Friday, December 14, 2012

Tigray conference "We fought Amhara"




The man is saying there is a problem withing TPLF. He states they fought and toppled Amhara and the Amhara regime, but now power has been transferred from Amhara to Adwa.





Open letter to Ambassador Susan Rice by Abebe Gellaw


Dear Ambassador Rice, I have great admiration and respect for you. I believe that you have made the right decision not to bid for the position of U.S. Secretary of State. Although your commitment to serving your country with utmost integrity and passion is very commendable, some of your backstory is truly disturbing, especially your position of steadfast inaction during the height of the Rwandan genocide. 

Last September, you traveled to Ethiopia to attend the funeral of Ethiopia’s 21-year long dictator Meles Zenawi. Your eulogy has troubled and upset so many ordinary Ethiopians. You referred to Zenawi as a trustworthy friend to the U.S and you personally. That is fine! But according to you, “Meles was disarmingly regular, unpretentious, and direct. He was selfless, tireless and totally dedicated to his work and family.” You also claimed: “Among Prime Minister Meles’ many admirable qualities, above all was his world-class mind. A life-long student, he taught himself and many others so much. But he wasn’t just brilliant. He wasn’t just a relentless negotiator and a formidable debater.”
Yes, as a master of deception, he might have appeared selfless in front of global VIPs like yourself. Far from it, Meles Zenawi was an obstinate dictator who did not understand the language of diplomacy, negotiation and compromise. He killed, tortured and maimed countless Ethiopians. He divided the country along ethnic lines just to enforce his divide-and-rule policies. 
Your “brilliant” friend did not have a world-class mind, as you claimed. He was narrow-minded who could not see the world beyond his nose and power, no matter how eloquently he could speak. Your friend was not selfless, but a narcissist who did everything in his power to destroy critics and dissidents. 
It was even hurtful when you insensitively said: “He was tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. And, of course, he had little patience for fools, or “idiots,” as he liked to call them…Meles was consistently reasoned in his judgments and thoughtful in his decisions; and, he was driven not by ideology but by his vision of a better future for this land he loved….” 
As a critic, I was among those whom he labeled as terrorists, idiots and fools. For Meles, any critic is a threat including the minors killed savagely in broad daylight for protesting his tyranny and brutality. Tens of thousands of others are languishing in jails even after his death. Those were the “idiots and fools” he seemed to have referred to insensitively and you echoed approvingly. 
Your eulogy for Zenawi was not only insensitive but also quite revealing as to your lack of commitment to the freedom of others that dictators like Zenawi robbed and destroyed. I am one of those countless Ethiopians abused, tortured and exiled by your “brilliant” friend. 
I honestly feel that the world is lighter and safer without the likes of Meles, Gaddafi or Mubarak. Your brilliant friend was in fact an idiotic despot who did not know how to treat his fellow countrymen fairly, respectfully and kindly.
I do believe that your eulogy for dictators will be more measured and reasoned in the future. I hope this would be a teachable moment for you to move forward. 
I wish you all the best. 
Best regards
Abebe Gellaw
Exiled Ethiopian journalist

Thursday, December 13, 2012

የተዋረደው ታሪክ (TPLF Government in Ethiopia degrading Amaras) Must Watch!

ESAT FEZ-RALIZM Ad

SMNE December 13, 2010




Dear Friends and Colleagues;

December 13, 2012 marks the 9-year anniversary of the brutal massacre of 424 disarmed Anuak in Gambella, Ethiopia by the TPLF/EPRDF Defense Forces armed with guns and militia groups armed with machetes. Not just the families of the victims, but all Anuak, will forever remember that dark day that brought so many pains, tears and suffering.

Even after 9 years, some widows, some fathers, some mothers and children are still waiting to bury their loved ones properly. Some day their bodies, which were buried in mass graves, will be exhumed and buried with proper respect by their families and loved ones. Someday a memorial of remembrance may be erected in Gambella in their honor, to remind people that behind every name on that memorial, is a human life, given as a precious gift from God, our Creator.

Such memorials may be erected all over Ethiopia where innocent lives of Ethiopians have been taken. Someday, a large monument—a wall of shame—could be erected in Addis Ababa with the names of the Anuak and the names of all other people throughout Ethiopia who have lost their lives at the hands of this government that devalues human life.

On this Anuak Memorial Day, Anuak in Gambella cannot join with Anuak in the Diaspora in observing this day. It is prohibited by the TPLF or EPRDF government. Instead, they will have to look forward to the day they will be able to join together in a service such as the ones being held in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Kenya, South Sudan and in other cities where there are Anuak where they are free to remember the death of more than 1500 other Anuak who were killed in the next two years following the December massacre.

Because public mourning is not allowed, those who want to remember family members, friends and community members who died, must quietly carry out some kind of observances within their homes and hearts.

This TPLF regime wants to erase it from the memory of the Anuak, but this will never happen. Someday, all the details will be revealed for all to see on the shame-filled pages of our Ethiopian history books. Until then, Anuak are still waiting for those responsible to be brought to justice. As one Anuak who lost a family member recently said, “the TPLF and it killers have moved on, but we will never stop grieving or rest until the killers have been brought to justice and until our family members are buried properly.”

For the Anuak people and supporters of the Anuak, let us all remember this day together. Let us take this day of sorrow and make it a day of reconciliation and healing among all peace-loving Ethiopians. This pain we feel was brought because of hate, anger, envy and greed and we want to create a different Ethiopia.

May God bless all of those who are remembering this day of tragedy and may God help bring about an Ethiopia where truth, justice, freedom, reconciliation and harmony prevail over death and destruction.

Please take a few minutes and watch this heartbreaking video below: The testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the December 13th Massacre.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaZty97JXzU
Thanks so much for your never-ending support. Don’t give up. Keep your focus on the bigger picture and reach out to others and listen!
I am appealing to all my friends and colleagues to forward it to your friends. If you do, you will not just be giving a voice to our beautiful people, but you would be doing justice to our humanity. Knowing the truth is overcoming the first obstacle to freedom! 

Sincerely your severance,

Obang
Executive Director of SMNE
E-mail: obang@solidaritymovement.org
http://www.solidaritymovement.org
 
-------------------------------------------------
The Bible Says (Ecclesiastes 11:4), "
- If You Wait for Perfect Conditions, You Will Never Get Anything Done - "
" - One Action is More Valuable Than a Thousand Good Intentions -






Wednesday, December 12, 2012

32 ONLF Rebels and Ethiopian Forces killed in Dhagahbour – Diplomatic Source


(Ogadentoday Press)- A report says that clashes between ONLF, Ogaden National Liberation Front and a coalition of Ethiopian military and Liyu Police Troops erupted in the restive Ogaden region, Dhagahbour Zone on Tuesday.The sources said that 32 Ethiopian Troops and ONLF fighters killed in the fighting.According to a diplomatic source based In Jigjiga told Ogadentoday Press that ONLF troops attacked, a Labbiga, a small village near to Dhagaxbour, where Ethiopian Troops had a military camp, the ONLF troop’s ambush killed 30 Ethiopian coalition troops, while two ONLF fighters killed, the source confirmed.Ethiopian troops carried out a massive crackdown after the attack, some elders have been taken to prison; while some women are unknown where have been taken. Civilians in the area express concerns about the crackdown.
There was no immediate word on the situation Tuesday from ONLF and Ethiopian Government.ONLF has accused of Ethiopian troops committing human right abuses in the Ogaden, but Addis Ababa denied the accusation.Human right organizations labels Ogaden Region, as Darfur of Sudan.Meanwhile the Ethiopian Government and Somali Regional administration says that they want the development of Ogaden Region and the production of Oil and Gas, there are poor human right records in the region which International Community widely criticized.Thousands of civilians are detained in the region and hundred are killed for last months.Many flee in the Ogaden Region and registered the UNHCR offices in Kenya and Djibouti.There is no independent judicial system in the region, people in the regionbelieve they are under martial law.
Peace talks between Ethiopian and ONLF ended in the Kenyan capital without a breakthrough on October.Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Deselam told Aljazeera Television that ONLF refused to accept the constitution.No agreement of precondition said, ONLF officials.The ONLF has been fighting for self-determination for the Ogaden since the 1970s, and Ogaden people in the region and Diaspora supports the vision of ONLF.Ogadentoday Press.

ESAT Daliy News-Amsterdam Dec. 12 2012 Ethiopia

(MUST WATCH) Message to Ethiopians

Saturday, December 8, 2012

ESAT Daliy News-Amsterdam Dec. 08 2012 Ethiopia

Denmark family adopted Masho and Roba Ethiopian kids touching story




Selling Ethiopian Children a profitable Business for Adaption Agency. African news: Over 5,000 Children are sold to foreigner from around the World – A very sad truth about a Multi Million $ business by bad Ethiopians which profit from this bad business.




Friday, December 7, 2012

A Summer for Ethiopia – A Scholar recounts his experience


The following post is written by William Luk. William is a Senior from Tufts University majoring in International Relations. He is a 2012 Oslo Scholar. He recounts his experience of working closely with Abebe Gellaw, in fighting internet censorship for Ethiopia.
This past summer has undoubtedly been a memorable one for Abebe Gellaw, theEthiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) and Ethiopia at large, and definitely for me as well. After meeting Mr. Gellaw at the Oslo Freedom Forum in May as one of the Oslo Scholars, I became much more knowledgeable about the dire situation in Ethiopia. In many respects, the media censorship in Ethiopia is not only comparable but may even be worse than that of China, where I frequently travel to. This came as a surprise to me, as Western media has always portrayed Prime Minister Meles, the dictator of the African country, as an ally. Through Abebe and this experience, my perception of not only Ethiopia, but also the politics of the press has been changed dramatically.
After the Conference, I immediately began working with Abebe. Although I was based in Hong Kong while ESAT is in Washington D.C., I worked telecommunicatively. My major task was to research on the topic of radio signal jamming, which is frequently used by Ethiopian authorities against foreign press. It has been one of the major challenges to ESAT, which tries to broadcast information to Ethiopians back home. Through my research, I learned about the many types of radio jamming, as well as counter jamming technologies. In fact, much of the existing technology in Ethiopia was acquired from China, which has invested heavily in many African countries in past decades, with the help of the Chinese Central Authorities. While no single counter technology is foolproof, there are some methods of radio transmission that are more difficult to penetrate into. Unfortunately, there are costs and obstacles to implementing these methods.
I had a heartfelt moment when I heard that Abebe stood up in the middle of an event attended by Prime Minister Meles in Washington D.C. and shouted “Meles Zenawi is a dictator!” At that instance, Meles was rendered speechless. In the land of the free, Abebe has silenced the dictator that had silenced, and exiled him. I could not begin to imagine how he must have felt– thousands of emotions mixed together in an overall ecstasy – the thrill of free speech. This fundamental right that we take for granted, was exemplified by Abebe in that moment.
Meles died towards the end of the summer. His death was not reported until days after his actual death, which serves to show the suppression and manipulation of information by the Government in Ethiopia. This was good news to Ethiopians whose rights have been restricted or taken away because of his regime. There is no doubt that this is a huge turning point in history. The question lies in whether it will turn for the better, or the worse. After all, a dictator’s death could very well be the beginning of another.
Ethiopia will have many obstacles ahead, from extreme poverty and illiteracy to lacking infrastructure. But the greatest one is finding a leader who will find a solution to the aforementioned problems, instead of using them as a means to keep his power in place. There are now great expectations for Prime Minister Hailemariam, basically automatically elected as the Ethiopian People’s Revultionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) holds the majority in the Parliament. In the meantime, the Ethiopia Satellite Television and Abebe Gellaw have and will continue to do its best to deliver the truth to Ethiopians back home and around the world.
source: http://osloscholars.com/2012/09/26/a-summer-for-ethiopia-a-scholar-recounts-his-experience/

Thursday, December 6, 2012

ESAT : Swedish TV4 program about two Swedish journalists (Ethiopia)

http://www.ethsat.com - Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) 
ESAT is the first independent Ethiopian Satellite Television service and Radio Station who broadcast to Ethiopia and the rest of the world.