What do majority of Ethiopians have in common?

We never acknowledge our weaknesses!

I think this is one of the root causes for the dismal state of the nation. Just check out the response of these ELITISTS to the question: "What has been your worst business decision?" More than half out of the 18 business leaders that were question by Fortune failed to honestly respond to what they think is their worst business decision was. Even the once that responded, they did so in a vague and general terms that can't be considered a full acknowledgement of failure. I think this is at the heart of the problems why we Ethiopians are failed citizens and why our nation is a failed state by all measures. I think the below so-called "leaders" responses are a reflections into our society's failure to accept failure and work hard to fix those failures. It is specially troublesome when our leaders in all sectors (politics, religion, business, or otherwise) FAIL again and again to stir the public in the right direction by acknowledging their mistakes publicly and honestly and attempt to correct them.

To be fair, there are few that appear to have honestly answered this question and I have a lot of respect for such people and leaders.

Anyways, here snap shot of the responses this leaders gave to Fortune. To read the complete responses please go here.

1. Ambachew Abraha, managing director, Ethiopian Shipping Lines

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. There has not been one.

2. Begziabher Alebel, general manager, Ultimate Plan Plc

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. Nothing that I recall.

3. Biniam Berhe, general manager, Country Trading PLC

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. There is not one that I recall.

4. Berhanu Getaneh, president, United Bank

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. ----- (I don't think he even bothered to answer this one!)

5. Getu Gelete, owner, Getu Commercial Centre

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. I do not hastily make business decisions. Rather, I make decisions after careful evaluation. (This guy seems to self aggrandizing!)

6. Habte-Selassie Tafesse, general manager, International Business Plc

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. A decision the consequences of which affect negatively people other than myself.

7. Muluwork G. Hiwot, general manager, Brehanena Selam Printing Enterprise

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. It's not my worst decision, but the hardest is to discipline staff and sack them, knowing that they may not find another job easily. That part is hard.

8. Salvatore de Vita, general manager, Salvatore de Vita & Family PLC.

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. I have been lucky: I do not think I have made one.

9. Tadesse Tilahun, CEO, National Oil Company (NOC) Ethiopia

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. Though unavoidable, firing people is the decision I hesitate to take.

10. Tsegaye Abebe, general manager, Ethio Flora PLC

• Q. What has been your worst business decision?
• A. I do not have one I made and call it worst but I consider the worst kind of business decision would be entering a short-term and baseless business.

ጩኸት ከምድረ ወልቃይት!

በጎንደር ክፍለ ሃገር በተለይም (በወልቃይት ጠገዴ, ጠለምት) እና በትግራይ ሕዝብ መካከል እስከ 1970ዎቹ መጨረሻ ድረስ ከነበረው ታሪካዊ አንድነት ባሻገር፡ በመፈቃቀድ የተመሰረቱ ግቢዎች የንግድ ልውውጦሽ በጋራ የተፈጥሮ ድንበር የሆነውን የተከዜ ወንዝ የመጠቀም ወዘተ…. የመሳሰሉ ጠንካራ ግንኝነቶች እንደነበሩት ይታወሳል።

በተልይም የተፈጥሮ ድርቅ በተደጋጋሚ በትግራይ ክፍለ ሃገር በተከሰቱባቸው ወቅቶች እጅግ በርካታ የሆነ ሕዝብ ወደ ጎንደር ክፍለ ሃገር (ወልቃይት ጠገዴ) በመሻገር የተፈጥሮ ርህራሄ ቸርነትንና ለጋሽነትን ተለይቶት ከማያውቀው ወገኑ ጋር በመቆየት ጊዝያዊ ችግሮችን እንዲወጣ፤ እዲጠናከር በማገዝና ከተጠናከረ በኋላም የሥራ እድል በማመቻቸት የመልሶ ማቋቋሚያ ገንዝብ ይዞ እንዲመለስ ሲደረግ ቆይቷል።.......
ሙሉውን ለማንበብ እዚህ ይጫኑ - Read More

ተዛማጅ ዜናዎችና ሪፖርቶች፡

1. ጩኸት ከምድረ ወልቃይት
2. የሱዳን ጦር ዘመቻና የወያኔ ድብቅ ሴራ
3. በጎንደር የሱዳኖችን ጥቃት በተመለከት
4. ዳርፉር በኢትዮጵያ
5. ጠንቀቅ እንበል! ፕሮፈሰር መስፍን ወ/ማርያም
6. ሊቀ መአምራን አበባው ይግዛው ከኢትይጵያዊነት ሬዲዮ
7. German Radio Report የጀርመን ድምጽ ሪፖርት
8. Ethiomedia.com Report
9. TPLF Betrayal
10. Violation of Ethiopian Territorial Integrity
11. VOA Interview with Local Farmers & Proff. Mesfin W/Mariam
12. Kinijit NA Press Release
13. SOCEPP Press Release
14. EPRP Press Release
15. Eastern Sudan Farmers Get Back Ethiopian Farm Lands
16. Proff. Tecola Hagos Analysis
17. Shrinking Ethiopia (Map)
18. Ethiopians Bravely Defend their Border - Capturing 8 Sudanese Soldiers
19. የሱዳን ጦር ድባቅ ተመታ! 8 ወታደሮች ተማረኩ!!

More reports and opinions will be added as they become available.

Electoral Frustrations

Two weeks of elections have come and gone, and I have not yet experienced a more comic election process than the ones just completed in the capital as well as across the country. I suppose the word ‘farce’ would be the best way to describe the events of the last two Sundays and the obvious results that they are to yield.

To begin with, the only active and well organized political party that participated in the race was the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which registered nearly four million candidates, an outrageous number as far as I am concerned, considering that they did not have much competition. The main reason, for this is the simple fact that many opposition parties decided to abstain or withdraw from the process because the requests they made to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEB) for transparent, free and fair elections with as equal coverage time on public media as the incumbent has, were not even considered, let alone met. Many of the parties also claimed harassment, which some international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have agreed existed.

The Oromo Federal Democratic Movement (OFDM) withdrew its candidacy after the initial elections had already taken place, claiming intimidation and a lack of fairness and transparency. The United Ethiopia Democratic Front (UEDF) did not have its name on the ballot to begin with; they withdrew two days before the elections began two weeks ago. The Ethiopian United Democratic Party (EUDP-Mehdin), in one of their most famous manoeuvres, tried claiming that they should retain the seats that they had won three years ago. The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), or what used to be the CUD, did not participate, although the new bearers of the name were asking for voter support “just like they had in 2005” on public media, despite the fact that it was not their victory.

But it is not just the drama on the side of the political parties that makes this quite a funny situation; it is rather the reaction of the voting public. To begin with, I do not believe voter turnout was far from being the same as it was in the last elections, although the NEBE claims otherwise.

I received a knock on my door from someone reminding me that it was Election Day. I made it a point to remind him that I had not registered to vote. I was given an account of voters writing notes like “we are tired”, “please step down”, and “we want someone else”, on the ballot papers, instead of voting for the candidates on them.

I am not entirely sure what the Revolutionary Democrats were thinking of when preparing for these elections. We, as a political public, are not happy with the leadership that is currently being offered to us. This should have been our rightful time to put into position the people that we felt would take us out of the crippling rise in daily expenses and general discontent that has taken over our city. As a political public, we were not given a choice; rather we were mocked in the same manner as when one is invited to the theatre and then offered a puppet show instead.
To be honest, I do not blame opposition parties for not taking part in these elections, despite their shortcomings; this decision certainly was not one of their making. Rather, I blame the utter and total failure to bring about significant and tangible change on the part of the Revolutionary Democrats, because it was their responsibility to restore voter confidence. It was, after all, they who had lost them to begin with.

Aside from being the dominant party in the parliament as well as on regional, woreda and kebelle levels, it is the responsibility of those in power not only to restore, but also to implement the transparency and fairness of the state’s affairs. Not only has this not taken place, those in power have gone so far as to use those very means to ensure that they strengthen and consolidate their power instead of listening to the pulse of the people who they are trying to rule.
I have stated before in this column that I did not think that our country and people were ready for democracy. I take that back, it is not the people who are not ready, but rather it is the government, and to a certain extent the opposition. If indeed free and fair elections were the aim and final goal of all the players in the political sphere, then I would like to believe that there would have been a lot more compromise, better achievement and a lot more improvements.
On the contrary, we find ourselves in a throwback situation; it is like some bad story out of 20th Century African politics. Military leaders eras, times that we do NOT like to talk about in public. Since we are going to be having EPRDF as our leader for some time, I think it is time that they begin working a hell of a lot harder to make the political situation in the country more coherent to global standards.

At least, they should make the political space in the country more accessible to the public and more susceptible to change, energy and transparency.
BY Lulit Amdemariam

Source: Addis Fortune

እናንተ ዓይጋዎች፤ ተጃጅላችሁ ባታጃጅሉን ምናለበት!?

በአንድ በኩል ታማኝ ተቃዋሚ ነን ዬምንንሻው ስትሉ ይሰማል፣ ዞር ብላችሁ ደግሞ እነዚህ ታማኝ ተቃዋሚዎች ግን መንግስትን ከማሞገስ ባለፈ ሲቃወሙ ወይም ሲኮንኑ ከተገኙ ግን ፀረ-መንግስት እንደሆኑ አድርጋችሁ ትወነጅሏቸዋላችሁ። እንዳው ነገረ ስራቹህ ሁሉ ግራ ቅጡ የጠፈበት ነው። በርግጥ እውነታው ምን እንድሆን ሳትረዱት ቀርታችሁ ሳይሆን አይናችሁን ጨፍኑ ላሞኛችሁ እንድዲሉ ስለሆነ ብቻ ነው።

ይህም ሳያንሳችሁ ተቃዋሚዎቹ ምንም የተሻላ አማራጭ የሌላቸው አክራሪዎችና ብቃት የሌላቸው እያላችሁ ስታወግዙ በአንጻሩ ደግሞ ተቃዋሚዎች ይህንን ብቃታቸውን እንዳያጎለብቱ የማትፈፈነቅሉት ድንጋይ የለም። ለምሳሌ ፓርቲያቹህ (ወያኔ) ከኢትዮጵይያ ሕዝብ በዘረፈው ሀብትና ንብረት በልጽጎ ራሱን የቻለ የፓርቲ ሕንጻ ለማሰራት ሢንቀሳቀስ፣ ፓርላማቹህ ደግም ተቃዋሚዎች የገንዘብ ምንጫቸው እንዲያስታውቁ የሚል ሕግ አውጥቷል። በርግጥ ይህ ሕግ ተፈጻሚነቱ ሕግና ዴሞክራሲ በሰፈነበት አገር ቢሆን አግባብነት በኖረው። ሆኖም ግን ራሱ ገዢ ፓርቲው ለህግ ተገዢ ባልሆነበትና ምንም ዐይንነት ዓርዓያነት ባላሳይበት ሁኔታ የሕጉ ቅንነት አጠራጣሪ ነው።

በቅርቡ ደግሙ ከ4 ሚሊዮን በላይ ሕዝብ ይኖርባታል ተብላ በምትገመተው አዲስ አበባ በመቶዎች የሚቆጠሩ ዴጋፊዎቻቹኅ በሥርቆት የተገኘን ድል ለማክበር ስለተገንኙላችሁ ብቻ ከተማዋ የወያኔ ሆነች ማለታችሁ በጣም አስቂኝ ነው። አባይን ያላየ ምን ያመሠግናል ነው የሚባለው እንኳን!? እስኪ ወደ ኋላ መለስ ብላችሁ በ1997 በመስቀል አደባባይ የተከሰተውን አስትታውሱ።

ቢቻል መጀመሪያ ራሳቹህን ሳታሳምኑ ሌላውን ሌላውን ለማሳመን አትሞክሩ!

Quote of the Day!

The following paragraph is quoted from this article posted at Nazret.com by Golto Aila. I really liked how s/he put the mentality of the Eritrean liberation and the rest of liberation fronts in Ethiopia today.

When Eritrea got independence, the calculation from its leadership was obvious – they’ve got Ethiopia where they wanted - by the scruff of her neck! They had decapitated Ethiopia, it would not survive and if it did, it would be at their mercy! Miraculously, don't ask me how but Ethiopia sprouted another head/heads and survived - after some fashion! Little did the Eritrean leadership know of the fact that a head without a body to nourish it cannot survive either! No strategy of mutilating Ethiopia will work for anybody! It is simply foolish because it amounts to a deliberate self mutilation! Also it pays to understand that the task of retrieving Ethiopia from this anarchy and rehabilitating it is squarely on the shoulders of all Ethiopians. It will be Ethiopians who will determine whether or not the country and its peoples will be free and democratic. “Liberation movements” whose strategies are based on exploitation of peoples’ emotions based on past experiences, instead of using those experiences to craft solutions for challenges of tomorrow, are movements towards doom for the country and its entire population! Friends, however well meaning, can only help Ethiopia achieve what Ethiopians set out to do."

The Hypocrisy of Aigaforum....

The apologists of the TPLF dictators would like us to believe that the people of Kelesha Emni had the opportunity to choose the adminstrative region (Afar or Tigray) in which they would like to be governed and that the people made their decisions based on their language. While there is no proof to back their claim, the TPLF dictator redrew the administrative map of Ethiopia without any consent or referendum of the Ethiopian people. One of the first victims of these act were the people of Welkayt Tegede, Telemt, and northern Wolo regions.

The propagandists at Aiga unashamedly state that, "The Kelesha Emni were asked to decide who they wanted to identify with when Ethiopia redrew its political map. Since the people spoke both Tigrigna and Afar, there was no unanimous decision. Hence those who spoke Afar chose to join Afar and those who spoke Tigrigna chose Tigrai. The issue was settled and the people that chose Tigrai had their area included in the Tigrai region." How did the people make their decisions? Did the TPLF cadres went door to door asking the people of their choice? Was any sort of election or referendum conducted seeking the people's approval? Again, how exactly were those decisions to redraw Ethiopian administrative decisions made?

For argument's sake let's agree that the people of Keslesha Emni were provided with opportunity to make the administrative choices. How come the people of Welkait Tegede, Telemt, and Northern Tegede were denied these rights? Don't the Welkait Tegede Ethiopians have the same rights as their fellow citizens of Keshela Emni? The truth is neither the people of Welkait Tegede nor the people of Kelesha Emni were provided with opportunity to exercise their right. Had these people been provided the opportunity to make their decisions in a free and fair referendum, we would be in the current mess our Ethiopia is today from east to west and north to east. People who for generations lived in harmony are now cutting each other's throat day-in and day-out. The sole cause of all this is none other than the TPLF led dictatorship that has instilled an ethnic based political and adminstrative reconfiguration of Ethiopia.

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Here is the Aiga diatribe..........

VOA and Girmai Gebru and News from Tigrai

(Aigaforum April 09, 2008): - The Voice of America Amharic has been churning all kinds of news about Ethiopia . Most if not all of its stories on Ethiopia has been biased news in support of the dissolved Kinjit (CUD) which notoriously aligned itself with anti EPRDF forces. With the current fast disintegration of CUD, the VOA has come up with a fabricated new story. This time the story is targeted to undermine EPRDF and the focus now is Tigrai instead of Addis Ababa and Wollega. Their correspondent is none other than Girmai Gebru whose sole intention is to disseminate biased inform ation.

There was a recent story aired by VOA of some individuals being jailed in Tigrai. The VOA report does in no way reflect the reality on the ground. We spoke to officials from Tigrai region and found out that there is no one jailed for speaking up their mind or exercising their constitutional right. The two stories that perhaps can come close to VOA story are the story of the Kelesha Emni and Atsbi. The area Kelesha Emni the Kushet (neighborhood) is found in the border area between Afar and Tigrai region. The Kelesha Emni were asked to decide who they wanted to identify with when Ethiopia redrew its political map. Since the people spoke both Tigrigna and Afar, there was no unanimous decision. Hence those who spoke Afar chose to join Afar and those who spoke Tigrigna chose Tigrai. The issue was settled and th e people that chose Tigrai had their area included in the Tigrai region. Though there has been sporadic disagreement in the area, there has not been any incident of magnitude worth reporting. In the case of the Atsbi, there is land issue and the dispute has been going on for over three years. There has been an effort to resolve the issue but so far the issue has not reached amicable closure. These issues as well as others are now being exploited by opposition forces with the help of VOA and their reporter in Tigrai.

The real story that needs coverage is the apprehension of individuals that have caused the death of innocent travelers in the Humera region. Sources tell us that the security forces effectively and quickly were able to break and get information into the workings of terrorist trained individuals who are managed by the Eritrean one man regime.

The Following is an excerpt of sveral questions asked by Concerned Ethiopian Students that was addressed to PM Meles. Bellow is the open letter addresses to the Dictator in Ethiopia. To Read All the interesting questions CLICK HERE. (You might need a Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word 2007 File Format, which you can download HERE)

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"You claim to be guided by “the principle of self-determination. “ Why did you then annex by force of arms Raya, Azebo, Alamata and Ofla from Wollo Province, and Humera, Wolkait, and Tsegede from Gondar Province, which have never been part of Tigrai, and evicted the natives and settled some 700,000 Tigrean farmers and soldiers on their land? Why are hundreds of them languishing in dungeons in Tigrai? Why is land which belongs to Ethiopia being constantly transferred to the Sudan? It is estimated that over the last sixteen years, some $3 billion worth of agricultural produce has been marketed from these regions and pocketed by your friends and TPLF business concerns. The people of Gondar Province, for instance, are exploring the possibilities of taking the case to court. They not only want the release of all those whom you still keep in prison, and the return of their land, but also the retroactive payment of some $3 billion as compensation for what they have lost from their farms. Could you comment?"

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January 31, 2008

When governments fear the people, there is liberty.
But when the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
Thomas Jefferson.

H.E. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

It is often said that in a situation where there are no checks and balances, transparency and accountability, or an enlightened free press and civil society, those who hold power cannot wield it without instilling tyranny, or master corruption without being corrupted.

We have heard very many conflicting views about your government. As a result, we, a group of Ethiopian students in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Ethiopia who have no reason to fear your government, want to give you the benefit of the doubt. In that context, we have formulated the following series of questions for your consideration. We are also inviting Ethiopian civil society groups and discussion forums to study the questions. Your Excellency can be assured that your response to them will stimulate more discussion and research to the good of the country and your government. It is in this spirit that we took the initiative to forward the questions. Since we live in a globalized village, we have also sent copies of the questions to certain governments and international organizations of our interest.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the students,
Tadessese Abbebe ,
[ethiopianstudents@gmail.com ]

Cc:
Dr Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State;
Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House;
Senator Joe Biden, Chair, Foreign Relations Committee;
Representative Tom Lantos, Chair, House Committee on International Relations;
Representative Donald Payne, Chairman, House Sub-committee on Africa;
Representative Chris Smith, U.S. House of Representatives;
Senator Russ Feingold, Chair, Sub-committee on African Affairs;
Ambassador Donald Yamamoto;
Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union;
Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union;
Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wishing a Happy Holiday Season to You, Your Family, and to All Ethiopians All Over the World!

Please check out this piece from our esteemed sister and poet Lemlem Tsegaw. Thanks for sharing Lemlem!

Unlike Ethiopian Refugees...

Unlike Ethiopian refuges
Elephants, Giraffes
And other animals
Are protected
From random killers
By Kenyan laws
Funded by Europeans

Unlike Ethiopian refuges
These animals are free
To room all over
Cross boarders
Any where
Among African countries

How is it
Kenyans chose
To gun dawn
Ethiopian children on daylight
Who have no where to go
But be temporary guests
Don’t the refuges
Merit equal right
To those animals
In the eye of Kenyans

** Lemlem Tsegaw, November 7, 2007, Dedicated to all “Ethiopian … killed and wounded in Kenya” per EthioMedia, November 5, 2007

Click here to read the poem in Amharic

The Detention of Atanaw Wasie...

On 27 September, the Sudanese authorities forcibly returned 15 recognized refugees to Ethiopia, handing them over at the Ethiopia-Sudan border. Their whereabouts are now unknown and Amnesty International believes they are at risk of enforced disappearance, arbitrary and incommunicado detention, torture and unfair trials.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on 11 October that the 15 had been part of a group of more than 30 Ethiopian refugees arrested in early July 2007 by Sudanese intelligence officers in Khartoum and Blue Nile state.

Among the 15 was Atanaw Wasie, who has chronic asthma for which he needs medical treatment. He was a leader of the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU) political party, which opposed the Dergue government thatwas overthrown in 1991, but is no longer active. He was arrested on 7July 2007 in the eastern town of Gedaref and held incommunicado.

Others who were returned and detained are reported to be alleged members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which is fighting the Ethiopian security forces in the Oromia Region. Several thousand members of the Oromo ethnic group have been arbitrarily detained and tortured in Ethiopia in recent years. Read more here...

Also see:
SUDAN: Forcible return/Fear of torture/Arbitrary detention of several hundred Ethiopian and Eritrean nationals

___________________

What is the Population Size of Wolqait-Tegede?

The above table shows a partial population statistics by sex for "Kafta Humera," Welqait, and Tegede from 2004 to 2005. You can see the full statistics here

My questions in regards to these numbers are:

1. If these numbers accurately reflect the population size on the ground?
2. If these numbers show the population size of the native inhabitants only or if they include the settlers (Tigrayans) too?

I don't have any other (independent) statistics to question the numbers. However, from what friends and close relatives who have visited the areas in recent years, the population on the ground is perhaps maybe two or three times of what is being reported by the Central Statistical Agency.

It is estimated that the population size of the native inhabitants is around 300,000. In recent times, particularly since the annexation of this areas into Tigray has caused a major influx of new Tigrayan settlers that have overwhelmed the local population. Some say that more than 300,000 Tigrayans have settled in Wolqait-Tegede (more than 1 tgrayan for every 1 native inhabitant). Most of these Tigrayans have taken over the fertile low-land agricultural farm lands in and around Humera and the native inhabitants have been forced to resettle in the highlands where farmlands are infertile.

There is fear on some parts of the native community leaders and elders of the local inhabitants that this massive influx of Tigrayan settlers is diluting the unique linguistic heritage and sense of identity of the native inhabitants. This is in addition of the economic burden that have been levied against the locals. Moreover, the population increase has a significant environmental damage that has reached a breaking point. Many of native plants and wildlife are in brink of extinction.

***Also notice that the population has increased by only 6,607 from 2004 to 2005. How is it possible for a population of that size to increase only by 6,000? I wonder if the Chinese 1 child policy has been instituted in those areas!

{~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~}

Petition to the Sudanese Gov't...

To: Sudan Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Mohammed Ali Almardi

Ministry of Justice

PO BOX 744

Khartoum

Fax: + 249 183 78 07 96

October 23, 2007

Dear Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mr. Mohammed Ali Almardi:

Please Stop Detaining and Deporting Ethiopian Refugees!

First and foremost, we, the undersigned, would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of the Sudanese people and government for their kindness and hospitality to Ethiopian refugees over the years since the ascendancy to power of the dictatorial military regime in Ethiopia. People living along the border of both countries have lived in peace and exemplary neighbourliness for generations. However, the last few years have seen a growing collaboration between the governments of the two countries, often to the detriment of the interests of the Ethiopian people and to freedom and justice, especially with regard to Ethiopian refugees. Reliable news coming out of Sudan reveals constant harassment, imprisonment and deportation of Ethiopian refugees.

In the beginning of July, over 30 Ethiopians were arrested by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service. On September 27, at least 15 of them were handed over by Sudanese officials to Ethiopian authorities in violation of the principle of non-refoulement. As Your Excellency knows, this principle is the cornerstone of the 1951 Refugee Convention in which refugees will not be sent back to a country where their life or freedom would be at risk. A similar deportation that took place early in August 2007 aroused the complaint of the UNHCR to your government, but to no avail. The whereabouts of the deportees is not yet officially known and they may be subjected to physical and psychological torture under extremely inhumane prison conditions in their native country. The remaining group of Ethiopian refugees in detention in Sudan will also face the same risk of deportation and the same tragic fate awaits them in Ethiopia. As a contracting party of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention and as a member of the UN Human Rights Commission, your government is committing a breach of its obligations under international law. Confident that you will do everything in your power to save the lives of the victims and their families:

• We, the undersigned, humbly appeal to you to use your position as Minister of Justice and Attorney General to take action and bring an end to the involuntary repatriation of Ethiopian refugees.

• We call upon the Sudanese government to cease arbitrary detainment of innocent Ethiopian refugees and release those in jail without delay.

• We request that you use your good offices to urge the Ethiopian government to account for the whereabouts of the deportees, who might be subjected to extreme ill-treatment and torture.
  

Sincerely,

Click here to sign the petition

Sudan Illegally Deported 15 Ethiopian Refugees

Click on the image above to read and listen German Radio Amharic Report on the deported prisoners.

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....We have now received reliable information that on September 27, 2007 the Sudanese Government handed over the 15 Ethiopian political refugees suspected of being members/supporters of the said armed groups allegedly sponsored by Eritrea. Our sources have also confirmed that the deportees are being held in the notorious MAKELAWI (Central) Prison located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Among the deportees is the elderly - Atanaw Wasse, who was also highlighted in our August 7, 2007 letter to you.

SOCEPP Canada is gravely concerned about the welfare and security of the repatriates who may have already been subjected to inhumane treatment in this notorious prison. We sincerely believe that this action of the Sudanese Authorities constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention on Refugees and the UN Declaration of Human Rights for which the Sudanese government must be held responsible. We are also deeply concerned and disturbed by the fact that your good offices failed to intervene to save these refugees from this unfortunate incidence of involuntary repatriation without any guarantee of safety in place. We anticipated that our appeal would have alerted the international community to take proper steps as to provide the necessary protection to these refugees. Read more.....

More News reports on this matter...
** Amharic Report from Khartoum, Sudan
** SOCEPP Press Release
** UNHCR Report on the deportation

Historical Facts and Personal Accounts of Ethio-Sudan Border

This insightful article by Ato Solomon Getaneh provides an interesting perspective on the Ethiopian and Sudanese border along Gondar (Quara and Humera). The author of the article sites historical facts and personal accounts of local farmers and community elders from the region.

Read the article here

Happy New Ethiopian Millenium!

Wishing you and your family the Happiest New Ethiopian Millenium! May the coming new millenium be a millenium of peace, unity, democracy and unity to our beloved Ethiopia!

Happy New Year!

Gondar

Gross Human Rights Abuses Against Ethiopina Civilians

The Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA) calls upon the international community to demand for the immediate halt to the atrocious and gross human rights abuses taking place against Ethiopian civilians in the Ogaden by the Ethiopian authoritarian regime.

Click here for the press release

Resolution of Ethiopians in Ohio

To read the resolution passed by Ethiopians in Ohio on the August 18, 2007 meeting in Columbus, Ohio please click here (amharic, pdf). Also, you can read an earlier statement on the issue.

Woyane’s Mission of Manipulating Ethiopians of Wolqait and Tegede Origin Failed Miserably

Two TPLF officials who called for a meeting on August 18, 2007 in Columbus, OH failed to reach their goal of dividing the people of Wolqait and Tegede. After an hour or so of diatribe and exaggerated statistical report on developments on the region, the participants took the advantage to maneuver the attention to the most dire and urgent issues of freedom and democracy in their homeland.

Almost all the participants including those who support the TPLF repeatedly expressed their dismay at the officials who tried to ignore the human rights and freedom concerns of Wolqait Tegede people. The participants expressed their opposition to article 39 and the demarcation of their homeland with Tigray on the basis of language and demanded their lands to be reunited with Gonder. The participants also stressed that the most urgent issue for the people of Wolqait-Tegede as it is for the rest of Ethiopia is the respect of human rights and democratization and that they will not blindly fall into the TPLF trap of “investment” and “development” designed stifle individual rights and hold the people hostage to their oppressive policies of divide and rule.

The participants demanded the release of their countrymen languishing under the TPLF concentration camps. Moreover, they reminded the TPLF to immediately stop from giving away lands that rightly belong to Ethiopia to the Sudan.

The officials (Ferede Yeshiwondim, Administrator of Wolqait and Tsegaye Asimamaw. Tigray Security Representative) denied and dodged many of the questions and concerns raised by the participants. Also, in many cases they blatantly lied to the face of the participants on the current condition of the region and attempted to paint everything as peaceful, stable and that there are no problems or prisoners.

Even though the meeting organizers attempted to give more time and opportunity to their supporters and shut down the dissenting voices, the brave Ethiopians used the advantage to forward their opinions. To the surprise of the dissenting Ethiopians and even to the officials many of their supporters expressed their opposition to what TPLF is doing to the people of Wolqait and Tegede. As such, the people of the region who previously were at odds in previous times came out stronger and united than ever to expose TPLF’s atrocities committed against the people of Wolqait and Tegede. Other than presenting their boring statistical report the officials failed to divert the people’s attention.

A press statement and other supporting documents from the community organizers of the dissenting Ethiopians will shortly be released to the public.

Community Organizers
August 18, 2007

Ethiopian Demand Explanation...

The characteristic peculiar to our country, which distinguishes it from other countries, is the fact that it played an exemplary role in fiercely defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity at the time when powerful foreign powers were on the rampage to subjugate most lands on the globe.

Indeed, there have been periods in our history where our country had land mass many folds more than of the present one and trade relations and influence extending into the interior of the then neighboring Nubian Empire. This glaring history has been attested by innumerous literary works of ancient and modern scholars, both foreign and local origins.

Virtually, all Ethiopian governments prior to that of the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF ), although rightfully criticized for their autocratic and repressive leadership style, decidedly took preserving the unity and territorial integrity of the nation as their primary undertaking. Under their leadership, and largely because of it, our country repulsed powerful invaders such as the Ottoman Turks, Egyptians, Italians and Mahadists.

And it has now become the historical burden of this generation to carry on the great tradition of keeping the territorial integrity of the nation as the best way of commemorating the sacrifices of our forefathers. However, recent international media coverage of giving away another part of our country in the making is in circulation. read more...

• Press Release in Amharic pdf

• Also read a poem by Lemlem Tsegaw

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Update on the status of Ethiopian refuges in the Sudan

On July 20, 2007 SOCEPP Canada issued an urgent action appeal regarding the new wave of mass arrests and possible involuntary repatriation of Ethiopian refugees suspected of having affiliations with and/or support opposition political groups such as Oromo Liberation front (OLF), Ethiopian People Patriotic Front (EPPF) and others.

Following a massive protest by the international community as well as by Human rights groups from within Sudan, it now appears that some progress has been achieved. It is reported that many Ethiopian refugees who were rounded up and placed in detention are now freed with bail. It is anticipated that the remaining will be freed soon. read more...