Deputy Defense Force Chief remark came as authorities in Tigray region vow to defy Ethiopia’s Federal government power after September 30
Deputy Chief of Staff Berhanu Jula (Photo : ENA-resized)
borkena September 25, 2020
As authorities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia announced that the mandate of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government comes to an end on September 30, the deputy chief of staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force Berhanu Jula warns that the defense force will take action against any entity trying to impose its will by force.
He said so during an interview with state media, Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), on Thursday.
“We will be compelled to take action against any entity that is seeking to impose its will in a way that violates the constitution,” said the Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of operation affairs General Berhanu. He said that those who say that there is no government after September 30 should be careful not to violate the constitution. The defense force will stand in the guard of the constitution, he said.
It is unclear if the interview was conducted within the context of developments in the Tigray region of Ethiopia where a regional government under the leadership of Debretsion Gebremichael was established on Thursday following an election in the region which the House of Federation rejected as illegal. TPLF leaders running the region are also in a collision course with the Federal government as they are rejecting the decision of the parliament this week to hold the six general elections across the country including the Tigray region during this Ethiopian year. If the Tigray regional state is not letting that happen in the region, the Federal government is likely to act. General Berhanu Jula’s interview lacked specificity in that regard.
General Berhanu also remarked on the issue of banknote changes, he confirmed that the Defense Force is engaged in enforcing the law to facilitate the exchange of old banknotes with new ones. The reason why the defense force had to be involved in law enforcement as it relates to the banknote changes is unclear. Last week, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the Defense force will confiscate illegal cash (cash in the amount of 1.5 million Ethiopian birr is considered as illegal according to recent regulation by the Ethiopian government), and use it to strengthen the Defense Force as an institution. PM Abiy’s speech drew criticism at the time.
General Berhanu Jula elaborated on the issue during the interview with Ethiopian News Agency. “Illegally circulating money will be seized and spent on reinforcing the security structure,” he said. He was critical of those whom he said are tarnishing the image of the defense force, but he did not name names.
Authorities in Benishangul gumuz region of Ethiopia have confirmed the attack on Thursday this week which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people
Google Map
borkena September 25, 2020
Less than two weeks after the massacre that claimed at least 89 lives, another attack in the Metekel zone of the Benishangul Gumuz region of Ethiopia claimed the lives of twenty innocent civilians.
Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) said on Friday that the attack happened on the night of Thursday, September 24, around 4: 00 a.m. in the early morning.
Gunmen opened fire on civilians in Dangur district of Metekel Zone, where a deadly massacre happened about two weeks ago. It was residents in the region who reported the latest incident of attack to AMMA. The Head of the kebele where the attack happened has confirmed the news. Victims of the attack are ethnic Amharas.
“We had a concern that a security incident could happen. However, since the attack happened during nighttime it was impossible to repulse the attack and to hunt the attackers,” said the head of the Kebele, as cited by AMMA.
As was the case in the past, the identities of perpetrators of the attack are said to be unknown.
Head of the district administration Deslagne Endris told AMMA that security forces have arrived in Dangur to investigate the attack. He also said, “we had information about the security threat, and we have informed people who were displaced from the area not to return.”
Earlier this week, authorities in the Benishangul region claimed they have arrested over 360 people linked to the attack that happened in the same area about two weeks ago.
After the attack, Major General Mohammed Tessema Ethiopia’s Defense Force Head of indoctrination said that the attack was carried out by “disenchanted youth” in the region. He also said that the Defense Force neutralized many of the attackers and the rest have been chased away.
The latest string of attacks came barely a week after the press statement by Major General Mohammed Tessema.
Only five thousand people celebrated Meskel bonfire in Addis Ababa – unprecedented in many many decades.
borkena September 26, 2020
Ethiopian Meskel bonfire is celebrated in the capital Addis Ababa. The Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church Abune Mathias presided over the ceremony. President Sahle-Work Zewde and Addis Ababa City Mayor, Adanech Abiebie were also in attendance.
Normally, Meskel is one of the most colorful religious festivals of the Ethiopian Church that attracts millions of people that is celebrated across the country; it is registered as UNESCO’s world heritage.
However, this year only five thousand people could celebrate it at Meskel Square in the capital Addis Ababa due to the Coronavirus prevention measures in place.
Political Challenges Ethiopian church is facing
Apart from the Coronavirus disease, political pressure in different parts of the country against the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church made the celebration difficult in some places outside of Addis Ababa.
In Adama (Nazret) for example, which is only 100 kilometers to the southeast of Addis Ababa, the city administration did not allow the Ethiopian Church to use the traditional place which the church used for ages to celebrate festivals like Meskel. The mayor of the city reportedly passed the decision for the Ethiopian church not to use the place.
In Hosaena, in Southern Ethiopia regional states, the church is experiencing similar challenges.
The last Ethiopian year (2012) was full of challenges for the Ethiopian church. It has lost hundreds of its followers in the Oromo region of Ethiopia, among other places, as radical ethnic Oromo nationalists orchestrated savage attacks in multiples of cities in the region.
During the celebration at Meskel square in the capital Addis Ababa today, Patriarch Abune Mathias said “In order to overcome the various hurdles in our country, intellectual, politicians and media need to be patient and wise.”
Getahun Kassa was one of the five members of National Electoral Board of Ethiopia
Getahun Kassa ( Photo : SM)
borkena September 29, 2020
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced on Monday that Dr. Getahun Kassa tendered a resignation letter to the House of People’s Representative.
The Board, however, did not say as to why one of the five board members of the National Electoral Board is quitting. The remaining board members are retaining their positions.
The Board, whose chairperson is Birtukan Mideksssa, was approved by the Ethiopian Parliament in June 2019.
At this writing, the parliament did not announce if the resignation letter is accepted or not.
Ethiopian Satellite Television said on Monday that Getahun kassa has served in the past as head of Tigray region’s Justice department, and that his resignation is believed to linked with pressure from Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Last week, the parliament decided to hold the sixth general election during this Ethiopian year after the Ministry of Health said that the election could take place under specific circumstances due to the Coronavirus disease in the country.
It is to be recalled that the House of Federation postponed the general election up to nine months to one year after a relevant authority declared that the Coronavirus is no longer a public health threat.
The House of People’s Representative and the House of Federation are scheduled to have a joint meeting sometime next week.
Ethiopians across the world are mourning the death of Professor Mesfin Woldemariam since the sad news broke on Sunday. For many Ethiopians, he was a tower of struggle against repression and an invincible Ethiopian patriot.
Oromo region police commission said it has arrested over 500 individuals in connection with alleged plot to cause violence during Irreecha
Commissioner Ararsa Merdassa ( Photo : FBC )
borkena October 1, 2020
The Police Commission in the Oromo region of Ethiopia said on Thursday it has arrested 503 individuals in the region in connection with the upcoming Irreecha, Oromo traditional religion, celebration.
It is claimed that those arrested had been planning to trigger unrest during the celebration of the religious festival which is said to be celebrated on Saturday in the capital Addis Ababa.
Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) cited the region’s Police Commissioner Commander Ararsa Merdasa to report that 14 AK 47 rifles, 26 hand grenades, and 103 handguns had been seized during the operation to foil the plan to cause violence during Irreecha.
The political affiliations of those who are said to have been arrested are unspecified. However, the Commissioner called on the public to work with the law enforcement bodies by informing law enforcement bodies about those individuals (or groups) who are “working to cause unrest during Irreccha celebration taking missions from Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)”
There had been recurring security incidents in the region that is said to be orchestrated by the Oromo Liberation Front. In July of this year, at least 240 people (mostly non-Oromo) were killed in an orchestrated attack which started as a protest the assassination of singer Hachalu Hundessa.
The government has restricted the number of people during the celebration due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Amnesty International Press Release October 2, 2020
New report: “This is worse than COVID-19”: Ethiopians abandoned and abused in Saudi prisons
An investigation by Amnesty International has exposed horrifying new details about the treatment of Ethiopian migrants detained in Saudi Arabia. Since March, Huthi authorities in Yemen have expelled thousands of Ethiopian migrant workers and their families to Saudi Arabia, where they are now being held in life-threatening conditions.
Amnesty International interviewed detainees who described a catalogue of cruelties at the hands of Saudi Arabian authorities, including being chained together in pairs, forced to use their cell floors as toilets, and confined 24 hours a day in unbearably crowded cells. Amnesty International documented the deaths of three adults in detention, based on consistent eyewitness testimonies. Other detainees reported at least four more deaths; while it was not possible to independently corroborate these claims, the prevalence of disease and the lack of food, water and health care indicates the true number of deaths could be much higher.
“Thousands of Ethiopian migrants, who left their homes in search of a better life, have instead faced unimaginable cruelty at every turn. Confined to filthy cells, surrounded by death and disease, the situation is so dire that at least two people have attempted to take their own lives,” said Marie Forestier, Researcher and Advisor on Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International.
“Pregnant women, babies and small children are held in these same appalling conditions, and three detainees said they knew of children who had died. We are urging the Saudi authorities to immediately release all arbitrarily detained migrants, and significantly improve detention conditions before more lives are lost.”
Amnesty International is also calling on the Ethiopian government to urgently facilitate the voluntary repatriation and reintegration of Ethiopian nationals, and to press the Saudi government to improve detention conditions in the interim.
Amnesty International interviewed 12 detained Ethiopian migrants via a messaging app between 24 June 2020 and 31 July 2020. Their allegations were corroborated by videos, photos and satellite imagery analyzed by the organization’s Crisis Evidence Lab. All names have been changed.
Forced into a nightmare
Until March 2020 thousands of Ethiopian migrants were working in northern Yemen, earning money to pay for their passage to Saudi Arabia. When the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, Huthi authorities began ordering migrant workers to go to the border, where they reportedly became caught in crossfire between Saudi and Huthi forces.
Amnesty was not able to corroborate reports of shootings, but most detainees said they had crossed the border under fire.
In Saudi Arabia migrants were apprehended by Saudi security forces, who confiscated their belongings and in some cases beat them. The majority were then transferred to Al-Dayer detention centre. From there, most were transferred to Jizan central prison and then on to prisons in Jeddah and Mecca; others have remained in Jizan central prison for over five months. According to the International Organization for Migration, approximately 2,000 Ethiopians remain stranded on the Yemeni side of the border, without food, water or health care.
Sick and injured, denied health care
All interviewees said they were appallingly treated from the moment of their apprehension by Saudi authorities. Conditions are especially dire in Al-Dayer centre and Jizan central prison, where detainees reported sharing cells with, on average, 350 people. Amnesty’s Crisis Evidence Lab has verified videos which support these claims.
Detainees reported that gunshot wounds sustained at the border were the most pressing health issue at Al-Dayer, and said Saudi authorities refused to provide adequate treatment, leading to potentially life-threatening infections.
At Al-Dayer there are no toilets for detainees, and they are forced to use a corner of the cell as a toilet space.
Zenebe, 26, said:
“It’s hell, I’ve never seen something like this in my life….There are no toilets. We urinate on the ground, not far from where we sleep. Sometimes we had to walk on it.”
All detainees said illness was rife in the facilities, reporting skin infections, diarrhoea, and yellow fever.
Hagos, who was detained in Jizan central prison for five months, said some detainees became so weak they had to be carried to the toilets, which were overflowing and barely functioning.
Despite the intense heat of the summer months, water is frequently insufficient, especially in Al Dayer centre where guards reportedly only turn on the taps for short periods every day.
All those interviewed described lack of sanitation as a problem. As their belongings were confiscated at the border, detainees have only the clothes they were wearing when they left Yemen, and in Al Dayer and Jizan prison there are no showers. Even in Mecca and Jeddah prisons, where there is enough water for showers, detainees are not provided with soap. These unsanitary conditions are especially alarming in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deaths in detention
Two detainees reported personally seeing the dead bodies of three people – an Ethiopian man, a Yemeni man and a Somali man – in Al-Dayer centre.
However, all those interviewed said they knew of people who had died in detention, and four people said they had seen bodies themselves.
Freweyni, 25, described the death of a 15-year-old boy at Al-Dayer:
“He was sleeping on the ground, covered with clothes. He was very weak. He urinated while sleeping. A boy was taking care of him. […] We shouted and the guards came in to take him….Four days later, I saw this boy lying on the ground outside. He was dead. I saw another body next to him.”
Two people told Amnesty International they had prevented cellmates from taking their own lives in Jizan central prison and Jeddah prison. They cited the uncertainty of the situation, as well as the heat and insufficient food, as key factors in driving detainees to despair.
Abeba, 24, described the acute mental distress of some of those she was detained with at Al Dayer:
“Some women speak to themselves, some don’t dress up, some can’t control [themselves] when they urinate.”
Amnesty International is not aware of any mental health facilities in detention centres. Many detainees are traumatized not only by their detention but by harrowing experiences on their journeys through Yemen. Abeba, who travelled from Ethiopia with her 19-year-old sister, said that many women were raped during their stay in Yemen by Yemeni policemen and smugglers.
“My sister is five-month pregnant. She was raped in Yemen. Every time I ask her by who she starts crying,” she said.
Pregnant women and children at serious risk
Detainees say there are a significant number of pregnant women in detention. Roza, 20, who was six months pregnant at the time of interview, said there were 30 other pregnant women in her cell in Jizan central prison. None of the pregnant women Amnesty talked to or heard about were receiving adequate health care.
Roza said that when women were eventually allowed to see a doctor in Jeddah, guards put metal chains on their legs and tied them in pairs. They were taken to an examination room but did not all receive adequate care. Roza said all the women were given the same pills, and she was denied an ultrasound – she has not had one for her entire pregnancy.
Several women have given birth during their detention; after a short stay at a medical facility they are returned to the same unsanitary conditions. Three women reported that two babies and three toddlers had died, in Al-Dayer, Jeddah and Mecca prisons.
Abeba told Amnesty International:
“The children became sick in Al-Dayer because we were sleeping in a dirty place, it was too hot and we didn’t receive enough food. They had diarrhoea and they were very thin. Children were taken to the hospital, where they died.”
Torture and ill-treatment
Two detainees reported that guards had administered electric shocks to them and other detainees as punishment for complaining about conditions.
Solomon, 28, told Amnesty International:
“They used this electric device… It made a small hole on my clothes. I saw a man whose nose and mouth were bleeding after that. Since then, we don’t complain anymore because we’re afraid they’ll do again the electric thing on our back.”
Eight detainees said they had experienced and seen beatings by prison guards, and shootings during escape attempts. One man said he had seen the body of a man who had been shot after trying to escape.
Amnesty International is calling on the Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately release all detainees, prioritising those who are most vulnerable, including children.
At the same time they must immediately and significantly improve detention conditions, end torture and other ill-treatment, and ensure detainees have access to adequate food, water, sanitation, health care, accommodation and clothes. There must also be an investigation into allegations of abuse, and those responsible must be held to account.
International cooperation needed
Almost every detainee Amnesty International interviewed had seen at least one representative of the Ethiopian embassy or consulate during their detention. They reported that Ethiopian officials had seen detention conditions first-hand, and that they were able to speak with officials.
However, at the time of writing, none of the detainees Amnesty International spoke to had been repatriated. The Ethiopian government has cited insufficient quarantine space for returnees as an obstacle to the repatriation process.
Despite travel restrictions due to COVID 19, at least 34,000 Ethiopian migrants returned to their home country globally between April 2020 and September 2020, including 3,998 from Saudi Arabia. This shows that returns have not totally halted and it is still possible to repatriate Ethiopian migrants, if both governments are committed to doing so.
In light of this, Amnesty International is calling on the Ethiopian and Saudi Arabian authorities to work together to ensure voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation is available to Ethiopian nationals. The international community also has a role to play:
“If quarantine spaces remain a significant obstacle, other governments and donors must support Ethiopia to increase the number of spaces, to ensure migrants can leave these hellish conditions as soon as possible,” said Marie Forestier.
“Nothing, not even a pandemic, can justify the continued arbitrary detention and abuse of thousands of people.”
For more information or to see an embargoed copy of the report, please contact press@amnesty.org
Irreecha is celebrated in Debre Zeit and Addis Ababa with fewer number of people
Irreecha celebration in Addis Ababa. (Photo : EBC)
borkena October 3, 2020
Oromo traditional religious holiday is celebrated on Saturday in Addis Ababa and Debrezeit (Bishoftu) which is about 44 kilometers to the east of the capital, as reported by state media Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.
This year it is celebrated with fewer people due to the coronavirus situation in the country.
Addis Ababa Police Commission announced that it was celebrated without any security incident. The celebration at Debre Zeit was also without any security incident, as reported by the regional authorities.
Earlier in the week, police arrested 503 individuals who were said to have a plan to cause unrest during the celebrations and that it has seized 14 AK 47, several hand grenades, and handguns (report on it is available here).
Weeks after stating that “there will be no government in Ethiopia after September 25 [Ethiopian Calendar],” Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is reframing its position.
The organizations’ spokesperson, Getachew Reda, had an interview with Tigray Mass Media Agency (TMMA) on Saturday.
He said that the regional government in Tigray will not accept or recognize any policy decision from the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and from the parliament. However, he said, institutions of the state ,like the defense force, will continue.
He also said that TPLF, the political force running the Tigray region of Ethiopia, is keen “to rescue the Federation.”
Watch the interview below.
Video : embedded from Tigray Mass Media Agency YouTube channel Cover photo : screenshot from the video
Ethiopian Football Federation declined to disclosed the identities of players who are said to have contracted COVID 19
The former Ethiopian National Team ( Photo source : FBC)
borkena October 5, 2020
The Ethiopian Football Federation announced on Sunday that five members of Walya, the Ethiopian National soccer team, have contracted a COVID 19.
A report by state media Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) said on Tuesday that the Federation invited 40 players from across the country for the qualifying preparation for the African cup of Nation which Cameron will be hosting.
36 players reported to the Ethiopian Football Federation to respond to the invitation. They were tasted for COVID 19 and it turns out that five of the players had contracted the Coronavirus disease, as reported by FBC. The Federation undisclosed their identities for privacy reasons and to not to damage the psychology of the players.
The report added that those players who tested negative have moved to CAF Academy on Sunday. The entire team is said to be going through COVID 19 test after 72 hours.
FBC also reported that two players (Anteneh Tesfaye and Surafel Dagnachew) and one member of the medical team reported late, and they will be taking a COVID 19 test on Monday.
TPLF wants to work with the Defense Force and the Judiciary while ending its relation with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed led government
TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda. Photo credit : AA via BBC
borkena October 5, 2020
Political appointees at the Federal level of government, members of the House of Peoples Representatives from Tigray region and members of the House of Federation from the Tigray region are ordered to quit their membership.
Spokesperson of TPLF Getachew Reda said that the terms of the House of Federation and House of People’s Representatives came to an end on September 25, 2013 Ethiopian Calendar (October 5, 2020).
He told BBC Amharic Service that representatives of both houses who came from Tigray region would not take part in the opening ceremony of the sixth-year session of the parliament on Monday.
“Representatives from Tigray are told to leave the house. Not only the parliament but also those who were working in the cabinet and other political positions had been made to leave their position,” BBC Amharic cited Getachew Reda as saying.
The parliament reopened on Monday in the afternoon around 2 p.m. local time in a hall within the office of the Prime Minister. It was the President Shale-Work Zewde who made the opening speech. No remark was given about the TPLF decision. The terms of the houses were extended as the sixth general election was cancelled due to the coronavirus situation in the country. Last month, the Ministry of Health advised the parliament that the Ministry had developed capacity to identify and prevent the pandemic and that the election could take place under specific circumstances which the parliament accepted, and preparations are underway to hold the election during this Ethiopian year.
The opening session was a joint meeting between the House of Representatives and the House of Federation. TPLF announced that it will not recognize the two houses, the prime minister, and his cabinet members as of October 5, 2020. The terms of the two houses were extended in June 2020 after a constitutional inquiry commission recommended so until a relevant authority confirmed that the Coronavirus disease is no longer a public health threat.
Getachew Reda said on Monday : “As of now, the prime minister and his cabinets as well as members of the House of People’s Representatives and members of House of Federation do not have any legal power; and it is unthinkable that there would be any legal relation with those entities.” He also said that Tigray’s regional relation with these entities is ended.
However, TPLF authorities said that they would continue to work with the Defense Force, institutions of diplomatic mission and institutions of justice.
The TPLF decision not to recognize the Federal government is exacerbating the tension between these entities. This week, Speaker of the House of Federation, Adem Farah, told local journalists that the move by TPLF is endangering the constitution and that there is a constitutional basis for the Federal government to act. Suspending Tigray region’s house of representatives and executives are among the constitutional measures that the Federal government could take.
Furthermore, the Speaker added that there is a constitutional basis to form an interim administration in the region and to deploy Federal security forces in the region.
Professor Mesfin’s beading to Patriots resting place – Menbere Tsebaot Church (photo : SM)
borkena October 6, 2020
Among so many selfless deeds to his beloved country Ethiopia, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam has taught at Addis Ababa University for several decades.
And that is where a farewell ceremony was organized on Tuesday. To be specific, it was organized at Sidist Kilo Campus in Lidet Hall, Students’ cafe.
His families, supporters, and former colleagues were in attendance.
A report by Ethiopian News Agency said that senior-level government officials including the Speaker of the Ethiopian Parliament, Tagesse Chafo, and ministers have attended it.
He passed away on September 30 at the age of 90 following a brief illness in the capital Addis Ababa, where he was born.
His death came as a shock to Ethiopians. Those who are on social media had been mourning him for a week now.
He is laid to rest at Menbere Tsebaot Kiddist Selassaie – resting place for Ethiopian Patriots. Apart from his brilliance, he was one of a kind with a selfless and fearless soul. He always put the cause of Ethiopia above anything else.
As has been said, his death is a great loss to Ethiopia!
Ethiopian House of Federation bans all forms of communication with Tigray regional State
Google Map
borkena October 8, 2020
The relation between the Federal government of Ethiopia and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – the political force that is currently running Tigray regional State – is not showing signs of improvement.
Rather, the collision like state of relation is worsening thereby escalating the political tension in the country.
On Monday this week, Spokesperson of the TPLF Getachew Reda spoke to BBC Amharic regarding the relation with the Federal government. He said that the Federal government has ceased to exist after September 25 of the Ethiopian Calendar. The party that he represents argues that the government has completed its term of office “in accordance with the Ethiopian constitution.”
He also said that Tigray regional state will no longer recognize Federal government executives, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Cabinet Ministers. It also said that it will not recognize the extended term of the parliament or the parliamentarians. a political decision from those bodies will not be recognized in Tigray, the spokesperson added.
His party also ordered that ethnic Tigreans who are in the parliament and in the Federal government position to quit and return to their region. Not all members of parliament from the Tigray region accepted TPLF’s decision. Mrs. Yayesh Tesfahuney is one of the 38 members of the parliament who came from Tigray region. She said she represented the people in her constituency, not the TPLF party and declined to leave the parliament.
It is apparent that the decision from the House of Federation on Tuesday came against the background of TPLF’s move to reject
House of Federation Decision
In June 2020, the House of Federation extended the terms of the parliament and regional parliaments after the sixth general election was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Despite defiance from TPLF administration in Tigray region, the House still considers itself as legitimate. And no public demonstration is observed so far to protest the extension of the terms of the parliament.
In what seems to be a response to TPLF’s decision in which it withdrew recognition to the parliament, the house of federation and federal government executives, the House of Federation passed a decision on Tuesday against Tigray regional state.
It banned any form of communication with Tigray region council and senior executives. The Federal government itself will not have communication with the TPLF regional administration. However, the House said that the Federal government will work with City and kebele administration without disclosing information as to how the regional level of government will be bypassed.
According to a report by the State Media, the Speaker of the House of Federation and a relevant standing committee in the house will monitor the implementation of the decision.
In late August 2020, the House said that the elections that the Tigray regional state conducted in August are illegal on grounds of contravention with the Federal constitution, which is presumed to be the supreme law of the land. Subsequently, decisions that the new authority passes will be null and void.
Tigray regional state has responded to the latest decision of the House of Federation. For the regional state, the decisions are illegitimate for federal government power ended on September 25 in Ethiopian calendar (October 3, 2020).
There is noticeable concern that escalating tension between the Federal government and TPLF could evolve to a military action in the Tigray region.
While there seems to be a noticeable call for the Federal government to enforce law strictly, there seem to be also concerns that a conflict in the Tigray region could provide forces that are working to disintegrate Ethiopia and religiously motivated expansionist forces with an opportunity to launch their attacks.
It is also noticeable that there are also voices who tend to think that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s alleged technique of buying time by magnifying economic projects is in fact helping radical anti-Ethiopian forces and expansionist forces buy time for their own project of controlling Ethiopia or disintegrating it.
TPLF does not seem to care about those scenarios but only its goal to restore power which is impossible in the eyes of some political analysts and activists.
Amhara Association of America Supports Bipartisan House Resolution that Condemns Targeted Ethnic and Religious Killings in Ethiopia
Amhara Association of America October 9, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Amhara Association of America (AAA) commends a resolution introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives that deplores the “targeted violence and destruction of property directed against ethnic and religious minorities” in Ethiopia.
The resolution, led by House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37) and Ranking Member Chris Smith (R-NJ-4), expresses concern about various actions committed by governmental and nonstate actors that are threatening to destabilize Ethiopia’s democratic transition. The other original cosponsors on the resolution are Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA-3), Joe Wilson (R-SC-2), and Ron Wright (R-TX-6).
In addition to recognizing that “ethnic and religious minorities were targeted in violent attacks, and [their] homes, businesses, and religious institutions were destroyed”, the resolution calls out incitement and hate speech by individuals and organized groups in Ethiopia and the diaspora that fuel these attacks.
Other factors named as contributing to Ethiopia’s instability include the government’s use of excessive force against peaceful protesters and the continued detention of journalists, nonviolent demonstrators, and opposition figures, all of which echo repressive tactics used by the country’s previous regimes.
To encourage respect for human rights and democratic progress in Ethiopia, the resolution calls on the Ethiopian Government to fully and transparently investigate the killings that took place in Oromia and other areas; resume dialogue with opposition parties on issues such as rescheduling national elections; and consider transitional justice approaches to help resolve intercommunal grievances.
The resolution also requests the Ethiopian Government respect the due process rights of all those who have been arrested during the recent unrest; allow Ethiopians to exercise their constitutional rights to peaceful freedom of assembly and the press.
Finally, the resolution calls on the United States Government to encourage intra-Ethiopian dialogue on political issues, unfreeze foreign assistance to Ethiopia recently withheld over the GERD negotiations while supporting an equitable settlement for all countries involved, consider applying sanctions on Ethiopian human rights abusers, and support increased U.S. private sector investment in Ethiopia.
“Deadly attacks on Amharas, Agaws, Christian Oromos, and other communities in Ethiopia are increasing at an alarming rate” said Tewodrose Tirfe, Chairman of AAA. “We applaud Chairwoman Bass, Ranking Member Smith, and the other original cosponsors for drawing attention to this targeted violence and condemning those who fan the flames of hatred in Ethiopia and across the diaspora. AAA looks forward to helping increase the number of bipartisan cosponsors on the resolution in the coming weeks.”
Tewodrose (Ted) Tirfe, Chairman, Amhara Association of America
info@amharaamerica.org
About AAA: The Amhara Association of America (AAA) is a nonprofit organization that coordinates the advocacy efforts of Ethiopia’s Amhara diaspora in the United States to Congress, the Executive Branch, non governmental organizations, and international bodies. Visit www.amharaamerica.org for more information.
It is for the second time in less than two months that fire “accident” is happening in Bole area of Addis Ababa.
Scene of the accident near Bole Michael, Addis Ababa (photo : FBC)
borkena October 10, 2020
At least four people are killed, and one person is severely injured due to a reported fire accident in the Bole area of the capital Addis Ababa.
It happened on Friday night in the Bole Michael Ayer Amba neighborhood.
According to a report by state affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate, the fire is under control at this writing. The extent of property damage is undisclosed; Addis Ababa police did not issue a press statement yet.
The cause of the fire is not established at this writing.
Last month, property worth over 12 million birr was destroyed after a fire broke out in the same Bole district of Addis Ababa which affected small businesses. Police did not establish as to what caused it, but it was under “investigation.”
There had been recurring fire accidents in different parts of the city for several years now. Public opinion in the past seemed to have embraced the speculation that it had something to do with a politically motivated arson with a goal to impoverish business communities in the city and sell the lots to big investors.
borkena will update readers when Addis Ababa police commission releases a report of the investigation on the causes of the fire.
South West Ethiopia Nations Regional State is poised to be the 11 regional state in the country as the Upper House approved the demand for it
Google map of South West Ethiopia
borkena October 10,2020
Dozens of zone level administration within what remained of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) had been waging a noticeable struggle to form their ethnic based identities.
So far only Sidama zone in the region succeeded after the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) organized a referendum in November 2019.
Less than a year after it, a new multi-ethnic region is emerging. This week, the House of Federation (Ethiopian Upper House) unanimously approved a demand for statehood in South West Ethiopia.
Five zone level administrations and one district in the region namely, Kaffa, Sheka, Bench Sheko, Dawuro and West Omo Zones, and Konta Special district are coming together to form a single regional state.
The administrations in these regions believe, as reported by state media, that they would benefit from a new administrative arrangement that would bring them together as a single regional state. There is a tendency to believe that statehood status within the Ethiopian Federal arrangement, which is ethnic based, is relevant in the allocation of resources from the Federal government.
The new multi-ethnic estate is poised to be named as South West Ethiopia Nations Regional State, as reported by Ethiopian News Agency.
It is going to be the eleventh regional state in the country. However, the NEBE will have to organize a referendum, as was the case with Sidama zone, in accordance with the provision in the current constitution of Ethiopia.
About 13 zone level administrations in the SNNPR are pushing for statehood status. If the House approves the request, they will have to go through the same process; NEBE will organize a referendum – a process which political observers say is a waste of resources.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has been criticized for lack of consistency in terms of handling statehood demands coming from the SNNPR region which is somewhat distinct from the rest of the regional states as it was formed by a collection of more than 50 ethnic groups in the region.
When activists from Wolaita zone took to the street in August 2020 to protest that Abiy’s government is not addressing the demand for statehood, security forces shot dead dozens of them. The leaders of the movement were also put in jail.
Entoto Park completed within a year. Abiy calls it a demonstration that Ethiopia could achieve great things. Critics worry that his government is proved incapable of providing security to Ethiopians, and still not prioritizing the issue
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his spouse posing for picture at Entoto Park ( Photo : ENA)
Borkena October 11, 2020
Ethiopia inaugurated the Entoto Park project on Saturday. It will open for visitors in the days to come.
Entoto park is part of the “sheer beautifying” project which aims to change the look of the capital Addis Ababa by beautifying the riverside that stretches from Entoto in the north to Akaki in the South.
Entoto park inauguration came a little over a month after the inauguration of the Sheger park — which is also part of the riverside development project.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, other high-ranking officials of his government, and members of the diplomatic corps attended the ceremony at Entoto.
It contains multiples of recreation facilities including restaurants and sporting events. Abiy Ahmed himself demonstrated some activities in the park which already generated several satirical contents circulating on social media.
The government anticipates that it could create hundreds of employment opportunities. Abiy Ahmed was seen on national TV during the ceremony with a noticeable euphoric mood. The reason is project completion in less than a year.
“Entoto Natural Park demonstrates the capacity of Ethiopians to achieve big things when united,” he said, as reported by Ethiopian News Agency.
Indifference, opposition to Abiy’s jubilation over small projects
For prime minister Abiy Ahmed what he calls “Prosperity”, note that the party he formed after merging the former members of the ruling coalition is Prosperity Party, is achievable through a series of “development projects.” That is the road to prosperity.
For critical observers, political stability and security of the country are a priority for development efforts to have a lasting effect.
Abiy Ahmed dared to criticize those Ethiopians in the Diaspora who he said are writing about deaths in the country in social media. “There is death even in America,” he said.
Less than a couple of months before the inauguration of Sheger Park, Ethiopia witnessed one of the most horrifying ethnic-based massacres in the Oromo region of Ethiopia following what authorities in the region called “a protest on the death of Hachalu Hundessa.” As it turned out, government authorities had involvement in the massacre, in most cases indirectly, that claimed the lives of over 240 people.
Even after the Sheger project, a politically motivated ethnic-based attack in the Benishangul Gumuz region (western Ethiopia) claimed hundreds of lives. But senior defense force officers described it as one that was perpetrated by “disenchanted youth groups in the region.”
Observers do seem to think that a large-scale ethnic-based attack could happen in the parts of Ethiopia mentioned above. There is a sentiment that government structure is weak in the Oromo region of Ethiopia to the point that people doubt that government security forces could fail to protect them from radical ethno-religious Oromo nationalist groups.
It is in light of such recurring tragedies and fears about the future that an increasing number of Ethiopians demonstrate indifference to his micro-economic projects and subsequently give up support for Abiy Ahmed. The thinking is that Abiy Ahmed lacks decisiveness to deal with the security problem in the country. Some even go further to assert that Abiy Ahmed is systematically implementing radical ethnic Oromo nationalists’ agenda. On the other side of the spectrum, radical ethnic nationalists claim that he is working for “neftegna agenda.”
What is agreeable to most people seem to be that Abiy is a weak leader who lacks determination and foresight to resolve Ethiopia’s pressing priority, security.
Bilateral ties of the two countries are said to be top agenda items during a meeting between the Eritrean President and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
President Isaias arriving at Jimma Aba Jifar airport on Monday morning (Photo :OPM)
Borkena October 12, 2020
The Eritrean President arrived in Ethiopia on Monday morning for a three days working visit. He is accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh, and his adviser Yemane Ghebreab.
Eritrean Minister for Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, disclosed that the visit was initiated by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Regarding the purpose of the visit, he said in a twitter message that “The two Heads of State will hold extensive consultations on further enhancement of bilateral ties as well as the consolidation of regional cooperation.”
The visit came in the wake of accusation by Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) leaders, specifically from the former minister of foreign affairs Seyoum Mesfin, that “Abiy Ahmed let the Eritrean president Isaias Afeworki rape Ethiopia.”
Eritrean President and PM Abiy Ahmed (Photo : OPM)
President Isaias Afwerki flew directly to Jimma city, in the Oromo region of Ethiopia, where he was received by Abiy Ahmed.
At this writing, the Eritrean president and his entourage already visited Jimma University and a coffee plantation in Goma district of Jimma zone, as reported by Fana Broadcasting Corporate. The source also reported that Isaias Afeworki has intentions to replicate coffee cultivation practices in the region in his country.
The last time the Eritrean president visited Ethiopia was in May 2019 soon after Ethiopia declared a state of emergency as part of preventive measures against the spread of the Coronavirus disease, and this is for the sixth time for him to visit the country since the two countries ended hostile relation in July 2018 following Abiy Ahmed’s take over of office as prime minister.
In an interview with Tigray Mass Media Agency (TMMA), former minister of foreign affairs of Ethiopia Seyoum Mesfin criticized Abiy Ahmed for letting Eritrean president Isaias Afeworki “rape Ethiopia.” The Eritrean president is currently in Ethiopia for a three days official visit.
Seyoum Mesfin called Abiy Ahmed “former Ethiopian Prime Minister,” asserting that he has ended in term in office.
Unlike the TPLF era Ethiopia when Seyoum Mesfin’s party was mocking the idea of transitional government, he is now calling for a technocrats “transitional government” in Ethiopia. Seyoum justified TPLF resistance to the idea of transitional government before 2018 saying that “there was an elected government during that time. Now there is no elected government.”
Watch his interview below.
Video : embeded from Tigray Mass Media Agency YouTube channel Cover Photo : screenshot from the video
The government of Ethiopia announced this week that it is temporarily suspending the privatization of Ethiopian Airlines. It was the Finance Minister Ahmed Shide who spoke to journalists on the privatization scheme of the national assets.
Seemingly, the decision is informed by The competence of Ethiopian Airlines even at a time when the aviation industry is hard hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. The airlines managed to cover the operational cost, and still make some profit by reverting to cargo service.
The Minister for Finance, however, said that the privatization of Ethio Telecom is well underway although he did not specify a timeline for the transfer of 40 percent of the share to two bidders.
