Ethiopia News Archive
08 Jun 2014
Who is afraid of the E(thiopian) bloggers?
Who is afraid of Eskinder Nega, Reeyout Alemu, Woubshet Taye, Zone Nine bloggers…? The “dean” of independent Ethiopian journalists and blogger extraordinaire, Eskinder Nega, is serving an 18 year sentence for blogging. The late Meles Zenawi personally ordered Eskinder’s arrest and even determined his sentence. Meles Zenawi feared and hated Eskinder Nega more than any
01 Jun 2014
Light at the end of the tunnel for the “Dark Continent”?
(Author’s note: This commentary appeared on Pambazuka.org on May 29, 2014 as part of a mid-century outlook on possible scenarios in Africa. I make my “predictions” debating myself as a political scientist and a defense lawyer.) Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the “Dark Continent”? “Making predictions is hard. Especially about the
25 May 2014
Ethiopia: Crimes Against University Students and Humanity
On May 2, 2014, BBC reported that the security forces of the regime in Ethiopia had massacred at least 47 university and high school students in the town of Ambo 80 miles west of the capital Addis Ababa. The regime dismissed the massacre and tried to sweep it under the rug claiming that a “few anti-peace forces incited
19 May 2014
The “Farce” of U.S. Diplocrisy
Is the Obama Administration’s human rights policy a “farce”? Last week U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Syrian president Bashar al-Assad a “terrorist” criminal and called Assad’s electoral plans a “farce”. “Assad’s is making partnership with terrorist elements, attracting terrorists and engaging in terrorist activities against his own people.” Assad’s planned presidential elections are
11 May 2014
Of Elections and Diapers in Ethiopia in 2015
Whether the people of Ethiopia are better off in 2014 than they were in 2010 or in 2005 is the sole question that should be decided in the 2015 parliamentary “election”. If they are not, the people should vote to change diapers. After all, “politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and
04 May 2014
Is Obama on the Right Side of (Ethiopian) History?
The sophistry of history President Obama likes to pontificate about being on the “right side of history” and rhetorically clobber those who are on the “wrong side of history”. Debating Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and defending his own record, Obama said, “… they can say that the president of the United States
29 Apr 2014
“አፍሪካ ተስፋ ይኖራታልን?”
ከፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ገብረማርያም ትርጉም በነጻነት ለሀገሬ በአፍሪካ ተስፋችን ሊሟጠጥ ይችላልን? እ.ኤ.አ ማርች 2004 ኒኮላስ ክሪስቶፍ የተባለው ለኒዮርክ ታይምስ መጽሔት መጣጥፍ የሚያቀርቡት ተዋቂ ጸሀፊ ስለአፍሪካ መጻኢ ዕድል ተስፋ በቆረጠ መልኩ እንዲህ ብለው ነበር፣ “አፍሪካ በቀውስ የምትታመስ አህጉር ነች፡፡ አፍሪካ ላለፉት አራት
28 Apr 2014
“Is there any hope for Africa?”
Should we despair over Africa?In March 2004, Nicholas Kristof, the noted columnist for the New York Times declared in frustration, “Africa is a mess. It is the only continent that has gotten poorer over the last four decades and its famous for civil wars, genocide and mindboggling corruption. Is there any hope for Africa?” Kristof was commiserating over the
20 Apr 2014
Dam! White Elephants in Ethiopia?
Last week, in a bizarre display of faux outrage and indignation, the regime in Ethiopia unleashed its big “experts” to go after International Rivers, an organization that has been leading the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of indigenous communities that depend on them for nearly three decades. International Rivers, headquartered in Berkeley, CA.,
16 Apr 2014
የሩዋንዳ የዘር ማጥፋት ረዥም ጥቁር ጥላዉን በ(መካከለኛው) አፍሪካ ጥሎአል
ከፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ገብረማርያም ትርጉም በነጻነት ለሀገሬ የ1994 የሩዋንዳ የጭፍጨፋ እና የእልቂት ጸጸት በ2014 የመካከለኛው አፍሪካ ሪፐብሊክ ሰማይ ላይ እያንዣበበ ነው! ባለፈው ሳምንት የሩዋንዳ ህዝብ እርስ በእርስ የተራረደበትን 20ኛውን ዓመት የሩዋንዳ የዘር ፍጅት መጥፎ ገጽታ ለማስታወስ የሀዘን ሳምንት አውጆ ድርጊቱን በመራር ሀዘን ዘክሮታል፡፡ እ.ኤ.አ በኤፕሪል 6/1994 በመንግስት የስልጣን እርከን ላይ የነበሩ አክራሪ የሁቱ ጎሳ አመራሮች፣