News in brief

From ION and agencies

* The Somali Regional State is turning a deaf ear to most recommendations coming from Ethiopia's House of Federations.  

*  After two decades in power, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has still not been able to bring a lasting peace to certain of the country’s peripheral regions and establish regional administrations that are considered legitimate by the local populations. The Afar region is a case in point. This raises the question, Is Ethiopia a stable state?

* The HIPC initiative brought the Ethiopian foreign debt down in 2008. But since then, it has taken off again, particularly in the second half of 2011.A report from the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) indicates that the country’s runaway external debt has increased dramatically from the total and official 134 billion birr (US$8 billion) at the end of June last year to 200 billion birr (US$12 billion). The document also reveals, the government’s domestic debt has also exceeds well beyond 60 billion birr ($3.5 billion). Total debts amounts to $16 billions.

* The foreign and interior ministers of Somaliland have gone to Addis Ababa/Ethiopia to push Ethiopian authorities to stop supporting  Khaatuma State iyo Awdal State of Somalia. Their urgent travel came after Awdal State's president, Rashid Aw Nur Hersi was seen in Jig-jiga airport and Awbarre city inside Ethiopia. The relation between Ethiopia and Somaliland seems to be deteriorating after  President Silanyo had disagreed to remove his "radical ministers" which the Ethiopian government suspects them  of having links with Al shabab.