Ethiopian News in Amharic - Saturday, December 29, 2012 - YouTube

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Iran plans to invest more in Ethiopia - Video Dailymotion

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Hailemariam Desalegne Can Ethiopia and Eritrea finally find peace? - YouTube

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Prime Minister Hailamariam Desalegne Interview Part I - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Sunday, December 2, 2012 - YouTube

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የኢትዮጵያ ተቃዋሚ ፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች - አስጨናቂ ድረስ /ክጉለሌ/

የኢትዮጵያ ተቃዋሚ ፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች ህዳር 20 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም.
በወያኔ ዘመነ ስልጣን የተቃዋሚ ድርጅቶች ወይም የወያኔ አጃቢዎች ብዛት በመጀመሪያው ዓመታት ከሃምሳ በላይ የነበሩ ቢሆንም
በአሁኑ ወቅት ወደ አስራስምንት አካባቢ ዝቅ ማለታቸው ይታወቃል፤
ሀ) ለመሆኑ በሃያ አንድ ዓመታት የወያኔ አገዛዝ ዘመን ምን ስሩ? የኢትዮጵያን ህዝብ ጠቀሙት ወይስ ጎዱት?
ለ) የ1997ዓመተ ምህረት ምርጫ ውጤት የነሱ የፖለቲካ እንቅስቃሴ ጥረት ወይስ አጋጣሚና ብሶት የወለደው?
ወያኔ አገሪቱን እንደተቆጣጠረ አራያነት ያለው ስራ ለመስራት ሞከረ፤ በዚህም መስረት በደቡብ ኢትዮጵያ የሚገኙትን ከሃምሳ
በላይ ብሄረስቦችን ብዙሃኑንም አናሳውንም አንድላይ በመጨፍለቅ የደቡብ ህዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄ በማለት ቀደም ሲል
ካደራጃቸው ብአዴንና ኦህዴድ ጋር በመጠርነፍ ኢህአዴግ ተሰኘ፦ ለማስገንጠል ያዘጋጃትን ኤርትራን ጨምሮ ወያኔ ባዘጋጀው
ዕቅድ መስረት በአዲሰ አበባ አፍሪካ አዳራሽ ለሚደረገው ስብስባ ላይ ለመገኘት ድርጅታችሁን አስመዝግቡ የሚል ድንገተኛ ጥሪ
አስተላለፈ፤ አጋጣሚውን ለመጠቀም የፈለጉ ግለስቦች ያለምንም ቅድመ ዝግጅት፤ የህዝቡን ፍላጎትና ይሁንታ ሳያገኙ
የብሄረስባችን ተወካዮች ነን በማለት፤ የተወስኑ ምሁራንን፤ ቦዘኔዎችንና አጋጣሚ ተጠቃሚዎችን(opportunists)፤ በሙሉ በወያኔ
ስልቻ ውስጥ ዘለው ጥልቅ ያሉትን በሙሉ ይዞ አለምን ጉድ ያስኘ ስብስባ አደረገ፦ በግዜ ሂደት ወያኔ አይጠቅሙኝም ያላቸውን
ከስልቻው እያወጣ ወረወራቸው፤በአካዳሚክስ ዕውቀታቸውና ልምድ ለዘለቄታው ጉዞ ድብቅ ፍላጎቴን ለማራመድ ይረዱኛል
ያላቸውን ደግሞ በጥንቃቄ መርጦ በመያዝ፤ ተቃዋሚነታቸውን ተቀብሎ ፅ/ቤት በመስጠት እንዳስፈላጊነቱ መንቀሳቀሻ በጀት
በመመደብ ተደራጁ ብሎ መርቆ ለቀቃቸው፦ ዓለምም ዴሞክራሲ በኢትዮጵያ መስፈኑን አረጋገጠ፤ ኢትዮጵያ የምትባል አገር
እስከወዲያኛው የመበታተንና ከአለም ካርታ የማጥፋት ምዕራፉ ተከፈተ፦
መለስም በድንገት ተስወረ ተቃዋሚዎችም የአጀብ ጉዞአቸውን ቀጥለዋል፤ይኸው ሃያ አንድ ዓመት አለፋቸው፦ቀላል ዘመን ነው
ትላላችሁ? እንደታደሉት እነደነ ጃፓን ቢሆንማ ኖሮ እስካሁን ሁሉም የጠቅላይ ሚኒስትርነት ቦታ ይዳረሳቸው ነበር፦ መለስ
እንኩዋን ስልጣን ስልችቶት መተካካት የሚባል ፕሮግራም ሊጀምር እንደ ነበር ደጋግሞ ገልፆልናል ባይታመንም፦ በዚህ በወያኔ
ዘመን የተፈጠሩ ልጆች እኮ ዩኒቨርሲቲ እየጨረሱ በስራ ላይ እየተስማሩ ነው፦ ተቃዋሚ ተብየዎች ይኸን የአጎብዳጅነት ተቃውሞ
በዉድ አገራችን ኢትዮጵያ ለተተኪው ትውልድ ማስተማራችውም ታሪክ ይቅር የማይለው ትልቁ አሳዛኝ ክስተት ነው፤
በኢትዮጵያ ምግባረ ብልሹነት እንዲስፋፋ ዋናው የወያኔ አጀንዳ መሆኑን አሁን ድረስ ተቃዋሚዎች አለመረዳታቸውም ሌላው
አስገራሚ ጉዳይ ነው፤ ረጅም ዘመን በማንቀላፋታቸውና አልቻልኩም መረረኝ ማለት ባለመቻላቸው የሃገራችን ችግር ዉስብስብና
አደገኛ ደረጃ ላይ እንዲደርስ ሆኗል፤ ከወያኔስ በምን ይለያሉ፤ ከተጠያቂነትስ እንዴት ያመልጣሉ፦ ማንኛዉም ዜጋ በሃገር ጉዳይ
ያገባኛል ብሎ የህዝብ ይሁንታን ካገኘ በሁዋላ ቸልተኝነት ማሳየት አይቻልም፤ ሃያ አንድ ዓመት ሙሉ ተቃዋሚ ነኝ በሚል ስም
ህዝብ የራሱን አማራጭ እንኩዋን እንዳይወስድ በማዘናጋት አገር የመበታተን አደጋ ላይ እስክትደርስ ድረስ ቁጭ ብለው
በማየታቸው ላደረሱት በደል ከፍርድ ማምለጥ አይቻላቸውም፦ ረጀም ዘመን በዋዝ ፈዛዛ የመለስና የወያኔ አጃቢ በመሆን
በማሳለፋችው፤ ችግሩ ስፍቶ ከቁጥጥር ውጭ በመሄዱና፤ ወጣቶች ሌላ አማራጭ እንዳይፈልጉ በማድረግ የወያኔ መሳሪያ ሆነዋል፤
ወጣቱ የስራ አማራጭ በማጣቱ በመከላከያ ስራዊትና በወያኔ የስለላ መዋቅር ውስጥ በመግባት በወገን ላይ ኢስብአዊ ተግባር
ለመፈፀም መገደዳቸው ሌላው አሳዛኝ ክስተት ነው፦ መለስና ኢሳያስ በፈጠሩት ስራዊት ቅነሳ ጦርነት ውስጥ ለደረሰው ዕልቂት
የጠየቀ የለም፤ መለስ የውጭ ምንዛሪ በቸገረው ቁጥር ሶማሊያ እያስገባ ለሚይስጨርሰው ወጣት ጠያቂ የለም፤ መለስ ዜናዊ ገና
ከመስረቱ ለተቃዋሚውች እቅጩን ነግሯቸዋል፤ የልጅነት ዘመኔን ጫካ ለጫካ ተንከራትቼ ያገኘሁትን ስልጣን እዚህ ቁጭ ብላችሁ
ለማግኘት አታስቡ፤ እንዲደነግጡም እኔ በሄድኩበት መንገድ መቀጠል የሚፈልግ ካለ መንገዱን ጨርቅ ያርግለት ብሎ ሌላ
አማራጭ ወይም የትጥቅ ትግል እንዳያስቡ ለማስፈራራት ሞከረ፦ ከዚህ በሁዋላ ችግር ፈጣሪ አለመሆናቸውን አረጋገጠ፤
ወዲያዉኑ አርባ ሁለት ያገሪቱ ምርጥ ምሁራንን ከአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ያለ ምንም ምክንያት በማንአለብኝነት ሲያባርር ሰላማዊ
የተቃውሞ ትግል ማካሄድ ይቅርና የሃገሪቱ የወደፊት ዕጣ ፈንታ ምን ሊሆን እንደሚችል አመላካች ሆነ፦ መልዕክቱ ግልፅ ነበር
ከእንግዲህ ትምህርት በኢትዮጵያ በቃ፤፤ ያልተማረ ያልተመራመረን ህዝብ መግዛት በሁሉም መልኩ ቀላል ስለሚሆን፤ አገርን
የመበታተን የመጀመሪያው ምዕራፍና የመለስም ትልቁ ስኬት ሆነ፤ ሃያ አንድ ዓመት አገር አጥፍቶ በብሄርና ቑንቑ ከፋፍሎ
ለወደፊትም ኢትዮጵያ በፍጥነት ወደ ነበረችበት እንዳትመለስ አድርጎ ሄደ፦ ይህ ሁሉ ሲሆን ተቃዋሚዎች አብረዉት አሉ፦
ሲፈልግ በየተራ እየጠራ ስልጣን ወይም ገንዘብ እያሳየ አጉምጅ ይላቸዋል፤ ሁሉም የሚንጠባጠብ ስልጣን አገኛለሁ በሚል ምኞት
የወጣትነት ዘመናቸውን ያለጠንካራ የተቃውሞ ትግል በዋዛ ፈዛዛ ጨረሱ፦
በዚህ መጥፎ ዘመን ለተፈጠሩት ልጆቻችን ቶሎ ማዳኛ መንገድ እስካልፈለግንላቸው ግዜ ድረስ ለወያኔ እጅ ቢስጡ ምን
ይደንቀናል፤ በተቃዋሚዎች ድክመት ወያኔ ያሻውን እያደረገ ይገኛል፤ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ሲገቡ በቅድሚያ የወያኔ አባል እንዲሆኑና ቅፅ
እንዲሞሉ ሲጠየቁ ተቃዋሚዎች ደርሰው ማስጣል ካልቻሉ፤ ከዩኒቨርሲቲ ጨርስው ሲመረቁ ኮብልስቶን እንዲያመርቱ ድንጋይ2
ፈለጣ ተሰማሩ እያሉ የወያኔ ባለስልጣናት ሲቀልዱ ኡኡ ብለው ህዝቡን አደባባይ ይዘው ካልወጡ፤ የኑሮ ዉድነት ስንጎ ይዞት
የሚላስ የሚቀመስ ቸግሮት ይህ ኩሩ ህዝብ አደባባይ ልመና ሲወጣ እሪ ያገር ያለህ ብለው አደባባይ ይዘውት መውጣት ካልቻሉ፤
በስንት መከራ አጠራቅሞ የስራትን ጎጆ በዶዘር ሲያፈራርሱበት ካልደረሱለት፤ የኑሮ ዉድነቱ አስቃይቷቸው አጠቃላይ የኢትዮጵያ
ህዝብ በሚያስብል ደረጃ በአገሩም ከአገሩ ውጪም ሲስደድ፤ በዚህ ሂደት ላይ ያስበው ቦታ ሳይደርስ ውቅያኖስ ውስጥ ሰመጡ፤
ኮንቴነር ውስጥ ታፍነው አለቁ ሲባል ምን ሲደረግ ካልተባለ፦ከስደት የከፋውም በአረብ ሃገራት በሴት ልጆቻችን ላይ
የሚፈፀመው ግፍ ካላስጮሃቸው፤ መድረሻ አጥቶ የወያኔ አሽከር ለመሆን ሲገደድ አማራጭ እንዲያገኝ ካላደረጉት፤ ወጣቱ የአገር
ፍቅር ስሜቱ ተሟጦ አልቆ ተስፋ ቆርጦ ራሱን ማጥፋት ደረጃ ላይ ሲደርስ እያዩ ዝም ካሉ፤ የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ በጨለማ ውስጥ
ሲዳክር እንደ ሙሴ መብራት ሆነው ከመከራው ካላወጡት፤ ምኑንና ማንን ለመቃወም ነው የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎች ተብለው
የተጎለቱት፦ በጋዜጣ ላይ ቀረርቶና ፉከራ ለማስማት ከሆነማ በተሻለ መልኩ የተቃዋሚዎቹን ድርሻ ጋዜጠኞች እየተወጡት ነው፦
ተቃዋሚዎች የትጥቅ ትግልን ሊፈሩት ባልተገባ ነበር ካልሆነም የሚታገሉትን ለመርዳት መጣር አስተዋይነት ነበር፤ለመሆኑ በ97
ምርጫ መለስ አዲስ አበባን ብቻ ሳይሆን በክልሎችም ኢህአዴግ ተሽንፈናልና ስልጣን ተረከቡን ቢላቸው ኖሮ ምን ያደርጉ ነበር?
እዉን ቤተ መንግስት ገብተው ሚኒስትሮችቸውን ሾመው የፌዴራልና የክልል አስተዳደራዊ መዋቅሮችን ዘርግተው ከሁሉም በላይ
የመከላከያንና የደህንንቱን ስራዊት ተቆጣጥረው ስላማዊ ሽግግር ተደርጎ አገር እንመራለን ብለው ከልብ አስበው ይኾን፦ይኽን
የሚያስቡ ሳይሆን የሚያልሙ እንኩዋን ካሉ ቂሎች መሆን አለባቸው፦
በአንድ ወቅት በፓርላማ ውስጥ አሳፋሪ ትዕይንት አይተናል፤ በጀት አመዳደቡ ትክክል አይደለም በሚል ዶ/ር በየነ ጴጥሮስ
ለመለስ አቤቱታ ሲያቀርቡ ለኢዴፓ ከፍተኛ በጀት ሲመደብ ለኛ ድርጅት ግን አነስተኛ ነው በሚል፤ እንዴት ነው ወያኔ
በሚመድብላቸው በጀት እየኖሩ የወያኔ ተቃዋሚ ሆነው መቀጠል የሚችሉት፦ ለዚህም ነው መለስ እነዚህን ታማኝ ተቃዋሚዎችን
የሚፈልጋቸው፤ድፍን አስራ ስምንት ዓመታት ሙሉ መለስ ፈቅዶ ባስገባቸው ፓርላማ ውስጥ ሲሰድባቸው ሲሳለቅባቸው ሲፈልግ
ሲያስራቸው ሲያሻው መፈታት ከፈለጋችሁ የይቅርታ ደብዳቤ ፅፋችሁ ጠይቁኝ እያለ ሲቀልድባቸው ሲፈለግ ስደት እንዲሄዱ
ሁኔታዎችን አመቻችቶ ሲሽኛቸው፤በአጠቃላይ የፈለገውን ሲያደርጋቸው ኖሮ ተገላገሉት፦ በፓላማም ውስጥ የዉጭ ዲፕሎማቶች
በሚጋበዙበት ወቅት መለስንና ኢህአዴግን በማብጠልጠል ነፃነትና ዴሞክራሲ ያለ ለማስመስል በሚደረገው ድራማ ተዋናይ ሆነው
እንዲታዩና ዲፕሎማቶቹ የተሳሳተ ግንዛቤ ይዘው እንዲሄዱ ሲደረግ ተኑሯል፦አሁን ደግሞ የራሳቸውን ልጅ ሃይለማሪያምን
ተክሎላቸው ሄደ፦ሂደቱ ይቀጥላል የሚለወጥ ነገር የለም ብሏቸዋል፦ ተቃዋሚነታቸውን ቀጥለዋል፤ ዓለምም ልፍስፍሶች ሆነው
ነው እንጂ ጠንካራ ቢሆኑ ኖሮ መንግስት ከዚህ በላይ ምን ያድርግ በማለት እየተሳለቀባቸው ነው፦ ተቃዋሚ ስላለም ዲሞክራሲ
ስፍኗል በሚል የበለፀጉ አገራት እርዳታና ድጋፍ ይቀጥላል፦የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ስቆቃም ይቀጥላል፦ወያኔም የሚፈልገው ይኽንኑ
ነው፦
ተቃዋሚዎች እባክችሁን ከመጠየቅ ባታመልጡም የህዝቡን መከራ አታብዙት ወያኔን ከመለመን እናንተን መለመን ስለሚቀል
ይብቃቸሁ፤ፓርቲዎቻችሁን አፍርሱ፤ድርጅቶቻችሁን ዝጉ፤ የሃያላን መንግስታት አመለካከት አታዛቡ፤ የናንተ መኖር የወያኔ
ዓመታዊ በጀት እንኩዋን የሚታቀደው ግማሹ ከውጭ በሚገኝ ዕርዳታ መሆኑን ሃያ አንድ ዓመታት ሙሉ የተመለከትነው ነው፦
ወያኔ እርቃኑን የሚቀረውና ዕድሜውም የሚያጥረው እናንተ ሳትኖሩ ነው፦ የትጥቅ ትግል የሚያደርጉትን ባትደግፉም አትተቹ፤
ነገ መጠያየቅ ስለሚኖር፤ በአሁኑ ወቅት የሰራዊቱ አባላት በርካታወቹ ትግሉን የተቀላቀሉ ሲሆን በአጭር ግዜ ዉስጥ አብዛኛው
ስርአቱን ለመክዳት በዝግጅት ላይ መሆኑ ተረጋገጧል፦ ይቀጥላል
አስጨናቂ ድረስ /ክጉለሌ/
baschenaki44@gmail.com

Ethiopia to stay in Somalia until AU takeover

Ethiopian Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn (L) speaks during a meeting with his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa, Wednesday. — AFP

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian troops will remain in Somalia until African Union forces fighting Islamists can take over, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Wednesday, as he met with his Somali counterpart.

“We are waiting for AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) force to come and replace us, and until we get that assurance then we will be waiting there,” he told reporters.

Hailemariam, speaking alongside newly elected Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on his first official visit to the Ethiopian capital, gave no timeline for a pull out of troops.

Mohamud said that the Shabab is “literally defeated” – although many experts say it remains a potent threat – and also warned foreign fighters with the extremists to leave Somalia. “We have no relationship, and we do not intend to have one, with the foreign fighters in Somalia,” Mohamud said. “The only option for them is to leave the country.”

Ethiopian troops and tanks invaded Somalia in November 2011 to attack Al-Qaeda linked Shabab insurgents, capturing key towns including Baidoa.
At the same time, anti-Shabab Somali forces and a 17,000-strong AU force have been also battling the Islamists, and are seeking to link up with areas held by Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa – long seen as a traditional enemy of Somalia – is a controversial presence in Somalia. Ethiopia entered Somalia in a 2006 US-backed invasion, but was driven out three years later by a bitter insurgency.

War-torn Somalia has been in chaos since the fall of President Siad Barre in 1991. — AFP

Last week, Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, made his first state visit to neighbouring Kenya, with which it maintains cordial, but largely security-related, bilateral ties. Indeed Kenya is one of the few countries that Addis Ababa, famously jittery to foreigners on its soil, allows free entry with a visa not required. However that is as far as the welcome extends, with a clutch of trade restrictions imposed on its southern neighbour, although in fairness most other countries are also affected. As a result, commerce volumes between the two countries remain well below potential, with unverifiable figures quantifying Kenyan exports to Ethiopia at about $5 billion, compared to $80 billion to Uganda. Hailemariam’s predecessor Meles Zenawi had been in Kenya months before his sudden death in August, to inaugurate a multi-billion dollar infrastructure project that would further open up trade between the two countries. The new premier’s visit was thus in part designed to reassure Kenya of Ethiopia’s continued support, the change of guard at the top notwithstanding. But Hailemariam also signed an agreement with President Mwai Kibaki that accords Kenyan firms special status, in essence allowing them to circumvent the considerable restrictions arrayed before foreign companies that seek to invest in Ethiopia. But like all agreements—even this one that was months in the making - the devil is in the details. Ethiopia sought to channel Kenyan investment appetite into manufacturing, hospitality and agriculture, which on the surface makes sense due to their ability to employ millions of Ethiopians and redistribute national wealth more equitably. Protectionist leanings But it was the sectors that were left out - financial services and telecommunications - that economists argue have the potential to create more of that national cake in the first place. Ethiopia, for historical reasons (its Marxist past), does not allow foreign firms to invest in these areas. But in a period where many African countries have been carrying out a raft of regulations as captured by regular 'Doing Business' indicators, Ethiopia lags behind on too many. The obstacles continue to exist mainly for political reasons. The state-owned telephone monopoly is extremely lucrative and also a useful tool of control, while the financial services sector is shallow in part because Addis Ababa prefers to choose who to fund, mainly groups with the right political connections. The outcome has been regrettable: Ethiopia remains one of the African countries with the lowest mobile phone penetration, while its companies remain uncompetitive as they cannot raise the capital to change their structure. (This latter concern also contributes to the official protectionist leanings). Three in every four Ethiopians—almost 60 million—struggle to eke out a living every day. Ethiopia is one of the few stable African countries not expected to reach middle income status by 2025, despite its high sustained growth figures. But with available data such as that showing that a ten per cent increase in connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa gives a 1.4 per cent bump in GDP, the country’s leaders would do well to consider allowing competition into this sector. It is also widely known that the private sector creates jobs faster—and more efficiently—than government. Opening up these areas would in theory create more jobs and strengthen national growth than the current model does, resulting in a win-win solution that appeals to both reformers and anti-reformers alike. For Hailemariam, whose technocratic credentials suggest he is more reformist-minded than the reconstructed Marxist he succeeded - this is a carrot that he could offer the conservative cabal that rules the country

Last week, Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, made his first state visit to neighbouring Kenya, with which it maintains cordial, but largely security-related, bilateral ties.

Indeed Kenya is one of the few countries that Addis Ababa, famously jittery to foreigners on its soil, allows free entry with a visa not required.

However that is as far as the welcome extends, with a clutch of trade restrictions imposed on its southern neighbour, although in fairness most other countries are also affected.

As a result, commerce volumes between the two countries remain well below potential, with unverifiable figures quantifying Kenyan exports to Ethiopia at about $5 billion, compared to $80 billion to Uganda.

Hailemariam’s predecessor Meles Zenawi had been in Kenya months before his sudden death in August, to inaugurate a multi-billion dollar infrastructure project that would further open up trade between the two countries.

The new premier’s visit was thus in part designed to reassure Kenya of Ethiopia’s continued support, the change of guard at the top notwithstanding.

But Hailemariam also signed an agreement with President Mwai Kibaki that accords Kenyan firms special status, in essence allowing them to circumvent the considerable restrictions arrayed before foreign companies that seek to invest in Ethiopia.

But like all agreements—even this one that was months in the making - the devil is in the details.

Ethiopia sought to channel Kenyan investment appetite into manufacturing, hospitality and agriculture, which on the surface makes sense due to their ability to employ millions of Ethiopians and redistribute national wealth more equitably.

Protectionist leanings

But it was the sectors that were left out - financial services and telecommunications - that economists argue have the potential to create more of that national cake in the first place.

Ethiopia, for historical reasons (its Marxist past), does not allow foreign firms to invest in these areas. But in a period where many African countries have been carrying out a raft of regulations as captured by regular 'Doing Business' indicators, Ethiopia lags behind on too many.

The obstacles continue to exist mainly for political reasons. The state-owned telephone monopoly is extremely lucrative and also a useful tool of control, while the financial services sector is shallow in part because Addis Ababa prefers to choose who to fund, mainly groups with the right political connections.

The outcome has been regrettable: Ethiopia remains one of the African countries with the lowest mobile phone penetration, while its companies remain uncompetitive as they cannot raise the capital to change their structure. (This latter concern also contributes to the official protectionist leanings).

Three in every four Ethiopians—almost 60 million—struggle to eke out a living every day. Ethiopia is one of the few stable African countries not expected to reach middle income status by 2025, despite its high sustained growth figures.

But with available data such as that showing that a ten per cent increase in connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa gives a 1.4 per cent bump in GDP, the country’s leaders would do well to consider allowing competition into this sector.

It is also widely known that the private sector creates jobs faster—and more efficiently—than government.

Opening up these areas would in theory create more jobs and strengthen national growth than the current model does, resulting in a win-win solution that appeals to both reformers and anti-reformers alike.

For Hailemariam, whose technocratic credentials suggest he is more reformist-minded than the reconstructed Marxist he succeeded - this is a carrot that he could offer the conservative cabal that rules the country.

Twitter: @ShrewdAfrican

Ethiopia's last Jews prepare for the 'Promised Land' -AFP

"Once... you're in this halfway status of being internal refugees, you're certainly better off in Israel than being internal refugees in Ethiopia," said Steven Kaplan, professor of religion and African studies at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

GONDAR, Ethiopia — It was one of the most daring operations in Ethiopian history: Israel's 1991 airlift of Ethiopian Jews, when nearly 15,000 people were crammed into a series of non-stop flights lasting 36 hours.

Clutching only a few belongings, in planes with seats removed to make more space, they left a nation their ancestors had called home for two millennia for a land they knew only from scripture.

More than two decades later, some 2,000 descendants and relatives of those Israel had identified as original Jews are set to join them in the Holy Land.

All that's left of Ethiopia's Jewish population, called the Falash Mura, or "wanderers" in Ethiopia's Amharic language -- is expected to move to Israel over the next 18 months, the end of an ancient chapter of Ethiopian history.

"It is God's promise to us to go to the Promised Land and fulfill his prophecy... but that doesn't change the fact that I am Ethiopian," said Gasho Abenet, 25.

Ethiopia's remaining Falash Mura live in Gondar in the north of the country, supported by the Jerusalem-based organisation The Jewish Agency for Israel, where many have waited for years to complete bureaucratic hurdles and win approval to move.

Many say they feel frozen in limbo, not quite at home in Ethiopia, eager to become Israeli, and suffering from a long separation from family members who have already left.

Many Jews in Ethiopia -- a small minority in a country where officially 62 percent are Christian and 34 percent are Muslim -- say they have been misunderstood and even discriminated against.

Housing rents are arbitrarily hiked, some say, and many report name-calling from those who do not understand or accept Judaism.

"It is difficult to live here in Ethiopia as an Israelite because we get insulted," 22-year-old Amhare Fantahun said.

For Gasho, it means never feeling fully at home in the land of his birth.

"The life that we are living here is a nightmare, we can never settle," he said, donning a black and white skullcap and a Star of David pin.

Despite their feeling of apparent transience, the history of Judaism in Ethiopia dates back about 2,000 years.

The precise roots are disputed: some say Ethiopia's ancient Jews -- called Beta Israel, or "House of Israel" -- are descendants of Jewish nomads who travelled first to Egypt, then on to Ethiopia.

Others say they are direct descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.

The Falash Mura, descendants of the Beta Israeli -- many of whom were forced to convert to Christianity in the 18th and 19th centuries -- have observed a unique interpretation of Judaism for generations.

Practices include separating menstruating women from men and burying their dead in Christian cemeteries. They must learn Rabbinic law and Hebrew before moving to Israel.

In skullcaps and draped in prayer scarves, they gather every week in Gondar's makeshift synagogue, a corrugated iron shed painted the blue and white of Israel's flag, chanting verses from the Torah in Ethiopia's Amharic language.

The push to transport Ethiopia's Jews to Israel began in the 1980s, under Ethiopia's brutal Communist dictator Mengistu Hailemariam, who used Ethiopia's Jews as pawns and tried to trade them for weapons from Israel.

Many left Ethiopia illegally, travelling by foot to Sudan, where 20,000 people were eventually flown to Israel in Operation Moses in 1985, the precursor to the 1991 airlift from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The airlift, known as Operation Solomon, came as Mengistu lost his grip on power.

There are about 130,000 Jews of Ethiopian descent in Israel today. By March 2014, the immigration of Ethiopia's Jews to Israel is expected to finish, closing an ancient chapter of Ethiopia's history.

Under Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie, departure for Israel was blocked as he said the country would lose a key cornerstone of its heritage.

"Haile Selassie said, 'If we did that we would lose one of the key elements in the Ethiopian tapestry. They represent a tradition that we all think we're descended from,'" said Stephen Spector, author of a book about the airlift.

But for Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia Belyanesh Zevadia -- who was born in Ethiopia and lived in Israel for 28 years -- the end of the returns to Israel merely marks a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

"Maybe (we are) losing the culture, the Jewish culture," she said. "But there are so many of them coming back and investing here... so we are building the bridge between the two countries."

Gasho said the heritage lives on in other ways too, even though most of the Falash Mura have left the country.

"We Jewish who are living here in Ethiopia, we taught our wisdom and knowledge," he said. "Our culture is well understood throughout the community... learning, metallurgy, handcraftsmanship, it is all passed on," Gasho added.

At Addis Ababa's transit centre, where the Falash Mura gather before boarding a flight to Israel, new shoes and clothes are passed around as children play table tennis and table football under the beating afternoon sun.

Despite not knowing what to expect when they reach Israel, there is a sense of happiness from those about to leave Ethiopia for good.

"I am going to miss Ethiopia, of course, but this is life, so I have to go to Israel, and that is the path decided for me," said Malefeya Zelelu, 84, who waited in Gondar for 14 years before being approved to leave.

"I am now going to be an Israelite," he added, smiling widely.

Ethiopian News Dictator Dead Zenawie awarded by his mentors - in Amharic - Monday, November 26, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopia supports peaceful solution to conflict between Palestine and Israel

Ethiopian Prime Minister with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. Riyad Al Malk

Hailemariam expresses Ethiopia’s wish to find peaceful solution to conflict between Palestine, Israel

Source: ENA

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn expressed Ethiopia's desire to find peaceful solution to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. While holding talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. Riyad Al Malki here Monday, Hailemariam said Ethiopia supports ongoing efforts to bring about peace between Palestine and Israel. He said Ethiopia supports Palestine’s demand for self-determination. The Palestinian Minister told journalists after the discussion that Palestine urges the international community to impose seize fire between Palestine and Israel.

Ethiopia, US look to strengthen ties after election

Ethiopia’s PM Hailemariam Desalegn meets with a top US official.

ADDIS ABABA: With a new leader in Ethiopia and American President Barack Obama re-elected, the two countries are looking to bolster their relationship.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn held talks here with visiting United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman on bilateral issues.

It comes as tension has been rising in the East African country over the future of politics after Desalegn replaced late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in August as PM.

The Prime Minister told Sherman during Wednesday’s meeting that Ethiopia “was keen to further strengthen the existing co-operation with Washington, particularly in the areas of economy, security, human rights and democracy.”

Desalegn also expressed hope that the visit by Sherman, the State Department’s third-ranking official, “would further boost co-operation and development assistance the US was providing to Ethiopia.”

Sherman said later that the discussions with the Prime Minister were successful and affirmed that the existing bilateral co-operation would continue to be strengthened.

Analysts in Ethiopia told Bikyamasr.com that they are watching the relationship between Washington and Addis Ababa closely, wondering which direction the Obama administration, now without fears of an election backlash, will react to the ongoing reports of human rights abuses in rural areas.

“It is very interesting to see how, if they do, the relationship will change,” Monica Teneti, a former journalist and now political consultant to the European Union, told Bikyamasr.com. For her, she is hopeful that pressure will be put on Desalegn and the government to change policies.

“I think what we could see is a more forceful president on the international stage. Obama really has a chance to live up to his calls for hope and change that many people in Ethiopia have wanted for a long time. It will be vital for Obama to make an impact,” she said.

While it may be too early to call on the role the second-term presidency of Obama will have on Ethiopia, it appears Washington is not going to go about business silently, as evidenced by the top foreign affairs officials.

Ethiopian News in Amharic - Saturday, November 03, 2012 - YouTube

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Allana Potash doubles its land holdings in exploitation of Afar Ethiopia | Small Cap News | Mining | News | Financial Post

Resources Wire | Sep 19, 2012 7:28 AM ET | Last Updated: Sep 19, 2012 12:10 PM ET
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Allana Potash CorpDallol: More land, more potash, more water.

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By Kevin Michael Grace

Lest there be any doubt of its confidence in Ethiopia and its Dallol Potash Project, Allana Potash (T.AAA) has dispelled it by doubling the size of its property. On September 4, the company announced a buyout of Nova-Ethio Potash Corp, increasing thereby the size of its holdings in the Danakhil Depression from 154 square kilometres to 312 square kilometres. Richard Kelertas, Senior VP Corporate Development says the potential addition in potash and water resources is a “bargain.”

The agreement stipulates that Allana will pay Nova 12.7 million common shares and a further 35.6 million should Nova contain 29.2 million tonnes of potassium chloride within the sylvinite zone. (At press time, these 48.3 million shares are worth $28.7 million.) Should Nova contain more than 45 million tonnes of potassium chloride within the sylvinite zone, Allana will pay $7.5 million more, with a cap of 25% of Allana common shares.

How much potash does Nova contain? Kelertas responds, “We have a general idea because Nova has already drilled 21 holes, and we’re reviewing the data now. Our geologist has already come to the conclusion that there is quite a bit of potash in the form of sylvinite in the area. It’s contiguous to our own site, so the geology is probably very similar. We’ll go ahead and commence an exploration drill program for another 20 holes, and that will firm up the resource. Our expectation is we’ll probably prove up anywhere from 25 million tonnes to 45 million tonnes of mineable KCl (sylvinite) on that site, but that’s just an estimate for now.”

The Dallol Project’s resource is already considerable. According to an April 30 43-101 report, it contains 1.3 billion tonnes measured and indicated with an average grade of 19.3% KCl for a total of 251 Million tonnes of KCl, with an inferred resource of 588.2 million tonnes with an average grade of 18.6% KCl for a total of 109 million tonnes of contained KCl. The total measured and indicated sylvinite resource is 171.4 million tonnes with an average grade of 31% KCl for a total of 53 million tonnes of contained KCl, and the total inferred sylvinite resource is 46.6 million tonnes with an average grade of 30.3% KCl for a total of 14 Million tonnes of KCl.

The Nova property gives Allana not only more potash but the means to mine it. Kelertas explains, “We’re also acquiring substantial water resources in that area. This is potable water we can use for a solution-mining process. Now that we’ve got Nova, we’re not going to be a small player anymore.”

Water is crucial in Ethiopia. Kelertas says, “We’re doing water testing on our site and on Nova’s site, and that’s progressing well. The studies we’ve done indicate there is lots of water on our property and Nova’s property, especially in the southwest. We’ve also done some work on pilot testing of recharge rates. It’s one thing to take water from the ground, but it is another to see how quickly it is recharged. Reflectivity analysis has shown not only a lot of water, but the recharge rates are pretty good, especially from the alluvial-fan area, which flows right into the Nova property and some parts of our property.”

In addition to water testing, Allana furthers its rock mechanic work. Kelertas says, “We’re doing a well test and cavern test to see how large the caverns have to be to be able to pump water down and then create a brine and be able to pump the potash and sylvinite out of the ground.”

Meanwhile, Allana works on its updated feasibility study. According to Kelertas, this should be published by “the first part of 2013.” He adds that the Nova property has likely been added to Dallol too late to be included in the update. “Our view is the bankable feasibility study will probably just concentrate mostly on our current concession. If we can add some information on Nova, it will be great, but if it’s not ready, we’ll have to do a separate economic assessment. Because the geology is so similar, we probably will be able to get quite a bit of the Nova property resource firmed up and put into our bankable feasibility. So it all depends on how quickly the drill results come through on the 20 holes we have to drill with Nova. If it takes too long, we’ll have to leave it out.”

The current PEA of November 2011 forecasts (at a 12% discount rate) an aftertax net present value (NPV) of US$1.85 billion, an aftertax internal rate of return (IRR) of 36.8%, a total CAPEX of US$796 million, total operating expenditures a per-tonne basis of US$90.54 and a 30-year mine life.

Western companies have not been welcome in Ethiopia for very long, so the death in August of modernizing Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has raised questions. Kelertas is pleased to report a seemingly seamless transition. “The Deputy PM took over, and there haven’t been any incidents or uprisings or upheaval in government services or anything similar. In terms of the security around our site, we’re basically in the middle of nowhere, and we’re also not far from the Eritrean border. There have been no real border skirmishes for the last five to six years between Eritrea and Ethiopia. There is peace now, and a very large garrison of Ethiopian troops is stationed between our minesite and the border, so stability in the region is now the norm.”

Macro security has been settled and micro as well. “Of course, we get a lot of people coming in looking for employment opportunities, so we have to let them know we’re not ready to hire extensively at this time, although we have with our pilot-testing program. So the security at the minesite has been basically non-active, and they haven’t had to do much compared to some other African countries, where there’s always some threat of an uprising or a Taliban threat, we’ve not seen that in Ethiopia at all.”

And the improvement of Ethiopia’s infrastructure continues apace. “Over the last 10 years, the Ethiopian government has spent something like $1.5 billion in improving the road system,” Kelertas says. “Now we’ve had most of the roads around our area completely rebuilt and set up for haul roads to be able to ship our products. There is also a paved highway that’s close by, and we’ve also got our road system into our camp and an airstrip that we put in with government help.

“Also, there is another 30 to 40 kilometres worth of road that is being rebuilt and brought up to spec, and will connect our project all the way down into Djibouti. We’re quite pleased with the road infrastructure improvements so far carried out by the government.”

Rail is being modernized as well. “About 5,000 kilometres will be rebuilt to the tune of something like $7 billion to $10 billion,” Kelertas says. “Several contracts have already been awarded with Chinese, Indian and Turkish firms. A new rail system will be available to us by 2016 or 2017. A dedicated rail system from our minesite to connect up with one of the new major rail lines that goes to the Port of Djibouti is still under discussion. It will probably cost the Ethiopian government about $800 million to build, and we’ll have to pay tipping fees to use it.”

With a resource, roads and rail, Allana now looks to end users. “We’ve got three different groups of interested parties, and we’re still in negotiations right now,” Kelertas says. “There are several parties who are interested in looking at us as either a joint-venture partner or as a silent partner for them to get into potash production in that part of the world. Some of them are located in different parts of the industrialized world and are talking to us about possibly putting together a partnership.”

Allana is committed to production. According to Kelertas, “I know there are several interested parties who want us to be successful and move to production, and some sovereign funds are certainly talking to us about that. But someone may come by and say ‘This is a strategic asset now that we’ve proven it up. They have lots of water and have doubled their size, so let’s go into partnership or just take them out completely.’ So that’s a possibility, but we’re not counting on it. We’re working on taking this project to production within the next two years.”

Kelertas emphasizes, “We’re not going to give the company away. There is no doubt that we’ll be very, very tough negotiators, if someone comes in and offers a ridiculously low price. Even a normal premium of 30% to 40% to our current share price would like be too low. This stock was well over $2 for a long period of time, and now we’ve progressed and doubled our size. So we’re worth a heck of a lot more than the market suggests we are. Even our current preliminary economic assessment, if you take a look at that valuation using a 12% discount or use whatever discount rate you want (14% or 15%), we’re extremely undervalued. Now that we’ve added Nova, I think we’re the best bargain on the street right now.”

As for production, “We’re hoping to get the first tonnes out the door by the end of 2014, early 2015. Then we’ll be ramping up, and it will take us to 250,000 tonnes over the first year in 2015, three-quarters of a million tonnes in 2016 and full production by 2017 (that’s with contingencies and delays). We hope we can get up and running sooner. Then after that, once we have cashflow coming in, and we have ramped up, we can get our second phase to reach two million tonnes. That’s just on the property that we have now and with the water we have now. This is without our Nova property. We don’t even have to worry about Nova. In seven to 10 years, we could be at five million tonnes, using Nova’s resources.”

And as for a future glut of potash, Kelertas says this, “We have a lot of evidence that suggests to us that the market will be a lot tighter over the next five years. As projects are getting delayed and postponed, downsized or even abandoned, we don’t think we’re going to have that serious of an oversupply issue. There is no substitute for potash, and the industrialized world cannot continue to feed the rest of the world. Hence, for drought protection and yield improvement you need potash. Africa consumes only about 800,000 tonnes right now, and we think it can consume anywhere from eight to 10 million tonnes in the next 10 years or so.”

At press time, Allana had 228.5 million shares trading at $0.59 for a market cap of $134.8 million.

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Monday, October 22, 2012 - YouTube

Ethiopia : refusing to move out from palace - report

By ARGAW ASHINE

Daily Nation
The powerful widow of former prime minister Meles Zenawi is reportedly stalling on vacating Ethiopia's national palace for the country's new leader and his family.
According to government sources, Mrs Azeb Mesfin has ignored instructions to move to a new residence that would also be accorded full security detail.
The government has given Mrs Azeb and her children the option of three residential villas in Addis Ababa but she is said to have refused to even visit any out of her own security concerns.
Government officials recently wrote a letter requesting her to leave the palace for the new prime minister, Mr Hailemariam Desalegn.
The new leader and his family are currently living in a small residential villa in the western suburb of the capital.
Mr Hailemariam was sworn in last month after having served as interim premier since Mr Meles' death on August 20. An internal struggle over whether to confirm him into office was said to have had the widow as one of the main players.
Due to the delay in transferring the palace, Mr Hailemariam is forced to stay in office late in the night and head back very early in the morning to avoid being inconvenienced by the busy Addis Ababa street that leads from his current home to his office. He is reportedly also avoiding inconveniencing city residents and uses less security detail than his predecessor.
The government has deployed tight security around his current home but wants him to move to the more guarded palace.
Mrs Azeb is one of the top officials and a former rebel fighter under the Tigrian Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), one of the four coalition partners of the powerful ruling party, during the 17-year armed struggle against Mengistu Hailemariam's Marxist regime.
A mother of three, she secured a parliamentary seat in 2005 and was re-elected in 2010.
She also heads the multi-billion dollar ruling party-owned business conglomerate, EFFORT.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn`s Responses to the parleiament - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Saturday, October 13, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Thursday, October 11, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - YouTube

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Bereket Simon at Meet ETV : By Tefera Gedamu - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Sunday, September 30, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Friday, September 28, 2012 - YouTube

The New Ehtiopian Premier Speech at the UN -28/092012

28 September 2012 – In his maiden speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemarim Desalegn, today said that his country will keep contributing to regional integration efforts, but its success in this regard will depend on conditions being met in two areas: peace and stability and the challenge of extremism, and issues related to its capacity to ensure sustainable development.

“We foresee huge possibilities for bringing the countries of the greater Horn of Africa together,” Prime Minister Desalegn told the 67th Assembly’s General Debate, taking place at UN Headquarters in New York, not long after assuming office in the wake of the death of his predecessor, long-serving Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, in August.

Prime Minister Desalegn noted that the Ethiopia has already made progress in regional integration, playing a “catalytic role” in laying the infrastructural basis for consolidating economic ties with the countries of the East Africa region.

“The electric power interconnections and the road networks that we have built, and are in the process of building with Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya and South Sudan, are emblematic of our resolve to play our part in regional integration. We are confident that Somalia and others, without exception, will follow suit,” he said. “But our success in all this hinges on a number of conditions being met, all of which are not exactly amenable to our unilateral initiative.”

In relation to peace and stability and the challenge of extremism in the region, he pointed to his country’s neighbours Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with a series of landmark steps over recent months helping bring an end to the country’s eight-year political transition period. These steps included the adoption of a provisional constitution, the establishment of a new parliament and the selection of a new president.

However, despite the recent advances in its peace and national reconciliation process, Somalia – with the support of the UN-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) – is still dealing with the impact of the Al-Shabaab militant group, which has been pushed out of Mogadishu but still controls some areas, primarily in south-central regions of the country.

“Somalia is gradually coming out of the woods,” Prime Minister Desalegn said. “But much and much more needs to be done in Somalia to ensure that the new Government stands on its own feet.”

He added, “We would be naive, however, if we believed that the enemies of peace of Somalia and the region are completely defeated. That is why it is so critical that the momentum is not lost in Somalia and Somalia's ownership of the process of national reconciliation is strengthened.”

On relations between Sudan and South, the Prime Minister said his country was pleased about the major progress in the peace process between the two, and is confident the two will maintain the momentum towards “durable” peace.

South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July last year, six years after the signing of the peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the north and the south. However, the peace between the two countries came under threat in recent months over armed clashes along their common border and outstanding post-independence issues that have yet to be resolved.

Earlier this week, at talks held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel, the two countries’ Governments signed agreements on security, the common border and economic relations.

“What has been achieved by the two parties over the last few days which culminated in the signing of the much anticipated agreements on vital matters is a significant breakthrough which needs to be consolidated and is used as a basis for resolving the still remaining outstanding issues,” the Ethiopian leader said. “We are confident the two parties appreciate how much their joint effort for a win-win outcome is so vital, not only for their peoples, but also for us all.”

In relation to Ethiopia’s capacity to ensure sustainable development, Prime Minister Desalegn stated that there is a huge deficit in international cooperation for the development of low income countries and those that are the least developed.

“At the end of the day, without ignoring other impediments to development, the major bottleneck for countries such as Ethiopia for ensuring sustainable development and successfully achieving the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) is related to shortfalls in development finance,” he said, referring to the eight MDGs, agreed on by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, which set specific targets on poverty alleviation, education and environmental stability, in addition to other areas.

He added that the current global economic situation should never be allowed to detract attention from the critical need for development finance in low income countries, noting that Ethiopia’s challenge in this regard is compounded and made even worse by climate change and it seeks “effective cooperation” in this endeavour.

“This should rest on full commitment to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,” he said. “It might be boring to repeat something that is universally acknowledged – while not having contributed to climate change, countries such as Ethiopia nonetheless happen to be the most affected.”

Prime Minister Desalegn is one of scores of world leaders and other high-level officials presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly’s General Debate, which ends on 1 October.

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn : Interview Part 1 & 2 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Monday, September 24, 2012 - YouTube

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Ethiopian News in Amharic - Sunday, September 23, 2012 - YouTube

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TPLF Central Committee Statement on Current Events in Ethiopia - YouTube

TPLF Central Committee Statement on Current Events in Ethiopia - YouTube: ""

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Seyoum Mesfin and Abadula Gemeda on Current Events in Ethiopia - YouTube

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Ethiopia's new leader takes oath of office

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took the oath of office Friday, vowing to maintain the legacy of long-time ruler Meles Zenawi who died last month.

"I, Hailemariam Desalegn, in front of the parliament, accept to be the prime minister of Ethiopia," he said, as lawmakers banged on their desks in support.

Hailemariam, 47, was elected last week as the chairman of the ruling coalition Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which holds an overwhelming majority in parliament.

"With the decision of the EPRDF and the parliament, I am very happy to take the responsibility of being prime minister," he said, speaking after taking the oath with his hand on the bible.

A close ally of Meles as deputy prime minister and foreign minister since 2010, Hailemariam vowed to continue in the footsteps of the late ruler.

"We brought peace, democracy and development to the country," he said.

"Meles considered himself as a son of the people," he added, promising to continue "Meles's legacy without any change."

Some analysts have argued that Hailemariam will be handicapped by his relatively young age, lack of experience and the fact he was not part of the still powerful core of former rebels who seized power in 1991.

Education minister Demeke Mekonnen, elected last week as deputy chair of the EPRDF, was elected deputy prime minister, taking over the post from Hailemariam.

"I will serve the country and faithfully serve the prime minister," Demeke said as he took the oath.

He vouched his support for Hailemariam, praising his "leadership with the late prime minister" and his "significant role in the EPRDF regarding democracy, and the development of the country."

Hailemariam, a Protestant, comes from the minority Wolayta people, from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, where he was president for five years.

Demeke, from the Amhara people of Ethiopia's central highlands -- who make up around a quarter of the country's 84 million people -- is a Muslim.

"What is very surprising is that you now have in power a Protestant Wolayta and a Muslim Amhara," a Western diplomat told AFP, noting that for the first time neither of the top two leaders were members of Ethiopia's Orthodox church.

Meles, who died after a long illness aged 57, was hailed as an African hero and was a key Western ally in a region home to Al-Qaeda-linked groups, but was also criticised by rights groups for a crackdown on basic freedoms.

But in his acceptance speech Hailemariam appeared to address concerns by human rights groups, who have said the new leadership offers an opportunity for change.

"We will reinforce democracy and human rights in the country. If there are problems, we will fix it," Hailemariam said.

"We will work with human rights organisations, the national elections board and some opposition parties," he added.

Some analysts say Hailemariam's ethnic origins in the south of the country will play against him as many key figures, like Meles, hail from the Tigray region in the north of the country.

Others argue that on the contrary his position outside the Tigray power base will work in his favour.

"His ethnicity is considered an advantage, because it is a minority in a multi-ethnic region and, most importantly, not from the numerically dominant Oromo or Amhara," International Crisis Group said in a recent report.

Ethiopia Swears In New Prime Minister : PM Hailemariam Desalegn - YouTube

Ethiopia Swears In New Prime Minister : PM Hailemariam Desalegn - YouTube: ""

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn's Acceptance Speech - YouTube

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn's Acceptance Speech - YouTube: ""

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PM Hailemariam Desalegn Sworn In as Ethiopia's Prime Minister - YouTube

PM Hailemariam Desalegn Sworn In as Ethiopia's Prime Minister - YouTube: ""

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Ethiopian News - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - YouTube

Ethiopian News - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - YouTube: ""

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Ethiopian News - Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - YouTube

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The Ruling Ethiopian Party to Elect New Prime Minster Tomorrow - YouTube

The Ruling Ethiopian Party to Elect New Prime Minster Tomorrow - YouTube: ""

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Ethiopia to choose Meles successor - Africa | IOL News | IOL.co.za

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's ruling coalition will hold a two-day governing council meeting from Friday to choose a leader to succeed former prime minister Meles Zenawi, who died last month, it said.

“The council assigns the chairperson of the organisation that replaces our great leader, who departed from us suddenly,” said an online statement Thursday by the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

During his 21 years in power, Meles was both EPRDF chairman and prime minister.

Government spokesman Bereket Simon told AFP that “automatically the chairperson will be the prime minister.”

However while this was the case under Meles, there is nothing to say that it will remain the same following his death, said a western diplomatic source in Addis Ababa.

After Meles's death, deputy prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn was quickly named interim prime minister and presented by the government as the natural successor to the long-time ruler, who had groomed Hailemariam as his heir.

Parliament, however, has not yet reconvened to confirm Hailemariam as the country's new leader.

An extraordinary session of parliament set for the end of August was cancelled and government spokesman Bereket told AFP that there was “no hurry” to reconvene the legislative body.

“There is no reason it will do it (reopen) before the last Monday of September,” Bereket said.

Hailemariam, 47, is considered an outsider compared to other core members of the ruling coalition, despite having held several high-ranking positions, including the post of foreign minister, according to analysts.

He did not participate in the guerilla war that ousted dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam from power in 1991 and does not come from the same northern Tigray region as Meles.

Hailemariam also belongs to Ethiopia's minority protestant faith rather than the country's dominant Christian Orthodox church. - Sapa-AFP