Category Archives: Ethiopia

The 5th edition of ‘Africa Business Forum’ to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 10 million views will join Africa’s largest network of CEO’s

Leave a reply

from: News Release – APO
date: Mon, Jan 9, 2017 at 3:00 AM

PRESS RELEASE

A global community of 10,000 professionals, 20,000 registered international companies, 60,000 social media followers. 10 million views join Africa’s largest network of CEO’s

The panel topics at the 5th Africa Business Forum represent the areas of Finance & Capital Investment, ICT, Agriculture & Mining, Power & Energy, Consumer Goods & General Trade, Logistics & Aviation, Infrastructure, Tourism, Hospitality & Real Estate, Manufacturing and all related industries

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, January 9, 2017/ — The 5th edition of the Africa Business Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will be held for the Second time in Ethiopia on the 1st of March 2017 in the 5 star Sheraton Hotel, under the Patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi, one of the largest investors in Africa, Forbes ranked billionaire and Ethiopia’s biggest employer. Prior to the conference, the AfricaBusinessForum(dot)com (www.AfricaBusinessForum.com) B2B Investment Meeting will be held on the 25th January 2017 at the Dubai World Trade Center Tower, to welcome potential investors to Africa.

Since its creation in 2014, The Africa Business Forum has become one of the most important bi-annual gatherings in Africa and the Middle East. Africa Business Forum presents an invaluable opportunity for investors to connect with clients from across industries and from around the world. An opportunity to maximize market share by building connections with African customers and partners. The conference will host distinguished panelists and speakers, including ambassadors, high government officials, business leaders, investors and CEOs. Keynote speakers and conference panelists include:

Fitsum Arega – Director General of the Ethiopian Investment Commission – Ethiopia Government.
Belachew Fikre, PhD – Deputy Commissioner – Ethiopian Investment Commission – Ethiopia Government.
Yohannes Tilahun – Former CEO to General Electric (Ethiopia) and Adviser to the commissioner at Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Zemedeneh Negatu Country Managing Partner for EY (Ernest & Young) Ethiopia, and among “The Top 15 CEOs of Africa to watch in 2015? by the London-based African Business magazine.
Johnny Muteba – CEO, Pan African Chamber of Commerce.
Craig Bridgman – Former Global Head of Investment Banking for Clarkson Capital Markets, currently Executive Chairman of East Africa Oil Field Services and Founder of Adamantine Energy and who sits on a number of advisory boards.
Seyoum Bereded – CEO Consopia Consulting Services and President of the ICT Association of Ethiopia.
And many others, check AfricaBusinessForum(dot)com for details.

“We are very excited about the level of enthusiasm we have received from speakers, sponsors and attendees for this unique conference,” said Rashed Ahmed, founder and Chairman of Africa Business Forum. “We look forward to bringing together the many business leaders and offering international companies considerable opportunities to enter and become successful in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The 5th Africa Business Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is an incredible convening center for global stakeholders and an opportunity to share perspectives on the issues facing global business and beyond.” said Rashed Ahmed.

The panel topics at the 5th Africa Business Forum represent the areas of Finance & Capital Investment, ICT, Agriculture & Mining, Power & Energy, Consumer Goods & General Trade, Logistics & Aviation, Infrastructure, Tourism, Hospitality & Real Estate, Manufacturing and all related industries.

Please go to the AfricaBusinessForum(dot)com website (www.AfricaBusinessForum.com) and view the program from the main menu.

Please address your queries and information requests to: contact@AfricaBF.com or call +97145147386 (Dubai), +251935402526 (Addis Ababa) or +442081440159 (London) for more information.

Distributed by APO on behalf of AfricaBusinessForum.com.

Ethiopia Welcomes Egypt’s Shift in Position Over Nile Row

Leave a reply

From: Abdalah Hamis

BY TESFA-ALEM TEKLE

Ethiopia on Thursday commended Egypt’s unprecedented and an official decision to peacefully resolve a long-standing dispute with Addis Ababa over a controversial power plant project known as Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

“Ethiopia strongly welcomes Egypt’s interest to re-launch talk over the GERD and solve the problem through dialogue,” spokesperson for Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dina Mufti told journalists.

“Egypt has no other option except dialogue and win-win negotiation to find a solution that is acceptable by both sides,” he added.

Egypt’s newly elected president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has recently pledged to resolve the water dispute with Ethiopia through dialogue.

Ethiopian officials said that al-Sisi is expected to pay an official visit to Ethiopia soon probably making it his first trip to a foreign nation since he assumed office in June 8.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, who attended the new president’s inaugural ceremony in Cairo, has held meeting with al-Sisi and other high ranking officials over the multi-billion dollar power plant project.

During their discussion Adhanom has reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment for cooperation with Egypt based on mutual trust and confidence.

Al-Sisi and Adhanom have also agreed to reactivate the tripartite technical dialogue between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia and harmonize existing differences by high-level political consultations.

Addis Ababa insists the $ 4.6 billion dam project won’t adversely affect Egypt and Sudan instead the downstream countries will be benefited from the cheap and renewable hydro power processed electricity it generates.

Egypt considers the massive dam project, as a threat to its water security arguing it will eventually diminish its water share.

SUDAN REAFFIRMS SUPPORT

Mean while, Sudanese vice-president, Bakri Hassan Saleh, has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the dam project which Ethiopia is building in Nile river near the Sudanese border.

Saleh who was in Addis Ababa earlier this week to attend a regional summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) made the remarks while holding talks Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

“Sudan will derive multiple benefits from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project,” Saleh said according to the state-run Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA).

SOUTH SUDAN CRISES

Saleh and Desalegn have also consulted on the 6 month old conflict in South Sudan.

While commending Ethiopia’s role to peacefully end the conflict in neighbouring South Sudan, Saleh called on Addis Ababa to continue exerting maximum efforts to bring lasting solution.

Desalegn, for his part, assured his country would remain committed to end the political crises in the youngest nation.

“Ethiopia will continue to put pressure on the South Sudanese rivals through all channels available,” said the Ethiopian premier.

Leaders of the two SPLM rival factions, President Salva Kiir and his political rival Riek Machar, on Tuesday agreed to end fighting and form a unity government within two months.

At a news conference he gave Friday, spokesperson for Ethiopia foreign ministry, Dina Mufti said IGAD member countries have been frustrated by the failure of previous deals.

He however went on to saying that the regional bloc mediating the two warring factions won’t hesitate to take action if the two sides once again violate the latest agreements.

He added peacekeeping force drawn from Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya will be deployed to end the conflict which has killed thousands since erupted in mid December last year.

Africa: Ethiopia’s Investments in Family Planning

Leave a reply

From: U.S. Department of State Remarks
Anne C. Richard
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Washington, DC
April 23, 2014

Let me start by thanking you for organizing this event.

And thank you for preparing this video. It is inspiring to see how enlightened family planning policies can transform the lives of women like Mihret who was a child bride and young mother and is now proudly helping others make their own choices about when to bear children.

I would also like to thank CSIS and Janet Fleischman and Alisha Kramer for producing this excellent report. The fact that it grew out of a bipartisan trip is encouraging. So is your astute analysis of what Ethiopia is attempting to do in the area of reproductive health, the strategies that have worked, the obstacles to be overcome, and what donors and governments, including our own can do to help.

And finally I would like to thank many of you in the audience who have dedicated your careers and lives to bringing family planning services to women who desperately need them. As Assistant Secretary, I have had the chance to witness first-hand how important this work is, and what it means to those who benefit from it. This past fall I attended the Third International Family Conference in Addis. On this trip, I toured our implementing partners’ facilities, including projects run by Pathfinder and Marie Stopes International.

I visited the home of a family involved in Pathfinder’s “model families” effort. In this program, families are encouraged to adopt 16 measures to improve the overall health of the household, such as using family planning, vaccinating children, sleeping under mosquito bed nets and building hygienic latrines. These families are then celebrated as “trendsetters” for the community so that others will copy their behavior. I also visited a Marie Stopes “Blue Star” franchise effort where pharmacists receive special training in the use of long-term contraception and sexual and reproductive health services. They then agree to provide high quality longer-term family planning methods like implants and IUDs at affordable prices, and they get to use the Blue Star logo on their clinic or pharmacy. This brings customers to them who end up also using their other services.

Ethiopia’s enlightened health policies and quest for sustainable development are incredibly important – not just for Ethiopia but as an example to other nations grappling with similar problems.

Today, we share the planet with seven billion people. We added a billion in just the past twelve years. And by 2050 there could be nine or even ten billion of us. Virtually all of this growth will occur in developing countries. Birthrates elsewhere have plummeted, but in some of the world’s poorest nations they are rising.

It would be one thing if women were simply choosing to have large families. But we know that many become pregnant as early and as often as they do because they have no means to prevent it. Globally, surveys indicate that hundreds of millions of women want to avoid getting pregnant but have no access to modern methods of contraception. The gap between what is needed and what is available is widest in sub-Saharan Africa, where according to the Guttmacher Institute, 28 percent of married women aged 15 to 49 lack access to modern and effective forms of birth control.

Young girls face the most acute unmet need. Like Mihret in the video we’ve seen, many are expected, even compelled to marry and bear children when they are still in their teens. Every year, more than 60 million girls get married before they turn 19. Throughout the developing world, less than one-third of married adolescents are using modern contraceptives, although many more want to avoid or delay pregnancy. More than two thirds of the married adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa aged 15-19 want modern contraception and do not have it.

And, I find this particularly shocking –around the world two million girls aged 10-14 give birth every year, and over 90% of these girls are married. These marriages and pregnancies can have devastating, life-long consequences. We see them as a form of gender based violence and an abuse of these girls’ human rights.

But adult women who cannot access modern contraceptives or adequate healthcare also can experience life-threatening problems. One in 22 women in sub-Saharan Africa dies during pregnancy or childbirth. That’s compared to roughly one in 6000 in wealthy countries. Babies face heightened risk as well. When mothers have babies spaced closely together, survival rates fall. These are preventable deaths.

In addition to saving lives, sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights can promote human rights, gender equality and health, economic empowerment and prosperity. Ethiopian government and health officials spoke forcefully and eloquently about this in the video. And we in the U.S. Government could not agree more.

The evidence is overwhelming. Women’s equality, empowerment, and human rights are inexorably tied to their ability to control when they bear children. And empowering women to make these decisions is one of the best ways to fight poverty. Girls who can delay pregnancies can become educated, productive, healthy adults, and raise more educated, productive, healthy children. This virtuous cycle can propel families and whole nations out of poverty. Research has provided compelling, concrete examples of how family planning unleashes economic growth. Falling fertility rates in parts of East Asia and Latin America have raised the share of the population in the workforce, driven up output, and created a so-called “demographic dividend.” A UN study has also documented the opposite: when early pregnancy truncates girls’ educations, it derails their careers, reduces their lifelong earnings and hampers their ability to invest in their children. The researchers estimate that the United States loses one percent of GDP due to adolescent pregnancy. Uganda loses 30 percent. The countries that pay the steepest price for these early pregnancies are the countries that can least afford it.

Finally, I was recently surprised to learn that simply providing family planning services to all women who want them would cut global carbon emissions by between 8 and 15 percent. That is the same reduction we would achieve by stopping all deforestation or by multiplying the world’s use of wind power by forty fold…more proof that voluntary family planning can fuel sustainable development.

Against this backdrop, what Ethiopia is attempting is all the more impressive and urgent. Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, with a high birthrate and 65 percent of its population is under the age of 30. It faces the same array of challenges that many of its neighbors do: child, early, and forced marriage and maternal mortality are far too prevalent, and the vast majority of the population is rural and poor and hard to reach. Yet Ethiopia has placed family planning at the center of its development agenda, has pioneered an effective health extension program and dedicated funds to pay health extension workers. In fact, I met one of these impressive women during my visit. It is a potent combination. In the past decade years, Ethiopia has quadrupled the use of modern contraception. Today in Ethiopia contraceptive prevalence is 28.6 percent; the government aims to more than double contraceptive prevalence to 66 percent by 2015.

And in a span of five years, Ethiopia has cut the mortality rate for children under five in half. At the same time, it has nearly doubled literacy rates, approached nearly universal primary school enrollment and strengthened education for women and girls.

Together with other these measures intended to spur entrepreneurship and improve fiscal and labor policies Ethiopia has begun to reap its own “demographic dividend.”

How is Ethiopia succeeding in this regard where others have failed? As your report notes, changing attitudes toward contraception has been key. Engaging traditional and religious leaders as allies is good. I commend the government’s willingness to invest real resources, including providing contraceptive services for free. And I also credit the government’s partnerships with organizations such as those represented in the room today. The question is whether these achievements can be replicated. Will other developing countries that face daunting immediate needs make the same critical investments and choices?

We, in the U.S. Government are committed to doing what we can to help. The United States, through the US Agency for International Development, is the largest bilateral provider of family planning assistance, providing approximately $610 million in 2013. As a global leader in support of family planning and sexual and reproductive health for nearly 50 years, the United States government has provided over $3 billion in family planning assistance and support since 2009.

With expert colleagues, the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration also works in international fora to highlight the links between family planning services and development. In planning meetings that will shape the post-2015 Development Agenda, the United States is making the case that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are essential to empowering women, eradicating extreme poverty and fostering sustainable development.

During the recent UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD) our Population team led by Margaret Pollack called on delegates to fulfill the commitments made back in Cairo in 1994 under the ICPD Program of Action: namely universal access to quality, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, education and services. Governments promised to promote and protect reproductive rights; reduce infant, child, and maternal mortality; and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls so that all individuals, and all nations, have the opportunity to realize their full potential.

Our delegation pointed out that we are not there yet. We called for an end to the scourge of violence against women and girls and to practices like as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation and cutting, and for integrated, quality sexual and reproductive health services. We stated that these should include maternal health care and access to a broad range of safe and effective modern forms of contraception. We also called for services to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS and provide access to safe abortion.

We also drew attention to the special needs of the largest-ever generation of adolescents and youth. The majority of these young people live in developing countries, have limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and crave information. They need it to help them make wise decisions about their health, now and in future.

Another priority for us is the plight of people affected by conflicts and crises. Reproductive health needs do not disappear when people are driven from their communities by conflicts or natural disasters. In fact the can become more acute. Displacement can heighten the need for contraception while raising barriers to access – both for women who cannot care for or protect newborns, and adolescents who may be torn away from family and social support structures and exposed to sexual violence and coercion.

Comprehensive family planning programs should begin as soon as a situation allows. This involves training staff, offering community education, establishing client follow-up, providing a wide range of methods, and maintaining a contraceptive supply chain system. We will continue to actively support the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and many other development and humanitarian organizations to respond to the challenges of providing predictable access to reproductive health services in crisis settings.

We also recognize that we have more to learn about what it is that women want and need from sexual and reproductive health services. To that end, we applaud Family Planning 2020’s research going beyond numbers and metrics so collectively we can improve our understanding of why some women stop using particular types of birth control. These efforts will help us to better provide the range of modern contraceptive methods individual women want, and empower them to understand, ask for and receive specific products that suit their needs. The objective is to enable an additional 120 million women and adolescent girls in the world’s poorest countries to access and use voluntary family planning information, contraceptives and services by 2020.

In closing, we know that being able to plan one’s family is pivotal. It can spell the difference between life and death, opportunity and helplessness, hope and despair. And, as Ethiopia’s government has recognized, it is one of the best weapons against poverty.

So keep doing what you’re doing. You make the case every day for why it is so important. It’s you and your organizations that are in the field who can tell the most compelling stories of people whose lives have been directly affected by our joint initiatives and programs. These stories remind us of why consistent U.S. government support for sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are so vital.

Your continued support and commitment is essential to fighting for a sustainable future – one that empowers children to grow up healthy and pursue their dreams, and help their communities and nations thrive.

Thank you.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Stay connected with the State Department:
http://www.state.gov/

Honing Uganda and Ethiopia’s silly laws

Leave a reply

From: Charles Banda

By Hama Tuma
Sometimes solutions proposed by governments are worse than the very so-called problems being tackled.
Considering the pungent cocktail of weird laws decreed out of the blue by thumb-twiddling wannabe sophist parliamentarians who only see problems from the golden palaces, villas and powerful offices they occupy and want to keep by hook or by crook, one can’t help but wonder.
When Malawi legislated its preposterous anti-public farting law a couple of years ago, many thought it was going to be the last time anyone heard of laws that questioned the intellectual capacity of African lawmakers. We were wrong.
Uganda has taken the lead, passing one irrelevant law after another, while blaming the west for its pagan, decadent and unchristian imports.

The same middle-eastern religions that travelled west and were exported to Africa, alongside slavery and later colonialism, have now become the African culture to protect, relegating our history and highly developed cultural understanding of gender to Satanism.

As Uganda’s amusing story unfolds, those with an idea of Africa’s precolonial history, wonder what went wrong.

Those irrelevant legislations began with the oppressive and archaic Victorian laws that the United Kingdom, from whence cometh those laws, has been trying to announce to Africa in many subtle ways to drop because they belong to the boom years of social Darwinism when anything aboriginal was considered unfit.

“It is now apparent that the ecological pragmatism of the so-called pagan religions […] was a great deal more realistic in terms of conservation ethics than the more intellectual monotheistic philosophies of the revealed religions,” Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband said a couple of decades ago.

But could the harm that has been done be reversed? As multiple-time Nobel Prize for Literature nominee, Milan Kundera notes: “The first steps in liquidating a people is to erase its memories”.

It is here that we realise that the brains of Africa’s current politicians have been washed to such an extent that the same Victorian laws that once sought to rid Africans of their pagan traditional ways have now been accepted as intrinsically African, warts and all.

Africans now believe half naked women and homosexual relations are western imports.

The reason behind Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s “scientific” anti-homosexuality tirade and stringent decree against what concerns an invisible, vulnerable minority is aphoristic.

Endowed with an incredible political cunning acquired by virtue of his longstanding addiction to presidency, Museveni isn’t a stranger to the opium effect of religious populism on the masses.

And after its move to effect a ban on miniskirts, Uganda – a country where the larger population basks in the luxury of poverty, bad governance and corruption from the very top – is well on its way to becoming the biggest police church.

But truth be told, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and others like him in Africa are no exceptions.

While all the world’s unusual laws (see box below) do not excuse Museveni’s vitriol against gays, Zimbabwe’s nonagenarian president Robert Mugabe will soon go six feet under or down in history as one whose attempt at owning the founding president title of his country is seen in his continued gay-bashing speeches; an attempt to discredit that country’s first president Canaan Banana, a former priest who was convicted for being gay. Repeat: a black African gay priest president.

As innocuous as they may seem, silly laws strike the most unpleasant chord when one realises that they are mostly used to foster virulent anti-democratic values.

Is it not the same religious integrity-influenced anti-gay argument that has been used to effect laws that infringe on women’s rights in Uganda?

The burning issues in Uganda and many African countries do not concern dress codes or sexual orientations and yet the rulers harp on these issues while persecuting those who dare to question corruption, bad governance, ethnic discrimination… among a plethora of real concerns.

The issue of dress codes and sexuality is what brings in the votes. It works for them. They do not go to bed on empty stomachs, why should they care about the daft ones who can’t see behind the political rhetoric?

After all, is it not widely known that to hide something from the African, all one needs to do is to hide it in a book?

It is in this light that Uganda’s anti-gay antics and banning of miniskirts become a smart farce; a reminder of the cruel regime in Addis Ababa that once argued that Ethiopians, who cannot afford three decent meals per day need, should go on a dieting regime and stop complaining about the rampant famine.

Such is the politics of irrelevance, a clever governance tactic used by Africa’s power-hungry rulers, adept at turning non-issues of no significance whatsoever into burning issues with the help of the State controlled media.

The regime in Ethiopia is an expert at this art. After blatantly stealing an election and killing hundreds, it expertly manipulates the whole situation – turning attention away from the issue at hand – by arresting so-called political dissidents and triggering a massive hue and cry from a gullible and amateurish opposition.

The main issue forgotten, the secondary concern made crucial—add a weird law to this and the whole focus of the people is hijacked to a non-issue. Voilà !

Fundamentalism

Back to the invisible minority. How many women wear miniskirts in Uganda, an African region whose women folk once proudly wore clothes that bore their chests, hips and midriffs naked, in respect of traditional values.

And who said homosexuality is an European import in that country when it is on record that one of their most remembered ancient, pre-colonial kings kept a harem of well-bred men to feed his sexual cravings?

Are these funny but extremist laws not a shortcut towards fundamentalism? Or are they different from those laws that ban women from driving or taking the same bus as men? Are they different from those that say men with moustaches are forbidden to kiss women including their wives? Are they different from those that get women whipped for allowing themselves to get raped by men so strong even ten legislators can’t fight off just one?

Nonetheless, some of Uganda’s anti-gay law bashers are a perfect example of the stinging double standards and hypocrisy on the continent.

Zenebu Tadesse, Ethiopia’s minister for women, children and youth affairs has criticised the Ugandan law despite a 15-year prison term for homosexuality in her own country, where criticising the regime’s human rights record can get the noblest of citizens thrown into the hole for up to 20 years without a warrant.

This is where Washington comes in. Despite his worsening human rights record, Museveni remains a close ally of Washington, which tolerates good allies with grotesque decrees and practices. In Ethiopia, the more the regime has turned repressive the more it has enjoyed vast international support. And Obama’s words: “we live in a world of imperfect choices” highlight a recognition of those double standards.

Can the American media honestly condemn Museveni while homosexuality remains an offence in many states?

Writing on this hypocrisy, Tracy Clarke-Flory had the following to say in her article: Sodomy laws still exist?!

“When the Indian Supreme Court this week reinstated a law banning gay sex, everyone in my liberal social circle began circulating outrage. I shared in this — and yet, I couldn’t help but wonder at the remnants here in the U.S. of attempts of doing just that. In fact, we still have laws against sodomy in several states – Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. Currently. In the year 2013. [I pause to let you pick your jaw up off the floor.] Two states — Kansas and Texas — explicitly outlaw homosexual contact. That’s right: the United States of America still has laws on the books criminalizing gay sex”.

As I wrote years ago, homophobia on the part of the repressive regimes is but a cover for “demophobia”, a rabid fear of democracy and the peoples’ demand for good, or at least tolerable, governance.

Museveni and others actually enjoy the hue and cry on the gay issue, a perfect distraction from the many tough questions and serious problems.

India, China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the Arab countries, Russia are all part of those repressive and/or corrupt governments engaged in the most politically profitable gay bashing.

My advice to budding despots is: forget the serious problems, the poverty, the lack of social services, the corruption, police and military brutality, the absence of democracy, the oppression of women, the political prisoners, the rampant torture… Just make sure your people do not have access to historical research about what the African culture was in precolonial times. Go for the most shocking legislations that hurt the most vulnerable… and just bash the gays. You’ll be loved. Amen!

Read the original article on Theafricareport.com : Honing Uganda and Ethiopia’s silly laws
http://www.theafricareport.com/Columns/honing-uganda-and-ethiopias-silly-laws.html#ixzz2v0ohTJVq
| Columns
Follow us: @theafricareport on Twitter | theafricareport on Facebook

Ethiopia Wants Ugandan Troops out of South Sudan, Warns of a Regional Conflict

Leave a reply

From: South Sudan Press

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has on Monday said that foreign troops participating in South Sudan’s conflict must withdraw from South Sudan.

Desalegn’s comment is the first direct hit from a regional player against Uganda’s military intervention and comes in time when South Sudanese opposing factions trade accusations over violation of the “cessation of hostilities” signed on the 23rd of January 2014 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

“Because of this intervention, the conflict might end up as a regional conflict because there are other interests also from other sides”, Desalegn told reporters in Addis Ababa.

Desalegn says Ethiopia wants to see all foreign forces out of South Sudan and reiterates Ethiopia’s commitment to find peaceful solution to the conflict.

“I hope for the cessation of hostilities…, Ugandan forces and all other external forces must withdraw from that area phase by phase,” he added.

The ceasefire that was signed in Ethiopia calls for the withdrawal of Uganda’s soldiers and the release of all political detainees.

But, Uganda refuses to withdraw its troops, asserting that Uganda has interests in South Sudan and that Kiir asks Museveni for military help.

Regional observers have on many occasions warned that Ugandan military involvement could intensify the conflict.

Ethiopia is the host of the IGAD-led peace talks and plays an important role in bringing the two sides on a negotiating table.

Press Releases from Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET-815 of 18 December 2013

Leave a reply

From: Abdalah Hamis

Update 1 – 19 December, 2013

Ethiopian Airlines would like to refute all unfounded speculations regarding the incident of Ethiopian flight ET-815 from Addis Ababa to Kilimanjaro of 18 December 2013. Such unfounded speculations are against international procedure and practice of incident investigation and communications.

Although Ethiopian Airlines should strictly follow the international procedures and will not make pre-judgmental statements before the incident is fully investigated by relevant and competent authorities, there was miscommunication between the control tower and the flying crew, which resulted in landing at Arusha airport. The aircraft had adequate fuel to fly to an approved alternate airport.

All passengers and crew were unharmed and have been taken to their intended destinations. The aircraft did not sustain any damage.

Ethiopian Airlines would like to apologize to its esteemed passengers for the inconveniences caused.

Ethiopia’s Grand Plans for Regional Power distribution

Leave a reply

From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

$1.26bn funding for the Ethiopia – Kenya high-voltage transmission line, due for completion in 2015

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 30, 2013/ — In recent years Ethiopia has transformed itself into a regional player, securing $1.26bn funding for the Ethiopia – Kenya high-voltage transmission line, due for completion in 2015. Once completed, the economic benefits for Ethiopia and its neighbouring economies will be felt far and wide.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/131030.png

The project is co-funded by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency and the Ethiopian and Kenyan governments, and is already resulting in valuable tenders. Construction companies should pay considerable attention to these opportunities and how this will open up the market to the private sector.

Additionally, the $289 million Ashegoda wind farm was inaugurated three days ago, contributing 120MW to Ethiopia’s national grid- further showcasing the strength of the partnership between Ethiopia and its international donor communities.

Most recently, the ground-breaking partnership with US-Icelandic firm Reykjavik Geothermal was established to build Ethiopia’s first private power project; at 1000MW, the largest geothermal facility in Africa. Totalling $4 billion private sector investment, it is projects such as these which will enable Ethiopia to tap into its vast geothermal power resources and open up the private power market.

Also in Ethiopia’s impressive project pipeline is the 6000 MW Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, potentially the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. This will be wholly funded by the Ethiopian government at a cost of $4.8 billion and scheduled for completion in 2017.

According to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia’s economy is set to maintain a growth rate of 11 percent in 2013/14 with prominent plans to upgrade infrastructure as a priority focus in its annual budget.

To support these goals, the Ministry for Energy is again supporting the second Powering Africa (http://www.poweringafrica-ethiopia.com): Ethiopia Executive Meeting in Addis (28 – 29 November 2013) where His Excellency Alemayehu Tegenu, Ethiopia’s Minister for Water and Energy and Miheret Debebe, CEO at the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) will join other stakeholders, investors and technology providers to discuss specific project tenders and the path forward. The meeting will provide direct insights on how government is working towards attracting Foreign Direct Investment and seeking tangible investor solutions in what has traditionally been a public sector dominated market.

To view the full speaker list for this event, please visit http://www.poweringafrica-ethiopia.com

Event dates: 28-29th November 2013

Event location: Radisson Blu hotel, Addis Ababa

Event website: http://www.poweringafrica-ethiopia.com

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Clarion Events.

Contact: Amy Offord – Senior Marketing Executive

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7384 8068 Email: amy.offord@energynet.co.uk

SOURCE
Clarion Events

The Third Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-III) will be held in Addis Ababa from 21 – 23 October, 2013

Leave a reply

From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)

Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology supports transformative development

The Third Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-III) will be held in Addis Ababa from 21 – 23 October, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 17, 2013/ — The need for strong weather and climate services to reduce vulnerability and promote sustainable development will be addressed by the Third Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-III) (http://www.climdev-africa.org/ccda3) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 21 – 23 October, 2013.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/amcomet.jpg

Organized by the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), under the auspices of the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme, the conference’s theme is Africa on the rise: can the opportunities from climate change spring the continent to transformative development?

The African Union and the World Meteorological Organization will co-host a side event that will identify current gaps and future needs in the provision of weather and climate services. It will also discuss a range of potential solutions through the implementation of the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services), that can positively impact the lives and livelihoods of African communities.

The side event will further discuss the need for African political leadership and cooperation to strengthen and mainstream weather and climate services into the decision-making and development planning process in key sectors such as agriculture, water resources and transport.

The African continent’s weak adaptive capacity increases its exposure to climate change and limits its ability to benefit from advances in climate science. Many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services have limited resources.

The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) (http://www.wmo.int/amcomet) provides political support to strengthen national meteorological services to enable them to perform their mandate and thus contribute to transformative development in Africa.

The Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology developed under AMCOMET and endorsed by the African Union, positions weather and climate services as essential components in poverty alleviation, disaster risk management and sustainable development efforts. The Strategy is a key component in the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Service (GFCS) (http://gfcs-climate.org) in Africa to increase the provision of user-driven climate services, especially in the priority areas of food security, water management, disaster risk reduction and health.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET).

MEDIA contact: Josiane Uwantege/ JUwantege@wmo.int or phone: +41 78 664 41 82

Notes to Editors: WMO Assistant Secretary-General Elena Manaenkova, will chair the side event. Panelists include representatives from the African Union Commission, African Development Bank, and ACPC. Hon Saviour Kasukuwere MP, Zimbabwe Minister of Environment, Water and Climate is expected to give the welcome remarks. Give date, venue, time of side event

Background:

AMCOMET: The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) (http://www.wmo.int/amcomet) was initiated in response to major challenges related to the delivery of weather and climate services in Africa. It is a permanent forum where African ministers in charge of meteorology convene every two years to provide political leadership and policy direction and advocacy in matters related to the development of meteorology and its applications, as well as its contribution to socio-economic development in Africa. AMCOMET was established in April 2010 during the First Conference of Ministers Responsible for Meteorology in Africa.

For more information, visit:

• http://www.wmo.int/amcomet
• http://africaclimateconference.org
• http://www.wmo.int
• http://www.gfcs-climate.org

SOURCE
African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET)

Ethiopian prison imposes restrictions on journalist Reeyot Alemu

Leave a reply

To: “jaluo@jaluo.com”

By Agwanda Saye

The decision by authorities at Kality Prison to impose visitor restrictions on imprisoned journalist Reeyot Alemu constitutes harassment and runs counter to the Ethiopian constitution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

"We call upon the Ethiopian authorities to lift these latest restrictions and allow Reeyot Alemu to receive all visitors," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. " She is a journalist, not a criminal, and should not be behind bars."

Reeyot, a critical columnist of the banned private weekly Feteh, began a hunger strike on Wednesday to protest an order by Kality Prison officials to turn in a list of visitors, according to local journalists and news reports. The officials did not provide an explanation for the request. In retaliation for the hunger strike, authorities forbade her from having any visitors excluding her parents and priest, local journalists said.

Two days later, prison officials said she could receive any visitors except for her younger sister and her fiancé, journalist Sileshi Hagos, the sources said. Sileshi was detained for four hours at the prison later that day when he attempted to visit Reeyot.

Reeyot stopped the hunger strike on Sunday, but decided not to receive any visitors until the restrictions on her fiancé and sister are lifted. The journalist is serving a 14-year prison term on vague terrorism charges that was reduced in August 2012 to five years on appeal.

It was not immediately clear whether the visitor restrictions were in connection with an article published by the International Women's Media Foundation last month that had been written by Reeyot. It is unclear if the journalist wrote the letter from prison or if this was a translation of an earlier story. In the article, Reeyot criticizes Ethiopia's anti-terrorism law, an overbroad legislation that was used to jail and convict her for her critical coverage of the government.

Kality Prison Director Abraham Wolde–Aregay did not respond to CPJ's calls and text messages for comment. Desalegn Teresa, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Justice, did not return CPJ's call for comment.

The denial of rights to Reeyot runs counter to the Ethiopian Constitution, which states: "All persons shall have the opportunity to communicate with, and to be visited by, their spouses or partners, relatives and friends, religious counselors, lawyers and medical practitioners."

In a December 2003 report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment stated that prisoners should be "permitted to have contact with, and receive regular visits from, their relatives, lawyers and doctors." The same report stated that "access to the outside world can only be denied on reasonable conditions and restrictions as specified by law or lawful regulations."

This is the second time in six months that the prison administration has put pressure on Reeyot, according to CPJ research. In March, officials threatened to put Reeyot in solitary confinement, according to sources close to her who spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials accused the journalist of indiscipline, according to news reports, a charge she denied.

In a report issued the same month, the United Nations Special Rapporteur determined that the rights of Reeyot under the UN Convention against Torture had been violated on account of the Ethiopian government's failure to respond to allegations of her ill-treatment. Reeyot had complained of mistreatment, and her health had deteriorated while she was held incommunicado in pre-trial detention, reports said.

Former Ethiopian state radio journalist released

Leave a reply

From: Agwanda Saye

Nairobi, July 11, 2012–A veteran Ethiopian state journalist who was twice imprisoned on vague corruption and copyright charges and recently convicted on the lesser charge was released today on account of a reduced sentence, local journalists said.

A panel of judges at the Lideta Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, sentenced Abdulsemed Mohammed, a former senior producer with government-controlled broadcaster Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA), to three and half years in prison but said he could go free on account of time already served. The judges also put Abdulsemed on probation for two years, the local journalists said.
. . .
http://cpj.org/2012/07/former-ethiopian-state-radio-journalist-released.php

ETHEOPIA: HARSH SENTENCE ON JOURNALIST CONDEMNED

Leave a reply

From: Agwanda Saye.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harsh prison sentences issued by Ethiopia’s High Court today for blogger Eskinder Nega and five independent journalists on vague and politically motivated terrorism charges.
. . .
http://cpj.org/2012/07/eskinder-nega-sentenced-to-heavy-prison-term.php#more

MEDIA TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SENTENCING OF ETHIOPIAN JOURNALIST

Leave a reply

Fordarded By Agwanda Saye

– – – – – – – – – – –

On June 21, the government of Ethiopia is due to announce a verdict in the case of local journalist and blogger, Eskinder Nega, who faces a potential life sentence on vague terrorism charges that followed his writings discussing the Arab Spring and criticizing the government’s use of terrorism legislation to jail dissidents. Since his arrest in 2011, CPJ has been closely monitoring Eskinder’s case and advocating for his release.

Regional experts from the Committee to Protect Journalists are available in New York and Nairobi for interviews on Eskinder’s case and Ethiopia’s press freedom record.

. . .

select
http://www.afrik-news.com/pressrelease9575.html
for rest of article;

Ethopia & USA: An Open Letter to President Obama About Ethiopia’s Land Lease Project

Leave a reply

From: Anuradha Mittal

An Open Letter to President Obama on the Eve of Talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at Camp David

http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/Obama_open_letter_ethiopia.pdf

Large-Scale Land Investments are Violating Human Rights and Undermine Food Security in Ethiopia

– – – – – –

May 17, 2012, Oakland, CA: On the eve of upcoming meeting at Camp David on May 19, 2012, with four African leaders to discuss food security, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the Oakland Institute and the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE), call upon President Obama to address what may be the single largest man-made contributor to food insecurity on the continent today: large-scale land investments by foreign investors.

In an Open Letter to President Obama, the Oakland Institute and SMNE are delivering a petition signed by over 8,000 supporters of the indigenous and local communities of Gambella, Ethiopia – 70,000 people in all – who are being forcibly relocated to make land available for investment in agriculture. There are plans to relocate an additional 150,000 people, most of whom are subsistence farmers who have been able, until now, to feed their families without receiving government or foreign aid over the last twenty years.

The letter points out that in addition to the many problems surrounding forced relocations and human rights abuses, the loss of ancestral lands where people farm equals the loss of their ability to feed themselves. Farmers and pastoralists are being turned into plantation workers with false promises that result in menial seasonal jobs that do not put food on the table or provide for their basic needs.

The Oakland Institute’s field research in Ethiopia revealed a grim picture of violence, coercion, and unrealized benefits by relocated communities. These findings are confirmed by Human Rights Watch’s independent study involving 100 interviews and sixteen site visits this year.

The burden of the Ethiopian government’s objective of economic growth is being borne by the indigenous and local people of Gambella and the Lower Omo Valley, where a half million will lose their lands. This is too great a cost. As Ethiopia is one of the largest recipients of US aid (more than $1 billion a year since 2007), the US bears responsibility on matters of such grave consequence. The letter cautions that something has to be done to ensure that the United States is not an unwitting partner in this current tragedy.

The Oakland Institute and Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia are urging President Obama to look beyond the charade of so-called responsible investment that will supposedly benefit all in the long run, and instead, calls for the US to reassess the terms of its support to the Ethiopian regime.

Our hope is that President Obama will take leadership in responding to an international call asking him to put the brakes on this impending and present-day catastrophe.

Download a copy of the letter at http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/Obama_open_letter_ethiopia.pdf

###

Oakland Institute is an independent policy think tank, bringing fresh ideas and bold action to the most pressing social, economic, and environmental issues of our time

www.oaklandinstitute.org
info@oaklandinstitute.org
Become a Fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/oak.institute
Follow us on Twitter: @oak_institute

East Africa: The testimony of genocide against Luo people of Ethiopia

1 Reply

From: Judy Miriga

The testimony of genocide against Luo people of Ethiopia

Uploaded by LuoTelevision on Nov 26, 2009

The testimony of massacres against the people of Anyuak: part of a wider extermination policy against defenceless and innocent people. A similar trend is happening in Acholi

The lands on the eastern and southern part of Ethiopia were Luo before the arrival of the Hebrew Solomon (Jerusalem) Crown. The lands are part of Southern Sudan, northern, central and southern Uganda, as well as the lands around the shores of Lake Victoria, all of which made/make up the country and nation known as LUOLAND. What the? people who live in those lands speak is called LUO LANGUAGE and the people are LUO.

olundahh 1 year ago
Evil is in the heart of a man who? diminishes his own humanity through his hatred of others.
throbule 1 year ago
00:18 mele Zenawi = ethiopias prime minister/president.. he is a semitic north ethiopian murderer and a cowards and he is responsible for the genocides of the darker natives like the Anuaks of south ethiopia and? the Ogaden-Somalians of east ethiopia the Somalian Ogaden region and many other ethnic cleansing..
CushiticSomalianMale 1 year ago

Ethiopian Genocide was to eliminate all Anyuak. No selection

Uploaded by Freedom4Anyuak on Mar 17, 2010

Odola Lero is singing about the impact of December 13, 2003 in Anyuak community worldwide. The message is the Anyuak must unite and continue to be united. His powerful messages is to strengthen the community, the families who lost loved ones. Any Anyuak has a role to play by contributing to the well being of our people.

March to Stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia/Africa Gaining Momentum

Uploaded by solidaritymovement on Sep 15, 2009

On Sunday, September 13, 2009, many Ethiopians and others gathered in front of the US Capitol building to bring attention to the ongoing genocide and other human rights crimes being perpetrated against the people of Ethiopia by the repressive authoritarian government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The event was a success and we believe it will lead to many new opportunities. One of these will be the possibility of working together in collaboration to map out a strategic plan for the future
It was a historic event in that so many different groups, who have never come together before, were present. The crowd reflected the enthusiasm of this milestone as they came together not only from one group or one ethnicity, but as a mix of many, all with the same goal of bringing about an inclusive civil society in Ethiopia where justice, individual rights, the rule of law and opportunity would be based on being a citizen of Ethiopia rather than on tribalism, cronyism or elitism.

Ethiopian Genocide

Uploaded by AdamWrightHollywood on Jan 19, 2010

About the ethiopian Genocide

Uploader Comments (Freedom4Anyuak)

Freedom4Anyuak
He sing with all his strength and he meant alot for this moment. For sure we the? people need direction and ask where, what and when we shall overcome the odds that lay a head of us.
Dislike•Flag 1 year ago Like•Reply

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!

die4ethio
Anyuak must unite to build a better Ethiopia. TPLF well be eliminated soon.?
Dislike•Flag 1 week ago Like•Reply

Nykaw1
ANYUAK?
Dislike•Flag 3 months ago Like•Reply

yoniii
@CushiticSomalianMale LOL, desperate Somalis trying to divide us like their own divided war-thorn country… Ethiopia, with it’s federal system, is enjoying more freedom for all of it’s beautiful people than ever before. We are stronger than ever before in history AND Somalilanders and soon Puntlanders will be much more Pro-Ethiopia and against the ARAB-SLAVES South Somalis..
1 LOVE, 1 AFRICA, UNITY AND STRENGTH? is the Future, not your destructive behavior.
Dislike•Flag 8 months ago Like•Reply

manyok99
that’s a good song with meaning behind it even? if I don’t understand Anyuak dialect.keep it up bro.
Dislike•Flag 10 months ago Like•Reply

1993melymely
i wish i could understad what he is saying exactly. it sounds nice?
Dislike•Flag 11 months ago Like•Reply

RIBS29
ANYUAK 4 Reall?
Dislike•Flag 1 year ago Like•Reply

RIBS29
Wawwweee Look This Guy? How he`s act , damma I love tha song , Every day when i
Weak Up I listend this song I don`t know why , i Really i don`t understand what the guy singing But i have a principle Music is an international Language ,,,, By The Way I Love Freedome of ANYUAK
Dislike•Flag 1 year ago Like•Reply

liya2010
i dont? know what you saying, but nice music!
Dislike•Flag 1 year ago Like•Reply 2 people like this

CuteHabeshaGirl
@Freedom4Anyuak I mean if you? can write out the lyrics that would be great (translation). Please include it in the side information box. If this man has a message then we should all understand it. Thank you
Dislike•Flag 1 year ago Like•Reply

TheSurvivors2003
I don’t know when Ethiopia will focus on nation building than nation destruction??? People are suffering and nobody? can deny that so why can the rulers understand that???

Ethiopians are building their own cars

Leave a reply

From: Paul Nyandoto

Kenyans,

Let us wake up. Ethiopia has registered the highest economic growth in Africa. The Ethiopians are busy building their own cars using either electricity of bio-gas. They have seen that importation of used cars from outside is just giving jobs to foreign countries and bringing more pollution to Africa, now they build their own. Please also see BBC economic report on Africa. The Ethiopians are now planning to build big buses for home use and exportation. There is a lot of market in Africa the work force and raw materials are cheap so why importing?. I do praise Ethiopians on this. What happened to our nyayo cars in Kenya?.

Paul Nyandoto

– – – – – – – – – – –

http://www.newbusinessethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=248:ethiopians-prefer-driving-home-grown-cars&catid=31:investement&Itemid=7

Ethiopians Prefer Driving Home-grown Cars
Monday, 06 September 2010 09:22 NewBusinessEthiopia.com

By Luc van Kemenade NEW BUSINESS ETHIOPIA CONTRIBUTOR
With public purchasing power on the rise, Ethiopia’s small but emerging middle class yearns to cruise around Addis Ababa in style.

A model by Lifan motors, Former Partner of Holland car plc now its market competitor

They refuse to pay sky-high import taxes for second hand cars. Instead, they prefer driving around in home-grown vehicles.

The supply of new models assembled in Ethiopia increases and this is reflected in the streets of the capital city. More often the “Ethiopian” cars appear among the chaotic traffic that is still dominated by rundown Lada cabs and Toyota Corollas.

It costs a small fortune to get a second hand vehicle from the West through the port of Djibouti into landlocked Ethiopia. Although taxes have been reduced, they can still rise up to over 100 percent of the purchase value plus the transportation costs, i.e. unaffordable to many. For a twenty years old Toyota Corolla, for example, you pay 12,500 euro.

The solution is simple: import spare parts, from China for example, and assemble them in a factory with relatively cheap labour. Although a simple strategy, it’s quite unique on the African continent. Various investors in Ethiopia saw the opportunity and grabbed it, Holland Car, a Dutch-funded company, being the first.

A model by the Pioneering car assembly in Ethiopia- Holland car plc
Sishah Yohannes, a forty-year-old captain at Ethiopian Airlines, drives his Ethiopian-assembled Holland Car Awash for a month now. “I’m really proud when I see the name written in Amharic on the back,” he says while parking at the Bole Medhane Alem Church. “This is what I’ve been waiting for: a good Ethiopian product after all this talk about economic growth.”

Holland Car’s general manager, Tadesse Tessema, convinced the Ethiopian government to lower import taxes on spare parts, making the business even more attractive. Shortly after, he presented three models, all named after Ethiopian rivers: Abay, Tekeze and Awash. Recently they launched a new family car: Shebele.

Other car assemblers followed suit. First there was competition from Holland Car’s former Chinese partner. Yangfan Motors launched three models of its Lifan Cars in Ethiopia. One of them shows resemblance to Holland Car’s Abay. The two companies split after a dispute and used to produce the model together.

A nice spectacle in the streets of Addis is Lifan’s Mini-Cooper look-a-like, the Lifan 320. The company prefers to describe it in masculine terms as a “mini-SUV with the power of a bear”, but it’s a “typical lady’s car”, according to car salesman Thomas Mulune.

The latest competitor for the passenger’s car market is Hyundai. The South Korean company enters Ethiopia with heavy artillery, Haile Gebreselassie being its ambassador, investor and sole importer. The assembly plant is under construction and personnel are to be trained to assure “international standards”, the successful athlete said.
A model recently assembled by BH Trading and Manufacturing Plc

Satisfied with the competition in the market he initiated, Holland Car CEO Tadesse is preparing for a new step. He’s building a gigantic plant that will be finished in two months. From that day, he will slowly reduce the import of parts and work towards producing full Ethiopian cars.

“As a pilot, I’m can choose between different cars from all over the world,” Sisha says. “But I prefer to encourage guys like Tadesse and Haile by buying Ethiopian ones. If the quality is there, of course.”

Ethiopia: Genocide of Luo in Ethiopia

4 Replies

Dear Netters,

I would like to respond, however briefly, to the above current topic in the Forum. Please be informed that Luo Heritage Foundation (LHF) was aware of this tragedy as early as two years ago, from the outset of this diabolical campaign; the ulterior motive being to dispossess the Anuak/Anywaa people of their very fertile ancestral land.

LHF immediately alerted some leaders in the Great Lakes Region, as a human rights issue, regarding what seems to be a concerted campaign of ethnic cleansing in the region with striking similarities to what the world has witnessed and perhaps still ongoing in Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DRC, North/North Eastern Uganda and the Chollo (Shilluk) people of South Sudan. We were assured that our concern would be raised at the highest level with the Addis-Abba regime. If as it seems clear now, the genocide is still on-going then it is becoming more and more difficult for the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s regime to convince anyone that it is not responsible for this odious crime against humanity.

I would like to suggest that it may be worth your while to occasionally visit our website (www.luoheritage.org), even though it is not yet fully operational. There is some basic information in the website about Luo people and Luo societies/organisations all over the continent and the world. Occasionally the website is updated with news and notices from the wide-Luo world.

LHF is a cultural charitable organisation, limited by guarantee, and incorporated in the UK, in 2007.

We regret to say that our official launch has been inevitably delayed due to lack of funds. We are still hopeful however that we shall soon be able to raise the necessary funds to enable us to do just that, from a prestigious academic platform such as the University of London (SOARS). Hopefully the publicity will enable us to solicit funds more easily than hitherto. Already a number of Professors, Academicians, writers and scholars from Africa, North America and the UK have indicated their eagerness to present their papers on this august occasion.

One member of our board is from Gambella (Anuakland). I will request him to forward to this forum, for the benefit of our readers, whatever he has in his archive, about the people of Anuak, their way of life, the history of the conflict, etc. Netters can also help themselves by googling ‘Anuak of Ethiopia’, for more readily available information.

I am copying this posting to other Luo groups (including Anuak groups in North America) and Luo websites around the world in the hope that they will bring this gross violation of human rights to the attention of all the powers that be, including the UN and other human rights groups around the world.

I greet you all.

Vincent Oola
Chairman, LHF

Kenya closes its borders temporarily with Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia

1 Reply

SOLDIERS MOVED TO THE BORDERS AS KENYA TEMPORARILY CLOSES ITS FRONTIERS WITH UGANDA, SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA IN AN EFFORT TO MOP UP ILLEGAL GUNS.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

KENYAN Troops were at the weekend moved with their heavy artillery and guns to secure and seal the country’s international borders with Sudan and Ethiopia, ahead of the planned exercise to mop up illegal guns.

The measurers are temporary and aimed at preventing border crossings by the pastoralist communities, known to be crossing for the purpose of hiding their illegally acquired guns with their kins across the common border, each time there is such exercises launched by the government for the purpose of seizing illegal firearms.

The arrival of the officers has caused a lot of panic in the North Rift where cattle rustling has been the order of the day, a menace blamed on the existence of unlicensed firearms.

Hundred of troops were spotted taking positions at Suam forest area on the Kenya-Uganda border, while some trucks were seen in Kitale and Kapenguria towns, dropping off the soldiers.

It was also learnt that the Uganda Peoples Defense {UPDF} were also on high alert on the other side of the common border. The Ugandan soldiers are said to have received firm instruction from their superiors to seize Kenyans fleeing and sneaking into their country with guns.

“The soldiers have been stationed between a radius of 5 and 10 kilometers apart with express instructions to ruthlessly deal with illegal gun handlers.

“Our men are on high alert and have been instructed to disarm or arrest any person with illegal firearms,” an UPDF soldier said on the phone. The soldier, however, sought for his anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press on security matters.

On the Kenyan side of the border, security forces scaled up security at Kabolet, Mt Elgon and Suam forests in North Rift, where rustlers plan and execute raids.

Regular police, Administration Police, and General Service Unit {GSU} personnel have been mobilized from various districts to back up the disarmament exercises expected to take weeks.

During a recent meeting between security agencies from Kenya and Uganda held in Kitale, the countries resolved to conduct joint disarmament to enhance development along the border.

Ugandan delegation, led by Brigadier Patrick Kankiribo, the commander of UPDF 3rd division, had complained of Kenya’s reluctance to retrieve guns from the Pokots and Turkanas pastoralist communities.

NakapirIpIri Resident District Commissioner, RDC Andrew Napaja told the Kitale meeting that over 27,000 guns have been recovered from communities living on Eastern part of Uganda.

At the same time, the Provincial Administration from Western Kenya and Easter Uganda met at another border town of Busia to lay plans and logistics for the operation. Upper Western Regional Commissioner Rashid Mohammed said the cooperation would ensure security and eliminate illegal trade.

“We will tighten our security surveillance to ensure the arms are not smuggled into the two countries unnoticed.”

Busia Uganda DC, Emily Aluku, who led her country’s delegation, said more similar meetings would enhance collaborations in investigations and arresting of suspects. The meeting comes barely weeks after a terror suspect arrested in Busia mysteriously disappeared from police custody.

In another important development, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Amolo OIdinga, held a crucial meeting at the State House, Entebbe at the weekend.

The meeting between the two gave an impression that the row over the ownership of the controversial Migingo fishing islands would soon end in a happy note once the joint survey by Kenya and Uganda is completed.

During the talks between the two last Friday, they called for a speedy completion of the joint survey work, which has stalled off and on for sometime, since it was launched early last year.

President Museveni said his country had temporarily called off the exercise to consult with his government on certain descriptive details appearing on earlier documkents describing the location of the island.

The Prime Minister arrived in Uganda on Good Friday for a working Easter holiday, and went into a lengthy discussion with the Ugandan leader. The talks focused on cross border security and trade issues, ranging from the controversy over Migingo, to cattle rustling.

The two leaders also agreed to initiate joint sensitization exercises along the border to educate patrol communities on alternative economic activities. Cattle rustling, the leaders said, have impeded development among the community on both sides of the border. They said an agreement for either government to pursue and extradite rustlers, who have fled across the border, would bring the menaces to an end.

President Museveni, according to the government owned NEWVISION, had emphasized that through a joint initiative, Kenya and Uganda could end the cattle rustling menace along their common border, then jointly appeal to Sudan and Ethiopia to do the same.

Museveni said he was keen to see an end to the tribulation of fishermen struggling to earn a living out of the lake. “ I am determined to ensure Kenyans fish legally, even if they are on the Ugandan side of Lake Victoria, and that will be ensured once we finish this survey work.”

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

CHUNG MOTEGNO

1 Reply

Amor mar kwayo oganda onagi duto kamoramora magintie ni gi chung` motegno
ahiinya bende gibed kod kwe.

Ang`o momiyo awacho kamano? En ni e sechegi ema wanyalo ketho weche mabeyo
to bedo maricho nikech mirima. Kaluwore kod gima nyocha otimore e kind Jakom
kod Ker, anene ni en gima ne joka bimbe ne ose pango chon.

Rang uru ane malong`o e gik matimore nyaka nee jakom chak wach mar bunge ma
MAU.

Gi lweny malich ose yudi diriyo e piny masaai. A ng`o mimiyo gigo timore?
Joka bimbe sani ose bet piny mi oneno ni onge wuodgi moro motegno manyalo
chung` e yiero mar 2012 koro gima duong` gidwaro mondo gitiek jakom. Omiyo
warit uru dhowa kod mirima to weche duto waket ni Nyasaye namar gilweny go
jogo dwaro mondo giti kod jo holo okak ma nee okawo lowo e mau mondo gi chak
godo lweny gi jokaynaanam. Mano ema omiyo gidwaro thuwowa kod jo kisii
bende. YAWA BED URU MOTANG`

UN body warns Africa of the impending conflicts over the scarce water resources

1 Reply

UNDP WARNS AFRICA ABOUT THE IMPENDING DANGER OF ARMED CONFLICTS IN SOME FLASHPOINT OF THE CONTINENT FOLLOWING SCARCITY OF WATER RESOURCES.

Environmental Features By Leo Odera Omolo.

A UN body has predicted that the main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years will be over the scarcity of water, as countries are likely to wage war against each other for access to the scarce resources.

The United Nations Development Programe {UNDP} says in a study just released at the turn of the century that water wars are likely in areas where rivers and lakes are shared by more than one country.

The inter-play of climate change, indiscriminate destruction of forests, poor agriculture techniques, and runaway population growth has worked against the continent’s once abundant water resources.

Africa has 63 international river basins that collectively cover 64 per cent of its surface area. They contain over 90 per cent of its surface water resources.

Most of these rivers are shared by two to four countries. Some are shared by many more, like the Congo river{1} and the Niger river {10}, Lake Chad and Zambezi River {8}. There are also many smaller shared basins.

The problem is complicated by the fact that trans -boundary river system are endoergic, they do not terminate in the Ocean. Rather, they flow into low-lying inland areas. Endoergic system in drier environment are considered the socio-economic lifeline of communities living in low lying areas.

The United Nations Environmental Program {UNEP} cites the saline or alkaline basins of Lake Chad, Lake Natron, and Lake Turkana ,and the fresh water Okavango-Makgadikadi and Cuvelai basins, as water systems in danger of failing.

At the same time Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya will soon be the scene of a major conflict in the near future, environmentalists, have warned.

Ten years ago, the then Egyptian Foreign Ministe,r Boutros Boutros-Ghali had predicted that the next major world war in Africa would be over the scrambles for water.

Now water diplomacy is starting to take center-stage in African, and globally. Experts are tracing fights over water rights and shortage as the root cause of many civil conflicts on the continent over the past three decades.

The influential weekly, the EASTAFRICAN reported in its latest edition that “As Kenya and Ethiopia enter series of deals on electricity generation and supply, the livelihood of close to 200,000 people is threatened. These people have for centuries depended on a lake that is fed by rivers threatened by a giant hydroelectric power project in Ethiopia.

The Gilgel Gibe 111 hydroelectric dam, which at a cost of USD 1,7 billion, will be one of the largest in Africa, is already causing concern among environmentalists and the local communities living around the Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya.

Opponents of the project says it will destroy the livelihood of thousands of people, especially the nomadic Turkana and Rendile communities, as well as the smallest tribe in Kenya, the El-Molo, that depend entirely on the fish of Lake Turkana.

Situated on the Omo River Valley, the dam is expected to have a mammoth reservoir that will hold thousands of cubic meters of water. The environmentalists and locals believed this will interfere with the livelihood of these tribes.

The other flashpoints across Africa that the UNEP and UNDP have cited include the Nile, Niger, Volta and Zambezi basins.
The UNDP report says population growth and economic development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries facing water scarcity, and water stress in 25 years. Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cubic meters of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500cubic meters per year.

According to UNDP, by the year 2025, 12 more African countries will join the 13 that already suffer from water stress or water scarcity.

“Water disputes in Africa revolve around one or more of three issues; quantity, quality and timing. These play out differently on various scales, whether international, intra-nationality, regionally or indirectly, “says the UNDP funded study report titled “Hydro political Vulnerability and Reliance Along International water in Africa.”

The Nile Basin, which encompasses nine countries –including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, has been mentioned area potential source of conflict because of the high number of people who depend on it.

For example, if the combined population of just three countries –Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan- through which the Nile runs, rises as predicted from 150 million people today to 340 million in 2050, there will be intense pressure, which could easily spill over into war. This is according to the EASTAFRICAN weekly. Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea are among the Nile Basin states that are most vulnerable to climate variation.

The amount of water left when the Nile water has also been drastically declining is also proof that the up take along its course is rising. In case water levels reduces drastically Egypt, being at the lower end of the Nile River will be most affected.

Ends

Libyan strongman, Col Muamor El-Gadhafi causes panic at the AU summit in Addis Ababa as he parades traditional African rulers before heads of states and governments.

2 Replies

AFRICAN HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS ATTENDING THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT IN ADDIS ABABA WERE EMBARASSED BY LIBYAN STRONGMAN, MUAMOR EL-GADHAFI WHEN HE PARADED TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RULERS BEFORE THEM.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

REPORTS emerging from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, say heads of states and governments in attendance at the summit of the African Union {AU} were seriously embarrassed by  the Libyan strongman Col Muamor El-Gadhafi, when he paraded before them the tribal kings, traditional rulers, and cultural leaders.

It was an act which was out of protocol and against security arrangement at the Africa Hall, Addis Ababa, and the venue of the summit.

After reading his summit opening speech, Gadhafi suddenly invited representatives of African kings, and traditional leaders to speak. They were not on agenda of the summit, and they surprised both security details guarding the heads of states, as they walked in behind Gadhafi, with their flowing robes, traditional dresses of animal skins, staffs, and embroidery.

No sitting provisions had been made for them by the organizers of the summit, which prompted them to simply hijack the seats exclusively reserved for marked “First Ladies”.

The leader of the delegation Tchiffi Zif Garvais from the Ivory Coast, told the seemingly surprised and embarrassed heads of states and governments that the forum of  “kings, sultans and traditional leaders that was established by our leader, and King of Kings,  Gadhafi”, was to unite and serve the African people.

“It is a privilege for you to have us here. I would like to thank the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni, who met us and is now our honorary member. He has also agreed to write a dictionary in his vernacular local language and it will help African traditional rulers”.

He said their role was not to engage in politics. “Ours is not a political tool. Our role is to give support and stability. A tool, for social cohesion that has already modeled in some culture on the continent like Guinea”.

“Africa must develop on the basis of its own culture. Some heads of states had not understood what our role was, but our King of Kings took the decision and arranged for us to meet some leaders”, he said.

Gadhafi  told his colleagues, the heads of states and governments that there was no conflict between the role of traditional leaders and politicians, adding even Museveni has understood them after meeting with them.

While handing over the AU summit chairmanship to Malawi’s President Bingu  Wa  Mutharika, an acrimonious Gadhafi later said, “after all, it was an empty chair with mere symbolic powers, since many declarations and decisions were made without my consent”.

Earlier reports indicated that Gadhafi had struggled hard to retain the rotating chair, which dragged a preliminary Saturday meeting on into the late hours of the night.

Gadhafi also used his farewell speech to accuse the African union of wasting, time while failing to meet global challenges.

He once again urged the African leaders to begin the process of political unification.

Col Gadhafi, dressed in a white robe and black fur hat at the AU summit, and enjoying overzealous support by the likes of Senegal President Abduolaye Wade, has been pushing hard for an African unity government for years, saying it is the only way Africa can develop without Western interference. 

Gadhafi, however, visibly lost one of his most formidable and reliable backers, following the death of President Omar Bongo of Gabon, the man he personally converted into Islam through petro dollar persuasion.

Before the two met nearly thirty years ago, Bongo was a staunch Christian, carrying the names of Albert Benard Bongo, and was the first Vice President of the oil rich Gabon, when the first independent leader of that country, President Leon Mba died in office, and was succeeded by Bongo, who was his number two.

Gabon was by then grappling with economic difficulties, and Gadhafi bankrolled Bongo.

 

Bongo died last year, and his son has since taken over. For years he was the voice of reasons behind Gadhafi in most African heads forums.

 

But last Saturday, the AU summit members, headed by South Africa and Ethiopia, argued the plan for a continental government is not feasible, and is impractical, as it would infringe on sovereignty of some countries.

 

Ends