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Ethiopia

Camp David protestetors expose Zenawi

Posted on , Updated on by Negash

Ethiopian activists protest Zenawi rule in demonstration near Camp David G-8 summit

Washington Post

THURMONT, Md. — Dozens of police officers in riot gear contained more than 200 Ethiopian activists who jammed a small Maryland town’s square Saturday to protest their prime minister’s involvement in a global economic summit at nearby Camp David.

Authorities reported no arrests during the three-hour demonstration that shut down the intersection of two state highways through the center of town. The commotion drew scores of spectators, many using cameras to document their town’s latest role in world affairs.

The flag-waving Ethiopian immigrants, mainly residents of the Baltimore-Washington area, were protesting the rule of Meles Zenawi, who was invited along with the heads of Benin, Ghana and Tanzania to discuss food security with leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations. On Friday, President Barack Obama announced $3 billion in private-sector pledges to help boost agriculture and food production in Africa.

The United States is a major contributor of aid to Ethiopia, whose longtime leader has been accused of restricting freedoms and news media. Some in Ethiopia see him as a dictator.

“Shame on you!” chanted the protesters, many waving their country’s red, green and yellow flag.

Some held a banner reading, “Zenawi: brutal dictator, pathological liar, mass murderer.”

Police restricted demonstrators to Thurmont, a town of 6,200 several miles from the presidential retreat.

Demonstrator Woni Hailesilassi, a 33-year-old cab driver from Falls Church, Va., said he and four companions tried to drive their car to Camp David but were turned away after 25 minutes of police questioning.

“We need for the people to understand who is the president,” he said, referring to Zenawi. “We know him very well. We want to show that to the world.”

Local resident Cheryl Magers watched the demonstration from the front steps of Thurmont Barber & Styling, across the street from barricades.

“This is quite a commotion,” she said. “And it’s going to be a part of history. That’s why we’re here.”

A few doors down, Christina Spain sold $15 t-shirts reading, “I survived G-8 Summit 2012,” from a sidewalk table. She said she and her boyfriend had 84 of the shirts printed overnight to sell as souvenirs.

“This is not going to happen again,” she said.

Police said there were no arrests or other problems with the protesters.

“Everybody got to come and demonstrate peacefully. There were no issues and that’s what we were hoping for,” said Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Jason West, a spokesman for a combined local and state police force.

A handful of demonstrators from Occupy movements in Baltimore, Washington and New Haven, Conn., joined in. Occupy Baltimore member Richard Ochs said many others from the group went to Chicago to join demonstrations against a meeting there of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, starting Sunday.

Ethiopians in DC confront Dictator Meles Zenawi (photo)

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

Hundreds of angry Ethiopians confronted khat-addicted dictator Meles Zenawi today in Washington DC. Meles was invited by President Obama to discuss food security in Africa, forgetting that it is dictators like Meles who are causing food insecurity.

Supporters of Meles Zenawi — about 40 Woyanne thugs and Solomon Qindibu Tekalign — were their to cheer their murderous boss. When some of them provoked the anti-Woyanne protesters, a fight (better to describe it as a hand-to-hand combat) broke out. The Woyanne thugs were saved by hundreds of riot police who rushed to the scene. Many of the Woyanne thugs suffered broken noses, swollen eyes, and bruised backs. Solomon Tekalign the pig ran like a gazelle to escape.

Emirates takes advantage of boycott against Ethiopian Airlines

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

Several Ethiopian media organizations have recently called for boycott of Ethiopian Airlines as part of the civil resistance campaign against the genocidal junta in Ethiopia. To those of you who are asking for an alternative, here is an answer for you. Emirates Airlines has just announced that it is slashing its fares for Ethiopian passengers. So if you care to punish the Woyanne junta for the atrocities it is committing against the people of Ethiopia, and at the same time save some money, when you fly to Ethiopia next time, use Emirates Airlines.

Emirates Offers Special Fares to Ethiopian Customers

(NewBusinessEthiopoia.com) One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Emirate, has announced special fares to Ethiopian customers to a wide range of destinations across Europe and America.

Emirates’ special Economy Class fares to the United States include: Seattle from 1123 US dollars, Dallas from 1,123 US dollars, New York from 1,273 US dollars, Los Angeles from 1,673 US dollars and Houston from 1,672 US dollars. European cities on offer include Rome from 694 US dollars, Milan from 692 US dollars, Venice from 692 US dollars, Geneva from 694 US dollars, Zurich from 716 US dollars, Amsterdam from 710 US dollars, Frankfurt from 749 US dollars and Paris from 774 US dollars.

In addition to the special fares, Emirates has also announced a special stopover offer, with free hotel accommodation for Economy Class passengers transiting for 8 hours or more until June 30, 2012.

Fares to America are valid for ticketing on or before May 31st 2012 for travel on or before June 30th 2012. Fares to Europe are valid for travel and ticketing on or before June 10th 2012.

Unveiling the new fares and stopover offer, Emirates Country Manager for Ethiopia, Abdalla Al Zamani said the offer was part of the airline’s mission to make travel as comfortable and affordable as possible for Ethiopian customers this summer.

“Emirates is committed to the Ethiopian market and to providing our customers with outstanding value for money and the most attractive travel experience available. Our free stopover offer and special fares to some of Emirates’ most popular destinations represent a very significant saving, meaning that there has never been a better time to book a holiday, business trip or to visit friends or relatives overseas,” he said.

All fares are quoted on a return basis, are inclusive of all taxes and can be purchased from Emirates sales offices or through authorized travel agents.
“By offering these discounted fares and free accommodation to passengers with a transit time of 8 hours or more, Emirates is demonstrating its investment in the total passenger experience and to ensuring that it is the airline of choice for all,” said Mr Al Zamani.

Emirates serves 123 cities around the globe with a young and technologically advanced fleet of 169 aircraft to support the expansion of its international routes. Operations on Emirates connect Ethiopia to the world through the airline’s route network, with extensive connections to Europe, the Americas, the Far East, Australia and India Subcontinent.

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates airline has received more than 300 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. The airline says that Emirates operates out of Dubai with no government protection or subsidies and in an environment that does not restrict competition.

Oakland Institue asks Obama not to support Ethiopia land grab

Posted on , Updated on by Negash

Obama Urged to Reassess Ethiopian Relations Over Land Evictions

By William Davison | Bloomberg News

The U.S. should reassess its support for the government of Ethiopia, amid concern that more than half a million people are being evicted to make land available for foreign investment in agriculture, advocacy groups including the Oakland Institute said.

A meeting tomorrow between President Barack Obama and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, among other African leaders, presents an opportunity for the U.S. to address the issue, the California-based group said in a joint statement with the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, or SMNE. The U.S. has provided aid worth more than $1 billion a year since 2007 to Ethiopia, according to the statement.

Foreign investment in commercial farming may be the “single largest man-made contributor to food insecurity on the continent today,” they said. “We hope that you will take leadership in responding to an international call asking you to put the brakes on this impending and present-day catastrophe.”

Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation, is leasing out land to investors to grow cash crops and generate foreign exchange. The government leased 350,096 hectares (865,106 acres) of land to 24 companies, including 10 foreign ones, according to the Agriculture Ministry’s website. Oakland puts the amount of leased land at 3.6 million hectares.

The government denies any connection between land leasing and resettlement programs. The relocation of about 20,000 households in the southwestern Gambella region last year was voluntary and aimed at providing people with access to farmland and public services, Federal Affairs Minister Shiferaw Teklemariam said in an interview in March.

Ambassador Criticized

Oakland and SMNE criticized U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Donald E. Booth, citing him as saying people in Gambella benefit from the government’s policies.

“Mr. Booth seems unwilling to acknowledge any of the abuse, violence, or coercion that human rights groups and the media have reported,” they said. The U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia is awaiting approval from Washington for its response to the statement, Diane Brandt, a spokeswoman for the embassy, said by phone today from Addis Ababa.

SMNE, which has branches in the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, advocates “rule of law, respect for human rights, equal opportunity and good governance” in Ethiopia, according to its website. The group’s executive director, Obang Metho, is being tried in absentia in Ethiopia for terrorism.

Horizon Plantations, an Ethiopian company majority owned by Saudi billionaire Mohamed al-Amoudi, criticized Oakland’s association with SMNE. Horizon has leased 20,000 hectares in Ethiopia’s western region of Benishangul-Gumuz to grow groundnuts for edible oil.

“All of the land being given to international investors is the land which is not developed at all,” Horizon General Manager Jemal Ahmed said in a phone interview. “Oakland Institute does not care for Ethiopia. They are doing their best to stop the development taking place by allying themselves with violent and hate-advocating diaspora opposition.”

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa via Nairobi at [email protected].

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at [email protected].

Religion and Ethiopia

Posted on , Updated on by Yilma Bekele

By Yilma Bekele

Two important meetings were held a week ago. One was in Addis Abeba and the other in Washington DC. Both were concerning our motherland and the future. That is where the similarities end. One was intended to continue the path of destruction chartered by the current regime while the other was trying to build on what has been achieved throughout millennia and proven to work beyond expectations. The DC conference was an affirmation of the wise and keen insight of our forefathers that laid the foundation for the place we call home.

Christianity and Islam are the two most related faiths that trace their origin in our own neighborhood. Ethiopia is one place where the two have converged in a peculiar manner and have managed to lead a mutually assured loving existence. The bond between the two is so deep no mortal man can break that and live to tell about it. A few have tried to no avail. As evil goes the meeting in Addis was another attempt to create a wedge between the two faiths and their followers. It was vintage TPLF brainchild or brain fart.

Why our country has succeed in this endeavor while most of mankind is still trying to figure out how to come to terms with religion and State issue is a wonderful subject for our historians. I am by no means a historian but I will attempt to share the little I know from my sketchy reading of our glorious past.

Exact date for the emergence of Christianity in Ethiopia is not yet settled. The earliest and reference to the introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia is in the New Testament (Acts 8:26:38) when Philip the Evangelist converted an Ethiopian court official in the 1st Century AD. Credit is given to Saint Frumentius as the first to bringing Christianity to the Axumite Kingdom. Frumentius a Syro-Phoenician Greek from Tyre along with his brother Edesius accompanied by their uncle Meropius were shipwrecked on the Red Seacoast around the year 316 AD. The two boys were taken as slaves to the King of Aksum. Upon the king’s death they were set free but at the request of the queen they stayed to help in the education the young heir Ezana. When Ezana came of age the two brothers returned to Tyre but Frumentius was able to convince the Patriarch of Alexandra, Athanasius to send a Bishop to Ethiopia. In the year 328 Frumentius was sent back as the first Bishop. He succeeded in baptizing King Ezana initiating the spread of Christianity. The Ethiopians refer to Frumentius as Kesete Birhan (Revealer of the Light) and Abbba Selama (Father of Peace) and he is the our first Abune.

Islam came to Ethiopia around 615AD. The first Muslims were immigrants from Mecca due to persecution by the ruling Quraysh tribe. The prophet Mohamed (peace and blessings be upon him) felt Ethiopia to be a safe haven for his relatives and companions. Moslem historians refer to it as the first Higra or migration and the Christian Emperor as Ashama ibn Abjar. The prophet instructed his followers to ‘respect and protect Ethiopia and as well as live in peace with Ethiopian Christians. Today Harar, Ethiopia is considered the fourth holy city of Islam with 82 Mosques three of which date from the 10th. Century.

The conference held in Washington DC by The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Exile was an affirmation of this historical bond between the two religions and people. It was a proud moment building on the strong and unshakeable foundation laid centuries back that still endures despite the attempt by a few to break what God and Allah has willed.

On the other hand the meeting held in Addis was a flagrant attempt to saw dissent and weaken the bond between religion and people. It was an embarrassing moment and a shameful act that has brought shame and sorrow to country and people. It was the reflection of Kilil brought to the realm of religion. It was another ill hatched plan by Meles and company to bully our ancient land and a feeble attempt to divide and conquer. That it fell on deaf ears is no surprise. As I said our house is not built on sand but on sold granite that no amount of man made idiot trick will cause any harm. I would venture to say it ends up making it stronger and mightier burning the usperes to recoil with shame and horror.

Our Abun’s in Washington DC were celebrated for their forceful solidarity with our Moslem brothers and sisters while the usurper in Addis was shouted down by our Abun’s that steadfastly stood their ground despite the threat of violence including death. Our deep appreciation to the Abun’s strength in withstanding such ugly behavior by the usurper Paulo’s and his henchmen fills our heart with pride and reminds us of our beloved father Abune Petros and his unyielding faith in country and people in front of the Fascist firing squad.

The leader of the Italian Invasion of our land Gen. Rodolfo Graziani proclaimed “The Duce (Mussolini) will have Ethiopia, with or without Ethiopians.” Abune Petros replied, “The cry of my countrymen who died due to your nerve-gas and terror machinery will never allow my conscious to accept your ultimatum. How can I see my God if I give a blind eye to such a crime?’ That is the footsteps our current Abune are following. We thank them for making us proud both in Addis and Washington DC. We praise them for their leadership and their timely message to stir that strong feeling of what it means to be an Ethiopian both as a Christian and a Moslem. No one can break apart that God and Allah has joined together.

As he has done with an appointment of a cadre Patriarch the Meles regime is busy sawing dissent and animosity in the Moslem community. There is no trick left unturned. Churches have been burnt to put the blame on our Moslem citizens and Moslems have been accused of being terrorists, wahabists etc. As he has put Cadre Paulos in power today the regime is protecting the illegal Moslem leader and placing his internal security around him.

All politics is local. It is with this in mind Ethiopians in the Bay Area are traveling to Los Angles to attend a World Wide demonstration the weekend of June 4th. against the regime’s interference in religion in general and the attempt to destroy our ancient heritage, Waldeba Monastery in Northern Ethiopia. Those interested in attending this event can email Waldeba Monastery [email protected].