A new consultancy firm that recently took administrative control of the Ethiopian capital, {www:Addis Ababa}, has expressed concern over a looming water related epidemic. The outbreak, which is expected between now and 2013, could hinder the achievement of the capital’s five-year strategic plan put together by the new consultancy firm. Meanwhile, {www:Kuma Demeksa} has outlined a 40 billion {www:birr} plan to address the city’s main problems during his tenure as the city’s mayor.
One of the major financial concerns of the draft strategy is to alleviate the housing and employment challenges facing the city’s 2.7 million residents. The plan includes the construction of 200,000 condominiums as well as the creation of 69,077 new jobs between 2011 and 2012. About a third of the city’s residents are currently unemployed.
The draft outlines a strategy to reduce unemployment by at least 51 per cent through a further development and encouragement of micro and small business enterprises. To achieve this set goal, the city intends to set aside 1.9 billion birr geared towards the creation of a lending mechanism in which small businesses could easily access financial support.
Waterborne diseases
Though the draft outlines a strategy to curb some of the major challenges affecting the development of the city, it also foresees the high improbability of reaching set targets owing to financial constraints and a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases.
According to their recent assessment, 25 per cent of Addis Ababa’s solid waste is not properly discharged while 25 per cent of the overall residential houses lack adequate lavatories. Out of the 800,000 cubic meters of the city’s daily waste only 10 per cent (that is, 8,024 cubic meters) was properly discharged last year, the document indicated.
Cases of contamination
The most alarming part of the findings indicate that the city’s poor sewerage system is bedded close to one of the main fresh water systems that supplies 37 percent of Addis Ababa’s water needs. There have been cases where residents were reportedly exposed to polluted water supply.
Meanwhile, the city is noted as lacking health institutions with only 10 hospitals. The federal government owns six of them. According to a World Health Organization requirement, a medical doctor is expected to treat a 10,000 patients while one nurse is to serve up to 1,000, however, a medical doctor in Addis Ababa treats 29,470 patients against 4,356 for a nurse.
ADDIS ABABA, (Reuters) – Health officials from seven African countries are discussing a response to swine flu at a conference in Ethiopia, organisers said on Wednesday.
The conference, involving Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, was planned six months ago to talk about Africa’s poor response to pandemics.
“It’s really fortuitous that this is going on in the context of an international emergency,” Gregory Pappas, pandemic coordinator for U.S. charity Interaction, told Reuters.
“Most African countries haven’t done extensive planning, and this meeting is about helping those countries.”
No cases have been reported on the continent.
Germany and Austria became the eighth and ninth countries to confirm cases of the virus on Wednesday and the United States reported the first death outside Mexico.
Health experts have expressed concern about sub-Saharan Africa’s capacity to deal with a pandemic, given the poor state of health infrastructure on the world’s neediest continent.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed for assistance for poorer countries vulnerable to the crisis which may need drugs, diagnostic tools and other help.
By Maru Gubena Some of my readers may think that my tribute upon the untimely death of the phenomenal, the irreplaceable asset of Ethiopia, the unchallenged cultural and musical symbol and the undisputed role model for Ethiopian musicians of my generation, Tilahun Gessese, whom I, as a political economist and organization strategist have characterized not as a “King of Ethiopian Music,” but as “Edilegnaw Niguse,” is too late and perhaps too little as well. But I know it is neither too late nor too little. Because in our Ethiopian culture, families who have lost a loved one and who are grieving and weeping uncontrollably over the sudden loss of their family member, or someone well loved and highly respected by Ethiopians of all ages and sexes, can be extremely happy to receive any condolence at any time, whether written or in person. Yes, all Ethiopian families experiencing such sorrow, always feel tremendously comfortable and happy with the presence of those who come to share their grief and those who come while shading their tears. This is a part of our Ethiopian culture – a culture implanted deep inside our minds and our bodies.
Also, I know I did not write this text early this morning or yesterday evening but last Friday, the 24th of April 2009, intending to present it in person in my own personal capacity and in my own way, to express my grief and deep sadness at the abrupt disappearance – the death of the Edilegnaw Niguse, Tilahun Gessese, who unquestionably will remain in the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians of all generations. Yes, I wrote this text with the full intention of presenting it in the form of a memorial speech at the memorial service organized for artist Tilahun Gessese by the Association of Ethiopians in the Netherlands, held on Saturday, the 25th of April 2009. But due to the organizational style, the objectives, and the atmosphere of the event itself, which seemed, at least to me, not to correspond with my objective in presenting my talk, I thought it would be wiser to find other means to express and share my grieve with my Ethiopian compatriots in other ways.
Yes, the highly loved, highly respected icon and cultural asset of our country – Ethiopia – was and is indeed Edilegna Niguse, the Lucky King, and the Extraordinary King of the land of Ethiopia. Artist Tilahun is also Edilegna, because, completely different from our previous Kings and Emperors, Princes and Princesses, he was and is a Niguse of every Ethiopian, with no a single social or political enemy. Not even a single person. Artist Tilahun himself and his images will therefore live and sleep so comfortably and so widely in the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians, including the coming generations. Yes, indeed, he is absolutely different from Ethiopians who have had the highest socio-cultural and political positions within Ethiopian society.
It is also undeniably true that, at least as far as my recollections are concerned, in the past fifty or more years there has never been such an extensive, well organized and most memorable state and people’s funeral service as the one we all saw and witnessed last Thursday, the 23rd of April 2009 in Addis Ababa. Again, as far as I can recall, Ethiopians have never witnessed such a hugely attended, unforgettable funeral service for any member of Ethiopian society, not for Emperor Haile Selassie, or for his ministers, who had had the highest political positions in the country. Artist Tilahun is just an extraordinary, very special and unique social animal and far more. Not just a musician or singer, but a son, a patriot, a brother, a husband, a father and above all, a loving friend to everyone, all Ethiopians, not just those who live in cities, towns, or villages, but also those who reside deep inside the most complicated Ethiopian forests or its low and high mountains.
This commentary concerns a recent article written by the “Ethiopian” Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) under the name Adal Isaw, and was published on Aigaforum. In the article, MoFA calls for the extradition of {www:Berhanu Nega}, leader of {www:Ginbot 7}, on the basis that he is a “terrorist”. Never mind the legal definition of a terrorist or what a legitimate government is, we are more interested in the fact that the article is an epitome of the mindset of leaders of the regime.
Of course we don’t expect it to be anything else but that. However, we would still like to point out to them that, even looking at the matter from their point of view, they are engaged in a futile exercise.
The piece is a perfect portrayal of the regime’s continued refusal to acknowledge Ethiopians as citizens to whom it ought to be accountable, and whose interests it should serve above all. It also reflects perfectly what has for a long time been the defining character of the ruling party, which is inability to understand the fundamental ideas associated with the struggle for freedom and democracy.
Although the overriding theme appears to be the call for Dr. Berhanu’s deportation, equally important is MoFA’s plea of rescue to America. In fact, it goes further than a plea; it is a warning for America that unless the latter acts upon MoFA’s request, their “counter-terrorism” alliance may be broken.
The article draws a background of a country located in “one of the roughest neighborhoods in the world”. It emphasizes the fact that this happened not by choice, as if that is not apparent already. It appears as if the regime is trying to hide that it actually loves that exact location our country is at. After all, it has been receiving the support that has so far contributed to its survival from the US in the name of fighting terrorism in this “rough neighborhood”.
That is why, in going further to endear itself to the US, the regime portrays itself as an entity whose very existence is to serve the interests of the US. Nowhere does it mention Ethiopians’ interests. Of course one cannot blame it for not acknowledging Ethiopians as its constituents, because they are not. Since that became glaringly obvious especially after the 2005 elections, the regime had to come up with the “developmental state” rhetoric to justify its existence. But in this article, even that fake development talk was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it is an implicit admission that it has not worked either.
Considering all that, it may be fair for MoFA to direct its appeal for rescue at America. After all, according to the regime’s own press release, the recent challenge on its illegitimate seat came from the military. Considering how it has used the armed and security forces to repress dissent in the past and had confidence to rely on them for the future, for the challenge to come from the military is a sign that its ground is shaking.
In the past several years, there have been widespread politically motivated layoffs within the army. The regime has weeded out those it believed supported opposition. The upper level positions within the army were given to those the regime can trust, and are of the same ethnic group as the ruling clique. Despite all these “precautions”, a few people found a way to organize a challenge. So, for a regime that does not have the backing of its citizens, whose attempts to justify its existence have been futile, and whose own army challenges it, it doesn’t come as a surprise for it to totally ignore its own citizens and prostrate itself before a foreign power and beg for rescue. It has to ask some one for help.
The manner in which the request to deport Berhanu Nega is being made to the US government is also worthy of attention. As if there are no laws or procedures in America, the Department of Defense is supposed to take Berhanu’s name because he is challenging an illegitimate government, pass it on to DHS, who will ask no questions about the rights of an individual.
The different agencies of the US government will not take a person as a terrorist just because some rogue government with a habit of labeling all of its opposition a terrorist labels him too. This reflects on the part of MoFA a crucial misunderstanding of the values upon which America was built, in addition to the tenets of basic human rights. It is also a reflection of how business is conducted in Ethiopia, where the judiciary and other branches of government have repeatedly proven themselves to be no more than the executioners of the ruling party’s repression.
MoFA explains that the deportation of Berhanu Nega to Ethiopia will make Ethiopia’s “counter-terrorism” efforts more “effective”. What it really means is that the regime hopes to slow down or destroy the struggle for democracy and justice in Ethiopia. We know this because it has been the story of our country for the last eighteen years. This belief that going after individuals will stop opposition has been the defining character of the regime.
Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the US government deports Dr. Berhanu Nega to Ethiopia. He may be put in the same prison he has repeatedly been put in before, or he may even get executed. Is that supposed to be success? Absolutely not.
The problem with the regime has always been its failure to understand that the question of democracy and justice is one that is shared by millions of Ethiopians. If it wasn’t, the question would have died the day they tortured and killed the first Oromo boy they suspected of being a member of an illegal opposition group a couple of years after they took power. The question would have stopped coming throughout the years the lives of countless Ethiopian citizens were unjustly taken because they stood up for what they believed in. It would have stopped some months ago when they put {www:Birtukan Mideksa} in solitary confinement.
Dr. Berhanu is our brother in the struggle. He, just like the rest of us, understands the sacrifices attached to waging a struggle against repressive regimes. Prison or not, death or not, deportation or not, we will fight the TPLF. And we will remove the illegitimate and repressive government.
The regime needs to understand that killing or imprisoning a person never amounts to killing his or her values. The values are location and time transcendent, and are shared by millions. Just a few weeks ago, the regime’s mouthpieces were questioning just how exactly Berhanu Nega was going to sit in exile and remove the government in Ethiopia. “Is he going to use a remote control?” they mocked. Little do they understand that Berhanu connected with millions of Ethiopians back home through shared values. And this week, they have found themselves claiming that he was the mastermind of a coup attempt locally led by an active military general. The contradictions could not be more glaring. Ginbot 7 denies involvement, but that is beside the point.
Since the claim is coming from the regime itself and they believe it to be the case, what exactly does that teach them? Berhanu Nega could not have used a remote control to direct human beings to make such risky moves and put their lives in danger. These are adults who must have given this a serious thought and chose to go ahead with their plan because they have conviction for it.
Clearly, these men aren’t the ordinary robotic generals (the likes of Gen. Kasa Deme) the ruling party loves to keep close to itself. These are men who have their own brains, and who chose to do what they believed in regardless of the danger their actions entailed. They did what they did while THINKING. And it is perfectly within reason to think that there are more of these people within the army and elsewhere. So, how exactly is going after a few individuals supposed to destroy the movement?
The answer is really clear and short. Leaders of the dictatorship have never understood the concept of individual choice and of principles. That should be self evident because if they did, they wouldn’t be dictators; assuming they are sane and all. They could never understand why a person would turn down their bribes, and their open door policy towards corruption, in order to go do something he/she “believes in”.
They never seem to wake up to the lesson either. They have arrested this man, Berhanu, several times before and each time, he seems to come at them stronger. They thought their attack on {www:Kinijit} has destroyed the movement that humiliated them and showed their nakedness to the eyes of all Ethiopians and the international community. But it seems to get more sophisticated and keep coming at them.
The struggle for justice and democracy keeps getting bigger and bigger. That is so because the organizations are nothing more than the reflections of our beliefs. Each time they and their leadership are attacked, more of us are awakened to injustice. The harsher the attacks get, the closer they get to most of us. So we come to find it in our advantage to join in the chorus and demand justice.
One cannot “foil” Ginbot 7. Because I am Ginbot 7, and I am as alive and free as ever. When you arrest me in Addis Ababa, I will be free in Gambella. When you kill me in Gondar, I will be alive in Wollega. I am whispering the message of freedom in the ears of young people in Welqitte; while you toil to find me in Adama. That is the same whisper that wakes you up abruptly at night. You may rape my sisters and burn our village in the Ogaden, but I am eating at what you claim to be the basis of your existence in Tigray. I speak several languages, and I send your faxes and take the minutes at your meetings. You will be defeated by me. I am Ginbot 7, and I stand for unity, justice and freedom. And I am everywhere.
(The Daily Item) Berhanu Nega’s story is a frightening testament that in some parts of the world, people are still enmeshed in life-and-death struggles for freedom.
Ethiopia’s regime recently announced that {www:Berhanu Nega} and other opposition leaders had been plotting a coup. Thirty-five opposition party members were arrested in Ethiopia, and a government official said if Berhanu ever returns, he will be jailed, too. It is not the first time Berhanu, a Bucknell University economics professor, has been targeted by the government in his native country.
Berhanu was elected mayor of Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, in 2005 but was arrested afterward along with more than 100 other opposition politicians and stood trial for treason. He and the others were freed in 2007 in a pardon deal. He left Ethiopia after the trial.
Berhanu’s crime? Leading protests in response to alleged election fraud. Demonstrations started peacefully, but led to turmoil that culminated in a slaughter by government soldiers that left 193 people dead and another 765 wounded. The Ethiopian government pinned the blame for the deaths on the opposition leaders, and 38 people, including Berhanu, were arrested and placed on trial, originally facing possible execution.
Berhanu offers heroic evidence that those who experience democracy in action will risk everything to spread freedom.Through its history, Ethiopia was mostly governed by monarchy or dictatorship. The African nation has been struggling to live up to its formal name of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Berhanu’s efforts to encourage the growth of democracy in Africa deserve the full support of the American government. The United States just completed an historic election that led to a transformational shift in power. The triumph of American democracy provided that the results of the election were accepted without a hint of civil unrest. The United States provides the model for sustainable democracy. This country should also foster the growth of freedom around the globe, including in places such as Ethiopia.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The state-controlled Ethiopian Television (ETV) reported that the military leader of the alleged coup plot by Ginbot 7 is General Teferra Mammo.
It is alleged that a military committee that is headed by General Teferra, who is an active duty officer, included several other active and retired military personnel.
The civilian coordinator of the coup is Ato Melaku Teferra, a local organizer of the Union for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ), ETV has reported quoting Woyanne security officials.
Ato Melaku had spent 21 months in Kality prison along with Dr Berhanu Nega and other Kinijit leaders before he was released in July 2007.
ETV program tonight has showed several automatic weapons, bombs, communications gears and documents belonging to the alleged coup plotters.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The state-controlled Ethiopian Television (ETV) reported that the military leader of the alleged coup plot by