Last week the leaders of the world’s largest economies met at the G20 Summit in Toronto. The key items on the agenda were global economic recovery, sustainable and environmentally-friendly growth, and the impact of the recession on social justice. Special invitations were also issued to Vietnam, Malawi, and Ethiopia. Vietnam attended as chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations. Malawi came as chair of the African Union (AU). Ethiopia Meles Zenawi’s genocidal dictatorship, it seems, was invited in a somewhat ambiguous role, as the “voice of Africa.” You can always tell a lot about a party from the guest list. So what agenda was served with this group? … Read more
According to a “sensitive but unclassified” report from the U.S. State Department’s Inspector General on the US Embassy in Ethiopia just released, the Embassy suffered high staff turnover in the wake of unpopular decisions pushed through by the Bush Administration. As a result, it is struggling to cope with important changes, including a pending facility move and a massive influx of Department of Defense staff.
The report describes the Embassy as “akin to a forward military base” and raises concerns about civilian staff being overwhelmed by DOD personnel who need to be more closely controlled by the diplomats. According to the IG, the Embassy staff is “somewhat underpowered in terms of dealing with other agencies within the mission, including a dozen or so Department of Defense elements, some not entirely under chief of mission authority and/or prone to resist the chargé’s authority almost to the point of insubordination” (emphasis added).
This elaborates upon a problem documented in a 2006 Minority Staff report prepared by Senator Richard Lugar’s staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Embassies as Command Posts in the Anti-Terror Campaign. It is also important because DOD emphasized partnerships with civilian authority in order to sell its Africa Command (AFRICOM) to the American and African publics. The IG report offers troubling evidence that three years after the controversies slipped from the public view, lines of authority remained blurred and the diplomatic ingredient of the “3 D’s” remains overshadowed by defense. The DOD staff embedded in the Embassy also includes a media relations team, suggesting involvement in the “phase zero” operations designed to shape potential conflict environments. As numerous former diplomats have told me over the last year, U.S. ambassadors have very limited control over these operations so they often work at odds with U.S. diplomatic strategies.
Training and Foreign Aid Despite Human Rights Violations?
A December 2009 visit by a senior Department of Defense official (reportedly the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa Vicki Huddleston) increased the likelihood that Ethiopia will regain its eligibility for Section 1206 military assistance. Unless strict conditions have been satisfied, the Leahy Amendment prohibits assistance furnished under the Foreign Assistance Act or the Arms Export Control Act to any foreign security forces if the Secretary of State has credible evidence that such unit has committed gross violations of human rights. Ethiopia was originally de-qualified for this aid following the 2005 elections. Today, evidence of such violations is abundant, notwithstanding the relative calm on Election Day this year. As Human Rights Watch pointed out last week in Congressional testimony, “voters were intimidated at almost every stage” of the process. Repression remains widespread, thanks in no small part to a sweeping Anti-Terrorism Proclamation issued last year. (For some solid and balanced comparative research on the effects of exporting American counter-terror legislation, check out the work of political scientist Beth Whitaker at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.)
Thus the likely resumption of military training and financing is surprising, and in my opinion threatens to bring the U.S. back to the bad old Cold War days of choosing security over democracy. Remember El Salvador? Apparently not. Even though the Embassy staff is managing well in a number of areas, the Inspector General further suggests that an increase in government repression will not alter the U.S. reliance on Ethiopia to provide stability for the region.
The Meles regime plays China against the U.S. as more U.S. officials express discontent with worsening political crisis in Ethiopia. The news below about Woyanne’s military cooperation with China is Meles Zenawi’s way of telling the U.S. that ‘I do not really need your assistance, I can go to China.’ The Obama Administration must call Woyanne’s bluff and stop all assistance to the despised junta. It will crumble in not time like a house of cards. The U.S. is well served to align itself with the people of Ethiopia, not their tormentor, Meles and his gang of genocidal murderers.
(CriEnglish.com) — Senior Chinese and Ethiopian Woyanne military officials pledged Monday to establish closer relations between the two nation’s armed forces.
The Chinese armed forces attached great importance to relations with the Ethiopian armed forces, said Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, while meeting with Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ethiopia, Samora Yenus.
Chen hailed the long friendship between the two armed forces, saying the PLA hopes to work with the Ethiopian armed forces to further cement the traditional friendship and expand pragmatic cooperation.
Samora said the two countries are both dedicated to building sustainable and solid bilateral relations based on friendly cooperation.
Ethiopia is satisfied with the friendly cooperative relationship between the two armed forces, he added.
The Ethiopian armed forces hope to foster closer links with the PLA in the new century to benefit both armed forces, Samora said.
The U.N. and United States Department of State are slowly reversing their belligerent and misguided policy on the Government of Eritrea. U.N.’s change of heart is evident in today’s comment by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who praised Eritrea as working for peace in the region. The U.N. made a grave error last December when it passed a resolution imposing sanction against Eritrea. We all know that Eritrea was targeted because of its moral and political support to Ethiopian freedom fighters. Somalia was used simply as a pretext. The misguided resolution was pushed through the U.N. Security Council by Amb. Susan Rice and other friends of Meles Zenawi at the U.S. Department of State. However, it seems that Zenawi’s 99.6 percent ‘victory’ at last month’s election has embarrassed the State Department. The May 2010 sham election also left Susan Rice and other cheerleaders of the Meles brutal dictatorship with eggs on their faces. Since then the U.S. has been trying to reach out to the Government of Eritrea. A couple of weeks ago, the State Department sent Amb. Donald Yamamoto to Asamra. Indeed it will be wise for the U.S. to revise its policy toward Eritrea if it wants to see lasting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa region. The U.S. State Department officials need to understand that Eritrea’s government is a strong ally of Ethiopian patriotic forces who are striving to bring about an end to Meles Zenawi’s genocidal reign in Ethiopia.
The following is Monday’s news release by the U.N. on Eritrea.
28 June 2010 (UN News Service) – Eritrea deserves credit for its recent constructive engagement with its neighbours and the international community, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report in which he urges the country to provide evidence that it is complying with a Security Council resolution that imposed sanctions for the country’s destabilizing activities in Djibouti and Somalia.
“Despite the Government of Eritrea’s long-standing positions on Somalia and Djibouti, it has recently taken a number of steps towards constructive engagement with its neighbours and the wider international community,” Mr. Ban says in a report to the Security Council on Eritrea’s compliance on resolution 1907, issued in January last year.
“While recent developments represent a move in the right direction, I urge the Government of Eritrea to do more to provide evidence of its compliance with resolution 1907 and the practical measures set out in it,” the Secretary-General says.
The resolution imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea and a travel ban and an assets freeze on Eritrean political and military leaders who violated the embargo, provided support to armed opposition groups destabilizing the region or obstructed implementation of a previous Council resolution that demanded that Eritrea withdrawal its troops from Djibouti.
The resolution followed a request by the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) for the Council to take such action.
The positive steps referred to by the Secretary-General include Eritrea’s reception of the Sanctions Committee in Asmara, its participation in the Istanbul Conference on Somalia, and its engagement in regional mediation efforts led by Qatar on Eritrea’s border dispute with Djibouti.
“I am encouraged that Eritrea is now engaging in an effort to arrive at a peaceful resolution to the border conflict and normalize relations with Djibouti,” Mr. Ban writes.
However, he notes that the UN’s ability to verify Eritrea’s compliance with resolution 1907 is very limited, and expresses hope that the new monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea, which will be established in due course, will provide for independent monitoring and reporting on the implementation of measures imposed by the resolution.
The Secretary-General also welcomes recent reports that indicate that Eritrea is taking measures to restore its representation at the headquarters of the AU and encourages the Horn of Africa country to make a similar effort in re-establishing its membership in IGAD.
“Eritrea’s enhanced engagement with regional organizations and international partners would be an important contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the Horn of Africa,” he adds.
He says that long-term peace and stability in the region require a comprehensive approach to address the interlinked conflicts.
An Indian journal, The Hindu Business Line, is reporting that the ruling junta in Ethiopia is renting fertile Ethiopian land for $1 per acre in a form of long-term lease to foreign corporations, while starving the people of Ethiopia through its misguided and corrupt farm policies. Read below:
Ethiopia is offering one acre of land on annual lease for just $1 for 100 years. “We can grow pulses there and bring it back to the country,” Dr S. Ayyappan, Director-General of ICAR, said.
The ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) has said that Africa promises gold for agricultural entrepreneurs, scientists and academics.
He called upon academicians and entrepreneurs to look at the opportunity seriously. He also mooted the idea of sending teams comprising retired professors and scientists and entrepreneurs to explore the opportunity.
“You may not believe that some countries in the African continent are offering land for very cheap rentals. We can take advantage of this,” he said.
Dr Ayyappan was speaking at the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) which hosted the two-day conference of Deans of Agricultural Universities from across the country.
He asked the Deans to encourage entrepreneurs to tap such opportunities.
Ethiopians suspected to be victims of a human trafficking racket, were discovered on Wednesday at a bungalow on the outskirts of Nairobi.
The 41 men were found in a secluded house about three kilometres from Ngong Town. The quiet compound had no sign of life except for the caretaker, who could barely speak English or Kiswahili said: “Nobody here, nobody no English no Swahili.”
However, he opened the gate and letting the journalists into the house. At first he was certain he had succeeded in misleading the journalists until the reporters peeped through the windows and saw the men lying on the floor heaped on each other.
There were more than 100 plates and cups in the kitchen which is at the entrance and two big charcoal stoves stood there, evidently showing they were recently used for cooking.
Watched in horror
The room in which they were crammed together, also served as the entertainment hall for the young men who were visibly weak and distraught. At one end of the room is a TV set and a DVD player.
A few scattered compact discs were strewn all over the place as they watched in horror as journalists took pictures. Some of their colleagues were fast asleep and did not even wake during the entire time.
The caretaker who gave his name as Bastin Yahanis said that he was expecting a vehicle that normally brings food from Ngong Town. He gave the a phone number of the man he claims is his boss who operates in Eastleigh area.
The boss, a Mr Dahir who talked to the journalists on phone said he would come to the house. But an hour later, he said he was at Karen and will not come after all.
“Go put the information in the media – all newspapers and television and radio stations… after all am helping them,” said Mr Dahir and then switched off his phone.
