Africa News blog
African business, politics and lifestyle
Operation Somalia: The U.S., Ethiopia and now Kenya
By Aaron Maasho
Ethiopia did it five years ago, the Americans a while back. Now Kenya has rolled tanks and troops across its arid frontier into lawless Somalia, in another campaign to stamp out a rag-tag militia of Islamist rebels that has stoked terror throughout the region with threats of strikes.
The catalyst for Nairobi’s incursion was a series of kidnappings by Somali gunmen on its soil. A Frenchwoman was bundled off to Somalia from northern Kenya, while a British woman and two female aid workers from Spain, abducted from a refugee camp inside Kenya, are also being held across the border.
The incidents caused concern over their impact on the country’s vital tourism industry, with Kenya’s forecast 100 billion shillings or revenue this year expected to falter. The likes of Britain and the United States have already issued warnings against travel to some parts of the country.
Kenyans have so far responded with bravado towards their government’s operation against the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group. Local channels regularly show high approval ratings for the campaign, some as high as 98 percent.
“The issue of our security is non-negotiable,” one commentator told a TV station in the wake of the announcement. Another chipped in with: ”We’ve been casual to the extent of endangering our national sovereignty. Kenya has what it takes to get rid of this dangerous threat once and for all.”
A ‘day of rage’ in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia’s handful of TV channels are not carrying much news lately. Instead, broadcasters are spending most of their time covering every phase of the construction of a new mega dam along the country’s Nile waters.
From mawkish ballads to patriotic poems and documentaries, programmes are waxing eloquently about how far the impoverished African nation has come since the dreaded Communist junta was toppled two decades ago, by defying Egyptian pressure and embarking on a massive project from its own coffers.
The long-standing rivalry with Cairo, fuelled by Ethiopian accusations it was meddling to stop any project along the river, has mustered up nationalistic fervour in the country. Most Ethiopians now say they are fully behind the project and some are even buying government bonds to help fund its construction.
A job well done then, Ethiopia? Not so say the government’s detractors. They say the public mobilisation is just a diversionary tactic, a ploy to distract citizens from the country’s ills.
They’ve even set up an online campaign calling for an Arab-style “day of rage” on May 28, the day Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s rebels captured the capital in 1991.
“There is no reason why we cannot have the Arab uprising in Ethiopia,” says their proclamation, headlined “Beka!” – meaning “enough” in the Amharic language.
“We have resolved to bring the torch to Ethiopia, and liberate the country from the minority dictatorship that has been in power for more than 20 years,” says a post on their Facebook page, which has some 3,000 “confirmed” attendants.
‘Day of rage’ and the future of Ethiopia –
Ethiopia may need a new leadership, but not in a revolutionary fashion. Ethiopians of the young generation are the solution for the chronic poverty. The young generation will contribute in changing the image of Ethiopia that has been severing as a poster child for poverty for the last 30 years.
So Reuters, while thanking your reportage, but we say no thanks for covering only negative news that comes out from the Ethiopia and the African Continent in general. There are more positive and inspirational news making stories each day in Ethiopia – we, your esteemed readers, would appreciate if you sometimes share those positive stories.
Sincerely,
Addistalks
Ethiopia/Eritrea: Another war?
Ethiopia is beating the war drums again. After a lull of more than a decade, the Horn of Africa giant is now threatening to attack its neighbour and foe Eritrea over claims it is working to destabilise the country.
When Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his country would no longer take a passive stance towards Eritrea, it marked an escalation in the bitter war of words that has ensued since a devastating border spat ended in 2000.
Addis Ababa should “either work towards changing Eritrea’s policies or its government,” he told local media last month.
“This could be done diplomatically, politically or through other means.”
The two countries have a long history of animosity since a vicious conflict was sparked in 1961 when rebels in Eritrea (then an Ethiopian state) took up arms to win independence.
A rebel group led by Meles and others joined the Eritreans, led by current president Isaias Afewerki, in 1975 and finally ousted dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
Despite fighting tooth-and-nail alongside each other since they were barely out of their teens , the rebels-turned-statesmen have always had an uneasy relationship.
‘Meles he is trying to divert the attention of his countrymen to avoid North African-style unrest in a country were high living costs and unemployment are taking their toll.’ He is doing this nothing else.
With Birtukan gone, smooth sailing for Ethiopia’s Meles
Ethiopia’s opposition UDJ party, completely wiped out at last year’s disputed election, says it is regrouping.
At a recent news conference, it announced it plans to rebuild its depleted ranks with young people, analyse the mistakes of the past and ensure that it’s never again hampered by a lack of leadership.
But that last one is going to be pretty difficult. The absence of Birtukan Mideksa, its charismatic former leader who was freed last October after a near two-year stint in jail, was all too visible to ignore.
After a visit to South Africa earlier this year, party chiefs say she is now on her way to the United States for “psychological treatment.”
The 36-year old former judge was one of dozens of opposition officials imprisoned in 2005 blamed for sparking violent protests on the streets of Addis, in which 198 opposition supporters and seven policemen were killed.
They were pardoned en mass in 2007 but Birtukan was banged into jail again in 2008 for allegedly reneging on pardon conditions in speeches she made in Sweden and Germany.
His predecessor’s regime killed generations of Ethiopians and Mr Meles’ regime killed the dreams of generations of Ethiopian youth including me. no body can dream of a better future or career in his/her life unless that person is a member or supporter of the party. the ethnic background also matters. I was unfortunate enough to be a student when this regime took over. When I finished university, I was full of hope and expectation believing the country gives me the ground to unlock my potential and reach my dreams. But I was denied of every chance time after time. Now before I know it I am an old man who wasted his time trying every hole of opportunity unsuccessfully . Now my time as a human being is wasted. this regime has stoled my life. I can say nobody else can understand the story of the Tunisian man who burned himself to death. This regime is worse when compared to what was there in Tunisia. I was so unfortunate to be born and alive when this party took control of the country
Did politics play a role in Gebrselassie’s short-lived retirement?
By Aaron Maasho
It is not hard to notice Haile Gebrselassie’s huge popularity in Ethiopia. It emanates from pride over his illustrious career that saw him break 27 world records, as much as from who he is when not running.
With his ever-present smile and sarcastic quips, “The Emperor” — as he is affectionately known — has never shied away from charity work, as well as providing hundreds of jobs to impoverished locals in his numerous business ventures.
Having spent the vast part of his 20-year career on the track, Gebrselassie switched to the marathon and has never displayed signs of weakening, despite his 37 years.
Until this month, that is, when the wealthy athlete unexpectedly announced his retirement after a knee injury forced him to pull out of the New York marathon.
“I never thought about retirement,” he tearfully told reporters afterwards. “But for the first time, this is the day. Let me stop and do other work after this.”
Gebrselassie’s sudden announcement sent shockwaves through the athletics world and prompted criticism at home because he dropped the bombshell overseas rather than in his own country.
Ethiopia’s Birtukan free: Why now? What now?
It’s now been 15 days since Ethiopia’s most popular opposition leader, Birtukan Mideksa, was released from prison and she still hasn’t said much at all.
Sure, she was “happy”, “elated” even. Prison was “horrible, really horrible.”
But talk of her political future is “for another time.”
The former judge is leader of Ethiopia’s biggest opposition party, the Unity for Democracy and Justice. The country’s 2005 elections ended in disaster when the opposition disputed a government victory and riots killed 193 protestors and seven policemen. Birtukan and other opposition leaders were jailed accused of sparking the trouble and then pardoned in 2007.
But she was sent back to prison in December 2008 for allegedly violating that pardon with a defiant speech in Sweden, which probably explains her caution now.
Ethiopia’s chattering classes, debating her release and the contents of the new pardon that secured it, have enthusiastically filled the vacuum created by her tight-lipped stance with their theories.
The following are the reasons why Meles released Birtukan now:
1. First of all, Meles imprisoned Birtukan in prison just to win the election without any possible threat from the opposition parties. Birtukan was the one who could easily mobilize Ethiopians against Meles for she has the full trust of Ethiopians. So Meles was able to pass the election season peacefully. The election was over and he did not need her in prison.
2. Birtukan was nominated for the Sakharov prize. She had the possibility of winning this prize. This would have meant a popularity buildup for Birtukan which Meles does not want. It would have also brought unwanted attention to Meles since it would reveal the true dictatorial nature of his.
In general, by the time time he sent her to prison, her being in prison was far more advantageous to Meles than her being free and able to mobilize the opposition camp. After he won the election, the disadvantages of her imprisonment outweighed the advantages. He was faced with fierce opposition demonstrations asking for her release wherever he went for a visit. That was damaging his image.
Is Ethiopia’s development plan too “ambitious”?
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi seemed to anticipate this week exactly what a lot people were thinking about his government’s plan to double the poor country’s GDP and wean it off food aid within just five years.
“I think that this is a very ambitious plan,” he said.
“This is indeed an extremely ambitious plan,” a few minutes later.
And, once more for luck, “We have put in place a high-case scenario which is clearly very, very ambitious.”
So far, so ambitious.
But, after those disclaimers, a man many see as Africa’s most economically literate leader didn’t shy away from saying he thought Ethiopia could get there.
The prime minister himself told us that the plan is over over ambitious! I don’t want to add any thing on what is already said and well known and again I don’t think the motive behind for such comments is …. But I want to share with people how and what could I contribute for that. Let’s have at least an ambitious plan though we couldn’t have an extraordinary achievements or successes in the history!
Live Aid anniversary: Unknown Ethiopia
This week is 25 years since a bunch of bouffant-haired pop stars staged the most ambitious concerts of all time to help millions of starving people who had never heard of them.
Live Aid, organised to raise money to stop Ethiopia’s catastrophic 1984/85 famine, was a huge success by some measures. An audience of more than 1.5 billion tuned in around the world to watch simultaneous live concerts from London and Philadelphia — an incredible technological feat for the time — and a staggering $230 million was raised for the emergency.
The world had never seen an outpouring of charity — of compassion — like it. Many of the people who handed over their scarce cash had never even heard of Ethiopia. One elderly woman gave organiser Bob Geldof her wedding ring after telling him she had nothing else.
It is estimated that 1 million Ethiopians died back then because they didn’t have enough food to eat. Most experts agree that Live Aid, and the Band Aid single that preceded it, saved many, many more from meeting the same fate.
Others are critical of how the money was spent and wonder why Ethiopia still relies on aid. Last year 13 million people from a population of 80 million were fed with foreign money. The fact that there are now 80 million Ethiopians (almost double the number in 1985) is part of the problem.
But things have improved, too. A “safety net” scheme that acts like social welfare for people whose harvests often fail should ensure that what happened in 1984/1985 is never repeated. The economy is growing. And a middle class is slowly but surely emerging.
Though not from the Muslim community, which accounts more than 40% of Ethiopian population, let me add to the list
Al-Nejashi Mosque, Negash, Tigrai region: Ethiopia
The historically significant mosque, Al-Nejashi Mosque in Negash, Ethiopia, is built
in the town of the famous King Nejashi, who gave asylum to the early followers of Islam
when they were being perescuted in Makkah.
The kind King Nejashi resisted the attempts of the Quraysh, who tried in vain
to have the Muslims deported to Makkah, and instead gave them
security and a homeland in Ethiopia.
The old medieval walled city of Harar
A city of mosques, minarets, and markets, a center of Muslim learning, a city which once struck its own local currency, and still has its own unique language has long been regarded by the outside world as a city of mystery and romance. Situated on a high escarpment overlooking surrounding plains, which extend as far as the eye can reach, it enjoys a balmy climate and a fascinating history.
Its a blessing to share your values without making a religion an issue of dissagreement. You can learn this from Ethiopians.
Nile River row: Could it turn violent?
The giggles started when the seventh journalist in a row said that his question was for Egypt’s water and irrigation minister, Mohamed Nasreddin Allam.
The non-Egyptian media gave him a bit of a hammering at last week’s talks in Addis Ababa for the nine countries that the Nile passes through.
Allam bared his teeth when a Kenyan journalist accused him of hiding behind “colonial-era treaties” giving his country the brunt of the river’s vital waters whether that hurt the poorer upstream countries or not.
“You obviously don’t know enough about this subject to be asking questions about it,” he snapped before later apologising to her with a kiss on the cheek.
Five of the nine Nile countries — Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya — last month signed a deal to share the water that is a crucial resource for all of them. But Egypt and Sudan, who are entitled to most of the water and can veto upstream dams under a 1929 British-brokered agreement, refused.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi have not signed yet either and analysts are divided on whether they will or not. Six Nile countries must sign the agreement for it to have any power but Egypt says even that wouldn’t change its mind. The five signatories — some of the world’s poorest countries — have left the agreement open for debating and possible signing for up to a year.
So, the world may see the first major water war, but we still do virtually nothing about climate change.
Hotter in the long run?
Ethiopia’s long-distance runners are among the best in the world, winning seven medals at last year’s Olympic Games. Generations of athletes have trained in the cool highlands of Asella but the weather there is changing, apparently as a result of climate change. There are now worries that this could have an impact on the country’s future runners.
For many young Ethiopians, this is where dreams are made. Internationally famous athletes like Haile Gebrselassie and Kenanisa Bekele have trained in these very parts.
Runners attend a training camp named after Tirunesh Dibaba who is the current holder of the world 5000 metres record. But the trainees’ future will depend greatly on the weather. Athletes require no more than 20 C when training and because it’s generally cool, Asella used to be perfect.
Not so lately. Temperatures rapidly increase as the day progresses and now runners have to get up earlier before training becomes almost impossible.
Tefere Alamerew is the squad’s coach. He told Reuters Africa Journal: “The temperature has changed — it’s hotter and hotter — so it will be difficult to train the athletes for the future here because the climate is changed.”
Like some other top Ethiopian runners, marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie was also born in Asella.
“Three weeks ago I was in Asella and I had the chance to jog 3km – around 9 o’clock – 9.30. You don’t believe it – I mean I was sweating, I asked myself, and I was running with Darata Tulu, we were struggling: ‘is this Asella, the place where we were training before? Yes it is.’ It’s amazing. My worry right now, what it will be like after 20 years?”
All talk about peace and democracy but what they want in reality is war as long as it is not in their own backyard and love “friendly tyrants” like Meles Zenawi who is willing to sell his land and people.