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.

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.

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.

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.

To place an order, please contact dereje@zethiopia.com.

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.

To order your copy now, contact dereje@zethiopia.com.

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.

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.

Contact dereje@zethiopia.com to place your order!

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

Oxfam Sees Starbucks Position Change

The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa)
February 15, 2007
Addis Ababa

Oxfam America expressed hope that Starbucks, an international coffee retailer and roaster company, would negotiate a solution with the Ethiopian government on the country's claim to its coffee trademarks as the company takes part in the 4th East African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition opening here today.

In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald earlier this week, Oxfam America Horn of Africa Regional Director Abera Tola and Coffee Programme Manager Seth Petchers said that Starbucks had to use the opportunity to change its position and recognize the interest of Ethiopia and its coffee farmers.

"We hope Starbucks to take the opportunity of being in Addis to sit down with the government and come to an agreement that works for both parties," Petchers said.

Alain Poncelet, Vice President and Managing Director of Starbucks Coffee Trading Company, is expected to deliver a keynote address at the conference.

It is the second Ethiopian working visit for Starbucks after Oxfam launched a campaign in October urging the company to honour its public commitments to its coffee growers by signing Ethiopia's licensing agreement to affirm the country's rights in the trademarks associated with some of its finest coffees.

Starbucks CEO Jim Donald met Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia in November, but the company has not yet changed its position regarding the trademark issue.

"This is another opportunity for Starbucks to do the right thing," Petchers said. "It would be very disappointing if the company goes back home without having some kinds of agreement with Ethiopia."

Starbucks has the opportunity to show leadership while other coffee companies are cooperating with Ethiopia's trademark bid, Abera said.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a leading roaster and distributor of specialty coffees, is one of the companies signed a letter of intent with the Ethiopian government in January this year.

Ethiopian coffee growers selling their produce to Starbucks earned between 75 cents and 1.60 USD a pound on beans that Starbucks sold at up to 26 USD a pound.

Ethiopia wants win-win situation, Abera said. "If they Starbucks recognize the trademark, the Ethiopian government can go into the commitment to keep the quality of Ethiopian coffees."

Oxfam's initiative is drawing public reaction around the world as over 90,000 people through Oxfam website have sent fax to Starbucks urging the company to live up to its commitment to coffee farmers and sign the trademark of Ethiopia since the launch of the campaign in 2006.

CNN Int'l Launches Weekly Program Promoting Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa)
February 13, 2007
By WIC
Addis Ababa

CNN International has launched broadcasting a weekly TV programme that aims at promoting Ethiopia's tourist attractions and the culture and norms of its nations and nationalities.

The transmission that started yesterday is organized in accordance with the agreement reached between Walta Information Centre and CNN International to introduce to the world the positive images of the country in the spheres of culture and tourism.

Accordingly, one of the outstanding documentary productions of WIC entitled Artaale was aired yesterday.

CNN transmitted the abridged form of the documentary film which deals with depicting one of the active volcanoes in the world.

Artaale is located in Afar State 600-kms away fromAddis.

WIC has entered an agreement with CNN for the transmission of the programme with three of its five channels namely CNN international, CNN Espanola and CNN America in prime time or convenient time.

In the upcoming weeks of transmission CNN will air programmes that deal with Ethiopian Epiphany and Dire Sheikh Hussein shrine.

People Fleeing Clan Fights Cross Into Kenya

The East African Standard (Nairobi) NEWSFebruary 14, 2007
Posted to the web February 14, 2007 By Adow Jubat

Kenya will have to contend with another wave of refugees, this time from Ethiopia where renewed clan fighting has pushed thousands onto the road to Moyale District.

The victims, most of them women and children, have been crossing into Kenya with their livestock for the past four days. Two of the Ethiopians are admitted at Moyale District Hospital with gunshot wounds.

More than 40 people were reportedly killed in the clan fighting pitting the Borana against the Gabra.

Moyale Medical Officer of Health, Dr Benedett Macharia, said one of the injured, Mr Sora Adhi Guyo, 75, who sustained three gunshot wounds had his right leg amputated.
Another victim, Dida Halake, was injured in the thigh.

Area DC, Mr Victor Okioma, said the Government would do everything to ensure the clashes do not spill into Kenya. The warring clans live on the both sides of the border and such skirmishes often come with the potential to spill across the border.

Okioma urged the clan elders at the border to initiate dialogue, saying the fights might scuttle the cross-border peace meetings brokered by Kenyan and Ethiopian governments. The peace meetings have been ongoing for the last two years.

Ethiopia will stay in Somalia longer

The Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in New York says that world peace is a collective responsibility and the Somalia security is Collective responsibly and the priority of the UN. This being the case, regional and international efforts are being exerted, more vigorously than ever before, to ensure peace and stability in every corner of the world. With regard to this, the international community, the African Union, the East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and the like are striving to ensure sustainable peace and stability in Somalia.

Ethiopia would further consolidate its efforts to ensure dependable peace and security in Somalia , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman told HAN & Geeska Afrika Online Edition reporter in Addis Ato Mulugeta Ababa that Ethiopia is pursuing this goal as instability in Somalia would directly affect the country and the region. Al-Itihad/ONLF has been masterminding and perpetrating terrorist acts in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia for the last decade in line with the directives it receives from al-Qaeda, The spokesman said.

Leaders of the African Union have failed to secure full numbers for a planned peacekeeping force in Somalia. The new AU chairman John Kufuor announced that the numbers of troops pledged were not enough. The Regional Director for international crises group gave us an insight into what this means for stability in Somalia.

Members of the African Union are beginning to offer peacekeepers to support the interim government of Somalia, but not nearly in the numbers needed or even any positive response from the African countries. We spoke to the Apostolic Administrator for the country, who told us that the entire international community must come to Somalia's aid

Somalia’s fate will likely be decided in the coming weeks, said the the Vatican’s apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, as the country now totters between a weak, propped-up transitional government and chaos since the Union of Islamic Courts was pushed from power last week.

“If Ethiopia withdraws its troops and there is no support mechanism put in place, the transitional government can’t stand on its own. It will collapse, therefore the Ethiopian government should stay to keep the peace” Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Dijbouti said.

The most difficult task will be piecing back together Somalia’s fragmented society, which has almost been completely destroyed, said Bishop Bertin.

“The presence of an international peacekeeping force could allow discussions to happen that bring into play Somalia’s traditional clan system. It has been weakened by the warlords, who are self-appointed men acting in their own interests, but it can be restored,” Bishop Bertin said.

“The international community too must avoid acting for hidden interests. We all need to act in interest of a true Somali nation, to ensure its success,” he said.

“In just this year alone, we’ve gone from drought, to flooding, to war,” Bishop Bertin said. “All the classical evils are there.”

Sources: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Vatican radio, Geeskaafrika online Reporter, IGAD2020 Security Watch and HAN staff Reporter In Addis Ababa.

Tina's Ethiopian Cafe - Chandler, Arizona - Watt's Good For You

Watt's Good for You

By Stephen Lemons

Tina Tamrat Hildebrand laughs and smiles shyly when I play reporter rather than gentleman, and ask her age. This fetching little Ethiopian lady could pass for someone in her mid-to-late 20s, but curiosity has yet to kill the culinary critic, which is why I pose the question.

"You know, in Ethiopia, people do not think about age," she explains in her charming trill of an accent. "In Ethiopia, we don't celebrate birthdays. Most people are born at home, and may not even know their exact age."

Further complicating matters is the fact that Ethiopia uses a 13-month calendar that runs about seven to eight years behind our own Gregorian. But when Hildebrand came to the United States in 1991 as a refugee of war and government repression, she suddenly discovered that here, everyone must know his or her age. She finally determined that she must have been born in the year 1974 of the Western calendar, which will make her 31 this year.

Hildebrand communicates all this as we're seated in her cozy little Chandler eatery Tina's Ethiopian Cafe, and it suddenly strikes me how utterly different life must be in the city of her birth, Addis Ababa. I've eaten at the Valley's other Ethiopian restaurants, and at Ethiopian spots in New York and Los Angeles, but never has eating Ethiopian seemed so intimate as at Tina's.

Part of this has to do with the fact that Hildebrand acts not only as chef, but server. Also, I think it's because Hildebrand has made her cafe an extension of her home. In the front part of the main dining area, you can choose from either a Western-style table or one of the colorful messobs, the traditional dining tables of Ethiopia hand-woven from a special grass. Tempe's Cafe Lalibela and Blue Nile offer this, too, but toward the back of Tina's is an area set up like a den, with a couch and comfy chairs, a coffee table, and a TV set, which screens Ethiopian videos showing demonstrations of tribal dancing or maybe a drama. Hildebrand's hubby, Dan, and her children David, 6, and Daisy, less than a year, are often nearby, adding to the overall aura of domesticity.

The windows are shrouded by curtains in the red, green and yellow of the Ethiopian flag. African carvings, Ethiopian Orthodox crosses, and posters of beautiful Ethiopian women cover the walls. Ethiopian music plays on the stereo, and Ethiopian trinkets are for sale in a display case near the front, along with copies of Hildebrand's self-published cookbook Secrets From Tina's Ethiopian Cafe.

Though Hildebrand's family was prominent, with her father owning a candy factory before a Marxist junta took it and all of his money from him, her mother still taught each of her girls their way around a kitchen. Here in the States, Hildebrand trained to be a nurse, but her dream has always been to start her own restaurant. So when the space became available, she opened Tina's in March of last year, right beside a neighborhood bar called El Coyote.

It's at El Coyote that you can purchase some beer to have with the various watt, or stews, that you'll be eating. Tina's only offers sodas, water, and Ethiopian tea and coffee, the latter flavored with roasted cloves. But Hildebrand allows customers to brown-bag something in from next door, which is helpful because beer does go quite well with Ethiopian food. Hopefully, with time, Hildebrand will get her own liquor license or come to some arrangement with El Coyote, because it would be a real treat to have Ethiopian Harar beer with dinner.

Tina's menu may not be as extensive as at a more established spot like Cafe Lalibela, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in quality. This is Ethiopian soul food, though much more healthful than the American version, especially since Hildebrand says she eschews the use of Ethiopian butter in her recipes, sticking instead to extra-virgin olive oil.

Hildebrand's enjera, or spongy Ethiopian flatbread made with flour from the native grain teff, is perhaps the thickest and the tastiest I've ever had. Of course, those of you familiar with Abyssinian fare will know that watt is served on a round pancake of enjera, and you can eat either with pieces of enjera torn from this pancake or from a side of enjera accompanying the meal. Hildebrand gives you a whole basket full of the bread, each portion rolled tightly into soft, pale cylinders. By itself, enjera tastes slightly sour, but it really soaks up the juices of the different watt, so you can see why the Ethiopians have not forsaken eating like this for the use of spoons and forks.

Indeed, the watt at Tina's is so savory that you'll be glad there are no utensils to delay its progress to your munch-hole. On the vegetarian side, there's shiro watt, a brownish, souplike substance made from chickpea powder; yemiser watt, or mildly spiced lentils; and fosolia watt, or simmered green beans and carrots. But those I enjoyed the most were the spinach watt, the kik watt, and the yatkilt watt. The spinach is made with onions and olive oil, the kik with yellow split peas and herbs, and the yatkilt with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. The kik is almost like a warm split-pea purée, and the yatkilt reminds me of similar Indian dishes, probably because of the inclusion of yellow curry powder.

Tina's house salad, made with tomatoes, cranberries and sunflower seeds, is also a standout, but I'm a carnivore at heart (or, should I say, at stomach), and that's why I'm such a fan of Hildebrand's meat dishes, which include yedoro watt (chicken), key watt (quarter-inch bits of beef), and beef tibbs, larger pieces of grilled beef with onions and green peppers. Both the yedoro and key watt are slightly spicy from the addition of an Ethiopian red-pepper-based seasoning referred to as berbere, as well as garlic and ginger. But the tibbs is not spicy at all.

For an appetizer, sometimes Hildebrand will bring an Indian-style samosa, or a cup full of dabbo qolo, little bits of fried corn muffin mix, which are habit-forming, they're so scrumptious. I do wish lamb were part of Hildebrand's bill of fare, but she says not enough customers order it. Maybe if I phone ahead, she can make it special for me next time I go.

9th Ethio-Sudan Joint Border Commission Meet due to be held soon

Addis Ababa, February 2, 2007

The ninth Ethio-Sudan Joint Border Commission Meeting would be held in the Sudanese town of Gedearif from 6 to 7 February 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In a statement it sent to Ethiopian News Agency on Friday, the ministry said the Joint Border Commission is expected to discuss on issues of security as well as border trade and customs, among others.

The meeting would also hear reports on disease control and surveillance activities across the border and seek ways of solving possible health problems that may occur in the areas, the statement added.

The statement said Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara and Tigray state administrations would attend the meeting, while Sudan would be represented by officials of its border towns and states.

Traditional music shows, trade fair and soccer matches would be held simultaneously with the Joint Border Commission meeting.

Ethiopia: Summit Calls On African Countries to Join Country in Millennium Celebrations

The Ethiopian Herald

The 8th African Union (AU) Summit has called upon African countries to join Ethiopia in celebrating the upcoming New Millennium, Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said.

Briefing journalists at the conclusion of the Summit Tuesday, Seyoum said that Africa has accepted the Ethiopian Millennium as an African one as well.


Ethiopia is the only country in the world that has not yet celebrated its millennium, Seyoum said, adding this unique event should be celebrated colourfully not only in Ethiopia but also across Africa.

The celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium would begin as of September 12, 2007.

The government has already established a Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat said that the resolution adopted by the Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as African Millennium is a great diplomatic and moral victory to all Ethiopians.

The Secretariat told ENA yesterday that the inclusion of the Ethiopian Millennium celebration as one of the Summit agenda indicates the attention the Summit paid to all Africans.

Ethiopia's calendar is among the national features that makes it unique among African countries, it said.

The fact that Addis is the second city of all Africans and the headquarters of the AU are among the reasons that give the Ethiopian Millennium an African face, the Secretariat added.

The fact that the decision was taken in the presence of several African Heads of State and Government, representatives of various international organizations, and the new UN Secretary General will add imputs for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.

Though other Africans and Europeans celebrated their millennium seven years back, the decision passed by the AU Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as an African Millennium provided them as another opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The opportunity the millennium festival offers to promote the good images of Ethiopia would also favour Africa, it said.

The Secretariat said the Summit decision can be taken as a satisfactory response to the call made by the Secretariat to friends of Ethiopia across the world to name the period between September 2000 E.C and September 2001 E.C. (equivalent to Sept. 11, 2007 through September 11 , 2008) "Ethiopian Year."

According to the Secretariat, the decision of the Summit would strengthen the efforts Ethiopia is exerting for development, democratization and good governance as well as to promote its good images.

The decision passed by the African Heads of State and Government to make the Ethiopian Millennium an African Millennium is an indication of the value they attached with and their sense of ownership towards Ethiopian Millennium festival, the Secretariat added.