When many of us learned about Columbia University’s invitation to dictator Meles Zenawi to give a keynote address on “leadership,” it was not difficult to figure out who were behind it — Sachs and Stiglitz, two American professors who exhibit passionate affection toward some of the world’s despicable tyrants, particularly Ethiopia’s bloodthirsty dictator Meles Zenawi. As it turned out, it was these two professors who have convinced Columbia’s president Lee Bollinger to extend the invitation to Meles.
But that is not the whole story. How did these two professors come to know Meles Zenawi? The answer is Prof. Awash Teklehaimanot, who works for Columbia University as Director of Malaria and NTD Program, and also for Meles Zenawi’s regime as Director of the Center for National Health Development in Ethiopia.
Before Prof. Awash’s friends and relatives — Woyannes — came to power, malaria had almost been eradicated from Ethiopia through the efforts of Ethiopian Malaria Prevention Center. When Woyannes came to power, they dismantled the Center and took every thing to Tigray. A few years later, Ethiopia was hit with Malaria epidemic that killed tens of thousands of people. Malaria continues to be one the deadliest diseases in Ethiopia.
Prof. Awash holds the title “Director of the Center for National Health Development in Ethiopia,” however, every foreign assistance he manages to obtain in the name of Ethiopia goes to Tigray.
As a loyal and prominent member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (Woyanne), Prof. Awash also works to promote Meles Zenawi’s agenda in the U.S. academia by introducing him to the likes of Prof. Sachs, who is his long-time mentor. The current Minister of Health in Ethiopia and politburo member of the ruling Tigray People Liberation Front, Tewodros Adhanom, was Awash’s student. When ever Meles goes to New York, one of the few Ethiopians he meets with is Awash Teklehaimanot. The other one is his investment adviser Kassahun (Kassy) Kebede, Managing Partner of Panton Capital Group, LLC (more about this guy another time).
Awash Teklehaimanot also worked behind the scene to arrange former president Clinton’s August 2008 visit to Ethiopia.
In 2004, Awash arranged a visit by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger to visit Tigray.
[Columbia President Lee Bollinger (center) visited the village of Abraha Astebha in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia in July, 2004, along with Earth Institute health expert Awash Teklehaimanot (far left) and members of the Hunger Task Force of the United Nations Millennium Project. Jean Magnano Bollinger, President Bollinger’s wife, is standing to his left. Second to his right is Dr. Mitiku Haile, President of Ethiopia’s Mekelle University and a soil expert.]
Awash did not take Bollinger for a visit to southern, western or any other region during their stay in Ethiopia.
The Woyanne junta has many individuals through out the U.S. who work behind the scene to promote Meles Zenawi’s ethnic apartheid program in Ethiopia where every thing is controlled by one ethnic group.
It is up to Ethiopians to expose these bigots so we can challenge and confront them where ever they are in order to minimize the damages they are doing in Ethiopia.
Please post in the comment section below any further info you have about this Woyanne aparthied professor and others like him.
81 thoughts on “Awash Teklehaimanot – a dictator’s agent at Columbia”
Ethiopian review MIRROR OF THE TRUTH
Nebyu , Tazabiw and Ahmed Abdella shame on you.I am ashamed of those of you trying to present Meles Zenawi as just another regular politician. How would you feel if I support leaders of Al-Quaida like Awash tekelehaimanot is supporting Meles? Are you going to argue it is my right to choose to side with this mass murderers? My assumption is you are not going to respect the choice I made and you will be one of the few first to condemn me for supporting Al_Quaida . In this case Awash Tekelehaimanot is choosing to support a genocidal murderer and compared to his actions for the last twenty years Elias went easy on him so please stop sugarcoating this Banda Awash Tekehaimanot’s actions by saying he has the right because commiting genocide is not a right to anyone..
Yes;bad things happen to bad people.Sadam is gone;so will Meles Naziawi.Ethiopians,we must engage continuosly in the struggle against the illegals.Zinawi is a fugitive and must be captured and receive the punishment he knows dearly,yet fearfully to his ticking heart and wicked mind that one day will hppen.
The scales of crimes Zinawi and members of the crimefamily committed against Ethiopians are outrageous,wicked,and weired;the amount of resources looted in money is amount to billions of dollars;the lies he told the world is unbelievably crap and filthy.This robber is a fugitive.Ethiopians,Ethiopia is nealy losing everything;let’s do one thing together:capture the thieves and the murdereres,arrest the looters,and give them punishments because this is about crime and punishment to those who deserve one and more than many.
Your hate tinted eyeglasses (outlook), are robbing you of understanding “Democracy 101″; i.e. respecting people’s right to support anybody/any view point. You don’t have to respect/honor their view, only their right to their view. SIMPLE!!!
If, as you want us to believe, Malaria was eradicated from Ethiopia before weyannes; and if you had a deep knowledge and/or information about “malaria in Ethiopia”; you would have been informed of Awash T. Haimanot’s contribution in the eradication of malaria (way, before weyanne and derg)!!!
A little honey attracts more flies than a whole lot of vinegar. Spread love, tolerance and, respect; not venom.
Elias,
You will get your own medicine. Hate is like a cancer, and it is going to kill you one day.
Not sure if video of Sadam’s hanging is appropriate. Can’t stand watching it. Back then when it happened, it took a few days to shake the image of the edited footage off. President W. Bush and his father H.W Bush gave Mengistu a safe passage, befriended Meles, yet incarcerated Panama’s Noreiga and hunged Sadam Husien. Sorry but there is no clear justification here. Another interesting fact: how come the invasion of Iraq and the invasion of Ethiopia by Assyria (Woeyane) and the departure of American forces from Iraq and the invietable departure of Assyria from Ethiopia is coinciding?
Canis simensis
Great job Elias! You got the crux of the puzzle here. Of the thousands of villages there are in Ethiopia, why would Sachs choose Hawzen to be a model village? It happens to be this Awash’s birth place!
Good job Eliyas keep it up,expose this dirty rats around the world thanks.
Elias thanks for what you are doing to our country and i share your love of Ethiopia deeply and proud to have a brother like you. fighting with truth at your side.
@52
i totally support what you said in your comment
Prediction based on an intuition is not all logical. Assuming fear is one element of dictatorship. A recent headline on Meles scheduled appearance at Columbia University has increased revealing details of Meles region. Assuming that questioners are informed and free and have opportunity the probability of critical question being asked that he could not turn his back on or spin such as validities of 99.6 percent election win, 12 percent economic growth, and allegations crimes against humanity has increased. Based on known road maps of Meles past actions and an intuition is that between now and 09/22/10 Meles may find a face saving reason to escape appearance at Columbus University on 09/22/2010. As I said intuition is not all logical. But, I know Meles functions out of fear. Let us see Awash Teklehaimanot and his boss next move.
#4, Ahmed Abdella , Phd, RO says:
Mr. Elias where do you live, is it not individual right to support regime or not regardless. This professor unfortunately supported the dictatorial regime lead by meles but still he has the right to support them as we have a right to reject them.
Ahmed Abdella, no you are mistaken.
Ahmed Abdella, can you see the central causes using your PhD knowledge. The main issue here is that the person you are defending has been collaborating with a dictatorial region accused of violation of human rights. Reports are from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Genocide Watch, and Country Report. They all have one think in common rights. The central topic here is rights are violated. The person you are defending lured others in assisting causing violations of individual rights, and group rights. He has being accused of being an instrument to violations of basic human rights. He has been accused of helping cause human right violations and genocide in Ethiopia.
It is immoral to support a notorious perpetrator of heinous crimes including genocide.
Thank you ER for exposing tyrant Meles.
Thank you very much, to Ethiopian review for exposing these Hodams who live just to fill there big gut.Now we know who they are we will deal with them when the times comes.Its not that far.
It is not surprising the professor is a long time suporter of TPLF,since the armed struggle period while he was working for WHO.
They (Columbia University) have every right to do whatever they want in Tigray, but they should not pretend they are doing it for the entire Ethiopia. Zeregnoch, Leboch!
Meles’s Evil tactics, talk smooth in the world Arena, and murder Ethiopians in Ethiopia coupled with Jeferey Sachs Ego as THE man who knows how to fix world poverty are deceiving gullible and even intelligent people to fall into this kind evil scheme.
I doubt Jeferey Sachs cares about world poverty. Leave the poverty issue to the poor to solve it; do not interfere!
I do agree that individuals have the right to support regimes. I can also understand Prof. Teklehaimanot if he favours to passionately facilitate any help to Tigray — that does not make him by any point anti-Ethiopia. What I do not understand is that if the whole host of Colombian intellectuals are implicated in one way or another, (1) is the invitation to PM Meles made on a fair and impartial scale? (2) will the entire discussion (at least from the Colombian Intellectuals perspective) be fair and impartial? I doubt it.
Keynote speeches have never been invited based on mere intellectual curiosity and a desire to know and discuss. It takes quite a complex lobbying and social networking. Sadly, the Mighties of such infectious practice do not love Ethiopia indifferently.
Dear Elias,
Thank you for exposing this double tongued wolf. Our country is better-off with out their ‘support’. how stupid they are to think they can improve our lives from NY. They don’t know our people! But the butcher is using them to save his face.
Midre Agases!
Malaria was erradicated in Ethiopia during the Derg? Yes, in fact, Ethiopia was a prosperous, democratic, first world country prior to the arrival of the Woyane.
Elias and co, do you understand how offennsive your pro Derg and Imperial sentiments are to most Ethiopians? Do you think you have any supporters outside a ethnically and politically narrow group?
Only Woyanes like you think things have changed for the better since Meles has taken power. Regardless, the well documented records of TPLF crimes–from taking away all Ethiopians basic freedom, to torture, looting, murders, selling Ethiopia piece by piece to foreigners. Compare to Meles, even Mengestu seems an angel, let alone the late Emperor Haile Selassia who was Amhara and Oromo, that had done his best with what he had for his country without favoring one ethnic group against another. Obviously, you are one of those brainwashed individual that can not think for him/herself. Meles has been acting as a foreign occupier that loots the country’s resources and hates and kills the people and gives away the land of Ethiopia.
#67 Berrisa would you please read and learn from the comment given to you by #68? you might actually learn something and might start to think for yourself.. that is if you are not one of those who are on payroll!
#52.. well said!!!! thank you.. i don’t think they get though!
Er,
Thank you for posting about this guy. Is it coincidence. There is rumor that actually Bush junior was being adviced by Meles. Could it be true, Bush’s corruption came from Meles? People this is not a joke. I think the Meles’ regime has more influence than you can imagine. If they influence people like Jeffrey Sachs and Stiglitz, DLA Piper, etc, they are brilliant enough to influence the White house. They have worked hard through Ethiopia’s hard earned money and marketing of poverty to use the aid to develop their agenda which is “greater tigray” So it is through this Awash guy that Sachs and Stiglitz fell for Meles regime. In addition, Can someone please find out the latest appointee, 8 months ago from Ethiopia to be the head of some kind of Global economic development or something that Obama appointed. He was a banker. Is it coincidence this guy is appointed if he is Tigrayan? I appologize for fogetting his name and the organization. But when I browsed the organization, every solution for economic growth for selected countries were there EXCEPT ETHIOPIA. Tell me why not? Can someone find out? These people are not just regular people, they are brilliant not saying as praise but for their own dominance they are now integrating into the society of U.S but then we complain with what is going on in Ethiopia? People, they are here and controlling and influencing us through others and even affecting America’s democracy. I will not be surprised if they will approach Elias for deadly encounter. Elias, you better watch yourself. They could even try to set him up. Elias, watch youself especially what you need to worry about is J. Sacchs, etc, Awash they could taint your name and have you arrested.
Awash was working with World Health Organizatio until he was retired. He played a nasyt role in the Orgaization by diverting the Malaria budget alloted to Ethiopia to be directly go to Tigrai. For him, everything was for Tigrai, nothing else.
የወያኔ ቡችላወች የጀመሩት አዲስ ነገር አንድ ሰው የፈለገውን መደገፍ ይችላል እያሉ ዲሞክራሲ የሚያራምዱ ይመስላሉ። ዶክተር ነን የሚሉ ወያኔዎች እንሰሳ ካልሆኑ በቀር አንብበው መረዳት አይናቸውን የጋረደው ሆዳቸው መሆን አለበት። ህፃን ልጅ የሚራዳውን የወያኔ ሌባነት አልታያቸው ያለበት ምክንያቱ ሚስጥር የለውም።
ኢትዮጽያውያኔ እነኚህን እንስሶች ከተደበቁበት ካላወጣናቸው ትግሉ ይጓተታል። መደራጀት ማጋለጥ መቅጣት ያስፈልጋል። መጮህ ብቻ በቂ አይደለም ለሚፈጽሙት ወንጀል ተጠያቂ ማድረግ ይጠይቃል;
እንበርታ
Elias, I admire your courage and determination in standing up for what you believe. You are a brave son of Ethiopia. many doubted you and called you names, but with time everybody’s eyes are being opened, including those who supported and defended the TPLF gang running Ethiopia with impunity.
Keep doing what you’re doing, and may God Bless you and the millions of downtrodden poor Ethiopians you are speaking on behalf of.
Justice will Prevail!
Elias,
Thanks for highlighting the role of Awash in this dirty affair. I would like to add some little piece of information.
1) Awash moved from WHO to the USA under very suspicious circumstances. Rumor had it that he started a quarrel at WHO when his retirement date approached: by claiming that he had made a mistake when he first filled the personal history form (“Ethiopian Calendar” was to balme)
2) There are 2 places in Africa where the MDG project is being ‘tried out’. One of them is in Ethiopia, and specifically .. surprise surprise.. in Tigrai. I have heard that it is his ancestral village.
3) The current Minister of Health is a protege of Awash. He spent most of his professional life as a malaria expert befor moving up the political ladder in the health sector. Awash has played a key role in this process.
4) In his personal dealings, Awash is a person without any moral restraints. His love for power is unbelievable.
berrisa
What are you talking about? I could write a long story to tell you what the TPLF government has done to weaken the health system (mostly unknowingly and out of suspicion in their dealings with “chauvinist” experts). Don’t hang on the “malaria was nearly eradicated” bit. We surely know that the program has suffered in the early years of TPLF. There were massive epidemics in places like Bahir Dar, Adama, etc…
#69, berrissa,
Please read comment #70 it is for you. Some of the reasons to know why Meles hates Ethiopia than other Ethiopian leaders in the past:–he has been giving our precious land to foreigners…Meles and his buddies have been robbing the country and building their wealth… Meles has been improving Tigrea province at the back of 80 million Ethiopians for more than twenty years….Meles also has been throwing thousands and thousands of innocent Ethiopians in jail, including torturing and killing innocent Ethiopians.
#69, are you capable to think for yourself to know the difference between a great leader and a hateful dictator? I think not.
@68
am totally lost and beyond my mind to comprehend your logic. pleas go back and read it cos 1st paragraph and 2ND paragraph are in totally different universe for any Ethiopian to under stand. i think it sounds Ur fighting for malaria to exist rather than Ethiopia.
I think you guys are out of touch of reality. Although I live oversees for over two decades, the standard of living for many farmer is much better off. Many ethnic groups that have been ignored for centuries under the Amhara regime (minilic, tafari & degre) have now seen changes with new schools, clinic, electricty being erected all over ethiopia. The muslims 50% their rights have abused for centuries, now start seeing some justices in their government. But, this has sent shock waves ti the elite Amharas who wanted to restore their past. My message is ethiopia has seen major economic and social changes thanks to our great leader Meles Zenawi who has vission .
I know this guy very well. My father used to work with him. Because we were so close to our father growing up, he used to tell us his daily encounter at work. One of the thing that i remember was that he used to describe how this person (Awash) was bigot and a person who believes that one person’s life is more valuable than other’s. Awash was working ONLY for people with his own ethnic background, never for Ethiopia. He was doing all politically motivated action through his power while working at the malaria center in Addis Abeba. for example, he made numerous efforts not to provide malaria medicine for the military and repress those who have different opinion. He was the most hated person in that department. My father, rest his soul worked hard for his country, traveling from coast to coast to help people with malaria. My whole family knows that my father health was deteriorated after he started to disagree with Awash who was first a lab technician before my father helped him to get higher education. one day Justices will be served for us and for the people of ethiopia. God bless the reporter and Ethiopia.
@ab, I share you feelings and I have a some history. My father use to work with this devil. He manipulate people, has used his power for his own political motive, and was interested only in personal gains. I heard from reliable sources that he used to bribe the minter of health ( during derg) for so many reasons !! ???? I will up date you on this when I get more info. For the reporter( Elias ) god bless you brother !