Mogachoch Part 66 (ሞጋቾች ክፍል 66) New Ethiopian Drama

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BY ELIAS MESERET
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia must carry out mass doping tests on up to 200 athletes by November or be the latest to face further action by the World Anti-Doping Agency and a possible ban by the IAAF, track and field officials in the country said Thursday.

Ethiopia will attempt to test between 150 and 200 athletes over the next seven months and will start as soon as next week, national track team doctor Ayalew Tilahun said.

“We are told that we could be banned from the IAAF if we don’t comply with the request,” Ayalew said at a news conference in Addis Ababa.

Results of the drug tests must be provided to WADA and the IAAF, he said. The government has provided $300,000 to fund the testing.

Ayalew told The Associated Press in a separate interview that Ethiopia could be banned from all sports if its doping program is not significantly improved.

“The struggle is critical,” he said.

WADA officials will visit Ethiopia to assess the progress on June 3 and IAAF President Sebastian Coe is also expected to visit around that time, Ayalew said.

Ethiopian Athletics Federation head Alebachew Nigussie said there was no threat of a ban from this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, adding “but that doesn’t also mean we need to relax.”

Ethiopia is the latest country to face sanctions following major doping scandals in Russia and Kenya.

Russia was banned from international track and field competition by the IAAF after a WADA-commissioned investigation found serious problems with its anti-doping controls. Kenya has missed two deadlines to put its program in order and faces being declared non-compliant by WADA at its board meeting in Montreal on May 12.

That could also prompt the IAAF, under pressure to act after a string of corruption scandals related to doping, to consider a ban for Kenya, the world’s top distance-running nation and where 40 athletes have been banned since the 2012 Olympics.

The demand for extensive testing now confirms major problems in Ethiopia, which finished fifth in the medals table at last year’s world track championships with three golds and eight medals overall. Ethiopia was second behind the United States in the medals table at last month’s world indoor championships.

Coe previously identified Ethiopia as one of five countries with an anti-doping program in “critical care.” Kenya, Morocco, Belarus and Ukraine were also named as problem countries by the head of world athletics.

Ethiopia last month suspended three runners for doping and is investigating at least another three. In total, at least nine Ethiopians are currently under suspicion, with an undisclosed number being investigated separately by the IAAF.

Also, Ethiopia-born former 1,500-meter world champion Abeba Aregawi, who now competes for Sweden, tested positive for meldonium and faces a ban. Aregawi reportedly failed the test in Ethiopia, where she spends much of her time.

Kenya faced similar problems over the ease with which banned substances could be obtained because of its weak anti-doping controls.

Failure to carry out the extensive testing and bring other parts of the anti-doping program up to scratch could lead to Ethiopia being declared non-compliant with WADA’s code, bringing in play a possible sterner punishment from the IAAF.

Ethiopia also needs to urgently upgrade its national anti-doping office. Ayalew told the AP that when WADA officials came to assess the office in December they were shocked by the poor standard of the facilities and gave it a rating of “zero.”

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9000 Ethiopian immigrants to be brought to israelover 5years time.

The post Alemneh Wassie: 9000 Ethiopian immigrants to be brought to israelover 5years time. appeared first on Satenaw.

መጋቢት 29 /2008 አ/ም

በወልቃይት ጠገዴ ህዝብ በዳንሻ ከተማ መትፋቱ ጀመረ!!!

በዛሬው  ቀን ወያኔ የዳንሻን ወልቃይት ጠገዴ ህዝብ በነገው ቀን ስብሰባ ካልወጡ ከባድ እርምጃ  እንደሚወስድ  አስጠነቀቀ። ነገ  መጋቢት 30  ሱቆች፣ ትምህርት ቤቶች፣ ጤና ጣብያና ክሊኒኮችና ሁሉም  የሲቪል  ሰርቪስ  ቢሮዎች  ካላንደር  ሳይዘጋቸው በእነርሱ  ፈቃድ ብቻ  ነገ  እንዲዘጉ  ትእዛዝ  ካስተላለፉ  ብሗላ  በያንዳንድዋ  የዳንሻ  ከተማ ጥግ ልዩ  ልዩ የስድብና  ማስፈራሪያ  የተሞሉበት ትምክህታዊና ውዳቂ  መፈክሮች  የተጻፈባቸው  ጨርቆችና  አርቴፊሻል ላይቶች ዲኮር  አድርጎ “አንድም  የዳንሻ  ሰው  በነገው  ቀን በተዘጋጀው ስብሰባ እንዳይቀር!”  በማለት  በተለየ  ሁኔታ ደግሞ  “አንድም  በዳንሻ  የሚገኙትን   የወልቃይት  ጠገዴ ወጣቶች  ሞባይሎቻችሁ ከቤቶቻችሁ  ጥላችሁ በስብሰባው  ባትገኙ ውርድ ከራሴ!!!”  በማለት በሶስት  መኪኖች  ሞንታርቦዎቹ  እስኪቀደዱ  ድረስ  እያስጠነቀቀ  እስከዚህችው  እስከ ምሽቱ 4:45 ከተማዋን እያመሳት ይገኛል። ውድ ወገኖቻችን እየደረሰብን ያለውን መከራና ስቃይ እባካችሁ ተረዱልን።

በሶስት  ሞንታርቦዎች  ጀሮአችንን  የሚያደነቁሩን  አንሷቸው  ፖሊሶችና ካድሬዎች  በአካል መስጊድ ድረስ ሄደው ሙስሊሞች እየሰገዱ ሳለ ምንም ኣይነት ስቅታ ሳይሰማቸው አጨብጭበው ካስቆሟቸው ብሗላ ነገ ከበሯቸውና የበአል ልብሳቸው ለብሰው እንዲወጡ እያስፈራሩ ሲናገሩዋቸው የመስጊዱን  በር  ከሚዘጋ  ከአንዱ ሙስሊም  ወገናችን ውጭ ሁሉም  በመስጊድ ሲሰግዱ የነበሩት  ሙስሊም  ወገኖቻችን  በንዴት ስግደታቸውን ሳይጨርሱ ፖሊሶቹንና ካድሬዎቹን ሳያናግሩዋቸው እዛው የመስጊዱ  ግቢ  ውስጥ ጥለዋቸው ሄደዋል።  

ለህዝበ-ክርስቲያኑ ደግሞ  በከተማ  በሚዞሩት ሞንታርቦ  ሀፍረት ሳይሰማቸው የቅዱስ ሚካኤልና ቅዱስ  አቡነ አረጋዊ የቤተ ክርስቲያን ሁሉም አገልጋዮች ደግሞ የቤተ- ክህነት ልብሳቸውን  ለብሰውና  ታቦቱን  ተሸክመው  የዝማሬ  መሳሪውያዎች  ሁሉ  ይዘው  እንዲወጡ  በእብሪት  ከከባድ  ማስጠንቀቂያ  ጭምር ጥሪ  አቅርበዋል።  ይህ  በእንዲህ  እንዳለ ተማሪዎቹ  ዩንፎርማቸውን  ለብሰውና  ደብተሮቻቸውን  ይዘው  በአንድ  በኩል፣ ህዝቡ ደግሞ በሌላ በኩል ሆነው በአራት ቡድን  ሆነው  ለሰላማዊ ሰልፍ መውጣት እንዳለባቸው በማሳወቅ በሞንታርቦ  እየተናገሩት እናለ ከሆነ “በባለፈው በዳንሻ  ከተማ  የተፈጠረው  ረብሻ  የጸረ–ሰላም  ሃይሎች  በመሀላችን ተገኝተው የሰሩት ተንኮል ነው እንጂ  እኛን  የዳንሻን  ህዝብ  አይወክልም!  የእኛ  ድምጽ  አይደለም!!  የጸረ–ሰላም ሃይሎች ለፍርድ ይቅረቡልን!  መንግስት  ከኣማራ  ክልል የተላኩ ትምክህተኞችን  ልክ ያስገባልን! መንግስት ትዕግስቱ  በዝቶ  በትምክህተኛ  ሃይሎች  ትግሬነታችን ተነጥቆ  ያልጠየቅነውን  አማራነት በግድ  ሲጫንብን  ለምን  ዝም ይላል? እያላችሁ ቀሳውስት በአንድ በኩል፣ ሼኮች በሌላ በኩል፣ ተማሪዎችና መላው ህዝብም እንዲሁነገ ጧት ይፋ በሚሆንላችሁ  ቡድን ሆናቹህ በየራሳችሁ ቡድን መናገር አለባችሁ” ብለዋል። “ይህ ሳያደርግ የሚቀር ጥሪ የተደረገለት አካል ቢኖር ግን የጸረ–ሰላም ሃይሎች ተባባሪ እንደመሆኑ መጠን ከነገ ጀምሮ ለሚደርስበት በህልውናው ያነጣጠረ ጥቃት ሃላፊነቱ በራሱ ይወስዳል” ብለዋል። “ይህን  የማያደርግ  ሰው የትግራይ  ህዝብ  ጠላት ብቻ ሳይሆን  እንዲሁም  የኢትዮጵያ  የመለስ  ራእይ የሚያደናቅፍ  የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ጠላት እንደመሆኑ መጠን ለዚህም መንግስት ሃላፊነት አይወስድም” በማለት ስጋታችንን ከፍ እንዲል በማድረግ ከባድ ጫና በህዝባችን ላይ ሲፈጥሩ ውለው ኣሁንም ይሔን ጽሑፍ እያዘጋጀን እስካለንበት ድረስ ጫናውን በመፍጠር ላይ ናቸው።

የትግራይ መንግስት ከአሁን በፊት ያደረሰብንን ሰቆቃ እንዳይበቃው ጭራሽ በዚህ መልክ እኛን እያፈነና እያሸማቀቀ  ልዩ ልዩ የውሸት ቀረጻ በማድረግ ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ በውሸት በቀረጻው በማደናገር እውነተኛ የአማራ ማንነታችንን በሃይልና  በአፈና  ነጥቆ በግድ ያልሆነውን  የትግሬ ማንነት  ለመጫን ሲል እንዲህ  በአስጨናቂና  አጣብቂኝ ሁኔታ እንድንገኝ አድርጎናል።

“ውሽትና  ስንቅ  እያደር ይቀላል”  እንዲሉ በግዜ ሂደት እውነታው እንደሚወጣና እኛም የአማራነት ማንነታችን እንደሚከበር በልበ ሙሉነት ብናምንም ይሄን ያወቀ የትግራይ መንግስትና ካድሬዎቹ  ግን  ‘በውሸት  ህጋዊነት’  ከባድ የሞት ድግስ እየደገሰልን ስለሆነ የተወደድከውና  የተከበርከው  መላው  የኢትዮጵያ  ህዝብ  ሆይ በእኛ በወገኖችህ ላይ እየደረሰ ያለውን  መጠነ-ሰፊ ጭፍጨፋ በማውገዝ ከጎናችን እንድትቆም አደራ እንላለን።

የግዜ  ጉዳይ ሆኖብን ነው እንጂ እኛ የወልቃይት ጠገዴ ህዝብ  እንኳን አሸባሪ ልንሆን ጣልያንና  ድርቡሽ  እንዲሁም  በየግዜው የተነሱ በሱዳን በኩል የመጡብንን ጠላቶች እንኳን የመከትን  ለኢትዮጵያ  ሰላምና  አንድነት የምንተጋ ሰላማዊ  የአማራ ህዝብ  መሆናችን ታሪክ የሚመሰክረው ሃቅ ነው። እኛ የጎንደር አማራ ህዝብ አሸባሪዎች የሚል ስም በፍጹም አይመለከትንም  የሰማነውም  በወያኔና  ካድሬዎቹ  ነው፤ ማንነት መጠየቅ  አሸባሪነት ከሆነ ግን  ከዛሬ  ጀምሮ  አሸባሪዎቹ  እኛ  የወልቃይት  ጠገዴ አማራ ህዝብ ሳንሆን ኣሸባሪዎቹ   ወያኔና ካድሬዎ  እንደሆኑና  ይልቁንስ  በማህበረሰባችን  ህጋዊ የዘር ማጥፋት ዘመቻ ለማድረግ  ሲል የለጠፈብን የውሸት ማንነት መሆኑን መላው የኢትዮጵያ  ህዝብና መላው አለም ኣውቆልን ከዚህ የጥፋት ዘመቻ እንዲጠብቀን በጥብቅ እናሳስባለን ።

አዎ አሸባሪነትማ ምንም ወንጀል ያልሰራነውን እኛን የወልቃይት ጠገዴን ህዝብ ማፈን፤በመኪና  እየገጩ  መግደል፤ ያለ በዳላችን በሃሰት ፍርድ  ማሰቃየትና ደብዛችንን ማጥፋት፣ የእኛን የአማራ ማነንት  ከህግ በላይ ሆኖ መጨፍለቅና ህልውናችንን በመካድ በግድ ያልሆነውን የትግሬ ማንነት ማከናነብ ነው!!! እነዚህና ሌሎች ያልጠቀስናቸው በደሎች የሚያደርስ  ህግ የማይገዛው የትግራይ መንግስትና ካደሬዎቹ  ናቸው አሸባሪ  ተብለው መኮነን ያለባቸው። እንደዚህ ኣይነት የኣምባገነን  ውዳቂ ኣስተሳሰብ በ21ኛው መ.ክ.ዘ  ልእልና ኣግኝቶ የኣንድ ማህበረሰብ ማጥፊያ መንገድ ሊሆኑ ኣይገባቸውም ይህ ሳይሆን ቀርቶ ቢደረግ ግን ለተከበረችው ኣገራችን በእውነቱ በጣም ኣሳፋሪ ታሪኳ ይሆናል ማለት ነው። 

ስለዚህ መላው የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ሆይ በወልቃይት ጠገዴ ወገኖችህ  በወያኔ እየደረሰብን ያለውን ፍጹም የሆነ አፈና፣ የዘር መጥፋት፣ የኣማራ ማንነት መጨፍለቅና የሰብአዊ መብት ረገጣ በመቃወም ድጋፋችሁን በሰላማዊ ሰልፍ እንድትገልጹልን በሞት አፋፍ ላይ ሆነን ይህንን ጥሪ አቅርበናል።

መላው የአማራ ህዝብም በፍትነት  ሊደርስልን  ይገባል።  እኛ የወልቃይት ጠገዴ ወጣቶችና ህዝብ  ግን  እኛም  “በግድ  ካስወጡን  ውርድ  ከራሳችን”  ብለን ተማምለናል። ውድ የአማራ ህዝብ ሆይ ጉዳዩን ራሳህን ለማንኛውም ኣይነት ኣስፈላጊ ዝግጅት እያደረክ  ጉዳያችንን  በአንክሮ እንድትከታተል  እኛ  የመከራው ተካፋይ የሆንን  የዳንሻ  ህዝብ ጥሪ  አቅርበንልሃል። እባካችሁ ድረሱልን በላያችን ላይ በያንዳንድዋ ደቂቃ ወያኔ ብዙ ግፍ እየፈጸመብን ነው፤ ብአዴን ባይደርስልን እንኳ የምንወደው ወገናችን ሊደርስልን ይገባል!!! እኛ ይህ ሁሉ ሰቆቃ  የምንቀበለው ስለ አማራነታችን ብለን ነውና እባካችሁ ድረሱልን።

ተጻፈ በወልቃይት ጠገዴ                          

ከወልቃይት ጠገዴ ብጌምድር ፤ጎንደር  ኢትዮጵያ

መጋቢት 29 /2008 አ/ም

The post ሰበር ዜና- ወያኔ በዛሬው በሐሙስ  መጋቢት 29 የጦርነት አዋጁ መርዝ appeared first on ሳተናው .

ESAT Daily News DC 12 April 2016

The post ESAT Daily 12 April 2016 -Gedu Andargachew appeared first on Satenaw.

ብዙዎቻችን ቴዲ አፍሮን ከሙዚቃ ሥራውና ከሐገር ወዳድነቱ ባሻገር እምብዛም የግል ሕይወቱን እና ምን አይነት ሰው እንደሆነ አናውቀውም እርሱም ቢሆን ስለራሱ ማውራት ስለማይወድ እና ይህንን ፈፀምኩኝ ብሎ ስለማያወራ የቴዲን ማንነት በግልጽ ልናውቀው አልቻልንም ሆኖም ቴዲ አፍሮ እንደዚህም አይነት ሌላ ገፅታ አለው።
★ ሐምሌ 30,1998 ዓመተ ምሕረት በድሬዳዋ ደርሶ በነበረው የጎርፍ አደጋ ለተጎዱ ወገኖች የ30 ሺህ ብር ድጋፍ በማድረግ ለወገን ደራሽነቱን አሳየን።
★ ጥቅምት 1,2002 Elshaday relief and development ባዘጋጀውና ከ50 ሺህ በላይ በተገኘበት የአዲስ አበባ ስታዲየሙ ኮንሰርት ከ 1 ሚሊየን ብር በላይ አሰባስቦ ለእርዳታ ድርጅቱ ያስረከበ ሲሆን በእለቱ ለአበበች ጎበና ሕፃናት ማሳደጊያ 100 ሺህ ብር ለይልማ ገ/አብ የወርቅ ብእር ሸልሟል።
★ ጥቅምት 23,2002 በህመም ላይ ትገኝ ለነበረችው ማንአልሞሽ ዲቦ መታከሚያ ይሆን ዘንድ 20 ሺህ ብር አበረከተ
★ ጥቅምት 17,2004 የወጣት አስመሮም ሃይለስላሴን ነፍስ ለማዳን ለሶማሊያ ሽማግሌዎች 700 ሺህ ብር ከፈሎ የወገኑን ህይወት አተረፈ።
★ ጥቅምት 17,2004 ለኢትዮጵያ የአካል ጉዳተኞች ማህበር የ200 ሺህ ብር ድጋፍ አድርጎ ለማህበሩ ያለውን አጋርነት አሳየ። ማህበሩም የምስጋና ምስክር ወረቀት ሰጥቶታል።
★ የአራት ኪሎ ወጣቶች ከአልባሌ ሥፍራ ይርቁ ዘንድ በአባቱ ስም ተቋቁሞ ለነበረው የእግር ኳስ ቡድን ለአራት አመታት በየአመቱ ግማሽ ሚሊየን ብር ድጋፍ አድርጓል።
★ በራሱ አነሳሽነት ለአበበ መለሰ ኮንሰርት በማዘጋጀት የአርቲስቱን ህይወት ከህልፈት ታደገ።
★ ጥቅምት 2005 ቀድሞ ይማርበት ለነበረው ቤቲልሄም ት/ቤት የኮምፒውተር እና የሙዚቃ መሣሪያ ድጋፍ አደረገ።
★በተለያየ ግዜያት በተዘጋጁ ዝግጅቶች ላይ እንደዚሁም እዛው ድረስ በመሄድ ለወይዘሮ አበበች ጎበና እፃናት ማሳደግያ ከመቶ ሺ ብር በላይ የገንዘብ እርዳታ።
★ ባለቤቱ አምለሰት ባስመረቀችው አረንጋዴ መሬት ዶክመንተሪ ፊልም ምርቃት ላይ በእንጨት ለቀማ ይተዳደሩ ለነበሩ እናት የ 20ሺብር ቼክ ሰታቸዋል።
★ እንደዚሁም ለተለያዩ ድምፃዊያን ግጥም እና ዜማ በነፃ የሰጣቸውም አሉ::
ይህ ነው የቴዲ አፍሮ ሌላው ገፅታ ይህ ህዝቡ የሚያውቀው ነው ቴዲና ድጋፍ ያደረገላቸው ብቻ የሚያውቁት ብዙ አለ።
ማሳሰቢያ ይህንን ፅሁፍ በድጋሚ የለጠፍኩት አንድ በምርቃና የድሮ መጽሔት ጽሁፎችን እየገለበጠ መፅሀፍ ካሳተመ በዃላ እራሱን እንደደራሲ ቆጥሮ ለመተቸት የሞከረ በጫት የደነዘዘ ወጠጤ በማየቴ ነው።
‪#‎ኤርሚያስ_ቶኩማ‬

Date:

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ESAT Radio Wed April 13 2016

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Labelled ‘Computer Crime Proclamation’, the draft law was presented to the Ethiopian Parliament on Wednesday.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 2016

Daily Nation

The Ethiopian government has drafted a new law, which will punish spammers with up to five years of imprisonment for mass mail distribution to advertise or sell products and services PHOTO | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

ADDIS ABABA, Wednesday

The Ethiopian government has drafted a new law, which will punish spammers with up to five years of imprisonment for mass mail distribution to advertise or sell products and services as well as people who share pictures and other contents using computer network.

Labelled ‘Computer Crime Proclamation’, the draft law was presented to the Ethiopian Parliament on Wednesday.

“Whosoever intentionally intimidates or threatens another person or his family with serious danger or injury by disseminating any writing, video, audio or any other image through a computer system shall be punishable, with simple imprisonment not exceeding three years or in a serious cases with rigorous imprisonment not exceeding five years,” reads article 13 sub article 1 of the draft proclamation which talks about crimes against liberty and reputation of persons.

It is not yet clear if the new law targets people who share pictures exposing the misdeeds of law enforcement agencies like the recent photos of the dead and wounded people during the recent Oromo students’ protests, which went viral on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, among others.

The 53 pages of the new law didn’t mention how it may impact government’s ongoing effort to bring good governance to the country by collecting information from whistle blowers and victims of human rights violations and corruption, among others.

Unless there is a prior consent from the recipient, dissemination of messages to multiple email addresses at a time, will lead up to imprisonment of five years and fine not exceeding 50,000 Ethiopian birr (around $2,355).

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Helle Thorning-Schmidt

The Huffington Post UK

When four-year-old Malou first arrived at the Save the Children stabilisation centre in the small community of Fedeto, she was severely underweight and limp, her feet swollen. But having been treated for the effects of malnutrition, and it seemed starting on the road to recovery, she now has a second battle on her hands – to overcome pneumonia. This is just a small illustration of Ethiopia’s current crisis: that a child who fought one life threatening illness would emerge from that, only to be exposed to another.

Children are at the forefront of this suffering, amid the country’s worst drought in fifty years, with six million said to be at risk. $600million is needed to tackle this crisis. I implore the international community to step up and urgently respond.

The irony is that the environment has been particularly cruel to a country which has been doing all it can to improve itself. Perceptions of Ethiopia are fraught with contradictions but there are two equally important facts which are at risk of being lost in the mire.

Ethiopia is not any country. It is a country right in the middle of an economic u-turn – despite ranking the second poorest country in the world, it is now achieving steady economic growth, at an average of 10% per year in the last decade, and set to be a middle income country within the next ten years.

This is not just any drought. This is the worst drought in fifty years. The extent to which the rains have failed is unprecedented, regional temperatures are higher than ever, and we are dealing with the strongest El Nino on record. The damage caused by climate change and erratic weather patterns driven by El Nino are only going to see conditions worsen.

Ethiopia is financially secure enough to respond to the crisis alone if it has to, but not without detriment to the massive development progress it has made so far – or without damaging its ability to respond well, in the future.

Rainfall patterns are deteriorating at an alarming rate in East Africa. The spring rains, which usually bring fifteen days of rainfall a month between February and April are now two months overdue. In places like Siti Zone in the east of the country, this is the third failed rainy season since mid 2014. The landscape paints a bleak picture of dried leaves on tiny shrubs, peppered with the carcasses of emaciated livestock and dried out, cracked, riverbeds. Around a third of the population – including six million children – are now entering the ‘hunger season’, facing critical food shortages.

It is important to note that Ethiopia has made huge strides since previous droughts. In 1990, it was estimated that 204 Ethiopian children in every 1000 would die before their fifth birthday. By 2012, the country had reduced this toll by 67%, meeting its Millennium Development Goal commitment to reduce child deaths, three years ahead of time.

The Ethiopian Government has shown strong leadership in the food crisis too, committing an unprecedented $380million to tackling the growing emergency. NGOs have worked with the government in recent years to channel development funds into strengthening resilience, and the country is better equipped than ever to respond to the crisis. These factors – are the reason we are not seeing the loss of life we saw previously.

But the scale of this crisis cannot be overstated. An estimated six million children – are currently hungry, or without access to clean water. Save the Children is working closely with the government to identify the areas in most critical need. Much of our work in the 100 stabilisation centres we operate in focuses on treating moderate acute malnutrition, and preventing it from reaching the ‘severe’ stage, which is much harder to recover from, and has long term implications on child development and health. Children who are malnourished do not have the resilience to fend off other childhood illnesses, like measles or diarrhoea – two of the major causes of under-five mortality.

In Fedeto, I met Habiba, a former pastoralist whose family had struggled for months without clean water, watching as her livestock died off in front of her. Like her neighbours, she was confronted with difficult decisions – to wait for the rains, knowing the animals may not survive, or to leave them to perish, and have no livelihood to return to. The decision was eventually made for her, when six of her children fell ill, as a measles outbreak wracked the small community that had been home to her all of her life. Weakened and already underweight, her children were at high risk of the illness. Save the Children’s outreach teams brought Habiba and her family to Fedeto, where the children underwent a month long course of treatment to bring them to recovery.

The complexities of this crisis go beyond the very real human need I saw playing out in Fedeto. Were it faced with this drought alone, the Government of Ethiopia would have a heady, but manageable task. Sadly, all indications of the climate change trajectory suggest that this is not an isolated case of drought, but rather the paradigm for what is yet to come.

The Government is faced now with dealing with three challenges:

The emergency needs of the 10million people facing food shortage; Preparing to respond to the next drought, which could come at any time, including by ring-fencing funding so it can be released fast, at the first signs of drought, to address critical needs and prevent escalation; and, Developing a longer term sustainable plan for adapting to this changing environment and ensuring livelihoods and communities are given the skills and resources for much needed change. The funding and resourcing must be available to take on all of these tasks, if any of them are to truly succeed.

Ethiopia offers economic hope to the horn of Africa – it is one of the most stable countries in the region, attracting significant overseas investment. It provides a haven to 750,000 refugees, the largest amount in Africa, many of whom are fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries. It is critical that we recognise the value in having a stable country in this region.

The international community invested heavily in bringing Ethiopia to a point where it can lead a self-sustaining economy, capable of withstanding crisis. This included the development of all the early warning systems to identify risk and to stop emergencies like the current food crisis escalating into a catastrophe. It is the failing of us all, if we ignore the sound of the alarm bells ringing now.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the former prime minister of Denmark

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Must listen interview with Ato Zemene Mheret interviewed (Ethiopia Andnet radio)

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ESAT Daily News Amsterdam April 15, 2016

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The Ethiopian government is cracking down on journalists and NGOs. Where’s the outrage from the international community?

By Felix Horne,
Foreign Policy in Focus

Since November, state security forces have killed hundreds of protesters and arrested thousands in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region. It’s the biggest political crisis to hit the country since the 2005 election but has barely registered internationally. And with the protests now in their fifth month, there is an almost complete information blackout.

A teacher arrested in December told me, “In Oromia the world doesn’t know what happens for months, years or ever. No one ever comes to speak to us, and we don’t know where to find those who will listen to our stories.”

Part of the problem is the government’s draconian restrictions on news reporting, human rights monitoring, and access to information imposed over the past decade. But restrictions have worsened in the last month. Some social media sites have been blocked, and in early March security officials detained two international journalists overnight while they were trying to report on the protests. As one foreign diplomat told me, “It’s like a black hole, we have no idea what is happening. We get very little credible information.”

With difficulty, Human Rights Watch interviewed nearly 100 protesters. They described security forces firing randomly into crowds, children as young as nine being arrested, and Oromo students being tortured in detention. But the Ethiopian media aren’t telling these stories. It’s not their fault. Ethiopian journalists have to choose between self-censorship, prison, or exile. Ethiopia is one of the leading jailers of journalists on the continent. In 2014 at least 30 journalists fled the country and six independent publications closed down. The government intimidates and harasses printers, distributors, and sources.

International journalists also face challenges. Some do not even try to go because of the personal risks for them, their translators, and their sources. And when they do go, many Ethiopians fear speaking out against government policies—there are plenty of cases of people being arrested after being interviewed.

Diaspora-run television stations have helped fill the gap, including the U.S.-based Oromia Media Network (OMN). Many students in Oromia told me that OMN was one way they were able to learn what was happening in other parts of the region during the protests. But since OMN began broadcasting in March 2014 it has been jammed 15 times for varying periods. Radio broadcasts are also jammed–as international broadcasters like Voice of America and Deutsche Welle have experienced intermittently for years.

In December OMN began transmitting on a satellite that is virtually impenetrable to jamming. But security forces then began destroying private satellite dishes on people’s homes. Eventually the government applied pressure on the satellite company to drop OMN, which has now been off the air for over two months.

Social media has partially helped fill the information gap. Photos of injured students and videos of protests have been posted to Facebook, particularly in the early days of the protests. But in some locations the authorities have targeted people who filmed the protests on their phones. At various times in the last month, there have been reports of social media and file-sharing sites being blocked in Oromia, including Facebook, Twitter, and Dropbox. Website-blocking has been documented before – in 2013, at least 37 websites with information from Ethiopia were blocked. Most of the sites were operated by Ethiopians in the diaspora.

Independent non-governmental organizations that might be reporting what is happening face similar restrictions. The government’s Charities and Societies Proclamation of 2009 virtually gutted domestic nongovernmental organizations that work on human rights issues. The independent Human Rights Council released a report on the protests in March. It was a breath of fresh air, but the council released it at great risk. As the first report from Ethiopian civil society on an issue of great political significance, it was a damning indictment of the limits of freedom of expression in Africa’s second-largest country, with a population of 100 million.

The government may believe that by strangling the flow of information coming out of Oromia it can limit international concern and pressure. And so far the response from countries that support Ethiopia’s development has been muted. The deaths of hundreds, including many children, have largely escaped condemnation.

Yet the government’s brutally repressive tactics cannot be contained behind Ethiopia’s information firewall for long. The sooner the government recognizes this and acts to stop the mass arrests and excessive use of force, the better the outlook for the government and the affected communities.

The government—with the assistance of its allies and partners—needs to support an independent investigation of the events in Oromia, commit to accountability and justice for the victims, and start dismantling the legislative and security apparatus that has made Ethiopia one of the most hostile places for free expression on the continent. What’s happening in Oromia has long-term implications for Ethiopia’s stability and economic progress, and Ethiopians and the world need to know what is happening.

Felix Horne is the Ethiopia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

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The ‘Trojan Horse’ is from a Greek mythology where the Greeks in their last resort to break into the well-guarded city of Troy, came up with an idea of a horse like statue. As the deceitful statue, hid with soldiers, was entering the city, there were Troy residents who suspected trickery insisting that the gift be burned before it brings a curse. But, their suspicion fell on deaf ears and rather they were considered as paranoid. The Trojan horse was then placed on prime real estate inside the city of Troy until the hidden soldiers, lurch out of the statue and open the gates of Troy for the Greek army waiting outside to enter the city and carry out all forms of atrocities known to men of the time. The paranoid of Troy, a priest said “I fear the Greeks even those bearing gifts” and here I am crying “I fear this Monument – Aanolee and the concept behind it.”

The basic information about the monument was posted on Awrambatimes with the heading, Aanolee Memorial Monument colorfully inaugurated in Arssi on April 8, 2014. It adds that it was a tribute to the Arssi Oromos who were victims of the Emperor Menelik’s imperial expansion in the nineteenth century and that the inauguration was attended by high level federal and regional officials in Hetosa, Arssi, 150 kms southeast of Addis Ababa. Per H.E Muktar Kedir, it was constructed at a cost of twenty million birr to commemorate those Oromo heroes and heroines who were cruelly massacred for strongly resisting the then oppressive regime. The monument shows a severed hand stretched upward holding a women’s Breast. At the inauguration Mohammed Jilo, Head of Oromia Culture and Tourism Bureau elaborated on the need to make the monument a tourist attraction center.

I, for one, would not dare to take a position in history without testing arguments behind issues of the time because my principle is to question every representation of historical events for validity. Equally important, our attempt to understand the prognosis of history before us and the nature of the event that took place in the past, should be dealt with neutrality and freedom from bias based on ethnic or other hidden considerations. Every historical event need to be tested for reasonableness, depth and frequency before arriving at a conclusion about a particular phenomenon, as proper representation of an event or personality. To me, Oromo refers to the thousands of people I personally know and respect as Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Friends, Grandfathers, Grandmothers, Children, Heroes, Religious Leaders, Musicians, Sportsmen, Politicians, Soldiers, Scientists and more. An ethnic name is so sacred and I wish I was not forced to be speaking in terms of this very special collective noun, since an error committed would be multiplied by millions. I will, therefore, try to be cautious in sharing my point of view without causing any harm to communities so that we see the colossal conceptual mistake in the monument, and may be, correct the situation for our common good.

The purpose of this article is not to make a determination as to whether or not the breast mutilation in fact occurred. My idea, however, may help as additional criteria in determining the validity and the magnitude of the accusation that there was a breast mutilation. I strongly believe that our perception of how and who committed the atrocity has significant implication to our future as a nation. There are fellow Ethiopians who strongly state that their ancestors were victims of the breast mutilation act, and given the fact that the area around the horn, including Somalia is known for various similar cultures involving body mutilations as fulfillment of cultural duties, it may be irrational to refute the allegation completely. What I can say here at this moment is, express my sympathy for the women alleged to be victims of breast mutilation and demand that our historians and anthropologists study the issue further, including any atrocity that may have been committed by Arssi Oromos also, so that we have a balanced picture of what happened with in the religious, social and political framework of the time, again with honesty and impartially.

Most Africans agree with me that European writers have a tendency to exaggerate if an issue is one that supports their racist theory that Blacks or Africans are inferior or barbaric in nature. Equally, the narrations by recent Eritrean writers remain questionable without genuine answers to the following questions. Why are they so keen on issues that antagonize Oromos from the rest of Ethiopia? Do the Christian highlanders of Eritrea have a culture of body mutilation in Hamasene, Serai, or Akale Guzai? If their response is not in the affirmative then my second question would be, if there is no such culture among Eritrean highlanders, then why would it exist in Tigrai, in Gonder, in Gojam, in Wollo, in Wollega, or in Showa? Most Christians revere Saint Mary, a women, and somehow these cultures place special significance to women in general because of this Mary – Women connection. Hence, I don’t see this society going that far, practicing breast mutilation as an acceptable method of punishment of women. I am not indulging in a denial and what I am only saying is, in order to assess the true extent of what happened, we need to examine the cultures and personalities accused of the atrocity. I am not fantasizing the idea that there are no criminals among the Christians. The challenge here is the appropriateness of this caricature that Emperor Menelik, an Orthodox Christian, had body mutilation as a sanctioned form of punishment to Oromo mothers, and that this is a proper depiction of the Emperor who had an Oromo first cousin, and who among other things gave us Adwa and a railway in the nineteenth century.

Let me give you another issue that could be a wonderful dish for similar characterization. Nowadays, it is common to listen to news broadcasts about the Ogaden Liberation Front accusing the Ethiopian forces of rape and other atrocities. But, how much of such accusations are true? Doesn’t that somehow hurt our deeper feelings as Ethiopians since rape is culturally a taboo? Will it be far from the truth we, Ethiopians, regardless of our ethnic background or political beliefs agree that more than 99.99 % of Ethiopian soldiers would abhor and denounce rape of any form? Are we really insane to believe that the soldiers used rape as a sanctioned form of punishment or it is a better description of the army today? Just because there has been such incidents, per the accusations, can somebody make a foolish generalization that the late Prime Minister Meles or Prime Minister Haile Mariam was/is rapist?

US statistics shows that there is about a quarter of a million rapes each year in the US and that it occurs every two minutes. Assuming there is no repeated assault by a transgressor, the rapists make about .08 % of the population. From this we can deduce that there is a chance for less than .08 % of Ethiopian army to comprise rapists. No army can escape this statistic be it American or Eritrean. There are rapists in Ethiopia and Hanna Lalongo is in our recent memory. My point? Body mutilation is a similar atrocity of a different score and, if it happened, the reason will only be either because some members of Menelik’s forces or administration were from a culture that practiced body mutilation as a form of punishment or there were some who were psychologically sadistic. Studies on sadistic behavior talk about sadist percentages in a population based on cruelty to animals, and I believe, if the percentage of sadists is expressed with cruelty to human and especially with women, it will even be smaller.

What was the intention of Emperor Menelik’s expansion? Do we see him as an Emperor who had a desire to build a bigger empire that could resist European colonialism or an evil whose objective was to annihilate a particular ethnic group(s) the way Hitler targeted and mass murdered the Jews? Considering the composition of Menelik’s army and its leadership, I doubt, if the Aanolee war could even be seen as a war between Oromos and Non Oromos because Menelik’s army comprised a significant percentage of Oromos of all ranks. My ancestors in the south must have lived through the era of Menelik’s expansion and maybe they were unhappy about it. But, as a result of Menelik’s action, we are not only a country but the only Independent African nation that defied European Colonialism. What was the antitheses or the inaction of Menelik to people in the southern Ethiopia? Wouldn’t an inaction of Menelik mean the annexation of the southern Ethiopia with the British Empire as part of Kenya or Somalia? Do I wish that I were a Kenyan or Somalian, in the first place? What were the atrocities of colonialism that the Kenyans went through including the Oromos in Kenya? Is there anyone who has the gut to argue the fact that with the current interpretation of ethnicity, Emperor Haile Selassie and President Mengistu were nothing but Oromos who ruled Ethiopia for a continuous sixty one years? Every thesis has an antithesis! As a believer in Pan Africanism, I say, Menelik’s expansion was a necessary evil to defeat colonialism at Adwa, the way chemotherapy is for Cancer. Please note, I am not referring to breast mutilation!

If Anole is to be remembered, it will be wise to tell the story of the warriors who challenged Menelik’s army. Who were the generals that lead the resistance against Menelik? What were their institutions that helped them fight for years? What was their ideology, religious identity or ethnic identity? How and where did they get the armament that helped them endure that long? How high was the determination and bravery of the Arssi fighters? How many did they kill and how much damage they endured? The correct perspective is to recognize the heroes that fought Menelik even if they lost the war. To me, that is the bigger picture that needs to be capitalized, which adds pride in us, be it as Oromos or Ethiopians. The warriors and their horses should be the centers of the monument than a view of a sadistic act that misleads generations depicting Arssi Oromos as hopeless victims who were even unable to protect women; so convenient politically to  demonize Emperor Menelik and may be, instigate vengeance. The correct way that builds Ethiopia as a nation is talking about success anecdotes for the present generation to follow, not a story that only transpires hostility and revenge among citizens. It will be a service to generations if the monument was about the role of Oromo women in defending what they consider at the time to be theirs, be it religious or ethnic identity. What was the role of women in providing at least material and morale support? How did they express bravery? It’s better to be talking about the contribution of Arssi women or a heroic act than hinging on a controversial sadistic scene. I suggest that we look at the grace of “Mother Russia Statue” built commemorating the over a million lost at Siege of Leningrad, during World War II. Also see how Europeans portray their mothers on “Statue of Liberty” as a comparison with our active intent and choice to denigrate our ancestors on either side of that conflict.

I see a lack of knowledge or information about Mastofact or Mazophila behaviors, and a public display of a women’s body, of what westerners would call an ‘R’ rated “soft porn” is an indication of our degeneration as society. Is it culturally acceptable to portray our grandmother’s naked body on a cenotaph and talk about tourism? What kind of tourism will that be? Oromo mothers I know are very decent and give special attention to morality, and the private part of women is not subject of a public scenery. The same applies to Oromo fathers. Considering the fact that the majority of Arssi inhabitants are believers, it seems strange, if the monument is in fact an idea agreed on by the people. With my very limited knowledge of the religions in the area, I am aware that there is a practice of “Hijab”. I believe Islam and Christianity have so much in common. You will see the concept of hijab even with in the Orthodox Church as women cover most parts when attending Sunday mass. Although the two religions practice hijab differently, there is common understanding about what modesty represents. So isn’t the content of the monument somehow obscene? Why was this basic value of the majority in Arssi compromised? I would like to understand how that community interprets modesty and how its value interacts in shaping peoples reaction or judgement of a statue made of one of the most private parts of a women, especially that of our ancestors. Wouldn’t this modesty be a hypocrisy of both Moslems and Christians ,if we expect women to cover their head while offending everyone culturally and religiously by allowing this offensive statue stand right there for everyone to see, I wonder if the area is off limits to children? I really want to hear from Muslim and Christian leaders in Arssi and beyond about the place of the statue given our belief, culture and decency. And what is going to be the reaction of the future generations to such a highly offensive image? Does that help or impede the peaceful coexistence of Ethiopians? What were the driving forces of the recent tragic killings in Arbagugu, Bedeno, Cheleko, Garamuleta, etc.? What fueled that level of hatred, beheading even a one year old supposedly Amhara child, 1991 Arsi? Were there any lessons learned from the recent actions of Nelson Mandela? How constructive is it to go back over a hundred years only to bring what could only be a reflection of the very worst in us? How does that make us better than those who lived a century before us?

Every Ethiopian should have nothing but sympathy for the alleged Aanolee victims in Ethiopia because confirmed or unconfirmed, women breast mutilation is sadistic. At the same time we should be cognizant that there are groups that use ethnic conflicts to their ultimate but hidden agenda. The Aanolee war is one of the many wars Emperor Menelik fought in the process of forging the present day Ethiopia. We need to reconsider the good intention of the Emperor and his multi ethnic army along with the diverse cultures represented there. It is illogical to believe that, body mutilation was a punishment to Arssi Oromo sanctioned by Emperor Menelik whose circle comprised Negus Teklehaimanot, Ras Gobena, Ras Mekonnen, Ras Mengesha Yohannes, Ras Alula, Fitawrari Habtegiorgis, Dejazmatch Balcha etc. These were not only our ancestors, but the cornerstones of Pan Africanism sprout from Ethiopianism of that century. The breast mutilation act should be seen as an isolated cruelty of either a person of culture that practices body mutilation or a Sadist, definitely not a legacy of Emperor Menelik. I believe it is ok to commemorate the warriors who resisted Menelik’s expansion, and there are a number of ways to do that; statues of confederate soldiers are still observed in the US. The theme of Aanolee’s story should be the strength, courage and heroism of the people who fought against Menelik’s expansion and that would be an addition to Ethiopian heritage.  I don’t believe the Aanolee monument is in par with the culture and beliefs of the Arssi Oromo in particular and Ethiopians in general. The monument will only let a sadistic act linger in our minds, and I don’t see a point in letting this perverted act continue poisoning our relationships, here in the twenty first century. The monument is obscene, immodest and immoral that only infuriates the present and future generations. I don’t see any reason other than ensuing or perpetrating bitterness, risking our very peace and continuance as a country, and may be serving as a cause for our own demise, like the Trojan horse. This could be annoying to those who are already captivated by a rage for vengeance on a century old controversial incident, but I urge that this serve as my humble appeal to my fellow Ethiopians for correction.

The monument is indecent self-deprecation, and I say, Hijab Please!

Melaku Girma

Atlanta

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