(Medecins Sans Frontieres) MADRID, SPAIN — Thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians risk their lives every year to cross the Gulf of Aden to escape from conflict and extreme poverty. The trip is fraught with danger as people are exposed to violence from the smugglers and receive little assistance upon their arrival in Yemen.
In its report, “No Choice”, MSF has documented the conditions of the perilous journey and calls for increased assistance for the thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants fleeing their home countries.
Due to the escalation of the conflict in Somalia and the drought affecting the Horn of Africa, the numbers of new arrivals are increasing. In 2007, according to the UN, 30,000 people embarked on the dangerous trip. During the first five months of 2008 over 20,000 arrived in Yemen. Many of them never made it: in 2007 over 1,400 dead and missing were reported; so far, in 2008, 400 did not reach the shores of Yemen alive.
The report, released on the eve of World Refugee Day, is based on over 250 testimonies gathered by the MSF teams in Yemen since September 2007.
The refugees arrive exhausted, many of them sick and emotionally shattered. Boats of 8 to 10-meters designed for 30 or 40 people at the most are packed with over 100 passengers. People are forced to sit in the same position without moving during the two or three days of the journey and are, in most cases, deprived of water and food.
The smugglers are extremely brutal, beating anyone who dares to move.
Conditions are even worse for people stuck in the holds of the boat – tiny, windowless spaces meant for storage. Twenty people or more are crowded in these spaces, literally sitting on top of each other. Conditions are so harsh that deaths during the trip were reported from one third of the boats. The main causes were severe beatings, lack of food and water and suffocation from being in the hold. Several of those interviewed also reported cases in which the smugglers threw passengers, including children, overboard.
Landing on the Yemen coast is very dangerous: to avoid being caught by the military, many boats arrive at night and do not come close to the shore. The smugglers force the passengers to jump into deep water. Many people drown: they cannot swim, are unable to move because of numbness or are disoriented and cannot find the coast.
Most of those interviewed are aware of the risks, but told MSF that they had no choice, this being their only survival strategy to escape from violence and destitution. For those who reach the shores of Yemen after the perilous trip, the plight is not over. Yemen is a country with limited resources and assistance is scarce.
“To date, humanitarian response has been inadequate. More international assistance is urgently needed and donor countries should commit themselves politically and financially. The response capacity of those who provide assistance to the refugees needs to be increased and more organisations should intervene”, said Alfonso Verdú, MSF General Coordinator in Yemen.
UNITED NATIONS — The deputy chief of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) arrived in Ethiopia today for the start of a four-day visit to review the humanitarian situation in the south and southeast of the country, which has become parched by drought.
Hilde Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, is expected to meet with Government officials, UN agencies, key donors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) while in Ethiopia, according to a statement released in Addis Ababa, the capital.
As many as 4.6 million Ethiopians are now in need of immediate humanitarian assistance because of a lack of seasonal rains, coupled with rising food prices. The worst affected areas are in three administrative states of the Horn of Africa country: Oromio, Somali Region and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR).
Children are among the hardest-hit by the current conditions, with about 75,000 children estimated to be facing severe acute malnutrition already.
Earlier this month the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revised its appeal for Ethiopia to at least $325 million to meet the growing demand for aid.
By LOU SESSINGER, The Intelligencer
PHILADELPHIA — An Ethiopian immigrant awaiting trial in an 8-year-old murder case in Towamencin was in Montgomery County Court on Wednesday as his lawyer attempted to have evidence against him suppressed for use at trial.
Yeshtila A. Ameshe, a former gas station attendant from Adelphi, Md., faces charges that include first- and third-degree murder in the shooting death of his aunt, Haregewene Bitew, inside her Dock Village apartment on the night of June 27, 2000.
The woman was reported to have been counseling Ameshe, 34, about a problem with his girlfriend shortly before the shooting.
Pennsylvania State Police arrested Ameshe that same night at the Mid-County Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Plymouth Township.
He had been undergoing psychiatric treatment at Norristown State Hospital until March of this year when Montgomery County Judge S. Gerald Corso declared him competent to stand trial.
At an evidentiary hearing Wednesday before Corso, Ameshe’s court-appointed lawyer, Scott Krieger, challenged two “issues” of evidence that could be used against his client at trial and sought to have them thrown out.
One had to do with a state trooper’s discovery of a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and accessories in Ameshe’s car at the time of his arrest. The other had to do with statements Ameshe made to Montgomery County detectives who questioned him at the Towamencin Police Department following his arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Christopher Maloney, who is prosecuting the case, called three witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing, including county Detective James McGowan and retired county Detective Phil Ridge — both of whom had interviewed Ameshe and read him his rights in the hours after the slaying.
Maloney, who was first to speak with Ameshe, wrote an account of their conversation that Ameshe refused to sign. Several hours later, Ridge took what he called a “supplemental statement” which the suspect did sign.
Krieger’s cross-examination of the two detectives focused on the reading of one’s constitutional rights, the necessity of Ridge’s supplemental statement and the reason for McGowan’s obtaining a search warrant for Ameshe’s car since the murder weapon, a magazine for it and bullets had already been taken from the vehicle.
Retired state police Trooper Jeffrey White testified about apprehending Ameshe at gunpoint at the turnpike toll plaza after the suspect’s car and another car collided there.
White also testified that another state trooper, Gennaro Mitchell, found a magazine for 9mm bullets in Ameshe’s car and also a 9mm handgun in a backpack inside the car.
Krieger’s cross-examination honed in on the position of the magazine and backpack in the car, suggesting that they might not have been in plain view and thus not legally permitted to be searched or seized without a warrant.
Judge Corso adjourned the hearing until 2 p.m. on Tuesday so that Mitchell can testify.
Ameshe is being held without bail in Montgomery County’s prison. His trial is scheduled to begin July 14.
Lou Sessinger can be contacted at 215-345-3050 or [email protected].
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why doesn’t the puppet ‘president’ do some thing about the starving children of Ethiopia before congratulating China’s earth quake relief effort? This entitles him to be named “Idiot of the Day.”.
Girma Woldegiorgis
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) — The Chinese government and its leadership’s efficient and timely earthquake relief efforts have gained the praise of the whole world, said Ethiopian President Girma Woldegiorgis on Thursday.
When receiving credentials of China’s newly appointed ambassador to Ethiopia Gu Xiaojie, Girma expressed once again sympathy and condolence to the Chinese side over the devastating earthquakes that hit southwest China’s Sichuan Province on May 12.
He said Ethiopia pays attention to the development of its relations with China, adding that Ethiopia would work together with China to further their bilateral ties to a new high.
In recent years, the relations between Ethiopia and China have been expanded rapidly and bilateral cooperation in all fields has deepened, said the Ethiopian president.
He praised the Chinese firms in Ethiopia, saying that the Chinese firms become more active in Ethiopia’s reconstruction, making greater contributions to the country’s economic and social development.
Girma also said Ethiopia backs China’s efforts to prepare for the Beijing Olympic Games. He said Ethiopia will send a big sports delegation to take part in the upcoming Olympic Games, to be held in August.
For his part, Chinese Ambassador Gu thanked the Ethiopian president for his expression of sympathy to China over the devastating earthquakes.
Gu arrived here on June 2 as China’s newly appointed ambassador to Ethiopia. He said he will exert efforts to further intensify the Ethio-China relations.
NEWS RELEASE
Human Rights Abusers: “Watch Out, You May Not Find the West a Safe Haven Anymore!”
As pleased as the Anuak Justice Council is with the recent decision by Canadian authorities to deny entry into Canada to Omot Obang Olum, the Anuak governor of the Gambella region suspected of complicity in the Anuak massacre of 2003, we are far more pleased with the prospects of what this means to other Ethiopians suspected of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity who may attempt to seek entry or asylum in the West.
For the Canadian authorities to deny a visa to a human rights criminal suspect like Olum, is a victory for justice and is an encouraging indication to other victims of such crimes within Ethiopia. For perpetrators who have inflicted unbearable pain on their fellow Ethiopians, thinking they are above the law of God and country, it is a stern and chilling warning to find out that a door in the West has just slammed shut to them as a potential safe haven.
In Ethiopia, human rights crimes can be committed without legal consequence if one is “rightly connect” to the government, but after this action by Canadians, these perpetrators can no longer automatically assume they will be able to escape to the West should the brutal and repressive Meles regime fall.
For the Anuak who were tortured, put in jail or who lost loved ones at the hands of such suspected human rights criminals as Olum, they will be encouraged that finally someone has been held accountable for crimes covered up and seemingly forgotten, even though it was done by strangers living over a thousand miles away from where it was perpetrated.
Even though many Anuak and other victims of oppression within Ethiopia are afraid to confront their Woyane governor or Meles himself, fearful of their power to punish any objecting to their rule, the denial of this visa into Canada serves as proof that those guilty of such crimes may finally answer for their actions.
Justice, righteousness and truth are all parts of God’s holy character and those who violate these principles violate universal codes set in place not by man but by God. Most every human being knows this in his or her heart which is exactly the reason for the extensive lies, denials and cover-up being advanced by the Ethiopian propaganda machine of Meles Zenawi.
The truth would demand a just response and they know it! That is why they continue to offer up pathetically weak lies in the face of voluminous evidence to the contrary. In other words, they want to escape the consequences of their actions, but thankfully, it did not work this time!
That same desire for truth is the reason why some Anuak and I boycotted the meeting—because we knew the truth would be dodged and manipulated. Establishing the truth is the same reason why the AJC was initially set up because in December of 2003, something evil and outrageous happened in a dark corner of Africa when the Anuak were massacred by their own government.
In arrogance, the Meles regime thought they could get away with it, but it led to the formation of the AJC and the truth got out. In fact, with the visit of Olum the heinous crimes committed against the Anuak were again repeated in newspapers all over the world through new press articles.
Now, with the release of the recent Human Rights Watch report on what is happening in the Ogaden and into Somalia, more publicity is directed towards the horrific tactics of the Meles government, but with it, more predictable denials. It is only a matter of time before incidents in the Afar region, in Beningshangul-Gumuz, in Oromia, along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border and in other parts of the country will be added to the list.
Strangely, the lying is becoming progressively more absurd in the face of mounting evidence; but the more it does so, the less likely it seems that Meles and company will ever change. Everything is pretense on the outside and fake on the inside—democracy, justice, stability, development and even our gold—are all just trappings. Instead, we are left with a hollow core, expected to live an illusion while desperately needing healing.
We have become a country of lies and we all are experiencing the consequences of that. Meles government is even lying about the hunger and starvation of millions of Ethiopians in fear of being found responsible. Yet, such lies will never feed the people. Instead, Jesus Christ said, “the truth will set us free.”
This is the reason why the AJC has been speaking up for the last four years and the reason why we are now also speaking for the rest of Ethiopians as we firmly believe that unless justice comes to all of Ethiopia, justice will not come to any one group. The suffering and pain of all Ethiopians is the same.
The truth that the Anuak are seeking is the same truth sought by Ethiopians throughout the country. The same justice Anuak desire, is the same justice for which other Ethiopians also hunger. That is why the AJC extended to other Ethiopians and took the initiative to reach out to others. To seek truth and justice is foundational to the AJC, but what Omot Olum wants us to do is this—to settle for less than the truth, for less than justice and for less than righteous living. This is something we refuse to do and it is the reason we continue to speak and advocate for change and will never settle for anything less.
Be warned, this is not what the Meles regime wants for Ethiopians. He and his puppets in charge in every district and region of the country want us to agree to be silent about injustice and to compromise on the truth and our morality.
Omot Olum is an Anuak and people within the AJC know him. As a person we have nothing against him, but we stand against the evil things he has done. We even know that no one has ever reported seeing him pull the trigger to kill anyone, but we have strong evidence that his actions have contributed to the loss of Anuak lives and caused great pain to many Anuak. For that reason, we want him to be held accountable.
We also know he was responsible for the arrests and imprisonment of many Anuak, especially Anuak leaders arrested in 2002 who were imprisoned in Addis Ababa until 2007, losing productive years of their lives. Their families suffered from their absence. Some of the prisoners died while in prison.
Mr. Olum arrested them because he was the most trusted supporter of the Meles regime and because he did was threatened by his own people who were upholding truth and justice in the way they conducted their lives. He was also in charge of security for the region when the massacre took place. The governor at the time reported that Olum was the one to give the names to the military commander who later issued the order to kill the Anuak.
Without his help, the TPLF military would not have known which Anuak were threats to their total sovereignty. Now, for them to come to ask Anuak to talk about peace, investment and development is settling for something far less than justice and that is unsettling! Olum and his counterparts in other regions throughout the country should be found accountable.
We know that Olum is a tiny fish among bigger fish and we know that he and many more within the TPLF throughout Ethiopia have done the same for those on the top, but the benefits will not last. The denial of his visa is sending a message to Meles and his gang-style government that seems willing to do most anything to remain in power even if its own citizens are starving or being killed that when this government finally goes down, and it will, like every other one like it, there will be no room for Meles and his supporters in the West for safe haven.
This message is not only for lower ranking perpetrators like Olum, but also for top officials complicit with gross human rights crimes. Not only is Canada working on policies prohibiting war criminals and human rights criminals from entering their country, but similar policies are being discussed by human rights advocates and policy makers in the US, the UK and in the EU. This is what HR 2003 is all about.
Once this is a law, there will be no room for people like Olum in the West. To Meles supporters who have helped in one way or another in committing human rights abuses, your time has come and there is no room for you to hide. People know who you are and all the authorities may need is your name, your involvement and your crime. One by one justice can be done. The choice is yours to continue supporting this government and committing crimes against humanity under the short-lived protection of a dying regime or changing your ways for good.
If you do not, you may never find the same impunity enabling you to live in luxury in another country that you have relished in Ethiopia during these fleeting last days under the Meles regime. To those who are now working in the administration, take the higher moral ground and refuse to take part in crimes against your fellow Ethiopians like one of the delegates accompanying Olum recently did.
When Olum came, five EPRDF delegates from Gambella accompanied him. One of them was another Anuak man named Obang Oman. He gave the government line publicly, but when it came time to return to Ethiopia, he was nowhere to be found and remains in America. It is not surprising that this additional downturn in Olum’s visit, this defection, was not covered in the EPRDF news
Apparently, Obang Oman stated that even though he and the others had come to encourage the Anuak to return to Gambella to help develop the region and to invest, that what they had told the attendees about Ethiopia being more democratic, more stable and full of more opportunities right now was a lie and he did not want to continue to advance this lie and be part of it. This man has now stood up for the truth and that is why he remained in the US. His refusal to return to Ethiopia speaks more loudly than any words.
In fact, the truth always speaks for itself, much more strongly than the lie. Even a recent Ethiopian News agency press release falsely claimed that 2500 Gambella people had attended the meeting with the Olum and the other Gambella delegates and that the people wanted to come back to develop the region.
The truth is, the number at the meetings in both Minnesota and Nebraska was closer to 300—combined—and the article’s writer failed to mention three important points: the angry response of many of the people, the fact that one of their delegates remained in America and the fact that Omot Olum’s meeting was cancelled in Canada because he was denied entrance into Canada—not surprising oversights!
This illegitimate government of Meles has demonstrated a lack of morality accompanied by the willingness to lie about anything, just to remain in power. Meles Zenawi even maintained his power during the last election through lies and force. He and his EPRDF government were never legitimately elected and they obviously care very little for the people they are supposed to be serving, like a parent who has abandoned his own children after abusing them.
Our encouragement to Ethiopians and peace loving people is to not give up in our struggle to revive this nation no matter what obstacles we face because the truth is on our side. More than that, God is on our side, but only if we continue to seek Him, His truth and do what is right. If we do, not only could we bring justice and hope back to the country, but we could be the ones to help revive a country where everyone has become an orphan without a protector or nurturer.
Our only hope is in our only real father, God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth who loves the children He has created. Do we return that love with our obedience to His life-giving principles?
May our God help us to rise up and to stand, side by side, as humans first, and as Ethiopians second. May we put our humanity before our ethnicity and do what God wants us to do to protect, care, nurture and revive this dying nation. May God use each of us to help bring such revival to the soul of Ethiopia!
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For more information please contact Mr. Obang Metho, Director of International Advocacy
Anuak Justice Council, by E-mail: [email protected]
