TIME: Many people outside Africa know Ethiopia primarily from television reports of the famine in 1984 and 1985.
Meles: That was clearly part of our reality. We cannot run away from it. Ethiopia is in the midst of a profound transformation. Most analysts agree that our growth has been exceptionally pro-poor. The political transformation is still a work in progress. There have been quite a few bumps on the road. But in the end, the movement has been inexorably in the right direction towards permanently establishing democratic institutions, towards further consolidation of a democratic culture and towards further stabilization. On the eve of the millennium, we are beginning to see the impact of the start of the transformation of the country.
TIME: What happens in Ethiopia has an impact well beyond its borders. Why?
Meles: After Nigeria, we are the second biggest black African nation. We are the headquarters of the African Union. We are the only African country that has never been colonized. This is perhaps the last surviving African civilization. We have our own script. We have our own calendar. We represent the greatness of Africa's past. We also represent the worst of Africa's present, in terms of poverty. It is the best and the worst of African reality.
TIME: As you say, democracy is a destination rather than a present reality.
Meles: While all democratic systems are works in progress, ours started rather late and therefore has a longer distance to cover. But democratic transformation for us is not mimicking some facets of Western governance. The focus has been on building institutions of democratic governance. And to do so all the way to the grass roots. Democracy cannot be a plaything for the capital cities. It has to infiltrate every nook and cranny in the country, including the village.
TIME: There are questions about the validity of the 2005 elections which returned you to power.
Meles: Everyone, including the most ardent critics of the government, agrees that right up to election day the democratic elections in Ethiopia were exemplary, by any standard. The issue arises as to whether the counting of the vote was done in a fair and transparent fashion. Here, there are varied assessments. We argue that while there may have been mistakes here and there, on the whole it was a credible and fair count. The opposition did not agree. So we said: 'Let's check. Let's review the counting in the presence of foreign observers.' We did that. After we did that, two groups of observers the African Union and the Carter Center said that while there had been some mistakes, the outcome of the election was credible. The observers from the European Union did not criticize counting per se, but they said the environment was such that the outcome of the election was not credible. Their view was not shared by practically all European governments. Every one of them sent a congratulatory message to me.
TIME: Your government used what many consider excessive force to quell protests about the elections.
Meles: It's very obvious now that the opposition tried to change the outcome of the election by unconstitutional means. We felt we had to clamp down. We detained them and we took them to court. In the process, many people died, including policemen. Many of our friends feel that we overreacted. We feel we did not. There is room for criticism nevertheless it does not change the fact that this process was a forward move towards democracy and not a reversal. Recent developments have simply reinforced that. The leaders of the opposition have realized they made a mistake. And they asked for a pardon, and the government has pardoned them all.
TIME: Your image as a role model for African leaders has been tarnished by the perception that your government is not concerned with human rights.
Meles: As a person, I have never been discourteous or nasty to anybody. I may have stood my ground a bit too directly, a bit too firmly, and I believe I have over a number of years learned to be a little less direct. And I have certain misgivings about these human rights organizations and their activities. I see fundamental structural flaws in the way they operate. The way it's done is Mr X. says he is a victim of human rights violations. He reports that to an organization here or abroad. The organization has no means to verify the facts, but prints the allegations as allegations. Those who read those allegations do not read them as allegations they read them as facts. The other flaw is this attitude of holier than thou. Now, it is simply impossible for foreign advocates of human rights to ensure there is respect for human rights on the basis that there is Big Brother out there watching everyone. It has to come from inside. If people need a Big Brother, then by that very fact there is no democracy.
TIME: There are specific allegations that there have been human rights abuses in the Ogaden region. How do you answer these?
Meles: We are supposed to have burned villages. I can tell you, not a single village, and as far as I know not a single hut has been burned. We have been accused of dislocating thousands of people from their villages and keeping them in camps. Nobody has come up with a shred of evidence. Nobody. And I can tell you there are many intelligence organizations in the Horn of Africa. This is a very volatile area, and understandably there are much such organizations, and none of them have come up with any evidence. The reason is very simple. We know how insurgencies succeed and how they fail. And we have experience of counter-insurgency, from when we were on the receiving end. The most stupid mistake a counter-insurgency operation can make is alienating the population. If you alienate the population, you're finished. We are not going to make that mistake. We may not have been the most evangelical of human rights advocates in the world, but we are not stupid either. That is why we have not made those blunders and we will never make those blunders.
TIME: And your view is that the Ogaden National Liberation Front is a threat?
Meles: Absolutely. It's not a theoretical threat. They killed more than 70 people just a few months ago in a camp all of them civilians. It is a real threat. And it has to be curtailed.
TIME: Parts of the U.S. seem to take a different view of the ONLF. Your security forces detained four American personnel because they were dealing with the ONLF in some way, or talking to them or using them to help them operate in Somalia.
Meles: As far as we know, these personalities did not have official sanction to do that what they were doing. They were violating their own code of conduct. That is why they were stopped. We have no proof that they were in contact with the ONLF but there are indications that they might be moving in that direction. We stopped it from happening before it happened. We consider the ONLF a terrorist organization. Now the U.S. is more focused on international terrorism. The ONLF does not have an international dimension to its terrorist activities. So therefore there is a slight divergence of perspective.
TIME: The U.S. sets great store by its good relations with Ethiopia. Why?
Meles: We are African and a critical part of Africa. But we are close to the Middle East. And the three major religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism came to Ethiopia much earlier than much of Europe. So the Middle Eastern influence has historically been huge. And in view of the fact that much of the Middle East is currently in turmoil, the Gulf in particular, with all sorts of terrorist activities, we are susceptible to that influence too. But we are in the middle of Africa, and the challenges to democracy, poverty and development are central to our survival. This is a country of almost 80 million now, diverse cultures and language. So in a way, Ethiopia is a melting pot, a gateway between Africa and the Middle East.
TIME: How would you describe relations with the US?
Meles: Excellent.
TIME: Some people say you are America 's poodle.
Meles: Our objective is to safeguard Ethiopia's interests. Ethiopia's interests at the moment fully coincide with America's security interests in the region, and therefore it's perfectly normal for us to work very closely with the U.S. We have not denied the fact that we are working very closely with the U.S. We have every reason to do so. We are not ashamed of it. If that makes us a poodle, if protecting one's national interest means being a poodle, then so be it, that's ok. But that's not my definition of a poodle.
TIME: The U.S. warned against Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia but you went ahead. Was the invasion a success?
Meles: It's been a tremendous success. Before we intervened, about a year ago now, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) were on the verge of collapse and the Islamic Courts Union were on the verge of taking complete and full control of Somalia. That is no longer on the cards. That is a tremendous change.
TIME: Why could you not accept the Islamic Courts Union taking charge in Somalia?
Meles: Because these groups had declared jihad on us. And the TFG also gave us the legal ground for intervening by inviting us to come in. Now is Somalia stable yet? No, it is not, and it is not going to be absolutely tranquil any time soon. But the level of violence has dramatically gone down.
TIME: What do you make of the assessment that the invasion radicalized Somali nationalism into a much more dangerous, religion-inspired insurgency, and with Eritrea funding and supporting and there being links to those have already have a track record in international terror, that there is a monster being created here?
Meles: If there is any monster now, it's been there for quite some time. What we tried to do was put it back in its cage. These groups had ties with al-Qaeda long before we intervened. The terrorist outrages in Kenya and Tanzania [the U.S. embassy bombings in 1998] were launched from Somalia. Somalia was a very well known key hideout for key leaders of al-Qaeda in the Horn. When the Islamic Courts took over, they immediately put in a place a quasi-Taliban like regime. Now that was also not started by our intervention. What we have done is isolate the hardcore of the Taliban we did not create it and by doing that we believe we have radically weakened it. That does not mean there is no threat of terrorism now. There are too many forces around who are interested in terrorism for that to be the case including Eritrea. But the sort of mass upsurge in Talibanization that was occurring in Somalia has been curtailed.
TIME: We have information of a larger and more extensive American operation in Somalia than has previously been disclosed, of around 60 American Marines on the ground, of helicopters operating from the U.S. carrier Eisenhower, of several days of bombardment conducted jointly by Ethiopian and American planes. What can you tell me about that operation?
Meles: Since it is in the past now, I can be very frank. The American military involvement started after the Islamic Courts were defeated, and they gathered around the wooded area in the southern part of Somalia on the border with Kenya. At the stage, some US air assets were used for bombing operations on two occasions. U.S. air assets were used for intelligence purposes throughout. And they did share quite a lot of information with us. There may have been a few American soldiers on the ground, helping with intelligence. But other than these two air raids, there has not been any other U.S. air raid in southern Somalia before or after that operation. There has been some military operation in Puntland that was a seaborne operation, and it was done without any coordination with our forces. They have been helpful with intelligence throughout the operation, but that is not new, we share information on security threats.
TIME: African leaders often prove reluctant to leave office, but you've been hinting that you may not stand again?
Meles: I have three more years to go.
TIME: And then you will step down?
Meles: And then the process will kick in.
TIME: Why would you stand aside?
Meles: I have been around for quite a long time. Time to start thinking about doing new things.
TIME: Won't you leave a bit of a vacuum?
Meles: No. Politics here is not personality based. It is ideologically driven and organization based. That's part of its strength. In our case with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democracy Front (E.P.R.D.F.) it's a movement with very well articulated positions. And these things do not change because of personalities. I have been in the minority position when issues of war and peace were at stake. And I have found myself implementing a majority position that I completely and utterly disagree with.
TIME: Such as?
Meles: Such as the war with Eritrea. There were a number of instances where I found myself in a minority and implementing decisions that I was uncomfortable with.
TIME: You have acquired the reputation as an abrasive leader and author of a confrontational foreign policy. Do you disagree with that view?
Meles: I probably fail to beat about the bush. But I would suggest that when and where I have been direct, I have tried to be respectful. In policy we have not been confrontational. We have always sought the peaceful way out, even when we are on the receiving end of aggression. With Eritrea, it was very obvious that Eritrea invaded our country. And we sought a peaceful way out. The Americans and the Rwandans came up with a peaceful option. We accepted that. The Eritreans did not. At some stage I felt we could have gone a bit further in terms of being accommodative. But we were never aggressive, whether in Somalia or Eritrea. Sometimes, when we disagree, we say so with perhaps a little extra force in it. That might be misunderstood.
TIME: What keeps you awake at night?
Meles: It has always been fear — fear that this great nation, which was great 1,000 years ago but then embarked on a downward spiral for 1,000 years, and reached its nadir when millions of people were starving and dying, may be on the verge of total collapse. Now it's not a fear of collapse, I believe we are beyond that. It's the fear that the light which is beginning to flicker, the light of a renewal, an Ethiopian renaissance, that this light might be dimmed by some bloody mistake by someone, somewhere. This [renaissance] is still fragile, a few shoots [which] may need time to be more robust. At the moment, it is fear born out of hope that this new millennium will be as good as the first one and not as bad as the second one.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Politics
Is Ethiopia a failed state?
The decibel levels have lately been a notch up from Addis in protest of the description of the country as a failed state by a Washington based non-profit organization that happened to publish Foreign Policy, one of the most influential journals in its field. The Ethiopian government’s objection to this description was ambiguous and very confusing consisting as it usually does the most incoherent combination of apologetics, illogic and some half truths. Fortunately, this objection was mostly teletubed to us through the person of Samuel Assefa, the ‘Lecturer’-turned-diplomat who serves as the regime’s person in DC.
So, one can learn from the lengthy interview this man did with the magazine that the regime’s objection to this description boils down to the following. First is the alleged fact that the indicators used by the Fund for Peace, the US think thank that came with the description in its annual report on states’ vulnerability, are arbitrary. Second, partly because of the first, the evaluation that follows is given to a higher dose of subjectivity. Hence, thirdly, the report doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground.
I don’t feel like supporting or chastising any one of these parties. But I’d like to set the record straight on certain which I believe should be incontestable.
A venerable Sudanese professor one told me that every country in the Horn of Africa smacks of failure. This is a veritable truth. Every one of the five states that comprise this big chunk of Africa is a failure in one way or another. And I don’t mean this in the over-generalized, they-failed-their-people kind of way. Rather, it means that all of these countries have become both contested areas and areas of contest. As with the case with most of postcolonial Africa, many of the things these states stand for or against are contested, resulting in deep divisions among the society whose only recourse to resolve these divisions is to violence.
Ethiopia was not immune from this. It fought with itself for most of the 20th c. and the advent of the current ruling coalition didn’t change anything. I know the EPRDF apologists would like to think that it did the best thing by adopting what is called ethnic federalism and that this has gone a long way in solving the historic contradictions created throughout centuries of oppression. But for all the rhetoric sweeping generalizations, the empirical results have not been to their liking. The Bedeno, Awassa, Tepi, Gambella and other underreported massacres reflect a reality that is at odds with the official propaganda. What’s more, with its ‘good’ intentions remaining largely adornments, the policy of ethnic federalism has come to entrench the elites of a certain ethnicity in power further aggravating what is an already difficult situation.
The decibel levels have lately been a notch up from Addis in protest of the description of the country as a failed state by a Washington based non-profit organization that happened to publish Foreign Policy, one of the most influential journals in its field. The Ethiopian government’s objection to this description was ambiguous and very confusing consisting as it usually does the most incoherent combination of apologetics, illogic and some half truths. Fortunately, this objection was mostly teletubed to us through the person of Samuel Assefa, the ‘Lecturer’-turned-diplomat who serves as the regime’s person in DC.
So, one can learn from the lengthy interview this man did with the magazine that the regime’s objection to this description boils down to the following. First is the alleged fact that the indicators used by the Fund for Peace, the US think thank that came with the description in its annual report on states’ vulnerability, are arbitrary. Second, partly because of the first, the evaluation that follows is given to a higher dose of subjectivity. Hence, thirdly, the report doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground.
I don’t feel like supporting or chastising any one of these parties. But I’d like to set the record straight on certain which I believe should be incontestable.
A venerable Sudanese professor one told me that every country in the Horn of Africa smacks of failure. This is a veritable truth. Every one of the five states that comprise this big chunk of Africa is a failure in one way or another. And I don’t mean this in the over-generalized, they-failed-their-people kind of way. Rather, it means that all of these countries have become both contested areas and areas of contest. As with the case with most of postcolonial Africa, many of the things these states stand for or against are contested, resulting in deep divisions among the society whose only recourse to resolve these divisions is to violence.
Ethiopia was not immune from this. It fought with itself for most of the 20th c. and the advent of the current ruling coalition didn’t change anything. I know the EPRDF apologists would like to think that it did the best thing by adopting what is called ethnic federalism and that this has gone a long way in solving the historic contradictions created throughout centuries of oppression. But for all the rhetoric sweeping generalizations, the empirical results have not been to their liking. The Bedeno, Awassa, Tepi, Gambella and other underreported massacres reflect a reality that is at odds with the official propaganda. What’s more, with its ‘good’ intentions remaining largely adornments, the policy of ethnic federalism has come to entrench the elites of a certain ethnicity in power further aggravating what is an already difficult situation.
Immigration
Immigration Fees Now Significantly Higher
WASHINGTON, DC - As of July 30, immigration fees on 39 services increased by an average of 66%. Some fees doubled or even tripled in price for the most popular documents. For example, the cost to obtain a green card or permanent resident card went from $395 to $1,010. To become a United States citizen will now cost $675 compared to the $400 before. The fee for employment authorization went from $180 to $340. The increase will help the USCIS or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services cover the cost of doing business and allow more personnel to be hired. Turnaround times on certain services will be reduced. Some Hispanic television channels in the U.S. partnered with immigration activists to launch citizenship drives before the July 30 increase. They set up centers where volunteers would assist immigrants with the paperwork and answered any questions related to the immigration process.
The new fee increases will help generate an additional $1.1 billion annually for the USCIS. However, the fee increases were met with some criticism by immigration activists who claimed that the new fees may result in a financial burden for many immigrants. In addition, some Democrats in Congress tried to persuade the USCIS to not go ahead with the fee increases.
Obtaining a passport a Headache for Many Americans
WASHINGTON, DC - What used to be typically a six-week process of obtaining an American passport has now turned into a nightmare for many. Since the U.S. government added new passport requirements effective January 23, 2007 many travelers and non-travelers rushed to submit applications. Heading into the summer, over two million applicants were still waiting for their U.S. passport. About half a million of these Americans had been waiting for their passport for more than three months. This has caused many to change their travel plans by rescheduling summer vacations, business trips and even weddings and honeymoons. The passport backlog has also resulted in some having to request time off from work to wait in what seem like never-ending lines at the passport offices. Some have lost wages and others have lost non-refundable deposits put in for traveling purposes. Congress Representatives have also received thousands of complaints from constituents regarding the passport backlog. Assistant Secretary of State Maura Harty, a top federal official, has publicly apologized for the passport delays. Harty is in charge of overseeing the United States passport process and takes full responsibility for what is happening. All applicants are encouraged to download to United States Passport Application Guide for additional information.
USCIS Reverse Earlier Decision
WASHINGTON ,DC - To the delight of many foreign skilled workers currently working in the United States, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced in June that they would take green card applications sponsored by businesses. Green cards are highly coveted and many wait years before having the opportunity to gain legal status in the U.S. The wait is usually around five years but often longer. For dependents, the wait is even longer and they must meet certain criteria. The green card is necessary to obtain U.S. citizenship, which is the final goal for many. After living in the U.S. legally for five years, a permanent resident may apply to become a U.S. citizen. That’s why on July 2 when the USCIS withdrew their previous offer, many workers and sponsors were infuriated after spending their time and resources. The explanation given was that the 60,000 visas that were available were no longer available because the application backlog had decreased. However, the USCIS has reversed the decision and has started processing the applications previously submitted. Individuals sponsored by businesses have until August 17 to submit their green card applications to the USCIS. Many foreigners will try to take advantage of this golden opportunity because these types of opportunities don’t come around often.
Woman Believed She Was A Citizen and Voted, She Now Faces Possible Deportation
ADELANTO, CA - After running for a council seat in Adelanto, California and winning in 2004 did Zoila Meyer discover shortly that she was not an American citizen. Officials investigated Meyer’s birthplace and current status after someone mentioned she had been born in Cuba. It turned out that she was a permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen. She gave up her council seat and applied for citizenship afterwards. Meyers’ parents brought her to the U.S. as a one year-old infant but she had believed all her life that she was an American citizen. Now the mother of four is facing deportation charges because she broke the law by voting three years ago. In the United States, voting is a right and privilege reserved for only American citizens. Meyers pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of voting fraudulently. However, voting without being an American citizen is a serious crime. It is considered a felony offense and could easily result in deportation. Meyers is terrified of deportation since that could mean leaving her family behind and leaving the place where she has grown up most of her life. Meyer has her hearing on July 18 where an immigration judge will decide whether to deport Meyer or not. In the case of deportation, Meyer would be deported to Canada since that is the last entry point on her immigration documents. The only thing Meyer can do at this point to avoid deportation is to plead her case at the immigration hearing.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Announcing Zethiopia Radio
Zethiopia is proud to announce its first foray into the broadcast media with the launch of Zethiopia Radio. Zethiopia Radio is an independent news outlet that will provide news and be a forum for diverse views targeting Ethiopians living in the Washington Metropolitan area. Zethiopia Radio is an extension of Zethiopia, a bilingual Amharic-English newspaper that started publication in July, 2002.
Zethiopia Radio will start out as a one hour news program, to be broadcast every Sunday from 5-6 PM on WZHF 1390 AM. The one hour program will consist of news, reports, current affairs, interviews and entertainment.
By launching Zethiopia Radio, we hope to better serve the Ethiopian community in the Greater Washington Metropolitan area and to build upon the solid reputation we have achieved with Zethiopia newspaper. It is our goal and desire to bring forth the same level of commitment and professionalism that has distinguished us in the print media.
Look to Zethiopia Radio to inform the public and be a positive factor in creating well informed discussions on topics related to both Ethiopia and the day-to-day concerns of its community.
For more information and access to archives of previously broadcast shows please visit:
http://www.zethiopia.com/radio/
Dereje Desta
Zethiopia
202 518 0245
dereje@zethiopia.com
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Eritrea deports 574 Ethiopians
Axum, July 28, 2007 (Axum) - Some 574 Ethiopians recently deported by the Eritrean regime arrived in Adwa town of the Tigray State on Friday via Merebleh area with the help of the Red Cross, the town administration said.
Chief of the town administration, Ar'aya Mer'ed told Ethiopian News Agency on Saturday that the citizens expelled from that country are currently sheltered in temporary camp located in the town.
The official said the compatriots were denied of their rights by the dictatorial Eritrean regime while they were residing in Eritrea.
According to the official, over 1 million Birr is required to rehabilitate the expatriates who would be receiving 1,000-3,000 Birr based on their age.
The majority of the expatriates are reported to be women.
Some 429 Ethiopians had come to their homeland in May 2007 with the assistance of the Red Cross.
Chief of the town administration, Ar'aya Mer'ed told Ethiopian News Agency on Saturday that the citizens expelled from that country are currently sheltered in temporary camp located in the town.
The official said the compatriots were denied of their rights by the dictatorial Eritrean regime while they were residing in Eritrea.
According to the official, over 1 million Birr is required to rehabilitate the expatriates who would be receiving 1,000-3,000 Birr based on their age.
The majority of the expatriates are reported to be women.
Some 429 Ethiopians had come to their homeland in May 2007 with the assistance of the Red Cross.
Addis Ababa to host internationl confernce on heritage conservation
Addis Ababa, July 28, 2007 (Addis Ababa) - The Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritages said a four-day conference on heritage conservation would be held in Addis Ababa in Jan. 2008.
International and public relations head with the authority, Wolde Darsema told Ethiopian News Agency that the workshop is expected to attract over 200 researchers and scientists around the globe.
The conference will confer on anthropology, archeology and related geological fields as well as on the conservation of monuments and heritage sites.
Over 200 scientists from USA, Canada, and European countries are already invited to attend the conference. The participants will also visit Hadar and Guna areas, which are known to be the origin of mankind.
The authority is also preparing to carry out various activities in connection to the celebration of the new Ethiopian millennium.
The authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism plans to publish various brochures, magazines, and calendars with a view to promoting the cultural heritages of the country.
The official called upon every citizen to contribute share in promoting national heritages, prevent and transfer them to the next generation.
International and public relations head with the authority, Wolde Darsema told Ethiopian News Agency that the workshop is expected to attract over 200 researchers and scientists around the globe.
The conference will confer on anthropology, archeology and related geological fields as well as on the conservation of monuments and heritage sites.
Over 200 scientists from USA, Canada, and European countries are already invited to attend the conference. The participants will also visit Hadar and Guna areas, which are known to be the origin of mankind.
The authority is also preparing to carry out various activities in connection to the celebration of the new Ethiopian millennium.
The authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism plans to publish various brochures, magazines, and calendars with a view to promoting the cultural heritages of the country.
The official called upon every citizen to contribute share in promoting national heritages, prevent and transfer them to the next generation.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Ethiopia Pardons 38 Opposition Members
By ANITA POWELL,
AP
Posted: 2007-07-20 07:27:43
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Three minibuses left an Ethiopian prison carrying 38 opposition politicians and activists pardoned by the government Friday. Dozens of family members and supporters outside shouted in joy and whistled.The politicians and activists were released only minutes after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told journalists the government had pardoned them. They had been sentenced to various prison terms, including life, for inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow the government.As their minibuses left Kalici Prison, some of the politicians made the victory sign, which is also the symbol of Ethiopia's opposition.The family members and supporters gathered outside waved Ethiopian flags and also made victory signs. They then pursued the minibuses in other vehicles.
It was not clear where the politicians and activists were being taken.Meles had said he hoped the pardon "conveys the message that people are given a second chance as long as they seek it." The prisoners had written the government asking to be pardoned.Meles said that the prisoners' right to vote and seek public office also had been restored.
A Federal High Court ruled on Monday that those sentenced to life would have those rights permanently revoked and others would be barred for five years from seeking public office.The United States had urged the government to show clemency in the case, which had been widely condemned by international human rights groups.After the sentences were announced Monday, state-owned Ethiopian Television had reported the politicians and activists had written to the president to ask for pardons. Amnesty International said the defendants reportedly signed a statement some weeks ago that was expected to lead to a pardon and reconciliation with the ruling party.
Those pardoned included the leader of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Hailu Shawel; Berhanu Nega, who was elected mayor of Addis Ababa; former Harvard scholar Mesfin Woldemariam; and former U.N. special envoy and a former professor at Virginia's Norfolk State University, Yacob Hailemariam.International human rights groups had accused the government of trying to silence its critics, and opposition leaders have claimed the trial was politically motivated.
The Federal High Court trial began in December 2005 following postelection violence that erupted during protests over balloting six months earlier.The opposition won an unprecedented number of parliamentary seats in the 2005 vote, but not enough to topple Meles. The opposition claimed the voting was rigged, and European Union observers said they were marred by irregularities.
Initially, the opposition leaders, journalists and others were charged with treason, inciting violence and attempted genocide. Judges dropped the treason and attempted genocide charges in April and later that month freed 25 prisoners, among them eight journalists.Since April, a total of 52 people faced four other charges, but only nine chose to put up a defense. The trial for the remaining nine continues on July 25.Late last year, Ethiopia acknowledged that its security forces killed 193 civilians protesting alleged election fraud but insisted they did not use excessive force. A senior judge appointed to investigate the violence had accused the security forces of excessive force.
AP
Posted: 2007-07-20 07:27:43
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Three minibuses left an Ethiopian prison carrying 38 opposition politicians and activists pardoned by the government Friday. Dozens of family members and supporters outside shouted in joy and whistled.The politicians and activists were released only minutes after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told journalists the government had pardoned them. They had been sentenced to various prison terms, including life, for inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow the government.As their minibuses left Kalici Prison, some of the politicians made the victory sign, which is also the symbol of Ethiopia's opposition.The family members and supporters gathered outside waved Ethiopian flags and also made victory signs. They then pursued the minibuses in other vehicles.
It was not clear where the politicians and activists were being taken.Meles had said he hoped the pardon "conveys the message that people are given a second chance as long as they seek it." The prisoners had written the government asking to be pardoned.Meles said that the prisoners' right to vote and seek public office also had been restored.
A Federal High Court ruled on Monday that those sentenced to life would have those rights permanently revoked and others would be barred for five years from seeking public office.The United States had urged the government to show clemency in the case, which had been widely condemned by international human rights groups.After the sentences were announced Monday, state-owned Ethiopian Television had reported the politicians and activists had written to the president to ask for pardons. Amnesty International said the defendants reportedly signed a statement some weeks ago that was expected to lead to a pardon and reconciliation with the ruling party.
Those pardoned included the leader of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Hailu Shawel; Berhanu Nega, who was elected mayor of Addis Ababa; former Harvard scholar Mesfin Woldemariam; and former U.N. special envoy and a former professor at Virginia's Norfolk State University, Yacob Hailemariam.International human rights groups had accused the government of trying to silence its critics, and opposition leaders have claimed the trial was politically motivated.
The Federal High Court trial began in December 2005 following postelection violence that erupted during protests over balloting six months earlier.The opposition won an unprecedented number of parliamentary seats in the 2005 vote, but not enough to topple Meles. The opposition claimed the voting was rigged, and European Union observers said they were marred by irregularities.
Initially, the opposition leaders, journalists and others were charged with treason, inciting violence and attempted genocide. Judges dropped the treason and attempted genocide charges in April and later that month freed 25 prisoners, among them eight journalists.Since April, a total of 52 people faced four other charges, but only nine chose to put up a defense. The trial for the remaining nine continues on July 25.Late last year, Ethiopia acknowledged that its security forces killed 193 civilians protesting alleged election fraud but insisted they did not use excessive force. A senior judge appointed to investigate the violence had accused the security forces of excessive force.
Mesgana Dancers - Summer Tour 2007
Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia
Celebration Tour 2007
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia (www.mesgana.com) caused a nationwide sensation during their first visit to the United States last summer. Come see what everyone is talking about! (check them out on youtube!)
Tickets are now on sale for performances in Washington D.C. and Columbia, Maryland.
Columbia, Maryland
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
7 p.m. Wilde Lake High School – Jim Rouse Theater
Click the link to purchase tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/17498
Washington, D.C.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
7 p.m. Lisner Auditorium – George Washington University
Click the link to purchase tickets for the show at Lisner: www.ticketmaster.com
About The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia:
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia are 10 girls, age 7-12, who perform traditional dances and song from across Ethiopia, while wearing traditional costume. The Mesgana Dancers show is a heart-warming celebration of Ethiopian culture with music and moves to get the whole family dancing and clapping. Last year's tour was a huge hit, making The Mesgana Dancers celebrities both in the United States and Ethiopia. They performed to sold-out crowds across the country, entertaining audiences that included thousands of Ethiopian-Americans.
The Mesgana Dancers are ambassadors of hope for all children in Ethiopia. As the world’s attention turns ever more towards finding solutions to the problems in Africa, The Mesgana Dancers bring a message of hope and celebration, as well as a positive and life-affirming glimpse of Ethiopian culture. All of the Mesgana Dancers are sponsored through COEEF’s school tuition program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia Millennium Celebration Tour is a benefit for Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org) and our partner, the Children of Ethiopia Educational Fund (www.coeef.org).
If you are in the D.C. metro area we are in great need of volunteers to help make this event a success – we need hosts for the girls as well as general assistance at each performance venue. Please contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org or call 571-243-1411 (leave a message with your name and number) if you are willing to help. Thanks!
Spread the news about the other venues!
8/4 Evanston, IL: Vineyard Church at 2p.m.
8/6 Atlanta, GA: Ferst Center, Georgia Tech University at 7p.m.
8/10 Columbia, MD: Wilde Lake High School Jim Rouse Theater at 7p.m.
8/11 Washington, DC: George Washington University Lisner Auditorium at 7 p.m.
8/12 New York City, NYU: Skirball Theater, New York University 7p.m.
8/14 South Orange, NJ: SOPAC, South Orange Performing Arts Center at 7p.m.
8/17 Denver, CO: East High School at 7p.m.
8/18 Boulder, CO: Chautauqua Auditorium Summer Concert Series at 7p.m.
8/24 St George, UT: Cox Center, Dixie State College at 7p.m.
8/29 Murray, UT: The Park Amphitheater at 7p.m.
9/1 Salt Lake City, UT: The Capitol Theatre at 7p.m.
9/4 Park City, UT: The Egyptian Theater at 7p.m.
9/7 Palo Alto, CA: The Spangenberg Theater at 7p.m.
9/8-9/9 San Jose, CA: Ethiopian New Year Festival, San Guadalupe River Park
9/13 Ontario, CA: Chaffey High School Gardner W. Spring Auditorium at 7 p.m.
9/14 Los Angeles, CA: Location TBD
Celebration Tour 2007
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia (www.mesgana.com) caused a nationwide sensation during their first visit to the United States last summer. Come see what everyone is talking about! (check them out on youtube!)
Tickets are now on sale for performances in Washington D.C. and Columbia, Maryland.
Columbia, Maryland
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
7 p.m. Wilde Lake High School – Jim Rouse Theater
Click the link to purchase tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/17498
Washington, D.C.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
7 p.m. Lisner Auditorium – George Washington University
Click the link to purchase tickets for the show at Lisner: www.ticketmaster.com
About The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia:
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia are 10 girls, age 7-12, who perform traditional dances and song from across Ethiopia, while wearing traditional costume. The Mesgana Dancers show is a heart-warming celebration of Ethiopian culture with music and moves to get the whole family dancing and clapping. Last year's tour was a huge hit, making The Mesgana Dancers celebrities both in the United States and Ethiopia. They performed to sold-out crowds across the country, entertaining audiences that included thousands of Ethiopian-Americans.
The Mesgana Dancers are ambassadors of hope for all children in Ethiopia. As the world’s attention turns ever more towards finding solutions to the problems in Africa, The Mesgana Dancers bring a message of hope and celebration, as well as a positive and life-affirming glimpse of Ethiopian culture. All of the Mesgana Dancers are sponsored through COEEF’s school tuition program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia Millennium Celebration Tour is a benefit for Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org) and our partner, the Children of Ethiopia Educational Fund (www.coeef.org).
If you are in the D.C. metro area we are in great need of volunteers to help make this event a success – we need hosts for the girls as well as general assistance at each performance venue. Please contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org or call 571-243-1411 (leave a message with your name and number) if you are willing to help. Thanks!
Spread the news about the other venues!
8/4 Evanston, IL: Vineyard Church at 2p.m.
8/6 Atlanta, GA: Ferst Center, Georgia Tech University at 7p.m.
8/10 Columbia, MD: Wilde Lake High School Jim Rouse Theater at 7p.m.
8/11 Washington, DC: George Washington University Lisner Auditorium at 7 p.m.
8/12 New York City, NYU: Skirball Theater, New York University 7p.m.
8/14 South Orange, NJ: SOPAC, South Orange Performing Arts Center at 7p.m.
8/17 Denver, CO: East High School at 7p.m.
8/18 Boulder, CO: Chautauqua Auditorium Summer Concert Series at 7p.m.
8/24 St George, UT: Cox Center, Dixie State College at 7p.m.
8/29 Murray, UT: The Park Amphitheater at 7p.m.
9/1 Salt Lake City, UT: The Capitol Theatre at 7p.m.
9/4 Park City, UT: The Egyptian Theater at 7p.m.
9/7 Palo Alto, CA: The Spangenberg Theater at 7p.m.
9/8-9/9 San Jose, CA: Ethiopian New Year Festival, San Guadalupe River Park
9/13 Ontario, CA: Chaffey High School Gardner W. Spring Auditorium at 7 p.m.
9/14 Los Angeles, CA: Location TBD
Friday, May 4, 2007
Raising Confident Kids - Dr. Laura S. Anderson
Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.
If raising happy confident kids were like following a recipe, there would be several key ingredients. In my recipe, the three crucial ingredients would be structure, nurture, and safety.
Today I’ll talk about the first of those: structure. Kids need routines. They need to know what to expect and when to expect it. They need to know that grownups are in charge and will make sure they get through these routines. Consistent, adult-run routines give children the predictability they need to feel comforted, and they provide a safety net from which children can explore.
With structure, children learn to trust that you will do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going do it. On a daily basis, this means kids need a predictable morning routine, where the same things are expected of them at the same time before school (or daycare) every day. Young children benefit from predictable nap times. Meal times are also best if scheduled and reliable.
After school routines should include a predictable time (and place) for homework. Evening routines often include bathing, as well as organizing clothes and backpacks for the morning. Finally, research shows that young school-aged children need between 10-11 hours of sleep a night to allow their bodies and brains important time for growth.
A set bedtime with a predictable bedtime routine (backpack ready for morning, pajamas on, teeth brushed, bedtime story read or told, lights out), is a crucial part of getting children the sleep that they need.
It is only fair to prepare you that your children may challenge your routines at first, and sticking to the schedule may cause some short-term disagreements. Don’t give up. With a little bit of time and practice, they’ll learn what is expected and they will benefit from your taking the lead and providing them with the consistency and structure that they need. The idea behind the recommendation for these routines is not to turn your house into a military boot camp. Flexibility, spontaneity and humor also play very important roles in childrearing. They complement underlying structure very well.
In closing, know that no parent is perfectly consistent all the time. Life gets chaotic. Today’s families are often overworked and overscheduled and special events will naturally change the flow of any schedule you have established. All you can do is try your best to keep steady routines, with the understanding that your kids need that consistency whenever possible. I think you’ll find that both you and your children will appreciate the comfortable rhythms of the routines.
If raising happy confident kids were like following a recipe, there would be several key ingredients. In my recipe, the three crucial ingredients would be structure, nurture, and safety.
Today I’ll talk about the first of those: structure. Kids need routines. They need to know what to expect and when to expect it. They need to know that grownups are in charge and will make sure they get through these routines. Consistent, adult-run routines give children the predictability they need to feel comforted, and they provide a safety net from which children can explore.
With structure, children learn to trust that you will do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going do it. On a daily basis, this means kids need a predictable morning routine, where the same things are expected of them at the same time before school (or daycare) every day. Young children benefit from predictable nap times. Meal times are also best if scheduled and reliable.
After school routines should include a predictable time (and place) for homework. Evening routines often include bathing, as well as organizing clothes and backpacks for the morning. Finally, research shows that young school-aged children need between 10-11 hours of sleep a night to allow their bodies and brains important time for growth.
A set bedtime with a predictable bedtime routine (backpack ready for morning, pajamas on, teeth brushed, bedtime story read or told, lights out), is a crucial part of getting children the sleep that they need.
It is only fair to prepare you that your children may challenge your routines at first, and sticking to the schedule may cause some short-term disagreements. Don’t give up. With a little bit of time and practice, they’ll learn what is expected and they will benefit from your taking the lead and providing them with the consistency and structure that they need. The idea behind the recommendation for these routines is not to turn your house into a military boot camp. Flexibility, spontaneity and humor also play very important roles in childrearing. They complement underlying structure very well.
In closing, know that no parent is perfectly consistent all the time. Life gets chaotic. Today’s families are often overworked and overscheduled and special events will naturally change the flow of any schedule you have established. All you can do is try your best to keep steady routines, with the understanding that your kids need that consistency whenever possible. I think you’ll find that both you and your children will appreciate the comfortable rhythms of the routines.
Ethiopian Artist Bekele Mekonnen Awarded Prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
(05/03/07)
Visual artist and poet Bekele Mekonnen
The United States Embassy extends its congratulates and is pleased to announce that Bekele Mekonnen, painter, poet, sculptor and lecturer at the School of Fine Arts and Design of Addis Ababa University (AAU), has been awarded a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant of $20,000. The award was announced in New York on February 20, 2007 by the Chairman of the Board of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation INC. Bekele Mekonnen was selected from a number of contestant throughout the world by a distinguished committee of art professionals for his achievements in art work.
Getting Ethiopia out of Somalia
By Afyare Abdi Elmi
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 3, 2007
The UN's humanitarian affairs office in Somalia reports that the recent clashes between Ethiopian troops and Somali resistance groups have killed more than 1,000 civilians and displaced more than 350,000 Mogadishu residents. The European Union, which is investigating whether war crimes were committed, argues that civilian areas were intentionally targeted.
The United States, however, is on a different page. When the Union of Islamic Courts defeated the U.S.-backed warlords, the Bush administration - using the war on terrorism as justification - supported the Ethiopian occupation, arguing that the Islamists were an emerging threat to U.S. interests. But approaching the complex conflict in this simplistic way and linking it to the war on terror was a mistake. The United States has inadvertently stepped into a local, tribal and regional quagmire.
The resistance groups - clans, business groups and Islamists - are challenging the occupying Ethiopian troops and the warlord government in many ways. Recent events in Mogadishu and Kismayo indicate that ignoring their grievances will only perpetuate the conflict.
The fighting has multiple causes - competition for resources, repression, the country's colonial legacy, widespread atrocities and politicized clan identity. Ethiopia, through its proxy warlords, was the principal spoiler of peace efforts. Somalis fear that landlocked Ethiopia wants to balkanize their country into clan-based regions in order to get access to the sea.
Ethiopia, which had been heavily criticized by the U.S. State Department for its human rights record, also used the Somalia occupation as a way of getting closer to Washington.
The United States has been heavily involved in Somalia since the 9/11 attacks. The Bush administration closed Al-Barakaat - the largest telecommunications company and bank, though the investigations of the 9/11 Commission could not establish any link to terrorism. Washington also added about 20 Somali individuals and organizations to its terrorist list. The United States and Ethiopia collaborated to destroy the UIC, a homegrown popular Islamist movement that ruled southern Somalia in the later part of 2006.
Washington should revisit its strategy. Somalis are determined to resist the Ethiopian occupation and attempts to rescue the warlord-government and impose it on the people have backfired. Despite international calls for inclusive government, the leadership in Baidoa has decided to exclude even more individuals and groups - evidence that these warlords have neither the will nor the political competence.
Ethiopian troops are not filling a security vacuum; they are a source of destabilization. Ethiopian occupation must end. The United States is the only country that can order Ethiopia to leave Somalia.
Rewarding warlords will not bring peace to Somalia. These individuals have committed heinous crimes and they are not interested in peace or democracy. The United States should help in establishing a commission of international inquiry that investigates the Somalia war crimes.
As State Department officials have stated many times, the Bush administration understands the need for a genuine peace process in Somalia. But it has to act. Instead of endorsing the so-called congress in Mogadishu - a convention for the Ethiopian proxies - Washington should support Saudi Arabia's proposed peace conference. The Saudi government has helped mediate similar conflicts in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Moreover, most Somalis consider it a neutral country. It has a close relationship with Washington and can influence the Islamist groups that are indispensable for ending the fighting.
Washington can play a constructive role in building peace in Somalia if it identifies with the aspirations of the Somali people, removing the Ethiopians, controlling the warlords, and initiating a genuine Somali-owned peace process.
Afyare Abdi Elmi is a doctoral candidate in international relations at the University of Alberta. This article first appeared in The Boston Globe.
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 3, 2007
The UN's humanitarian affairs office in Somalia reports that the recent clashes between Ethiopian troops and Somali resistance groups have killed more than 1,000 civilians and displaced more than 350,000 Mogadishu residents. The European Union, which is investigating whether war crimes were committed, argues that civilian areas were intentionally targeted.
The United States, however, is on a different page. When the Union of Islamic Courts defeated the U.S.-backed warlords, the Bush administration - using the war on terrorism as justification - supported the Ethiopian occupation, arguing that the Islamists were an emerging threat to U.S. interests. But approaching the complex conflict in this simplistic way and linking it to the war on terror was a mistake. The United States has inadvertently stepped into a local, tribal and regional quagmire.
The resistance groups - clans, business groups and Islamists - are challenging the occupying Ethiopian troops and the warlord government in many ways. Recent events in Mogadishu and Kismayo indicate that ignoring their grievances will only perpetuate the conflict.
The fighting has multiple causes - competition for resources, repression, the country's colonial legacy, widespread atrocities and politicized clan identity. Ethiopia, through its proxy warlords, was the principal spoiler of peace efforts. Somalis fear that landlocked Ethiopia wants to balkanize their country into clan-based regions in order to get access to the sea.
Ethiopia, which had been heavily criticized by the U.S. State Department for its human rights record, also used the Somalia occupation as a way of getting closer to Washington.
The United States has been heavily involved in Somalia since the 9/11 attacks. The Bush administration closed Al-Barakaat - the largest telecommunications company and bank, though the investigations of the 9/11 Commission could not establish any link to terrorism. Washington also added about 20 Somali individuals and organizations to its terrorist list. The United States and Ethiopia collaborated to destroy the UIC, a homegrown popular Islamist movement that ruled southern Somalia in the later part of 2006.
Washington should revisit its strategy. Somalis are determined to resist the Ethiopian occupation and attempts to rescue the warlord-government and impose it on the people have backfired. Despite international calls for inclusive government, the leadership in Baidoa has decided to exclude even more individuals and groups - evidence that these warlords have neither the will nor the political competence.
Ethiopian troops are not filling a security vacuum; they are a source of destabilization. Ethiopian occupation must end. The United States is the only country that can order Ethiopia to leave Somalia.
Rewarding warlords will not bring peace to Somalia. These individuals have committed heinous crimes and they are not interested in peace or democracy. The United States should help in establishing a commission of international inquiry that investigates the Somalia war crimes.
As State Department officials have stated many times, the Bush administration understands the need for a genuine peace process in Somalia. But it has to act. Instead of endorsing the so-called congress in Mogadishu - a convention for the Ethiopian proxies - Washington should support Saudi Arabia's proposed peace conference. The Saudi government has helped mediate similar conflicts in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Moreover, most Somalis consider it a neutral country. It has a close relationship with Washington and can influence the Islamist groups that are indispensable for ending the fighting.
Washington can play a constructive role in building peace in Somalia if it identifies with the aspirations of the Somali people, removing the Ethiopians, controlling the warlords, and initiating a genuine Somali-owned peace process.
Afyare Abdi Elmi is a doctoral candidate in international relations at the University of Alberta. This article first appeared in The Boston Globe.
Ethiopia tops list where press freedom said deteriorating
Thursday, May 03, 2007
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopia tops a list of 10 countries - including three in sub-Saharan Africa - where press freedom has deteriorated over the past five years, a New York-based media advocacy group said yesterday, as several nations around the world mark International Press Freedom Day.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the nations "reflect a mixture of relatively open countries that have turned increasingly repressive and traditionally restrictive nations where press conditions, remarkably, have worsened".
Three countries on the list - Ethiopia, Gambia and Congo - show that "democracy's foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom", 0 CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in the report.
"These three African nations, as diverse as they are, have won praise at times for their transition to democracy - but they are actually moving in reverse on press issues," Simon said. "Journalists in Ethiopia, Gambia, and DRC (Congo) are being jailed, attacked, and censored, a picture far worse than what we saw only a few years ago."
Other nations on the list are Russia, Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Morocco and Thailand. Countries in which conflict was ongoing, such as Iraq and Somalia, were not included because of instability and lack of governance.
Ethiopian government spokesman Zemedkun Tekle defended his country's media system.
"Freedom of the press does not mean that they are going to do whatever they want, unlawful things," he said. "We can only talk about the freedom of press when the press is going to respect the law of the land."
He also said the country's parliament is debating a new press law to better define the media's role and restrictions in Ethiopia, but he refused to discuss details.
Many of the government's crackdowns resulted from a contentious 2005 parliamentary election in which riots over the election results ended with the jailing of more than 100 political opposition leaders and journalists.
Twenty-five have since been released, among them eight journalists.
On Tuesday, the OpenNet initiative, a Web group dedicated to open access to websites, cited Ethiopia's censorship of anti-government Websites and blogs, a charge Ethiopian officials denied.
"This is a baseless allegation," Zemedkun said, adding that any blocks were the result of "a technical problem".
The nations were judged on seven criteria: government censorship, judicial harassment, criminal libel prosecutions, journalists' deaths, physical attacks on the press, journalists' imprisonments and threats against the press.
In Pakistan, the CPJ said, eight journalists have been slain since 2002, but arrests and convictions have been won in only one case. In Russia, 11 journalists have been killed in the last five years, but no case has been solved, the report said.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopia tops a list of 10 countries - including three in sub-Saharan Africa - where press freedom has deteriorated over the past five years, a New York-based media advocacy group said yesterday, as several nations around the world mark International Press Freedom Day.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the nations "reflect a mixture of relatively open countries that have turned increasingly repressive and traditionally restrictive nations where press conditions, remarkably, have worsened".
Three countries on the list - Ethiopia, Gambia and Congo - show that "democracy's foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom", 0 CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in the report.
"These three African nations, as diverse as they are, have won praise at times for their transition to democracy - but they are actually moving in reverse on press issues," Simon said. "Journalists in Ethiopia, Gambia, and DRC (Congo) are being jailed, attacked, and censored, a picture far worse than what we saw only a few years ago."
Other nations on the list are Russia, Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Morocco and Thailand. Countries in which conflict was ongoing, such as Iraq and Somalia, were not included because of instability and lack of governance.
Ethiopian government spokesman Zemedkun Tekle defended his country's media system.
"Freedom of the press does not mean that they are going to do whatever they want, unlawful things," he said. "We can only talk about the freedom of press when the press is going to respect the law of the land."
He also said the country's parliament is debating a new press law to better define the media's role and restrictions in Ethiopia, but he refused to discuss details.
Many of the government's crackdowns resulted from a contentious 2005 parliamentary election in which riots over the election results ended with the jailing of more than 100 political opposition leaders and journalists.
Twenty-five have since been released, among them eight journalists.
On Tuesday, the OpenNet initiative, a Web group dedicated to open access to websites, cited Ethiopia's censorship of anti-government Websites and blogs, a charge Ethiopian officials denied.
"This is a baseless allegation," Zemedkun said, adding that any blocks were the result of "a technical problem".
The nations were judged on seven criteria: government censorship, judicial harassment, criminal libel prosecutions, journalists' deaths, physical attacks on the press, journalists' imprisonments and threats against the press.
In Pakistan, the CPJ said, eight journalists have been slain since 2002, but arrests and convictions have been won in only one case. In Russia, 11 journalists have been killed in the last five years, but no case has been solved, the report said.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Thousands Exposed to Danger of Landmines
ADDIS ABABA, 18 April 2007 (IRIN) - Ethiopia's Afar and Tigray regional states are so heavily mined that hundreds of thousands of people living there are exposed to danger from the ordnances, official statistics show.
Most of the landmines were planted during the recent Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary war, which was mainly fought in the two states because they share borders with Eritrea. Data compiled by the national Landmine Action Office shows that 375,899 and 66,478 people in Tigray and Afar regional states, respectively, are exposed to the danger of landmines.
According to a local NGO, Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RaDO), at least 39 new mine and UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents were recorded in the two regions between January 2005 and May 2006. Ten people were killed and 16 injured.
On Wednesday, the European Commission (EC) announced an €8 million donation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the removal of landmines in the two regions.
Signing the agreement for the donation with Sam Barnes, the UNDP country director, the EC head of delegation in Ethiopia, Timothy Clarke, said: "In the 10 years since the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty the EU has been the top global donor with a total contribution of more than €1.4 billion."
The agreement was signed during the opening ceremony of the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) security dialogue on the problems of landmine and small arms.
Barnes said the UN was currently providing mine action assistance to 17 African Union member states including Ethiopia and Eritrea.
More than 11 sq.km of land has been de-mined in Ethiopia, destroying 184 antipersonnel mines, 98 anti-vehicle mines, and 6,607 items of unexploded ordnance since 2005, according to the 2006 Global Landmine Report
Most of the landmines were planted during the recent Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary war, which was mainly fought in the two states because they share borders with Eritrea. Data compiled by the national Landmine Action Office shows that 375,899 and 66,478 people in Tigray and Afar regional states, respectively, are exposed to the danger of landmines.
According to a local NGO, Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RaDO), at least 39 new mine and UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents were recorded in the two regions between January 2005 and May 2006. Ten people were killed and 16 injured.
On Wednesday, the European Commission (EC) announced an €8 million donation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the removal of landmines in the two regions.
Signing the agreement for the donation with Sam Barnes, the UNDP country director, the EC head of delegation in Ethiopia, Timothy Clarke, said: "In the 10 years since the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty the EU has been the top global donor with a total contribution of more than €1.4 billion."
The agreement was signed during the opening ceremony of the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) security dialogue on the problems of landmine and small arms.
Barnes said the UN was currently providing mine action assistance to 17 African Union member states including Ethiopia and Eritrea.
More than 11 sq.km of land has been de-mined in Ethiopia, destroying 184 antipersonnel mines, 98 anti-vehicle mines, and 6,607 items of unexploded ordnance since 2005, according to the 2006 Global Landmine Report
Nine oil workers captured in eastern Ethiopia have been released.
Canadian Press
Sunday, April 29, 2007
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Seven Chinese oil workers and two Africans kidnapped during a rebel attack on a Chinese oil field near the Somali border were released Sunday, the Red Cross said.
Patrick Megevand, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ethiopia, confirmed the release but declined to provide details. The Red Cross was taking the men to a safe location to be turned over the Ethiopian and Chinese authorities, he added.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese-owned oil exploration field in eastern Ethiopia on April 24 that left 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers dead. The group said six Chinese workers "were removed from the battlefield for their own safety." Ethiopian and Chinese officials said seven Chinese workers were missing.
The rebels, ethnic Somalis who claim to be fighting for independence for the Ogaden region, said in a statement Sunday that all of the Chinese citizens were in good health and had been treated well. The group had refrained from new attacks while negotiating with the Red Cross to release the abducted workers, but complained that the Ethiopian military was cracking down on ethnic Somalis in the regional capital, Jijiga.
"Civilians in Ogaden are being told by troops that they will pay the price for the recent ONLF military operation," the rebel statement said.
Earlier, the group said it would resume fighting after the Chinese workers were transferred to the Red Cross. The rebels warned foreign companies against trying to work in Ogaden.
China has condemned Tuesday's attack and rejected the group's warning.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Seven Chinese oil workers and two Africans kidnapped during a rebel attack on a Chinese oil field near the Somali border were released Sunday, the Red Cross said.
Patrick Megevand, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ethiopia, confirmed the release but declined to provide details. The Red Cross was taking the men to a safe location to be turned over the Ethiopian and Chinese authorities, he added.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese-owned oil exploration field in eastern Ethiopia on April 24 that left 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers dead. The group said six Chinese workers "were removed from the battlefield for their own safety." Ethiopian and Chinese officials said seven Chinese workers were missing.
The rebels, ethnic Somalis who claim to be fighting for independence for the Ogaden region, said in a statement Sunday that all of the Chinese citizens were in good health and had been treated well. The group had refrained from new attacks while negotiating with the Red Cross to release the abducted workers, but complained that the Ethiopian military was cracking down on ethnic Somalis in the regional capital, Jijiga.
"Civilians in Ogaden are being told by troops that they will pay the price for the recent ONLF military operation," the rebel statement said.
Earlier, the group said it would resume fighting after the Chinese workers were transferred to the Red Cross. The rebels warned foreign companies against trying to work in Ogaden.
China has condemned Tuesday's attack and rejected the group's warning.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Worries Mount As Son Remains in Ethiopia
By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The family of a man being held in Ethiopia for alleged ties to Islamic militants is growing increasingly frustrated that he is still being detained despite reports that he would be released.
News reports, a congressman's office and U.S. officials said this month that U.S.-born Amir Mohamed Meshal, 24, would soon be freed. But no one seems to know exactly why he was not.
"It was an emotional roller-coaster for us," said his father, Mohamed Meshal, speaking from their home in Tinton Falls on the Jersey shore. "We started cooking, and marinating the meat for his homecoming and the next minute, everything collapses."
Amir Meshal was in Somalia at a time when much of the country was controlled by hard-line Islamists. Hundreds of people, including Islamist fighters, fled Somalia for Kenya in late December and January after Ethiopian troops invaded the country in support of a weak but internationally backed government.
After his arrest in Kenya, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi asked Kenyan authorities to deport Meshal to the United States, then filed a formal protest when it learned he had been returned to Somalia and then sent to Ethiopia.
U.S. authorities in Washington have said that after interviewing Meshal in Kenya they determined he was not a threat and hadn't violated U.S. law.
Meshal is one of dozens held by Ethiopia in what human rights activists and lawyers say is an illegal detention program that violates international laws on deportations and the treatment of prisoners. Ethiopia denies the charges, saying that the detentions are part of the fight against terrorism and that it has the right to defend itself.
"I'm worried about his welfare, his safety, his security," Meshal's father said. "Why doesn't the U.S. government demand his immediate release and bring him home?"
The Meshals vehemently deny their son was a fighter, said he had been a tour guide in Dubai and didn't realize he was in Somalia until U.S. officials showed up at their door in early February.
Relatives have not been able to talk with him, although they have received written messages from him through U.S. Embassy officials in Ethiopia who visited him. He told them that he was being treated well.
Earlier this month, U.S. officials said Meshal would soon be freed.
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, who sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he has been frustrated by the often-contradictory information he has received about Meshal from U.S. government agencies. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Holt asked her to intervene.
Said State Department spokesman Tom Casey: "We certainly had hoped that this case would be resolved earlier. We continue to discuss this issue with the Ethiopian government."
Meanwhile, Meshal's family and a lawyer assisting them have raised questions about whether the U.S. government is doing all it can to free him.
Attorney Jonathan Hafetz said that the idea that the Ethiopian government is acting to keep Meshal without tacit U.S. approval is "ludicrous" and that the U.S. government's failure to bring him home "has caused tremendous hardship to his family and flouted the duty it owes to all American citizens."
"The United States should stop equivocating and end this ordeal now," he said.
Associated Press writer Anne Gearan in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Ethiopian Rebels Kill 70 people at Oil Field
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
The New York Times
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 24 — Separatist rebels stormed a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia on Tuesday, killing more than 70 people, including nine Chinese workers, in one of Ethiopia’s worst rebel attacks in years.
Dozens of gunmen crept up to the oil field at dawn and unleashed a barrage of machine-gun fire at Ethiopian soldiers posted outside, Chinese and Ethiopian officials said. After a fierce hourlong battle, the rebels rushed away, taking at least six Chinese hostages with them.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi spoke during a news conference in Addis Ababa Tuesday.
Andrew Heavens/Reuters
Ethiopia, a close ally of the United States, has been racked by separatist movements for years. But the severity of this attack seemed to unnerve Ethiopian officials, who usually minimize any threats to their control.
“It was a massacre,” Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in a televised address on Tuesday night. “It was cold-blooded murder.”
The Ogaden National Liberation Front, a militant group fighting for control of eastern Ethiopia, immediately claimed responsibility, circulating an e-mail message that said, “We will not allow the mineral resources of our people to be exploited by this regime or any firm that it enters into an illegal contract.”
The front said that its primary target was the Ethiopian soldiers guarding the oil field and that the Chinese workers had been killed by explosions during the fighting.
Given China’s drive to extract oil wherever it can be found, Chinese workers are often dispatched to conflict zones, and several have been kidnapped in the volatile Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In other parts of Africa, like Zambia, China’s investments have brought resentment from local politicians and residents.
As for the workers kidnapped on Tuesday, the rebel group’s statement said: “O.N.L.F. forces rounding up Ethiopian military prisoners following the battle came across six Chinese workers. They have been removed from the battlefield for their own safety and are being treated well.” But the group did not say anything about releasing them.
Ethiopian officials, who confirmed that 65 government soldiers had been killed, said they were rushing reinforcements to the area and vowed to crush the rebels. But the country’s military is stretched thin.
The New York Times
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 24 — Separatist rebels stormed a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia on Tuesday, killing more than 70 people, including nine Chinese workers, in one of Ethiopia’s worst rebel attacks in years.
Dozens of gunmen crept up to the oil field at dawn and unleashed a barrage of machine-gun fire at Ethiopian soldiers posted outside, Chinese and Ethiopian officials said. After a fierce hourlong battle, the rebels rushed away, taking at least six Chinese hostages with them.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi spoke during a news conference in Addis Ababa Tuesday.
Andrew Heavens/Reuters
Ethiopia, a close ally of the United States, has been racked by separatist movements for years. But the severity of this attack seemed to unnerve Ethiopian officials, who usually minimize any threats to their control.
“It was a massacre,” Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in a televised address on Tuesday night. “It was cold-blooded murder.”
The Ogaden National Liberation Front, a militant group fighting for control of eastern Ethiopia, immediately claimed responsibility, circulating an e-mail message that said, “We will not allow the mineral resources of our people to be exploited by this regime or any firm that it enters into an illegal contract.”
The front said that its primary target was the Ethiopian soldiers guarding the oil field and that the Chinese workers had been killed by explosions during the fighting.
Given China’s drive to extract oil wherever it can be found, Chinese workers are often dispatched to conflict zones, and several have been kidnapped in the volatile Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In other parts of Africa, like Zambia, China’s investments have brought resentment from local politicians and residents.
As for the workers kidnapped on Tuesday, the rebel group’s statement said: “O.N.L.F. forces rounding up Ethiopian military prisoners following the battle came across six Chinese workers. They have been removed from the battlefield for their own safety and are being treated well.” But the group did not say anything about releasing them.
Ethiopian officials, who confirmed that 65 government soldiers had been killed, said they were rushing reinforcements to the area and vowed to crush the rebels. But the country’s military is stretched thin.
Pennies promise poetry. Dollars deliver dreams.
Pennies promise poetry.
Dollars deliver dreams.
A buck can buy a book and books change lives.
Instead of asking "a penny for your thoughts", we're asking you to put your two cents in by donating a dollar to Ethiopia Reads during the month of May help in celebration of our fourth anniversary.
Ethiopia Reads was founded in May 2003 by Yohannes Gebregiorgis after he realized how much even one book changed his life. Our mission is to develop a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books.
Be a part of our efforts to put books into the hands of every Ethiopian child by participating in our give a buck campaign. That same dollar may not travel far here but just imagine all the stories it can tell in Ethiopia.
Thank you. "Amesegenallo."
For more information: visit www.EthiopiaReads.org.
You can donate to Ethiopia Reads and its’ current and future projects by visiting the EthiopiaReads.org website and donating through Paypal.
The Paypal button is on the left side of the page. Your donation will be secure and is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
If you prefer you can mail your donation to:
Ethiopia Reads
50 South Steele Street, Suite 325
Denver, Colorado 80209
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Katie Douglas at katie@ethiopiareads.org or Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Ethiopian hostages freed after 52 days
Addis Ababa, April 23, 2007 (Addis Ababa)
Security forces in Afar State said the Ethiopian hostages abducted by kidnappers backed by the Eritrean government were set free and entered to Ethiopia after being held for 52 days.
The security forces told Ethiopian News Agency late on Sunday that the Ethiopians, abducted along with five Europeans on March 1, 2007 in a locality called Hamed-Illa, were released due to the immense pressure exerted by Ethiopians residing here and abroad, particularly the Afari elderly.
The Europeans kidnapped along the Ethiopians were set free on March 12, 2007 due to the pressure the international community put on the Eritrean government.
However, the Ethiopians remained hostages under the control of the Eritrean government for 40 additional days after the release of the Europeans abductees.
The security forces said they would exert efforts to disclose detail information about the current condition of the Ethiopians hostages.
Security forces in Afar State said the Ethiopian hostages abducted by kidnappers backed by the Eritrean government were set free and entered to Ethiopia after being held for 52 days.
The security forces told Ethiopian News Agency late on Sunday that the Ethiopians, abducted along with five Europeans on March 1, 2007 in a locality called Hamed-Illa, were released due to the immense pressure exerted by Ethiopians residing here and abroad, particularly the Afari elderly.
The Europeans kidnapped along the Ethiopians were set free on March 12, 2007 due to the pressure the international community put on the Eritrean government.
However, the Ethiopians remained hostages under the control of the Eritrean government for 40 additional days after the release of the Europeans abductees.
The security forces said they would exert efforts to disclose detail information about the current condition of the Ethiopians hostages.
Traveling to Ethiopia? Join the TAKE ONE BOOK Campaign
Take One Book Literacy Campaign for Ethiopia
One book can change a life. That is what Ethiopia Reads founder Yohannes Gebregiorgis discovered at 19 years of age when he held his first book. Now you have the opportunity to change a life through Ethiopia Reads’ “TAKE ONE BOOK” campaign. In recognition of the Millenium celebration in Ethiopia this year we are committed to donating at least 2,000 books to children in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Reads, founded in 2003, works to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia. We do this by planting libraries and publishing books in local languages as well as offering continuing education programs to help educators in Ethiopia nurture a love of reading.
Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading. The library received 60,000 visits to the library in 2006. Ethiopia Reads sees first hand the difference that one library, ONE BOOK, and one story can make in the life of a child.
If you or someone you know is traveling to Ethiopia during 2007, Ethiopia Reads challenges you to TAKE ONE BOOK with you, because we believe that education is hope and books can change lives. Books can be dropped off at the Shola Children’s Library in Addis Ababa. Shola is located in Beklo-Bet, behind the Dashen Bank off of Debre Zeit road.
If you are not traveling this year but want to make a difference in Ethiopia, we are collecting books in Washington, DC to send over with other travellers. Books can be dropped at Zethiopia’s office at 11th and U Street, NW.
For more information on the TAKE ONE BOOK campaign, please contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org or Katie Douglas at katie@ethiopiareads.org.
WILL YOU TAKE ONE BOOK?
Suggested book list:
1. Any type of non-fiction books are appreciated. The kids wear out the Dorling Kindersley type books with nicely detailed pictures.
2. Suggested fiction titles:
· Baby Baboon
· Crafty Chameleon
· Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, by Verna Aardema
· Bringing the Rain to Kaputi Plain
· Anansi Does the Impossible
· Kaldi and the Dancing Goats, the story of Ethiopian Coffee
· Anansi and the Talking Melon
· Anansi the Spider
· Babu’s Song
· Fatuma’s New Cloth
· My Rows and Piles of Coins
· Once Upon a Time
· What’s Cooking Jamela
· The Day Gogo Went to Vote
· Silly Mammo
· Aida
· Kings and Queens of West Africa
· Sundiata: The Lion King
· Seven Spools of Thread
· Journey to Jo’Burg
· Saba: Under the Hyena’s Foot
· Storytellers’ Beads
· Moonlight Bride
· The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Child
· The Other Side of Truth
· Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope
· Weep not Child
· Song of Lawino, Song of Ocol
· Purple Hibiscus
· So Long a Letter
· Nervous Conditions
· No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
· The Magic Gourd
· Bintou’s Braids
· My Great Grandmother’s Gourd
· Tutankhamen’s Gift
· No Turning Back
· Hatshepsut: His Majesty Herself
· Year of No Rain
· Many Stones
· The Ugly Goddess
· Beduin’s Gazelle
· Mother to Mother
· Midaq Alley
· Dreams of Trespass
One book can change a life. That is what Ethiopia Reads founder Yohannes Gebregiorgis discovered at 19 years of age when he held his first book. Now you have the opportunity to change a life through Ethiopia Reads’ “TAKE ONE BOOK” campaign. In recognition of the Millenium celebration in Ethiopia this year we are committed to donating at least 2,000 books to children in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Reads, founded in 2003, works to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia. We do this by planting libraries and publishing books in local languages as well as offering continuing education programs to help educators in Ethiopia nurture a love of reading.
Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading. The library received 60,000 visits to the library in 2006. Ethiopia Reads sees first hand the difference that one library, ONE BOOK, and one story can make in the life of a child.
If you or someone you know is traveling to Ethiopia during 2007, Ethiopia Reads challenges you to TAKE ONE BOOK with you, because we believe that education is hope and books can change lives. Books can be dropped off at the Shola Children’s Library in Addis Ababa. Shola is located in Beklo-Bet, behind the Dashen Bank off of Debre Zeit road.
If you are not traveling this year but want to make a difference in Ethiopia, we are collecting books in Washington, DC to send over with other travellers. Books can be dropped at Zethiopia’s office at 11th and U Street, NW.
For more information on the TAKE ONE BOOK campaign, please contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org or Katie Douglas at katie@ethiopiareads.org.
WILL YOU TAKE ONE BOOK?
Suggested book list:
1. Any type of non-fiction books are appreciated. The kids wear out the Dorling Kindersley type books with nicely detailed pictures.
2. Suggested fiction titles:
· Baby Baboon
· Crafty Chameleon
· Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, by Verna Aardema
· Bringing the Rain to Kaputi Plain
· Anansi Does the Impossible
· Kaldi and the Dancing Goats, the story of Ethiopian Coffee
· Anansi and the Talking Melon
· Anansi the Spider
· Babu’s Song
· Fatuma’s New Cloth
· My Rows and Piles of Coins
· Once Upon a Time
· What’s Cooking Jamela
· The Day Gogo Went to Vote
· Silly Mammo
· Aida
· Kings and Queens of West Africa
· Sundiata: The Lion King
· Seven Spools of Thread
· Journey to Jo’Burg
· Saba: Under the Hyena’s Foot
· Storytellers’ Beads
· Moonlight Bride
· The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Child
· The Other Side of Truth
· Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope
· Weep not Child
· Song of Lawino, Song of Ocol
· Purple Hibiscus
· So Long a Letter
· Nervous Conditions
· No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
· The Magic Gourd
· Bintou’s Braids
· My Great Grandmother’s Gourd
· Tutankhamen’s Gift
· No Turning Back
· Hatshepsut: His Majesty Herself
· Year of No Rain
· Many Stones
· The Ugly Goddess
· Beduin’s Gazelle
· Mother to Mother
· Midaq Alley
· Dreams of Trespass
Ambo Deforestation Puts Mineral Water Factory at Risk
The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
April 23, 2007
By Endale Assefa
The Ambo Mineral water factory which is entirely dependent on Ambo spring water resources for its production is at risk as a result of uncontrolled use of trees for fuel and overgrazing, a research by a senior academic has shown.
According to the research, Podocalpus falcatus (called in Amharic Zigba); an indigenous tree which used to cover the locality has now been destroyed.
The pictorial illustration of the researcher shows the locality was covered with the stated trees.
"Podocalpus tree is capable of facilitating capillarity of ground water to the layers by providing pores to the ground. That is why shores of ponds are mostly found nearby these indigenous trees," Proffessor Legesse heads Indigenous trees research activities at the Addis Ababa University.
"Losing such trees means aggravating percolation of waters down ward." The professor made the remarks while presenting the results of his research conducted on the lose of the indigenous trees and the impact resulting upon the mineral water fountain.
The symposium, which was held at the Addis Ababa City Hall, was organized by the Save Nature Ethiopia, a local NGO working on environmental conservation.
Even if no study has been conducted to prove it, the amount of mineral water yield will decrease in the future and surely, it has already decreased, the researcher noted.
Moreover, pressure on farmland has forced local farmers to plough very close to the main spring area, aggravating the problem, according to the professor.
Professor Legesse said he had discussed the matter with the General Manager of the factory who he said agreed to take measures in an effort to restore the lost biodiversity, such as planting the indigenous trees.
The researcher also talked of the nearby Guder locality where he said there were signs of desertification as a result of intensive agricultural practice using fertilizers.
He said "that part of the land needs to rest and revive, despite the country's food security problem; because, the long term impacts would be relatively worse." Explaining the need for restoring indigenous trees Vis a Vis the comparative disadvantage of foreign trees, Professor Legesse recommended adaptation in relation to the fertility of the land.
"Indigenous trees are the result of evolutionary lines exceeding millions of years hence are very much adapted to the ecosystem of the country," he noted.
"On the other hand, foreign trees are not, let alone the soil degradation resulting by some of them such as the Eucalyptus which aggravate leaching of the soil," he explained.
He said the lose link among similar institutions in the country was a barrier in the efforts to restore the lost heritages of these indigenous trees.
"Thirteen years have passed since AAU started propagating indigenous trees; yet no institution in the country is prepared to learn how we are doing the propagation in the laboratory" the professor said.
Proffessor Legesse Negash pressed the mostly young members of Save Nature Ethiopia said they have now finalized preparations to plant million trees for the millennium.
"Plant Podocarpus falcatus trees," he informed the youngsters.
"This tree lives for more than thousand years-meaning until the next Ethiopian millennium. This could be your gift to the generation to come, though we inherited you a degrading land and hostile environment." Accacia Abyssinia (Girar), Prunus Africana (Tikur Inchet) and Podocarpus Falcatus (Zigba) are among the precious species of indigenous trees on the verge of extinction according to the professor.
NEWS
April 23, 2007
By Endale Assefa
The Ambo Mineral water factory which is entirely dependent on Ambo spring water resources for its production is at risk as a result of uncontrolled use of trees for fuel and overgrazing, a research by a senior academic has shown.
According to the research, Podocalpus falcatus (called in Amharic Zigba); an indigenous tree which used to cover the locality has now been destroyed.
The pictorial illustration of the researcher shows the locality was covered with the stated trees.
"Podocalpus tree is capable of facilitating capillarity of ground water to the layers by providing pores to the ground. That is why shores of ponds are mostly found nearby these indigenous trees," Proffessor Legesse heads Indigenous trees research activities at the Addis Ababa University.
"Losing such trees means aggravating percolation of waters down ward." The professor made the remarks while presenting the results of his research conducted on the lose of the indigenous trees and the impact resulting upon the mineral water fountain.
The symposium, which was held at the Addis Ababa City Hall, was organized by the Save Nature Ethiopia, a local NGO working on environmental conservation.
Even if no study has been conducted to prove it, the amount of mineral water yield will decrease in the future and surely, it has already decreased, the researcher noted.
Moreover, pressure on farmland has forced local farmers to plough very close to the main spring area, aggravating the problem, according to the professor.
Professor Legesse said he had discussed the matter with the General Manager of the factory who he said agreed to take measures in an effort to restore the lost biodiversity, such as planting the indigenous trees.
The researcher also talked of the nearby Guder locality where he said there were signs of desertification as a result of intensive agricultural practice using fertilizers.
He said "that part of the land needs to rest and revive, despite the country's food security problem; because, the long term impacts would be relatively worse." Explaining the need for restoring indigenous trees Vis a Vis the comparative disadvantage of foreign trees, Professor Legesse recommended adaptation in relation to the fertility of the land.
"Indigenous trees are the result of evolutionary lines exceeding millions of years hence are very much adapted to the ecosystem of the country," he noted.
"On the other hand, foreign trees are not, let alone the soil degradation resulting by some of them such as the Eucalyptus which aggravate leaching of the soil," he explained.
He said the lose link among similar institutions in the country was a barrier in the efforts to restore the lost heritages of these indigenous trees.
"Thirteen years have passed since AAU started propagating indigenous trees; yet no institution in the country is prepared to learn how we are doing the propagation in the laboratory" the professor said.
Proffessor Legesse Negash pressed the mostly young members of Save Nature Ethiopia said they have now finalized preparations to plant million trees for the millennium.
"Plant Podocarpus falcatus trees," he informed the youngsters.
"This tree lives for more than thousand years-meaning until the next Ethiopian millennium. This could be your gift to the generation to come, though we inherited you a degrading land and hostile environment." Accacia Abyssinia (Girar), Prunus Africana (Tikur Inchet) and Podocarpus Falcatus (Zigba) are among the precious species of indigenous trees on the verge of extinction according to the professor.
USAID/CJTF-HOA Improvements to Abiot Ermija Primary School
On April 18 U.S. Ambassador Don Yamamoto visited the site of a school renovation project at Abiot Ermija Primary School in Kirkos sub-city, Addis Ababa. A U.S. military Civil Affairs Team from the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to renovate administrative buildings, and construct a new library facility, latrines, playground and community hall. The Ambassador told journalists invited to join the visit that the U. S. government supports community centered development work in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia. An example of this, he added, is the joint work being carried out at Abiot Ermija Primary School by CJTF-HOA and USAID.
USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director, Glenn Anders, said USAID will furnish the school with computers, books, teaching aids and other supplies. Similar projects are planned for schools in Dire Dawa and Debre Zeit. Nine Naval engineers (also known as “Seabees” from CJTF-HOA are working at the construction site, which will be finalized in September 2007.
USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director, Glenn Anders, said USAID will furnish the school with computers, books, teaching aids and other supplies. Similar projects are planned for schools in Dire Dawa and Debre Zeit. Nine Naval engineers (also known as “Seabees” from CJTF-HOA are working at the construction site, which will be finalized in September 2007.
Fighting rages in Somali capital as bodies rot in streets
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Heavy shelling and tank fire rocked Mogadishu Monday, the sixth straight day of raging battles in the capital that have plunged the country deeper into chaos and left more than 200 people dead.
Masked Islamic insurgents clashed with Ethiopian troops backing the fragile Somali government's forces in the southern part of the battle-scarred coastal city, pounding each other with machine-gun fire, mortars, tank shells and heavy artillery.
At least four people were killed in Monday's fighting, said Khadija Farah, who saw a shell hit a residential area north of the city and kill three men and a women. Farah added a six-month-old baby was wounded.
The United Nations said the fighting had sparked the worst humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country's recent history, with many of the city's residents trapped because roads out of Mogadishu were blocked.
Rotting bodies have been left on the streets for days, witnesses said, as it is too dangerous to try to retrieve them. At least six people were wounded early Monday, said Medina Hospital director Dahir Dhere, but he expected fatalities.
Halime Ibrahim, who fled from south of the city, which saw the worst fighting for more than 15 years, said she had seen 11 bodies. "I even failed to recognize if they were men or women," she told The Associated Press.
"Masked Somali fighters who dug in near my house are in an intensive fight with Ethiopian and Somali troops since early morning," said Hassan Mohamed Ali lives in Tawfiq neighborhood and opted to remain behind to look after his family's house. From time to time, Ali was checking the fighting from his window.
The latest fighting flared after Ethiopian and Somali government troops made a final military push to try to wipe out the insurgency, Western diplomatic and Somali government sources told the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The government and its Ethiopian backers were facing international pressure over the mounting death toll and appeared determined to bring order before a planned national reconciliation conference.
Ethiopian troops opened fire with tank shells and artillery from the presidential palace early Monday at insurgent positions in the south, said resident Osman Ali Yusuf who said one of the shells hit near his house. Yusuf, who monitors the fighting from his rooftop, said he had seen two tanks stationed at the strategic Tawfiq junction that divides the south from the north of Mogadishu where the two sides are facing off.
Ethiopians are in the north. The insurgency they are trying to end and which emerged after the defeat of the Council of Islamic Courts is operating from the south of the city of 2 million people. Clan and warlord militia have also joined the fight against the Ethiopians and government forces.
A bid earlier this month to wipe out the insurgency left more than 1,000 people dead, many of them civilians. More than 320,000 people have fled the fighting.
Elman Human Rights Organization that records casualties in the capital, said six insurgents and 41 civilians died on Sunday alone. They did not have any casualty figures for either Ethiopian or Somali government soldiers.
"The killing of civilians like this is a crime against humanity," said Sudan Ali Ahmed, the chairman of the group. "We urge the international community to send a team to investigate these crimes. They are war crimes."
The new tallies bring the death toll in five days of fighting in Mogadishu to at least 212, with more than 291 wounded, according to the human rights group.
A Somali government official warned on Sunday that his government planned a major offensive against the insurgents soon and wanted residents of the capital to move from insurgent strongholds.
"People in Mogadishu should vacate their homes that are located near the strongholds of terrorists, and we will crack down on insurgents and terrorists very soon," said Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle.
In a separate development that could increase tension in the Horn of
Africa, Eritrea suspended its membership in a regional body that mediated the Somali conflict Saturday.
The region is already tense because of the unresolved border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia that has seen the two countries go to war in the past. In recent months, the Somalia conflict has also been seen as a proxy war between the two, with each backing rival sides.
U.S. officials have named Eritrea as a supporter the months-old insurgency in Mogadishu, something Eritrea has denied.
Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on one another, throwing the country into anarchy.
The transitional government was formed in 2004 with U.N. help, but has struggled to extend its control over the country.
Masked Islamic insurgents clashed with Ethiopian troops backing the fragile Somali government's forces in the southern part of the battle-scarred coastal city, pounding each other with machine-gun fire, mortars, tank shells and heavy artillery.
At least four people were killed in Monday's fighting, said Khadija Farah, who saw a shell hit a residential area north of the city and kill three men and a women. Farah added a six-month-old baby was wounded.
The United Nations said the fighting had sparked the worst humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country's recent history, with many of the city's residents trapped because roads out of Mogadishu were blocked.
Rotting bodies have been left on the streets for days, witnesses said, as it is too dangerous to try to retrieve them. At least six people were wounded early Monday, said Medina Hospital director Dahir Dhere, but he expected fatalities.
Halime Ibrahim, who fled from south of the city, which saw the worst fighting for more than 15 years, said she had seen 11 bodies. "I even failed to recognize if they were men or women," she told The Associated Press.
"Masked Somali fighters who dug in near my house are in an intensive fight with Ethiopian and Somali troops since early morning," said Hassan Mohamed Ali lives in Tawfiq neighborhood and opted to remain behind to look after his family's house. From time to time, Ali was checking the fighting from his window.
The latest fighting flared after Ethiopian and Somali government troops made a final military push to try to wipe out the insurgency, Western diplomatic and Somali government sources told the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The government and its Ethiopian backers were facing international pressure over the mounting death toll and appeared determined to bring order before a planned national reconciliation conference.
Ethiopian troops opened fire with tank shells and artillery from the presidential palace early Monday at insurgent positions in the south, said resident Osman Ali Yusuf who said one of the shells hit near his house. Yusuf, who monitors the fighting from his rooftop, said he had seen two tanks stationed at the strategic Tawfiq junction that divides the south from the north of Mogadishu where the two sides are facing off.
Ethiopians are in the north. The insurgency they are trying to end and which emerged after the defeat of the Council of Islamic Courts is operating from the south of the city of 2 million people. Clan and warlord militia have also joined the fight against the Ethiopians and government forces.
A bid earlier this month to wipe out the insurgency left more than 1,000 people dead, many of them civilians. More than 320,000 people have fled the fighting.
Elman Human Rights Organization that records casualties in the capital, said six insurgents and 41 civilians died on Sunday alone. They did not have any casualty figures for either Ethiopian or Somali government soldiers.
"The killing of civilians like this is a crime against humanity," said Sudan Ali Ahmed, the chairman of the group. "We urge the international community to send a team to investigate these crimes. They are war crimes."
The new tallies bring the death toll in five days of fighting in Mogadishu to at least 212, with more than 291 wounded, according to the human rights group.
A Somali government official warned on Sunday that his government planned a major offensive against the insurgents soon and wanted residents of the capital to move from insurgent strongholds.
"People in Mogadishu should vacate their homes that are located near the strongholds of terrorists, and we will crack down on insurgents and terrorists very soon," said Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle.
In a separate development that could increase tension in the Horn of
Africa, Eritrea suspended its membership in a regional body that mediated the Somali conflict Saturday.
The region is already tense because of the unresolved border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia that has seen the two countries go to war in the past. In recent months, the Somalia conflict has also been seen as a proxy war between the two, with each backing rival sides.
U.S. officials have named Eritrea as a supporter the months-old insurgency in Mogadishu, something Eritrea has denied.
Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on one another, throwing the country into anarchy.
The transitional government was formed in 2004 with U.N. help, but has struggled to extend its control over the country.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
New Jersey Man Who Fled Somalia Ends Up in an Ethiopian Jail
By RAYMOND BONNER
LONDON, March 22
A 24-year old American who told the F.B.I. that he went to Somalia last December to help build an Islamic state there is now being held in an Ethiopian prison, where he was sent after being detained in Kenya.
The American, Amir Mohamed Meshal, from Tinton Falls, N.J., who had fled to Kenya after fighting broke out in Somalia, was interviewed in Kenya several times by F.B.I. agents, who concluded that he had no terrorist connections, American officials said.
Nevertheless, in February the Kenyan government deported Mr. Meshal to Somalia, which was then essentially controlled by Ethiopian troops, and he was quickly sent to Ethiopia, where he was seen for the first time by an American consular official on Wednesday, the State Department said.
In a report to be released Friday, two human rights organizations, relying on flight logs and interviews, say that Mr. Meshal was one of 63 people whom Kenya deported to Somalia without any judicial proceedings, and that all but four were then sent to Ethiopia.
Those sent to Ethiopia included nine women and five children, and were from more than a dozen countries, including Canada, Sweden, Syria, Saudi Arabia and France, according to the organizations, Reprieve and Cageprisoners, which says it serves the needs of the prisoners held by the United States at Guantánamo Bay.
The American government says it had no role in the deportation of Mr. Meshal from Kenya, and had protested to the Kenyans.
Mr. Meshal was “deported from Kenya without prior notification to the embassy, despite requests that any Americans be deported to the United States,” a State Department spokesman, Tom Casey, said in response to questions.
A Kenyan spokesman, Alfred Mutua, said in a telephone interview from Nairobi that the deportations were legitimate because the detainees had been “engaged in a guerrilla war against a democratically elected government,” referring to Somalia.
At the time Mr. Meshal went to Somalia, Ethiopian troops, with backing from the United States, were massing on the border preparing to invade, and the Islamist administration in Somalia was calling for Muslims to come to fight a jihad.
Human rights groups and Mr. Meshal’s lawyer say they find it hard to accept that the United States was not complicit in his deportations.
“What we have learned so far about the plight of Mr. Meshal raises grave questions about the United States’ involvement in the illegal rendition and possible torture of an American citizen,” said Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, who is representing the family. “It is simply implausible that an American citizen was secretly rendered from Kenya to Somalia without the United States’ knowledge and approval.”
During interrogations by American officials in Kenya, Mr. Meshal, who was born in the United States, said he had gone to Somalia because he wanted to help rebuild that country as an Islamic state, an American official said.
Mr. Meshal fled after the fighting broke out, and reached Kenya in late January, American officials and Reprieve and Cageprisoners said. He was seized and put in a Nairobi jail.
The F.B.I. interrogated him several times.
He was usually taken from his cell and interviewed for few hours, but the last time, he was gone for nearly 10 hours, said Mohammed Ezzoueck, a British citizen who had also fled Somalia and had been picked up in Kenya. He shared a cell with Mr. Meshal. Mr. Ezzoueck said he too had been fingerprinted and photographed by the F.B.I., but not questioned.
In an interview here on Thursday, Mr. Ezzoueck said Mr. Meshal had told him that there were two F.B.I. agents at the interviews, one tough, the other more friendly. Mr. Meshal did not complain of physical abuse, Mr. Ezzoueck said.
Mr. Meshal’s family in New Jersey was notified by the State Department and the F.B.I. that he was being held, and was told that after it sent an airline ticket, he would be released, an American official and Mr. Meshal’s lawyer said.
Then something went awry. Mr. Meshal was shackled and blindfolded and put on a plane and sent to Somalia, according to a flight log obtained by Reprieve.org.uk. Mr. Ezzoueck said he was also on the flight.
Through efforts of the British Government, Mr. Ezzoueck and three other British citizens were released in mid-February. Mr. Meshal was taken to Ethiopia in late February.
The American Embassy in Addis Ababa did not see Mr. Meshal until Wednesday, Mr. Casey said. He did not complain of any mistreatment, Mr. Casey added.
Jeffrey Gettleman contributed reporting from Kenya.
LONDON, March 22
A 24-year old American who told the F.B.I. that he went to Somalia last December to help build an Islamic state there is now being held in an Ethiopian prison, where he was sent after being detained in Kenya.
The American, Amir Mohamed Meshal, from Tinton Falls, N.J., who had fled to Kenya after fighting broke out in Somalia, was interviewed in Kenya several times by F.B.I. agents, who concluded that he had no terrorist connections, American officials said.
Nevertheless, in February the Kenyan government deported Mr. Meshal to Somalia, which was then essentially controlled by Ethiopian troops, and he was quickly sent to Ethiopia, where he was seen for the first time by an American consular official on Wednesday, the State Department said.
In a report to be released Friday, two human rights organizations, relying on flight logs and interviews, say that Mr. Meshal was one of 63 people whom Kenya deported to Somalia without any judicial proceedings, and that all but four were then sent to Ethiopia.
Those sent to Ethiopia included nine women and five children, and were from more than a dozen countries, including Canada, Sweden, Syria, Saudi Arabia and France, according to the organizations, Reprieve and Cageprisoners, which says it serves the needs of the prisoners held by the United States at Guantánamo Bay.
The American government says it had no role in the deportation of Mr. Meshal from Kenya, and had protested to the Kenyans.
Mr. Meshal was “deported from Kenya without prior notification to the embassy, despite requests that any Americans be deported to the United States,” a State Department spokesman, Tom Casey, said in response to questions.
A Kenyan spokesman, Alfred Mutua, said in a telephone interview from Nairobi that the deportations were legitimate because the detainees had been “engaged in a guerrilla war against a democratically elected government,” referring to Somalia.
At the time Mr. Meshal went to Somalia, Ethiopian troops, with backing from the United States, were massing on the border preparing to invade, and the Islamist administration in Somalia was calling for Muslims to come to fight a jihad.
Human rights groups and Mr. Meshal’s lawyer say they find it hard to accept that the United States was not complicit in his deportations.
“What we have learned so far about the plight of Mr. Meshal raises grave questions about the United States’ involvement in the illegal rendition and possible torture of an American citizen,” said Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, who is representing the family. “It is simply implausible that an American citizen was secretly rendered from Kenya to Somalia without the United States’ knowledge and approval.”
During interrogations by American officials in Kenya, Mr. Meshal, who was born in the United States, said he had gone to Somalia because he wanted to help rebuild that country as an Islamic state, an American official said.
Mr. Meshal fled after the fighting broke out, and reached Kenya in late January, American officials and Reprieve and Cageprisoners said. He was seized and put in a Nairobi jail.
The F.B.I. interrogated him several times.
He was usually taken from his cell and interviewed for few hours, but the last time, he was gone for nearly 10 hours, said Mohammed Ezzoueck, a British citizen who had also fled Somalia and had been picked up in Kenya. He shared a cell with Mr. Meshal. Mr. Ezzoueck said he too had been fingerprinted and photographed by the F.B.I., but not questioned.
In an interview here on Thursday, Mr. Ezzoueck said Mr. Meshal had told him that there were two F.B.I. agents at the interviews, one tough, the other more friendly. Mr. Meshal did not complain of physical abuse, Mr. Ezzoueck said.
Mr. Meshal’s family in New Jersey was notified by the State Department and the F.B.I. that he was being held, and was told that after it sent an airline ticket, he would be released, an American official and Mr. Meshal’s lawyer said.
Then something went awry. Mr. Meshal was shackled and blindfolded and put on a plane and sent to Somalia, according to a flight log obtained by Reprieve.org.uk. Mr. Ezzoueck said he was also on the flight.
Through efforts of the British Government, Mr. Ezzoueck and three other British citizens were released in mid-February. Mr. Meshal was taken to Ethiopia in late February.
The American Embassy in Addis Ababa did not see Mr. Meshal until Wednesday, Mr. Casey said. He did not complain of any mistreatment, Mr. Casey added.
Jeffrey Gettleman contributed reporting from Kenya.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
PEPFAR Supports Major Renovation at St. Peter’s Tuberculosis (TB) Specialized Hospital
March 13, 2007
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), officially launched today newly renovated sections of St. Peter’s TB Specialized Hospital to better serve Ethiopians. Renovated areas include HIV counseling and testing units, TB/HIV and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) clinics, an Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs dispensary unit and pharmacy store. The renovation is a collaborative effort between partners funded by Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the major implementers of PEPFAR in Ethiopia.
The Minister of Health Dr. Tedros Adhanom and U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Janet Wilgus delivered remarks at the event, and inaugurated the renovated sections of the hospital.
With funding through CDC, Johns Hopkins University renovated and furnished the client waiting area, TB/HIV and ART clinics of St. Peter’s. Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus, funded by USAID, renovated and furnished the ARV drugs dispensary unit and pharmacy store. The newly renovated facilities will improve the chronic space problem faced by the hospital.
The PEPFAR partners have trained hospital staff in TB/HIV co-management, ART service delivery, and ARV drug supply management system. Standard Operating Procedures and recording and reporting formats have been developed. Computers for data entry and analysis have also been donated through the PEPFAR program. Clinical mentors and supportive supervision have also been an important part of the renovation to improve services.
The hospital has provided HIV counseling and testing service for all TB patients since September 2005, through support provided by PEPFAR. So far, 3,338 newly diagnosed TB patients have been counseled and tested for HIV, out of which over 50% were found to be HIV positive. There are 1,210 patients currently on ARV drugs and the clinic has handled a total of 7,177 clinic visits. There is sufficient stock of ARV drugs for over 1,000 patients for the next six months.
For more information, contact Jason Hefner, PEPFAR Country Coordinator at 011-5174101.
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), officially launched today newly renovated sections of St. Peter’s TB Specialized Hospital to better serve Ethiopians. Renovated areas include HIV counseling and testing units, TB/HIV and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) clinics, an Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs dispensary unit and pharmacy store. The renovation is a collaborative effort between partners funded by Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the major implementers of PEPFAR in Ethiopia.
The Minister of Health Dr. Tedros Adhanom and U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Janet Wilgus delivered remarks at the event, and inaugurated the renovated sections of the hospital.
With funding through CDC, Johns Hopkins University renovated and furnished the client waiting area, TB/HIV and ART clinics of St. Peter’s. Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus, funded by USAID, renovated and furnished the ARV drugs dispensary unit and pharmacy store. The newly renovated facilities will improve the chronic space problem faced by the hospital.
The PEPFAR partners have trained hospital staff in TB/HIV co-management, ART service delivery, and ARV drug supply management system. Standard Operating Procedures and recording and reporting formats have been developed. Computers for data entry and analysis have also been donated through the PEPFAR program. Clinical mentors and supportive supervision have also been an important part of the renovation to improve services.
The hospital has provided HIV counseling and testing service for all TB patients since September 2005, through support provided by PEPFAR. So far, 3,338 newly diagnosed TB patients have been counseled and tested for HIV, out of which over 50% were found to be HIV positive. There are 1,210 patients currently on ARV drugs and the clinic has handled a total of 7,177 clinic visits. There is sufficient stock of ARV drugs for over 1,000 patients for the next six months.
For more information, contact Jason Hefner, PEPFAR Country Coordinator at 011-5174101.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Speaks to Journalists
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter held a press conference with Minister of Health Tewodros Adhanom on Tuesday, February 13 in Addis Ababa. President Carter had just returned from a visit to Afeta, a community of 7,500 people in the Jimma Zone, where he distributed long-lasting insecticide-impregnated bed nets. The symbolic action was part of a new malaria control initiative in Ethiopia by the Carter Center. Malaria is Ethiopia’s single largest cause of death.
“Malaria preys on Ethiopia’s youth, destroying lives and jeopardizing the country’s future,” said President Carter. “It is our goal to help provide long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, free of charge, to all members of at-risk communities to help put a stop to the needless deaths caused by this mosquito-transmitted disease.”
To help the Ethiopia Ministry of Health in its goal to protect 50 million Ethiopians at risk for malaria with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets by July 2007, The Carter Center purchased 3 million bed nets to contribute to the total 20 million bed nets that are needed to accomplish this goal. The Carter Center will assist in the distribution of nets and in health education programs to help protect 18 million men, women, and children in more than 100 districts (woredas) and several hundred Kebeles in malaria-prone areas. Distribution of these long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets began in January 2007. The same community-based networks which were established for river blindness and trachoma control programs in Ethiopia funded through The Carter Center are being used for the malaria control initiative.
The Carter Center’s work in Ethiopia has been extremely diverse, involving disease control and eradication programs for river blindness and trachoma, agriculture and food security development programs, conflict mediation, health education and training, elections monitoring, and the promotion of human rights. During his visit, to Ethiopia President Carter also attended a conference of the Ethiopian Public Health Training Initiative in Addis Ababa. This conference was held to illustrate the outstanding effect the program has had in helping Ethiopia meet its growing need for trained health care workers.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ethiopia has supported the Carter Center with $12 million in funding for the Ethiopian Public Health Training Initiative, which has trained health care professionals such as Health Extension Workers, laboratory technicians, nurses, and environmental sanitation experts. USAID also worked with the Carter Center in their response to the 2006 flood emergency in Ethiopia.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Mark Your Calendar! Children's Festival - April 21, 2007
The excitement is building around the Ethiopian Children's Festival that will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2007 in Washington, D.C.
Mark your Calendar and plan for a day of fun.
Music, games, contests, food, entertainment: it will all be there in one location! It will be exciting!
Look for more information regarding this event on the Zethiopia Blog Site and the Zethiopia Newspaper.
Take One Book: Literacy Campaign for Ethiopia
There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the literacy campaign that has been launched by EthiopiaReads.org and Zethiopia for the year 2007.
Ethiopia Reads, founded in 2003, has a mission to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia. Ethiopia Reads does this by planting libraries and publishing books in local languages. To reinforce the core program of Ethiopia Reads, they are offering continuing education programs to help educators in Ethiopia nurture a love of reading.
Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading, they logged 60,000 visits to the library in 2006. Ethiopia Reads sees first hand the difference that one library, one book, and one story can make in the life of a child.
The commitment of the volunteers and supporters of Ethiopia Reads, and the vision of it's founder, Yohannes Gebregiorgis, has created a new level of excitement about learning, reading, and empowerment through education in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Reads and Zethiopia are now partnered in challenging the community to stand behind Ethiopia Reads projects and to support their goals and mission.
If you or someone you know is traveling to Ethiopia during 2007, Zethiopia and Ethiopia Reads challenge you to TAKE ONE BOOK with you, because we believe that education is hope and books can change lives. Books can be dropped off at Shola Children’s Library in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Shola Library is located in Beklo-bet, behind the Dashen Bank off of Debre Zeit road.
If you aren't traveling and would like to donate books to Ethiopia Reads in the U.S., there are currently two book drives taking place in the Greater Washington D.C. Metro area.
For more information on the TAKE ONE BOOK campaign, please contact Catie Dupont at ethiopiareads@aol.com. For additional information regarding Ethiopia Reads and how you can help their mission, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.
(Would you like to donate books, but are unsure what is best? Any books, fiction or non, with African or Ethiopian themes are greatly appreciated. Non-fiction books, such as the DK books, that have specific themes like the Ocean, Dinosaurs, the Human Body, Animals, are favorites of the children who visit the libraries.)
WILL YOU TAKE ONE BOOK?
A special note of thanks to the SEED Public Charter School students who have spear headed the book drive in the D.C. Metro area.
Ethiopia Reads, founded in 2003, has a mission to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia. Ethiopia Reads does this by planting libraries and publishing books in local languages. To reinforce the core program of Ethiopia Reads, they are offering continuing education programs to help educators in Ethiopia nurture a love of reading.
Since Ethiopia Reads opened Ethiopia’s first free children’s library in 2003, thousands of children have experienced the joy of reading, they logged 60,000 visits to the library in 2006. Ethiopia Reads sees first hand the difference that one library, one book, and one story can make in the life of a child.
The commitment of the volunteers and supporters of Ethiopia Reads, and the vision of it's founder, Yohannes Gebregiorgis, has created a new level of excitement about learning, reading, and empowerment through education in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Reads and Zethiopia are now partnered in challenging the community to stand behind Ethiopia Reads projects and to support their goals and mission.
If you or someone you know is traveling to Ethiopia during 2007, Zethiopia and Ethiopia Reads challenge you to TAKE ONE BOOK with you, because we believe that education is hope and books can change lives. Books can be dropped off at Shola Children’s Library in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Shola Library is located in Beklo-bet, behind the Dashen Bank off of Debre Zeit road.
If you aren't traveling and would like to donate books to Ethiopia Reads in the U.S., there are currently two book drives taking place in the Greater Washington D.C. Metro area.
For more information on the TAKE ONE BOOK campaign, please contact Catie Dupont at ethiopiareads@aol.com. For additional information regarding Ethiopia Reads and how you can help their mission, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.
(Would you like to donate books, but are unsure what is best? Any books, fiction or non, with African or Ethiopian themes are greatly appreciated. Non-fiction books, such as the DK books, that have specific themes like the Ocean, Dinosaurs, the Human Body, Animals, are favorites of the children who visit the libraries.)
WILL YOU TAKE ONE BOOK?
A special note of thanks to the SEED Public Charter School students who have spear headed the book drive in the D.C. Metro area.
Five Britons kidnapped in Ethiopia's 'land of death'
By Cahal Milmo
3 March 2007
Five Britons including diplomats and embassy staff were among 15 Western tourists being held by kidnappers in a remote corner of Ethiopia dubbed the "land of death" because of its extreme climate.
The Britons, who have links to the British embassy in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, were in one of two convoys intercepted on Wednesday in the barren Afar region close to the border with Eritrea, which is roamed by separatist rebels and bandits.
Whitehall sources said last night that there was a "national security dimension" to the kidnappings and that the government's emergency committee, Cobra, had met over the incident.
The second group, comprising between seven and 12 French citizens, was believed to be being held by the same kidnap gang after both convoys were stopped in the Danakil Depression, a spectacular desert bowl that contains the lowest point in Africa more than 500 metres below sea level.
A television crew working in the area which had been out of touch for more than 24 hours last night returned to safety, leading to incorrect reports that the French group had been released unharmed.
The Foreign Office said it was investigating the disappearance of the Britons but said the details still remained sketchy around the circumstances of how they were taken. Under Ethiopian government rules for tourists, all groups of visitors to Afar, in the north east of the country, have to be accompanied by at least two armed guards.
Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said the British group consisted of embassy staff and their relatives and an emergency team had been sent from London to handle the crisis. She said Britain was working with the Ethiopian authorities who are "doing all they can to ensure that the situation is resolved peacefully". Whitehall sources underlined that situation was uncertain and potentially perilous. Dalol, the village where the kidnappings took place, is on the border with Eritrea, which has a fraught relationship with Ethiopia. The border is frequently the scene of clashes between armed groups and security forces.
One of those kidnapped was named as Rossanna Moore, the Italian-born wife of Michael Moore, the director of the British Council in Addis Ababa, which deals with cultural relations. The others are thought to be middle-ranking officials with the diplomatic service and the Department for International Development.
The British group was on a long-planned trekking trip to the spectacular salt mines in Dalol, which have become an increasing attraction for intrepid travellers in recent years. Several tour organisations have sprung up offering guided visits to the Danakil Depression in off-road vehicles. The region, which is of huge geological and archaeological significance after three-million-year-old fossils of human ancestors' remains were found in, is one of the most hostile environments on the planet.
The average temperature is 34C and the daytime heat can reach 45C. It is often wracked by volcanic eruptions and earth tremors. The renowned 20th century British explorer Wilfred Thesiger described it as a "veritable land of death".
It was unclear whether the tourists had fallen foul of a criminal kidnap group or Afar separatists who have been fighting a low-level campaign against the Ethiopian government for an autonomous state straddling territory in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
The two groups are thought to have travelled on Sunday by road to Makele, the principal town in Afar, some 500 miles north east of Addis Ababa. They then travelled with their tour agency, Origins Ethiopia, to Hamedali, a remote village that was to act as a base. Each group was travelling in two off-road vehicles, accompanied by a guide, a cook and two armed guards.
According to reports, one of the tourists in the French group managed to escape the kidnappers and flagged down another tourist party and used a satellite phone to alert the authorities.
Stephane Gompertz, the French ambassador in Addis Ababa, said: "A kidnapping or kidnappings did take place. It seems that the incident or incidents happened two days ago. We don't know which group may be involved or why they have done this."
The crisis is a blow to the Ethiopian government's attempts to boost tourism. The Foreign Office said yesterday it was advising against all travel to Afar.
3 March 2007
Five Britons including diplomats and embassy staff were among 15 Western tourists being held by kidnappers in a remote corner of Ethiopia dubbed the "land of death" because of its extreme climate.
The Britons, who have links to the British embassy in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, were in one of two convoys intercepted on Wednesday in the barren Afar region close to the border with Eritrea, which is roamed by separatist rebels and bandits.
Whitehall sources said last night that there was a "national security dimension" to the kidnappings and that the government's emergency committee, Cobra, had met over the incident.
The second group, comprising between seven and 12 French citizens, was believed to be being held by the same kidnap gang after both convoys were stopped in the Danakil Depression, a spectacular desert bowl that contains the lowest point in Africa more than 500 metres below sea level.
A television crew working in the area which had been out of touch for more than 24 hours last night returned to safety, leading to incorrect reports that the French group had been released unharmed.
The Foreign Office said it was investigating the disappearance of the Britons but said the details still remained sketchy around the circumstances of how they were taken. Under Ethiopian government rules for tourists, all groups of visitors to Afar, in the north east of the country, have to be accompanied by at least two armed guards.
Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said the British group consisted of embassy staff and their relatives and an emergency team had been sent from London to handle the crisis. She said Britain was working with the Ethiopian authorities who are "doing all they can to ensure that the situation is resolved peacefully". Whitehall sources underlined that situation was uncertain and potentially perilous. Dalol, the village where the kidnappings took place, is on the border with Eritrea, which has a fraught relationship with Ethiopia. The border is frequently the scene of clashes between armed groups and security forces.
One of those kidnapped was named as Rossanna Moore, the Italian-born wife of Michael Moore, the director of the British Council in Addis Ababa, which deals with cultural relations. The others are thought to be middle-ranking officials with the diplomatic service and the Department for International Development.
The British group was on a long-planned trekking trip to the spectacular salt mines in Dalol, which have become an increasing attraction for intrepid travellers in recent years. Several tour organisations have sprung up offering guided visits to the Danakil Depression in off-road vehicles. The region, which is of huge geological and archaeological significance after three-million-year-old fossils of human ancestors' remains were found in, is one of the most hostile environments on the planet.
The average temperature is 34C and the daytime heat can reach 45C. It is often wracked by volcanic eruptions and earth tremors. The renowned 20th century British explorer Wilfred Thesiger described it as a "veritable land of death".
It was unclear whether the tourists had fallen foul of a criminal kidnap group or Afar separatists who have been fighting a low-level campaign against the Ethiopian government for an autonomous state straddling territory in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
The two groups are thought to have travelled on Sunday by road to Makele, the principal town in Afar, some 500 miles north east of Addis Ababa. They then travelled with their tour agency, Origins Ethiopia, to Hamedali, a remote village that was to act as a base. Each group was travelling in two off-road vehicles, accompanied by a guide, a cook and two armed guards.
According to reports, one of the tourists in the French group managed to escape the kidnappers and flagged down another tourist party and used a satellite phone to alert the authorities.
Stephane Gompertz, the French ambassador in Addis Ababa, said: "A kidnapping or kidnappings did take place. It seems that the incident or incidents happened two days ago. We don't know which group may be involved or why they have done this."
The crisis is a blow to the Ethiopian government's attempts to boost tourism. The Foreign Office said yesterday it was advising against all travel to Afar.
Now Available at Zethiopia - Silly Mammo
Silly Mammo is the retelling of a traditional Ethiopian folk tale written by Yohannes Gebregeorgis and published by African Sun Publishing. The text of the picture book is in Amharic and English.
Silly Mammo is the first bilingual English/Amharic children's book. The illustrations are done by Bogale Belachew, an Ethiopian artist.
Silly Mammo is available for $10.00 + $4.95 Shipping and Handling.
A portion of the sale of this book will benefit EthiopiaReads.org.
Now Available at Zethiopia - Water Hole Waiting by Jane and Chris Kurtz
Water Hole Waiting, Hardcover Book, New, by Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz
From the bookflap: "It's a hot day on the savanna. The sun sizzles, bristles, and bakes. A young monkey wants to drink at the water hole. But wait! Blocking the way are irritable hippos, sharp-hoofed zebras, a toothy lion, huge elephants, and a lurking crocodile. Will Monkey ever get to taste cool water? Why is waiting so hard?"
Annotation from the publisher: "Waiting is hard. And if you are a small vervet monkey with a big thirst, it's even harder. But wait you must, because snap! go Crocodile's jaws; slip, slap go Lion's powerful paws; thrum, thrum go the rumbling elephants...Water holes on the African savanna are popular places. Will Monkey and his family ever get to drink? Take this unforgettable (and noisy!) armchair safari and find out! It's the perfect book for animal lovers, and Lee Christiansen's lush and expressive pastel portraits of the animals take you right to the water hole. Also includes an informative authors' note on the facts behind the fiction.
Available through Zethiopia for $16.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. A portion of the sale of this book will benefit EthiopiaReads.org.
Available through Zethiopia for $16.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. A portion of the sale of this book will benefit EthiopiaReads.org.
Now Available from Zethiopia - Only a Pigeon, by Chris and Jane Kurtz.
Only a Pigeon, by Christopher Kurtz and Jane Kurtz - Hardcover
Only a Pigeon was awarded the Parents' Choice Gold Award -- the award is "a distinguished and coveted award" and a "wonderful honor." Parents' Choice is a nonprofit consumer guide to children's toys, books, software, video, and magazines that has been dedicated to helping parents select great products for their children since 1978. In 1997, about 1000 publishers and companies participated in the Parents' Choice awards competition.
A reviewer wrote that the book was, "A low-key, compelling story about an Ethiopian boy who raises homing pigeons. Readers accompany the 12 or 13-year-old Andualem as he tends his brood, protecting them from attack by a mongoose or stray cat. His is a circumscribed life, but we enter it willingly, sharing its perils and triumphs. E.B. Lewis's tender watercolors transport us to Addis Ababa, with its tin-roofed houses; and muddy streets. Both authors grew up in Ethiopia, and the artist traveled there to assure the authentic flavor of his pictures.
A reviewer wrote that the book was, "A low-key, compelling story about an Ethiopian boy who raises homing pigeons. Readers accompany the 12 or 13-year-old Andualem as he tends his brood, protecting them from attack by a mongoose or stray cat. His is a circumscribed life, but we enter it willingly, sharing its perils and triumphs. E.B. Lewis's tender watercolors transport us to Addis Ababa, with its tin-roofed houses; and muddy streets. Both authors grew up in Ethiopia, and the artist traveled there to assure the authentic flavor of his pictures.
Available for $16.00 + $4.95 Shipping and Handling. Order your copy now, this book is no longer in print and we have limited copies.
A portion of the sale of this book will benefit EthiopiaReads.org.
Now available from Zethiopia - Saba, Under the Hyena's Foot by Jane Kurtz
Saba, Under the Hyena's Foot, by Jane Kurtz - Soft cover book - BRAND NEW
Quoted from the book flap: "When twelve-year-old Saba and her older brother are kidnapped and taken from their rural home to the royal palace at Gondar, Saba finally learns about her long-lost parents--and her own royal past. With Ethiopia's rulers in the midst of a fierce strugle for control of the throne, what can the King of Kings--Emperor Yohannes II--possibly want with her."
Available from Zethiopia $7.00 + $4.95 shipping and handling. A portion of the sale of this book will benefit EthiopiaReads.org.
Contact dereje@zethiopia.com for more information.
Clever Mimi - Children's Book by Alem Bantayehu
Clever Mimi, by Alem Bantayehu, is a light-hearted story based on the Ethiopian folktale, Silly Mammo. This a warm story about Clever Mimi, who convinces her mother that she needs keremela.
The illustrations are bright, eye-catching, and sure to entertain the young reader. This 28 page book is published in English and is for an audience age 4-8, although this 36 year old enjoyed the story.
The author, Alem Bantayehu, was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a young child she lived in Mexico, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Ms. Bantayehu received her higher education in the United States, attending college in Virginia and obtaining an MBA from prestigious Georgetown University. She now resides in the United States with her husband and two small children.
This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
680 dead in Ethiopia in suspected cholera outbreak, say aid groups
By LES NEUHAUS - AP
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
More than 680 people in Ethiopia have died in a suspected cholera outbreak that has also affected neighboring countries, officials said Wednesday.
Some 60,000 people have been infected, but the country's Health Ministry is resisting pressure to declare an emergency despite a U.N. warning that the disease is an epidemic.
"The fact that it is spreading to new areas in the country is cause for serious concern," said Paul Hebert, head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia. "The full extent of this needs to be addressed."
The U.N. has not officially declared the outbreak, which began nearly a year ago, to be cholera. But U.N. officials speaking privately because of the sensitivity of the issue are saying it is cholera, something local officials continue to deny.
Eight of Ethiopia's 11 regions have already been affected by the outbreak, according to Ethiopia's Health Ministry and the U.N. The remote eastern region of Afar has recorded more than 1,000 new cases in the last week alone.
The outbreak started in April 2006 after heavy rains in the country. Neighboring Somalia and Kenya have also been hit, and more than 1,000 people have been infected with suspected cholera in Uganda's capital since October. In Kenya, 17 people have died since October.
"Once a disease has been present for an extended period of time, then the likelihood of it being eliminated is quite difficult," Hebert said.
"I don't think we are addressing this issue on the scale that is needed and it needs to be targeted to have an impact."
Ethiopian health officials, who say the disease is not cholera, are describing the outbreak as acute watery diarrhea, but they have not shared any of the test results that they have carried out.
Ethiopian Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Emano said that contrary to U.N. concerns, the outbreak was being contained by the government.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and bad sanitation. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting and it is deadly if untreated. "It can kill someone in as little as five hours," said Kebba O. Jaiteh, emergency officer with the U.N.'s World Health Organization in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's economy could suffer if the country declares a cholera emergency.
"The Ethiopian Health Ministry did not share the results of the lab tests since last April," Jaiteh said. "It can mean some serious economic losses, especially in terms of international trade and tourism.
"Many African countries don't declare a cholera emergency even when they know for a fact that it is in their country for these very economic reasons."
The U.N. in Ethiopia has said the disease is suspected of having entered Ethiopia from Sudan last year, where the disease was confirmed in early 2006.
U.N. officials in Ethiopia are unable to act on their own about the issue and are obligated to follow the lead of the country's Ministry of Health.
Only after a disease has been recorded as active in an area for one year can the WHO declare an emergency and label the disease as endemic to the country.
Fears are mounting that with the onset of next month's rainy season the outbreak could worsen.
"The rainy season is coming soon so it might get worse if we do not do something soon," said Dr. Patrick Mweki, head of the International Medical Corps in Somalia.
Government health officials say the situation in Uganda is now under control. "Now that the rains have disappeared, the cholera has really subsided, said Dr. Sam Okware, the commissioner for public health services at Uganda's Health Ministry.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
More than 680 people in Ethiopia have died in a suspected cholera outbreak that has also affected neighboring countries, officials said Wednesday.
Some 60,000 people have been infected, but the country's Health Ministry is resisting pressure to declare an emergency despite a U.N. warning that the disease is an epidemic.
"The fact that it is spreading to new areas in the country is cause for serious concern," said Paul Hebert, head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia. "The full extent of this needs to be addressed."
The U.N. has not officially declared the outbreak, which began nearly a year ago, to be cholera. But U.N. officials speaking privately because of the sensitivity of the issue are saying it is cholera, something local officials continue to deny.
Eight of Ethiopia's 11 regions have already been affected by the outbreak, according to Ethiopia's Health Ministry and the U.N. The remote eastern region of Afar has recorded more than 1,000 new cases in the last week alone.
The outbreak started in April 2006 after heavy rains in the country. Neighboring Somalia and Kenya have also been hit, and more than 1,000 people have been infected with suspected cholera in Uganda's capital since October. In Kenya, 17 people have died since October.
"Once a disease has been present for an extended period of time, then the likelihood of it being eliminated is quite difficult," Hebert said.
"I don't think we are addressing this issue on the scale that is needed and it needs to be targeted to have an impact."
Ethiopian health officials, who say the disease is not cholera, are describing the outbreak as acute watery diarrhea, but they have not shared any of the test results that they have carried out.
Ethiopian Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Emano said that contrary to U.N. concerns, the outbreak was being contained by the government.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and bad sanitation. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting and it is deadly if untreated. "It can kill someone in as little as five hours," said Kebba O. Jaiteh, emergency officer with the U.N.'s World Health Organization in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's economy could suffer if the country declares a cholera emergency.
"The Ethiopian Health Ministry did not share the results of the lab tests since last April," Jaiteh said. "It can mean some serious economic losses, especially in terms of international trade and tourism.
"Many African countries don't declare a cholera emergency even when they know for a fact that it is in their country for these very economic reasons."
The U.N. in Ethiopia has said the disease is suspected of having entered Ethiopia from Sudan last year, where the disease was confirmed in early 2006.
U.N. officials in Ethiopia are unable to act on their own about the issue and are obligated to follow the lead of the country's Ministry of Health.
Only after a disease has been recorded as active in an area for one year can the WHO declare an emergency and label the disease as endemic to the country.
Fears are mounting that with the onset of next month's rainy season the outbreak could worsen.
"The rainy season is coming soon so it might get worse if we do not do something soon," said Dr. Patrick Mweki, head of the International Medical Corps in Somalia.
Government health officials say the situation in Uganda is now under control. "Now that the rains have disappeared, the cholera has really subsided, said Dr. Sam Okware, the commissioner for public health services at Uganda's Health Ministry.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Bekele sets world best in indoor 2,000; American Carter disqualified from 400
Updated 2/17/2007
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP)
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set a world record for the indoor 2,000 meters of four minutes, 49.99 seconds at the Norwich Union Grand Prix on Saturday, beating a nine-year-old mark of Haile Gebrselassie.
But there was disappointment for Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva and American sprinter Xavier Carter in the 400 meters, who had hoped to set new marks here.
After winning the men's 400, Carter was disqualified for stepping out of his lane before overtaking Robert Tobin of Britain just ahead of the line. Tobin won with 46.07.
"I have no idea why I was disqualified," Carter said. "It's a bit shocking to me because personally I think I ran the race how it was supposed to be ran. I never felt myself stepping on the line. I didn't feel myself breaking into it."
Isinbayeva failed to beat the world mark she set at the "Pole Vault Stars" in Ukraine last week, but a leap of 15 feet, 6¼ inches was enough to land the 24-year-old Russian her third successive victory.
"I had problems with my run-up," Isinbayeva said. "Sometimes I was quick, sometimes I was slower. It was all a bit inconsistent."
Bekele, the Olympic champion and world record holder for 5,000 meters, set the world record running at the same National Indoor Arena where Gebrselassie ran his 4:52.86 in February 1998.
"It makes me very happy after all the hard work," Bekele said. "The previous record was very difficult, but I knew I was in good shape to beat it."
Jason Gardener of Britain won the 60 meters in 6.57 to beat his training partner Craig Pickering by just 0.01.
Yaroslav Rybakov of Russia won the men's high jump with 7-7¾ meters and Irving Saladino of Panama was first in the long jump at 27-3¼.
Carter — also known as "X-Man" — is now focusing on beating Michael Johnson's 11-year-old world mark of 19.32 seconds for the 200.
"I feel this is my best race. I like it and I'm trying to break the world record," Carter said. "I believe it's in reach. I'm not going to say it's impossible."
American Reese Hoffa won the shot put after throwing 69-3½, beating Dan Taylor of the United States.
"There is a lot more to come this year. My goal was to keep it above 21 (meters, 68-10¾ feet) but I missed the board a couple of times," Hoffa said.
In the 60 hurdles, Ron Bramlett of the United States narrowly beat Cuba's Dayron Robles with a personal best of 7.52.
"Robles is always a tough man to beat and he's been ahead of me recently, so it was nice to get ahead of him for a change," Bramlett said.
Britain's Joanne Pavey won the women's 2-mile race in 9:32 while Kelly Sotherton of Britain won the long jump with a leap of 21.26 feet. Britons Nicola Sanders and Jenny Meadows won the 400 and 800 in 50.60 and 1:59.88 respectively.
Bernard Lagat won the 3,000 in 7:32.43 after fighting off a late challenge by Ethiopian Markos Geneti.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP)
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set a world record for the indoor 2,000 meters of four minutes, 49.99 seconds at the Norwich Union Grand Prix on Saturday, beating a nine-year-old mark of Haile Gebrselassie.
But there was disappointment for Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva and American sprinter Xavier Carter in the 400 meters, who had hoped to set new marks here.
After winning the men's 400, Carter was disqualified for stepping out of his lane before overtaking Robert Tobin of Britain just ahead of the line. Tobin won with 46.07.
"I have no idea why I was disqualified," Carter said. "It's a bit shocking to me because personally I think I ran the race how it was supposed to be ran. I never felt myself stepping on the line. I didn't feel myself breaking into it."
Isinbayeva failed to beat the world mark she set at the "Pole Vault Stars" in Ukraine last week, but a leap of 15 feet, 6¼ inches was enough to land the 24-year-old Russian her third successive victory.
"I had problems with my run-up," Isinbayeva said. "Sometimes I was quick, sometimes I was slower. It was all a bit inconsistent."
Bekele, the Olympic champion and world record holder for 5,000 meters, set the world record running at the same National Indoor Arena where Gebrselassie ran his 4:52.86 in February 1998.
"It makes me very happy after all the hard work," Bekele said. "The previous record was very difficult, but I knew I was in good shape to beat it."
Jason Gardener of Britain won the 60 meters in 6.57 to beat his training partner Craig Pickering by just 0.01.
Yaroslav Rybakov of Russia won the men's high jump with 7-7¾ meters and Irving Saladino of Panama was first in the long jump at 27-3¼.
Carter — also known as "X-Man" — is now focusing on beating Michael Johnson's 11-year-old world mark of 19.32 seconds for the 200.
"I feel this is my best race. I like it and I'm trying to break the world record," Carter said. "I believe it's in reach. I'm not going to say it's impossible."
American Reese Hoffa won the shot put after throwing 69-3½, beating Dan Taylor of the United States.
"There is a lot more to come this year. My goal was to keep it above 21 (meters, 68-10¾ feet) but I missed the board a couple of times," Hoffa said.
In the 60 hurdles, Ron Bramlett of the United States narrowly beat Cuba's Dayron Robles with a personal best of 7.52.
"Robles is always a tough man to beat and he's been ahead of me recently, so it was nice to get ahead of him for a change," Bramlett said.
Britain's Joanne Pavey won the women's 2-mile race in 9:32 while Kelly Sotherton of Britain won the long jump with a leap of 21.26 feet. Britons Nicola Sanders and Jenny Meadows won the 400 and 800 in 50.60 and 1:59.88 respectively.
Bernard Lagat won the 3,000 in 7:32.43 after fighting off a late challenge by Ethiopian Markos Geneti.
Liberia No Match For Ethiopia
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
The female football national team of Liberia , Lone Star, put up a rather disappointing performance before home fans at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on Sunday, February 18, 2007.
The match, which the female Lone Star lost 3-0 against Ethiopia was a 2008 Olympic Games qualifiers.
Addis Felekis scored the visitors’ first goal after the home side became a victim of fast play in the 43rd minute.
Back from recess, few changes made by Lone Star coach Lucretia Tokpa yielded no fruit as the Ethiopians, having dominated proceedings, made it 2-0 through Birtukan Gebrekistos, who was probably the match’s best player due to her splendid displays.
Second half substitute Helen Seifu dribbled the Liberian goalkeeper to finally dash any hope of the female Lone Star attempting to make a comeback.
In two weeks’ time, the return leg of the match is scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa .
The female football national team of Liberia , Lone Star, put up a rather disappointing performance before home fans at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on Sunday, February 18, 2007.
The match, which the female Lone Star lost 3-0 against Ethiopia was a 2008 Olympic Games qualifiers.
Addis Felekis scored the visitors’ first goal after the home side became a victim of fast play in the 43rd minute.
Back from recess, few changes made by Lone Star coach Lucretia Tokpa yielded no fruit as the Ethiopians, having dominated proceedings, made it 2-0 through Birtukan Gebrekistos, who was probably the match’s best player due to her splendid displays.
Second half substitute Helen Seifu dribbled the Liberian goalkeeper to finally dash any hope of the female Lone Star attempting to make a comeback.
In two weeks’ time, the return leg of the match is scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa .
U.S. Ambassador Don Yamamoto Launches PEPFAR Small Grants Program for Indigenous NGOs
February 8, 2007
No. 07/07
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – On Thursday, February 8, 2007, U.S. Ambassador Don Yamamoto visited Hope for Children, one of six community organizations chosen by PEPFAR/Ethiopia as the first recipients of the Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program under U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A key activity of PEPFAR is the expansion of work with new partners, particularly nongovernmental, community-based and faith-based organizations in an effort to broaden services and foster sustainability. As part of this effort PEPFAR/Ethiopia created the Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program. This program funds communities and faith-based organizations to carry out small-scale projects to assist in HIV prevention or provide care and support to persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and/or children orphaned or affected by AIDS. Grants range from ETB 8,500 to 260,000 (US $1,000-$30,000).
Hope for Children received a grant of USD 55,572 (ETB 491,000) (with a match contribution of 21,782 USD (ETB 192,500), for its Lafto Care and Support Project, located in Nefas Silk Lafto Subcity, Addis Ababa. This project will provide HIV/AIDS peer education through puppet shows and community volunteer educators, and will work with individuals and families affected by the HIV/AIDS by providing grief counseling and home-based care. Beneficiaries are 200 orphans and vulnerable children and 7,080 adults.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Small Grants Programs was created to make funds available for U.S. Ambassadors to support local projects developed with extensive community involvement, targeted at specific needs of the host country, and developed in coordination with local nongovernmental organizations and municipalities. This year’s group of grant recipients, which includes six indigenous NGOs in Addis Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia, is the first group to receive small grants under the PEPFAR/Ethiopia program.
The six grantees of PEPFAR’s 2006 Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program are Addis Hiwot Center for the Blind, Bahir Dar Medhanealem Orphans & Destitute Family Support and Training Center, Dorcas Aid International Ethiopia, Hope for Children Organization, Hope for the Blind and Handicapped Rehabilitating Association, and Mekdim Ethiopia National Association (Shashemene Branch). The six groups have received a total of 143,649 USD or 1,249,752 ETB in individual grants.
No. 07/07
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – On Thursday, February 8, 2007, U.S. Ambassador Don Yamamoto visited Hope for Children, one of six community organizations chosen by PEPFAR/Ethiopia as the first recipients of the Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program under U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A key activity of PEPFAR is the expansion of work with new partners, particularly nongovernmental, community-based and faith-based organizations in an effort to broaden services and foster sustainability. As part of this effort PEPFAR/Ethiopia created the Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program. This program funds communities and faith-based organizations to carry out small-scale projects to assist in HIV prevention or provide care and support to persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and/or children orphaned or affected by AIDS. Grants range from ETB 8,500 to 260,000 (US $1,000-$30,000).
Hope for Children received a grant of USD 55,572 (ETB 491,000) (with a match contribution of 21,782 USD (ETB 192,500), for its Lafto Care and Support Project, located in Nefas Silk Lafto Subcity, Addis Ababa. This project will provide HIV/AIDS peer education through puppet shows and community volunteer educators, and will work with individuals and families affected by the HIV/AIDS by providing grief counseling and home-based care. Beneficiaries are 200 orphans and vulnerable children and 7,080 adults.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Small Grants Programs was created to make funds available for U.S. Ambassadors to support local projects developed with extensive community involvement, targeted at specific needs of the host country, and developed in coordination with local nongovernmental organizations and municipalities. This year’s group of grant recipients, which includes six indigenous NGOs in Addis Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia, is the first group to receive small grants under the PEPFAR/Ethiopia program.
The six grantees of PEPFAR’s 2006 Small Grants to Community-Based Organizations Program are Addis Hiwot Center for the Blind, Bahir Dar Medhanealem Orphans & Destitute Family Support and Training Center, Dorcas Aid International Ethiopia, Hope for Children Organization, Hope for the Blind and Handicapped Rehabilitating Association, and Mekdim Ethiopia National Association (Shashemene Branch). The six groups have received a total of 143,649 USD or 1,249,752 ETB in individual grants.
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