Sunday with Emahoy(nun) Tsege Mariam

By Anko Zuta, Blogger of De Birhan Blogspot
03/04/2011

Sundays are so boring in this part of the world, I am living. Hardly possible it is to listen to a bird’s or a girl’s song. I can’t even start my University assignment, I am procrastinating. My last resort was googling and I found this cool stuff while googling. The history of Emahoy(nun) Tsege Mariam and her composition. Emahoy(Nun) Tsege now over 85 years old is the first Ethiopian classical musical composer , now residing in an Ethiopian Orthodox Church Monastery in the Holyland Jerusalem, Israel.

Emahoy Tsegue in Bethlehem

A short biography of Emahoy(nun) Tsege Mariam available on this web (http://www.emahoymusicfoundation.org/home.html) contains the following information , “Yewubdar Gebru was born in Addis Abeba on December 12, 1923 to a privileged family. Her father Kentiba Gebru and her mother Kassaye Yelemtu both had a place in high society. Yewubdar was sent to Switzerland at the age of six along with her sister Senedu Gebru. Both attended a girls' boarding school where Yewubdar studied the violin and then the piano. She gave her first violin recital at the age of ten. She returned to Ethiopia in 1933 to continue her studies at the Empress Menen Secondary School. In 1937 young Yewubdar and her family were taken prisoners of war by the Italians and deported to the island of Asinara, north of Sardinia, and later to Mercogliano near Naples.”

Young Yewubdar secretly fled Addis Abeba at the age of 19 to enter the Guishen Mariam monastery in the Wello region where she had once before visited with her mother. She served two years in the monastery and was ordained a nun at the age of 21. Emahoy left Ethiopia following her mother's death in 1984 and fled to Jerusalem, Israel because socialist doctrine in Ethiopia during the reign of Dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam attacked her religious beliefs. Emahoy is now 85 years old and she plays the piano at the monastery nearly seven hours a day, she continues to write new solo piano compositions. Emahoy has been recognized by many music critics around the world and there is a growing interest in her life and her music by international media including Le Monde, BBC, and Canada TV, the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Foundation Website explains.

Her composition that I uploaded above meets my recency (The homeless wonderer) and is a good pill for me to finish this unexciting Sunday.

I hope to meet her when I go to Jerusalem in the near future.

Alemu Seme of OPDO goes to China

By Anko Zuta,Blogger of De Birhan Blogspot
01-04-2011

Alemu Seme, who was at the head of the Oromia Investment Commission, and one of the leaders of the Oromo People Democratic Organisation (OPDO) has just been sent to study in China. This decision was made by Azeb Mesfin and Meles. Alemu was helped to escape the current OPDO arrest fever by Azeb as he had a lot of scandalous and corrupt relationships with her.
Particularly in illegal land sales. Alemu owns huge land himself in different parts of Oromia region.
Senior figures of OPDO and Oromia Investment Commission are being arrested due to corruption related and political causes.

Police,protesters clash in Addis Abeba

By RUTH EGLASH

03/30/2011 21:55

The Jerusalem Post

ABOUT 80 PEOPLE INJURED, 80 ARRESTED IN DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE ISRAELI EMBASSY IN ADDIS ABABA AS GROUP DEMANDS RIGHT TO IMMIGRATE TO ISRAEL.THE COMPLICATED ISSUE OF ETHIOPIAN JEWISH HERITAGE AND ELIGIBILITY FOR ALIYA CAME TO THE FORE AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, AS THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRATORS CLASHED WITH POLICE OUTSIDE THE ISRAELI EMBASSY IN ADDIS ABABA, LOCAL MEDIA THERE REPORTED.

“I can confirm that about 80 people were injured in the demonstrations, four were taken to the hospital and all but one person, who is in serious condition, have been sent home,” Asher Seyum, the Jewish Agency representative inEthiopia, told The Jerusalem Post.

He said that according to his sources, the demonstrators – who claim Jewish ancestry and have demanded for years the right to immigrate to Israel – held their protest without the relevant permission. When local police attempted to disperse the crowd, the situation turned violent.

An additional 80 people were arrested, reports from the Africa Review and the Associated Press said.

While the majority of reports from the scene described the demonstrators as “Ethiopian Jews” and said they were “demanding that the Israeli government consider their applications to travel to their homeland to rejoin their families,” Seyum and other Ethiopian Jewish sources denied that this community is actually Jewish.

“They live illegally in a former Jewish Agency compound near the Israeli Embassy, and they claim that they have Jewish roots,” explained Seyum.

“Most of them have been checked for eligibility by the State of Israel and most of them have been turned down for aliya, but they refuse to give up.”

In an interview in the Africa Review, one young demonstrator described how police “tore up an Israeli flag and desecrated our synagogue.”

Even though this specific group does not fit the criteria to make aliya under guidelines originally laid out by the Israeli government in 2003 and approved again last November, it still chooses to follow Jewish tradition and religious practices. Many of the men wear kippot and the group prays daily in a makeshift synagogue.

According to Ethiopian Knesset Member Shlomo Molla, a vocal advocate for continuing eligibility checks for a group of Ethiopians that claims Jewish ancestry (referred to as Falash Mura), the Israeli government, along with the Jewish Agency, closed its compound in Addis Ababa six years ago after completing background checks of some 10,000 Falash Mura.

“Roughly 2,000 people did not meet the criteria and were turned down for aliya,” he explained, adding that among the community in Gondar a further 3,000 were also not approved to immigrate to Israel.

Both Molla and Seyum said they believed that those are the people who often protest outside the Israeli Embassy for the right to move to Israel.

“The problem is that if you widen the criteria, then there will be no end to the aliya fromEthiopia,” said Seyum. “I have worked out that from one person who is accepted for aliya you could trace another 60 people who might be able to argue that they have the right to come, too.”

The issue of Ethiopian Jewish aliya has become particularly controversial in recent years, with the government backtracking regularly on its position regarding the Falash Mura.

There have also been fierce debates among the Ethiopian community in Israel over who should be allowed to move to the Jewish state, and who should not.

Four years ago, the government announced plans to wind up its aliya operation inEthiopia – and by the start of 2008 the Interior Ministry had recalled its Gondar-based staff.

However, subsequent protests from local community members, representatives of North American Jewry and several key Israeli legislators insisted that up to 9,000 Falash Mura still needed to be assessed for immigration according to a 2003 resolution.

The resolution is based on a national census, the Efrati List – compiled by then-Interior Ministry director- general David Efrati in 1999.

To be eligible, aliya applicants must appear on this list, have relatives to sponsor them living in Israel and be able to trace their maternal lineage back seven years to Jewish roots.

In September, 2009, the Interior Ministry announced that its representatives would be returning to Ethiopia to continue eligibility checks, but less than a year later the matter came under doubt again when the Treasury claimed the process was too costly.

Further pressure from the pro-Falash Mura lobby soon reversed this decision, and last November the cabinet finally gave approval for eligibility checks to be carried out on 8,700 people with a view to ending the organized aliya for good.

At the core of the debate over this complicated African immigration story is the government’s willingness to recognize the 1999 Efrati list, which originally included three volumes: Falash Mura living in Addis Ababa, those in Gondar and others from outlying villages.

Interior Ministry officials at the time decided to focus only on those from the two cities, ignoring the list from the villages.

However, as people left the cities, more Falash Mura arrived from the villages, and those are the people who today are waiting in Gondar to immigrate to Israel.

“It is important to wrap up this issue as fast as possible,” MK Molla said Wednesday.

“The longer we wait, the larger these groups claiming Jewish heritage will grow, and then this story will never end.”

Agency spokesman Haviv Rettig Gur told the Post that even though organized aliya fromEthiopia will soon be over, “Any Jew and any aliyaeligible person can make aliya, including from Ethiopia. What is changing is that the special aliya track that goes beyond the regular aliya absorption package is ending,” he said, adding: “If Jews remain in Ethiopia, they’ll still be able to make aliya. Those deemed ineligible for either track are not eligible for aliya.”

Major Developments at EEPCo as part of its ‘Reorganisation’ Program

By Anko Zuta, Blogger of De Birhan Blogspot

27-03-2011

Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) staffs are currently under a continuous meeting with Debretsion G/Michael,the Board Chairman of EEPCo and Miheret Debebe, the CEO. EEPCo is set to finalise the ‘reorganisation’ of the Corporation in this budget year.
The Corporation’s 25 years master plan under discussion.

The new Board Chairmanship appointment of Debretsion G/Michael was with the aim of applying an EthioTelecom type of ‘reorganization’ in EEPCo.

EEPCo employs over 9,000 permanent and more than 3,000 contractual workers. Half of these Staffs will be laid off.

In a similar way to EthioTelecom, Bill collection of EEPCo will be passed on to Ethiopian Postal Service.

There will be a 10 % salary increment to EEPCo staffs as of July 2011 and their two months’ salary will be paid to them as bonus. This is deemed to be an appeasement and preparation strategy for the major lay off.

All Garage and mechanical works of EEPCo will be transferred to Metals and Engineering Corporation of Ethiopia, an offshoot of Ethiopian Defense Ministry and cluster of engineering firms, putting the future and employability of EEPCo’s staffs from garage and mechanical branches in the redundant circle.

Watch Dis!!!

25-03-2011

Before watching these videos. Get a good earphone.Put it over your head.Scroll the volume above average.Gather your attention and focus.Now press play.

Anko Zuta

and

and this.....

Leader of Ethiopia's strongest opposition movement says ''popular revolution is inevitable ''

Dr.Berhanu Nega

'' Beka'' online revolution in the making

24-3-2011

By Anko Zuta, Blogger of De Birhan Blogspot

Dr.Berhanu Nega, Chairman of Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy, one of the 'Strongest' opposition movements in Ethiopia said ''popular revolution is inevitable in Ethiopia.'' In the remarks he gave at the hearing of the Committee on Economic Development and Cooperation; German Bundestag on the16th March 2011, he said the existence of a dictatorship makes popular revolutions necessary.

"The struggle for freedom and democracy is not something fashioned to a particular time or country; it is a perpetual process entrenched in the human spirit. Therefore, a popular revolution is inevitable in Ethiopia because whenever dictatorship is a fact, popular uprising becomes a right. Though I spent a good part of my life fighting to see a change in my country, today; I have a great fear as the much awaited change approaches because although a popular uprising is inevitable in Ethiopia, the outcome of such an uprising may be uncertain and can easily take the entire horn region where none of us want to see because even more than Libya and Egypt, Ethiopia is a country of deep ethic and religious cleavages; and knowing what is on the way, the regime in Addis Ababa has already started to foment discord among ethnic and religious communities. " he warned.

In this special address, that caught the listenership in '' agape'', Dr.Berhanu compared the negligence of the International community especially the West to the calls of Ethiopians for freedom and democracy to what happened over 70 years ago when Ethiopia was invaded by 'fascist Italy'.

" During the 2nd world War, the world stood together to avert the attack on civilization. But, at exactly the same time, this same world blessed Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia and vigorously supported Italy by denying Ethiopia’s right to defend itself. Today, after 70 years, I see history repeating itself. The Western nations including Germany are graciously helping a vicious dictator in Ethiopia that denies freedom and abuses the human rights of his people." he lamented.

The full speech can be read here :http://www.ginbot7.org/dr.berhanu/Dr.Berhanu.s%20speech_at_the_German_Parliament.pdf

In a similar development, "Beka'' literally translated as "Enough" the slogan for the 'upcoming Ethiopian revolution'' has achieved its target by becoming the Facebook profile picture and mobile screen saver of many Ethiopians. The slogan has hit its target in penetrating a large number of people and influencing many .

"Ethiopians are saying BEKA(Enough) to dicatatorship ,oppression, injustice, inslavemnt and undemocratic rule" a young speaker said at the end of Dr.Berhanu Nega's public meetings in Frankfurt,Germany.

On the communication side,Gmail chat is not working in Ethiopia.There have been reports since the last two months that Gmail is connected in HTML format and that Ethiopians were unable to chat.Although Gmail accounts are automatically enabled with chat features, in the case of Ethiopian Gmail users- none of that is legible.Quick Contacts box is not also appearing.Therefore,no Gmail chat in/with Ethiopia/ns.

Newspapers and journalists face threats and legal pressure

Published on Monday 21 March 2011.

by Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by the steadily worsening climate of harassment and intimidation that the Ethiopian authorities have imposed on the media, especially the private media.“By taking legal action against news media that criticize its policies or simply dare to ask awkward questions, the government is trying to suffocate them,” Reporters Without Borders said. “As they are unable to pay exorbitant legal costs, newspapers risk bankruptcy when they are sued or prosecuted.”

The press freedom organization added: “Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his government have been tightening their grip on news and information in the last months. Ethiopia has joined the list of sub-Saharan countries that are keeping a close eye on the media and are trying to control or influence editorial policies. Due to their increasing intolerance, the authorities are doing everything they can to stifle the critical impulses of journalists and to make life difficult for the private media.”

Journalist in the government’s sights

Eskinder Nega (picture), a former journalist jailed along with his wife in 2005 for supporting the protests that followed legislative elections, is again under pressure from the authorities.

On 11 February, police officers briefly arrested him as he left an Internet cafe and took him to central police headquarters. Because of several articles posted online, Eskinder Nega has been accused of tacitly calling on the country to rise up against the government, following the examples of Tunisia and Egypt.

The police commissioner described the articles as “inciting street demonstrations” and “a call for the suspension of parliament.” It was also reported that he warned Nega that he would be the first person the police would look for if any kind of violence broke out in the country. “We are not forbidding you to write what you want, but we are issuing you with a serious warning,” he reportedly added.

Prior to 2005, Nega was a press proprietor who owned four Amharic- language weeklies:Satenaw, Minilik, Askual and Ethiop. On his release in 2005 he was stripped of his right to run a newspaper. This ban still applies.

Avalanche of charges against weekly newspaper Fitih

The state prosecutor has brought more than 30 charges against the Amharic-language weeklyFitih. On 22 January, the editor, Temesgen Desalegne, was summoned by police to hear the charges against him. Accusations included “tarnishing the image of the ruling coalition.” He was released after posting bail of 500 US dollars.

Fitih recently also faced a libel suit by a parliamentarian, Asheber Woldegiorgis. A year ago, the newspaper was prosecuted by the Ethiopian Broadcast Agency, a state body in charge of issuing licences.

This is the first time since 1991 that a newspaper in Ethiopia has been facing more than 30 charges. Fitih’s publisher, Mastewal Birhanu, describes the situation as an “attempt to suppress the right of expression in the country.”

Tip of the iceberg

Reporters Without Borders fears that the cases of Fitih and Nega are just the tip of the iceberg. Harried, intimidated and disheartened by the “warnings,” journalists have begun to censor themselves.

Reporters Without Borders is also puzzled by certain cases of websites being blocked and suspects they are being deliberately censored. The Facebook page of Addis Neger, an Addis Ababa-based weekly that voluntarily suspended publication in December 2009, is mysteriously unavailable.

Reporters Without Borders strongly urges the Ethiopian government to do everything it can to allow the private press to do its job without fear of intimidation, financially damaging law suits and self-censorship. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind the government of Ethiopia of a number of pledges it made to protect the constitutionally guaranteed right of the press. We remain hopeful to see these pledges translated into action immediately.

http://en.rsf.org/ethiopia-newspapers-and-journalists-face-21-03-2011,39830.html

“Poor Helpers” or “Poor Killers?”

MFI related deaths hike

© By Ankober Zuta , Blogger of Debre Birhan Blogspot

12-03-2011

Her eyes glitter.

“Well it is a long story” she says creaming her strawberry lips by her tongue. Cracking due to the blazing sun and lack of lip balm, ‘chap sticks’, Senayet’s lips were still as deliciously beautiful as Angelina Jolie’s.

‘Well it is a long story. I had taken a loan of 5000 birr ($300) to kick start my business from a local government owned Micro Finance Institution” Senayet explains. I am utterly taken by her unspeakable chocolate beauty. I am trying to recollect my attention to the issue. Hahaha

“And then?”I ask.

“And then what?” she replies my question by question.

“I mean what got you into this business; cleaning of a Hotel? “I enquire again.

“I told you. I was unable to repay the money I borrowed from the Micro Finance institution. Therefore, they took my property which I showed as a collateral as I was unable to repay my loan within the agreed time”.

I had met beautiful Senayet , 9 years ago when I was 11 years ago when I was studying at Bahir Dar University, around 550KM from the Capital, Addis Abeba. I and my friends used to get along with her as she had a long curly hair, beautiful face and engaging character. I still recall her everything and stories.

-------

A ventured undercover investigative reporting between this writer and an associate in Ethiopia reveals these untold facts about the ‘killing aspect’ of these ‘poor saver’ micro finance institutions.

Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states, and Banagladesh, both famed for prospering the poor via micro finance institutions, saw their rough times as the institutions were hit with reports of embezzlement, repressiveness and firing of Mohammed Yunus as Managing Director of the Grameen Bank. But What does it look like in the Ethiopian case?

Foreign Participation

Monetary and Banking Proclamation No. 84/1994 of the Ethiopian Business Law precludes a foreign national from undertaking banking business in Ethiopia, and no person is permitted to own more than 20% of a banking company’s shares. Financial foreign investment, including the banking business in whatever form, is prohibited.

Our investigation done on 10 micro finance institutions (MFIs), said to be founded by Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) reveals the indirect involvement of foreigners in micro finance in Ethiopia. The first investigation was done on all MFIs in Ethiopia which don't have government support and depend on donor support as their major source of funding. Gasha Micro-Financing S.C, which pulls 80% of its funding/ownership from NGOs, Asser Micro-Financing S.C, which pulls over 97% of its funding from NGOs, Meklit Microfinance Institution S.C, which pulls 91% of its funding/ownership from NGOS and two other Institutions had the direct and indirect involvement of foreigners. The seed money of most of these MFIs were garnered from foreign NGOs .These NGOs still have shares and stocks within the MFIs making them beneficiaries from dividends of profits.

The foreign ownership and breach of Proclamation No. 84/1994 is further explained in the fact that these NGOs administered by Ethiopia personnel are accountable partially to these funders.

The Ethiopian government usually states the reason for banning foreign involvement in the financial sector saying it is due to the fact that foreign bank competition with infant domestic banks may be detrimental to the domestic banks rather than making them efficient. However, except the government owned ‘independent’ MFIs, the few true MFIs which are fully owned and run by individuals members/shareholders such as AGAR, Wisdom Micro-Financing Institution S.C, Africa Village Financial Services S.C and Meeket Microfinance Institution S.C have been going through unfair competition and regulatory up and downs.

Party machine MFIs

The MFIs we section in this category are all owned and run by regional governments and party members of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRDF).These are namely Amhara Credit and Saving Institution S.C, Addis Credit and Saving Institution S.C., Benishangul Gumuz Micro finance S.C, Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution S.C., Diredawa Micro finance Institution S.C, Omo Micro finance Institution S.C, and Oromia Credit and Saving Institution S.C. They all act and reach the mass and international community as ‘independent’ MFIs , however, the populous we interviewed in the Amahra and Oromia region perceive them rather as ‘partial’. These MFIs received their major funding (seed money) from their respective regional governments and endowments . The regional governments and their top cadres are the major shareholders in these MFIs making them the highest profit makers out of these so called ‘pro poor’ MFIs.

Mekonnen Yelewumwosen, the CEO of ACSI and Dr.Woldaye Ameha, of The Association of Ethiopian Microfinance Institutions (AEMFI) are the two big fame and money makers out of these MFIs.

Established as private share companies, Regional governemnt owned Ethiopian MFIs nominally state ‘the dividends are not distributed to shareholders’ however; there were tangible cases of dividend distribution to the major shareholders. Some of the big names in the MFIs business also own larger shares in various private and governmental MFIs.

“Most the above listed MFIs operate closely with Kebele Administrations, with some of them having offices shared with Kebele administrations. They have showed high level of dependency on Kebele authorities than operating independently. All of them call customers for loan appraisal, disbursement and collection, which 53 resulted into overlapping of service providers and looting of customers.” A recent report revealed.

We have also been able to document words of discrimination, coercion and repayment harassment from clients who weren’t willing to support or join the ruling party or were unable to repay on time.

“My application for credit was evaluated by Credit and savings Committee, which is composed of two Kebele (Governmental district office) Committee members and three representatives from various community associations (including the women and youth associations, elders) and one ACSI employee. It really gave me unease because I had fallen out with the Kebele official once when he tried to force my wife to vote for him in the local elections. As can be expected ,they didn’t approve my credit application” Kagane (not a real name), farmer in Finote Selam, Northern Ethiopia laments .Credits are given to coopertaive assocations or individuals making the major form of evaluation criterion 'political opinion' than other logistical requirements.

Failure of Loan Repayment

There is a short period of loan, that is, a maximum of 12 months and group guarantee and possessions are taken as collateral and loan size of 5000 Birr for micro credits. "The step in getting back loans from the poor farmers has two steps," a researcher explains. "It begins with family and group pressures. If this fails the MFIs revert to using Kebele Courts."

The Kebele Courts have been used by the state apparatus to punish dissenters and failed debtors. Headed by untrained party loyal jury, these Social Courts pass decisions that includes confiscation of the property of the debtor to settle repayments and even arrest. In both the studied regions; Amhara and Oromia, credit clients have expressed their dissatisfaction, resentment at the ‘irrational’ and ‘nepotistic decisions’ of the Courts.

Although not officially recorded, up to 100 clients of government owned MFIs have committed suicide since 1996.Thousands went into a life of begging, prostitution or lost their properties due to severe measures taken by the Kebele Courts as most failed or ‘refused ‘to pay loans on time .Besides these punishments, many of those who failed to repay their loans recount of being subjected to severe and continuous psychological trauma by the Committee, Group and Court members, portarying them as indecent and ‘milkers’ to their peers.

Does micro finance really work for the poor?

There are many success stories of Ethiopians who have succeeded in making their own fame and wealth out of the credits they received from these MFIs. Lives have been truly changed. Out of these successes most have gradually been recruited by the ruling party to serve both as cases of successful capitalists for the Western neoliberal donors and double agents within their communities. Regardless, of this merits, MFIs demerits have been unreported by most media making them saintly and perfect.

“The regime uses MFIs to present itself as a capitalist, liberal government, pro poor, and socially responsible as well while it fundamentally uses them as grassroots organisations of spying and controlling the community.” Says an Ethiopian, Associate Professor of Development Studies, opting to remain anonymous.

MFIs are sarcastically described in the colloquial of clients and non clients of MFIs in Amhara and Oromia regions respectively as ‘Wedo Eda’,‘Eyayu Gedel’ and ‘Bollo Senee’ both literally translated as ‘entering a hole’. This describes how MFIs are viewed within the local community, explaining their ‘suicidal’ nature.

Wrap up

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs report of 2006 on 26 MFIs in Ethiopia the combined outreach in terms of number of clients accessing both credit and saving products in September 2006 reached close to 1.5 million. Outstanding loans and saving mobilized respectively reached over two billion and close to 755 million birr. This shows how increasingly penetrative and useful options of micro and small finance ,MFIs have become, still with the disadvantages and negative impacts sugar coated.

In general outlawed foreigners involvement; feelings of resentment, favouring ,manipulation and discrimination and enrichment of few by MFIs ; abusive and extrajudicial and inhuman decisions and enforcements by Kebele (District) Courts dominate the untold stories of Ethiopian MFIs resulting in the suicides and total bankruptcy of the MFIs clientele that were unable to payback their loans.

---

I have no idea where Senayet is at now; alive or dead. But that young lady of early 20s was destroyed due to her mere inability to repay her loans to a governmental MFI. She could still be cleaning those big, dark and hot offices of the Hotel.

___© DebreBirhanBlogspot________________________________________________________________

Tariku Chimdesa contributed to this story by doing two weeks undercover observation and study from Ethiopia.

Mass protests,uprisings hit Southern Ethiopia

Peaceful Demonstrations in 2005

12 peaceful protesters killed so far

By Ankober Zuta,Staffer of DebreBirhan Blogspot

Story Updates (15-3-2011)

Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) interviewed about five people including Wereda(district) officials. The problem still lingers, but the Federal Police are trying to stabilize it. Some of the people have went to the forest while a good number of people are still in jail, but the uprising has reportedly subsided.

The Woreda officals and police are saying "excessive force wasn't used".

In a related development,ESAT today reported that over 40 people in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia have been arrested for allegedly distributing papers that '' called for peaceful mass protest''.

*********

9-03-2011

In a similar manner and scale to the Northern African revolutionary protests , a mass protest and civil disobidence has swept the Southern Ethiopian towns of Gamu Gofa and its vicinities since Monday 7 March 2011.As a result of the skirmish,twelve unarmed civilians have been killed by security personnel.The towns are surrounded by police and Defense Forces.

Toady,March 9,2011 more than 110 people who have peacefully gathered to seek their democratic rights have been locked down in the most awful prison in Araba Minch City,reports coming form the Town reveal.

Public service has also stopped functioning.The cause of the protest is reported to be economic,ethnic and political repression,Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) had reported.

"I assume the message from our compatriots in Gamu Gofa is 'we are beginning to fight for our rights if you don't' ,as the rest of us have been covert so far"Gezmu Manahelot, a young political student in France tells this Blogger via Telephone.

According to Gezmu, the Ethiopian security apparatus may brutally react on civilians but with the perseverance of the people's movement, the Ethiopian mass will win at last.

Gamu-Gofa was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, named after two of the ethnic groups living within its boundaries, the Gamo and the Goffa. This province is bordered on the west and north by Kaffa, on the north and east by Sidamo, on the southeast by Lake Chew Bahir, and on the south by Kenya and Lake Turkana.

Gamu-Gofa province came into existence as a result of Proclamation 1943/1, which created 12 taklai ghizats from the existing 42 provinces of varying sizes. With the adoption of thenew constitution in 1995, Gamu-Gofa was reorganized into the Semien Omo and Debub Omo Zones of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia.

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1,593,104, of whom 793,322 are men and 799,782 women; with an area of 11,010.99 square kilometers, Gamo Gofa has a population density of 144.68.

Various Ethiopian and foreign based dissident journalists and media have been reporting that Ethiopia could be the next country to experience the popular uprisings of Northern Africa.

Addis Abeba, the capital city of Ethiopia is under the strict surveillance and monitoring of security personal serving the incumbent .All forms of communication are also filtered by Chinese and regime's loyal Communication experts.

Facebook pages by the names (Yedil Qen የድል ቀን) and (The Ethiopian Revolution 2011 - May 28, 2011 (Genbot 20, 2003)) created and run by young Ethiopians in Ethiopia have been organizing and planning a peaceful uprising.