HARARE — Zimbabwe’s political rivals smiled for the cameras, the crowds cheered and the bitter enemies shook hands.
Six months after the country’s momentous March 29 general elections, which delivered to President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party their first electoral loss in almost three decades, the veteran 84-year-old leader was, on September 15, forced to agree to sharing power with opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s prime minister designate.
Mugabe signed away his sweeping powers to Tsvangirai in a remarkable ceremony attended by a full complement of Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state or their representatives.
Analysts immediately warned that the power-sharing deal was fragile and will require former enemies to put aside their differences and work closely to overcome scepticism.
With nervous glances and awkward handshakes, ZANU-PF formally ceded its near-total monopoly on power to the MDC. And, as opposition party members witnessed the ceremony, their flag-waving, singing supporters danced in the streets, welcoming a new era they hope will end the economic meltdown that has seen inflation skyrocket to more than 11-million per cent.
“I have signed this agreement because I believe it represents the best opportunity for us to build a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Zimbabwe,” Tsvangirai said after the ceremony. “I have signed this agreement because my belief in Zimbabwe and its peoples runs deeper than the scars I bear from the struggle. I have signed this agreement because my hope for the future is stronger than the grief I feel for the needless suffering of the past years.”
In his speech, a dejected-looking Mugabe gave a solemn promise to see that the deal was honoured to the letter so Zimbabweans could embark on the task of nation-building and reconstruction.
“We are committed to deal. We will do our best,” he said. “To the opposition I say congratulations, while expressing the fervent hope that you will shoulder your weighty responsibilities with dignity, a sense of responsibility and seriousness of purpose.”
However, true to form, he railed against the British and saluted “African leaders for solving an African problem”.
As cannons boomed and fighter jets whizzed over the capital, thousands of people flocked to see the spectacle.
“I took off from work; I had to see it for myself,” Cynthia Makaza, 21, a hairdresser, told IWPR at the sidelines of the signing ceremony. Hundreds more crowded into the conference centre to witness the historic occasion.
The signing, beamed live on Zimbabwe television, touched off a carnival mood in MDC strongholds, relief in many parts of the country and general optimism among a battered and anxious population.
The world watched South Africa president Thabo Mbeki together with his United Nations reference group representative Haile Menkerios, and African Union chairman Jakaya Kikwete as they brought together the erstwhile rivals.
Britain and the United States, who have stridently pushed for “real power-sharing” to break the crippling impasse arising from a discredited presidential election run-off, swiftly welcomed the development and, in a joint statement, European Union foreign ministers said, “The EU is ready notably to adopt a series of measures of economic support and help to a transition government that took measures to restore democracy and rule of law in Zimbabwe, notably by organising transparent and pluralistic elections.”
The deal – which will be entrenched in a new constitution – creates the post of executive prime minister, who will supervise ministers and lead government in parliament. It also provides for the sharing of cabinet positions based on the total number of votes cast for each party in the March 29 poll.
The parties will share 31 cabinet posts, with 15 ministries for ZANU-PF, 13 for the Tsvangirai MDC and three for the Mutambara MDC.
The arrangement, which could usher in a new era of reform, will assume legal and constitutional force when parliament is summoned, possibly this week or early next week.
Mugabe was expected to announce the formation of a new all-inclusive cabinet and ZANU-PF legal affairs secretary Patrick Chinamasa told IWPR that the parties had worked out a full list of ministries but there had as yet been no allocations. The MDC is anxious to take control of the important ministries of finance, industry, home affairs, justice and foreign affairs.
Analysts say a truly representative coalition cabinet is crucial to unlocking key financial support.
“The establishment of an all-inclusive and competent coalition cabinet is a critical first step in the effort to woo back western donors, who have withdrawn desperately needed financial assistance from Zimbabwe, saying the economy is severely mismanaged,” said economic commentator Best Doroh.
“The inclusion of private-sector business leaders to head key economic ministries could be a powerful signal that this is the time for fundamental change.
There is a need for new ministers who have the political clout to make painful but critical economic decisions.”
John Makumbe, a political science professor at the University of Zimbabwe, said the MDC has devised a promising economic recovery and rehabilitation programme, known as RESTART, for the transitional period, which, he hoped, might kick-start the economy.
“It is my considered view that if that programme is effectively implemented, the Zimbabwean economy could recover within as short a period as two to three years,” said Makumbe. “Part of the RESTART programme seeks to attract both domestic and foreign direct investment in order to revive previously existing industries as well as to expand those that are currently operating at 25 per cent to 30 per cent of their original capacity. The programme also seeks to encourage as many skilled Zimbabweans as possible to return home and help rebuild the shattered economy.”
Several development cooperation agencies have already indicated their interest in resuming or renegotiating appropriate development assistance programmes with the new government.
The RESTART programme will also focus on the revival of the crucial agricultural sector by, for example, creating a land commission to examine such matters as multiple land-holding practices and the under-utilisation of arable land. The power-sharing deal calls for a “comprehensive, transparent and non-partisan” land audit to ensure individuals do not own too many farms.
It also calls upon the British government to accept the primary responsibility for paying compensation for land acquired from former landowners for resettlement. Zimbabwe’s government has repeatedly accused Britain of reneging on an agreement to compensate farmers who lost their land during land reforms.
The political shift is nothing short of extraordinary for Tsvangirai, who lacks any experience in government but will have the task of turning the economy around.
He will have to achieve this with relatively new faces in the legislature who are still learning parliamentary rules and how to find their way through a building most have only seen on television.
The 100 MPs in Tsvangirai’s parliamentary caucus in the 210-seat legislature are teachers, lawyers, students and small-businessmen who are bewildered by government budgets and committees. Some are scrambling to find money to rent offices or print business cards.
Another Ugandan peacekeeper mercenary has been killed by insurgents in the Somali capital Mogadishu, the second soldier to die there in as many days. A militant Somali Islamist group called the Shabab has taken responsibility for the latest attacks on Ugandan peacekeeping troops, who make up the bulk of the African Union mission in Somalia. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the Shabab has also threatened to shut down the main airport in the capital.
The spokesman for the African Union mission in Somalia Barigye Ba-Hoku says the latest attack on Ugandan peacekeepers took place early Monday near the international airport, where the majority of Uganda’s contingent of about 1,600 troops has been based since they arrived in Mogadishu in March, 2007.
“This morning, Monday, at about 7:45, a small group of our field engineers moved out and they were hit by an improvised explosive device, which claimed the life of one of our soldiers and injured two,” he said.
The roadside bombing followed Sunday’s deadly clash with Islamist insurgents on a road the Ugandans regularly patrol in south Mogadishu. Insurgents using small arms opened fire on a military convoy from the rooftops of civilian homes, triggering a firefight in a heavily-populated area.
One Ugandan soldier died and two others were wounded. Local media reports say as many as 25 people were also hit by stray bullets.
Shabab militants took responsibility for Sunday’s attack and is thought to have carried out Monday’s roadside bombing. The group has claimed responsibility for several other Iraq-style attacks on African Union troops.
Last month, Shabab spokesman Sheikh Muktar Rowbow warned that his fighters were planning to attack African Union peacekeepers from Uganda and another smaller group of peacekeepers from Burundi. Robow accused them of acting as mercenaries for Somalia’s transitional federal government and for the government’s chief backer, Ethiopia.
In June, Shabab fighters and other Islamist hardliners rejected a U.N.-sponsored peace deal signed between the Somali government and an Islamist-led opposition faction led by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. Like the Shabab, Ahmed’s group wants a complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from the country, but unlike the Shabab, it supports African Union and United Nations intervention in Somalia.
Since the signing of the accord, cracks that appeared earlier in the alliance between Islamist insurgents loyal to Ahmed and the hardliners seem to have deepened.
On Saturday, the Shabab issued an ultimatum to the Somali government to close down the main airport in Mogadishu by Tuesday or face an unspecified threat. The group claimed the airport generates money for Ethiopia and is being used by American and Israeli spies.
A day later, a spokesman for insurgents loyal to Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said the airport was too vital to the Somali people to be shut down and vowed to keep it open.
Somalia’s insurgency began shortly after Ethiopian troops launched a military campaign in late 2006 to oust the Islamic Courts Union from power. The fighting has claimed the lives of thousands of people and has left several million others in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
STUTTGART — It has been a frustrating year for 24-year-old Ethiopian distance runner Meseret Defar. She first lost her world record at the 5000m to teammate Tirunesh Dibaba; she then failed to retain the 5000-meter title in the Olympic final where she finished a disappointing third.
But her fortunes changed this weekend at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart where she doubled the 5000m on Saturday and the 3000m on Sunday, winning both races.
In both the 3000m and 5000m, Meseret Defar’s biggest rival was Kenyan runner Vivian Cheruiyot, who had beaten Defar the previous week in Brussels. In the women’s 3000-meter race, she set the pace at the start and led until the final kilometer. But she couldn’t shake off Defar. When the Ethiopian began her kick with 250m to go, Cheruiyot flagged. Defar went on to win in 8:43.60. Cheruiyot placed second in 8:44.64 while Jane Kiptoo, also from Kenya came in third running 8:47.65.
In the 5,000-meter race, Meseret Defar crossed the line in 14:53.82 edging out Cheruiyot (14:54.60) by under a second. Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) placed third in 14:58.76.
The focus of last week’s AT News and winner of the Golden League’s $1 million jackpot, Pamela Jelimo, extended her winning streak in the 800m with her 14th consecutive victory, running a 1:56.23.
In the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase on Sunday Paul Kipsiele Koech ran incredibly well in chilly temperatures. The 26-year-old Kenyan went out on his own to win easily in 8:05.35—ten seconds ahead of his teammates Ezekiel Kemboi (8:15.32) and Richard Mateelong (8:16.05). “I actually wanted to run under eight minutes, but without pacemakers and in this cold weather it wasn’t possible today unfortunately,” said the Kenyan who has the fastest 3000-meter time in the world this year, 8:00.57, and has run under eight minutes on several occasions. Koech’s victory Sunday was his fourth consecutive World Athletics victory.
The women’s 3000-meter steeplechase was a repeat of last month’s Olympics. Olympic champion and world-record holder Gulnara Galkina (Russia) won her duel against rival Eunice Jepkorir in 9:21.73. Jepkorir finished less than three seconds later in 9:24.38. The race was a close one until the last 600 meters when Galkina dropped the hammer and surged ahead of Eunice. Jepkorir’s strong performance at the World Athletics Final demonstrates that Kenyan women are beginning to follow the example of the men who have dominated the steeplechase event for years.
In the men’s 5,000m, last year’s champion, Kenyan runner Edwin Soi, won again. His rivals had no chance matching his finishing kick as he broke the tape at 13:22.81. Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) was second in 13:23.02, while third place went to the Kenyan Micah Kogo in 13:23.37.
The American’s had a strong showing in the men’s 3000-meter race. Bernard Lagat (USA) won in 8:02.97. His victory ended second-place finisher Edwin Soi‘s (Kenya/8:03.55) chances for a repeat win. Third went to KIMbia’s Matt Tegenkamp (USA) who ran 8:03.56.
Six Kenyans Run Under an Hour at the Rotterdam Half-Marathon
It was an exciting photo finish at the Rotterdam Half-Marathon on Sunday. Fellow Kenyans Patrick Makau Musyoki and Evans Cheruiyot were given the same time of 59:29, but the win went to Musyoki. Both men missed the course record (which Cheruiyot had set a year ago) by only 12 seconds in cold conditions and gusting winds. Third place went to Wilson Chebet (Kenya) who was only four seconds behind in 59:33.
This consistently high-class race also had three Kenyans who broke the sub-one hour barrier: Paul Kosgei (59:37), Charles Munyeki, (59:44) and Joseph Maregu (59:52).
The women’s field was not as deep, but a course record was set. Lydia Cheromei (Kenya) ran a personal best on this fast course with a 68:35 and broke her own course record by 38 seconds. A long ways behind, the Dutch runner Ilse Pol, finished in second place with 74:17.
Irina Mikitenko now the Eighth-Fastest 10K Women Ever
Irina Mikitenko has returned in style. After suffering from back problems which prevented her from running the Olympic Marathon, the 36-year-old German runner achieved a convincing win in 30:57 at the German 10K Championships in Karlsruhe. This performance took her to number eight on the all-time list. Apart from a German record, Mikitenko’s time was the fastest road 10K in the world thus far this year.
“I wanted to win and see what kind of shape I was in after having a break from competition,” said Mikitenko, who took the lead from the start, running in cool, wet weather on a loop course. For the first four laps Mikitenko ran with rival Sabrina Mockenhaupt. But pulled away during the fifth lap. Mockenhaupt, who is preparing for the Frankfurt Marathon on October 26, came in second in 31:50.
“When I saw the 5K split of 15:27, I thought, ‘oh, that’s really fast.’ I then tried to keep that pace going and didn’t have any problems,” said Irina Mikitenko, who broke her own German record of 31:28 which had stood for five years. She improved this year’s world best (previously held by Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands) by four seconds. “I shall run a marathon this autumn. Since I felt very good today, I’ll make a quick decision where that will be,” said Mikitenko who has won all six races that she has competed in this year—the pinnacle of which was her triumph at the London Marathon last April.
Falk Cierpinski won the men’s race in 29:14.
Olympic champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita to Run the Chicago Marathon
The women’s 2008 Olympic Marathon champion, Constantina Tomescu-Dita, will be running another high-profile race this year. This week, she announced that she will run the Chicago Marathon on October 12. The Chicago Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors (WMM) series along with Boston, London, Berlin and New York.
The purse at Chicago is a large one: $125,000 dollars and a chance to score points in the WMM series. In the rankings for the 2008-2009 season, Tomescu-Dita shares the lead with the Boston Marathon winner Dire Tune (Ethiopia) as well as German runner Irina Mikitenko.
The verdict is still out whether or not Tomescu-Dita can bounce back after only 8 weeks of rest since the Olympics. Competing for the purse will be the Ethiopians Bezunesh Bekele (2:23:09 PR) and Worknesh Tola (2:25:37 PR), as well as the Russians Alevtina Biktimirova (2:25:12 PR) and Lidiya Grigoryeva (2:25:10 PR).
“I’m looking forward to returning to Chicago because I’ve run some of my best races there,” said Tomescu-Dita, who won the 2004 race and placed second a year later with a personal best of 2:21:30.
William Kipsang is the top seed in the men’s field at Chicago. The 31-year-old Kenyan won the Rotterdam Marathon and set the course record in April with a 2:05:49 (fifth-fastest in the world this year).
The following information is about the phone and internet communications that are available in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the cost of these services.
Telephone Service
International telephone service in Ethiopia is quite expensive compared to many other countries. Telephone calling cards do not work here and none are issued in Ethiopia. Calling from Addis Ababa to other countries require using the Ethiopian international direct dialing rates.
It is possible to obtain calling cards, issued outside the country for calling into Ethiopia, but the rates, about 35 cents a minute, are more expensive than the calling cards for many other countries. However, this is much cheaper than calling from Ethiopia. Not all calling card providers provide calling cards for Ethiopia.
Mobile Phones
Most out-of-country cellular phone services will not work in Addis Ababa. However, it is possible to obtain mobile phone service here. If you have an unlocked cell phone that uses a SIM card, you can replace the SIM card with one from Ethiopia.
We bought an Ethiopian SIM card from a cell phone shop at the Addis Ababa Hilton Hotel and installed it in our unlocked cell phone. The SIM card cost us 368 BIRR ($38 USD) and we had to fill out a one-page application form and provide a copy of my passport. We also paid 100 BIRR ($10.40 USD) for additional air time (this is a prepaid service). The shop lady told us that local calls were .75 BIRR ($.08 USD) per minute, and international calls were 13 BIRR ($1.35 USD) per minute. The local calls worked on our cell phone instantly, but it took a couple of days before we were able to call internationally. We were not able to get the text messaging service to work yet, but other people here with cell phones can text message OK. We were advised by friends that the phone settings may need to be corrected.
If you do not have an unlocked cell phone that uses a SIM card, you may have to buy a cell phone in Addis Ababa. The prices of the Nokia cell phones sold at the cell phone shop range from 750 BIRR ($78 USD) to 3,000 BIRR ($312 USD).
Internet
Internet service in Ethiopia is slow and expensive compared to most other countries. The major hotels have broadband internet service but it does slow down to a crawl during periods of high internet usage.
Houses in Addis Ababa that have internet access use mostly dial-up service. Broadband access is expensive and takes about one year to get it installed. The following are the internet prices.
Type of Service Initial Price Monthly Price
64Kbs ADSL 4,608 BIRR 1,986 BIRR
128Kbs ADSL 7,533 BIRR 3,140 BIRR
256Kbs ADSL 13,925 BIRR 6,096 BIRR
512Kbs ADSL 26,708 BIRR 12,008 BIRR
1Mb ADSL 52,274 BIRR 23,832 BIRR
2Mb ADSL 103,406 BIRR 41,479 BIRR
Dial-UP 156 BIRR 60 BIRR
(Presently 9.6 BIRR = $1 USD)
The above ADSL prices are with leased lines. Shared DSL is not available yet.
Dial-Up monthly price includes 900 minutes free service. Over 900 minutes cost 0.04 BIRR per minute, except on working days from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm which is 0.07 BIRR per minute.
The Ethiopian Somali Advocacy is supporting the reformed bill that U.S Senator Russ Feingold has introduced to the floor. The bill entitled “Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Ethiopia Act of 2008” will hold the Woyanne regime accountable for its crimes. The atrocities Meles Zenawi and gang have inflicted on the Ethiopian people, particularly in Somali region, is being exposed.
On October 2, 2007, H.R. 2003, “Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007” passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously. On October 3, 2007, the Senate received the bill and referred it to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
The Feingold bill is substantially similar in legislative intent and appraisal of the poor human rights conditions in Ethiopia. The “findings” in the bill document a slew of human rights violations committed by the “Government of Ethiopia” in the aftermath of the 2005 elections, including the injury of “763 civilians,” the murder of 193 persons and detention of “thousands more opposition party leaders and their followers, “widespread violations of human rights and international law by the Ethiopian military in Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia, as well as in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.” The bill describes the use of “unjustifiably brutal tactics [by the government of Ethiopia] against its own citizens in Oromiya, Amhara and Gambella regions.” The bill finds the recent civil society law has the effect of “creat[ing] a complex web of onerous bureaucratic hurdles, draconian criminal penalties and intrusive powers of surveillance that would further decrease the political space available for civil society institutions.”
Section 5 of the bill requires the President to take “additional steps to support the implementation of democracy and governance institutions and organizations in Ethiopia,” including support for civil society organizations, fundamental freedoms, bolstering the independence of the judiciary and full international access to the Ogaden, among other things. The bill provides $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 to carry out its objectives.
In contrast to the Feingold bill, H.R. 2003 imposes stricter limitations on security assistance and travel restrictions on any official of the Government of Ethiopia involved in human rights violations. It also requires certification by the president that “quantifiable” efforts are being made in the human rights area, including release of political prisoners, independent operation of the judiciary, free operation of the print and broadcast media and restructuring of the national elections board to reflect the political diversity ion the country. H.R. 2003 also provides support for economic development.
The Coalition for H.R. 20003 will provide further analysis of the Feingold bill and possibilities for reconciling the House and Senate version in the coming day. For now, we ask all supporters of human rights in Ethiopia to express their gratitude and appreciation to Senator Feingold.
We are calling on all Ethiopians to petition and campaign that the bill is transformed to be an effective tool to be put Meles and his gang in the International Court and follow the path of Liberia, Sudan and Serbia murderers.
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) — Two Ethiopian companies said on Monday they will work with Chinese telecoms gear maker ZTE Corp to build the African nation’s first mobile phone assembly plant.
The $5.2 million facility in the northern town of Bhar Dar will be able to produce more than 3,000 handsets a day once it is up and running in 18 months’ time, Janora Technology, one of the two Ethiopian firms, said in a statement.
The other local company is the Organisation for the Rehabilitation and Development of Amhara Region.
Janora said it and TIRET would build the factory, while ZTE would provide the machinery and technological know-how.
Industry sources said ZTE would also set up a CDMA network with capacity for 2.4 million Ethiopian subscribers.
Demand for mobile phones in the Horn of Africa nation has risen sharply following the upgrading of services and the expansion of state-owned Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation.
(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Daniel Wallis and David Holmes)
