Mirchaw Sinishaw’s Urael Church in DC. The two story
house doesn’t look any thing close to a church.
Dissatisfied with Shaleqa Yoseph and Dr Taye, the estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, is increasingly relying on former Derg cadre Mirchaw Sinishaw to mobilize support for him in the Washington DC area. The main tactic deployed by Guad (or Gudu) Mirchaw to recruit supporters for Ato Hailu is a propaganda campaign on his weekly radio program against the Kinijit delegation led by Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa. His strategy seems to be that for Ato Hailu to be revived, the Kinijit delegation must be politically destroyed through fabricated accusations and propaganda. As a trained, experienced Marxist cadre, he feels he is equipped to do the job.
ER’s Research Unit has been gathering some information about Ato Mirchaw to understand what drives him to wage an all out campaign against the Kinijit delegation. We will have more report later about his other activities and connections, including his close and wide-ranging family ties with high level officials of the Woyanne regime. Here we will focus on his activities in relation to the church he owns.
Yes, Ato Mirchaw Sinishaw owns a church named ‘Urael’ in Washington DC. This is not news, of course. What the ER Research Unit uncovered is that Ato Mirchaw has been collecting money from his congregation for the purpose of buying a building for the church, and his members, mostly elderly ladies, have contributed generously. A few months ago, he announced to the congregation that he bought a building and moved the church to the new address, from the Catholic Church where he was renting a room to run Urael. The building is a two story house, and doesn’t look any thing close to a church. Yet the members did not mind since they thought it is better than renting.
What the members do not know is that Ato Mirchaw has been lying to them. According to the information obtained by ER, the building that is located at 5716 16th Street and currently being used as ‘Urael’ Church is owned by an individual named Ato Berhane N. Abraham. The building was sold to Ato Berhane by Ato Mirchaw as a real estate agent at the price of $886,000.
Mirchaw Sinishaw holding a microphone for Hailu Shawel
at the Reagan Airport in DC, Sep. 15, 2007
Contrary to what Ato Mirchaw told the congregation, the building is not owned by the church. It is bought and now owned by Ato Berhane, who turns around and rents the building to Ato Mirchaw to be used as a home for Urael.
Urael’s priest, who is on Ato Mirchaw’s payroll, has been getting suspicious lately and started to ask some questions, such as why the church doesn’t have a board of trustees like the other Ethiopian churches.
Since Ato Mirchaw established Urael church a few years ago, he has branched out from driving a taxi to real estate investments, buying commercial buildings and rental properties. He has also bought a brand new $50,000 Hummer recently.
What is significant about this story is that Ato Mirchaw is Hailu Shawel’s close confidant. He has recently became Ato Hailu’s point person in the Washington DC area. He is a leading member of the 11-man special task force Ato Hailu created last month.
Ato Hailu’s close association with Ato Mirchaw, as well as Shaleqa Yoseph, Ato Moges, Dr Taye and other swindlers — goes to show that he has surrounded himself with incredibly corrupt individuals whose fraudulent activities are not limited to politics.
Yoseph Yazew — diverted and squandered over $1.2 million of Kinijit’s funds.
Moges Brook — diverted to an unknown account at least $60,000 from the Los Angeles chapter of Kinijit.
Taye Woldesemayat — failed to report (or may have pocketed) substantial amount of money and other forms of assistance donated to the Ethiopian Teachers Association from sister associations in Europe.
Ato Hailu Shawel himself is said to be deeply involved in corruption. More on that another time.
MOGADISHU (AFP) — Columns of joint Ethiopia-Somali forces scoured for weapons in the capital’s main market on Monday to stem an escalating insurgency that has killed at least 60 people in five days.
The troops blocked roads then swooped from door-to-door in Bakara market, a suspected hideout of Islamist-led rebels relentlessly attacking pro-government targets in recent days. The usual bustle was absent.
“The operation will continue for a week,” said Mogadishu’s mayor and former warlord Mohamed Omar Habeb.
Traders denied they were hiding weapons in what used to be an open-air arms bazaar.
“I do not think there are weapons in the market, but let them check,” said Ali Mohamed Siad, dean of Mogadishu traders. There were no reports of recovered weaponry or civilians injured as reporters stayed away.
After talks, Ethiopian army and Bakara traders cliched a deal set enter into force on Tuesday, although previous accords have barely been implemented.
“We have agreed starting tomorrow, all roads should re-opened, business should not be disturbed and the dead should be buried,” said a trader who requested anonymity.
At least 60 people, mostly civilians, have died since Thursday in the worst clashes since April when Ethiopian troops wrested control of Mogadishu from Islamists who briefly controlled large parts of the country.
The EU humanitarian body, ECHO, pleaded Monday for civilian safety in the city.
“It is necessary for all parties to spare the civilian population, to respect the medical staff (and) to allow the evacuation of the wounded to the hospital,” said Giuseppe Angelini, the agency’s deputy for Africa.
The closure of Bakara market, a lifeline for Mogadishu dwellers, has disrupted trade in the city where violence has choked aid operations, according to residents.
The fortnight of clashes and displacement of scores more thousands of people has worsened the humanitarian crisis that has blighted the nation for 16 years, with areas just outside the city struggling to cope with the latest influx.
The Shabelle region — known as Somalia’s breadbasket — has suffered its worst crop in 13 years and relief agencies warned that major food shortages threaten the lives of thousands of children.
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is locked in talks to find a new prime minister following the resignation late last month of Ali Mohamed Gedi.
Bloody clan bickering and power struggles that intensified after 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre have scuppered many bids to stabilise the Horn of Africa country of nine million people.
Meanwhile Monday, authorities shut down Mogadishu’s Radio Shabelle, giving no reason for the move against one of the largest independent stations in the capital.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said the closure, the second since September, showed that the government’s “contempt” for media had reached a “new level.”
Ethiopian Review would like to thank the EriTV staff for not using the term “Ethiopian government” or “Ethiopian army.” They always use the correct term “Woyanne.” Indeed, Ethiopia has no national army and no legitimate government. The army under the Woyanne regime is a gang of mercenaries who terrorize, torment, murder, mayhem, rape and brutalize the people of Ethiopia and neighboring countries on the orders of Meles Zenawi and the TPLF junta. The sole purpose of the Woyanne army is to protect the Meles crime family from the people of Ethiopia. To call this army of baby killers and rapists an “Ethiopian army” is to dishonor the name Ethiopia. Ethiopians are not completely defenseless thanks to the freedom fighters of ONLF, OLF, as well as the EPPF (soon to reemerge from its internal crisis) who will jointly make up the future Ethiopian army. The video below, which is produced by EriTV, shows the self-contradictory statements of a desperate dictator whose time is running out.
ETHIOPIAN-AMERICANS and FRIENDS of ETHIOPIA in OKLAHOMA For H.R. 2003
Protest rally on Tue. Nov. 13, outside Senator Inhofe’s Oklahoma City office, 1900 NW Expressway Suite 1210, Oklahoma City, OK 73118. TIME: 10:00A.M.
In its most recent human rights report on Ethiopia (April 5, 2007), the U.S. State Department concluded:
The [Ethiopian] government’s human rights record remained poor in many areas. Human rights abuses reported during the year included the following: unlawful killings; beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of those suspected of sympathizing with or being members of the opposition; detention of thousands without charge and lengthy pretrial detention; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights; restrictions on freedom of the press; arrest, detention, and harassment of journalists for publishing articles critical of the government; restrictions on freedom of assembly and of association; violence and societal discrimination against women and abuse of children; female genital mutilation; exploitation of children for economic and sexual purposes; trafficking in persons; societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and against religious and ethnic minorities; and government interference in union activities.
Human Rights Bill in Congress
On October 2, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously and with full bipartisan support passed H.R. 2003 (“Ethiopia Freedom and Accountability Act of 2007). This bill urges the government of Ethiopia to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in the country and prosecute individuals who have committed gross human rights violations. Additionally, it provides financial support to strengthen human rights and civil society groups and build democratic institutions including a court system free of political interference and an elections system that is free from fraud and political manipulation. The bill is currently in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Inhofe has placed a “hold” on the bill in the Senate preventing consideration by the full Senate. He says the “bill is misguided and takes the wrong approach by placing demands on a friend and ally that has made obvious advancements in democracy and human rights.” He further claims that the bill will “derail progress Ethiopia has made in furtherance of democracy and supporting human rights.”
Ethiopia Human Rights Bill Advances American Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa
H.R. 2003 advances U.S. foreign policy in the Horn of Africa in several ways: 1) support he growth of democratic institutions by helping establish a free and competitive electoral process, independent judicial institutions and democratic civil liberties, 2) bolster all existing counter-terrorism efforts and allow the continuing delivery to Ethiopia of peacekeeping and security assistance, 3) allows delivery of all humanitarian assistance and food aid programs to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Americans Protest Senator Inhofe’s Hold on Human Rights Bill
Ethiopians in Oklahoma and the United States strongly protest Senator Inhofe’s “hold” on H.R. 2003.
We believe Senator Inhofe’s “hold” on the bill will result in the continued detention of thousands of political prisoners in Ethiopia, prevent the prosecution of human rights violators, undermine the growth of democratic institutions and civil liberties.
______________________
For Immediate Release
November 08, 2007
Contact Person:
Mr. Muluneh Zeleke, Spokesperson
Tel #: 405-314-4560
An advisory this week from the Brussels-based International Crisis Group is alerting world bodies and governments to stop Ethiopia and Eritrea from sliding back into a protracted border war. Although both sides agreed in Algiers in 2000 to halt their boundary dispute, which flared up in 1998, and abide by rulings of an international commission, tensions have grown since 2002, when Ethiopia blocked physical demarcation of the border and Eritrea blocked UN peacekeepers from carrying out their mission. Crisis Group Vice President Donald Steinberg, who helped negotiate the Algiers treaty as a US diplomat in the Clinton administration, says the international community must warn both countries that they run a real risk of renewed conflict.
“In our mind, it is essential for the United Nations Security Council, the United States, and also the groups that supported the Algiers agreement, including the African Union, to communicate to both parties that it is time to de-escalate the tensions, to communicate to Ethiopia that they must indeed accept the Boundary Commission that ruled mostly in their favor, but also gave the small, very symbolic village of Badme to the Eritreans, and for the Eritreans to allow the United Nations to perform the full functions that they were sent to do,” he said.
Steinberg warned that tensions are brewing along both sides of the border, with increasing numbers of troops pitted perilously close to each other.
“We’ve been deeply concerned about the movement of some four to five-thousand Eritrean troops into the temporary security zone. In addition, we’ve seen some movements from Ethiopia of troops towards the border, in some continuing buildup outside the temporary security zone by the Eritrean forces, such that we now have literally hundreds of thousands of forces facing off against each other. In some cases, we’re looking at a distance between a potential combatant of less than 100 meters,” he warns.
Steinberg adds that Ethiopian threats to withdraw from the Algiers agreement have been disturbing, as have rumors that Addis Ababa may be stirring up internal unrest among groups inside Eritrea to help bring down the Asmara government. At the same time, he notes Eritrea has restricted the movement of about 17-hundred UN peacekeeping troops near the disputed border “such that they’re not able to effectively perform the peacekeeping role that they were sent there to do.”
Steinberg dismisses the notion that Washington’s security ties with Ethiopia due to last December’s intervention in Somalia have effectively given the green light for Addis Ababa to strike at Eritrea, which is said to be harboring Somali opposition forces and lending logistical and possibly military assistance to oust the Ethiopians from Mogadishu.
“The United States government has a really strong interest in peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Another war along that border would serve no purpose, just as the first war didn’t serve any purpose. And I think that the United States has to communicate this view more clearly to the Ethiopian government, that there would be sanctions should the Ethiopians get involved in anything like a coup attempt within Eritrea. And it has to make it clear at the same time that the United States, as well as other countries, will support in a very strong economic and political way the reconciliation of these two brother states,” he said.
The International Crisis Group report warns that a border showdown could erupt as early as the end of this month, when the international Boundary Commission is expected to finalize the two countries’ border on maps and shut down its operations along the contentious state line.
