By Jason McLure | Bloomberg
[the Woyanne regime in] Ethiopia criticized a British official’s call for the release of an Ethiopian opposition leader, saying it displayed “warped symptoms of a neo-colonial disposition.”
In a statement published on March 6 in the Addis Ababa-based Reporter newspaper, British Minister of State for Africa Baroness Glenys Kinnock said Ethiopia’s imprisonment of opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa “undermines” trust in the Horn of Africa country. A copy of the statement was e-mailed to Bloomberg today by the British embassy in Addis Ababa.
Kinnock also urged Meles Zenawi’s government to probe “serious allegations” that the distribution of foreign aid in Ethiopia was being used to win votes for the ruling party in elections scheduled for May 23.
Ethiopia’s government was surprised at “the temerity with which she took on the role of a mission-school mistress whose task it is to supervise the natives lest they slide back to their ‘primitive’ ways,” Ethiopia’s government’s said in a statement in the state-owned Ethiopian Herald yesterday.
Ethiopia’s opposition has claimed that it faces continued harassment and intimidation in the run-up to this year’s vote.
On March 2, an opposition candidate for parliament was stabbed to death in a restaurant he owned in northern Ethiopia. Earlier that week, a second opposition candidate was hospitalized after being beaten.
Opposition leaders have said Meles’ ruling party was behind both attacks. The government has denied the claims, saying both men were attacked by people who were not ruling party members.
Protesters Killed
Security forces loyal to Meles killed 193 protesters in unrest following a disputed 2005 vote and jailed many leading opposition leaders, including Birtukan. European Union observers concluded that the election fell short of international standards and was marred by irregularities in vote-counting.
Ethiopia also accused Kinnock of being “an ardent champion” of Eritrea, which fought a 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia.
In addition, it said Kinnock had colluded with the 2005 EU electoral observer mission in an effort to foment a “revolution” to overthrow Meles’ government.
The dispute with Kinnock comes as Ethiopia’s Supreme Court today ordered four newspaper publishers that were closed after the 2005 ballot to pay fines imposed as a result of the treason trials that followed that year’s election.
The U.K. granted Ethiopia 220 million pounds ($333.2 million) in aid in the current fiscal year, according to the British embassy in Addis Ababa.
6 thoughts on “Woyanne says British criticism is ‘Neo-Colonial’”
If a country that gives you 220 million pounds is neo-colonial, then if they give you less, what r they? Satans soldiers maybe? Meles is really a spoiled hooker.
It’s unfortunate that Woyane/TFLF thugs can play PR games like this and put other doners and governments on the defensive BUT this tells us one true fact….
THE WEST DOES NOT DEEPLY KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE PSYCHE OF THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE
Having said that, I think the oppossition and all truly pro Ethiopian groups should use this fact to their advantage and EDUCATE the West in this war of media/information to help them understand where the Ethiopian people are as far as this government.
Making such statements by Woyane, they are cleaverly assuming to get rage about colonialism of Africa/Ethiopia…but the people mindset is different BUT THERE IS NO MANNER TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WEST & THUS THE ETHIO PPL SIMPLY GIVE UP AND SHUT UP. THE MEDIA, SHOULD HELP FACILITATE THIS COMMUNICATION/UNDERSTANDING OF ETHIO PSYCHE VACCUM.
I have never laughed like this in my life. It looks like the Brits have had it with the butcher of Addis. “…to foment a ‘revolution’ to overthrow Meles’ government.” Goodness gracious, even the powerful get to answer to someone else. It’s a bit refreshing to see the boastfully and arrogantly dismissive tyrant playing the victim card. Poor “primitive black woyanne” being harassed by the white man. hahahaha! I didn’t know Meles and the Agia people are black until today.
Woyanne is as blind as a bat. They lie, cheat, kill to stay on power. The denial of the recent BBC report about Live Aid money was spent on weapons is a classical example. I was there and witnessed the sell of donated grains, back to donor countries and for sure money was used to buy weapons from Live Aid Money!
Ask Woyanne how many people perished in the Sudanese refugee camps of FAO – 1, 2 and 3? Ask why the people of Tigray were cheated to abandon there home by force in the mid 1980’s? Why the people that refused and question the woyannes’s action were cut down?
Asking for the freedom of a mother who is innocent does not make the British government “Neo Colonialist”. Meles still thinks and operates with his Albanian style blind Ideology. Hell to Woyanne!
Kinnock’s call to prob the aid allegation should also include that of the 84/85 murder Woyane/Meles committed against humanity.It is their chronic problem that can’t leave them. I hope, Melese will face the international court for his party’s crime.
“GETAWAN YETEMAMENECH BEG CHIRAWAN WICHI TASDRALECH” since he is standing behind the benefit of the west or he is doing what they want working for the interest of the west,words are mining less. So the west can help Ethiopians only when we are powerful against wayane.Stand together and help the armed struggle.