US gives 'strategically important' Ethiopia $97 million
AFP - September 21, 2007
The United States said Friday it is donating 97 million dollars (69 million euros) to Ethiopia in recognition of the Horn of Africa country's "strategic importance."
The money, channeled through USAID, is to fund agricultural and private sector development, health care, primary education and good governance, a statement said.
Ethiopia received US backing last year when it deployed troops to neighbouring Somalia to overthrow an Islamist movement accused of harbouring extremist elements.
USAID mission director Glenn Anders said: "The agreements ... fulfill and even exceed the commitments in our five-year strategic development plan ..."
This Month (September) in Oromo History - September 1977 - Members of the leading organ of the Oromo Liberation Front and representatives of the fighters and underground cells met in Finfinne to restructure the organization and elect a new leadership. According to the new structure, the Front was to have 41 central committee members. The central committee elected five individuals from among its members to an executive body called the "Supreme Politico Military Command (SPMC)." The five members of the SPMC were the chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and two other members overseeing the activities of the committee. Under the SPMC, there were five functional committees each headed by a member of the central committee. These were military, political, financial and logistical, social and foreign affairs committee. The leaders elected to the SPMC were Muhee Abdoo, Magarsaa Barii, Gadaa Gammadaa, Leenco Lata and Baaroo Tumsaa.
For more Oromo history, visit the Oromo Chronology @ Gadaa.com.
Can't beat quality of life in Scandinavia, says world ranking
AFP - September 20, 2007
Nordic countries take the greatest care of their environment and their people, according to a ranking published on Thursday by the publication Reader's Digest.
Finland comes top of the 141-nation list, followed by Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and then Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Australia.
At the bottom of the list is Ethiopia, preceded by Niger, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Chad.
The United States comes in 23rd, China 84th and India 104th.
The ranking combines environmental factors, such as air and water quality, respect for biodiversity and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as social factors, such as gross domestic product, access to education, unemployment rate and life expectancy.
The statistical basis is the UN's Human Development Index and the Environmental Sustainability Index drawn up by Yale and Columbia universities and the World Economic Forum ...
Kinjit Factions Fight It Out in a Toronto Court
Oromo Affairs - September 20, 2007
It is now a public secret that Coalition for Unity and democracy party (CUDP, a.k.a. Kinijit) is coming apart at the seams. Just when it thought it has left its legal saga behind, it is now facing a fractured leadership and a divided constituency both inside and outside the country. After simmering under the surface for a long time, the conflict with in the CUDP leadership erupted soon after their release from TPLF prison. North America is now one of the battle grounds for the political/propaganda and legal fights between the Hailu Shawel group and the Berhanu Nega group. Since their arrival in North America a couple of weeks ago, they have both been utilizing every communications media they can to win the hearts and minds of the Habasha (Abyssinian) Diaspora.
The first bullet in the legal combat, however, is fired in Toronto, Canada.
Kinijit Ethiopian Cultural and Relief Organization in Toronto has filed a lawsuit against Kinijit Canada council, Kinijit for Human Rights and democracy and Kinijit Waterloo for “infringing the plaintiff’s rights in the Kinijit design trade-mark.” From the little information this blogger has, it looks like the plaintiff is on Hailu Shawel’s side while the defendants are on the side of Berhanu Nega and Co ...
Ethiopia-Oromia: Oromos suspected of having OLF links await trial
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - September 17, 2007
Eight named Oromo Ethiopians and allegedly more ethnic Oromos suspected of having links with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) remain in prison despite international attempts to persuade the regional government to take legal actions.
Most of the prisoners were arrested in August and some were working for the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) branch in Nekemte town, Oromia Regional state. Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is an illegal organization in Ethiopia, though some opposition parliamentarians claim such information is not available for the rural Oromo population in Ethiopia. Bulcha Demeksa of the opposition party Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) argued there are no recognized and written laws stating what organization is illegal in Ethiopia and for what reasons ...
Africa's rebels take to tranquil Eritrea capital
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - September 16, 2007
They're all around me. In cafes sipping sweetened tea, walking down the Eritrean capital's tree-lined boulevards, or in a local fair.
Rebels are in Asmara, and they're everywhere you go.
From Sudan to Somalia, insurgents have descended on tranquil Asmara, some looking to overthrow governments, some looking for change, but all seeing Eritrea as a home-from-home.
As I sit in a caf drinking a cappuccino before meeting two Sudanese ex-rebels for lunch, some former Somali dissident lawmakers pass by in a taxi driven by an aging Eritrean.
Many taxi drivers in Eritrea are ex-rebel fighters themselves, and I wonder if the Somalis think that in a decade they will lead peaceful lives like him.
You never know who you're going to meet in Eritrea ...
On Ethiopian Millennium celebrations: reflections of a Southerner
Sudan Tribune, Sudan - September 15, 2007
In a lackluster speech celebrating the dawning of the new millennium, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi categorized Ethiopia’s past into two --- the first one thousand years in which Ethiopia was a rising superpower and the second one in which it took a nose dive. In the same breath Meles Zenawi declared that, thanks to his “wise leadership”, the downward slide has been arrested and that in the new millennium Ethiopia’s lost glory will be restored.
Listening to the speech two implications come to mind. One is obvious and the other one is a bit subtle. Let me start with the obvious one first. Meles Zenawi wants to be remembered as the great leader who stood firmly at a crucial historical juncture to halt Ethiopia’s downward spiral and launch the country’s ascendance towards a glorious future. This desire to be seen as Mr. Nice Guy and a towering figure is also evident from his recent Time interview.
Ethiopian leaders are known for their lofty, albeit empty, statements of vision. Even more so as they approach their demise. Haile Selassie billed himself as the great modernizer. Mengistu craved to be the great revolutionary hero who single-handedly, not to mention out of scratch, built “the only proud socialist country in Africa”--- “be Afrika bichanyawaa genaanaa sooshalist hager”. Holding a big vision, even if only a slogan is one thing. All kinds of human and material resources are unwisely expended in the service of these grand goals ...
Challenges Facing the OLF: A Call for Action
Ayyaantuu Oromiyaa Portal - Sep 13, 2007
By Siddise Abbamagal
Since its establishment in 1973, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has been leading a multifaceted struggle against tyranny, oppression and prejudice unleashed against the Oromo people by Ethiopian imperial state. Through its pragmatic political program and dedication of its members, the organization has not just won the hearts and minds of the Oromo people; it has also fundamentally changed the socio-political landscape of the Eastern African region. Through out these long years of struggle, OLF has gone through several crisis triggered by internal and external factors. Most of the internal factors that precipitated the crisis have been caused by continuous "factionalization" of the leadership that hampered a smooth and decisive march towards achieving its stated objectives.
In these writers' views, currently, as it happened in the past, the OLF is facing some serious challenges that are shaking the confidence of the Oromo people as well as the international community that awaits to see a better change in the region. This challenge, this writer believes, primarily resulted from "inactive" or "dormant" conditions of the organization and its inability to score palpable political and military gains. This dormancy and lack of practical action has sent a chilling effect among the Oromo populace while it has led the international community to undermine OLF's commitment to its stated goals ...
Ethiopia-Oromia: 17765 prisoners pardoned; critics dispute the terms
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - Sep 12, 2007
According to government sources, almost 18,000 prisoners were released before the millennium celebrations in Ethiopia. The ministry of information says pardon requested were processed via thorough procedures; including thru the Federal pardon Board before the releases. Most were inmates serving prison terms after being convicted of rape, murder, armed robbery and other criminal offenses.
The numbers from regional states were 6,942 prisoners from Oromia, 4,995 from the Southern state, 3,108 prisoners from Amhara state, 1,800 prisoners from Tigray state, 458 prisoners from Benishangul Gumuz state, 60 from Harari, 19 from Gambella and 383 from federal prisons. Even though the government said 35 of the released were members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), critics from the region say there were no OLF members freed. Unconfirmed sources claim that government statements that there were political prisoners among the released were false ...
Preventing the next Darfur
Ethiomedia - September 8, 2007
A Press Release by the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy
A call for action to halt the unfolding crisis in the Ogaden
In 2004, memorial ceremonies for the victims of the Rwandan genocide caused the world to begin to awaken to the slaughter of innocent civilians in Darfur. “Never again,” became the rallying cry for a movement to save Darfur.
Tragically, today, even as the world community unites to end the killing in Darfur, policymakers are ignoring a new Darfur, a spreading conflict in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia that could become the spark that enflames all of Ethiopia.
The Alliance for Democracy and Freedom (AFD), therefore, calls on the international community to act now to halt human rights abuses in the Ogaden -- and before it is too late to prevent the next Darfur.
In recent weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRS), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Human Rights Watch and the New York Times have all reported that Ethiopian government soldiers have forced thousands of civilians in the Ogaden to abandon their homes. Whole villages and food stocks have been torched by government soldiers. Civilians refusing to leave their homes and villages have been tortured, raped and killed. In direct violation of international humanitarian law, the Ethiopian government has used food as a weapon in its military campaign against the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The government has blocked humanitarian agencies from providing food, medicine and other assistance to civilians in the region. And it has arrested and expelled the few journalists who have tried to report on the human toll of the Ethiopian government’s desperate efforts to crush democratic opposition in the region ...
Abyssinian millennium celebration is an austere reminder of colonial devastation of Oromia
Mana Oromo Swiss - September 7, 2007
A Press Release by the Oromo Liberation Front
The arrogant dictatorial regime of Ethiopia has been busy drumming up a lavish celebration to be held on 12th September 2007 in the name of “Ethiopian Millennium”. Ethiopia is the only country to celebrate the millennium 8 years after the rest of the world, claiming to be a “unique country with its own calendar”. This is notwithstanding the fact that all other countries of the world that follow the Gregorian calendar or otherwise celebrated the new millennium in unison 8 years ago, an event which united the entire world except Ethiopia. Like its predecessors, the current Ethiopian regime is also keeping the dying Empire and the people imprisoned in it in complete isolation from the rest of the world. The regime orchestrates this so called millennium celebration to divert attention from its appalling human rights abuses and take advantage of the occasion to commit further acts of violence and terror on innocent civilians in the name of safeguarding security. It is also reminiscent of Hailesilasse’s jubilee celebration during 1974 and Mengistu’s 10th year anniversary of victory in 1984, both being at the height of critical times of famine in the Empire.
This “Ethiopian Millennium” in particular has a painful symbolic meaning for the Oromo as well as other people colonized by Abyssinia. The Abyssinian calendar has brought nothing for the Oromo but isolation from progress the world has made since Oromia had lost her sovereignty ...
Ethiopians Gripe About Millennium Party
The Associated Press - September 7, 2007
As Ethiopia prepares to celebrate the third millennium, the most popular joke in the capital goes like this: How do you say "millennium" in Amharic?
The pun of an answer — "menem yellum," which means "there is nothing" — sums up how many people here feel about the festivities to mark the third millennium, which begins after midnight Tuesday according to Ethiopia's Coptic calendar.
With the schedule of events changing and security concerns in the capital, many Ethiopians say the celebrations — which include a concert with tickets that cost what an average Ethiopian earns in two months at nearly $170 — are beyond their reach.
The Black Eyed Peas, an American hip-hop act, will perform Tuesday night at a new, $20 million temporary exhibition hall built by Ethiopia's richest man, and the Hilton hotel will host a $100-and-up gala.
"The millennium, it's nothing for me," said Mulugeta Demssie, 23, a taxi driver, who said he thought the concert should be free, or at least cheaper.
"Because I don't have money, I can't enjoy it" ...
Kenya: The Eastern Region That the Country Has Forgotten
AllAfrica.com, Washington - September 7, 2007
The Upper Eastern region covers the three districts of Marsabit, Isiolo and Moyale.
This is where majority of the groups that speak Cushitic Oromo dialects live. They are Borana, Gabra, Rendille, Turkana, Samburu, Meru (in Isiolo), Burji, Dessanetch and El Molo, among others.
The region has one of the highest concentration of diverse ethnic groups with pastoralist backgrounds. It is arid and semi-arid and has a long history of neglect and underdevelopment. Despite the problems, the loud silence from the region, especially at this time when political drums are beating, is astounding.
Politics and development are two sides of the same coin. People or regions that make the loudest noise about neglected and threaten the ruling elite with withdrawal of support are listened to. The irony is that in Upper Eastern, this is not happening. It is as if leaders wait for development manna to drop from the skies of Marsabit, Isiolo and Moyale.
Those clamouring for presidential votes are traversing the country in search of support. They do not care about Upper Eastern. They believe that western Kenya, eastern or the coastal votes are more valuable than the 'few scattered' pastoralist votes.
Thus the election is about votes and not people and how best to improve their lives. Of course, the big players will go to Upper Eastern after they have covered the 'core' areas ...
Ethiopia Detains Oromo Opposition Members
Voice of America - September 6, 2007
The Ethiopian government has confirmed the detention of scores of citizens suspected of involvement in a regional insurgent movement. From the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports opposition lawmakers and human rights activists are calling the detentions illegal.
A senior Ethiopian government official confirmed to VOA that an unspecified number of persons described as 'operatives of the Oromo Liberation Front' have been detained by authorities in recent weeks.
Bereket Simon, a top adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said "the government has an obligation to put these people under control."
The official's comments were in response to charges by a prominent Member of Parliament from the Oromia region that at least 107 people, and probably many more, are being held illegally by authorities without charge.
Bulcha Demeksa, a lawmaker from the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement party, said some of the detainees have been held for weeks ...
Millennium, a Disguise for Human Right Abuse
Gubirmans Publishing - September 2007
By Ibsaa Guutama
It was in 1980 that many Oromo nationals were rounded up and taken to Minilik’s Grand Palace. The Grand Palace had the Grand Hall where imperial feasts were given and where graduation ceremonies and appointments were made. In front of it was a large parking lot for dignitaries that come to the Grand Hall occasions. Under the parking lot was a grave like underground structure. Darg’s ceremonies start with chanting slogans and throwing left arm with clenched feast into the air. One of such slogans was “We shall build our party on the grave of antirevolutionary”. Oromo Nationals were taken directly to the torture chamber at a time when Darg was celebrating the formation of Commission to Organize the Party of the Working People of Ethiopia (COPWE) in the Grand Hall. True to their slogan underneath, Oromo were in the process of death from torture.
World socialists and so many others congratulated the Darg on its success. That success was success in putting the Oromo under full control and averting the alleged menace they were to cause. The same people and governments looked the other way consciously when millions were being devastated by the great famine of 1984 as many did to that of the sixties. As it was said history repeats itself, but how many times should it repeat itself before the Oromo is able to defend itself? Every regime that has come and gone had always something to celebrate on the grave of Oromo nationals that lived with their conscience. Like during the other regimes still hunger and decease is destroying the population. Oromiyaa that had rarely suffered from famine has now been the major beggar for food ...
OFDM - ONC: “free Oromo prisoners”
Jimma Times - September 5, 2007
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In light of the approaching millennium celebrations, some of the Oromo-led opposition parties have demanded the immediate release of all Oromo prisoners in Ethiopia. Bulcha Demeksa of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) says the situation should be solved quickly and Ethiopia carrying her historical burden with her towards the new millennium would be detrimental.
Mr. Bulcha continued by stating that “after inspecting and listing the names of prisoners and how they got imprisoned, we have come up with 107 names.” The document included the location where they were arrested, the name of their current prison as well as the profession of all detainees.” According to him, some of his party’s supporters were also imprisoned after July 14, 1999 E.C, with most of them being in Oromia state.
On his part, Dr. Merera Gudina, the chairman of Oromo National Congress (ONC) stated that he knows of one person who was charged but “hundreds” of others are just “imprisoned, beaten, suffering and simply being freed by the court without any charges" ...
Ethiopia detains 107 people over the past 2 months
USA Today - September 5, 2007
Ethiopia has detained 107 of its citizens over the past two months without charge, according to an opposition lawmaker who said he believed the detainees were suspected of links to a southern insurgency.
Opposition lawmaker Bulcha Demeksa said Wednesday he had compiled the figure of those detained since July in Addis Ababa and southern Ethiopia from reports from family members.
Ethiopian law provides that any one arrested should appear in court within 48 hours and be charged.
Federal police officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday and repeated calls to other government officials went unanswered.
Bulcha said his total of 107 included three staff members of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council in Nekemte, 220 kilometers (137 miles) west of the capital, that the council said were arrested on Aug. 23 and had not been taken to court since ...
Update: Check out the new look of the Gadaa.com Video Playlist. A disclaimer has also been added to clarify the position of Gadaa.com on embedded videos acquired from YouTube or Google.
This Week in Oromo History (Week of September 3rd) - Remembering Elemoo Qilxuu:
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The Oromo guerrilla activities in Charchar mountains created a great deal of fear among the naftanya and junta circles in the early days of September 1974. The government deployed a special force in the area where the guerrillas were operating and carried out mass genocide on an innocent civilian population. The guerrilla leader, Hassen Ibrahim, popularly known by his name De Geurre - Elemo Qilixxu - was martyred on September 5, 1974. He and his comrades died for the self-determination of Oromia, which still motivates millions of Oromo. READ more Oromo history at the Oromo Chronology @ Gadaa.com.
Ethiopia rights group says government has detained activists
AFP - September 5, 2007
A human rights organisation in Ethiopia said Wednesday that the government has been holding three of its members without charge for more than two weeks in the west of the country.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) said three members of its branch in Nekemte, 220 kilometres (135 miles) west of Addis Ababa, were detained on August 23 after police came to search their homes.
"Three of our members in Nekemte have been detained without an arrest warrant for 16 days," Tesfaye Desalegn, the group's public relations officer, told AFP.
"They were looking for arms and papers they claimed were used to incite violence, but even though nothing was found, they haven't released or tried them yet," he added.
Regional security officials have not responded to appeals, he added.
In a statement, the group urged the government to either release the three or press charges against them.
Nekemte lies in the Oromo region, where rebels have been battling the government for years ...
Eritrea's 'secret' architecture: Modernist gems survive in Africa
AFP - September 5, 2007
With soaring concrete wings that mimic the shape of an airplane, the Fiat Tagliero garage built in 1938 in the Eritrean capital is one of the most unusual petrol stations in the world.
Architectural critics hail the filling station with its 18-metre (60-foot) concrete projections as one of the most remarkable surviving examples of the Futurist style.
But in Asmara, it is only one of many extraordinary structures.
Frustrated avant-garde architects from an architecturally conservative early 20th-century Europe used Asmara to experiment with radical new designs.
They left a legacy valued by Eritreans and by experts worldwide, but lesser known outside this little-visited country whose image is overshadowed by its 30-year liberation struggle from arch-foe Ethiopia.
"Visually, time seems to stand still here," said photographer Stefan Boness whose book "Asmara, The Frozen City," captures many of the city's architectural gems ...
Millennium for Whom?
The Oromo Network - September 4, 2007
By Kallacha Dubbi
Historically, there are two main versions of Christian calendars - Julian and Gregorian. Both are religious by origin. According to the Julian calendar, it will soon be 2000 years since the birth of Christ. On the other hand, followers of the Gregorian calendar calculate that it has been 2007 years since Christ was born. Other religions and civilizations have their own calendars. For instance, in Islamic calendar, the Higira, today is Sha'ban 20, 1824. As another example, I will briefly introduce the Oromo calendar below.
In an eerie twist of irony, in just over a week, on the same day when USA commemorates the 9-11 victims, Ethiopia will celebrate a Julian millennium. This celebration comes about seven years after the rest of the world celebrated Y2K. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government has already invested more cash on this single event than the Derg, annually celebrating its own rise to power, or Haile Sellasie celebrating his infamous birthdays while the people starved to death, literally. In this country, there is fondness to self-celebration without backing it with success of any sort. There is also a short memory to history; those who condemned the lavish birthday parties of Haile Sellasie and used this impropriety to rise to power later started more lavishly celebrating their own rise to power. And those who condemned the Derg for celebrating its murderous rise to power are now doing their own celebrations with even more glamour and cost. 16 giant LED screens have arrived from China and I also read that artist Beyonce will lead the New Year's concert with pop-star Janet Jackson and rapper 50 Cent. Lavish indeed for a country that ranks 170 out of 177 in the United Nations Human Development Index. However, whether or not this millennium is a travesty or worthy event, whether or not this indeed is a good investment of the poor taxpayer's money should generate an interesting debate which I am sure will be instructive. For now, let us focus more on the use of the calendar ...
Humanitarian crisis hits Ethiopia
Guardian Unlimited, UK - September 4, 2007
A humanitarian crisis has developed in Ethiopia's remote Ogaden region, where government forces are trying to quell a rebel insurgency, according to a leading international aid agencyMédecins Sans Frontières said 400,000 people, including thousands forcibly displaced when their villages were burned down, had little or no access to medicine due to a government-installed blockade.
MSF said that following an exploratory mission to Ogaden in July which revealed a "deeply precarious situation", repeated requests to work in the worst hit areas have been denied by both regional authorities and the government in Addis Abada.
"We were told that we could only begin work once 'operations' were finished," said Loris De Filippi, Ethiopia coordinator for MSF. "We said that humanitarian aid is not about putting flowers on graves, but they just ignored us" ...
We expect OLF to act accordingly
Oduu.com - September 3, 2007
A Statement by the Oromo Movement for Federalism and Ethiopian Unity
These days we are witnessing the renewed interest of leaders of both Ethiopia and Eritrea to talk about internal affairs of each other's countries for the reasons we are doomed to only speculate from distance and nothing beyond. Like it is on many other national issues at present, except their cronies, other Ethiopians can only be strangers to matters pertaining to their own country. However, different persons have tried to give different interpretations departing from their own perceptions though undercutting each other's constituencies in an effort to advance their respective own agendas appears to be a single point of concurrence.
Our interest today is not to get deep into digging what underlying reasons could be there behind this political somersault on both sides, but rather to request OLF to come forward and try to decipher the riddle for us that it seems to have found itself in as a result. We are putting this request because we consider OLF to be accountable to its wider constituency so long as it is the largest and the leading Oromo organization and on the pretext of whose name thousands of our people are being harassed today ...
Ethiopia sets insignificant minimum wage, pension rise
Afrique en ligne, France - September 3, 2007
In response to public outcry against the rising inflationary pressure, the Ethiopian government has raised the minimum wage and pension for public servants, saying it has allocated 2.2 billion birr (approximately US$243.6 million) to be paid out in the current financial year.
A statement issued by Finance and Economic Development Minister Sufian Ahmed said the government's decision to increase the wages aimed at stabilising the sudden rise in the cost of living in Ethiopia.
Under what the government explains as a corrective measure to deal with the rising cost of living, the monthly minimum wage is now set at 320 birr compared to 235 birr in the past while the minimum pension has been upped from 100 birr to 160 birr per month. (US$1=9.03birr) ...
Ethiopia rebels declare cease-fire during UN visit
International Herald Tribune, France - September 2, 2007
Rebels in Ethiopia's volatile east declared a unilateral cease-fire Sunday so the United Nations can investigate their claims of human rights abuses in the region.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels, ethnic Somalis who have been fighting the government for more than a decade, said they will only defend themselves if attacked.
"We want to give every hand to the U.N. mission so that the Ethiopian government does not find an excuse to interfere, so that they (the U.N.) can do a thorough investigation about what's happening in the Ogaden," Abdulrahman Mahdi, spokesman for the ONLF, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Ethiopian officials could not immediately be reached for comment ...
Ethiopia’s Millennium Commemoration, a day of sorrow for the Oromo People
Sudan Tribune, Sudan - September 2, 2007
A statement by Oromo Parliamentarians Council
The TPLF/EPRDF regime who boasts to have brought a good governance to the peoples of Ethiopia has discriminately left Oromo prisoners in jail and arresting many more while many non-Oromo prisoners are being released. What is more disturbing is that the regime is constantly harassing the rest of the Oromo people by the name of celebrating the so-called Ethiopian millennium to be celebrated on September 1, 2000 Ethiopian Calendar.
The year 2007 however, is a year of sorrow and grief for the Oromo people because it is the year where:
• Over 40, 000 Oromos are suffering of torture in Ethiopian prisons such as Kaliti, Maikelawi, Zeway, Nekemte, Dhidheessaa, Harar Jaarsoo, Mekele, Adwa, Bure, Zaraba Gidaf, Gimbi, Robe;
• Several Oromos are killed in prisons and their bodies are thrown to the jungles such as Gaara Suufii and eaten by wild animals;
• Oromo students have been dismissed from schools and became a burden to their families for the sole reason of expressing their concern for their suffering people ...
Jamal holds on to take 1500 metres gold
Reuters India, India - September 2, 2007
Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal held on to claim her first world championship title with victory in a close-fought 1,500 metres final on Sunday.
The Ethiopian-born runner struck for home with 300 metres to go but Russian Yelena Soboleva stayed with her and Jamal needed every ounce of strength to hold her lead, crossing the line for gold in three minutes 58.75 seconds.
"I am extremely happy," the 22-year-old, who was born Zenebech Tola Eth, told reporters.
"This makes up for Helsinki when I was in good shape but I was pushed (and finished fifth). I'm certain if that hadn't happened, even if I hadn't won, I would have medalled."
Unlike many of the other African athletes who have flocked to represent Arabian Gulf states, Jamal turned to Bahrain only after being refused citizenship by Switzerland, where she had claimed political asylum.
"This will give me a lot of confidence for the Olympics," she added ...
Flawless Defar takes 5000m gold
AFP - September 1, 2007
Ethiopia's Olympic champion Meseret Defar timed her run to perfection to win her first world title in the women's 5,000 metres on Saturday.
The world record holder stalked the front runner for most of the race before sprinting clear with 200 metres to go, finishing in a slow 14 minutes 57.91 seconds.
Vivian Cheruiyot took silver in 14:58.50 with team-mate Priscah Jepleting Cherono winning the all-Kenyan dash for bronze in 14:59.21.
Defar was ecstatic with the win after finishing behind great rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who pulled out with stomach pains, two years ago, and failing to qualify for the final in 2003.
"Finally I'm the world champion. My tactics were to wait until the last two laps and then start my finish," Defar said.
"I am the champion and that's great. In Beijing (Olympics) I will run the 5,000m and maybe in future I will try the 10,000m."
The 23-year-old Defar, who set the world record 14:16.63 just two months ago, was the hot favourite after Dibaba's withdrawal ...
Eritrea warns Ethiopia over border feud
AFP - September 1, 2007
Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki has said arch-enemy Ethiopia must implement a border ruling or risk sparking a "new crisis", state-media reported Saturday.
Issaias' comments come as a UN-appointed border commission, due to close in two months, attempts to broker a last-ditch deal between the two sides, still at odds following their bloody 1998-2000 border war.
"Provided the implementation of the ruling is carried out in its legality, there would be no issue for new crisis between the two countries," Issaias said, according to a statement in the government's Eritrea Profile newspaper ...
Ethiopia 'blocking MSF in Ogaden'
BBC News, UK - September 1, 2007
International aid agency Medecins Sans Frontiers has accused Ethiopia of denying it access to the country's eastern Ogaden region.
The barren region has recently been the scene of a fierce conflict between government troops and rebel forces.
The exclusion follows an order to the Red Cross to stop operations in Ogaden.
The rebels accuse the government of imposing a blockade and creating what they described as a man-made famine. Ethiopia denies imposing no-go zones ...
Insight into the Oromo Unity: an Inherited Construct
Gubirmans Publishing - August 31, 2007
| Ibsaa Guutama is a member of the generation that drew the first Political Program of the OLF. |
By Ibsaa Guutama
Oromo is a nation with one country, one language, one kaayyoo, one root, one history, similar life outlook, common source of subjugation, similar love for freedom and one cultural gene to claim. All were robbed off their land and themselves also turned into property of the invader. They were looked down upon and humiliated by forces from the same source and their cohorts. To be respected it is imperative to be independent. To rely on aliens with conflicting interest with the Oromo and to be dependent will be to elongate the life of humiliation. Oromo struggle is not expected only to stand against oppressive colonial rule but also find solution for the rampant disease, famine, poverty, illiteracy and slavery. Its vanguard organization the OLF is not yet up to expectations. But nobody can deny that it has paid great sacrifice and contributed to the development of Oromo national consciousness and has the potential of transforming itself to a strong force that can achieve the goal it is created for ... READ MORE
Jamal leads women into 1500m final
Khaleej Times, UAE - August 31, 2007
Ethiopian-born Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain produced a strong final sprint to win her 1,500-metre semi-final in the quest for gold at the World Athletics Championships on Friday.
The 22-year-old Asian Games champion, one of only two women in the world to duck under four minutes this year, took the lead around the final bend to clock 4min 14.86sec and easily qualify for Sunday’s final.
Jamal, formerly Zenebach Tola, is aiming to break the Russian dominance of this event ...
Ethiopia to kick beggars off street for Millennium
Reuters - August 30, 2007
Ethiopia will try to remove tens of thousands of beggars from the streets of Addis Ababa to create a more "conducive" atmosphere for coming Millennium celebrations, city officials said on Thursday.
Still using the Julian calendar, abandoned by the West in the 16th century, Ethiopia enters its new millennium on September 12 with a huge concert expected to draw hundreds of thousands of partygoers and international celebrities.
"Addis Ababa city administration has passed a directive that bans begging on major streets, plus sale and movement of animals, to improve the city's image and create a conducive atmosphere for guests coming to the Millennium celebration," a City Council statement said.
Official statistics show some 90,000 beggars live on the streets of the capital, home to 5 million people and headquarters of the African Union. Many beggars are war veterans and are viewed sympathetically by most Ethiopians.
One local non-governmental organization has been given $100,000 from the government to help return beggars who have migrated from the regions, aid sources said.
The council directive also orders residents along main streets to spruce up their houses in the highland city ...
Exile at all costs for many young
France24, France - August 30, 2007
Sitting side-saddle on the back of a moto-taxi whizzing through the Ugandan capital, Zelalem breathes in lungfulls of freedom after parting with most of his savings and risking his life to sneak out of his native Eritrea.
"I want to be able to make plans and choose my own life," says the 27-year-old.
His perilous flight from Eritrea started with a 2,000-dollar (1,500-euro) fee. It was paid to a smuggler who spirited him through the border with Sudan, a huge sum for Zelalem who earned around 100 dollars a month as a bank employee in one of the world's poorest countries, still recovering after long years of war.
He remembers every minute of his terrifying journey out of Eritrea, hidden in the back of a pick-up van driven at breakneck speed by the smuggler. "It was going so fast that it felt like we were flying."
Zelalem, who requested to use a pseudonym, was not allowed a suitcase and had only a few hours to bid farewell to his country, knowing he may never see it again.
"I didn't tell my mum when I left. She would have worried," he recalls.
Eritrea -- one of the most hermetic countries in the world -- imposes heavy punishment on any of its nationals who attempt to leave the territory illegally ...
Hot Defar step ahead of 5000 pack
The Daily Yomiuri, Japan - August 29, 2007
Going through the motions. That's about the best way to describe Olympic champion Meseret Defar's journey to the 5,000 meters final at the IAAF world championships.
Biding her time in a lead pack of seven runners in a dawdling tactical race, there was never any doubt that the 23-year-old Ethiopian would take one of the five automatic qualifying spots. With 300 meters to go, she decided to kick to the victory anyway, reaching the line in 15 minutes 10.13 seconds in the second of two semifinal heats.
Sounding almost apologetic for a woman who's added three world records to her resume this year, Defar said, "It's very hot and humid, and a little bit difficult to run a fast race." Not that it mattered in the least.
While 10,000-meter champion Tirunesh Dibaba's decision to not defend her title over the shorter distance robbed Saturday evening's final of some pre-race hype, in truth, she'd have had little chance against Defar if not 100 percent fit. Defar is simply that good.
Last June in Oslo, Defar clocked 14:16.63 over the distance, demolishing her own one-year-old record by nearly eight seconds, and last winter, set world records indoors for two miles and 5,000 meters. She's run 14:30.18 or better four times; no one else has ever run that fast twice, and no one, besides Dibaba at her best, has a finishing kick as vicious as Defar's ...
Tribal fighters clash in Kenya Independent Online, South Africa - August 28, 2007
Kenyan tribal fighters on Tuesday killed two people and wounded four others in the country's volatile northern region, an official said.
Turkana militiamen attacked Borana rivals in Marsabit district, 430km north-east of the capital, killing two and stealing a large number of livestock, said local administrator Olo Orage.
In 2005, clan militia attacked a village in the same district and killed 80 people, part of a deadly scramble for water and pasture aggravated by the dry season towards end of the year ...
IOYA announces winners of the 2007 Nadhii Gammadaa Essay Contest IOYA - August 2007
The International Oromo Youth Association executive team would like to thank those who participated in the 2007 Nadhii Gammadaa Essay Contest. Without further due, the IOYA executive team would like to congratulate Zulayfa Tufa of Melbourne, Australia for winning this year's competition. Also the team would like to congratulate Aisha Ali of Melbourne, Australia for the runner-up, and Samiya Kalid of Columbus, Ohio for the third place finish ...
Read the winning essays: 1st place winner 2nd place winner 3rd place winner
Bekele claims 10000m title treble
CNN - August 27, 2007
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele powered to his third successive 10,000 meters world title with a pulsating victory on Monday.
Bekele blew past countryman Sileshi Sihine coming around the final bend and accelerated clear, crossing himself as he hit the finish line in 27 minutes 5.90 seconds.
The Olympic champion had time to blow kisses to the crowd in Osaka before turning around to see perennial bridesmaid Sihine come home to take silver again in 27:09.03.
Kenya's Martin Irungu Mathathi took bronze in 27:12.17. "I was very confident I would be the strongest," Bekele told reporters after moving to within one world championship gold of Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie.
"The next goal is next year's Beijing Olympics. Between now and then maybe I will break some world records" ...
Political Violence and Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia
United States Institute of Peace - August 2007
Click here to read the Special Report
A Special Report sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) asserts that the Oromo people are "significantly underrepresented" even though they are the largest constituents in Ethiopia and are subjected to political harassment by State security forces.
"With the OLF now banned, Oromo citizens have few alternative channels to influence Ethiopian politics. State security forces have repeatedly harassed and subjected them to increasing political violence over the past fifteen years. Although rural Oromo voters are by far the largest bloc of voters, their aspirations and concerns were significantly underrepresented in the 2005 election. With only the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo National Congress (ONC) taking up their political concerns, including harsh local administration in rural areas, Oromo concerns continued to be ignored. And the political crisis following the elections has been primarily an EPRDF-CUD dispute, reflecting both parties’ lack of concern about Oromo issues" ...
Dibaba retains 10000m title after miracle recovery
Guardian Unlimited, UK - August 25, 2007
Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba made an astonishing recovery to become the first woman to defend her world championship 10,000 metres title on Saturday.
Dibaba had contemplated pulling out of the race after complaining of crippling stomach pains before taking her place on the starting line.
She was then left languishing at the back of the field after being accidentally tripped on lap 13 but stormed back in draining humidity to win in a time of 31 minutes 55.41 seconds.
Turkey's Elvan Abeylegesse took silver in 31:59.40 with American Kara Goucher finishing strongly in a bruising race to claim bronze in 32:02.05.
"That was the hardest race of my life," Dibaba told reporters. "I had terrible stomach pain and then I was so far back I thought it would be impossible to come back.
"But I did it for my country. I was struggling but I told myself to hang in. I didn't want to let down the people back home in Ethiopia."
Dibaba, who became the first woman to win the 5,000 and 10,000 double at the same world championship two years ago in Helsinki, had looked out of the race after her stumble ...
Oromo political prisoners constitute 85% of Qaallitti inmates
Oromo Affairs Blog - August 24, 2007
Three Ethiopian journalists recently freed from Qaallitti prison have escaped to Nairobi, Kenya where they gave interviews to the Washington Post Foreign Service (WP). According to WP:
“The journalists estimated that perhaps 85 percent of the inmates were political prisoners from Oromia.”
"There was a 90-year-old man and an 86-year-old man," said one journalist. "One had been there for 12 years, the other for eight years, and they were still waiting for a trial. The 86-year-old had scars all over his body from being beaten. If you heard their story, you would not think you are living in the 21st century." (Read WP report HERE) ...
Mottram not so hot, says rival
SBS - World News Australia, Australia - August 23, 2007
Ethiopian distance king Kenenisa Bekele has taken a swipe at rival Australian champion Craig Mottram, saying he is not as strong as people make out.
His comments reveal Bekele is still rankled by his Australian challenger beating him over 5,000 metres at the World Cup final in Athens's Olympic Stadium in March.
Bekele had been expected to sprint clear from the field but instead it was Mottram who produced the rapid finish.
The Ethiopian bounced back to beat Mottram over 3,000m at the British Grand Prix in Sheffield, northern England, in July.
"Everyone talked about him. Everyone referred to the defeat in Athens as a major event and he was given a lot of publicity as the man to have beaten Kenenisa," Bekele said on the eve of the world championships here.
"I ran in Sheffield specifically to test myself against Mottram. I found out that there really was never a competition between us.
"The only reason he beat me in Athens was because I was jetlagged, tired, and had run too much in the season" ...
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