The Statue: O Cristo [Aba Paulos of Ethiopia] Redentor

O Cristo Redentor- Chrsit the Redeemer

Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss of Brazil envisioned erecting a large statue of Jesus Christ in the mid 1850s. However, when Brazil became a republic in 1889 and declared a separation between State and Church, his dream was crashed. People thought none in the right mind would try to build the statue.
The Catholics of Brazil did not want to let go this vision without a fight. In 1921, they regrouped and started the fight. They launched massive fund raising and fetched about $250,000. The, Brazilian Engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue; whereas, the French Sculptor Paul Landowski sculpted it. The result… as of July 2007, the statue “Christ the Redeemer” of Brazil was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled by the Swiss-based, The New Open World Corporation.

Ethiopia: History of Christianity
The history of Christianity in Ethiopia definitely would predate the history of Christianinty in Brazil because Ethiopians date the coming of Christianity to Ethiopia to the fourth century AD, when a Christian philosopher from Tyre named Meropius was shipwrecked on his way to India.
The history of the church further attests that Meropius died but his two wards, Frumentius and Aedesius were washed ashore and taken to the royal palace. Eventually they became King Ella Amida’s private secretary and royal cupbearer, respectively. They served the king well, and Frumentius became regent for the infant prince Ezana when Ella Amida died.
Frumentius and Aedesius were also permitted to prosyletize the new religion in Aksum. After some time, Frumentius and Aedesius returned to the Mediterranean, travelling down the Nile through Egypt to do so. When they reached Egypt, Frumentius contacted bishop Athanasius of Alexandria and begged him to send missionaries back to Aksum, since the people there had proved so ready to receive the gospel.
Athanasius agreed that the need was urgent, and immediately appointed Frumentius to the task, which needed someone fluent in the language and sensitive to the customs of Aksum. He ordained Frumentius the first Abun or bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Frumentius has since come to be known as the Abuna Salama. His mission was successful and, with the support of king Ezana, Ethiopia became a Christian nation.

Aba Pulos: Cristo of Ethiopia?
If erecting a statue for none other than Jesus Christ is well deserved in a poverty stricken Ethiopia, Ethiopians have had several saints, kings and queens who should have statues before Aba Paulos does. To name a few among several others, the Nine Monks from the East who introduced monasticism into Ethiopia, Abuna Saalama, King Ezana, Queen Sheba, King Kaleb, King Zeraycob, St. Tekelhaimanot, Abue Gebremenfeskidus, St. Arsema, St. Christos Samra, St. Lalibela etc., most whom canonized, do not have statues.
Aba Paulos, who is by the way still alive, is yet to be seen if he is going to be canonized. Even with that, papal canonization is rare, and is a long process by which a church declares a deceased person to be a saint and is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process.
The first persons whom the Christian Church honored as saints were the martyrs (Semaetat). Their death for their faith was considered the supreme and undeniable witness to their faith in Christ. The fame of many of them spread widely, leading to their veneration far outside the area in which they lived and died. However after sometime, it became a matter of the church to decide.
Aba Paulos have been characterized as a “drunk …a father of children,… married before, …have affairs with several women….” Honestly, we do not know if any of these are true, and it is not the purpose of this writing to discuss the veracity of these rumors. What is true is he is having his pictures distributed throughout all churches and his statue erected, when he is still alive.
The cost of Aba Paulos’ Palace built recently in the St. Mary Church in Addis Ababa was so high and could have fed thousands of destitute for considerable time. His statue will cost the church in millions. Moreover, if Christians have extra money for the statue, why not building their own O Cristo Redentor? Obviously, the Pope missteps in his own deeds, and doesn’t seem to care about religious ramifications.

God Bless Ethiopia.

EIB Stops Funding Ethiopia Dam Studies Amid Environmental, Social Concerns

Is Egypt suceeding in hindering any project Ethiopia launches on her rivers? Or is it the notoriously corrupt and arogant EPRDF government which facilatates the hindering? Time will tell....

By Sarah McGregor - Jul 19, 2010

The European Investment Bank said it has stopped funding environmental and social impact studies for the Gibe III hydroelectric dam project in Ethiopia.

The Luxembourg-based bank made the decision after alternative funding was found, the EIB said in an e-mailed statement today. In the past, the bank has funded preliminary studies designed to help a group of donors determine whether to finance dam-building, the lender said.

The EIB stopped funding the studies due to the alternative financing and not because of the “results of these preliminary studies,” it said.

A Kenyan conservation organization, Friends of Lake Turkana, on June 14 filed a court case against the government and Kenya Power & Lighting Ltd., arguing that environmental and social concerns had been disregarded when they decided to buy power from Gibe III.

Residents and pastoral communities living along the Omo River, where the dam is situated, and at Kenya’s Lake Turkana, which the Omo River flows into, will face water shortages, harming fishing and farming, the organization said.

Other conservation groups, including London-based Survival International and International Rivers, based in California, have called on the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other financiers not to fund the 1.5 billion-euro ($1.95 billion) Gibe III project.

Italy’s Salini Costruttori SpA is working on the dam with financing from the Ethiopian government. Once completed, the 243-meter-high (797 feet-high) dam will generate 1,870 megawatts of electricity, more than doubling Ethiopia’s current power capacity, according to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corp.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah McGregor in Nairobi at smcgregor5@bloomberg.net
.®2010 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-19/eib-stops-funding-ethiopia-dam-studies-amid-environmental-social-concerns.html

Conventional Cultural Assimilation in the case of Ethiopia

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
By Geletaw Zeleke

Fundamentally, social fusion emerged as a subsequent natural interaction process. Attempting to deter such a process is tantamount to blocking a stream of water with a sieve. It is becoming crystal clear that such a process has been going on in all parts of the world, owing to their natural prosperity; people of diverse origin on our planet earth do interact and share values. The existing realities of social and technological advancements are propelling our world intensively towards an inevitable fusion of dynamic proportion; this in turn made our world appear ever smaller.
My aim in writing this piece is not to elaborate on the already widely discussed issue of globalization ,it is rather to contribute “a two dimes worth” of my own observation about conventional and peaceful cultural assimilation of the various ethnic groups in Ethiopia.

It is evident that human interaction and cultural exchange play a pivotal role towards assimilation under a given political structure hence; people can’t avoid the reality of being assimilated. Such a happening should be embraced, as it paves the way for unity and prosperity.

In the modern world, a government’s far-sightedness and maturity is measured by how much of intensive social and cultural interaction the political structure accommodates in view of the respective populace that is under its jurisdiction. Any government that fails to put such a structure in place would run a risk of loosing the trust of its people.

What made the 2008 U.S. presidential election a significant landmark that will go into the annals of history is that it has facilitated a true portrait of a “melting pot” of nation? All the white, black, yellow, and mixed race people came to a “melting pot” and came out as one unified entity; this is so because the government’s agenda is not based on neither race nor cultural background, but a system that recognizes equality of all citizens. This in turn facilitated for people of diverse racial and cultural origin to sacrifice their own values in order to give forth to a magnanimous agenda—which is the United States of America.

Human interrelationship has proved that, in the process of social value exchange, no one is an absolute bestowal and at the mercy of the other—instead, values that enable the assimilation flow both ways through the channel set by both/all groups.

When people with values interact, they exchange one another’s characteristics. Both visible and invisible values flow from one group of society to another incessantly, and this in turn propels them to unity. As time goes by, their contributions flourish into a common denominator. However, it should be noted that such a value interchange may not have equilibrium as such, especially if existing reality such as: being at the forefront of modernization, technological advancement, economic upper hand, and the likes favor one over the other. Nevertheless, in spite of these shortcomings, people that are governed under a unifying political structure would always yearn for that unity; the values that they have embraced as benefiting to all would bring to “a melting pot” which ultimately enables them to be ready for common new values. When an assimilation of this nature is realized, it forms a saturation of political, social, economic and technological aspects of life as a vital element.

There are over 80 languages, several costumes, hair styles, local cuisines, variety of wedding ceremonies, holiday observations, and craftsmanship of utilities and etc — in Ethiopia. All these attest to the enduring beauty of one Ethiopia rather than serving as demarcation posts under the pretext of federalism .Language and culture are created by a given community to serve it; thus, people have the mandate to modify or enhance, depending on the level of understanding it has achieved that far. Therefore, they are not static matters in a community’s life.

In the light of the progressive and dynamic nature of social assimilation, the new generation wants to exercise its inherent right of retaining a value that is of timely, significant disregarding out-dated and less relevant ones, in order not to be encumbered with the yoke of traditionalism, thus unfettering the shackles that may bind it.

It is apparent that a healthy functioning government has the moral obligation of safe guarding languages and cultures from extinction. It should also incorporate these values into the country’s education policy so as to preserve and disseminate them down to generations.

To develop the common new values, government should work towards enabling different ethnic groups to grow into two dimensions, namely: vertical and horizontal growth. It should have done much work on the latter one.

1) Vertical growth:
Here, I am not talking about classical assimilation .I suggesting rather peaceful and conventional assimilation. This kind of assimilation is not one way process as different groups have to contribute their cultures in order to build common new values. As I have mentioned earlier, this trend of growth is characterized by the concern and willingness of a given community to embrace other values by transcending its own. Such is a wealth of beauty that one should savor and render the due respect each language and culture deserves. This trend of growth is healthy in the extent of giving rise to a common value system by which we can identify ourselves.

Due to unhealthy trend of the Ethiopian government’s attitude, it doesn’t give room for willful exercise of the peoples’ cultures and languages. It is ironic that under the same EPRDF ruling that claims to have paid all the sacrifice in order to preserve cultures and language that we have lost one of our languages, namely “Argoba” . It is a glaring reality that the government has failed to do something significant in this regard. The problem boils down to the government’s misguided policy that appears to be a bottle-neck to vertical growth.

2) Horizontal growth:
Mostly, this kind of growth is mainly determined by a government’s laying of a structure that allows people to freely interact with one another and exchange cultural values. In this regard, the EPRDF government has not only failed but also it goes to the extent of leaving no stone unturned in order to denounce or even attempt to destabilize it. This is a pathetic black spot in our era. It is sad to see that this government has done the damage by embittering people who had a long-standing bond one among themselves—this tendency eventually brigs about generation gap.

Because of the absurd and corrupted federal system of the EPRDF government, Ethiopians do not enjoy the right of engaging in development at the region of his choice in his country, the government is compelling Ethiopians to enter into unjustified agreement to remain within their narrow immediate environment. A soldier who got wounded in defending “Badme” does not have a constitutional right to cultivate sesame seed at the same spot long after the war subsided. EPDRF is fooling people into making friendship with it at times of demise and rendering them useless at times of productivity. Ethiopians out rightly detest such kind of situational-predisposed relationship. The people are at loggerheads with the government and fighting with all tooth and claws demanding for a unity both at times of demise and/or development.

However, the astounding thing is that, the Ethiopian people that have savored the meaning of unity, is ever stretching towards such a sovereign goal, in spite of the government’s unstinted attempt to put stumbling blocks. The people have conceived unity in their hearts and waiting for the opportune moment to experience it. I personally appreciate the understanding and determination courage of Ethiopians to the concept of unity.

When the government failed to destabilize Ethiopians and disunite them on the basis of their languages and culture, it attempted to provoke them in many ways. For instance, the “Oromo” language speakers were told that they have been subjected by other tribes (Amhara) to change their personal names and identity. But, there are lots of Amharas whose names are oromiffa. For those who have positive mind, names exchange and intermarriages under an umbrella of one country are the bridges of their unity.

The perpetration of the government to incite animosity between different languages speakers show that it was not meant to safeguard ones identity; but to create hatred and disunity.
If the name ‘Megersa’ becomes a laughing stock in Addis Ababa how about name ‘Adenagir?’ meaning “the one who confuse’’ from ‘Menz, Amhara’ region? Many are the children of ‘North Shoa’ and ‘Gojam’ region who are subjected to shame because of their personal names when they come to capital city in search of better education and employment. To speak frankly, names such as: Diriba, Adem, Hagos, Shewanawil, Lapiso, Jilo, etc.may be laughed at in central Shoa vicinity. However, this does not mean that one is purposefully against the other; rather it should be assumed as a misunderstanding as a result of misguided concept of civilization, and it is a phenomena that will be dealt with gradually.

In Ethiopia different tribes have influenced one another positively. For instance, there are commonalities between ‘Borji’ and ‘Guji Oromo’ languages respectively. If we see the people of Hawasa,Nazreth,Dilla,Jima ,Dire dawa,Addis ababa, shashemene, debrezeyet ,ziway ,and the like floating on the current of assimilation. People like the ‘conso’, ‘Amaro’, ‘Gedeo’, ‘Sidama’ and others in surrounding localities, have interchange languages, names and communal values.

One other evidence is that even the people straddling between two nations of Ethiopia and Kenya across the border, namely ‘Moyale’ residents, have many similarities in the manner of sharing same customs and values, according to my brief observation in 2005, except for some differences such as: the Kenyan ‘Moyale’ enjoyed a 24 hours electricity supply, where as the Ethiopian counterpart did not, the Kenyan farmer across the border was privileged to access a mobile phone, where as the Ethiopian counterpart did not.

The Ethiopian people have long understood and transcended narrow-mindedness of language and cultural barriers, in contrast to what concocted today as that, there is no valid relationship between a name and the bearer of that name. The saying – “a rose by any other names, is still a rose flower” which has an equivalent connotation in Ethiopia, attests to this reality.

If we look at our national menus, ‘Kitifo’ (minced beef seas with variety of spices and edible ingredients) was introduced to all of us by the ‘Guraghe’ people. This food prevailed above many other assortments, not because the ‘Guraghe’ have the upper hand in coercing us to eat this delicacy rather that we came to appreciate it in the process of our daily interaction and treat to one another. When the ‘Dorze’ weaver skill appeared in the scenery as unbeatable the ‘Menz’ people scrambled for it; therefore rendering useless their own inferior standard of clothing namely “zitet”. This is a pride to the ‘Menz’ people that never complained of being undermined by the ‘Dorze’ weaver superiority. Assimilation is not one way process.

Tigray region pan cake ‘Ambasha’ making, southern Ethiopian hair-trimmings fashion, cosmopolitan speech manner of Addis Ababa are taking roots in several cities and towns all over the nation, this trend will also find its way into the suburban or remote localities and would definitely herald our unity.
Deterring people who have mobilized their resources in order to build a common house, by the instrumentality of unstable culture and out look is tantamount to deterring man’s inherent progress to unity and prosperity.

When people set their hearts on building a common home, they contribute everything at their disposal. They set an altar at the center of their home and sacrifice their spiritual and material values in the name of unity that has captivated their hearts. Basking in the glory of the smolder of the sacrifice, they sing for unity; subsequently they proclaim the supremacy of their unity upon themselves. They never regret about sacrifice their own languages and respective cultures for they did it in order to bring about unity-for their inner self has found rest in their common home. For people to grow into such a soul-nourishing supremacy, it is expected of a sane government to pave the avenues.

In the United States history Texas Annexation of 1845 was the voluntary annexation by the United States as Texas, the 28th state. Texas has a rich supply of natural resources. The eastern part of the state is a productive farming region with fertile soil and ample rainfall. But, they sacrifice their values and natural resources for the sake of united America. During that time the Texas and US leaders could see the future of USA. How wise they are?

If the glaring reality is this, why do the TPLF/EPRDF leaders abhor Ethiopian unity? Why should not they learn from experience for a quarter century, they have been in power? What kind of personality have they been building so as to undermine people? In order to tackle these questions of Ethiopians, I would in my capacity attempt to forward some suggestions:

The deep structure of TPLF “politics”

1) Corrupted mind:
When we observe world history, we find out all that are poisoned with ethnic or racist politics, are not well nurtured with political science or justice—rather they go around with their corrupt minds. Basically, we can not even call it politics as such. Because it is not guided by scientific principles, it is operated by people with low level of human conscience (mind) namely id.
Adolph Hitler roughly and unequivocally espoused Darwinian Theory of “the survival of fittest” as if it would apply to human beings in the manner it applied to wild brutes. However, human beings are not instinctual beings, but are social creatures.

Contemporary diverse Ethiopian leaders’ foundational philosophy does not emanate from a pure conscience that has taken the common stance of the people into consideration. From the outset, they erected their political shack relying on narrow locality and corrupt mind. No wonder a policy that comes out of such narrow-mindedness contradict with one another.

To mention but one example from the constitution, Article 39 allows “people right of self-determination to the extent of secession’’ The question is where does such kind of “solution” to peoples’ right emanate from? Whereas, there were infinite ways/options of resolution of human disagreement, why does the government restored to this one alone? In case people happen to disagree, there are no options that are set in order to resolve it amicably?. This is indicative to the fact that how much negatively charged and corrupt Ethiopian leaders are.

I am reminded of what an EPRDF official replied when asked about the need/relevance of this article in the constitution, at such point in time the response was, “If you are at loggerhead with your wife, what would you have done?” I then understood the correlation between the Eritrea secession and symbolic connotation of a husband and wife’s altercations has to do with the government’s basis for incorporating that article into the constitution. This is heart breaking!

What can we expect from a government of such corrupt mind? The land tenure policy is another sad story by itself. On one hand, it advocates for secession and on the other, it does not allow the rightful transfer and sale of land.

2) Greed:
This is the characteristic of a person who makes good use of you in times of adversity and discards you when his needs are met. As I tried to mention earlier, a policy that doesn’t allow one to be engaged in development venture in another region, couldn’t have emanated any other than from a greedy mentality. Leaders who are subjected to such sort of psychological crisis are never satisfied with embezzling public assets. It is sad to learn that, according to World Bank and IMF’s findings, Ethiopia is at the forefront of corruption. In the same token, the government is weakening private businessmen and bolstering its own companies. Its greed do not stopped somewhere as it were, it has spread its tentacles even to the only export commodity namely coffee. Its conglomerates are undertaking all sorts of transactions and stashing a big proportion of money.

3) Lack of Confidence:
Such leaders never give in to a political principle saturated with understanding. The reason is that; they don’t own any significant amount of knowledge and the steams to administer people accordingly; hence, they resort to divisive and confliction methods. In order to prolong their stay in power whether it benefits or don’t, they assure on particular group of their protection and lure in into siding with them in order to use the cover-up to prolong their stay in power.

4). Not Being Pleased with Spontaneity of Language and Culture
These kinds of leaders, even if they step out of their locality, still their out look doesn’t seem to transcend narrow-mindedness. Even though they claim to denounce ‘Bonapartism’ but in reality they are advancing politics of this nature. The satisfactions they get out of nepotism are representing their own relatives and close friends far out weighs that of serving the wide spectrum of the populace. They don’t seem at all inspired with the idea of spontaneous national reward, thus they don’t understand both the meaning and significance of unity.

It is absurd and erroneous for a given government to obstruct people’s interaction that results in ethno-mentality and segregation. This is much worse in light of the world becoming global village through globalization.

In the contemporary world, people are transcending their own barrier and embracing others in spite of differences. Even the nations of South Korea where I reside now, I really get astonished by the intensity the government works towards globalization. They are doing all their best to enable their people to open up for cultural exchange. Their emphasis on learning the English language and their new-found transparency to foreign society is an indicator of their commitment . As much as I do appreciate their far-sightedness, I, on contrary and ashamed of having a government that destabilizes people’s unity.

In conclusion, ethnic based “politics”
It can lead ethnic groups to conflict
It highlights differences and can increase hate crimes
It politicizes identity in ethnic and religious terms
It scarifies individual rights to false-moral cultural stand

On the other hand conventional assimilation under the umbrella of Ethiopia promotes national unity. With out any doubt the best form of social cohesion is unity. If a nation is divided amongst several different cultures with no clear feeling of patriotism then country is in essence socially fractured.

geletawzeleke@gmail.com

Eritrean Trained and Financed Somali Al-Shabab Group took responsibility for 74 World Cup fans die in Uganda blasts

As the world sits and watches in total dismay and the Ethiopian Government is not willing to challenge the Eritrean Government for all regional instability, the Eritrean trained and financed Islamist insurgents from Somalia’s al-Shabab group have said they carried out twin attacks on people watching the World Cup final in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, which have left at least 74 people dead (Please see Eritrea Reportedly Arming AlShabab Militants, May 04, 2009 at http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/101196.)

Who are al-Shabab?
Al-Shabab (The Youth) is a group of hardline Islamists which has admitted having links to al-Qaeda. There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab.
It emerged from other Islamist militant groups who have been fighting in Somalia since 2006.
They want to impose a strict version of Sharia law in Somalia, where they control most of the south and centre of the country, while the fragile UN-backed government only runs a few parts of the capital, Mogadishu.
In areas under al-Shabab control, the group has carried out punishments such as stoning women accused of adultery to death and amputating the hands of thieves.

Why would al-Shabab attack Uganda?
Ugandan troops provide the bulk of the 5,000 African Union peacekeepers who are the only reason Somalia's government has not been driven out of Mogadishu.
Al-Shabab has previously threatened to stage revenge attacks inside Uganda.
Just last week, the African Union agreed to boost its presence in Somalia with an extra 2,000 troops. Uganda said it would bolster its troop numbers - but only if it was allowed to have a stronger mandate, allowing it to carry the fight to al-Shabab.
The UN is considering taking over the peacekeeping mission in Somalia but few countries have volunteered to send their troops to the lawless nation.
This attack will also serve as a powerful reminder of the dangers involved to any countries considering sending troops to Somalia.
Furthermore, one of the targets in Uganda was the Ethiopian Village restaurant. Ethiopian troops ousted a previous incarnation of al-Shabab from power in Mogadishu and installed the UN-backed government there.
The authorities in Burundi - the other country which has sent AU peacekeepers to Somalia - and Kenya - which is training forces for the Somali government and has a large ethnic Somali population - will no doubt be very worried.
Kampala is due to host an African Union summit later this month and this attack will increase security concerns for that, although the authorities say it will go ahead as planned.

What is happening in Somalia?
Somalia is pretty much a failed state. It has not had an effective national government for about 20 years, during which much of the country has been a constant war-zone.
This has made it fairly easy for al-Qaeda to establish links with local Islamist groups.
The US has carried out a number of air strikes and air raids against alleged al-Qaeda targets in the country.
There are reports of terror training camps in Somalia while foreign jihadists are believed to have travelled to Somalia to help al-Shabab.
Previous terror attacks in East Africa have had links to Somalia and like the ones in Uganda have featured two incidents at the same time.
The 2002 twin attacks on Israeli targets near the Kenyan resort of Mombasa were allegedly planned in Somalia by an al-Qaeda cell, while the US believes some of the al-Qaeda operatives who carried out the 1998 attacks on its embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam then fled to Somalia.

Zenawi to Return Ethio-Eritreans Relationship to Pre-1998

By Hanna Betiremariam

Once again Zenawi has snatched power in the name of election. He is in control of every aspect of the country. Now is the time for him to bring his beloved Eretria to her pre-1998 “glory”, making the country the African Taiwan, by subjugating Tigreans and the rest of Ethiopians.
For decades under Isyas and Meles Guerilla- leadership, the Eritrea- Tigray's relationship was nothing but a Master-Servant. The Tigreans had been treated like dirt (slaves) by Eritreans until one day a hero from Tigray by the name Seye Abrha and his groups emerged and challenged the Eritrean factions (Zenawi and Co.) and crashed the main Eritrean front with in only twelve-days war. However, thanks to Addisu Legesse, Aba Gemeda (aka Minassie), and other hodams, this glory was short lived when Zenawi survived an internal struggle within the TPLF.

Zeanwi-Eritrea at His Heart
Considerable intelligent services have concluded that Zenawi, after successfully ditching his comrades who fought all along with him to overthrow Dergue, has returned to his timeless friend President Isayas Afeworki. Zenawi without fail counts on Afeworki.

It is well known that there was a setback in their alliance when Tigrian hardliners, the likes of Seye, Gebru and Aregash, were in power with him. What is left in power now is the Eritrean group including Meles, Bereket, Hilawi, Sebhat etc. The Tigreans even though freed from Asmera’s kitchen, being day laborer, and guard responsibilities, now they are back serving the Eritrean Master led by Meles who is currently ruling Ethiopia; basically several Tigreans including the editor of Aigaforum are serving the Eritreans under the disguise of TPLF.

Now TPLF doesn’t exist. Back in the days, it was proper to call this organization Tigrean People’s Liberation Front where Tigreans like Seye and others were in power. Now since the Tigreans are no more part of the leadership, it should be called E-PLF instead of T-PLF, as the Eritreans are the ones who are in power.

The Appointment of Girma Asmerom
The Eritrean appointee Mr. Zenawi now specifically requested his old boss Isyas to appoint Girma Asmerom as Eritrean Ambassador at AU. With that Girma will serve as a bridge to mend the relationship between Isayas and Zenawi.

Girma was a former footballer for the national Olympic team of Ethiopia, who also served as Eritrea’s ambassador to Ethiopia during the year immediately preceding and following the breakout of the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. He left the United States when the relationship between the US and Eritrea was at its lowest point.

With the 99.6% in control, Zenawi is expected to bring back the Eritrean-Ethiopian relationship to pre-1998 status where Eritreans:

• can own and do anything and everything without securing business license and pay taxes,


• conduct money laundering for Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups,


• print forged money for use to do money exchange between the Diaspora Ethiopians and their Embassy,


• engage in drug and human trafficking,


• Confiscate whatever they want,


• kill and arrest anyone whom they disliked (like the Eritrean who killed Hayelom, the General from Tigray) and


• create another government structure in a foreign land (Ethiopia).

Sensing this unseating situation, some Tigreans, who are currently serving Zenawi including the Editor of Aigaforum, are lauding their opposition to Girma Asmerom’s return to Addis Ababa (Please see http://www.aigaforum.com/ where he linked an article from Ethio Journal). Good luck for all Tigreans and the rest who are still serving the Eritreans.

Ethiopia: 2010 Annual Report on Human Rights by Amnesty International

Freedom of association and expression, and the work of human rights groups, were limited by new laws introduced in the first half of the year. Human rights defenders were harassed, with some fleeing the country to avoid arrest and detention. Opposition party leader Birtukan Mideksa, who was re-arrested in December 2008, continued to serve a life sentence in prison. Some 26 people were convicted in November in the trial of more than 30 former military officers and Ginbot 7 party officials accused of plotting an armed attack on the government. Ethiopian security forces continued to carry out periodic arrests of Oromo political leaders, businessmen and their family members, who were often detained, sometimes without charge, for prolonged periods. Sporadic fighting continued between Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and armed opposition Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in the Somali Region (known as the Ogaden). Up to 6.2 million Ethiopians, many in the Somali Region, required emergency assistance because of severe drought. International donor support for humanitarian operations was insufficient.

Background
Legislation was passed restricting civil society groups and broadening the reach of counter-terror operations. Human rights defenders chose to limit their own activities and journalists to self-censor in a climate of heightened anxiety over repression.
By the end of January, nearly all remaining Ethiopian troops based in Somalia had been withdrawn, although there were reports of sporadic cross-border incursions, particularly in the area of Beletweyne, throughout much of the year. Ethiopian government officials were also reported to have played a role in mediating negotiations between the President of Somaliland and opposition party leaders in September in Hargeisa, Somaliland. At that time, a crisis over repeated delays in national elections brought the self-declared independent country to thebrink of violence (see Somalia entry).
While the government of Ethiopia hosted thousands of Eritrean, Somali and other refugees from the Horn of Africa, an increasing number of prominent opposition figures fled Ethiopia. These included human rightsdefenders and journalists who were harassed and intimidated by the authorities, leading them to believe that their arrest and detention could be imminent.
In September, more than 9,500 prisoners were released by the central government and by governments in the Amhara and Oromia regions, in a mass amnesty celebrating the Ethiopian New Year.

Prisoners of conscience and other political prisoners

The government continued to hold several prisoners of conscience and a large number of political prisoners in detention.
* Former judge and Unity for Democracy and Justice Party leader Birtukan Mideksa remained in detention, serving a life sentence, since she was re-arrested in December 2008. Following international calls to improve her prison conditions, government officials moved her out of solitary confinement and she was later detained with other women prisoners. She received regular family visits but her lawyer reportedly had only intermittent access to her.
* Twenty-six former military officers and others affiliated with the Ginbot 7 political party, led by Berhanu Negga, were convicted on several charges related to planning an attack on the government early in the year. Those detained for many months in this case included Ginbot 7 party leader Andargachew Tsige’s father, 80-year-old Tsige Habtemariam, believed to be in very poor health. Eighteen of the defendants were reported to have been tortured and otherwise ill-treated upon their arrest by Ethiopian security forces in May.
* Prisoner of conscience Sultan Fowsi Mohamed Ali, an independent mediator, remained in prison. He was arrested in Jijiga in September 2007, reportedly to prevent him from giving evidence to a UN fact-finding mission in the Somali Region.
* Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced to life imprisonment on 3 August. He had been convicted on 27 July on four terror-related charges, including being a member of the ONLF. The government denied allegations that his trial was unfair. Bashir Makhtal consistently denied all charges. On 4 December, the Supreme Court heard his appeal, but upheld the conviction and sentence. His brother, Hassan Makhtal, was released from prison in October and died in November, reportedly from complications due to ill-treatment in detention.

Freedom of expression
The authorities introduced various laws which negatively affected freedom of expression. Media workers were harassed by the authorities.

Charities and Societies Proclamation
In January, Parliament passed the Charities and Societies Proclamation, imposing strict controls and restrictions on civil society organizations whose work included human rights. If this law is enforced, international organizations would also be restricted from working on a range of human rights and democracy issues in Ethiopia without special permission. Similarly, local groups would be barred from human rights activities if they receive more than 10 per cent of their income from foreign sources, despite the fact that most depend heavily on support from outside Ethiopia. Even minor breaches of the law’s provisions could invite severe criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. The Proclamation established a Charities and Societies Agency with broad discretionary power, including surveillance and interference in the management and operations of local organizations. The new law, expected to be implemented in early January 2010, puts at serious risk the ability of local and international organizations to monitor, report and advocate against human rights violations in Ethiopia. Some human rights groups scaled back their operations in the interim. Reregistration of local organizations under the new law began in October.
Anti-Terrorism Proclamation
In July, parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation which restricted freedom of expression, and may restrict peaceful assembly and the right to a fair trial – with serious implications in the run-up to Ethiopia’s 2010 parliamentary elections. According to the Proclamation, “acts of terrorism” include damage to property and disruption of public services, for which an individual could be sentenced to 15 years in prison or even the death penalty. The Proclamation’s definition of “acts of terrorism” is vague and could encompass legitimate expressions of dissent.
* In November and December, Addis Neger, a major publishing company, was threatened with closure and several of its reporters threatened with arrest, reportedly under the new Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. By the end of the year a number of journalists from the company had fled the country.

Media suppression
* Ibrahim Mohamed Ali, editor of the Salafiyya newspaper, and AsratWedajo, editor of the former Seife Nebelbal newspaper, were each sentenced to one year in prison on charges linked to stories reporting human rights violations dating back to 2005. They were reportedly tried under an outdated press law which had since been superseded by a new media law passed in 2008.
* The owners of several of the largest newspapers, which were closed during the government’s 2005 media crackdown, were threatened in November with a summons to appear before the Ethiopian Supreme Court. They were asked to pay fines, imposed on them as part of their 2005 convictions, which reportedly had previously been waived.

Repression of dissent
The government of Ethiopia continued to suppress dissent in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, and detained hundreds of people suspected of supporting the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). Many were believed to have been held in incommunicado detention and many were detained without trial. Court proceedings were frequently and repeatedly delayed. Detainees were often held in poor conditions; some were reportedly ill-treated. Group arrests and detentions of Oromo leaders, activists and businesspeople continued sporadically throughout the year. Many of these arrests and detentions were reported to have been politically motivated.
* Opposition political parties accused the government of arresting their members ahead of the scheduled 2010 elections; the majority of those named in lists of detainees were Oromo.
* There were also reports of arrests, cases of rape and extrajudicial executions by government forces of suspected supporters of the ONLF in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Although international fact-finding missions led to some alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in the region, Ethiopian authorities continued to place restrictions on humanitarian aid in some areas.

Death penalty
Death sentences were imposed but no executions were reported.
* On 2 September, the Ethiopian Federal High Court sentenced six people to death and 97 others to prison terms on charges of genocide in relation to violence between residents of the Benishangul Gumuz and Oromia regions over a border dispute.
* On 25 December, five men were sentenced to death, four in absentia, and 32 men and one woman to life imprisonment on charges related to an aborted coup attempt in April and May.

Amnesty International visit/reports

• Amnesty International delegates visited Ethiopia in September.
• Ethiopia: Arbitrary detention/torture or other ill-treatment: Birtukan Mideksa (AFR 25/003/2009)
• Ethiopia: Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review (AFR 25/004/2009)
• Ethiopia: Canadian citizen sentenced to life: Bashir Makhtal (AFR 25/006/2009)
• Ethiopia: Government passes repressive new legislation, 6 January 2009- Ethiopia: Government must reveal fate of political prisoners, 5 May 2009
• Ethiopia: New Anti-Terrorism Proclamation jeopardizes freedom of expression, 7 July 2009

BBC: EU observers say Ethiopia election 'falls short'

16:32 GMT, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:32 UK
Mr Meles says he has improved the lives of ordinary Ethiopians

EU observers have criticised Ethiopia's election, as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi held a victory rally attended by tens of thousands of people.
There was an "uneven playing field", said chief EU observer Thijs Berman.
The governing party has won 499 of 536 seats declared but the opposition has complained of vote-rigging.
Violent protests over alleged fraud in the last poll in 2005 left about 200 people dead.
With provisional results announced in all but 11 seats, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is set to massively increase its majority in parliament.
The eight-party Medrek alliance, which had been seen as the main challenger, has only won a single seat - in the capital, Addis Ababa - according to the official results.

The people's vote will not be overturned by foreign forces
Meles Zenawi Ethiopian prime minister
At the last polls, the opposition swept the capital, while Medrek had been expecting to perform well in the Oromia region.
"This electoral process falls short of certain international commitments," Mr Berman said, pointing to the use of state resources to campaign for the EPRDF.
US assistant secretary of state for African affairs Johnnie Carson made a similar observation, reports the AFP news agency.
Over the last 18 months, the "government has taken clear and decisive steps that would ensure that it would garner an electoral victory," he said.
Mr Berman praised the elections for being peaceful and well organised but said the EU had received numerous reports of harassment and intimidation which were "of concern".
However, the head of the 170-strong EU team said these shortcomings did not necessarily affect the overall outcome.
Election and government officials have denied the charges of fraud, accusing the opposition of making excuses for its overwhelming defeat.
'Completely fraudulent'
At the rally in Addis Ababa's Meskel Square, supporters of Mr Meles held up placards reading: "We chose our leaders, accept the results" and "Stop second guessing us".

Election officials say the process was above board
"The people's vote will not be overturned by foreign forces," said the prime minister, a US ally against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia.
The BBC's Will Ross in Addis Ababa says his message was clearly aimed at international observers and human rights groups who are criticising the way the election was conducted.
But Medrek leader Merera Gudina said his coalition was considering what action to take.
"I don't see any reason why we should accept the results that were completely fraudulent."
Human Rights Watch said in the run-up to last Sunday's vote, people were intimidated and threatened into joining and voting for the EPRDF.
It has also accused the government of not allowing the opposition and independent media to operate freely - charges it strongly denies.
Mr Meles - in power since 1991 - put the expected win down to an impressive track record, especially when it comes to economic growth.
The government has worked hard to improve infrastructure, especially in the urban areas and access to social services like healthcare has increased.