Woyanne fascist regime’s head of the its invading army, General Gabre Yohannes Abate, known as “The Butcher of Mogadishu.” This monster has slaughtered 16,000 Somali civilians in the past 2 years, and made 2 million Somalis homeless. His troops beheaded religious clerics, gang raped Somali women, and engaged in numerous other unspeakable crimes against the people of Somalia.
MOGADISHU (AFP) — Ethiopian Woyanne troops abandoned two bases Monday night in the Yakshid district in the north of Mogadishu, according to local residents who flocked in their hundreds to see the empty camps.
Moderate Islamists who signed a deal with the transitional government immediately sent their forces into the area to ensure security in the capital.
“The Ethiopian Woyanne forces withdrew from key positions in northern Mogadishu overnight and our fighters took control of the areas in order to avoid a power vacuum,” added Sheikh Hassan Osman, an Islamist official.
Ethiopia Woyanne began withdrawing its forces from its war-wracked Horn of Africa neighbour at the beginning of January, pledging not to leave a security vacuum, but Tuesday’s was the first withdrawal from the vulnerable capital itself.
The Shebab have recently retaken much of the territory lost when Ethiopia Woyanne intervened in 2006 to bolster the weak transitional government.
The AU force is expected to eventually number 8,000 soldiers but currently comprises only 3,400 troops from Uganda and Burundi.
Farah Abdi Warsame, a resident said: “It is a happy day today to see the area for the first time in two years without the Ethiopian Woyanne forces. We hope the rest will leave the country.”
The United Nations top envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah urged hardline Islamists who had pegged their participitation in peace talks on the Ethiopian Woyanne withdrawal to end the fighting.
“Today the Ethiopians Woyannes have respected their commitment,” Ould-Abdallah said in a statement. [Liar. Woyannes fled with their tails between their legs.]
“The ball is now in the court of the Somalis, particularly those who said they were only fighting against the Ethiopian forces, to stop the senseless killings and violence.”
“Today Somalia needs and deserves an effective and representative government with wide-ranging participation, particularly from the new generation of young men and women who are not tainted by past violence, corruption or excessive clan loyalties,” said Ould-Abdallah.
Moderate Islamists had signed a deal with the transitional government for a gradual withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, a power-sharing and a ceasefire agreement under UN-mediated talks.
Clashes have continued between the hardline Shebab and government forces, who have a tenuous control of only the capital and the central town of Baidoa which hosts the parliament.
On Monday, at least 10 civilians died in and several wounded in clashes between government forces and rebels in Mogadishu.
The Washington DC Metropolitan Area chapter of Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF) has been officially launched on January 11, 2009.
While getting itself organized, the chapter has already made substantial contributions to the Front to be used for humanitarian needs, such as purchasing medicines and supporting the families of the freedom fighters.
The EPPF Washington DC chapter’s primary task is to mobilize Ethiopians in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland to support the patriotic front in its effort to defend the people of Ethiopia against the brutal regime of the Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne).
More information about EPPF’s activities can be found at the organization’s official web site: www.eppfonline.org
To join the EPPF Washington DC Metro Area Chapter, write to: [email protected]
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (APA) Meles Zenawi’s regime in {www:Ethiopia}, which recently dissolved its ministry of Information, on Tuesday established a new Communication Affairs Bureau to take its place.
In December 2008, the Meles regime officially dissolved the Ethiopian Ministry of Information saying that there was no need to continue the work of the ministry. Instead, the government decided to establish a new bureau at a cabinet level.
Accordingly, the [rubber-stamp] Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday endorsed the appointment by Prmie Minister dictator Meles Zenawi of Bereket Simone as minister of the new Communication Affairs Bureau.
Simone, who was a public relations advisor to Prime Minister Meles, also served as minister of the defunct Ethiopian Information Ministry a few years ago.
The new bureau is expected to undertake various communications activities, including the dissemination of government policies and strategies at national level.
{www:Ethiopia} has sunk deeper into despotism after it passed a law that restricts the work of independent human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
Two international human rights organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have strongly condemned the new Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSO law), enacted by parliament on January 2.
The organizations are urging donor and international organizations to condemn the new legislation, and to closely monitor and press for amendments to its most damaging provisions.
The new criminalizes human rights activities undertaken by Ethiopian organizations that receive more than ten percent of their funding from abroad.
The future of NGOs, including campaigners for gender equality, children’s rights, disabled persons rights and conflict resolution, is at stake if the legislation is enforced.
It also imposes disproportionate and criminal penalties for even minor administrative breaches of the law, establishes a Charities and Societies Agency with broad discretionary power over civil society organizations, and allows government surveillance of and interference in the operation and management of civil society organizations.
Human Rights Watch said that the law is a direct rebuke to governments that assist Ethiopia and expressed concerns about the law’s restrictions on freedom of association and expression.
Amnesty International termed the CSO law as repressive and designed to strictly control and monitor civil society in an atmosphere of increasing intolerance of the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
However, the Ethiopian government claims the CSO law addresses perceived inadequacies in the existing legal regime, promotes financial transparency and accountability, and provides a proper administration and regulation of civil society.
The Ethiopian People Patriotic Front (EPPF) issued a statement denouncing the imprisonment of UDJ chairperson Birtukan Mideksa and called on Ethiopians around the world to fight for her release.
EPPF also condemned the continued detention of all political prisoners, including artist Tewodros Kassahun (Teddy Afro), who was jailed and convicted on trumped up charges.
The solution, EPPF’s statement said, is the removal of the Woyanne fascist regime and urged Ethiopians to stand together and fight toward that goal.
EPPF on its part will intensify its armed struggle to stop Woyanne’s atrocities, according to the statement. Read more here.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Meto Aleqa (Lieutenant) Alemayehu Yeneneh, a national council member of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ), has died today after suffering stroke.
Following the May 2005 elections, Lt. Alemayehu, who had worked as southern Ethiopia coordinator for the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (Kinijit), was arrested twice. On June 5, 2005, he was arrested and sent to Ziway prison, 200 km south of Addis Ababa. He was tortured by the Federal Police while in detention. His cellmate included Kinijit campaign strategist Andargachew Tsege, who was also savagely beaten up by the Federal Police. Both were released in August 2005. Again, on November 2, 2005, Lt. Alemayehu was arrested along with all the top leadership of Kinijit. This time he spent 21 months in prison. Conditions in prison, and the constant harassment by the Woyanne regime’s security while out of jail, had no doubt taken a toll on his health.
When UDJ was formed in October 2007, Lt. Alemayehu became a full time staff member of the party and an organizer of for southern {www:Ethiopia}.
Lt. Alemayehu, 45, was survived by his wife and 5 children.
The Ethiopian People Patriotic Front (EPPF) issued a