The Ethiopian Community Association in South Africa
PRESS STATEMENT, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 7 MAY 2008
The Ethiopian Community Association in South Africa has a proud tradition of activism, and once again issues this joint communiqué in association with the support groups of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party and The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces on the occasion of the planned visit of Meles Zenawi, the butcher of Addis Ababa, to South Africa. Reliable sources indicate that the embassy is using gullible Ethiopians, opportunists and the supporters of the tribal regime to finalize the reception for Meles. They have hired propagandists.
Meles Zenawi leads a blood thirsty minority tribal regime. The number of people that were killed during the last 17 years of Meles Zenawi’s misrule warrants international investigation. The perpetrators of the grand massacres in Addis Ababa, Afar, Ambo, Awassa, Borena, Hosaina, Gambella, Gojam, Gonder, North Shoa, Nekemt, Ogden, Tigrai and other places are well known to Ethiopians. To counter the international campaign for investigation, the dictatorial regime is spending millions, closing diplomatic doors and also confusing Ethiopian emigrants in South Africa and the rest of the world through sectarian politics, and making false economic promises. The fact is in 2008 there are over 10 million Ethiopians that need food aid. There is rampant inflation and unknown amount of war expenditure.
In April 2008 the minority regime made yet another effort to legitimize its atrocities. It administered a local election in which it was the only contestant. This is in addition to the stolen election of May 15, 2005 in which elected parliamentarians were jailed for more than 20 months on concocted charges. The commander of the minority regime himself was personally responsible for ordering the massacre of civilians in Addis Ababa and the rest of Ethiopia. It is for this blood thirsty dictator that Ethiopians in South Africa are being invited to attend a reception! It is evident that Ethiopia has nothing to celebrate and it is rather bizarre that a forum such as the Pan-African Parliament is used to promote a regime with such poor human rights record.
Africa should stop using double standards. It should show the same concern to Ethiopia as it has done for Kenya and Zimbabwe. It is ridiculous to put Meles at the helm of NEPAD when in fact he is a leader of an illegal minority regime. The “war on terror” should not be used to cover up human right abuses in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, we call upon the international community to disassociate itself from this undemocratic regime.
Pan-African Parliament program [pdf]
FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS! FREE TEDY AFRO!
STOP THE WAR IN THE OGDEN! STOP THE WAR IN SOMALIA!
WE DEMAND A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION IN ETHIOPIA!
The Ethiopian Community Association in South Africa
Tel: 27+0824819541 or 27+ 0827444860 P.O.Box 17051 Doornfontien 2028, South Africa
Ethiopia’s pop superstar Teddy Afro, who is currently detained in Kaliti jail, said that he rejects the recent statement by his lawyer, Ato Million Assefa, who bad mouthed those who protested his client’s arrest.
Ato Million said in a recent interview with an Amharic language newspaper that those who are protesting the artist’s arrest are “bankrupt politicians.”
(Garowe) — Ethiopian Woyanne troops in central Somalia were ambushed Wednesday as they withdrew from one town and were heading back towards the Ethiopian border, locals said.
The fighting erupted around noon as a 30-truck Ethiopian Woyanne army convoy left their positions in Bulo Burte, a town in Hiran region.
The Ethiopian Woyanne contingent was attacked in a hilly village between Bulo Burto and Beletwein, the provincial seat of power.
Local villagers reported that the battle lasted for nearly two hours, as Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers exchanged a barrage of gunfire and artillery with Islamist insurgents.
Unconfirmed reports obtained by Garowe Online indicated that four Ethiopian Woyanne army trucks were burned after sustaining insurgent rocket fire.
There were heavy casualties on both sides of the conflict, according to villagers, but casualty figures were difficult to obtain because of the fierce fighting.
In one brutal incident, Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers who left the frontlines entered a small village where they pulled three Somali civilians from their home and executed them, according to local sources.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Woyanne army’s largest base in Hiran region, located near the border village of Kala-Beyr, was pounded by at least seven mortars early Wednesday.
It is not clear if any soldier was hurt in the mortar attack, but locals said Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers entered surrounding villages to conduct an investigation.
Somalia’s Hiran region remains without a governor, even though Prime Minister Nur “Adde” Hassan Hussein appointed a new administration last month.
Many members of the new regional authority have refused to accept the jobs, citing lack of resources and political discord domestically.
Yusuf Daboged, an Ethiopian Woyanne-backed warlord who was the last governor of Hiran region, has maintained that he is the de facto governor, despite the Prime Minister’s decree replacing him. Mr. Daboged was last reported to be in Kala-Beyr alongside Ethiopian Woyanne military commanders.
By Tecola W. Hagos
Source: tecolahagos.com
Now we are being informed by a patriotic committee of Ethiopians that Meles Zenawi is actively engaged in the handing over of extensive Ethiopian Territory, tens of thousands of acres, to the Government of Sudan. It seems that the Committee that brought to our attention the recent abrogation of duty by Meles Zenawi to defend and preserve Ethiopia has the added difficulty of penetrating the news blackout imposed by the Meles Government. However, it is to the great credit of such courageous and patriotic Ethiopians that we were able to follow and monitor the activities of Meles Zenawi and the EPRDF and the Sudanese Government Officials and military in connection with the ongoing attempt to dismantle and destroy Ethiopia. It is no news that Sudan has ambition to extend its control of the Tikur Abayi (Blue Nile) River basin and conquer the most prized cistern—Lake Tana, but what is unfathomable is the possibility of an Ethiopian leader collaborating with Ethiopia’s historic enemies handing over Ethiopian territory… Read more >>
Teddy Afro, who is currently detained in Kaliti jail, said that he rejects the recent statement by his lawyer, Ato Million Assefa, who said in an interview that those who are protesting the artist’s arrest are “bankrupt politicians.” Read more by zikkir News Service
Teddy needs to fire this hodam banda lawyer.
የቴዲ ጠበቃ የሆኑት አቶ ሚሊዮን አሰፋ በአገር ውስጥ ለሚታተም (በሳምሶን አሳታሚ) ኢትዮ ቻናል ለተሰኘ ጋዜጣ ደንበኛቸውን ወክለው የሰጡትን መግለጫ አወገዘ፡፡
በኢቲቪ መንግስትን በማወደስ የሚታወቁት ጠበቃው አቶ ሚሊዮን ያለቴዲ ፈቃድ በአገር ውስጥና በውጭ የሚካሄዱና አርቲስቱ እንዲለቀቅ የሚጠይቁ ተቃውሞዎች ‹‹የከሰሩ ፖለቲከኞች ተግባር ነው›› ማለታቸውን አርቲስቱ እንደሚቃውም በቤተሰቦቹ አማካይነት ለደጋፊዎቹ በሙሉ እንዲደርስ ጠይቋል፡፡
ቴዲ በቤተሰቦቹ አማካይነት ባስተላለፈው መልእክት በእንደዚህ አይነት ጉዳይ ላይ ጠበቃው እኔን ወክሎ እንዲነናገር አልፈቀድኩም ብሏል፡፡
