996 to start his own companies, Ermias has been famouly known for creating, funding and developing some innovative  companies and ideas such as the first bottled water in Ethiopia Highland Water, Access Capital, profitable Access Bank, and Jano Music Band.

His first company was the Royal Crown Mineral Water Factory, which was liquidated soon after launch in late 1990s.

Now, in one of the first interviews since his release, Ermias emotionally reveals how his real estate business was “hijacked” by few people. In a nut shell, he states how a pro-government advertiser and newspaper editor, Samson Mammo, often accused of similar acts of defamation on various real estate businesses, and a top colonel of the Ethiopian Defence Forces, led to complication of the real estate business as well as affecting his life. The serving military officer’s company, which looked after the security of the real estates, demanded that Ermias pays 22 million Birr or risk the obliteration of the Access Real Estate. Ermias refused to pay and the pro-government Ethio Channel Newspaper soon published a report stating that Ermias had fled the country with the real estate money of over 2000 people. He said this has sparked to the damage of his business and fame.   He blames an unnamed colonel of the Ethiopian Defence Forces as the person behind all the complications of his business.

Similar cases of mafia like acts by senior officers of the Ethiopian Defence Forces, who are now practicing extortion, demanding shares from new businesses and at times forcibly stealing innovative business ideas and projects is being widely reported. The insolvent Holland Car PLC and Hiber Sugar S. C. are among the many companies that have publicly revealed how high ranking officers of the Ethiopian Defence Forces and Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC) bankrupted or destroyed their companies by demanding extortion and equal ownership of independent share companies.

The mafia group from the ENDF is the core of Ethiopia’s incumbent deep state!

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ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday the answer to political turmoil in Ethiopia was greater freedoms, and that the country’s state of emergency should be lifted as quickly as possible.

“We share and recognize concerns over incidents of violence,” he told a news conference in Addis Ababa after meeting Ethiopia’s foreign minister. “We do firmly believe that the answer is greater freedom.”

“While we appreciate the government’s responsibility to maintain control …it is important that country moves on past the state of emergency as quickly as possible.”

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The top American and Russian diplomats warily circled each other in Ethiopia, but don’t plan to meet, sparking controversy.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — They could have run into each other sipping coffee in the lobby, perhaps at the bar at Ethiopia’s finest hotel. But U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov don’t plan to meet, and now both countries are trading accusations about who’s to blame.

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Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE)

Press Statement March 09, 2018

On March 2, 2018, the Ethiopian Parliament approved a new six-month state of emergency declared by the Ethiopian Council of Minsters on 16 February, although the voting results were disputed.

Protests erupted in different parts of the country, mainly Oromia region, in response to the declaration. The state of emergency places similar draconian restrictions on fundamental freedoms to the previous one, which was in place between October 2016 and August 2017.

Since 2 March, in Oromia towns of Nekemte, Ambo, Gimbi, Dambi Dolo, AHRE has found that at least 7 people have been killed by military forces. AHRE’s sources confirmed that many protesters were wounded after security forces used live ammunition against them. Doctors at hospitals in these Oromia towns reported that more casualties were documented in the last few days amid clashes between protestors and military forces.

AHRE also received information that hundreds of people were arrested for violating the state of emergency, a few weeks after the government released thousands of prisoners, including high profile political prisoners such as Eskindir Nega, Dr. Merara Gudina, Bekele Gerba, and Yonatan Tesfaye. They have not been charged and their current location is unknown.

On 8 March, during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Addis Ababa,

prominent blogger and university lecturer Seyoum Teshome was arrested. Sources report that security forces surrounded his home in Woliso Campus and searched his house. Seyoum was taken to an unknown location. He was detained in a camp for 2 months under the previous state of emergency for posting criticism of the government online.

On March 6, 2018, officials from Ethiopia’s Immigration department deported British journalist William Davison. He was detained at Immigration Main Department before being told to leave the country or be taken to the police station jail. For the last 7 months Ethiopian authorities have failed to grant Davison accreditation.

AHRE condemns the government’s continued violation of civil and political rights through the declaration of a new state of emergency and repression, arrest and killing of protestors. It urges the government to release all political prisoners and hold an inclusive and genuine dialogue to begin a much-needed reform process in the country.

AHRE urges Ethiopian authorities to:

¾ Explicitly respect, recognise, and promote constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly;

¾ Immediately and unconditionally release blogger Seyoum Teshome and peaceful protesters who were recently arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly;

¾ Cease the practice of harassing and intimidating HRDs and journalists;

¾ Engage in a meaningful and inclusive national dialogue with civil society, regional governments, and local elders, to address grievances at the root of protest movements;

¾ Lift the ban on basic freedoms and fundamental rights that are enforced by the authorities and Command Post following the declaration of the state of emergency.

For further information:

Yared Hailemariam Executive Director

executive@ahrethio.org, Mobile: +32 486 336 367,

www.ahrethio.org , https://www.facebook.com/AHREthio.org/?fref=nf

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By Zecharias Zelalem

 Winning and losing are part of sport. Hence why the ability to handle both with the utmost grace and professionalism is encompassed as part of what is labelled “sportsmanship.” But British middle distance runner Laura Muir and a consortium of media outlets appear to be having difficulty processing this concept. Their reaction and banter days after Muir’s defeats in races at the hands of Genzebe Dibaba at the recently concluded 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham would make this quite clear.

At the event that wrapped up last Sunday, the trailblazing Ethiopian star athlete rebounded from a disappointing 2017 World’s to usurp Muir’s bids to capture the 1,500m and 3000m gold medals. Genzebe won both races and steered Ethiopia to second best in the global gold medal haul, ahead of the likes of Britain, capping off a successful games for the East African nation. Muir may not have bested Genzebe, but the host nation Britain has enjoyed watching some sterling performances from their own athletes. Most notably, Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s going some way to shake off the tag of underachiever pinned to her in recent years to romp to gold in the pentathlon event had Birmingham Arena in a frenzy. But despite this, and despite the British athletics team collecting a total of seven medals at the games, second most of all competing nations, British media aren’t basking in the glory of some truly remarkable performances as much as they deserve to.

Instead, the focus appears to be on amplifying speculation and fueling baseless rumours that Genzebe Dibaba may be a drug cheat due to her relationship with an athletics coach who is under investigation for doping claims. In recent days, the number of publications releasing articles on the subject and the ample coverage accorded to very suggestive comments by both Laura Muir and her coach, Andy Young, arguably point to an attempt by British media to besmirch the Ethiopian athlete.

In statements that were published and republished by British tabloids a day after athletes started heading for home, Laura Muir said that she “no longer speaks” to Genzebe Dibaba and called her association with the Somalia born coach Jama Aden “not particularly healthy for the sport.”

The 24 year old’s comments could have come across as those of a poor sport dealing with the heartache of defeat at home. Despite the experienced Scottish athlete’s career spanning some eight years or so, one might simply attribute the outburst to nothing more than a youth’s odd loss of composure at an emotional time.

But her coach, Andy Young also fanned the flames, echoing his protege’s statements. He even added that Sifan Hassan, who finished with a bronze in the 1500m race and appeared to sulk downtrodden while standing alongside Muir and Genzebe on the podium, was doing so out of contempt for Genzebe Dibaba and her sullying the integrity of the race.

The quotes from the Muir camp are highly inflammatory. It is absolutely classless and downright low on the part of both the athlete and her coach to attack a fellow athlete based on unproven allegations and embark on a less than veiled attempt at portraying one of the greatest female athletes of all time as a cheat. British media meanwhile, going to great lengths to pin Genzebe’s picture to articles subtly labeling her a doper are clearly complicit in attempting to rewrite the narrative on Genzebe’s achievements in Birmingham last week.

Genzebe Dibaba has been in the sport about as long as Muir. She is now only the fourth athlete in history to win five individual gold medals at Indoor Championships. Born into a family of world beater athletes, she has long broken away from the shadow of her accomplished older sisters Ejigayehu and Tirunesh, establishing herself as one of the most feared athletes on the track today. An incredible two week period in February 2014 in which she smashed three world records left fanatics awestruck. It came a year before her being named 2015 IAAF Female Athlete of the Year.

Genzebe’s coach, Jama Aden was rounded up by Spanish police in a bust targeting distributors of performance enhancing drugs. He stands accused of administering banned substances to his athletes, but has since posted bail as an investigation into his activities continues. Aden, who has coached a host of world class athletes from around the world, saw many of his athletes have their performances analysed and come in for tons of scrutiny due to their affiliation with him.

Despite the controversy surrounding her coach, Genzebe Dibaba, who continues to be tested on a regular basis, has never failed a drug test. She denies ever taking illegal substances and has made it clear that if the allegations about Aden are confirmed to be true, she will sever all ties with him. She has complied with IAAF testing policies and has never come under any suspicion for illegal activities. Unlike a host of Russian athletes who have been handed lengthy bans and have had their achievements stripped from the records, Genzebe does not have a spotty record. She has long adhered to protocol and is thus a certified drug free athlete. She has never been under the lens of investigators nor has anyone in the athletics world accused her of bending the rules. The current backlash against her is unprecedented.

Genzebe’s feats and accomplishments have her down as nothing short of iconic, exemplary and amongst Ethiopian athletics fans, who are celebrating her latest wins, legendary. In the eyes of the world, she is a crowd pleaser and single handedly guarantees droves of people showing up to a venue if word gets out that she’s due to grace the track.

What Laura Muir and her coach don’t appear to comprehend is that there isn’t a single bookkeeper in Britain, let alone elsewhere in the world that would have set decent odds of Laura Muir beating Genzebe Dibaba last week. Nine times out of ten, in the 1500m event, the Ethiopian’s blistering pace leaves the likes of Muir panting, wheezing and well out of her reach. An off day at the 2017 World Championships saw Genzebe finish last in the final six months ago, while Muir finished forth. It was an upset, one of the worst performances of her career. But still Genzebe’s prolific career by far eclipses Muir’s. The two are incomparable, Muir isn’t even on course to bringing in a third of the accolades, prize money, individual awards and recognition that Genzebe Dibaba has amassed over the course of the past decade. For Birmingham 2018, the safest bet was always going to be that the native of Bekoji, Oromia would be untouchable in the final. Sorry, finals.

Genzebe poses with her two gold medals. Birmingham was good to her (Photo: Genzebe’s Twitter account)

Genzebe is simply the fastest, highest, and strongest of the two, as the Olympic motto would put it. Laura Muir was always an underdog heading into the races last week. There is absolutely no shame in her losing when in fact, she put up a good fight each time to collect two medals. These were some fantastic performances that Muir should look to build upon.. But her comments in recent days, to be blunt, are the disgraceful outbursts of a sore loser. Coach Andy Young meanwhile, expected to be a calming influence guiding his pupil via the ethics of sport, is an even bigger letdown .

But while British media moans and groans, Genzebe Dibaba’s truly golden showings in Birmingham have been feted elsewhere as the displays of a true champion. International media has showered praise upon her. “Genzebe Dibaba’s mastery of the oval continues!” is how popular athletics news outletLetsrun.com headlined her victories. “She is untouchable!” is what France’s L’Equipe said in an article after her double gold. “Dibaba is golden again!” That was the title of the Polish sporting media websiteSportowe Fakty’s article on the Ethiopian’s triumphant rebounding from a disappointing 2017 World Championships. Of course, adulation and praise wasn’t lacking in Ethiopia where Genzebe is a reverred icon. “Gold Again!” said the image uploaded by Ethiotube.net alongside a video of one of her races. “Genzebe does it again,” was the article atop Tadias Addis’ website. Genzebe’s wins have earned her a massive international following as admirers flock to get a glimpse of the generation’s finest. Hence the host of glowing reviews by journalists and experts alike  both in Ethiopia and around the world.

  The woman of the weekend; according to French sports magazine Blog Dicodusport.

Gold again! Says the Amharic language post uploaded by Ethiotube.net

But in Britain, mentions of Genzebe Dibaba were at the minimum despite her being the only athlete at the entire four day event to emerge with two gold medals. “Laura Muir takes bronze as Genzebe wins 3000m” was the BBC’s headline. Most British news portals followed suit in minimizing all mentions of Genzebe and propping up Muir as a potential heiress to the British athletics throne left by Mo Farah.

It would be forgivable for British media networks to accord more airtime and paragraphs to their own athletes. They do after all, serve a primarily British audience. But it is quite curious to note that that the only media outlets that have decided to dedicate article after article to the Laura Muir camp’s mudslinging in an effort to insinuate falsely that Genzebe Dibaba cheated her way to double gold, are British outlets.

The Guardian, BBC Sport, Daily Mail, The Mirror and several more British websites are the only ones parroting the comments made by Laura Muir and her coach. In fact, more than simply publishing what was quoted, these outlets have gone as far as trying to turn world opinion against Genzebe Dibaba. Article with sensational titles such as “Muir reveals frosty relationship with rival Genzebe,” “Muir won’t talk to gold medalist over link to tainted coach,” and “Muir reveals she no longer speaks to Genzebe” appear to be an attempt to start something out of nothing. Muir and Genzebe are nothing more than competitors who meet on the track from time to time. They were never friends or associates. They don’t train together or even live on the same continent. But the above mentioned British publications have surely fooled those unfamiliar with the sport into believing that the two had a fallout or are feuding over Muir’s strong anti doping strance. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The two have no relationship whatsoever. They’ve probably uttered no more than “good luck,” to each other several times over the past five years. To say that they are “no longer on speaking terms” suggests a prior relationship or association between the two. There was none, meaning any talk of a feud between acquaintances is a complete and total fabrication.

Laura Muir (Photo: Telegraph)

Meanwhile, British sporting figures are also joining in on the finger pointing. Former British heptathlete and three time Olympic Bronze medalist Kelly Sotherton posted a tweet on her Twitter account that doesn’t mention Genzebe by name but is a clear reference to the speculation mounting against the Ethiopian in British circles.

“The question is should Laura Muir really have the silver medal? #WICBham2018.

https://twitter.com/KellySotherton/status/969314505317584896

The British sporting world’s inability to choke down Laura Muir’s defeat has led to a campaign to tar and feather Genzebe Dibaba. In their eyes, she is guilty until proven innocent.

The British ought to learn from their Ethiopian counterparts. The East African athletics powerhouse, accustomed to a near unchallenged dominance of certain long distance running events, had to settle for second best for years, as a certain Mo Farah emerged onto the scene. From 2011 to 2017, Farah won nearly every 10,000 and 5,000 meter race in sight, sparing none of the major international titles as he won gold after gold at both the Olympics and the World Championships, frustrating Ethiopian athletics fans.

But Mo Farah has been widely admired and immortalized in Ethiopian media circles over the years as an unbeatable foe. Despite the search for a successor to the ageing Kenenisa Bekele who would challenge Farah for major honours turning up nothing during Mo’s heyday, Ethiopians have generally taken a liking to the British athletics giant, who actually spends a good portion of his year in Ethiopia. This despite Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar himself being a controversial figure himself accused of having administered banned drugs to athletes. Mo Farah has never been accused of cheating or labelled a drug user in Ethiopian media circles. If anything, British tabloids should take a chapter out of the Ethiopian book on sport reporting guidelines.

Mo Farah at ease during an appearance on an Ethiopian talk show. Despite his rivalry with Ethiopian athletes, he is respected and not despised in Ethiopia (Photo: Seifu Fantahun)

And Genzebe Dibaba?

Genzebe back in Addis Ababa (Photo: EAF)

She returned to Addis Ababa on Tuesday with the rest of her Ethiopian athletics teammates and was received by Athletics Federation coach Haile Gebrselassie who greeted her with a warm embrace. Some well deserved R & R will be immediately followed by a resumption of her training as she sets her sights on even more accolades. Reports out of Ethiopia state that she has an upcoming wedding on her mind and is finalizing plans to tie the knot. She hasn’t directly responded to the media whirlwind she left behind her in Britain, probably too preoccupied. Although on Twitter, she did share an image on her Twitter account of her stooping low to comfort a spent looking Laura Muir, exhausted and lying supine on the track.

https://twitter.com/GenzebeD/status/971156744587096064

“Always be kind,” Genzebe captioned it. She clearly prefers to do most of her talking on the track, although when she does speak out, she retains her elegance and composure.

Now if only her British counterpart could do the same.

Class: Genzebe offers to help her defeated opponent to her feet (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP)

Author: Zecharias Zelalem is a contributor for Ethiosports. The views & opinions expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily that of Ethiosports.

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After almost three years of deadly, sporadic crises, 2018 brought signs of much-needed change to Ethiopia when the government announced in early January that it would release many jailed journalists, politicians and protesters. But instead of opening up, Africa’s second-most populous country has returned to a formal state of emergency following the surprising resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Feb. 15. With an emboldened opposition, and divisions within the ruling party, Ethiopia now faces more uncertainty.

The chaotic chain of events underscores the difficulties for the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF, in trying to manage reforms now that long-simmering discontent has developed into a formidable protest movement. Demonstrators mainly from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest, have steadily proved their influence on national politics. If their demands aren’t met in the next phase of this turmoil, unrest may intensify.

The first question for the four-party EPRDF is whether to elect an Oromo prime minister to succeed Hailemariam. That would most likely be Abiy Ahmed, the new chairman of the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization, or OPDO, the largest party in parliament. A 180-member council of the EPRDF, split equally between its four parties, will reportedly meet later this week to start deciding on the next leader. Other possibilities include two experienced EPRDF operators: Hailemariam’s replacement as the head of a multiethnic southern party, Shiferaw Shigute; and Demeke Mekonnen, the deputy prime minister and chairman of the EPRDF’s Amhara party.

After the EPRDF was slow to implement the conciliatory prison releases, the mood changed in February. Dissidents were freed, but protesters in Oromia, the largest of Ethiopia’s nine ethnically based regions, ordered a three-day strike that choked the capital, Addis Ababa. Similar actions, sometimes accompanied by violence, have been a feature of anti-government protests by Oromos since 2015. They allege that they are marginalized and exploited in an undemocratic system directed by the Tigrayan Peoples’ Liberation Front, or TPLF, which is part of the EPRDF and represents the Tigrayans, who make up less than 10 percent of Ethiopia’s population of some 100 million.

In the midst of the strike, the authorities released Bekele Gerba, a revered Oromo opposition figure and advocate of nonviolent protests. Two days after Bekele walked free, Hailemariam handed in his resignation, citing the political crisis and a desire to be part of the solution. This created the impression of a government that was about to collapse. That probably contributed to ministers approving a decree for a state of emergency, the second since 2016, which suspended constitutional rights such as freedom of assembly and granted power over regional security to the federal government, including the military and spy agency commanded by TPLF officials. The state of emergency probably forestalls political reforms for at least six months, focusing attention on the contest to replace Hailemariam.

While decades in the making, Ethiopia’s crisis accelerated when tensions burst into anti-government protests in Oromia in November 2015, months after the EPRDF and its allied parties swept an election, winning all the seats in the federal parliament. Though often fed by local grievances, the protesters rallied around opposition to a development plan for Addis Ababa and surrounding areas, which critics said would unjustly displace more Oromo farmers. The movement also drew on resistance to alleged minority rule by the TPLF, which critics say has amassed too much power, on top of longstanding complaints of Oromo subjugation at the hands of the Amharas and Tigrayans.

Civil unrest continued in Oromia in the first half of 2016, with protesters often blocking roads and sometimes torching government offices and private farms and factories. Security forces responded ruthlessly, killing perhaps over 1,000 people nationwide, and detaining many more. It wasn’t limited to Oromia. In the state of Amhara, police responded with gunfire when the minority Qimant people demanded greater administrative rights, and there were similar incidents in the multiethnic south. A territorial claim in northern Amhara led to the targeting of Tigrayans, and similar hate crimes occurred in another part of the region last month.

Following a particularly violent week in Oromia, a draconian state of emergency was enacted in September 2016, subduing the protests. Yet within weeks of its removal 10 months later, there was another schism, as militants in the region of Somali, on the border with Somalia, intensified border attacks on Oromo, leading to reprisals against Somalis in some Oromo towns. The conflict likely had a number of causes, including territorial disputes exacerbated by drought, an ambitious Somali region president and a struggle for control of smuggling networks.

Activists claimed TPLF operators used the Somali region’s special police to provoke discord in a repetition of longstanding allegations of divide-and-rule tactics against the party. But given the scale of massacres and mass displacement, it seems unlikely that anyone with a stake in Ethiopia’s stability would orchestrate such destabilization. Ultimately, the conflict exposed the weakening of central control and the dangers of a growing rivalry between unshackled regions.

The backdrop to these problems is the 23-year-old federal system that divides Ethiopia into territories based on ethno-linguistic identities. Some Ethiopians reject what they term a divisive TPLF-controlled structure, while others demand a greater degree of self-government, or complain that the EPRDF’s central authority and the TPLF’s steering of it undermine regional autonomy.

The latter has been the issue in Oromia, where activists allege that resources were exploited by non-Oromo investors. Oromia’s unrest resulted in an assertive regional government headed by the OPDO’s Lemma Megersa, Abiy Ahmed’s ally, which borrowed from the opposition narrative and advanced assertive policies, winning the support of protesters.

In recent years, the EPRDF, which prioritizes economic gains over political freedoms, has tried to deal with problems by purging inadequate and corrupt leaders. Yet factionalism remains, with the risk of further fragmentation. If the EPRDF elects Abiy as the next prime minister, it would appease protesters and quell dissent. But it may also worry hard-liners, who could view it as rewarding civil disobedience.

Even if Abiy were at the helm, reform would be difficult, and Ethiopia’s federation may face greater tests. EPRDF doctrine insists the system is democratic as it empowers minority groups. An admission by the government that ethnic federalism is a driver of conflict would be a concession to opponents who say the system prioritizes the rights of ethnic groups at the expense of national unity.

The development model championed by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who ruled from 1991 to 2012, has made notable economic achievements through centrally driven investment, infrastructure building and poverty-reduction efforts, which are underpinned by a strong security apparatus. Rather than abandon the approach to cater to regional demands, many EPRDF leaders want it to continue until Ethiopia is a middle-income nation. So both centralization and greater autonomy face roadblocks.

In order to achieve Meles’ vision—or to maintain control, as opponents would say—there is paradoxically a need for the TPLF to loosen the reins to accommodate challengers. But that would trigger fears of more targeting of Tigrayans as concessions are read as vulnerability. One possible way forward is to grant the parties within the EPRDF more control over regional affairs and federal ministries, but with few alterations to the overarching economic and security system. This would, however, hardly satisfy those clamoring for deeper change.

For an emboldened opposition, the same challenges will remain unless the EPRDF is further weakened, or a future government can usher in reform. Despite the upheaval, opponents face a familiar task in competing in local elections set for April, when more than 3 million EPRDF-controlled seats are up for grabs. To press for changes, the opposition must compete at the grassroots, but restrictions on organizing and financing make activism difficult. If the hopes placed in the reformist ambitions of the OPDO are not rewarded, then the protests that have successfully disrupted EPRDF rule will probably resume, leading to further waves of fatal suppression.

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Okay Africa

How Ethiopia Influenced Izzy Bizu’s Viral Pop Hits

At just 23-years-old, British-Ethiopian singer-songwriter Isobel Beardshaw, better known as Izzy Bizu, has already shared the stage with music’s finest including Sam Smith and Coldplay.

While her talents behind the mic seemingly fell on her lap, it was through her Ethiopian roots that she fully discovered her unique, acoustic sound. What started as a mere outlet to escape the struggles of boarding school has now become a dream come true.

But music wasn’t always the goal. Izzy Bizu’s career goals first began with animals. Although she wanted to be a vet, she soon learned the difference between hobbies and passions. At the age of 15, she auditioned for a teenage girl-band, singing “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. Just one week later, she was in the recording studio.

Fast forward to 2018, Izzy’s debut album, A Moment of Madness, has clocked in over 225 million global streams and her hit single “Diamonds” sits at the #11 spot at Urban AC radio. If that’s not enough, she still manages to find time to travel back home and give back to the communities in Ethiopia.

How would you describe your sound?

Soulful, raw, rhythmical, reminiscent.

Tell us about your Ethiopian background and how it plays into your music.

My mum is Ethiopian, and we often spent holidays there when I was younger. The country is incredibly beautiful and spending time outside of the city allowed me to escape into another world. And I’m sure this played a part in my love of poetry and writing.

Ethiopians also love to dance. There was always music everywhere, which also had an impact in my love and appreciation of music. I also feel because of my mixed heritage that I am a bit of a world traveler, and this also plays an important part in my lyrics and how I see the world.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

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March 10, 2018
Tesfaye Yigzaw

Heroes and heroines of Ethiopia are freed from terrorist prisons. Thanks to young and vibrant Ethiopians. After twenty seven years of contemptuous, time has come for TPLF’s downfall. What would be next?

While thousands are still in prison, hundreds were freed in the past few weeks. To begin with, they have not committed the slightest crime to have them sent to imprisonment. They are advocates of freedom, justice, democracy, and free and fair political systems, and religious autonomy. They would have been appreciated had there been a candid democratic government. The matter of the fact, Ethiopia has neither a true government nor a leader for twenty seven years. This seems a cumbersome statement but here are four reasons the Tigray People Libation Front’s inherent characteristic that defines it is unprincipled government:

1. Terrorism: individual, group or government deliberately employs violence against civilians creating fear and terror to achieve financial, political, and religious ambition.
2. Fascism: authoritarian, tribal, dictatorial regime eliminates its opponent by force to control economy and power.
3. Mafia: criminal organization that make money illegally by threatening others. Or an organized group of people that employ force to make money illegally and unfairly.
4. Eugenics: inhumanly control segment of population from breeding by method of sterilization. Nazi Germany used against Jewish. In the past 27 years, Tigray People Liberation Front employed against the Amhara population. The current director of WHO was a Health Minster in Ethiopia when such immoral conduct had taken place.

The above statement is just an overview to describe TPLF’s atrocities and criminal activity against the population. TPLF employed these schemes to control the people’s right. The declaration of State Emergency is part of the scheme to extend the life of TPLF to commit more genocide. The United Nations, in particular human rights watch has an obligation to bring Tigray People Liberation Front and its supporters including those living around the world to the court of justice on the basis of genocide. It is irresponsible to be quietly ignoring such high scale genocides committed by TPLF against the people of Ethiopia. Retrospectively, Rwanda’s genocide could have been stopped short, but the international community did not heed. Ethiopians are appealing to international community for several years but no attentiveness. TPLF’s terror scheme is not limited to only for democracy activists, the Waldiba monks, priests, and Muslim leaders’ imprisonments, and local tribes, and natives were exterminated from their lands. TPLF goes beyond its territory to silence its opponents by kidnaping; Andargachew Tsige still in captive is a good example.
For all these years, TPLF has never conducted itself what a government ought to be. Essentially, a leader has a defining character to satisfy a role of leadership; to mention few, he or she must first have a strong love of a country and able to unify its people.

Additionally, a leader ought to be nationalistic, not entangled in trivial tribe activism. Above all, a leader strongly defends and preserves the interest of the country. These are absent under TPLF’s leadership. This attest, despite of Col. Mengistu’s cruelty, today people prefer him over TPLF. Most recently, however, thanks to Lemma Megersa and Abiy Ahmed’s group to raising high up once again a sprite of Ethiopia bent on to unify the people. They broke the backbone of TPLF’s indoctrinations including the ethnic politics. Not only that, they dismantled ethnic political activism. There is a strong feeling among the population; Ethiopia has given birth to lions. The credit ought to be for young generation of Ethiopians once regarded by society as hopeless in comparison to previous generations. They are earth shaking young generation without limitation to only the “mountains”.

Having said these, the imprisoned freedom advocates have been through extreme, and painful physical tortures and mental anguishes, and lost their livings, families are dysfunctional, love ones are either dead or misplaced, they lost their jobs though they are freed from captives. They should be paid restitutions to reinstate their lives. Money to compensate the freed prisoners must come out of TPLF’s bank accounts. After all, TPLF has accrued wealth through corruptions, and illegal networking companies it has established inside and outside the country.

Now, where is the country heading? A choice is still remains on the hands of TPLF. For the best interest of its own people and a country, with no further delay, a transitional government must be stablished. TPLF must realize that to wish to reorganize for repositioning itself to govern Ethiopia is impossible. It is a dead end. People have demanded, they do not want to see TPLF. “Down! Down! TPLF!” the answer is simple, TPLF must exit, there is no other way around to stop the revolt.

Note that the ruling organization which called itself “EPRDF” is an aggregate of four ethnic groups, and it is not a political party, with the exception of Amhara (represented by Tigrayens) the rest three are represented by its corresponding ethnic representatives, though it is a fake aggregates that is fully controlled by TPLF.

What would be next? It is dismaying that no viable political parties yet to be formed in the country. One reason is that TPLF had made sure no political party to be stablished in the country. Secondly, individual political organization is fractured, unable to form unified political party. Though, there are some political organizations, they have no obvious blueprint how to formulate a political system to govern the country.

The lasting peace and prosperity would only be possible by establishing a formidable democratic government. All stakeholders must join forces to better the lives of every Ethiopian. The necessity of establishing transitional government is overdue, nevertheless, it maybe for a better to come. I believe civic organizations must lead a transitional government, with representatives from political groups with a mandate for one year to transfer power to a democratic elect party.

The post The end of Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) marks the new era in Ethiopia appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By Teshome M. Borago| Satenaw Columnist

As the ruling party plans to elect a new Prime Minister in a few days; more shocking information is coming out on the identity of lead Oromo candidate Dr. Abiy Ahmed; including some that has sent the whole current TPLF system of ethnic-federalism upside down.

Several renowned Oromo journalists and Oromo activists have already praised Dr. Abiy Ahmed, the new leader of the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO).

Oromo activist Dr. Awol Kassim Allo labelled Dr. Abiy as “the only Oromo candidate for PM.”

The Editor of popular Oromo website Opride.com, Mohammed Ademo, gave Dr. Abiy his full support, predicting that “appointing Ethiopia’s first Oromo prime minister could appease protesters.”

Many Oromos on social media also view Dr. Abiy as their future leader, with some calling him “Oromo liberator.” Even the renowned Oromo activist Jawar Mohammed told his 1 million+ Facebook followers to forgive Abiy’s surprising absence during the State of Emergency voting session last week, because Abiy is Oromo.

Virtually millions of Oromos and foreign observers have openly advocated for the premiership of Dr. Abiy Ahmed; as a way “to give a voice and representation to OROMO people.”

As expected, after several years of ethnic-politics being institutionalized in Ethiopia by the TPLF regime, nobody is surprised that so many Ethiopians have adopted such an ethnocentric and narrow world view.

But the big surprise is that OPDO’s Dr. Abiy might actually be more of an AMHARA.

According to his official profile and background info, Dr. Abiy is reported to have Amhara ancestors, with his mother described online as “Amhara Christian.” His name “Abiy” (also spelled Abey) is an Amharic name; and some of his former colleagues have reportedly suggested that he sees himself as an Amhara culturally, but as an Oromo politically in order to join the OPDO. In reality, based on his ancestry, Dr. Abiy seems to be no more Oromo than Emperor Menelik (whose mother was also Oromo.) In fact, Emperor Haile Selassie (whose father was half-Oromo and whose mother was full-Oromo from Wollo) is actually more Oromo than Dr. Abiy Ahmed will ever be.

This is not a new dilemma inside OPDO, because Oromo extremists have for years complained about the genuine “Oromoness” of most members of OPDO, including OPDO co-founder Aba Dulla. In the early 1990s, many Oromo hardliners often said OPDO is filled with half-Oromos (including those with Amara, southern, Somali and Tigrean ancestry.) This was a big problem for OPDO for two decades.

However, in this historic year of rising Oromo nationalism and Oromo revolution, it is truly ironic that Oromo activists worldwide want to give the KEYS to their movement to an Amhara.

After so many innocent Oromos died in the streets of Oromia the last two years; if the best leader that Oromo nationalism can produce is an Amhara: then what does this really say about where we are as a nation? What does this say about the concepts of ethnic self-rule and ethnic self-determination? What does this say about the useless ethnic boundary referendums that have caused endless ethnic bloodshed between OPDO-led Oromia and regional states like Somali and SNNPR?

After-all, one of the reasons why hundreds of Oromos and Somalis died last year, and millions became internally displaced refugees was because of the tribalization of land since the 1997 referendum. After that land redistribution scheme, 340 zones out of 420 zones were awarded to Oromia, leading to the homelessness and disenfranchisement of Somali-Ethiopians. Similar ethnicization of land has brought so much suffering to millions and divided our country. If all these crisis and ideological bankruptcy of ethnic elites do not convince them to lower their divisive ethnic-nationalism rhetoric, then, what will?

Sooner or later, diaspora Oromos and other vocal Oromo elites might turn their backs on Dr. Abiy and Lemma; just like they defamed and turned their backs on OLF founders like Lencho Lata. Oromo nationalists are infamous for blaming each other and attacking personalities; instead of soul searching or self-reflection on their ideological shortcomings.

For those of us Ethiopians who have exposed the gravity, backwardness, impracticality and incompatibility of the current tribal-federalism structure with modern democracy in the 21st century: this is a huge ideological and political victory. If the future leader of OPDO and the #Oromoprotests is a half-Amhara like Dr. Abiy, maybe it will reduce ethnic tensions. Maybe then, we can all see each other as Ethiopians first and foremost.

But too many people have already perished in Ethiopia for the sake of tribalism and it must stop. Sooner or later, ethnic apartheid federalism and dangerous tribal-nationalism must be replaced with regional federalism and civic nationalism. One of the best ways to mitigate tribal conflict and lower ethnic tensions is to detach tribal ownership of any land and recognize mixed-Ethiopians as a separate group in our population.

Dr. Abiy Ahmed is one of millions of Ethiopians with mixed ancestry. Unfortunately, mixed-ethnicity is not emphasized in our national Census and this should be one of the main agenda of our future government.

The TPLF dictatorship is on its last legs, but we should not focus on the ethnic label of the next government, we should focus on developing democratic institutions. All Ethiopians must unite to establish a new non-tribal government. We should not try to replace the Tigray-led regime with an Oromo-led one. It is important that Ethiopia transitions into a new system of government for all the people, in which leaders are picked based on merit, and where all Ethiopians are represented as individuals, no matter which tribe (or mix of tribes) they belong to.

Contact the writer at teshomeborago@gmail.com

The post Is OPDO’s Abiy an Amhara or Oromo Ethiopian? (Teshome M. Borago| Satenaw Columnist) appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Aklog Birara (Dr.)

PART I OF II

“Communities need leaders who create a better place to live. Children need leaders who help
them reach their potential. Family and friends need leaders who model purpose-driven lives.”
— John Maxwell, Leadership for Every Day
“Ethiopian needs ‘greater freedom of people’ and not less.”
U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2018

I have consistently argued that, more than aid and Foreign Direct Investment, Ethiopia needs freedom, justice and democracy. The rest will follow from good, inclusive and empowering governance. In a commentary entitled “TPLF Inc. as a” silent killer” posted by several websites including Ethiomedia and Zhabesha on February 26, 2012, I warned ordinary Ethiopians at home and the world community at large that the TPLF party, state and government (they are one and the same), in tandem serves as a “killing and robbery machine” that robs human dignity; and puts a premium on material and financial possessions over human worth and life. Since then, this machine is responsible for the deaths, maiming, tortures, imprisonments and other forms of dehumanization of thousands of innocent Ethiopians some as young 3 months old. Imagine a regime that doesn’t have an ounce of moral compunction in murdering children; and in murdering a mother expressing grief over a murdered child. Even buried a murdered child is a crime under the current system.

There is no human development without freedom

Governments that advance freedom and empower youth and women to create, innovate and produce serve their societies much better than those that suppress and punish them. Far from enabling Ethiopia’s youth and children to ‘fulfil their God-given potential,’ the TPLF killing

machine has moved from a “Silent killer” to that of an open killer in which peaceful expression of dissent, movement from one part of the country to the other, boycotts and other forms of peaceful expressions have become a crime.

Ethiopia’s dictatorship has declared a third state of emergency this time giving the TPLF defense, security and other allied forces supremacy to rule and license to kill. Whether the country’s rulers and their ardent supporters admit it or not, Ethiopia is now a police state. The entire country is under a state of siege. The dictionary defines “A state of siege as a situation in which a government or other authority puts restrictions on the movement of people into or out of a country, city, or building. Under the state of siege, the police could arrest suspects without charges or warrants.” So, no one is safe, but some are less safe than others. Today, the assault

is concentrated on the Oromo population, especially youth. Tomorrow’s target will no doubt be the Amhara people, especially youth. This type of selective and targeted assault on freedom and the degradation of human life is so routinized and normalized that Ethiopians have become almost immune.

It is incontestable that a state of siege allows the TPLF dominated and commanded defense, security, special command and federal and allied police to set-up command posts in any part of the country where peaceful citizens express their frustrations, hopes and aspirations through the only instrument they can exercise, namely, peaceful protests and boycotts. Given the license to go after anyone suspected of defiance of the dictatorship, no one is safe at home either. The police state hunts the person down.

Would this latest state of emergency stop the popular tide? The answer is no. Because, regardless of the sacrifice it takes, human freedom is ultimately triumphant over tyranny. A deliberate war against the current generation of Ethiopians is a war against the inevitable tide or wave of freedom. Those who stand against this tide are effectively siding against history.

On March 3, 2018, Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban reported that “The government of Ethiopia has admitted a violent pushback to a recently “ratified” state of emergency (SOS). A number of security forces have reportedly been attacked and their weapons confiscated.”

The regime’s defense minister, Siraj Fegessa admitted the pushback and noted that the resistance against the new SOS is a form of a “coloured revolution.” The resistance took place immediately after the SOS was proclaimed. The defense minister cannot be expected to admit that this so called “coloured revolution” that in reality is some popular grassroots based and youth led revolution for freedom, justice and democracy actually begun more than two years ago and has continued unabetted. The SOS is doing exactly the opposite. It is making Ethiopian society more defiant and more resilient than ever before.

To repeat, freedom is unstoppable. The real question is at what cost?

Ethiopia’s popular revolution to undo the damage inflicted on the society over the past 27 years

has intensified since November 2015; and is likely to succeed in bringing fundamental

democratic changes. But this quest for freedom, justice and the rule of law won’t be achieved

without sacrifices in human life and in property. Fortunately for Ethiopia and the Ethiopian

people, Ethiopia’s youth is determined to pay any price in order to achieve freedom, justice, the rule of law and genuine democracy. Regardless of the “killing machine’s” inexcusable and criminal propagation of a false and damaging ideology of hate and mutual suspicion, Ethiopia’s youth has shown a remarkable sophistication in separating the TPLF from the people of Tigray.

Sadly, members of the Tigrean community refuse to reject the TPLF. In fact, a recent statement from a group in the U.S. vowed to support the state of emergency thereby inflaming the situation and deepening unnecessary animosity among Ethiopians. It weighed in heavily on the

loss of Tigrean owned property and gave no acknowledgment to the loss of innocent lives by TPLF dominated and commandeered forces.

It needs repeating again and again that ordinary Tigreans have nothing to fear from their Ethiopian brothers and sisters. What they should fear is the hate-mongering ideology of the TPLF and its latest declaration of a state of siege on the Ethiopian people. Politically motivated ethnic hate has a short-life span. State and government policy of ethnic hatred and divide and rule inevitably leads to genocide and the destruction of any country.

In order to rule by force of arms, the TPLF has no other choice but to murder tens of thousands and perhaps millions. It sadly believes this objective can be achieved through a variety of extrajudicial measures such as:

• Selective killing, maiming, tortures and imprisonments of activists especially in the Oromia and Amhara regions;
• Going house to house and disarming households, most notably in the Amhara region;
• Re-arresting and jailing notable individuals who were released recently;
• Shutting off basic services to specific communities considered inimical to the TPLF;
• Reigniting animosity among the Oromo and Amhara population;
• Arming allies to revolt against the federal system and using this as a vehicle to frighten Ethiopian society and to bolster foreign support

These measures are counterproductive and will reveal the weakness and fragility of the system. Rwanda, Somalia, Syria and others are prime examples. The “illegal” latest state of emergency facilitates the license to kill; but is never a cure. The SOS tries to repair and salvage a hopelessly broken, hated, illegitimate and inhumane system. It is not a cure. The root causes of the popular revolt against TPLF dictatorship remain unaddressed. Zeroing in and trying to crush Ethiopia’s youth that constitutes 70 percent of 110 million people won’t work. The way out is an all-inclusive form of transition that will facilitate a fair and free election.

The TPLF dictatorship and its ardent supporters are on the losing side of history. This trend- setting and transformative history led by Ethiopia’s youth demands that the current regime and future governments of Ethiopia pay singular attention to the aspirations and hopes of the country’s youth. It is their world view that should guide and shape history; and not the political and economic preponderance of ethnic elites, middle men and corrupt officials at all levels.

The series of state of emergencies imposed on the Ethiopian people have demonstrated that citizens no longer fear or respect the dictatorial party, state and government. They tolerate it as an “inconvenient truth” or system that is dominated by ignorant and backward thinking officials. They do not accept it as a legitimate system of governance that will shape and determine their lives and their destiny.

As noted earlier, a state of siege is indicative of failure in government officials and their institutions. Dictatorship revert back to the only thing they know and control, repression and

oppression by force of arms. When you sink to the bottom as a regime, you resort to the only instrument over which you have control, namely, crushing your opponents through extrajudicial measures and forcing submission. Disarming the population is a form of forcing submission. Going house to house and arresting or killing opponents is a form of forcing submission to a dying regime. These measures can never be a cure to a malignant and sick system.

The TPLF has learned nothing from the Imperial and Socialist Dictatorships. It created and wants to retain a rigged system that has enslaved the vast majority of Ethiopians. The only reliable and durable determinant to this rigged system is the power of the population; and not the barrel of the gun. The military socialist dictatorship commanded one of the largest armies in Africa; but was crushed, mostly by a popular resistance.

As witnessed in Oromia and some parts of the so-called Amhara regional state, under the new state of emergency the TPLF deployed forces to punish and force surrender. Anyone and everyone who defies the dictates of the TPLF dominated regime takes enormous risks. The killing machine is merciless and simply kills without any reservation or mercy.

The latest and third state of emergency imposed on Ethiopia’s 110 million people, the second largest in Africa and the 13th in the entire world escalates the wave of potential crimes against humanity to a dangerous level; and threatens the very existence of Ethiopia as a country. If and when massive and relentless assaults begin, the TPLF would have no place to hide either. Sadly, the TPLF endangers Tigreans as well. If plan B is secession, this option will be a total disaster for Tigreans and a welcome development for Ethiopia’s traditional enemies. This is insanity of the worst kind.

This option aside, my commentary is to alert Ethiopians of the extraordinary danger they face; and their country faces. This time around, ordinary Ethiopians should be weary that no one will be safe in their homes whether they live in Addis Ababa, Gondar, Awassa or other.

Escalation of ethnic conflict and the use of new instruments by the TPLF

For example, what guarantee is there that the “silent killer” that decided that the Amhara population should be reduced by an estimated 2.4 million to 5 million; that forced Amhara girls and women in their primes to take short-acting contraceptives (Depo-Provera pills) so that they do not reproduce; that encouraged ethnic elites in Gambella, Beni-Shangul Gumuz, SNNP and other locations of targeting the Amhara to move out of their premises; that trained Ogaden Somali Special forces to wage war against their Oromo brothers and sisters and caused the displacements of nearly a million people; that, much earlier, ethnically cleansed hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Wolkait-Tegede and other locations throughout the “Amhara” region etc. etc. would not deploy new and dangerous instruments to kill?

What guarantee, if any, is there that drinking water won’t be contaminated deliberately and

selectively by the TPLF and its agents?

What guarantee is there that the TPLF and its agents won’t cut electricity to cities and towns selectively and deliberately? What guarantee is there that the TPLF and its agents have not begun training special units in selected regions to revolt and declare secession? What guarantee is there that the TPLF and others with billions of dollars in assets are not using the state of emergency to move capital out of Ethiopia thereby compounding the massive illicit outflow of billions of dollars already stolen and hidden overseas? Based on its disastrous past, there is nothing to offer us confidence that it won’t resort to any means necessary to prolong its punishing governance and or to destroy and move on.

Against these questions is to consider recently leaked ‘reports from reliable sources’ within Ethiopia say that the TPLF ‘plans to use the SOS to do as much damage as possible and to transfer funds and other strategic resources to the home base of Tigray.’ It is also reported by ‘credible sources’ that the TPLF has trained as many as “20,000 to 30,000 females, primarily Tigreans, and deployed them in strategic locations in Addis Ababa and other urban areas with explicit instructions to wait for orders from the TPLF leadership to take specific actions against specific pre-identified and preselected valuable targets.” The purported plan of action includes “placing explosives under high rise buildings, bridges and other infrastructure; applying poisons to drinking water supply facilities; dismantling all electric and communication transmission lines and infrastructure in targeted and pre-selected communities.”

If true (this is not validated by independent third parties or by the global media), these acts of total destruction will constitute total war on the Ethiopian people and on Ethiopia. It will also be a crime against humanity that will affect generations to come. The intent should be prevention before any of these dangerous acts take place.

In my commentary more than 5 years ago, I posed the following set of questions that are as relevant today as they were at the time.

“Have you ever wondered, as I have, why Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people are caught in a vicious cycle of disillusionment, dispossession and disempowerment? Have you pondered, as I have, the simple truth that the vast majority of the Ethiopian people have less say and thus less power over their political and economic affairs in their own country compared to a few ethnic elites and foreign investors such as Saudi Star and Karuturi? Have you taken a few minutes of your time to reflect why Ethiopian Christians and Muslims alike working in Saudi Arabia find themselves in a predicament for praying in a Muslim State while Saudis are free to build mosques and to pray as they wish anywhere in Ethiopia?”

We may no longer reflect on the dominance of Sheikh Al-Amoudi “Who Stole the Nile” for the benefit of the Saudi market and Saudi investors or the role of the Indian investor Karuturi who borrowed from Ethiopian banks and went belly-up etc. but the traumas persist in different forms.

“Anywhere one looks, Ethiopians within and outside the country cry for a government leadership to protect their lives and their country’s national interests. These and other core

policy related questions on Ethiopia and Ethiopians suggest an enormous gap in organization and leadership that is socially relevant and purpose-driven. I would argue that the urgent gap in responsive governance is the ethnicity and language-based system that pits one group against another. This persistent state and government led division and assault on civil society is felt by all Ethiopians in some form or another. All Ethiopians have a stake; and are thus responsible in filling the vacuum with a better and empowering system.

In light of this, it is time that we expand and embrace the definition and action steps that will lead the entire society to a better and more promising alternative than the current TPLF dictatorship. We cannot do this as long as we are guided by the ethnic and divisive script imposed on us by TPLF Inc. We need to consider the higher moral ground that the same way “families and friends need leaders who model purpose-driven lives,” Ethiopian society and communities anywhere and everywhere should expect to defend their human rights; improve their lot; and chart a more promising future for their children.

Can this really be achieved? Can Ethiopian political, civic and faith leaders and intellectuals surmount their own narrow interests and prejudices for the sake of the country and its diverse population? The simple answer is that there is no other choice. Otherwise, we should stop the entire business of protest politics and politics as a business enterprise: the model TPLF Inc. has imposed on each of us.”

There are no such things as separate but equal human rights or the rule of law or democracy. Justice, equality and the rule of law have meaning to the extent that these are indivisible principles. An assault on the Oromo is an assault on each of us. Ethnic cleansing against the Amhara is a crime against all Ethiopians. The sooner we, together, echo these fundamental precepts the better for all Ethiopians.

I suggest in this piece that Ethiopians who wish to be treated with respect and dignity anywhere in the world and who wish a better future for this and the coming generation stop the nonsense of ethnic, religious or other forms of “irreconcilable divisions.”

The current oppressive system has created a pronouncedly dangerous class division building and trying to replace the ethnic and linguistic divide and rule that served it well in the first two decades of TPLF and allied dominance. It created ethnic-parties to champion its narrow interests; and most are still unable or unwilling to free themselves from its grip. They are vested in the system and have practically abandoned their responsibilities to their constituents. But we should always be careful that we do not lump together all Tigreans as direct beneficiaries of the TPLF machine.

For instance, the TPLF conglomerate called the Endowment for the Rehabilitation of Tigray (EFFORT) controls tens of industrial, manufacturing, agricultural, import and export, banking, insurance and other companies throughout Ethiopia. It started with a small amount of capital and now commands a minimum of $3 billion in assets. It has made a few Tigreans super rich while leaving millions of Tigreans poor and marginalized. The make-believe fast growth

championed by the TPLF and its agents says little about the millions of Tigreans and other Ethiopians left-out of the development process. Ethiopia is still one of the poorest, least developed and most closed economies on the planet. This phenomenon of a closed and literally ethnic elite captured economy allows a minority ethnic group from Tigray that represents less than 6 percent of Ethiopia’s 110 million people to enjoy a disproportionate share of incomes and wealth. Income inequality is a threat to Ethiopia.

Sadly, this disproportionate share of wealth and riches gained from outside the Tigray region gives TPLF a legitimacy in Tigray that it actually does not deserve at all. The sooner non- beneficiary Tigreans realize that they have been duped or deceived by the TPLF the better for them and for the rest of Ethiopia. EFFORT continues to propagate the make-believe notion that it is still rehabilitating a “devastated region” while masking the reality that it serves a selected few within the TPLF and other loyalists who benefit from a closed system.

These beneficiaries are vested and invested in the system and will do all they can in their power to prolong its political and economic dominance. Because they are vested financially and politically, they see their fate as one that is intrinsically linked to the survival and dominance of the TPLF.

So, what can and should we do?

“We can start with baby steps: stop demeaning and undermining one another. Reach-out to and talk to one another as adults. Work with and collaborate with one another as adults. Campaign against all forms of injustice and inequality collaboratively. Accept our diversity as a source of strength and celebrate one another. Demand and promote innovative, inclusive, smart and wiser alternative organization and leadership–with demonstrated capability of grasping what is at stake and with commitment to set aside minor differences; and use the discipline and consistency Ethiopia deserves by forging a unity of purpose among all ethnic, religious and demographic groups. If we fail to do this fast, we have no one to blame but ourselves. These baby steps will not be easy.”

However, Ethiopians, especially youth are showing us the way forward by sacrificing their lives for a better tomorrow. What more compelling social force do we need in rejecting TPLF dictatorship and the state of emergency that it imposed again?

“A unity of purpose must affirm failures of the past without being trapped in it. It must affirm commitment to justice, the rule of law, unfettered and equitable access to economic and social opportunities, and representative governance based on free and fair elections. A child in Gambella must believe that he/she is an Ethiopian and deserves the same rights as a child in Tigray or Oromia or Addis Ababa and so on. Creating favorable conditions that embrace each child as a human-being regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation would have the best chance of safeguarding past gains while advancing a more promising future for the vast majority of Ethiopians that the current system is unable to deliver. This will not happen unless adults show commitment that transcends ethnicity.”

The World community is on our side

Ethiopian-American diplomatic relationships span over 115 years. Established in 1903, after nine days of meetings in Ethiopia between Emperor Menelik II and Robert P. Skinner, an emissary of President Theodore Roosevelt, this relationship has endured the test of time and will endure for decades to come as long as Ethiopia’s governance changes for the better. Long before the TPLF took power in 1991, Ethiopia enjoyed the much coveted “Most Favored Nation status.” The distinguished Ethiopian statesman and diplomat, Workneh Eshete is deservedly credited for welcoming the African-American community to Ethiopia during his visit in 1927.

The African-American community dedicated itself in helping modernize the Ethiopian economy before and after the Italian invasion in 1935. This relationship cannot be ignored or understated. Sadly, the military socialist dictatorship squandered the relationship by being vitriolic and antagonistic.

Against the lull in relations, the TPLF exploited diplomatic measures to forge a strategic agreement in the fight against terrorism, while terrorizing Ethiopians. For the first time over the past decades, the Government of the United States sees the enormous long-term benefits of “freedom,” the rule of law and democracy in strengthening mutual national security, sustainable and equitable growth and development in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. During an official press briefing with Ethiopian officials in Addis Ababa on March 8, 2018, Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson affirmed the American commitment that Ethiopia needs “greater freedom and not less.” This is a welcome and an unprecedented position that all other countries, including the European Union ought to take.

The U.S. Secretary of State also affirmed the expressed position of America’s Ambassador to Ethiopia who disagreed with the regime in Addis Ababa on the “re-imposition of the state of emergency” and asked Ethiopian officials to consider a “‘voluntary transition” that allows inclusion of all stakeholders. “We recognize the transition that is underway in Ethiopia, the first ever voluntary transfer of power, and I view this as a very positive symbol of this very

young democracy in Ethiopia – a peaceful transition of power…. We share concerns raised by government over the incidence of violence, loss of lives and we do firmly believe the answer is greater freedom of people not less.”

The key message is “greater freedom, not less.” It is therefore inconceivable for Ethiopia to enjoy a peaceful transition regardless of who becomes the next Prime Minister. Secretary of State Tillerson is right when he stated the American position in the clearest terms possible. “During recent events, the United States have expressed our concerns with the government’s decision to impose another state of emergency because it does put restrictions on fundamental rights like assembly and expression…. We formally believe that democratic reforms, economic growth and lasting stability are best addressed through an inclusive political process rather than through the imposition of restrictions.” His plea extends to

Ethiopian citizens as well; and indirectly to Ethiopia’s opposition. “We encourage the Ethiopian people as well to maintain patience, maintain support for your government

through this change or this transition but also through this journey of pursuing democracy which takes time and effort. Democracy is not easy, it takes a lot of work.”

The first priority then is for the TPLF dominated regime to rescind the state of emergency and to stop killing innocent civilians immediately and unconditionally.

The second is to allow a peaceful and all-inclusive dialogue that will frame a transition towards a government of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace; and that will facilitate the first free and fair election in Ethiopian history.

Part II of this series will be posted soon March 9, 2018

The post Ethiopia’s Recurrent State of Siege-TPLF Transitions from Silent to Open Killer appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By ELIAS MESERET | Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia –  Ethiopian immigration officials have deported a British journalist over an accreditation row that both sides are disputing.

William Davison, who was a Bloomberg reporter for seven years before he started writing for The Guardian, said he was expelled from Ethiopia on Wednesday after being detained at a police station for a day.

The journalist, who was chairman of the Ethiopian Foreign Correspondents Association, said he was not given a specific reason for his deportation but an official at the Ethiopian spokesman office said the journalist was deported because had no foreign media affiliation.

In a separate incident, Ethiopian officials detained prominent blogger and university lecturer Seyoum Teshome on Thursday.

The post Ethiopia deports British journalist over accreditation issue appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By Arthur Chatora

Ethiopian Airlines has made history again with an all women functioned inaugural flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. On International Women’s Day, the all female crew operated and flew the iconic B787 Dreamliner, from Addis Ababa to Buenos Aires, which marked yet remarkable, empowering and inspirational first for the airline.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and Ethiopian Airlines celebrated the day with a historic flight with an all-female crew from Addis Ababa to Buenos Aires in Argentina. The all female crew flew the iconic B787 Dreamliner.

Speaking at the launch of airline’s five weekly flights to Buenos Aires, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde GebreMariam, said “To mark this important occasion and as part of our commitment of mainstreaming gender into our core business, we have made the inaugural flight on 8 March an All Women Operated Flight”.

While an all female operated flight is not new for Ethiopian Airlines, this particular flight is historic as the airline’s inaugural flight to Buenos Aires. Having an all female crew operate and fly the airline’s inaugural flight to Buenos Aires, is not only commendable but an inspiration, which cements the airline’s commitment to providing equal opportunities.

In 2015, Ethiopian Airlines was the first African airline to fly an all-female crew out of Africa. The history making flight deck crew operated the flight from the capital, Addis Ababa to Bangkok, Thailand. Ethiopian Airlines called it, “#Ethiopian first All Women Functioned Flight”. Every part of the flight was done by a woman, from the pilots who flew the plane, cabin crew, ground staff, and air traffic controllers. Even an all female customs and immigration officers crew on arrival in Bangkok.

Commenting on the celebrated flight in 2015, the CEO GebreMariam said, the historic endeavour was meant to empower and inspire women. “As you know, here in the continent of Africa, we are lagging behind in women empowerment. So this is going to inspire all the school girls in Africa that they have a very bright future in the 21st century,” GebreMariam said.

Ethiopia Airlines has made great strides towards offering world class aviation services and the airline’s efforts have been rewarded, winning various continental and international awards.

In February, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services, Africa’s largest cargo operator, was awarded as “Fastest growing International Cargo Airline of the Year” at Air Cargo India International conference held in Mumbai. In March, the airline won the African Leadership Excellence Award.

Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy plus years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.

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CPJ

Nairobi, March 9, 2018–Ethiopian authorities should immediately release Seyoum Teshome, who publishes theEthiothinktank blog, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security forces yesterday arrested Seyoum at his home near the Woliso campus of Ambo University, where he lectures, according to witnesses who spoke with Voice of America and Deutsche Welle. The reason for his arrest and his whereabouts are not known, according to reports and a statement by the Swiss-based Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia.

Seyoum has been critical in his blog of a six-month state of emergency Ethiopia declared in February. Under the state of emergency, authorities can carry out arrests and searches without warrant and close down media stations, according to a report by the state-owned Ethiopian News Agency.

“Ethiopia cannot again use the cloak of a national emergency to round up journalists and stifle critical voices,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney. “This is the second time that authorities ignored due process to detain Seyoum Teshome. He should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Seyoum was arrested in October 2016, days before a previous state of emergency was declared, according to CPJ

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Zemenech Bililin has not seen her sisters in more than a decade, since she immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia with part of her family. Now a 19-year-old infantry soldier in Israel’s military, Bililin says she is outraged that she is fulfilling her duties as a citizen but the state is shirking its responsibility to bring her relatives to Israel.

Bililin’s family is one of hundreds that have been split between Israel and Ethiopia over what they say is an inconsistent immigration policy, and whose fate hinges on an Israeli government decision over whether to allow for their reunification. Ethiopians in Israel say the bitter public feud to unite with long-lost relatives has exacerbated a feeling that the state discriminates against its Ethiopian minority.

“It’s shocking in my opinion. They only do this to us, to our ethnicity,” said Bililin. “The state should take responsibility and stop abandoning the Jews.”

The issue faces a critical juncture next week, when the government is tentatively scheduled to decide whether to allocate funding to bring as many as 8,000 Ethiopians to Israel to reunite with their families.

Israel clandestinely airlifted thousands of Ethiopian Jews from the country in the 1980s and 90s, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the ancient community to the Jewish state and help them integrate. About 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel today, a small minority in a country of over 8 million. But their assimilation hasn’t been smooth, with many arriving without a modern education and then falling into unemployment and poverty.

As far as Israel is concerned, the drive to bring over Ethiopia’s Jewish community officially ended in the 90s, but amid pressure from lawmakers and family members, successive Israeli governments have opened the door to immigration by a community of descendants of Ethiopian Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity under duress about a century ago.

Although many of them are practicing Jews, Israel doesn’t consider them Jewish, meaning they are not automatically eligible to immigrate under its “law of return,” which grants automatic citizenship to anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent. Instead, the government must OK their arrival.

Community members have been permitted to immigrate over the last two decades in limited bursts that have left hundreds of families torn apart.

Nearly 8,000 people in Ethiopia are hoping to immigrate, among them Bililin’s sisters, who as married women applied to immigrate separately.

In 2015, Israel agreed in principle to bring over the remaining Ethiopians who have Israeli relatives, vowing that it would be the last round of Ethiopian immigration and clearing the way for the arrival of 1,300 people last year.

Israel says it has continued to greenlight the community’s immigration on humanitarian grounds but it also has set a slew of requirements on those waiting in Ethiopia, in part to prevent what could be an endless loop of immigration claims.

Avraham Neguise, an Ethiopian-Israeli lawmaker in the ruling Likud party who chairs the Israeli parliament’s Absorption and Diaspora Committee, accused the government of dragging its feet and in turn damaging the Ethiopian community’s already brittle relationship with the state.

“The government is pursuing a discriminatory policy by not having the remaining Ethiopian Jews immigrate,” he said. “There’s no doubt that it harms the community’s trust.”

While Ethiopians have made strides in certain fields and have reached the halls of Israel’s parliament, many complain of racism, lack of opportunity, endemic poverty and routine police harassment.

Those frustrations boiled over into violent protests three years ago after footage emerged of an Ethiopian-Israeli in an army uniform being beaten by police. Thousands of Ethiopian Jews and their supporters blocked main highways and clashed with police in a bid to draw attention to their plight, including what they say is unchecked police brutality against their community members.

Activists have been lobbying the government to approve the immigration, penning letters to Israeli officials and sharing their poignant stories of separation in parliamentary committees. They see the issue as an easily solvable one that has needlessly shattered families and marooned people in a troubled country.

“Daughters are getting married in Israel without their mothers at their side. Sons are going to war and not returning without having their fathers there to bury them. We’re talking about human lives here,” said Alisa Bodner, a spokeswoman for Struggle for Ethiopian Aliyah, an activist group.

The community expected to see funding for immigration in the proposed budget, which is expected to come up for a vote as early as next week. But they were stunned when it was absent from preliminary versions of the budget.

The anticipated estimated cost of flying all 8,000 people to Israel along with housing and social services is roughly 1.4 billion shekels, or about $400 million, a sizeable figure but a tiny fraction of a nearly 500 billion shekel ($143 billion) national budget, according to an official from the finance ministry. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss a budget that has not yet been passed.

Neguise and the activists are engaged in a last-minute push to have the families’ plight included in the upcoming budget and to do so the Israeli government must vote on the issue, which could happen on Sunday. However, it is unclear whether the government would agree to bring all of the Ethiopians to Israel, or just limited numbers as in the past.

Regardless of the outcome, hundreds of people are expected to protest outside parliament the following day demanding action.

Israel’s Finance Ministry said it was up to the government to decide on the issue. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s prime minister’s office.

The Ministry of Immigration and Immigrant Absorption said “the subject of the continuation of Ethiopian immigration is on the government’s agenda.” But with the government embroiled in a coalition crisis over separate issues, the plight of the Ethiopians may not be its top priority.

“It’s intensely painful. I miss them like crazy,” Bililin said about her sisters. “(The government) doesn’t understand that pain.”

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Following the killing of at least 13 civilians by the so called Command Post in Moyale, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia today, activists have announced that they are calling for fuel blockade and protests across Ethiopia.

Several Ethiopian activists and media sources including VoA Amharic have reported that government securities have killed at least 13 people in the Moayle and wounded several civilians. Local residents have started fleeing to bordering Kenya following the massacre, the media outlets have reported. The reports stated “the Command Post ordered local police to leave the town saying that they want to clear OLF rebels who entered the town recently and executed unarmed civilians .”

The activists have said that in response to the killings and renewing their call to the government to change the State of Emergency (SoE) and sit down with all oppsotion forces, they are launching fuel protest which blocks fuel transport into Ethiopia. This will cause widespread disruption fuel/petroleum products.

Ethiopia imports fuel via Sudan and Djibouti. Therefore, it is expected that the Ethiopian regional towns that border these countries in the North West, Amhara region and Eastern Ethiopia, Oromia regions are possibly participating the fuel protest.

Details were not given how the protests were going to be implemented.

Ethiopian security forces on Saturday killed nearly a dozen people and wounded many others in Moyale, Borena Zone Oromia Region #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/1bqWjPxk2P

— Ethiopia Live Updates (@Ethiopialiveupd) March 10, 2018

The Ethiopian economy has recently been struggling recently following Forex Crunch and the effects of political instability, which has led to the stopping of some mega construction projects. Many government ministers are struggling to pay salaries to their employees, sources indicated. The current fuel blockade adds fuel into the fire of the collapsing economy. Ethiopian-Saudi tycoon, Mohammod Ali Al Amoudi, who often bailed out the government during such times, is in Saudi jail accused of corruption.

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Geresu Tufa

The group that deliberately declared war against #Oromo people and turned the entire region into blood field where the innocent lives massacred every day at their home is pushing the country into dangerous end.

It is a joke to say the least that after they murdered dozens of lives and wounded tens of innocent people at their home/village, they issue a non-sense statement of apology.

Those who should be responsible are not those foot soldiers who are committing the crimes, it is Samora and Getachew Assefa who are in control of the structure and commandship of killing machine and ordering the killing in order to sustain the domination of one group.

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Sworn Duty: Journalist Eskinder Nega – Pt 2 – SBS Amharic

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