Berhanu Nega, the leader of Ginbot 7 Movement for Democracy and Justice in Ethiopia, has arrived in London today where he was warmly received by several supporters.
Dr Berhanu will speak at a public meeting tomorrow afternoon in London and heads to several other European cities to meet with Ethiopians, as well as officials of European governments.
Berhanu Nega will not face supporters only during his tour. Retired communists associated with a defunct political group named EPRP are getting organized to hold protest demonstrations against Dr Berhanu. The commies, who are led by the son-in-law of Ethiopia’s President Girma, have also started spreading misinformation through their trashy web sites that the public meeting in London Sunday has been canceled. All scheduled public meetings will go on as scheduled. If there is any change of schedule, it will be posted on ginbot7.org.
According to Ginbot 7 Press Office, Dr Berhanu’s European tour is as follows?
Sunday 08/June – London, public meeting
Thursday 12/June – The Netherlands, meeting with supporters
Friday 13/June – Nuremburg, meeting with Germany government officials
Saturday 14/June – Nuremburg, public meeting
Sunday 15/June – Frankfurt, Meeting with government officials
Monday 16/June – Norway Meeting with government officials
Thursday 19/June – Sweden, meeting with diplomats
Tuesday 24/June – Belgium, meeting with supporters
Thurs 26/June – Depart for Washington DC
CALGARY – An African human rights group is calling on Ottawa to refuse entry to an Ethiopian politician linked to a 2003 massacre.
Omot Obang Olom, governor of Gambella province in Ethiopia, is scheduled to give a speech in Calgary this weekend, encouraging expatriates from Gambella to return to the east African country.
Some human rights groups accuse him of being involved in the 2003 massacre by government troops of more than 400 people of Anuak ethnicity.
Olom’s visit is sparking a sharp rebuke from a Saskatoon-based organization, which accuses the governor of human rights abuses.
Obang Metho, director of international advocacy with the Anuak Justice Council, said Olom’s speech should be boycotted and argues Canada should refuse the governor entry to this country.
“This is a criminal,” Metho said of Olom.
Olom has denied he ever had a hand in the massacre. He reiterated his innocence in Minnesota last week, where he spoke to members of the Anuak diaspora there, saying he tried to stop the bloodshed.
At the time of the massacre, Olom was in charge of security in Gambella. He later became governor.
While he’s not accused of killing anyone, several human rights groups allege he helped draw up a list of targets.
A Human Rights Watch report says Olom, while head of security, took “an exceptionally hardline approach to stamping out the threat to regional security posed by Anuak (rebels).”
The report accuses Olom of responding to human rights complaints in 2004 with threats of more violence.
Calgarian Gatkuoth Bim is one of the organizers facilitating Olom’s visit to this city.
He believes the allegations against the governor are false rumours spread by those who want power in Ethiopia.
He also points out Olom is an ethnic Anuak, the same group targeted by the military in 2003.
“That killing happened,” Bim said. “But it does not mean (Olom) was the architect of the killing. He did not do anything, he has nothing to do with it.”
Bim said there are a “good number” of people from Gambella living in Calgary, most of whom welcome the governor’s visit.
He said Olom will speak about new economic opportunities in Gambella in an effort to convince people to return and invest in the region.
The governor is scheduled to speak Saturday at Calgary’s First Church of the Nazarene.
Meanwhile, Metho suggested Olom has been granted an entry visa to Canada and is due to fly from Washington D.C., to Ottawa Friday. He’s then scheduled to travel to Calgary.
The fact that Olom may be granted a visa to Canada is “most disturbing,” said Dan McTeague, the federal Liberal critic for Consular Services.
“I would find it of considerable concern for most Canadians to learn that Canada’s prepared to accept somebody who has a checkered past, particularly in violation of human rights, is granted open access to our country,” he said.
McTeague also points to the case of Bashir Maktal, a Canadian citizen originally from Ethiopia. The man has been held without charge in Ethiopia for 18 months.
“It’s to me ironic, and in fact contradictory, that Canada would be granting (Olom) any type of visa, when we can’t get in to see a Canadian citizen who’s been held incommunicado for almost two years,” McTeague said.
A spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the department takes public safety seriously.
Karen Shadd said she couldn’t say for privacy reasons if Olom had obtained an entry visa.
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) — Ethiopia’s [Ministry of Misinformation] on Saturday refuted some foreign media and humanitarian organizations for their exaggerated reports on the current food shortage in pocket areas of the country.
“It is ridiculous and unethical that some media outlets are reporting as if food grain price hike is typical of Ethiopia, though it is known that the existing global price hike is a result of soaring price of oil and ever-increasing demand of food grain among the developing countries,” the Ministry of Information said in a statement.
Such fabricated reports can not undermine Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth registered during the last successive years, said the ministry.
“The rapid national economic growth cannot be undermined by exaggerating minor problems,” it said.
Recent reports from some foreign media said a severe drought in Ethiopia threatens up to 6 million children.
“The reporting of some media is very much exaggerated and far from the truth,” it said.
The government and the public have been striving to ensure the double-digit economic growth the nation registered during the last five consecutive years in order to extricate the country out of poverty, it said.
Though the irregular rainfall witnessed during the last Belg (small rain) season created temporal food shortage in some parts of the country, the government and farmers are striving to boost agricultural production during the remaining time of the current crop season, it added.
The statement said the government is doing its level best toward resolving the existing food shortage witnessed in pocket areas of the nation.
“The problem cannot be out of control,” said the ministry.
Senator Obama’s rally at the Nissan Pavilion was truly astounding. In the baking sun on a Thursday afternoon, thousands upon thousands of Virginians came out in full force seeking a change. After eight years of a foreign policy and economic disaster, Americans are ready to turn the page on the Bush administration. Nowhere was this hunger for change more evident than the Commonwealth of Virginia . Once a deep red state that voted continuously for the Republican Party, Senator Obama promises to turn this once conservative bastion into the forefront of a new day in America .
It was with this hunger for change that Ethiopians for Obama arrived at the Nissan Pavilion ready to work hard and dedicate their efforts to getting Senator Obama elected. Symbolically, the Ethiopians for Obama platoon was tasked with manning the entrance gates. Inspite of the scortching heat, Ethiopians for Obama worked tirelessly to ensure that rally attendees entered in an orderly manner. This act of volunteerism was rife with symbolism, members of Ethiopians for Obama were a significant part of the gatekeepers to the rally.
After they completed their efforts at the entrance gates, the Ethiopians for Obama crew were able to view Obama’s great speech as they stood directly in front of the stage. The number of Ethiopians who turned out to the event was astounding; young, old, men, women, and children took it upon themselves to view history in the making. This is how change happens in our community; by being inspired and inspiring others, we have the ability to move out of the shadows of this great country and take our place as an important constituency in American politics and policies.
Just as Ethiopians for Obama were gatekeepers at the rally, Ethiopian-Americans could be the voice that act as the gatekeepers to the presidential election. There are untold thousands of Ethiopian-Americans who reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia . We hold in our hands the ability to elect the next President of the United States . Our ability to organize and encourage every Ethiopian-American we know to vote is vital. As the Ethiopians for Obama who worked hard at today’s rally remind us, we all have the responsibility of reaching out to Ethiopians everywhere to encourage them to register. Continue to reach out to your friends and family and encourage them to register and to join the Ethiopians for Obama group.
Join Ethiopians for Obama at: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/ethiopians forobama/
The pressures of weeknight cooking make it easy to fall into ruts, especially in the spice cabinet.
Most cooks reach for the same seasonings (Italian blend, anyone?) over and over. Yet herbs and spices offer some of the easiest and cheapest ways to overhaul your kitchen repertoire.
One way is to look for cuisines that use familiar spices in unfamiliar ways. Much of Africa and the Middle East, for example, prepare savory foods with what Americans consider sweet spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
Even easier is to turn to the many spice blends available from around the world (even if they’re not always totally authentic).
For example, a skillet chicken dish to which you normally add Italian seasonings such as basil or oregano, can become a completely different dish by substituting curry powder for the herbs.
This recipe for doro wat, a staple of Ethiopian cooking, gets its key flavors from nutmeg and cardamom. It also relies on the traditional Ethiopian spice blend berbere, a bright red mixture of garlic, red pepper, cardamom, coriander and fenugreek, commonly used in soups and stews. Its flavors are warm, but not hot.
As adapted here, doro wat is a great example of using seasonings to turn otherwise common ingredients — chicken breasts and diced onions — into something different.
This recipe is easily adaptable. Any firm white fish (or even shrimp) could be used instead of chicken (cooking time will be shorter). And tomato sauce could be substituted for the wine.
Doro wat traditionally is served with flatbread, which is used instead of silverware to pick up the morsels of chicken and to soak up the sauce. Sour cream or plain yogurt is a nice complement.
All of the seasonings called for in this recipe should be available at larger grocers, ethnic markets or online.
DORO WAT CHICKEN
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons berbere
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup red wine
3/4 cup water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place the chicken on a large plate and drizzle with lemon juice, then sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
In a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the ghee. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, berbere and smoked paprika. Saute until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and water, mixing well, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken, turning to coat, and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Uncover and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes to reduce the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.
Barack Obama should not pick Hillary Clinton as his vice-presidential nominee, former president Jimmy Carter has told the Guardian.
“I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made,” said Carter. “That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates.”
Carter, who formally endorsed the Illinois senator last night, cited opinion polls showing 50% of US voters with a negative view of Clinton.
In terms that might discomfort the Obama camp, he said: “If you take that 50% who just don’t want to vote for Clinton and add it to whatever element there might be who don’t think Obama is white enough or old enough or experienced enough or because he’s got a middle name that sounds Arab, you could have the worst of both worlds.”
Carter, who insisted that he would have been equally against an Obama-Clinton pairing if the former first lady had won the nomination, made the remarks in an interview with the Guardian’s Weekend magazine, to be published on Saturday. The interview was conducted before the final round of voting last night confirmed Obama as the party’s presumptive nominee.
The intervention of the former president – regarded as the senior elder of the Democratic party by some, and as a walking reminder of electoral failure by others – comes just as speculation of a joint Obama-Clinton ticket is building in the US. Lanny Davis, a close Clinton adviser and friend, has launched a petition drive and website – and written directly to Obama – urging him to appoint his defeated rival.
Meanwhile, Bob Johnson, the Clinton backer and founder of Black Entertainment Television, has announced that he hopes to persuade the Congressional Black Caucus – the umbrella group for African-American members of Congress – to lobby for an Obama-Clinton partnership.
Carter’s remarks could slow that momentum, as they come from the only living Democrat to have won more than 50% of the popular vote in a presidential election, even though the former president, who left office in 1981, insisted he was “on the outside” and no longer had any role in internal Democratic affairs.
His comments are likely to be seized on by those Democrats who privately argue that the combination of a black man and a woman on a ticket will represent more change than the US electorate can swallow in one go. This camp believes Obama needs to pick an experienced, white and probably southern man to “balance” the ticket.
The former president said: “What he needs more than a southerner is a person who can compensate for his obvious potential defects, his youthfulness and his lack of long experience in military and international affairs.”
For that reason, Carter says he favours Sam Nunn, the former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who hails from his own state of Georgia. “That would be my preference, but there are other senior Democrats who would have similar credentials to Sam Nunn,” he said.
