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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Meles Zenawi Propaganda on Tigerian Liberation of Ethiopia - YouTube

Ethiopian Evening News in Amharic Showing North Korean type imposed mourning- Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - YouTube

Ethiopian Evening News in Amharic - Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - YouTube: ""

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ethiopia: Meles Zenawi's successor faces challenges



An Ethiopian Airlines stewardess inspects the aisles of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Addis Ababa (File)Ethiopia is working hard to raise its profile on the international stage

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Ethiopia has just taken delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, said to be the world's most advanced passenger plane. Another nine aircraft are on order.
It is perhaps a symbol that Ethiopia is on the up, shedding its old image as a land of poverty, famine and suffering.
Yet step outside Addis Ababa's Bole Airport onto the streets of the Ethiopian capital, and you can see immediate signs that the country still has a long way to go.
Beggars crowd around the cars stopped at city intersections. Goats are herded down the main thoroughfares, jostling for space with the traffic.
In the smaller backstreets of Addis Ababa, vehicles weave erratically to avoid the huge potholes made worse by the winter rains.

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Now that Meles is gone, the weaknesses of the regime that he built are more likely to be exposed and the repercussions could be felt across the region”
Emilio ManfrediInternational Crisis Group
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's Prime Minister who died earlier this week, had made economic growth and development his number one priority.
During the last eight years of his premiership, there was record growth, as high as 11%. It has been driven primarily by agriculture, including the development of the flower export market.
Building on this economic success will be the challenge for Mr Meles's successor, Hailemariam Desalegn.
However, Ethiopia's acting prime minister will also have to manage a tricky political transition.
'Change of power'
The country has only had three major leaders since 1930 - Emperor Haile Selassie, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam and Meles Zenawi.
This is the first time in the 82 years since Haile Selassie's coronation that there is the prospect of an orderly change of power.
Government officials have insisted that Mr Meles's policies will continue to be followed, and that the ruling party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), is solidly behind the leadership that will be provided by Mr Hailemariam when he is confirmed by parliament as the new prime minister after Mr Meles's funeral on 2 September.
Mr Hailemariam, 47, served jointly as Mr Meles' deputy and as foreign minister. He represents the younger generation of Ethiopian leaders. He was not a rebel fighter in the years preceding the overthrow of Colonel Mengistu's regime in 1991.
He studied water engineering in Finland, and comes from southern Ethiopia, rather than Tigray, the heartland of opposition during the war years.
For this reason, the Brussels-based think-tank the International Crisis Group says Mr Hailemariam might only be "a figurehead stopgap".
Hailemariam Desalegn is to succeed the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi (File) Analysts say Hailemariam Desalegn will lead a "stopgap" government before the 2015 elections
"It is probable the new government will be more fragile, the security forces more influential and internal stability endangered," says the ICG.
There remains little doubt that the Tigrayan elite have held the real power in Ethiopia since their tanks rolled into Addis Ababa 21 years ago.
A source in Addis Ababa admits it will be harder for Mr Hailemariam as he will not carry "the same clout" as Mr Meles, but points out that the new prime minister is highly regarded and has done a good job in charge of the southern region of Ethiopia, which has a complicated ethnic mix.
The government has given assurances that Mr Hailemariam will serve as prime minister until the next national elections in 2015.
However, it is not inconceivable that there could be an EPRDF leadership challenge, leading to a change of prime minister.
One person mentioned as a possible successor to Mr Meles during the illness that preceded his death was his wife, Azeb Mesfin.
She is said to be deeply unpopular though, and lacks a serious power base.
Another prospective leader is Berhane Gebre Kristos, a former ambassador in Europe and America, who also hails from the northern province of Tigray.
'Democratic centralism'
Sources in Addis Ababa say there has been no sign of disagreement or quarrelling within the EPRDF during the last two uncertain months.
A woman suffering from malnutrition arrives at a medical centre in the town of Kuyera, Ethiopia (File)Large parts of Ethiopia lack basic amenities
But the ruling party, while disciplined, has always maintained a culture of secrecy and suspicion, stemming from the years of warfare in the northern mountains, when they looked to Enver Hoxha's Albania for political inspiration.
As prime minister, Mr Meles nearly always operated by consensus. Some observers have called it "democratic centralism". But this came with an often heavy-handed, authoritarian streak to his leadership as he held the ring in the face of opposition in the ruling party, or within his own Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) faction.
He has also seen off the challenge from the opposition who hold just one seat in parliament.
"Now that Meles is gone, the weaknesses of the regime that he built are more likely to be exposed, and the repercussions could be felt across the region," says Emilio Manfredi, the ICG's Ethiopia analyst.
Ethiopia lies at the heart of a troubled region. It has troops deployed in Somalia in the fight against Islamist militants. Eritrea has become an international pariah. Sudan and South Sudan are experiencing serious tensions in their new relationship.
Ethiopia, intent on raising its profile on the international stage, can ill afford to falter at this crucial moment.

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Haile GebrSelassie's Crocodile tears for a deadly dictator

Death of dictator his wife Azeb Mesfin, mourning - YouTube

Ethiopia Delays Installation of New Prime Minister


Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, middle, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during an official function (file photo)
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VOA News
Ethiopia has delayed plans to swear in Hailemariam Desalegn as the new prime minister, following Monday's death of Meles Zenawi.

Parliament had been expected to hold an emergency session Thursday to install Mr. Desalegn. He had served as Mr. Meles' deputy since 2010.

However, the government communications office issued a statement late Wednesday saying the session had been canceled. There was no immediate word on what prompted the delay or when an installation will take place.

Crowds of mourners gathered outside of the presidential palace in Addis Ababa Wednesday to pay their respects to Mr. Meles. The 57-year-old leader died from an infection while being treated abroad.

On Tuesday, Communications Minister Bereket Simon rejected concerns about a power vacuum resulting from Mr. Meles' death.  He told VOA the country's leadership is united and the government is as "strong as ever."

Mr. Meles ruled and tightly controlled Ethiopia for more than 20 years.

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Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hailemariam Desalegn to run Ethiopia until 2015 | World news | The Guardian

Ethiopia's acting prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, announced as leader following Meles Zenawi's death
Hailemariam Desalegn
Hailemariam Desalegn is to be sworn in as Ethiopia's prime minister. Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA
Ethiopia's acting prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, will run the country until an election in 2015, in a sign that the ruling party is determined to ensure a smooth transfer of power following the death ofMeles Zenawi.
Meles, 57, died on Monday in a Brussels hospital after a long illness, leaving a gaping hole in Ethiopian politics and depriving western powers of a trusted ally in the fight against Islamist militants in the Horn of Africa.
"He [Hailemariam] will be the prime minister until 2015. He is to be sworn in and he is to finish the five-year term of government and that is indisputable," government spokesman Bereket Simon said.
Parliament would be summoned within the next two days and Hailemariam would be sworn in as prime minister, Bereket said.
Mourners gathered to witness Meles's casket arriving in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Tuesday. His body is now lying in his private residence as preparations are made for a state funeral.
Bereket said that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, a coalition of regionally based parties, would hold a party congress at an undisclosed date to nominate a leader but said there was no scenario under which Hailemariam would not remain as premier.
Speculation had been rife that a potentially divisive race for the top post would follow Meles's death. Asked whether all coalition members had approved Hailemariam's selection, Bereket said: "They have no problem with this."

Ethiopians mourn death of PM Meles Zenawi - YouTube

Ethiopians mourn death of PM Meles Zenawi - YouTube: ""

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Ethiopian gov’t signs peace accord with Benishangul’s rebel group | News

The Ethiopian government on Wednesday signed a peace agreement with Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM) aimed at ending the latter’s armed struggle for independence.
In January 2005, the BPLM signed a peace agreement for the first time with the Ethiopian government. However, a year later the agreement was broken and armed conflict was resumed.

According to John Young, a political analyst, much of the infrastructure of Benishangul, including schools and clinics, had been destroyed by the armed group based in Sudan which is believed to be BPLM.

For about 17 years, BPLM was involved in “anti-development” and “anti-peace” activities hand-in-hand with other armed groups across the Ethio-Sudanese border, Abebe Worku, public relation officer at Ministry of Federal Affairs (MoFdA) told The Reporter.

“For about two years, the Ethiopian government has been dealing with BPLM to nullity their activities,” Abebe said.

Last Wednesday, after a long debate, the peace agreement was signed at Ghion Hotel between Jafar Mustafa, deputy chairperson of BPLM and Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Federal Affairs representing the Ethiopian government.

According to analysts present at the signing ceremony, the peace agreement will enable the facilitation of the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam and will avert threats from the armed group.

Recently the Ethiopian government and the United Western Somali Liberation Front signed a peace accord after various rounds of peace talks. However, observers say that the intention was to safeguard the security of the Oil region of Ogaden from the ONLF-Ogaden National Liberation Front, another armed group which was labeled as a terrorist group by the parliament.

BPLM, which is a Muslim organization and an advocate of self-determination, was formed in the early 1990s with its base in Sudan and Eritrea.

According to Young, the government of Sudan had resumed its support for the movement of the armed group, though there is no evidence for this contention.

In particular, the Sudan government had developed relations with the group since it is ideologically close to the Khartoum regime, Young added.
Moreover, the BPLM drew support from various tribes including Gumuz, Koma, Maa, but, above all, from the entirely Muslim Berti or Funj tribe.