President's ouster in coup praised in Niger

Editors Note: Dear Readers,Niger has been rocked by revolution,coup d' etat.The Coup has changed the Meles like junta by a its own army.The reason is clear quest for democracy.The military promised a civilian government soon.This is what has to happen in Ethiopia too.The military should oust the Meles and pass power to the civilians capable of leading the nation.However, there is a report within the military that,soldiers are being instructed to return their arms.This shows that there is some chemistry within our army.Who knows soon....

NIAMEY, Niger – It's politics, upside down.

The elected president of a uranium-rich nation morphs into a despot and refuses to relinquish power, forcing the army to stage a popular coup with guns blazing in the name of democracy.

Most governments check executive excesses through sister branches — the legislature, the judiciary. In Niger, the military has assumed the bizarre yet vital role of safeguarding democratic institutions by force — most recently by blowing a hole through the front gate of the presidential palace last week and taking hostage an entire government.

The soldiers who overthrew Mamadou Tandja are vowing to restore civilian rule, a claim that's often proved hollow among Africa's myriad juntas. The difference in Niger, though, is profound: Most people here actually believe them.

"For democracy activists like us, it's difficult to applaud a coup d'etat," said Marou Amadou, a leading human rights worker who was jailed for a month and beaten by security forces during Tandja's regime. "But this had to happen and we are overjoyed. There was no other way."

Though officially condemned by governments worldwide, Tandja's ouster has been widely praised at home: by unions, human rights groups, civil society leaders, local media. The trust is so great, in fact, that the director of one widely respected independent Niamey newspaper was working protocol for the junta this week.

Tandja ascended to power a decade ago through the ballot box and won elections again five years later. But in the twilight of his final term, he transformed his Islamic nation into a dictatorship, abolishing parliament and the nation's highest court and imposing rule by decree.

In a final blow last August, he forced through a controversial referendum that cast aside a constitutionally protected ban on term limits. A new constitution, which critics say was illegal, granted him three more years in power and the chance to run for president as many times as he wanted.

Tandja initially succeeded because, Amadou said, "he knew most our people fall into one of three categories. They are either illiterate, corrupt or afraid."

The nation of 15 million on the Sahara's southern edge has the dubious honor of being last among 182 nations on the U.N.'s Human Development Index, which ranks general well-being. It is regularly battered by drought and food shortages, and its lawless northern deserts have been the scene of repeated insurgencies, and more recently, kidnappings linked to al-Qaida terrorists.

After the referendum, a regional West African economic bloc suspended Niger from its ranks. The United States cut non-humanitarian aid. Europe also froze vital support to a country whose budget is 40 percent dependent on donors.

Amid the isolation, the putschists had little to lose. And, critics say, much to gain: Oil deposits have recently been discovered and there are plans to build the world's biggest uranium mine.

"They present themselves as saviors of democracy, but are they?" asked Ali Sabo, a top member of Tandja's ousted political party. "Who's to say they won't loot our country as other military regimes have done?"

The coup, he said, simply proves the army "is still a powerful political force that can intervene at any moment with arms."

One reason the educated public has placed so much trust in the military is because it has a track record. Several of the top putschists engineered a similar coup in 1999, and went on to oversee free elections the same year that set the stage for a decade of democratic peace.

On Sunday, a top junta leader, Col. Djibrilla Hima Hamidou, vowed that this time, the coup leaders will "do the same thing."

If they do, it could show the armed forces in Niger at least, have evolved from an era in Africa when a military takeover inevitably meant the dawn of dictatorship.

"Our soldiers know the era of military regimes is over," said Mohamed Bazoum, a spokesman for Niger's main opposition party. "There is always the risk they will try to stay in power, but we think the risk is minimal. We have faith in them to do the right thing."

Transparency International's Aissata Bagnan Fall said the junta appeared comprised of a new generation of soldiers better educated than their predecessors, some of whom could not read or write.

Today, most officers have university degrees and many been trained abroad. They've studied human rights. Some, like coup leader Maj. Salou Djibou, have taken part in peacekeeping missions in Congo and Ivory Coast, giving them a firsthand look at how conflict can tear nations apart.

"They have laptops and access to the Internet," Fall said. "They are aware of how they are perceived and that affects how they act."

Still, Fall said the junta should be treated with great caution, because "you can only truly know a man when he is given money and power, and you see what he does with it."

In West Africa alone, there are plenty of worrying examples.

A military junta in Mauritania organized a widely praised ballot in 2007, but a year later overthrew the man who won. Another junta in Guinea also promised swift elections after seizing power in 2008. Its chief went on to terrorize the nation and brought it to the brink of civil war before he was shot in the head and exiled.

There have been modest success stories. After Guinea-Bissau's president was murdered last year by troops in his home, the military stood aside and let the democratic succession take its course. And despite the recent turmoil in Guinea, the army general who inherited control has vowed elections and appointed an opposition leader prime minister for the first time in the country's history.

Fall said one risk in Niger was time: "the longer the military stays in control, the harder it will be for them leave. The lure of power is great, which is "why we want the transition period to be as short as possible," she said.

The junta has set no timetable for elections but says there will eventually be a referendum on a new constitution adopted by national consensus.

Some residents go so far as saying they don't even want a return to civilian rule.

"We've tried Western-style democracy, and it didn't work," said Amadou Madi, a 27-year-old electrician. "Elections brought us dictatorship and corruption. What we need is a strong military to lay down the law."

Meles's regime: terror funder,money launder

US Treasury backs listing threats to financial system

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday said it endorsed a report from the international body fighting money laundering that blacklisted Iran, Angola, North Korea, Ecuador and Ethiopia for posing risks to the international financial system.

"The U.S. Treasury Department welcomes the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report statements this week identifying countries with strategic deficiencies in the area of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism," Treasury said.

The task force said on Thursday that Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Sao Tome and Principe were jurisdictions that also continue to have deficiencies in their systems for countering money laundering and terror financing that need to be addressed.

The task force said other countries should "advise their financial institutions to give special attention to business relationships and transactions with Iran" and with Iranian institutions to head off any "financing of terrorism risks emanating from Iran."

The task force is an intergovernmental organization, based in Paris and set up in 1989 under the auspices of the Group of Seven nations specifically to find ways to thwart terror groups from using the global banking system to launder money.

Addis opposition put on notice

Ethiopians line up to cast their vote at a polling station in Addis Ababa in 2005 during the third democratic elections. The country goes to the polls on May 23. Photo/FILE

By ARGAW ASHINE (email the author) Posted Thursday, February 18 2010 at 14:25

IN SUMMARY

• Ethiopians go to the polls on May 23
• Over 26 million voters register for elections
• Crackdown following 2005 elections left several people dead

Ethiopia's ruling EPRDF has warned the opposition that any attempt to snatch power unconstitutionally will not be tolerated.

The party singled out Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (EFDUF) for allying “covertly and overtly” with armed rebel groups and Ethiopia arch-foe Eritrea to get to power.

Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front circulated a statement to its members saying some opposition parties were plotting to snatch power during the May elections

“EFDUF is allying with Eritrea and other anti-Ethiopia forces and we should isolate this group by exposing the truth to the public,” ruling party document, obtained the Africa Review, said in part.

According to the document, the opposition bloc planned the Ukraine and Georgia type revolution to topple the two decade’s old ruling party.

EPRDF further claimed that the opposition planned to precipitate anarchy to pave the way for a power-sharing government, similar to those in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

A 2005 crackdown on opposition supporters protesting the results of that year’s elections, left 193 people dead.

Mr Hailemariam Desalegne, the ruling party's parliamentary whip, told the Africa Review his party was committed to holding free, fair and credible elections.

Dismissed the accusation

“We have all the evidences what they (opposition) have planned and which would not be helpful for both of us,” Mr Hailemariam noted.

EFDUF dismissed the accusation and said they were aimed at creating reason for the jailing of the opposition leaders if they won the election.

Dr Merera Gudina, the chair of EFDUF, said the intelligence was documenting all movements by the opposition leaders.

“We are aware about the plot against us and if it comes to violence, it will come from the government itself,” Dr Merera said.

Another opposition leader Gizachew Shiferaw, who is the deputy chair of Unity for Democracy and Justice, said the oppositions can easily win the election without any violence.

“We are confident to win a majority seat but I don’t believe that there will be fair and free election,” he added.

EFDUF is a coalition of eight political parties composed of veteran politicians MPs and former ruling party top officials.

Rising populations are at core of overseas aid issue

Editors Note: Dear readers read below an awful article about us.They still use us hunger tubes to taste .They talk the talk with little knowledge-population growth.The writer below attempts to describe say that we remain 'with seemingly little thought about their future' .Our problem is multi-dimensional and can't be solved with one tier thing.So please,don't write anything without any knowhow.

OPINION: Is it sensible for Irish aid to be given to countries whose populations continue to rise in reckless fashion?

ONE OF the more controversial issues in the discussion about Government cutbacks is overseas development aid. Ireland promised to increase spending for the developing world, but is now faced with the need to cut back on its commitments.

The reduction has drawn a predictable response, from those who ask why such aid should be immune from cutbacks, especially if other sensitive areas are being cut, and from those who say that it is abandoning help to “the poorest of the poor” especially in Africa. There is merit in both cases, but what is interesting is how limited is the debate about the direction or methodology of overseas aid.

For example, one of the big questions now is about the effect of such aid given the rapid and reckless population increases in these African areas. How can we be surprised, for example, that Ethiopia, which is a major destination for Irish aid, is suffering from continuous famine when its population is increasing by millions every year?

Ethiopia’s population is now expected to go from its present 78 million to an incredible 170 million by 2050, or even sooner. This is an extraordinary rise, given the apparently miserable condition of the country. And it is the same with other African countries, notably the Congo, which is undergoing a similar massive increase in population. Few in the aid lobby seem to wish to address this.

Why is this? Perhaps to address this awkward fact, aid agencies would have to question their whole methodology and philosophy. Instead, what we usually get is the same unchanging mantra about “curing” world poverty, and the need for us to continue aiding Africa, and somehow help it to develop up to first world standards – when in fact we are possibly doing the very opposite. And all of this is not even to mention what such “growth” will do to the global environment.

In fairness, the overpopulation issue is a difficult one for the aid agencies to deal with, and Justin Kilcullen of Trócaire makes the following points: “One of the key factors in controlling population growth is women’s education. Economic and social development is required to eliminate poverty and inequality. The education of girls and women offers enormous possibilities for both. Trócaire works throughout the developing world to help people overcome poverty, to learn about their rights and to start holding their governments to account for the programmes and policies that affect their citizens. We support women’s access to and control of resources such as land, while our good governance work supports women’s participation and involvement in decision-making and leadership.”

“Experts are agreed,” continues Kilcullen, “that women’s education is crucial to overcoming poverty and to reducing high birth rates in developing countries. The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population’s Panel on Population Growth and Human Welfare in Africa found that education is the most important factor in determining the number of children a woman will have over her lifetime. Getting children into school and keeping them there can prevent early marriage and give them far greater opportunities in later life.”

So the key factor here is education, but it appears that with the improvement in education and prosperity in these areas, the population continues to rise – at a huge rate.

More heartening is the line about “holding governments to account”, but again one assumes that the likes of Trócaire can’t do this – it would smack of neo-colonial interference. Instead, it has to be a country’s own citizens who do so. But this is most unlikely to happen, and would fall on deaf ears. So Kilcullen’s response doesn’t hold out much hope. At least it is a more considered approach than the line we have been getting elsewhere – that by cutting aid we are directly endangering the lives of those in the developing world.

The most literal example of this is (no surprise here) Vincent Browne, who tried not long ago to equate the drop directly with actual lives lost, as if such a crude arithmetic could ever be applied. On his TV3 programme he asked Kilcullen exactly how many lives he thought were lost because of the cuts in Irish aid, but Kilcullen was naturally reluctant to be drawn into this type of discussion.

But the other question he could ask is, is it right that millions of children, in increasing numbers, are being so blithely brought into a world of such suffering? Is it right to tolerate such reckless population increases when the world’s resources and environment are in such peril? After all, countries such as China try to prevent disastrous over-population, admittedly by fairly repressive means such as limiting families to one child.

The fact is that despite cuts, Ireland ranks as the sixth largest donor in the world in per capita terms and has been praised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as a “champion” at making aid more effective. In 2008, Irish Aid supported “13 million Ethiopians at risk of hunger, and supplied fertilisers and seeds to more than 1.5 million families in Malawi to allow them to escape from hunger and poverty”.

This shows our continuing commitment, but it would be interesting to ask what is the real effect of this when the population of Ethiopia, for example, is so rampantly and recklessly growing. What is the real effect when millions more are being brought into a world of hunger and disease, with seemingly little thought about their future, except that the West will probably foot the bill?

This would be the real question to ask.

Farcical Election

Editors Note:Dear Readers...we are on the verge of another ''election.'AYENEW HAILESELASSIE, of Addis of Addisfortune.com, wrote a good piece on the election issue yesterday.Read it

through.Whoever calls it what, We have called this coming ''election'' Farcical Election.

Which Way to Power in Ethiopian Politics?

ELECTORAL PUNCH AYENEW HAILESELASSIE

Feb.14-2010

Why take the long walk to power? Democracy, what is that? Merera Gudina (PhD), Beyene Petros (Prof) and other scholarly political naives have spent a longer time to get elected than the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) –

later the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) – spent fighting the Derg.

The liberation war (as rebels want to call it when they get wild and start shooting) is out of tune. Even the African Union no longer recognises those that come to power by means of force, unless that power is a democratic one.

So what do they do? Do it the right way, run campaigns, and try to get elected. Well, a certain economist has preferred to remain more traditional.

“There is only one thing that will bring the EPRDF down – force,” he declared.

He has tried politics only once for a few months, and he found that he did not make it to power. Rather he went to jail, the kind of jail where if you say “sorry” you get out.

Not everyone is in jail. The professors have continued lecturing in college and experimenting with politics in the field. But the two worlds of academia and field politics are not mixing.

In fact, Merera has been so good at it in college that he has been elected to run his department for a second time, he said. If only political elections were that easy.

It might feel frustrating to be a parliamentarian for all these years and be of no use other than warming your seat.

Alec Baldwin, a popular Hollywood actor, will quit acting once his contract expires, he recently said. His reason is that, all his life, none of his films have become box office hits, and that meant he was mediocre. He may change this if the Oscar visits him for his latest film, “It’s Complicated.”

And that is the point here in Ethiopian politics. They have to be clear with their targets. Is it to see themselves in power in their lifetimes or to create mind space for opposition politics in Ethiopia or to gradually weaken the EPRDF, or is it just to run their own shows for as long as they last? Let them choose a feasible target based on which their supporters will track their performance records.

During the last election, Brehanu Nega and his ilk easily got away with their refusal to join Parliament and take over Addis Abeba. “What is the point, if the EPRDF is not going to let them have a voice in Parliament, Everybody said, and if they are to practically disable them from running Addis Abeba using the authority at the Federal Government level?”

All that was truly happening, and it would have served as good evidence for all their claims if they had given it a chance by taking those seats as well as the keys to Addis Abeba. But they chose to run, and just like that they struck away the dreams and hopes of their numerous supporters. That was a disservice to the entire opposition movement.

A young politician who found himself at odds with Beyene told a newspaper that his objective was to beat the EPRDF, Good luck!

So let them all come up with clear and concise objectives and tell how they are going to achieve their objectives. Let them also change the same old words which they always utter, revealing the application of the same old strategies or even the absence of one. They should not go far to learn politics. They should look at the EPRDF. It is true, there will be many people who will vote for opposition members no matter what. But that is no guarantee, enough.

Face of Defense: Airman Reaches Out to Ethiopian Children

Editors Note:Please all you out there stop adopting our children,stop giving us ''aid'', stop ''helping'' us.We know where to go.Don't transih Ethiopia's image.Don't belittle us below the human level.

By Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson

Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2010 – For one Air Force family stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, the service’s focus on the Year of the Air Force Family means providing an even greater impact by meeting the needs of others through adoption.

Air Force Col. John Marselus and his wife, Kim, pose for a photo with their adopted 5-year-old son, Caleb, Feb. 1, 2010, at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The couple adopted Caleb from Ethiopia . Marselus is the 607th Air and Space Operations Center commander. (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The Year of the Air Force Family is an initiative focused on enhancing the support and care provided to those who firmly stand behind our airmen on a daily basis.

Air Force Col. John Marselus, commander of the 607th Air and Space Operations Center, and his wife, Kim, traveled to Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, in January where they picked up their newest son, Caleb, a 5-year-old orphan whom they adopted.

"The adoption process took about two years, but in reality this journey started well over two decades ago," Marselus said. The couple’s trip to Ethiopia opened yet another opportunity to meet face-to-face with one of the many children they had sponsored worldwide for almost three decades.

As a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the colonel started sponsoring needy children across the globe. The Marselus family was able to provide food, clothing and school supplies for dozens of children over the past 27 years. One of the children they sponsored was an Ethiopian girl named Meseret.

"We first started sponsoring Meseret about a decade ago when she was only 8 years old," Marselus said. "Here was this poor little girl, literally living on the other side of the planet in an environment we couldn't even begin to comprehend, and we were getting these touching letters from her thanking us and telling about the difference our involvement was having in her life."

After 25 years of sponsorship of multiple children, the Marselus family decided it was time to have an even greater impact on a needy child. It was at that point they decided to pursue the option of adoption.

"Sponsoring needy children like Meseret is great, but we were convicted to see if there was a child who needed a family," Marselus said. "We strongly felt that the right thing to do was provide an orphaned little boy or girl the love and nurturing they so desperately deserve."

After contacting an adoption agency and beginning the adoption process, the Marselus family was pleasantly surprised to discover the many programs and benefits the Air Force has in place to support adoptive parents. The National Defense Authorization Act provides for reimbursement of up to $2,000 of expenses per adoption with a maximum of $5,000 reimbursement per year. Additionally, AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program, allows upward of 21 days of permissive temporary duty for travel associated with qualified adoptions.

"These are exactly the types of benefits needed for airmen who are pursuing adoption," Marselus said. "We are extremely pleased to see this commitment from the Air Force to help anyone who would pursue this option."

While in Ethiopia finalizing the adoption of their new son, the couple met Meseret, the girl they started sponsoring 10 years ago.

"It was an incredible experience getting to finally meet this amazing young lady who has changed our lives in so many ways," the colonel said. "We were able to celebrate her 18th birthday with her and were quite impressed with her and how well she was thriving in such an impoverished environment. Sponsorship had obviously had a positive impact as she recently completed high school and now has her eyes on becoming a doctor."

Reflecting on the whirlwind of emotional and life-changing events over the past few weeks, the Marselus family gives the Air Force great credit for their successful adoption of Caleb.

"Beyond the financial support and permissive TDY time provided by our Air Force, several on-base agencies such as the chapel, Aarman and family readiness center, the military personnel section and medical group have been amazing in helping Caleb transition from being an impoverished orphan into a healthy, cared-for and truly happy Air Force dependent," the colonel said. "Without a doubt traveling to Ethiopia, meeting Meseret and having Caleb become a part of our family was the adventure of a lifetime."

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson is assigned to the 607th Air and Space Operations Center.)

Meles still an ideological communist

Editors Note:The Revolutionary Democrats of today and the then Marxists , have only changed their name and style .They are still ideological communists.The article below appeared on Uganda's ,The Daily Monitor on Feb.9,2010.It describes the current president of Uganda,Yoweri Museveni as an ideological communist .It sounds as if it was written for Ethiopia and Meles Zenawi.It typically describes the real situation in Ethiopia now.So when reading the story ,read it by replacing Uganda with Ethiopia and Yoweri Museveni with Meles Zenawi.

Observing President Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM)-led Uganda over the last 24 years, one question has consistently gnawed at me. Did pre-1989 Marxist-Leninist (read communist) Museveni genuinely, completely and irreversibly morph into the putative capitalist, liberal democrat of the 1990s and beyond? The answer is “no.” President Museveni and NRM were and still are ideological communists.

Communists believe in the monopolisation of power by the Communist party. Paraphrasing Fidel Castro, communists hold the view that “Within the Party, Everything. Outside the Party, Nothing.’’ Prior to the commencement of the so-called multiparty dispensation in 2005, NRM was the quintessential communist party. Every Ugandan was deemed to be of the NRM.

There was no legal differentiation between party and government. Not much has changed since 2005. Movementists still believe it is the divine right of the NRM to be in government. The president of the NRM has free rein to use the power and trappings of government purely for NRM partisan benefit. Parliament exists to rubberstamp decisions preordained by the NRM Parliament caucus. The Chief Justice’s protestations notwithstanding, President Museveni will not rest until only NRM cadre judges grace the judicial benches of Uganda.

Communists hue to a form of democratic centralism in which all political discussions are managed and constrained; with decisions, once made, not challenged or challengeable elsewhere. Whenever you hear debate being stifled in Uganda on account of it not taking place in the “Right Forum,” think communist centralism.

Communist hierarchical institutions only reach the “right” decisions because they are staffed by carefully chosen cadres. Communists were always aware of the importance of controlling personnel. Unsurprisingly, “Mzee” Museveni guards his prerogatives of making all manner of official appointments (or putting officials on katebe) very jealously in order to ensure that “right” decisions are reached in the “right” fora.

Communists believe that the driving force of history is the development of economic classes and the concomitant power struggles between such classes. It is this belief that underpinned Museveni’s historically suspect case for the so called no-party Movement dispensation, arguing that because Uganda had not developed an industry based proletariat class, it could not manage multiparty politics.

Vadimir Lenin’s most singular innovative modification of the communist narrative was his observation that it is the duty of a certain cadre of Marxism-conscious comrades, those with the unique vision to peek into history, to remain at the helm of the proletariat in the march towards the chimerical state of the dictatorship of the proletariat (perfect communism). Since the achievement of perfect communism could take forever, it follows that this proletarian vanguard could remain in power forever. Therein lie the intellectual underpinnings of Museveni’s claim for perpetual power—that only he has “the vision” required at the NRM party (and state) vanguard.

Oft have I argued here that it was the misfortune of African countries such as Uganda to gain independence under the leadership of naïve young communists. It is Uganda’s double misfortune that mature cynical communist ideologues have led it throughout the second half of its 50 year era of independence. It is my hope and plea that when the time comes for Museveni to depart the political stage, hopefully voluntarily, in good health and soon, his replacement has absolutely no taint, current or past, of NRM Movement communistic cadreship. For we have been there and done that!

The writer is a lawyer,
agkamya@hotmail.com

Abay Tigray Republic coming true

Editors Note: readers have a look at the banner of Tigrai Online.Abay Tigray Republic coming true.They have already cleared their map(Tigrai's) and posted it to officalize their hegemony and separation.

Check the web below:

http://tigraionline.com/oct2009.html

Thousands flee south every year from Somalia, Ethiopia

By "We have also sacked some of the corrupt officials who have been taking money from illegal migrants," said James Ole Seriani, north eastern province commissioner, in a telephone interview from the eastern town of Garissa.

Kenya officially closed its 680 km (420 mile) border with Somalia in 2007 fearing the threat from heavily armed militias.

But it has allowed thousands of refugees from Somalia to enter and live in sprawling refugee camps near the border.

RISKY JOURNEY

IOM's 2009 report said organised criminal groups of human smugglers located in eight African countries facilitate the illegal movement.

A 17-year-old Somali boy who travelled from the southern Somalia town of Kismayu to South Africa's Cape Town last year described the journey as risky.

Fearing forceful recruitment by al Shabaab hardline insurgents, the teenager, who asked not to be named, said he travelled in a group of 75 Somalis including a 60-year-old woman and a toddler on the back of an old truck.

"When we entered Zambia, the security forces arrested us and sent us to a prison near the border, where we tilled land on government farms every day for six months," he said.

After half a year in jail, the teenager was released.

He arrived in Cape Town, via Mozambique, 10 months after leaving his hometown of Kismayu.

"South Africa is not my destination. I am now planning to continue to Minnesota, USA," he said. Nyakairu

NAIROBI (Reuters) - At least 17,000 illegal migrants from the Horn of Africa leave their countries for South Africa annually, most of them transiting through Kenya, a top U.N. official said on Monday.

Tal Raviv, a regional programme officer at the U.N.'s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told Reuters that conflict and poverty were forcing Ethiopians and Somalis to undertake risky trips to better places.

"We estimate the number of people, specifically Somalis and Ethiopians, going from south central Somalia and southern Ethiopia towards South Africa is between 17,000 and 20,000 men every year," Raviv told Reuters in an interview.

Violence in Somalia has killed some 21,000 civilians since the start of 2007 and uprooted a further 1.5 million people.

Southern Ethiopia is also mired in a long-running insurgency against the Ethiopian government, for more autonomy for the underdeveloped ethnic Somali Ogaden region.

"The journey is made possible because of limited border controls all the way to South Africa, but also the fact that you can easily get false documents and pay bribes to move from one place to another," she said.

IOM's 2009 report estimates that sneaking Ethiopians and Somalis into South Africa was a $40 million business.

Police in Kenya's north eastern region said they have stepped up measures to curb human smuggling.

New AU Chair Declares War On freedom fighters

Editors Note: Meles now moves to spinning and twisting the hands and minds of African leaders(lambs).Scared of the fastly moving revolutionary movemnts undertaken by Ethiopian Freedom Fighters , Meles Zenawi and his co-African leaders(lambs) have jointly issued a statment condemnening revolution,coup and war for freedom in Africa.
You African pluderers , we tell you that your time is over,nomore cooperative looting and appeasemnt, real African freedom fighters are popping up in Africa that struggle for the freedom and liberity of our continent from you the colonizers.
VIVA LA REVOLUTION
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — In what appears to be a peep into what his tenure as the Chairperson of African Union will be, the newly elected Chairperson of African Union and President of Malawi Mr. Bingu Wa Mutharika has warned that that the continental body would henceforth declare war on unconstitutional change of government in Africa. MutharikaHe has also said that time has come for the organization to go beyond making decisions, declarations and resolutions, adding that the need to take action was now and urgent, "so that whatever we decide and declare directly benefits the common African citizen. It is only when we act now that our people will come to appreciate the existence, foundations and future of our organization. Let us act now''Mutharika, in his closing remark at the end of 14th Assembly of the Heads of State of AU, called on his colleagues in this year of peace and security and beyond, "we must say 'never again' to conflict and war in Africa. We must declare war on unconstitutional change of government on the African soil and resolve to take strong necessary punitive action against all authors of coup d'etats and those that provide them the means to unseat duly elected governments."The Malawian President who insist, the next five years the issue of food insecurity must be brought to an end in the continent to ensure no child dies of hunger and malnutrition, also stated that unconstitutional change of government threatened peace and security of the continent adding that it also reverses the collective successes of the continent in the democratization process.The AU Chairperson further stated that the continental body has a responsibility "to protect and preserve the legacy of a free democratic society with full guarantees for human rights, personal liberties and social progress".He stressed that the AU's efforts to restore political stability shall require the full cooperation of political players in members states that are engulfed in conflict adding that the regional economic communities had more advantages in facilitating contact and dialogue between parties.Mutharika said that whereas the continental body had noted with satisfaction the positive political developments in Mauritania, Guinea and Guinea Bissau where concrete steps had been taken to restore democracy, the AU still remained confronted by the challenges in Madagascar, Somalia and Darfur as it strives to ensure that peace returns to these troubled spots in the shortest possible time.

US envoy pledges to press Ethiopia on rights

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next US ambassador to Ethiopia pledged on Tuesday to press the government in Addis Ababa to improve human rights, free political prisoners and make upcoming elections fair.
Donald Booth said the United States had "complex interests" in Ethiopia, and that the two nations, while differing in tactics, saw largely eye-to-eye on the need to bring stability and prevent an Islamist takeover of Somalia.
"We need to try to work with Ethiopia across the board, preserving the cooperation where we share interests such as regional security," Booth, a former ambassador to Liberia and Zambia, said at his Senate confirmation hearing.
But he warned that Ethiopia's "limitations on political expression and economic activities as well as shortcomings in respect to basic human rights run counter to American principles and risk becoming the seeds of future instability."
Under questioning by Senator Russ Feingold, who heads the Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa, Booth pledged to take up the case of prisoners such as Birtukan Mideksa, leader of the largest opposition party.
Ethiopia sentenced Birtukan to life in prison for treason after she alleged that the government rigged 2005 elections. She received a pardon two years later but the life term was re-imposed a month ago.
Booth said the US embassy in Addis Ababa has been seeking access to Birtukan, 36.
"I think we need to find a way to convince them (Ethiopian leaders) that it's in their own interest not to hold people simply because they hold opposing political views," Booth said.
Booth said he would urge Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government to ensure the fairness of elections due in May, including by allowing opposition candidates to run and have access to the media.
Booth also called for domestic and international observers to monitor the election.
The nominee promised Feingold also to look into allegations of human rights abuses in the southern Ogaden region, where Muslim, ethnic Somali rebels are waging an insurgency for independence.
"Clearly the Ogaden is an area that has created great instability and threats to the security of the Ethiopian state over time," he said.
"We need to work with the Ethiopians ... to try to figure out a way that they can not only protect their territorial integrity but also respect the human rights of all their citizens including the Ogadense," he said.

Don't Kill Melaku Teffera

Amnesty International (AI) has called on Ethiopian authorities not to execute Melaku Tefera, a member of the Union for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ), the only one of five men sentenced to death on 22 December 2009 who remains in Ethiopia. The other four sentenced to death in absentia are exiled Ginbot 7 party leaders Berhanu Nega, Andargachew Tsige, Muluneh Eyouel and Mesfin Aman. On the same day 33 others, including one woman, received life sentences.

The five men sentenced to death were convicted with 35 others in August and November 2009 on five charges related to an aborted coup attempt in April. Of these, thirty-three were sentenced to life imprisonment. Government officials have also confiscated some of their property.

The accused were arrested in April and May 2009 for involvement in a plan to attack power and telecommunications facilities and carry out assassinations of government officials in an attempt to provoke political unrest. Charges against them include plotting to kill government ministers, destroy strategic facilities and incite rebellion within the army, which can carry the death penalty in Ethiopia.

The federal prosecutor had asked the court to impose the death penalty against all of the accused, except two who pleaded guilty, stating that those convicted committed ‘serious acts of terrorism.’ But on 22 December 33 received life sentences while five were sentenced to death.

Those sentenced to life include opposition party members and family members of opposition party leaders such as Getu Worku, the cousin of Berhanu Nega, in exile in the United States.

They also include Tsige Habtemariam, the 80-year-old father of Andargachew Tsige, in exile in the UK. Tsige Habtemariam is a diabetic who recently underwent heart surgery and requires regular medical care.

Melaku Tefera, the only defendant sentenced to death on these charges who remains in Ethiopia, is a former Coalition for Unity and Democracy prisoner who served 20 months in Kaliti prison, then joined the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party.

Several of the defendants in this case have complained that they were tortured in detention. Amnesty International has called on Ethiopian authorities to grant these prisoners access to physicians of their choosing to assess their claims and treat any diagnosed injuries, in accordance with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime as cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

(For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org. International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK.; www.amnesty.org)

Critics claim that Melaku has never been a member of UDJ and is being used by the incumbent as a symbol of hunting down Ginbot 7 and UDJ Parties.

Today: Addis Abeba was under high surveillance

Our sources in Addis Abeba have confirmed that the city is under high surveillance today 27th January 2010.Residents and vehicles are being checked in every 10 meter distance.

"I think the Federal Police are looking for the''black box'' in our pockets'' said a young Addis Abeban describing the scale and manner of search being undertaken.Some army vehicles carrying machine guns drove through the town, checking the streets.

Main Roads of the city remained under high military surveillance.Agazi and Federal police forces are dispersed in every district of the city. Sources state that the main reason for the tension is due the 14th African Union Summit being held in Addis Abeba from 25 January to 02 February 2010 under the theme of ''Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development''.Many African heads of States and ministers are arriving in Addis Abeba to attend the meeting.

The summit agenda covers reports on the Peace and Security Council's activities and the state of peace and security in Africa.The Heads of State and Government Summit is preceded by the 16th Ordinary Session of the executive council and the 19th Ordinary Session of the permanent representatives committee meetings to be held from January 28 to 29 and January 25 to 26 respectively. It also includes a report of the commission on unconstitutional changes Government and of the ministerial meeting on the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court.

Commentators fear the possibility that some opposition groups might use the event to oust the regime

China invests in Ethiopia but at what cost?

MARY FITZGERALD in Addis Ababa for the Irish Times

China’s minister for commerce says trade with Ethiopia will reach $3 billion by 2015

ASK AN Addis Ababa taxi driver to take you to Ethio-China Friendship Road and he might just scratch his head.

The renaming of Wollo Sefer, one of the Ethiopian capital’s main thoroughfares, in tribute to the country’s burgeoning ties with Beijing might be obvious from the new street signs but it has yet to filter down to everyday use.

The road is not the only marker of China’s growing engagement with Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa’s ultramodern airport was built by the Chinese, as was the city’s ring road and flyover.

An extensive renovation of the African Union headquarters in downtown Addis is being financed by the Chinese to the tune of more than $100 million (€71 million).

Across the city, a Chinese government-built school, designed to cater for up to 3,000 students, offers Mandarin classes as part of its curriculum.

Scores of Ethiopians have been given scholarships to study subjects including engineering and architecture in China.

The Chinese restaurants and clinics advertising acupuncture and traditional herbal remedies that have become part of the landscape in almost every African city in recent years are here too. According to local media, some 1,000 Chinese companies operate in Ethiopia.

Besuited Chinese businessmen can be seen discussing deals in Addis hotel lobbies, while engineers and others fresh from working on road and telecommunications projects or building power stations and water supply systems haggle for souvenirs in the city’s sprawling Merkato before flying home to Beijing.

In some Ethiopian towns and villages, it is not uncommon for foreigners to find themselves being greeted by children yelling “China, China”.

Earlier this month Chen Deming, China’s minister for commerce, was in town predicting that trade volume between the two countries will reach $3 billion by 2015. Chinese investment in Ethiopia amounted to just under $1 billion last year, and there is much talk of future investment in agricultural projects.

“China and Ethiopia have been mutually supportive on the political front and closely co-operating on the economic front,” Chen said, going on to use the stock expression Chinese officials trot out when discussing relations with African states: “It is fair to regard the Sino-Ethiopian friendship as an all-weather one.”

China’s new engagement with Africa has played out very differently across the continent, helping revitalise moribund economies in some countries, while breeding resentment elsewhere due to support for unsavoury regimes, poor work practices and threatened local industries.

There have been a few cautionary tales for the Chinese along the way. In 2007, for example, nine Chinese oil workers were killed and seven briefly kidnapped in the restive Ogaden area of eastern Ethiopia.

Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi says African states must be prudent in setting the parameters of the relationship.

“The Chinese interest in Ethiopia has been nothing short of a godsend,” he tells The Irish Times.

“We have benefited massively from it, but like everything else it is capable of becoming a nightmare . . . It is up to the host countries as to how they use the available resources from the Chinese in the best possible manner. Those who do will benefit, those who don’t may not benefit as perhaps they ought to.”

China’s assistance in building infrastructure and its investment in manufacturing has been invaluable for Ethiopia, Meles says.

“We need investment from any quarter we can get it. The Chinese have been more aggressive in investing in Ethiopia than many others and our hope is that Chinese investment will entice not only additional Chinese investment but also investment from other countries.”

But, as in every African country wooing Beijing, there is debate over who stands to gain. A 2008 study by an economist at Addis Ababa University noted that while Ethiopian consumers will benefit from cheap Chinese imports, small local firms, particularly in the clothing and footwear sectors, will lose out.

Opposition figures, like many of their counterparts elsewhere in Africa, mutter darkly about deals agreed behind closed doors, and speculate on the motives of both the government and Beijing.

One told me he suspects that the Meles regime sees China’s overtures as an opportunity to shore up support where it matters on the world stage.

Whatever way the debate shifts, however, the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the Chinese are here to stay.