ADDIS ABABA, June 28, 2007 (ST) — The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), armed wing of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), killed over 30 soldiers and captured nine others in an attack on Woyanne regime troops in eastern Ethiopia, a rebel radio reported.
The eastern zonal commander has said that on June 19, 2007, the OLA took a punitive strike against Ethiopian troops at a place called Fulale in the district of Boku, East Hararge Zone, killing over 20 soldiers and wounding 10 others. Besides killing and wounding Ethiopian soldiers in the attack on their base, the OLA captured nine soldiers.
In the attack, the OLA captured over 10 AK-47 assault rifles, six F1 grenades, over 350 firearm rounds as well as other materiel and turned them into an asset for Oromo liberation Army, reported the rebel radio Voice of Oromo Liberation.
On top of the military action against the Woyanne forces, the OLA stormed a jail and freed 12 OLF prisoners languishing in there.
On the same date, OLA operating in eastern zone expanded its activity. It overpowered and disarmed a large number of village militiamen the government had set up to fight the rebel OLA.
After subduing and confiscating many Kalashnikov rifles from the militiamen, the OLA explained to them the objectives of the Oromo liberation struggle spearheaded by the OLF, about the OLA military activities. The militiamen were then allowed to return to their home areas.
Surely, help for Ethiopia will come from above with or without the support of the western powers, if we seek God in repentance. But, it is time to say enough is enough, stop negotiating with Hamman, and cooperate with God to hasten the day of our imminent liberation from tyranny.
God’s agenda for Ethiopia is in sharp contrast with TPLF agenda for Ethiopia. While the mafia group wants violence, bloodshed and chaos, God’s agenda is peace and prosperity. While TPLF wants to execute his cruel and inhuman goal of division and destruction, God wants to give us a glorious future and hope.
The current situation in Ethiopia appears to make God’s vision as far removed from us as the sky. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poverty, national disenfranchisement, and the resulting hopelessness is imposing incalculable damage to the nation. The government’s ethno-nationalist agenda is destroying us like a corrosive acid. Latent conflicts and hetred are everywhere in the country. Mounting cost of living is threatening the survival of the poorest section of the Ethiopian society. A spirit of evil and oppression is hovering over every one living in Ethiopia. Most serious of all is the country we love and our future generation is at stake. The nation finds itself in a seemingly hopeless situation.
The people of Ethiopia are at war with the amalekites of TPLF regime. The defeat and destruction of the Amalekites was on God’s agenda for Israel. Moses, the leader of the people of God, needed to fight them, at both physical and spiritual level, to win the battle over the amalekites. The new Ethiopia will be built on the tombs of our Amalekites. Thus, no let up until we see them utterly defeated and buried.
We can’t afford to be cheated by Zenawi any more. His grand cheatings over opposition leaders should lead us to a firm resolution. His tricks that helped him to postpone a national demonstration, pretending to be a peace lover just to survive and establish an illegal government in Ethiopia, should have given us a lesson. Yet we have not learned from our past mistakes. His court verdict carrying serious sentence to weaken the psychology and determination of opposition leaders in detention was aimed at terrorizing them to sign a ’deal’. If true, this has the intent of aborting legislative measures both by EU and some of the state department officials. Sounds a smart move? We do keep on making mistakes because we have not yet grasped the true nature of the enemy. We always expect him in the moral realm. But, he always operates in the immoral. As such, his actions and the motives behind them are clear.
What the TPLF mafia should know that the democratic process in Ethiopia, which started during May 2005, can’t be reversed. Playing games around opposition leaders is no longer an issue. The fact is the struggle for democracy will continue even without them on its own, because they have created so many leaders through their brave sacrifices. This is the issue that Zenawi and his friends should know. Their release is imminent, whether TPLF wants it or not.
No doubt, the attitude of western powers is seriously undermining the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia. Lack of support from western countries contributed to the failure of our peaceful struggle strategies to achieve our goals. Even if they consider themselves proponents of democracy and human rights, they did not seem to care about us. They preach democracy but they support dictatorship, and have deliberately done so to serve their own foreign policy agenda. They remain indifferent at a time when they could do something to help the struggle for democracy come to fruition. I think the words of mordecai to Esther, ‘’…for such a time as this,’’ should speak strongly to their conscience and that of ours in the diaspora. If we fail to act now, we will be held accountable for every misuse of our God ordained knowledge, money and political power. But, deliverance from Ethiopia and Ethiopians will surely come from God, with or without our participation.
We should therefore stop negotiating with Hamman and seek the face of God who promised a day of prosperity to Ethiopia. The evil nature of the enemy means that we cannot negotiate with it. Haman’s evil intentions had always been destroying the Jewish people. Zenawi and his associates share the same vision of destroying Ethiopia and Ethiopians ever since they came to power. It is time to do something to get rid of the devil that is sucking the blood of innocent Ethiopians. Instead of negotiating with Haman, mordecai and Esther chose to pray and fast to gain the favour of king Ahasuerus. We should seek God’s favour in our attempt to foil the enemy schemes and change the course of our nation in the right direction. Such should be our response to Zenawi and his terrorist regime.
From now on we should take the matter in our own hands. Negotiating with the devil has never worked and never will. It is time to understand that “ …for such a time as this,” applies to every one of us. This is true of the diaspora more than ever before. It is true of all churches of various denominations, and every individual who was born on the Ethiopian soil. I agree with Obang Metho that every one of us is a leader in the struggle for freedom and democracy for Ethiopia.
We should engage in fervent prayer and working with God to get the people of Ethiopia free. We need to humble ourselves before God and ask him to fulfill the promises He gave to us. We need to expect the fulfillment of the promises of God. With God’s help, the people of Ethiopia will be free. Here, I fully agree with the call of Obang in seeking God in prayer to break the power of the evil forces hovering over Ethiopia. God’s plan for us is one of peace and desired end. Help is near and on the way! Amen!!!
No doubt Ethiopia will prevail. Even if our present circumstances preach us defeat, our hope in God says we will be freed and librated. Let us be united in prayer and seek his mercy. The jaricho of dictatorship and enslavement will surely collapse before our eyes. The Haman of Ethiopia will face his judgment and God will turn his sins up on his head. God will frustrate his plans and rescue us from destruction and annihilation…amen! We have a promise from God that was not given to any nation in the world that says, “ Ethiopia will stretch its hands to God.” We will prevail. But, we all need to rise up and say enough is enough, and prepare for the battle and the inevitable victory.
ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi slammed on Thursday calls by Western diplomats for the release of 38 opposition officials as “shameful”.
In an address to parliament, Meles lambasted the Addis Ababa-based Western ambassadors, some of whom were listening to his speech in the gallery, and accused them of pressuring him.
“In Ethiopia there is nothing that can be resolved as a result of external pressure,” he said.
The officials were convicted this month of charges relating to violent protests over disputed 2005 polls that altered the political landscape in the country of 81 million by handing the opposition a vastly increased share of parliament.
Meles, a one-time rebel leader, said diplomatic appeals for the group to be freed were “shameful and wrong”.
The officials, who may face the death penalty, are among 131 opposition leaders, reporters and activists charged in 2005 of treason, inciting violence and attempting to commit genocide.
There has been widespread speculation of a deal to free the 38 this week. But Meles ruled out a pardon for any prisoners while their cases were pending in court.
“We know the country is rife with rumours about their impending pardon … but the government has not discussed this issue with anyone because it violates the right of the court,” he said in response to a question by a parliamentarian.
Once the donor darling of the West, Meles has come under growing criticism for his human rights record after allegations of a secret detention programme targeting suspected Islamist militants, and a post-election crackdown that killed 193 people.
Even his greatest ally, the United States, has criticised donor-dependent Ethiopia for the arbitrary arrests of tens of thousands of opposition supporters and restrictions on media freedom, including the detention of journalists.
Meles has said he regretted the post-poll violence, but blamed it on opportunistic rioters and an opposition conspiracy to topple him by force.
“I had advised them (the opposition) not to violate the constitution, which they did not heed,” he said.
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia’s [dictator] said Thursday he is building up the army‘s capabilities because he fears an imminent attack by Eritrea, which he also accused of arming rebel groups inside his country.
“It is deemed necessary to make the necessary military preparations for deterring a possible Eritrean invasion and to repulse such an invasion should it occur,” Meles said.
The Eritrean information minister, Ali Abdu, said his government was not planning to attack Ethiopia.
Meles also warned that Eritrea may try to disrupt or strike during Ethiopian Millennium celebrations in September. Ethiopia is fighting two rebel forces, one in the eastern Ogaden region and the other in the southern Oromia region. The Ogaden National Liberation Front has recently carried out several attacks along the Somali and Eritrean borders.
Ostrava (Czech Republic), June 28: Twice Olympic 10,000 meters champion Haile Gebrselassie broke the world one-hour and 20 kilometers marks at the “Golden Spike” grand prix athletics meeting on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Ethiopian ran 21.285 km in 60 minutes to surpass Mexican Arturo Barrios’s previous mark of 21.101 km, set in La Fleche, France, on March 30, 1991.
On the way, he also broke the 20-km world mark of 56 minutes 55.60 seconds, set by Barrios during his run in 1991. Gebrselassie clocked 56:25.98.
“When I arrived at the stadium I was worried about the wind but it died down. At that moment I was thinking I could break the (one-hour) record,” a smiling Gebrselassie told by the finish line. “I felt comfortable the whole way.”
In her first race since breaking the women’s 5,000 meters world record, fellow Ethiopian Meseret Defar ran a measured race over the distance to win in 14 minutes 30.18 seconds, well outside her 14:16.63 record.
Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva easily won the women’s pole vault at 4.66 meters but was also well short in her bid to break her own world record of 5.01 meters.
“I don’t know why I jumped so poorly. I wanted to jump higher and beat the world record but I just couldn’t do it,” Isinbayeva said.
Britain’s Craig Pickering, establishing himself as one of Europe’s top sprinters, cruised to victory in the men’s 100 meters in 10.16, one-tenth of a second off his personal best.
The 20-year-old, who won the 100 in the European Cup in Munich last weekend, has a busy schedule with Monday’s meeting in Athens and the European Under-23 championships after that.
“I ran a technically good race. My form has been improving steadily and I feel I can run even faster in Athens next week,” Pickering said. He said he was confident Britain could win the 4×100 meters relay at August’s world championships in Osaka.
U.S. world champion Michelle Perry had a less than happy ending to her day when she had a false start, the second in the 100 meters hurdles final after Slovak Miriam Bobkova had the first, and was automatically disqualified.
Gebrselassie, the best distance runner of his era, retired from track running to concentrate on the marathon after the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In preparation for Wednesday’s record attempt he made a surprise return to the track in the Dutch town of Hengelo last month, clocking 26:52.91 in a 10,000 meters.
“Today is just fantastic day,” he said.
Gebrselassie is one of only three men to win consecutive Olympic 10,000 meters titles, the second at the 2000 Sydney Games providing an indelible image when he just held off the frenzied challenge of his great Kenyan rival, Paul Tergat.
He set 17 world records before his 2004 retirement from the track and has since broken a further three road records plus Wednesday’s double on the Ostrava track.
MOGADISHU, Somalia: Unidentified gunmen lobbed three hand grenades at a police truck patrolling the main market in Somalia’s capital Wednesday, missing the truck and killing two shoppers, police and witnesses said.
Also on Wednesday, former Defense Minister Barre Hirale was injured in the head in an assassination attempt, said Barre Abdi, the district commissioner of the main regional town of Bardhere, 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of Mogadishu. Abdi said Hirale’s car was hit by a land mine, and that his driver was critically injured.
It was one in a series of assassination attempts against prominent figures in Somalia. Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi alone has survived three attempts since May 2005.
The country’s Minister for Trade Abdullahi Ahmad Afrah said he survived an assassination attempt in Mogadishu on Tuesday when a roadside bomb hit his body guards’ car, killing one of them and injuring three others, one of them serious.
“It was an assassination attempt. But it failed,” Afrah who was riding another car said. “Even the targeted car was lightly damaged.”
At Mogadishu’s Bakara market, police officer Abdi Mohamed Shino, who was in the truck targeted by the grenades, said police opened fire after the attack and injured two civilians.
“Two civilians died in the (grenade) blast and two others, including a policeman, (were) wounded,” Shino said. “I think the attackers disappeared into the market.”
Abdisalan Mukhtar, who sells water at the market, said three men armed with assault rifles and two pistols arrived and hurled three hand grenades at the police.
“Then police opened fire and I saw two dead bodies lying on the ground,” Mukhtar said.
A day earlier, a roadside bomb explosion killed five women and a man and wounded nine other people in an area not far from the market.
Government troops backed by Ethiopian [Woyanne] forces drove an Islamic movement from Mogadishu six months ago, but have since struggled to put down remnants of the Islamic movement as well as clan fighting.
The Elman Human Rights Organization on Wednesday accused Somali and Ethiopian forces of killing or arresting innocent civilians without proper judicial process.
“On June 19, Ethiopian troops killed six civilians including three brothers, who were students,” the local group’s chairman, Sudan Ali Ahmed, told The Associated Press. “These soldiers always arrest at least 10 people after each explosion. Those who are arrested are in detention centers without trial.”
Ahmed also expressed concern over the arrest of many prominent clerics and four Tanzanians who fled from Zanzibar seven years ago. The Tanzanians have been missing for two months, Ahmed said, adding that there was a possibility they ended up in Ethiopia.
“All these killings and detentions without trial are human rights violations,” Ahmed said.
Government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon dismissed the allegations.
“We don’t arrest people without any reason or hold them without trial,” Gobdon said. “We don’t kill people aimlessly. The allegations are baseless and unfounded.”
Dozens of foreigners have been held in Ethiopian jails and accused of ties to Islamic militants in Somalia. Human rights activists and lawyers have accused Ethiopia of establishing an illegal detention program that violates international law. Ethiopia says the detentions are part of the fight against terrorism and that it has the right to defend itself.
AP Writer Nasteex Dahir Farah contributed to this report from Kismayo, Somalia.
Ostrava (Czech Republic), June 28: Twice Olympic 10,000 meters champion Haile Gebrselassie broke the world one-hour and 20 kilometers marks at the “Golden Spike” grand prix athletics meeting on Wednesday.