Unable to freely live and work in their own country, Ethiopians are migrating to Kenya in unprecedented numbers. In exile their dreams of better life turn into more nightmares as they fall prey to corrupt authorities and human traffickers. What are these Ethiopians running away from? The “remarkable economic growth” that the Meles regime and its supporters claim? The “popular” ruling party that “won” 99.6% election victory? Many of these Ethiopians were living in some of the most fertile areas of Ethiopia. Their land is now being taken away and sold/leased to foreign corporations (as reported here) at bargain prices. The following video is a special report by Kenyan NTV (Sep 2010).
Columbia University Protest Organizers issue the New York Manifesto
Following the successful demonstration staged against the visit of the Ethiopian dictator to Columbia University, the organizers of the protest from New York, D.C. area, and other north-eastern states issued the attached Manifesto.
In the coming few days and weeks, there will be extensive discussion on each of the three items constituting the Manifesto. We encourage all pro-democracy individuals and groups to participate in the discussions using all available forums and media, including the popular Websites, radio, focus groups, etc.
WHEREAS, On September 22, 2010, Ethiopians in the Diaspora staged an extraordinarily successful demonstration against the invitation of Meles Zenawi to Columbia University in the City of New York; and
WHEREAS, in the days leading to the said demonstration, there was a manifestation of unsurpassed unity among the democratic forces; and
WHEREAS, This unity was further galvanized by the 99.6% victory blatantly declared by the Dictator in the sham election of May of 2010, his continued violation of human rights, his untamed embezzlement of the country’s resources, and his remorseless use of land and jobs as means of subjugation; and
WHEREAS, There is a clear recognition of the need to maintain the momentum exhibited by the democratic forces in the Diaspora.
THEREFORE, The coordinators of the protest from the North Eastern part of the United States met immediately after the successful demonstration, and issued the following declaration, hereafter referred to as
The New York Manifesto
1. Henceforth, the FOCUS of the struggle by ALL individuals and groups of Ethiopian origin shall be solely on the liberation of Ethiopia from the TPLF tyranny.
2. The immediate launch of a capacity building initiative, with full transparency and accountability, shall be a critical component of the struggle to remove the dictatorship of Meles Zenawi and his ethno-centric party.
3. In the short term, meaningful, realistic and achievable goals shall be formulated and implemented to further motivate, rally and engage the Ethiopian community in the Diaspora.
Organizers from New York, Virginia, DC, Maryland, and other north-eastern states.
A court in Kenya sentences 89 Ethiopian refugees 10,000 shillings each and orders their immediate deportation. These Ethiopians went to Kenya to escape from the fascist junta in Ethiopia led by the despot Meles Zenawi. Kenya court’s decision is not only immoral, it is also in violation of international law that call for the protection of refugees. Meanwhile, the despot’s wife is in Washington DC on a shopping spree with the money she looted from those poor refugees (see here).
Azeb Mesfin, the wife of Ethiopia’s despot Meles Zenawi, has been on a shopping spree in Washington DC these past two days while her husband is in New York, according to Ethiopian Review sources.
On Wednesday, Azeb was seen shopping at the Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, Virginia. On Thursday, she visited shops in Virginia and was spotted at locations in Georgetown.
Meles Zenawi’s former physician Dr Mulai Teklu Yohannes was driving her around in a silver Toyota Land Cruiser, VA license plate number JKA 4622. (More about Mulai another time.) There were also two women with her.
By the time Azeb was done shopping for the day, the Land Cruiser was filled with shopping bags.
Azeb Mesfin is not just a dictator’s wife or a private citizen. As a member of the Tigray People Liberation Front’s (Woyanne) politburo, she is one of the 9 individuals who are currently ruling Ethiopia.
And as the de fact head of EFFORT, a Woyanne-controlled business conglomerate that owns 60 large corporations, and owner of the media company Mega Corporation, she is said to be the richest woman in Africa.
In Ethiopia, she is commonly referred to as “The First Lady of Corruption.”
Using relatives and business associates in the U.S., Azeb invests her stolen millions on residential and commercial properties in several states.
The combined wealth of Meles and Azeb is estimated to be over USD 1.2 billion.
(Any one with any information about Woyanne business activity abroad please contact us. Click here for our contact info.)
Ethiopia’s genocidal regime led by the Woyanne junta has a new propaganda strategy. Here it is: After conducting a fake election in May 2010 and claimed to have won 99.6 percent of the seats in parliament, its propaganda chief Bereket Simon paid a bunch of people 50 birr per person to stage a protest rally against the opposition parties and international human rights organizations. Those who were victimized and robbed of their votes had been prevented from protesting. The consequence of staging a protest against the Woyanne junta is mass arrest, torture and death as witnessed in 2005. The victimizers and genociders (Woyannes) have the right to protest against the very same people they are victimizing. In line with this new propaganda strategy, yesterday, while pro-democracy protesters (who would have been jailed and tortured if they were in Ethiopia) went to Columbia University to confront Meles, Woyanne-hired supporters were there also to “demonstrate” their support for Meles. They were chanting “we love you Meles!” “Good Job Meles!” It was an embarrassing spectacle. Watch the video below.
Today’s event at Columbia University was a huge disaster for Woyanne. In having Meles Zenawi invited to the University to give keynote address on African leadership, his supporters intended to revive his image that has been soiled with the blood of innocent Ethiopians and fraudulent elections. Instead, the Columbia invitation helped expose not only Meles, but also his backers, including a couple of American professors who like to kiss up to third world dictators.
(Left: Meles supporters holding Woyanne flag at Columbia)
As Ethiopians prepared to march to Columbia, the Woyanne-occupied Ethiopian mission in New York had worked full time to get as many supporters of Meles Zenawi as they could. They even had Solomon Tekalign flown all the way from Atlanta. Their effort did not bear fruit. In fact, it compounded the problem since no more than a couple of hodams participated in the pro-Meles demonstration, exposing his narrow support base. There were about 50 demonstrators, and 48 of them were Tigreans. It is reported that some of them were security guards who flew with Meles from Addis Ababa.
The fact that 99 percent of the pro-Meles demonstrators today were Tigreans doesn’t mean that all Tigreans support Woyanne. There might be more than 50 Tigreans who joined us at the anti-Woyanne demonstration, and some of the protest organizers themselves are Tigreans. What it shows is that Meles has no real support outside of the Tigrean ethnic group. Even among Tigreans, his support seems to be narrow. And hodams are not willing to show their face at a pro-Woyanne event after the August 3 Woyanne-sponsored demonstration fearing that their photos will be plastered all over the Internet again (see here).
To make up for their lack of number, the pro-Meles demonstrators brought a bunch of drums and were singing Tigrigna songs until they were drowned out by the over 700 pro-democracy protesters on the other side of the street.
The photo on the left shows Dr Awash Teklehaimanot (red tie) trying to relax near the Columbia campus after what turned out to be a disastrous day for them. Awash is thought to be the person who has worked behind the scene to have Columbia invite Meles. (More about Awash here)
Earlier, a Woyanne who was taunting and showing his middle finger to the protesters as he passed by in his car left with some water bottler marks.
A large number of Ogadenis joined their fellow Ethiopians at the demonstration. Ogaden is one of Ethiopia’s regions where the Meles regime has been committing genocide.
Some Eritreans carrying Eritrean flags also joined the protesters in a show of solidarity. They were cheerfully greeted.
What we have seen today is an encouraging development in the fight to save Ethiopia from the Woyanne cancer. Unity in action is producing result.
