Food crisis: Ethiopia appeals for urgent aid after crop failure

August 14, 2015 Ethiopia

A boy shivers in a short burst of much-needed rain as villagers carry sacks of maize received from the Red Cross in the Volayta region of southern Ethiopia. Photograph: Radu Sigheti/Reuters

(The Guardian) — Ethiopia has appealed for $325m (£167m) in food and other humanitarian aid after drought and crop failure more than doubled the number of people needing emergency assistance to 4.6 million.

Poor rains have affected much of southern and south-eastern Ethiopia since last year, significantly cutting harvests. The shortage of local cereals has sent prices soaring, while the cost of imported food has also risen sharply due to the global food crisis and increased fuel prices.

Aid agencies said hundreds of thousands of the country’s poorest families can no longer afford to buy enough food to sustain them. According to the UN, which issued the appeal to donors yesterday together with Ethiopia’s disaster prevention and preparedness agency, 75,000 children are already suffering from acute malnutrition and illness.

“The urgency of this launch cannot be overstated,” said John Holmes, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator. “Humanitarian agencies are already on the ground helping the government of Ethiopia respond to the emergency, but limited resources are hampering the efforts of both the government and its humanitarian partners to help those in need.”

Ethiopia: Hacking Team Lax on Evidence of Abuse

August 15, 2015 Human Rights

Leaked Documents Show Need to Regulate Surveillance Sales

(New York, August 13, 2015) – The Italian spyware firm Hacking Team took no effective action to investigate or stop reported abuses of its technology by the Ethiopian government against dissidents, Human Rights Watch said today. A comprehensive review of internal company emails leaked in July 2015 reveals that the company continued to train Ethiopian intelligence agents to hack into computers and negotiated additional contracts despite multiple reports that its services were being used to repress government critics and other independent voices.

The Italian government should investigate Hacking Team practices in Ethiopia and elsewhere with a view toward restricting sales of surveillance technology likely to facilitate human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said.

“The Hacking Team emails show that the company’s training and technology in Ethiopia directly contributed to human rights violations,” said Cynthia Wong, senior Internetresearcher at Human Rights Watch. “Despite multiple red flags, Hacking Team showed a striking lack of concern about how its business could damage dissenting and independent voices.”

On July 5, 400 gigabytes (GB) of Hacking Team’s internal emails, documents, and source code that had been hacked were leaked online. The leaked emails confirm that the company had sold surveillance systems, training, and support and maintenance services to the Ethiopian Information Network Security Agency (INSA) as early as 2011, with contracts worth US$1 million in 2012. On November 5, 2012 Hacking Team congratulated INSA on infecting its first target.

Leaked Hacking Team emails showed that it reviewed independent reports published in 2014 and 2015 that presented findings that the government was targeting Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) employees based in the United States using Hacking Team technology. Yet the company’s internal emails show only a superficial effort to investigate these findings and end the abuse.

Obbo Olbaanaa Leellisaa Mana hidhaa Qaallittii keessatti garmalee dhukkubsataa jiru

August 15, 2015 Home

(OMN) — Oromummaa isaaniitiin yakkamuun mana hidhaa Qaallitiitti kan darbataman Obbo Olbaanaa Leellisaa, dawaa gahaa ta’e dhabanii dhukkuba garagaraatiin dararamaa akka jiran himamame.

Mootummaan Itoophiyaatiin hidhamee mana hidhaatti gidiraa olaanaa argaa jiraachuun kan himame Obbo Olbaanan, wal’aansa gahaa ta’e akka argataniif Oromoon bakka jirutti dhiibbaa akka godhuufi maatiisaanii rakkina garagaraatiif saaxilameef birmachuudhaan aantummaasaa mul’isuun akka irraa eegamu ibsameera.

Qabsoo karaa nagaa gaggeessaa turanii fi Oromummaa isaaniitiin qofa Mootummaa Itoophiyaatiin ragaan dharaa itti lakkaawamee dhimma shororkeessummaatiin yakkamanii bara 2011 irraa eegalee mana hidhaa Qaalittiitti kan darbatamaniifi waggaa 11 kan itti murtaa’ee Obbo Olbaanaa Leellisaa, dararaa mana hidhaa keessatti irratti raawwatamaa jiruun dhibee tiruutiif saaxilamanii wal’aansa gahaa ta’e dhabuudhaan gidiraa argaa akka jiran Obbo Dajanee Xaafaa, Itti’aanaa barreessaa paartii Kongresii Federaalawa Oromoo, Oromiyaa Miidiyaa Networkitti himan.

Obbo Olbaanaa Leellisaa, qabsoo Oromoo karaa nagaa godhamu keessatti shoora olaanaa qabaachaa turuusaanii kan dubbatan Obbo Dajaneen, qabsoon Oromoo biyya keessaa kallattii har’a jirurra akka gahuuf gumaacha olaanaa raawwachaa akka turan himanii, dhimma ummataa dursanii socho’aa turuusaaniitiin qofa Qaallittiitti darbatamuusaanii eeruudhaan, sana dura al jaha gidiraa mana hidhaa argaa turuusaanii himaniiru.

Dhimma Magaalaa guddittii Oromiyaa, Finfinneerraa maqsuuf yaalamaa ture waliin walqabatee labsii mootummaan Itoophiyaa armaan dura baasee ture dura dhaabachaa akka turan akkasumas wayita barattoonni yuniversitii Finfinnee heddumminaan barnootarraa haqaman, nama mootummaa dura dhaabatanii mormiisaanii dhiheessan akka ta’an Obbo Dajaneen eeranii, sababa kanaafi kanneen birootiin xiyyeeffannaa mootummaa Itoophiyaa keessa akka galaniifi bara 2011tti dhaabbata mirga namoomaatiif falmu Amnesty International waajjirasaaniitiin simachuusaaniitiin shorkeessummaan yakkamuusaanii dubbatan.

DESPITE CLAIMS OROMO STUDENT PROTESTORS STILL IN JAIL

July 18, 2015 Oromia

(Advocacy for Oromia) — The news item published on Advocacy for Oromia on July 9th saying “At least six Oromo university students were also among three journalists and two bloggers released from Ethiopian prison yesterday, according to various reports,” was incorrect as five of the six  students mentioned in the story are still in Qilinto, a prison in the outskirts of the city Finfinnee.   

It was reported in the news that  the freed Oromo university students include “Adugna Kesso, Bilisumma Dammana, Lenjisa Alemayo, Abdi Kamal, Magarsa Warqu, and Tofik Rashid.”  However, only the last,  Tofik Rashid, was released and the rest are still in Qilinto.

All were students who were arrested by security agents from various universities located in the Oromiya regional states. No charges were brought against many of them in the last year and three months.
The arrest of unknown numbers of Oromo University students followed a May 2014 brutal crackdown by the police against university students who protested when a master plan for the expansion of Addis Abeba, the city originally home to the Oromo, was introduced by the federal government.

President Obama’s Visit to Ethiopia is an insult to America’s Democratic Traditions

July 19, 2015 Human Rights

July 18, 2015

An Open Letter to President Barak Obama on his Ethiopia Visit

Dear Mr. President Obama,

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa wants to express its deep concern about what it regards as the wrong decision made by you and your staff in making a formal visit to Ethiopia in late July 2015. This will make you the first US leader to break the US promise not to reward dictators. History teaches us that the American constitution of 1787 is the world’s first democratic constitution, a landmark document of the Western World which  protects the rights of all citizens in the USA. The following examples show America’s great support of human rights:

During the First World War, America entered the war against Germany in 1917 to protect the world- as President Woodrow Wilson put it, “Making the World Safe for Democracy”.  Later, Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Roosevelt and a human rights champion, drafted in 1948 an internationally accepted human rights bill, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These and other democratic activities have made America a champion of democracy all over the world that all Americans should be proud of.

Mr. President,

Your decision to visit human rights perpetrators in Ethiopia contradicts your country’s democratic tradition. It also disrespects the Ethiopian nations and nationalities who are under the subjugation of the EPRDF/TPLF government.

Ethiopians plunge local prison into Sh8m debt

July 18, 2015 Ethiopia

Some of the Ethiopians who were released from the Isiolo GK Prison after the High Court in Meru reviewed their sentences in the past. Isiolo Prison facing an Sh8 million debt in unpaid bills, thanks to an increase in Ethiopian inmates. FILE PHOTO | VIVIAN CHEBET | NATION MEDIA GROUP

(Daily Nation) — Isiolo Prison facing an Sh8 million debt in unpaid bills, thanks to an increase in Ethiopian

Isiolo Prison facing an Sh8 million debt in unpaid bills, thanks to an increase in Ethiopian inmates.

Most of the foreigners have been arrested while on their way to Nairobi. Others are rounded up by police abandoned by people said to be helping them go to South Africa in search of jobs.

The prison is currently holding 80 Ethiopians who have been jailed for one year who are expected to in until April next year.

In March, 65 were released after staying at the facility for three month and were send back to Ethiopian. In December last year, 372 were released after a three-month jail term each.

Inmates get two meals a day. They consume 720kgs of maize flour each day.

This year alone, more than 400 Ethiopian immigrants have been arrested along the Moyale-Marsabit Isiolo road while on their way to Nairobi.

EPRDF Split Over Potential Intervention in Eritrea

July 18, 2015 Eritrea, Ethiopia

Fact is the Ethiopian regime remains the Kernel of regional destabilization. Taking it’s capacity aside, the reckless saber-rattling against Eritrea should be condemned as failure to do so could have serious regional ramifications.

(Tesfa News) — ACCORDING to government sources for African Intelligence desk, opinions within the ruling coalitionEthiopian People’s Revolutionary DemocraticFront (EPRDF) are divided about the possibility of a return to war or some kind of intervention against Eritrea – evidenced by the contradictions between Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and the spokesman for the government, Getachew Reda.

Speaking to parliament on July 7th, PM Desalegn stated that if Eritrea did not cease its destabilizing activity, Ethiopia would be obliged to take direct military measures against the country.

The previous day, the government spokesman, who opposes intervening in Eritrea, had denied reports from the diaspora basedEthiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) concerning military operations against government troops in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) carried out in early July by combatants of an armed opposition movement based in Eritrea, known as the Arbegnoch Ginbot 7 for Unity and Democratic Movement (AGUDM).

Torture Survivor Feyera Sobokssa Testifies at US Congress

June 27, 2015 Human Rights

Briefing for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Happened on June 25, 2015 at the US Congress Building, from left Ms. Andrea, Feyera .  “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” ~ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I would like to thank all of you who helped us to give our testimony at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

BRIEFING

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 201510:30 AM

ROOM H-137 OF THE U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING

Sena (L) and Lello Feyera. It is not only father gets tortured, but the whole family.

This briefing will take place at 10:30 AM on 6/25/2015, in Room H-137 of the U.S. Capitol Building.
The briefing is open to members of Congress, congressional staff, the media and the interested public.

DATE Thursday, June 25, 2015

TIME10:30 AM

LOCATIONRoom H-137 of the U.S. Capitol Building

BACKGROUND

In recognition of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a briefing featuring testimonies from torture survivors.

በ2007 በኢትዮጵያ የተካሄደውን ምርጫ በሚመለከት ከመድረክ የተሰጠ መግለጫ:- ሕገ-መንግሥታዊና ሕጋዊ የምርጫ ሥርዓት በተጣሰበት ሂደት የተከናወነው ሕገ ወጥ የምርጫ ድራማ ተቀባይነት ሊኖረው አይችልም!

June 28, 2015 Ethiopia, Oromia

Ayyaantuu.net | Wxabajjii/June 28, 2015

ሕገ-መንግሥታዊና ሕጋዊ የምርጫ ሥርዓት በተጣሰበት ሂደት የተከናወነው ሕገ ወጥ የምርጫ ድራማ ተቀባይነት ሊኖረው አይችልም!

በሀገራችን ኢትዮጵያ የመድበለ ፓርቲ ሥርዓት እውን ሆኖ በነፃና ፍትሐዊ ምርጫ አማካይነት የሕዝባችን የሥልጣን ባለቤትነት የሚረጋገጥበት ሁኔታ በሕገ-መንግስቱ እውቅና ተሰጥቶት በይፋ ተደንግጎአል፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ ኢህአዴግ ሕገመንግሥቱንና የምርጫ ሕጎችን የጣሰ የምርጫ ድራማ በየ5 ዓመቱ በመቶ ሚሊዮኖች የሀገር ገንዘብ እያባከነ ያካሂዳል፡፡ ኢህአዴግ ይህንን የምርጫ ድራማ የሚያከሂደው፣ ወቅቱን የጠበቀ ምርጫ ማካሄድ በዓለም አቀፍ ለጋሽ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሀገሮች ዘንድ እውቅና የስገኝልኛል በሚል ተስፋ ነው፡፡ ተጨባጩ እውነታ የሚያሳየው ግን ኢህአዴግ በሥልጣን ላይ በቆየባቸው 24 ዓመታት ራሱ ያጸደቃቸውን ሕጋዊና ሕገመንግሥታዊ ድንጋጌዎችን በመርገጥ የራሱን አምባገነናዊ ገዥነት ለማስቀጠል እንዲያስችለው የሕዝብ ድምፅ መንጠቂያና ማፈኛ ሕገወጥ የምርጫ ስትራቴጂዎችን እያወጣና ሥራ ላይ እያዋለ መሆኑን ነው፡፡ የሕዝባችንን ድምፅ መቀማቱንና ማፈኑን በየምርጫ ዙሮቹ እያባባሰ መሄዱን ቀጥሎበት አሁን ለደረስንበት የ100 ፐርሰንት ቅሚያም ደርሶአል፡፡ በተለይም በ2007 ዓም በተካሄደው የ5ኛ ዙር ሀገር አቀፍ ምርጫ ሕጋዊና ሕገመንግሥታዊ ድንጋጌዎችን በማንአለብኝነት በመጣስ በአጋርነት የፈረጃቸውን ፓርቲዎች አስከትሎና ሕዝቡንና ሐቀኛ ሰላማዊ ተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎችን በኃይል አፍኖ ምርጫውን በሕገወጥ መንገድ መቶ በመቶ ለመቆጣጠርና ጠቅልሎ ለመውሰድ የፈጸማቸው አስነዋሪ ተግባራት ከአንድ በመንግሥት ኃላፊነት ላይ ከሚገኝ ፓርቲ የማይጠበቁ ናቸው፡፡ አገዛዙ በዚሁ ምርጫ ከመራጮች ምዝገባ ጀምሮ ከፈጸማቸው ሕገወጥ ተግባራት ዋና ዋናዎቹ የሚከተሉት ናቸው፡፡

1ኛ፡- የኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎች ከምርጫ ቦርድ በሚደረግላቸው ትብብር ብዛት ያላቸው የመራጮች ምዝገባ ካርደ እየተሰጣቸው አህአዴግን ይመርጣሉ ለሚሏቸው ቤት ለቤት በመዞር ለአንድ ሰው ከአስር ካርዶች በላይ ከተለያዩ ማስፈራሪያዎችና መደለያዎች ጋር ጭምር የምርጫው ዕለት ድረስ በማደል አንድ ሰው አንድ ድምጽ የሚለውን ሕግ በመጣስ ወንጀል ሲፈጽሙ ቆይተዋል፡፡ ተቃዋሚዎችን ይመርጣሉ ብለው የጠረጠሩዋቸውን በርካታ ዜጎችንም የምርጫ ምዝገባው ጊዜ ከማለቁ በፊት በምርጫ አስፈጻሚዎች #መዝገቡ ሞልቷል$ ወይም #ካርዱ አልቋል$ እየተባለ ሳይመዘገቡ እንዲቀሩ ተደርጓል፡፡ እንደዚሁም መድረክ በመረጃ የደረሰባቸውን ለሰው የታደሉ ትርፍ የመራጭ ካርዶችን ከመራጮች ምዝገባ ላይ ለማመሳከር ባደረገው ጥረት ካርዶቹ ተመዝግበው ያለመገኘታቸውን ማረጋገጡ፣ በመራጮች ምዝገባ ሂደት ከፍተኛ ወንጀል እንደተፈጸመ የሚያሳይ ነው፡፡ ይህ ሁኔታ አዋጅ 532/1999፣አንቀጽ 65 3ለ ላይ የሰፈረውን #እያንዳንዱ መራጭ በመራጮች መዝገብ ላይ ስሙ ሰፍሮ መገኘት አለበት$ የሚለውን ድንጋጌ መጣሱም ምርጫውን ሕገወጥ የሚያደርግ ነው፡፡

Mr. Obama’s visit to Ethiopia sends the wrong message on democracy

June 25, 2015 Ethiopia

By Editorial Board /The Washington Post 

National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) Chairman Prof. Merga Bekana announces preliminary results to the media in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (Mulugeta Ayene/AP)

(The Washington Post) — “AFRICA DOESN’T need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” Those were President Obama’s words when he addressed Ghana’s parliament in July 2009, during his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president. The historic speech, watched around the globe, was an optimistic clarion call to the leaders on the continent from the son of a Kenyan. “First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments,” Mr. Obama said.

The president seems to have forgotten that speech. Last week, the White House announced that, while traveling to Kenya next month, Mr. Obama also will stop in Ethiopia, the first such visit by a sitting U.S. president to the country of 94 million. It’s almost unfathomable that he would make time for an entrenched human rights abuser such as Ethi­o­pia while cold-shouldering the nation that just witnessed a historic, peaceful, democratic change of power: Nigeria.

Administration officials justify the trip by citing the United States’ long-standing cooperation with Ethi­o­pia on issues of regional security and the country’s accelerating economic growth. Ethi­o­pia is a major recipient of U.S. development assistance, and the African Union has its headquarters there. But it also stands out in Africa for its increasingly harsh repression and its escalating chokehold on independent media and political dissent. Since June 2014, 34 journalists have been forced to flee the country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ethi­o­pia is also one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists.

Ethiopia: Abdullahi Hussein holds Seminar in Support of Ogaden Human Rights

June 24, 2015 Ogaden

By Ahmed Abdi

The Ogaden whistle-blower, Abdullahi Hussein, has held a seminar addressing the current human rights abuses in the occupied Ogaden region, Southeastern of Ethiopia.

 

Hussein held the seminar at Folkhogskola school in Västerås, Sweden, after being invited to update the human rights atrocities being committed against the Ogadeni civilians by the Ethiopian Security Forces and allied fighters known as special (Liyuu) Police, which have also been known as Ethiopian Janjaweed. 

 

The seminar was attended by professors, Horn of Africa experts, politicians and the school’s students, among others.

 

Hussein stated that the Ogaden region requires United Nation’s sponsored fact finding mission to investigate the recent extra-judicial killings that occurred in the Shilavo area near the border of Somalia.

” Ethiopian Security forces are targeting civilians to eliminate them in part of its campaign, apparently to make the area uninhabitable so that the oil corporations can easily have an access to Ogaden basin mainly Calub and Hilala gas fields without being passed their information to the Ogaden National Liberation Army (ONLA) [the group’s military wing],” he said.

Amnesty International Asks Ethiopia to Investigate Suspicious Murders and Human Rights Violations

June 24, 2015 Human Rights

(Amnesty International) — The suspicious murder of opposition leaders and wide-spread human rights violations against opposition party members over the past few weeks raises questions about Ethiopia’s elections, said Amnesty International as the parliamentary poll results were announced yesterday.

The organization has also expressed concerns about the failure of the Africa Union Elections Observer Mission (AUEOM) and the National Elections Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to properly monitor and report on allegations of widespread abuses before, during and after the election.

“Amnesty International has received a number of reports concerning the deaths of political opposition figures in suspicious circumstances, as well as of a pattern of human rights violations against political opposition parties throughout the election period. These reports must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Eastern, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

“It is unacceptable that these violations barely warranted a mention in reports released by official observers, including the Africa Union Elections Observer Mission and the National Elections Board of Ethiopia.”

In the run-up to the elections, more than 500 members of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (EFDUF)/ Medrek – a coalition of opposition parties, including the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) were arrested at polling stations in Oromia region. Forty-six people were beaten and injured by security officers while six people sustained gunshot injuries and two were shot and killed. Gidila Chemeda of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC/Medrek) was shot and killed by police in Western Shewa zone, Dima Kege Woreda, Gelam Gunge Kebele of the Oromia region.

Obama’s plan to visit Ethiopia criticised as ‘gift’ for repressive government

June 24, 2015 Ethiopia

Activists express anger at US president’s trip to country widely criticised for human right abuses.Global Voices report

Wajir, KENYA: US Senator Barack Obama tours Kenya’s northeastern district of Wajir on the country’s arid frontier with Somalia and Ethiopia where millions are threatened with starvation in the four-year drought. He visited a hospital, aid projects and community centers, speaking to victims. Some 3.6 million Kenyans are among more than 15 million people in five east and Horn of Africa nations to be affected by the drought. Kenya, Obama’s father’s birthplace, is the second leg and highlight of his tour of Africa, which began in South Africa and will continue in Chad and Djibouti. AFP PHOTO/STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

(The Guardian) — Barack Obama’s decision to visitEthiopia has shocked human rights activists, who say the visit sends the wrong message to a repressive government widely accused of clamping down on dissent.

A White House statement said Obama will visit the east African country for meetings with government officials as part of his last African trip as president. As well as meeting the leadership of the African Union, the visit will form part of US efforts to strengthen economic growth, democratic institutions and improve security in the region.

But as activists and social media users have been making clear, Ethiopia’s track record on human rights and democracy is deeply troubling.

In its 2014 report, Human Rights Watch noted that Ethiopia increasingly clamps down on the freedoms of its citizens “using repressive laws to constrain civil society and independent media, and target individuals with politically motivated prosecutions”.

Last month, Ethiopians voted in parliamentary elections which were widely denounced as unfair. Though the African Union declared that the vote was peaceful, they fell short of using the words “free and fair”.

While the US state department has expressed concerns about restrictions on civil society, media, opposition parties, and independent voices, Ethiopia remains a significant recipient of foreign aid money and security support.

On Twitter Hannah McNeish, a freelance journalist , juxtaposed last month’s suspicious elections results with the White House’s decision to honour Ethiopia with an official visit: