Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — A 23-year-old man who was arraigned before the Ethiopian High Court, on homicide charges, has been sentenced to a 17-year prison term over the murder of an American diplomat in Addis Ababa.
The 25-year-old American diplomat, Brian Adkins was found dead in his Addis Ababa home in February this year. According to official sources, the U.S. diplomat’s corpse was covered in wounds when it was discovered.
The discovery, which suggested foul play at first sight, prompted the country’s Federal Police to embark on an intensive investigation and later an extensive search.
The 23-year-old Ethiopian suspect was arrested in a remote area of the country a week after a nationwide search launched.
During his trial, shortly after the arrest, the suspect defended himself claiming self defence. According to him, “The diplomat violently tried to rape me … that is what pushed me to react in self defence”.
His argument, however, did little to help his case. The victim’s numerous wounds, it is argued, suggests more than a simple case of self defence. The court on July 9 found him guilty on murder charges and sentenced him the next day to a 17 year prison term.
Brian Adkins was a Foreign Service officer who worked in the consular section of US embassy in Addis Ababa. A graduate of George Washington University in Washington, Ethiopia was his first foreign assignment for the State Department.
More than 25 years ago I watched the Johannesburg Sun being built from the window of my orthodontist’s office in Lister Building, then the home of some of Joburg’s top medical specialists. There must be hundreds of now-adults who share this memory, straight teeth, and the image of Dr Chertkow and Lazerson’s shared consulting rooms with those purple and orange vinyl chairs.
Today that part of town bustles with clothing and blanket wholesalers, fruit vendors and minibus taxicabs. The Joburg Sun is now the KwaDukuzu Egoli Hotel and nearby is Blessed Miracle Wholesalers. The walls are plastered with adverts for abortions and for consultations with miracle prophets who hail from Zimbabwe. Finding a parking space is for the brave as the city planning in that part of town was – I am reliably told – shared by two different firms who drew their own street maps and then matched them up after the streets were built resulting in a weird glitch that causes traffic to have to bob and weave to make it across the street.
Just opposite the hotel and one block down on Delvers Street is a building with an entrance that spills onto the pavement, the home of a number of clothing wholesalers, dressmakers and Ethiopian coffee shops. Usptairs above the hustle of the streets in a coffee shop that had no name we ate injera – a traditional Ethiopian bread with a sourdough taste and spongy texture – with a range of small portions of beetroot, cooked spinach, a sweet potato and carrot mix, and some stewed beef.
The patrons all looked local to the place — mini Addis Ababa — and our host couldn’t have been more welcoming or gracious. No doubt he was curious about what had drawn white faces to that part of town, but was too polite to inquire. Having feasted we walked across the way past a restaurant where two men, on noticing us looking at their hot-pot of beef pieces, beckoned us to share it with them. We stopped for a taste and found enough reason to make a return visit.
It’s a perfect way to describe this city – full of unexpected tastes and encounters.
KHARTOUM — The Sudanese government warned Uganda that it must honor the African Union (AU) decision not to cooperate International Criminal Court (ICC) in the apprehension of the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Last week the ICC prosecutor filed an appeal for the inclusion of genocide charges that were dropped by the judges for lack of evidence.
Last week the African Union (AU) summit in Sirte, Libya adopted a resolution instructing its ICC members not to cooperate in arresting Al-Bashir despite their legal obligations to do so.
Botswana is the only country to publicly dissent from the AU decision saying it will nab Bashir if he reaches its territory.
But on Friday Uganda issued a statement appearing to backtrack from the AU resolution it endorsed.
“As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Uganda Government re-iterates its commitment to the Statute and support to the ICC. This position is shared by the other African States Parties to the Statute who clearly expressed it during the Assembly meeting in Sirte, Libya,” the foreign ministry statement read.
“Uganda Government supports the African Union Assembly Decision….of February 2009 requesting the UN Security Council to defer the ICC indictment for twelve (12) months, in accordance with Article 16 of the Rome Statute”.
The statement made no reference to the AU decision taken in Sirte or whether Uganda will adhere to it.
The independent Al-Sahafa newspaper quoted an unidentified Sudanese official who said that any Uganda’s stance will negatively impact the latter more than it affects Sudan.
The official said that all African countries must adhere to AU decisions and any state that doesn’t do that is breaking the African consensus.
The ‘Ultimate Media’ website quoted Ugandan foreign minister Sam Kutesa as telling reporters in Kampala that the decision is viewed by many as “a manifestation of lack of respect and support for the ICC Rome Statute by African leaders”.
Kuteesa said that the AU simply wants an AU deferral to allow African countries “to investigate further on Bashir’s case such that they can give their recommendations on his indictment”.
The independent Sudanese Al-Sahafa newspaper reported that Bashir is scheduled to visit Uganda on July 26 to take part in the Ugandan-Turkish forum.
The Ugandan State Minister for International Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Daily Monitor newspaper that Bashir will not be arrested during his visit.
Uganda’s stance on Bashir’s arrest warrant has been ambiguous despite backing AU decision criticizing it.
The Ugandan president Yoweri Musievini said last March that he wants neither to “condemn Bashir” nor “condone his actions”.
Bressanone, Italy — The Reporter — World Youth Steeplechase best holder Korahubish Itaa and junior runner Emebet Anteneh will lead Ethiopia’s strong team of fifteen athletes for the 6th IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy (8-12 July 2009).
Ita’a, who improved the World 3000m steeplechase youth best in Huleva, Spain last month, is the star of a large Ethiopian. In addition to her 9:29.52 performance in the Spanish city, Ita’a has enjoyed a much improved season since her fourth place finish in the World Juniors last year with a second place finish behind African champion Zemzem Ahmed in the Ethiopian national championships.
Her performance in Huelva also headed the national lists for the longer event until Sofia Assefa’s 9:19.91 second place finish in Oslo last Friday.
She will be joined in the girls’ 2000m steeplechase by Halima Hassen who has a personal best of 9:35.89 for the 3000m SC.
Ethiopia also boasts strong medal hopes in the girls’ 3000m, where Emebet Anteneh, seventh in the junior race at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan in March this year, is expected to be one of the top contenders. The 16-year old’s surprise third place at the national cross country trials behind established names likes Genzebe Dibaba and Sule Utura was the biggest surprise of the trials and earned her a first trip outside the country for competition.
Anteneh was surprisingly beaten to second place by Genet Yalew as the duo took the top two places at the East African Youth Championships held in Addis Ababa in April this year. Yalew, the Ethiopian 10,000m regional record holder and former champion, is also expected to be among the top contenders.
The top entrant in the boys’ team is steeplechaser Desta Alemu, who hopes to follow on from Legesse Lemiso, the first Ethiopian to win a global title over the steeplechase when he emerged victorious in Ostrava two years ago. (Elshadai Negash for the IAAF)
Ethiopian Team
Boys
800m: Fekadu Dejene
1500m: Girma Bekele, Zebene Alemayehu
2000m SC: Desta Alemu, Berhanu Sheferaw
3000m: Fekru Feyisa
Addis Ababa — In Ethiopia, the rainy season starts sometime in June. This year, Ethiopian cities are starting the season dark and cold. Many people are spending their after work times at various places: cafeterias, bars, restaurants, cinema halls, religious centers, and so on. They don’t have power in their homes to do whatever they used to do.
Even worse, people are spending their daytimes idle – unless they have generators to work on, or they are lucky to be on day’s ration. Many large-scale industries were forced to stop operating by order from Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) because they consumed large amount of electric power, which the EEPCo cannot afford. Many of them indicate that they are heading straight into bankruptcy which may lead into layoffs of thousands of employees.
Small-scale factories and businesses are facing a very challenging time as well. Due to the power shortage, many have cut their payroll. Some pay their employees according to the days and times their employees work, which can be about 50% of their normal salary or less. Elias Garment is among those terribly affected private companies that pay its employees according to power availability and times worked.
There are companies that gave their employee a forced leave as well. This may lead into unpaid leave if the scenario continues this way.
People are immensely affected by the power shedding which is supposed to be at 50% blackout nationwide. This is extremely bad in itself. However, in reality, the real power outage is greater than 50% – a real scandal by any measure.
Bekele Tekelu works at a barber shop. He earns 300 birr per month. Due to the power rationing, the shop could not even pay the increasing house rent because the shop income decreased by more than 50%. Bekele believes he is still employed because the shop belongs to his uncle. Bekele supports his two sisters and himself with his 300 birr salary, but now he is afraid that, if the power cut continues, he may lose his job very soon.
A well-known construction and consulting company co-owner expressed his dismay this way: “I cannot even start and comment on it. It is so clear we cannot perform according to plan. The construction sector is already burdened with various problems from different directions. On the top of that, we don’t have power that can meet our minimum needs. We may use generator as an alternative power for those areas that demand small amount of electric power, but for the rest, we cannot sustain the cost of fuel. We cannot work without cement, but how can we afford to buy 400 Br per quintal? If the power shortage continues this way, I am afraid we will have to cut our human resources as we are going into bankruptcy ourselves.”
Ezega.com tried to reach officials from the public sector and the EEPCo. One person we reached was Tadele Yimer, President of Employers Federation. Tadele said, “We did not hear much of layoffs related to power cut since March 2009. However, the power shortage is terribly affecting various industries and the service sector. As a result, the country will lose enormous amount of income which could have been obtained from taxes.”
Kassahun Follo, President of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, told Ezega.com, “We do not have much information about employee layoffs so far. We heard that Nas Foods Plc did layoff temporary workers. We really hope the dams will be filled with sufficient water soon and the power shedding adjusted for the better.”
Ezega.com reached EEPCo public relation officer, Ato Misker Negash, through the phone. Here follows excerpts from that interview:
Ezega.com: EEPCo told the mass media that it knew of the power demand and supply incompatibility. Did you inform the public?
EEPCO: First we should be aware of the cause of the problem, which is the power supply and demand gap. These days electric power is more than a basic consumption – it has social, economic and political implications. Due to the rapid growth of the economy, our consumption increased highly. In addition to this growth, the adverse effect of climate also contributed its part. The increased temperature of the climate that causes evaporation of the water is also a global phenomenon that played a role for the current power shortage.
We brought a generator with a 60 MW capacity that cost EEPCo $20,000/month for rent and another four million ETB/day for fuel to run the generator. Along with the generator, we brought 4.6 million bulbs with a cost of 45 million birr which we assumed will save 87MW. EEPCo expected demand to increase by 21% in 2001E.C. In reality, it grew by 24%. This was not what we expected.
Ezega.com: In addition to these measures, have you informed the public that they could face power shortage, so they can look for alternatives? Was it not your responsibility to warn the public and especially the various industries, which may touch on peoples’ lives directly and indirectly?
EEPCo: I am afraid I cannot say we provided sufficient information for our clients adequately. But we tried to inform them in different sessions. I can’t say we provided enough information.
Ezega.com: If the power shortage continues this way companies may end up in bankruptcy and layoff their employees? What is the plan to avoid such chaos?
EEPCo: I believe we are currently fighting with nature. The rainfall appears to be promising so far. If it keeps on raining like it is right now, we are optimistic that the problem will be solved soon. Gilgel Gebi II hydro-power with a 420MW and Tekeze hydro-power with 300MW installed capacity are finalized with around 98% of their construction and expected to come to production late this year, or early in 2002 E.C. These are expected to meet the growing demand of electric power in the country.
Ezega.com: EEPCo announced the current power shedding months ago which should have expired by now. Many expect better power rationing, but power rationing nonetheless. What is your plan going forward, and when are you going to announce it to the public?
EEPCo: I am afraid that this is not something that we can talk about now. As I said earlier, if we get adequate rainfall, we will surely improve the supply and bring in Gilgel Gibe II and Tekeze projects to full operation to meet the growing demand. We don’t have tangible information on hand at the moment to predict what we will be capable of in the near future.
In his recent address to parliament, Prime Minster Meles attributed the responsibility for the power rationing to “Poverty”. EEPCo assured the rationing will remain until July 7, 2009. However, there is no solid promise unless the rainfall meets expectations to fill the dams.
Although public representative say there is no significant layoff due to this years power rationing, employers are suffering from unplanned expenses and various losses. Many businesses are on the verge of cutting back employees. No one can seriously believe that such massive power failure will have no impact.
If what happened in Ethiopia this year were to happen in almost any country, the consequences would have been very severe indeed, with repercussions to those in positions of authority who allowed this to happen willy-nilly. Many heads would roll at the very minimum, but not in Ethiopia.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – The Ethiopian government Woyanne tribal junta and the Ogaden rebel group both claimed victory after weekend clashes in the east of the country, but there was no way to verify either side’s claims because of severe restrictions on reporting from the region.
Ethiopian Communication Minister Woyanne propaganda chief Bereket Simon said Monday the government had captured 60 men he described as «terrorists» trying to cross the border with Somalia, which is being riven apart by an Islamic insurgency. Simon said there were two clashes and the rebels were defeated. He declined to provide details of the fighting.
In e-mails purportedly from the Ogaden National Liberation Front, the group said they had killed 90 government troops and injured 100 others. The e-mails described battles over three days, including a number of wounded and injured in each encounter and the equipment captured. They also accused the government of executing a girl and five teenagers in the village of Kebridehar.
The e-mails also said the rebels had killed several army officers near Shilabo, 400 miles (650 kilometers) east of the capital of Addis Ababa. They said fighting was ongoing.
The rebels have been fighting for over a decade for greater autonomy for eastern Ethiopia, which is ethnically Somali. The government accuses the rebels of being terrorists funded by its archenemy Eritrea.
Verifying information from the Ogaden region is extremely difficult. The area is large, remote, difficult to navigate and certain areas, including the area in which the attack allegedly occurred, are under military occupation.
