Tuesday June 28, 2005
Read Congress of the United States Letter to Meles Zenawi here
===========
Senior Ethiopian opposition official reportedly arrested
Jun 26, 2005, 17:25 GMT
Excerpt from report in English by Ethiopian opposition Ethiomedia web site on 25 June
Ms Almaz Seifu, a senior official of the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), was on Saturday [25 June] whisked away by security agents of the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as she was waiting for a taxi in the Ethiopian capital.
Ms Almaz, who is vice-president of Oromo National Congress (ONC), a major coalition partner of UEDF, was picked up by security men from Arat Kilo and held in Nefas Silk in the suburbs of the city, according to the on-line Ethiopian Review [ER].
Ms Almaz's phone was cut off while talking to the ER reporter from her place of detention, and further communication could not be established. ONC was basking in resounding election victories in most parts of Oromiya region [Oromiya Regional State] before the prime minister began to draw wicked parallels between the victorious UEDF and Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) officials and the genocidal Interahamwe Rwanda militias. [Passage omitted]
The arrest of Ms Almaz has come when UEDF President Merera Gudina is on a working visit to a number of European capitals, including Brussels where he met with European Union officials [on] Friday over the violent post-election developments. [Passage omitted]
Last month, ONC election observers in Bedeno and Weter town were forced to seek refuge at a Red Cross centre in Harer, in eastern Ethiopia, once the ruling party officials knew the people have voted for the opposition.
Ms Almaz had told a newspaper at that time that the "observers sought refuge at the Red Cross fearing for their lives after receiving threats". [Passage omitted]
Source: Ethiomedia web site in English 25 Jun 05
BBC Mon AF1 AFEau 260605/mb
Copyright 2005 BBC Monitoring Service distributed by United
Press International.
Media Monitor is service designed to give M&C readers an insight into how the
world's media are reporting the news.
The content is from BBC Monitoring via UPI and supplies news, information and
comment gathered from the mass media around the world.
The articles presented here do not reflect the opinion of M&C News, UPI or the
BBC.
Excerpt from report in English by Ethiopian opposition Ethiomedia web site on 25 June
Ms Almaz Seifu, a senior official of the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), was on Saturday [25 June] whisked away by security agents of the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as she was waiting for a taxi in the Ethiopian capital.
Ms Almaz, who is vice-president of Oromo National Congress (ONC), a major coalition partner of UEDF, was picked up by security men from Arat Kilo and held in Nefas Silk in the suburbs of the city, according to the on-line Ethiopian Review [ER]....
Saturday June 25, 2005
AlertNet Fri, 24 Jun 2005
6:12 AM PDT
NAIROBI, June 24 (Reuters) - Thousands of
asylum seekers in Kenya are rushing to apply for refugee status just days before
a deadline to register or face deportation to their war and famine stricken
homelands....
Ethiopia frees most prisoners from fatal election clashes
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has released 2,665 prisoners rounded up during
recent street protests over disputed elections that killed dozens, police said
...
Wednesday June 23, 2005
Ethiopia has for the first time allowed foreign diplomats to visit a prison in which thousands of political prisoners are being held. Irish, Swedish and American diplomats saw about 2,000 prisoners who were picked up during the violent protests that followed last month's elections. They are being detained at Ziway, 150km south of the capital, Addis Ababa. ...
Saturday June 18, 2005
Ethiopia Frees 336 Detained During Unrest
Ethiopia Releases Provisional Results of Regional Elections
Africa Panel Finds Ethiopia's Elections Extraordinarily Open
Hundreds of Eritreans flee to Ethiopia - state radio
Ethiopia's Troubled Future
The Emerging Irony in Ethiopia
Ethiopia's ruling party wins polls
UN Health Agency Launching Emergency Polio Immunization
Campaign ... |
Thursday June 16, 2005
Thousands Arrested All Over Ethiopia: HRW
AllAfrica.com - Africa
Ethiopian security forces have arbitrarily detained thousands of people across
the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday. ...
============
Britain freezes aid over civil unrest
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
ADDIS ABABA, 16 June (IRIN) - Britain has frozen 20 million pounds sterling (US
$36 million) in aid to Ethiopia due to last week's civil unrest that left some
...
============
Ethiopia releases 360 detainees arrested over election protests
Sudan Tribune - Sudan
ADDIS ABABA, June 16 (AFP) -- Ethiopia has released 360 people of large numbers
of detainees rounded up in a crackdown in post-election violence that wracked
...
============
Statement by UNICEF Ethiopia Representative Mr. Bjorn Ljungqvist ...
ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland
... In Ethiopia alone, there are about four and a half million orphans.
... For Ethiopia itself it means that more than one child in every ten is
an orphan. ...
============
Eritrea-Ethiopia: Assistant Secretary-General Joël W. ADECHI ...
ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland
... DSRSG) based in Asmara, Mr. Joël W. ADECHI, has arrived in the
Mission area and assumed his duties with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia
and Eritrea ...
============
Ethiopia writes off $4bn debt
Finance24 - Cape Town,South Africa
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia disclosed it would benefit by a total of $4.41bn in a
write off of all its debts in the recent decision by G8 finance ministers.
...
============
Ethiopia Releases 360 People Held During Post-Election Crackdown
Voice of America - USA
... the elections were marred by fraud. On Wednesday, Britain suspended
$35 million in aid for Ethiopia as a result of the violence.
============
Activists protest Ethiopia violence
Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription) - GA,USA
"We want to get the attention of the people of Atlanta about what is happening
right now in Ethiopia," said Cheru Terefe, an ... "We want democracy in
Ethiopia.".
============
Gambella region of Ethiopia
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - MN,USA
Size: Roughly the size of Massachusetts, the region borders Sudan in southwest
Ethiopia. It is the best-watered region of the country ...
Wednesday June 15, 2005
Ethiopia: Crackdown Spreads Beyond Capital As Arbitrary Arrests Continue, Detainees Face Torture (New York, June 15, 2005) — In the wake of last week's election-related protests, the Ethiopian government's crackdown on potential sources of unrest has spread throughout the country, Human Rights Watch said today. While international attention has focused on events in Addis Ababa, opposition members and students in other cities are increasingly at risk of arbitrary arrest and torture. The current wave of arrests followed a chaotic week in Addis Ababa that saw security forces put down a series of election-related protests with excessive force. The disorder in the capital reached a bloody peak on Wednesday, when security forces responded to incidents of rock- throwing and looting by opening fire indiscriminately on large crowds of people, killing at least 36 and wounding more than 100. read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News Tuesday June 14, 2005
Disputed Election Raises Questions About Ethiopia's Future
Nairobi
14 June 2005
Post-election violence in Ethiopia has left many Ethiopians and foreign observers questioning whether or not the country is returning to the dictatorship of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Early this week, Ethiopian police shot and killed a newly elected opposition member of parliament.
Several opposition officials were held briefly under house arrest even as they were negotiating a yet-to-be-implemented agreement with the government to address irregularities and other complaints arising from the May 15 elections.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi extended for another month a ban on all demonstrations, which he imposed May 15. read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
=============
Source: IRIN
ADDIS ABABA, 14 June (IRIN) - The US on Monday condemned what it called "unnecessary use of excessive force" in Ethiopia, amid opposition claims that police shot and killed one of its newly-elected Members of Parliament.
"We urge the government to respect the rule of law, international principles of human rights, and due process with regard to those arrested or detained," Sean McCormack, a US State Department spokesman, said in a statement.This criticism of the government's handling of last week's election-related civil unrest, which claimed the lives of 36 people, came as Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi extended a ban on demonstrations in the capital, Addis Ababa, by one month.
The medical director of Addis' Menelik Hospital, Yerdaw Ashgari, confirmed the death toll from the protests, which followed claims that parliamentary elections held on 15 May had been rigged in favour of the ruling party, the Ethiopia People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). read moreMonday June 13, 2005
Ethiopian opposition says lawmaker-elect killed by police
ADDIS ABABA, June 13 (AFP) -- One of Ethiopia's two main opposition groups said Monday that two of its members, including a member of parliament-elect, were killed by security forces in separate weekend incidents following a week of post-election violence in the capital.
The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) said Tesfaye Adane Gara, who had been elected to parliament in the disputed May 15 polls, was shot dead by police on Sunday near the town of Shashamene. read more
==========
Ethiopian govt rejects opposition offer on peace deal
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 13, 2005 (AP) -- The government rejected an opposition offer to resume a peace deal Monday, saying the opposition must take further steps to save the agreement aimed at ending political violence that left 29 dead.
The ruling party and the two main opposition groups signed a two-page document on Friday in front of diplomats pledging to condemn all violence and exercise restraint. Then the government began arresting opposition leaders, prompting them to call the nonviolence deal meaningless. read more
==========
Peace talks kick off in Ethiopia
06/13/2005 11:15 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - Taxi and mini-bus operators began operating running again on Monday ending a six-day strike that paralyzed transportation in Addis Ababa following alleged fraud in the country's general elections.
The ruling party and two main opposition parties are poised to begin talks later on Monday to end their dispute.
Shops, private businesses and factories have re-opened. read more
Ethiopian bloodshed In pictures
Friday June 10, 2005
Ethiopian bloodshed In pictures
============
Executive Committee of OPDO moves capital city to Finfinne
Addis Ababa, June 10.2005-The Executive Committee of the Oromo People Democratic Organization (OPDO) has decided Finfinne or Addis Ababa to be the capital city of the Oromia State.
In a statement sent to WIC today, the Executive Committee said that though the state's constitution, amended in 2002 stipulates that Adama is the capital of the state, the new decision is made in accordance with the interest of the vast majority of the Oromo people who wanted Finfinne to be the seat of the Oromia state.
The Organization has taken the new decision in keeping with the interest of the people, adding that the state government would make constitutional amendment to help facilitate the implementation of the decision. read more
============
OFDM urges supporters to shun illegal activities, await election results patiently
Addis Ababa, June 10,2005
The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement has called on its supporters to refrain from any illegal activities that would endanger peace.
In a statement it issued today, OFDM urged its supporters, in particular the youth, farmers and scholars as well as the people of Ethiopia to pursue their regular activities awaiting the final and official results of the election with patience.
It said OFDM would only seek solutions through neutral judicial bodies, if it believes the final result, which would be announced by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia is unjust.
The consensus reached during the joint forum of the political parties held at the Office of NEBE to investigate the election complaints through the participation of foreign election observers should be respected, the statement underlined.
The Movement also said it will wait for the final results of the election with patience.
=================
Oromia state calls on public to be wary of conspiracy
Addis Ababa, June 10,2005 (WIC)-The Oromia National State has called on the Oromo people not to take part in acts perpetrated during the past two days in the capital as it is a conspiracy instigated by forces that seek to hold power through creating havoc.
In a statement issued yesterday, the State urged the Oromo people to refrain from any demonstrations, meetings and strikes organized by forces bent on instigating crisis since the situation created in Addis Ababa has nothing to do with election irregularities or any other violation of human rights.
It said the state government and the people have exerted maximum patience and tolerance to conduct the last election in a peaceful and democratic manner, adding that the state would decisively deal with forces that are trying to ignite violence and desperately attempting to disrupt the harmonious relationship of the Oromo people with its neighboring nations and nationalities.
The statement noted that the Neftegnas are conspiring to snatch the right of self-administration of the Oromo people and promotion of its language and culture by setting up borders along rivers and mountains. read more
Ethiopia rejects killings inquiry
Friday, June 10, 2005 Posted: 5:41 AM EDT (0941 GMT)Friday, June 10, 2005 Posted: 5:41 AM EDT (0941 GMT)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- The Ethiopian government has rejected a call by human rights groups for an investigation into "police violence" during post-election unrest that left at least 27 people dead.
Most shops remained closed Friday and taxi drivers stayed off the streets for a second day in a strike called to protest against a government crackdown on the political opposition after the disputed elections.
UK-based Amnesty International said it feared students detained during this week's unrest could be tortured. Police released a leading opposition figure but continue to hold 14 others.
Amnesty accused police of using live ammunition and beating mainly peaceful protesters. It did though acknowledge that some demonstrators threw stones.
=========
ADDIS ABABA, June 10 (Reuters) - Ethiopian police have freed a top opposition member but still held 14 others on Friday as a human rights group called for a probe into "police violence" during post-election unrest this week that killed 27 people.
Security forces stood watch on the streets of Addis Ababa, where shops remained shuttered, a taxi strike entered its third day, and relatives continued to bury their dead from the worst violence in the capital for four years.The violence flared after weeks of opposition accusations that the ruling party intimidated voters and rigged the polls to hold on to power in the strategic Horn of Africa nation which the United States views as a key ally in its "war on terror".
The opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) said one of its leaders, Lidetu Ayalew, who has provisionally won a parliament seat in Addis, was freed after days of detention."Mr Lidetu was released just before midnight. He had been detained in his office," CUD spokesman Bebebe Eshetu said.
=========
10 Jun 2005 10:49:04 GMT, By Katie Nguyen
Source: Reuters (Recasts with round-up, government, opposition)
ADDIS ABABA, June 10 (Reuters) - Ethiopian security forces rounded up dozens of youths into trucks and kept 14 opposition members in detention on Friday as part of an ongoing crackdown on post-election unrest this week that has killed 27 people.A week of violence has fuelled fears among some Ethiopians that the Horn of Africa nation -- which the U.S. government views as a key ally in its anti-terrorism drive -- may be slipping back into the ways of its totalitarian past.
Army special forces and police cordoned off parts of the capital Addis Ababa on Friday morning and rounded up groups of mainly young people into trucks, witnesses said.
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
=============
Ethiopian capital's residents lie lowAgencies in Addis Ababa
Friday June 10, 2005
The Guardian
Shops in Addis Ababa were shuttered yesterday and streets deserted as Ethiopian security forces continued rounding up opposition figures, a day after troops killed at least 26 people during protests over last month's disputed elections.
Special forces rode in a convoy of armored vehicles through streets still strewn with rocks thrown during clashes between demonstrators and government forces. The blue taxis that usually clog the capital's streets were nowhere to be seen.
=======================
Chairman Smith Calls on Ethiopian Government To Cease and Desist Violent Response to Protests
United States Congress (Washington, DC)
PRESS RELEASE
June 8, 2005
Posted to the web June 9, 2005
Office of Rep. Chris Smith (R - NJ)
Washington, DC
Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, has called on Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to call off security forces, who by Wednesday evening had killed scores of peaceful protesters, wounded at least 100 others and jailed more than 400 Ethiopians protesting the results of the recent elections in that East African nation.
"I urge the Prime Minister to rein in his security forces and allow the people of Ethiopia to exercise the rights fundamental to democracy," Chairman Smith said. "The right to protest is a universal concept protected worldwide and has to be respected in Ethiopia as well."
====================
| ADDIS ABABA, June 9 (Xinhuanet) --
Ethiopian police said Thursday the situation in Addis Ababa gets back to
normal following the killing of at least 26 people who clashed in the
streets with security forces.
According to a statement issued from the Federal Police Commission, police and security forces on Wednesday put under control the illegal moves by people who are said to be loyal to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the country's largest opposition party. The statement also identified 15 of the 26 people who lost their lives in the clashes. It said it could not yet identify the names and addresses of other 11 deceased. The casualties occurred in clashes between security forces on one side, and "unruly groups" who, the statement said, attempted "bank robbery," tried to "set detainees free by breaking into police stations," or those who tried to "snatch guns away" from police members. Some 40 individuals sustained bodily injuries, four of whom died afterwards, putting the casualty figure at 26, it said. The injuries of the other individuals are light and would not lead to death, it added. |
==================
| Ethiopian Government Detains Protesters, Opposition | |
| Washington,DC 09 June 2005 |
The streets in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa were deserted Thursday, as troops patrolled the capital one day after security forces fired into groups of protesters, killing at least 26 people. For a second day, shops remained closed and taxi drivers continued their strike in support of protesters, who accuse the government of rigging last month's parliamentary elections.
Ethiopian authorities say troops are enforcing a one-month ban on demonstrations, and they have warned against further protests
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
Thursday June 9, 2005
Ethiopian bloodshed In pictures
==========
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 9 (Reuters) - The violence in Ethiopia that has left dozens dead in unrest sparked by last month's disputed elections is unacceptable and the government and protesters should show restraint, the White House said on Thursday.
"Everybody needs to refrain from violence and exercise restraint," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters while traveling with President George W. Bush in Ohio."The threat of violence is unacceptable and we urge students, civil society leaders and opposition supporters and members of the government and political leaders to refrain from violence and maintain a peaceful atmosphere in Ethiopia," McClellan said.
He said U.S. officials had been in contact with government officials in Ethiopia as well as with opposition groups.At least 26 people were killed after Ethiopian police on Wednesday opened fire on protesting crowds in Addis Ababa. read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
=====================
Ethiopia Stores Closed After Riots
Thursday June 9, 2005
AP Photo XKP113
By ANTHONY MITCHELL
Associated Press Writer
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Most stores were shuttered Thursday and families collected the dead for burial following riots over election results and government warnings that any more civil unrest would be dealt with sternly.
Ethiopian security forces opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, leaving at least 22 people dead, the government said. European Union observers said some opposition politicians were placed under house arrest following the government's victory in last month's election.
A senior member of the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces was being held in his office by police and the top two leaders of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy were under police surveillance, officials said Thursday. read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
June 8, 2005
Ethiopian bloodshed In pictures
=======
Oromo rebels say will not accept Ethiopian government victory
Wednesday June
8th, 2005 18:43.
ASMARA, June 8 (AFP) -- The chairman of Ethiopia's rebel Oromo Liberation Front
(OLF) said Wednesday that his group would not accept the government's victory in
disputed general elections last month.
Dawud Ibsa told AFP on a visit to the Eritrean capital that the Oromo people
would not accept "rigged" provisional poll results that show a ruling party
victory in the May 14 elections.
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
=======
Journalists are becoming increasingly unwelcome observers
Reporters without borders - France
... The government is riding roughshod over Ethiopia's democratic
guarantees ... and Dhabassa Wakjira, two journalists who used to work for
ETV's Oromo-language service ...
============
Hailu Shawul heads the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), which denies organizing student protests in Addis Ababa at alleged election fraud.
State radio blamed Wednesday's violence on "gangsters" while a government minister blamed the CUD directly.
The EU's observer urged the government not to harass the opposition. Addis Ababa has seen three days of street protests at the ruling party's alleged massive use of fraud at the polls.
======================
|
Many Ethiopians have been shot dead and hundreds of students have been arrested for defying a ban on protests.
The final election results are yet to be announced because reports of massive fraud are being investigated.
Provisional results show the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has been in power for 14 years, has retained its majority, although the opposition has made huge gains. read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
AD
DIS
ABABA (Reuters) - At least 22 people died and more than 100 were wounded
when Ethiopian security forces fired into crowds on Wednesday in a third day
of unrest over last month's disputed elections, medics and witnesses said.Ethiopian authorities said police and troops opened fire on stone-throwing crowds who were looting shops, robbing banks, attacking police and trying to free detainees in custody.
The government blamed the main opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) for inciting the worst violence seen in Addis Ababa in four years. Read more
===================
ADDIS ABABA, June 8 (Reuters) - At least 18 Ethiopians have died and more are feared dead from clashes with security forces on Wednesday, the worst violence to hit the capital Addis Ababa in four years, hospital sources said.
Sources at the Black Lion hospital told Reuters that 11 people had died from gunshot wounds, while sources at St. Paul's hospital said they had seven dead bodies with bullet wounds.The sources and Ethiopian families at the hospitals said they feared many more had been killed and were at other clinics.
The Ethiopian government said the victims were killed in the capital Addis Ababa while police tried to quell looting, which it said was fomented by the main opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD). The CUD denied it was behind the violence. Read more
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
June 7, 2005
Ethiopia's police arrest hundreds of protesters challenging recent ...
San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego,CA,USA
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Clashes between police and student demonstrators
left one girl dead and hundreds arrested in protests Monday against disputed
...
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
===================
Ethiopia investigates appeals over election irregularities
Xinhua - Beijing,China
ADDIS ABABA, June 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia
(NEBE) said Monday it has begun investigating appeals submitted by contesting
...
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
======================
Ethiopia- Journalists Ordered to Report Within 24 Hours
AllAfrica.com - Africa
As may be recalled, state repressive measures against the Ethiopian free press
journalists has markedly subsided over the past several months. ...
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
June 5, 2005
Bad Party
Anniston Star Sat,
04 Jun 2005 9:40 PM PDT
Observing Ethiopia's election, including the shenanigans of the dominant
political party, leaves one with a sense of foreboding for the future of vibrant
democracy in the African nation.
Tension High As Four Killed in Border Raid
AllAfrica.com - Africa
... Rebels believed to be from the Oromo People's Liberation Front (OLF)
launched ... was to present Kenya's grievances, while leaders from
Ethiopia's Mega division ...
A critical look into the Ethiopian elections
Sudan Tribune - Sudan
... Repression in Ethiopia's Oromia Region', HRW citing a widespread
systematic repression and intimidation to instill fear among voters from the
Oromo ethnic ...
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
June 2, 2005
Seven Kenyans Killed in Raid
AllAfrica.com - Africa
... raids could be linked to the violence sparked by elections held in
Ethiopia three weeks ... at El-hadhii Village in North Horr Division by
the Oromo militias, who ...
ETHIOPIA: Opposition group takes legal action over polls
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
ADDIS ABABA, 1 June (IRIN) - Ethiopia's main opposition group, the Coalition for
Unity and Democracy (CUD), on Tuesday launched legal action to prevent the
...
Post/Read Feedbacks about these and other News
=