Group: Ethiopia regularly records phone calls

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A rights group says that Ethiopia's government regularly listens to and records the phone calls of opposition activists and journalists using equipment provided by foreign technology companies.

Human Rights Watch said in a report Friday that the foreign equipment aids the Ethiopian government's surveillance of perceived political opponents inside and outside the country.

The group's Arvind Ganesan said Ethiopia is using its government-controlled telecom system to silence dissenters. The group says that recorded phone calls with family and friends are often played during abusive interrogations.

Human Rights Watch said most of the monitoring technology is provided by the Chinese firm ZTE. Several European companies have also provided equipment, the group said, including from the U.K., Germany and Italy.

=>yahoo news

Kibba Afriikaa Keessatti Hiriirro Mormii Guddaan Hawaasa Oromoo fi Ogaadeniin Gaggeefame

Bitootessa 21, 2014

Gaafa Bitootessa 18,2014 ummanni Oromoo fi Ogaadeen kibba Afriikaa jiraatan walgahii mootummoonni Afriikaa 54 guyyaa hundeeffama Pan-African Prliament kabajachuuf torbaan lamaaf Afirikaa kibbaa magaalaa Johannesburg bakka Midrand  jedhamutti yeroo gaggeefatan hawaasi Oromoo fi Ogaadeen tokkummaan ta’uun miidhaa mootummaan Wayyaanee fi abbaa irree EPRDF uumattoota Ithiopia irraan gahaa jiru balaaleffachuun sagalee mormii jabaa dhageessisuun gabaafame.

Haala kanaan manni dhaabbataan African Parliament jedhamu salgalee mormii uumanni dhageessise kana dhagahuun waan barbaachisu maraan gaaffiin cunqurfamtootaa akka dhagahamu akka taasisaniif gaaffiin dhihaatee jira.

Walgahii Pan Africa kana irratti mootummaa Ethiopia bakka bu’ee kan argamu muummicha ministeera H/Mariyam Dassalenyii fi ministeera haajaa alaa akkasumas nama biro tokko ture. Haala kanaan H/Mariyam Dassaleny walgahii kana irratti kan argamuuf ture guutummaatti haquun walgahii kana irraa osoo hin hirmaatiin hanqachuu gabaasi achi irraa nu gahe addeessa.

=>ayyaantuu

Buqqifama Oromoota Shaggarii fi Naannoo Isaa – Kutaa Sadaffaa

Taammanaa Bitimaa irraa*-

DURADUBBII
Dubbiftoota barreeffama kanaa jaalatamoo fi kabajamoo, kutaalee lamaan dabran akka argattanii dubbiftan nan abdaddha. Xumura kutaa lammaffaa keessatti, kunoo akkana jedheetan buleeyyu: “Kutaa isa kanatti aanu keessatti waayee seenaa Oromoo Gullallee waggaalee hedduu dura walitti qabe keessaan waa isinitti qicaa, mee hammasitti nagaa fi nageenyi qeyee hunda keessanii irraa hin dhabamini!” Ilaamee, amma akkuma jedhame kanatti kallachumaan inni jedhame kun jalqabamaa, yoo yeroon fi wanneen biroo isiniif hayyaman mee duukaa-bu’uuf yaalaa!

SEENSA
Akkuman kanaan dura barreeffatoota kiyya garii keessatti deddeebisee ibse sana, Oromoonni kalachumatti daangaa Biyya Habashaa wajjin qaban, bara akkaan dheeraa tahe, waraana weerartoota Habashaa ofirraa ittisaa turani. Gaafiin: “Oromoonni kun eenyu fayi?”, jedhu dhiyaachuun isaa waan ooluu mitii, mee amma eenyu faa akka isaan tahan ibsama. Oromoonni duris, harras qarmammeettii-tti daangaleen isaanii daangaa Habashootaa wajjin waltuqu Oromoota: Raayyaa fi Asibuu, Walloo, Tuulamaa keessaa (Bacho Kaabaa, Jirruu, Abbichuu, Darraa, Jaarso Salaalee, Kuyyuu, Jidda, Galaan, Ada’a Waayyuu, Ada’a Liiban, Jillee Kaabaa fi Gimbichuu faa), Macha Bahaa keessaa Torban Kuttaayee, Calliya, Torban Guduruu, Jimma Raaree,  Kudhalamaan Horroo  fi Amuuruu fayi. Oromoonni kun gara waggaalee 300 olii akka dallaa sibiilaatti waraana warra Habashaa dura dhabatanii ofi irraayyis, Oromoota biroo irraayyis, dabraniituu uummatoota Kibbaa hedduu irraayyis dhoorkaa turani. Isaan warreen kanaa olitti kaafaman kanneen irraayyi waraana Habashaa dhoowwina jedhanii otoo hin taane, isaan ofuma irraa dhoowwuu sanatu mataan isaa weerartoonni kun warreen jedhaman kana akka hin qabamneef ittisaa ture.

Haatahu malee, bara 1868 irraa kaasee dallaan sibiilaa sun waan humna Habashootaa kan meeshaa Oroppaa irraa maqaa Kiristaanummaatiin argatee fi leenjiftoota-waraanaa, riqicha-tolchituu fi kaarta-qartuu warra Oroppaatiin gargaaramee dallaa sibiilaa kana olitti ibsame san cabsuu dandaye. Oromoonni kun Minilikiin cabsamanii qabamuun Oromoonni biroo fi uummatoonni Kibbaa akka cabanii qabaman taasise. Keessumaa erga akaakayyuun Minilik kan Sayila-Sillaasee jedhamu akka namoonni Oroppaa biyya isaa seenaniif karaa baneefii: imaltoonni, daldaltoonni, misiyoononni fi jabdooteewwan (“adventurers“) hedduun Biyya Habashaa isa karaa kanaan jiruu, gara Manjeetti yaa’aa turani. Inni yoo xiqqaate waggaatti yeroo lama Oromoota Tuulamaa: Abbichuu, Jirruu, Darraa, Salaalee, Bacho Kaabaa, Jillee Kaabaa, Gimbichuu, Galaan, Meettaa, Muloo (Sululta), Gullallee, Aabbu, Ada’a Liibanii fi Eekkaa faatti duulaa ture. Kun kan inni gaggeessaa waraanaa tahee, abbunni taabota baachisee duukaa-yaa’u malee, inni abbootiin duulaa (“raasonni“) duulchisan waggaatti jahaa torba faa ture. Namoota Oroppaa kanneen qeyee Saayila-Sillaasee turan keessaa gariin fakkeenyaaf, kan akka Major Harris (nama Biritaaniyaa guddoo), J. L. Krapf (nama Jarmanii) faa duukaa-deemuun oggaa warranni Habashaa kun qeyee Oromoo fi midhaanillee oobruu (maasii) keessatti ibiddaan barbadeessu, loonii fi fardeen kumaa hedduun lakkaawaman boojiyatu, namas gabaa baasee gurgursiifachuuf qabatu: ijoollee, dubartoota, daddhabdootaa fi dhukkubsatoota daggalaa fi tusii keessa dhokatanillee qabsiisee gorraasisu jarreen kun arguun barreessanii jiru.*

SEENAA OROMOO GULLALLEE
Warri abbootii ibiddaa, warri abbootii gabraa, warri abbootii qawwee kun, eekaa mootoliin Amaaraa garri irra caalan silaa shiftootaa, silaa gaadduu fi saamtuu dhaa, Biyya Oromoo isa Shaggar irraa gara kaabaatti argamu guubaa, barbadeessaa oggaa daangaa Oromoota Kurnan Gullallee gawuuf waa hafu, silaa Oromoonni naannoo kanaa marti oggaa san sirna gadaatiin buluu, yaa’iin Kurnan Gullallee hatattamaan waamame. Yaa’iin seena-qabeessichi kun wiirtuu Finfinnee Shaggar, bakka durattumaa yaa’iin Gullallee itti-tahutti ture. Bakki kun Tulluu Daalattii kan jedhamu iddoo amma silaa Mallas Zeenaa sokkee, amma Hayila-Maaram Dassaalany taa’ee, ajajaa fi abboommii warra Wayyaanee fixaan-baasu kana, isa afaan warra abbaa qawweetiin “Taallaaquu Beetamangist” jedhamu.**

Yaa’iin Gullallee guyyaa guutuu wal-mariyaachaa oolee, booda sagalee tokkoon waraana Minilik dura dhaabachuuf murtii dabarse. Yaa’ii sana irratti yaada lamatu wal nama falmisiisaa ture. Inni tokko: “Sidaamni nuti dur eeboo fi wantaan (gaachanaan) ofirraa ittisaa turre, amma miya waraanaa Biyyoota Faranjii irraa argateen nutti dhufaatoo jira. Nuti garuu miya waraanaa kan akka eeboo fi wantaa faa malee, homaayyuu harkaa hin qabnu. Kanaaf, odoo hin lolin harka-kennannee wanna tokko tokkorratti waliigalu dandeenya. Waraanni Oromoota biraa kan nurra jajjaboo Abbichuu fi Galaan faayyuu moyamanii jiru.”  Yaanni inni lammafaan garuu, “waanuma qabnuun dura gorra malee, diinatti harka hin keennannu. Oromoon diinatti harka keennatee hin beekuu, nuti kana gochuun maqaa Gullallee, maqaa Tuulamaa dabrees maqaa Oromoo hin balleessinu!”, kan jedhamu ture. Booda guyyaa guutuu wal-mariyachuu fi wal-amansiisuun sagalee tokkoon dura dhaabachuuf murtiin dabarfame.

Murtii yaa’ii seena-qabeessicha kanaa keessaa gariin Ernisto Cerulli: “The Folk-Literature of the Galla of Southern Abyssinia, Cambridge, 1922“, keessatti barreeffamee jira. Inni kanaa gaditti isiniif dhiyeeffamu garuu, kanan Oromoota Gullallee fi Oromoota ollaalee isaanii: Aabbuu, Eekkaa fi dabrees Oromoota erga Oromiyaan qabamtee asii dubbii, gibraa fi “waltaraa“-f Shaggaritti marmaaraa turan, kanneen gosaan Jahan Bachoo fi Afran Walisoo tahan irraan dhagayee walitti qabeeyyu. Namoonni kun Shaggar gayuuf, keessumaa ganna-ganna guyyaalee lamaa fi sadii faa isaan irraa fudhata ture. Otoo wiirtuu Shaggar hin dhaqqabin gandeen warra Gullallee keessa waan dabraniif yookaan bulaniif, gariin isaan wajjin firummaa hundeeffatu ture. Egaa, kanaaf namoonni Bachoo fi Walisoo kanneen akkanaa kun, seenaa Oromoota Gullallee akka gaariitti beeku. Naannoo kana: biyya Jahan Bachootti,  Sadeen Sooddotti, Afran Walisootti, Jahan Ammayyaatti, Torban Kuttaayeetti, Sadeen Aabbuutti, Afran Abbichuutti, Jahan Galaanitti, maarree Tuulama guutuu fi Macca Bahaatti harrallee namni sirba geerrarsaa fi dhiichisaa keessatti maqaa jagnicha Oromoo Gullallee, maqaa Tufaa Munaa kaasuun sirba. Oromoota Gullallee gabroomfatoonni Habashaa isaan duris, isaan hardhas dachee isaanii irraa buqqisanillee maqaan isaanii buqqifamee hin bannee kunoo ni jira.

Egaa, isa kanaa gadii kana waanan kanaan dura, kitaabee “MANDIISUU” jedhamtu irratti baaseefan isuma keessaa waa isiniif tuqa. Ilaamee akkana jedha, murtiin yaa’ii Oromoota Gullallee bara sanaa (1875) inni walaloo-dhaan dabarfameeyyu***:

Koottu,
Dhufe, Akka ati dhufte,
Nagaan biyyattaa dhufu,
Toltuun warrattaa dhufu,
Kormi gorbattaa dhufu,
Midhaan qeyeettaa dhufu!

Tume seera,
Muree seera,
Seerri seera Gullalleeti,
Seerri seera Tuulamaati,
Seerri seera abbootii Oromooti,
Hin darbatamu,
Hin dagatamu!

Luugama fardarraan baasin,
Meendhacha harkarraan baasin,
Kan dhufaa jiru diinaa,
Diinatti harkan kennatin!

Dhakaa kattaa tayii,
Dura jaajji,
Wantaa baldhaa tayi,
Dura jaajji!

 Tume seera,
Mure seera,
Hin darbatamu,
Hin dagatamu!

Kurnan Gullallee murtee kana dabarsee, kutannoo daran jabaadhaan waraana Habashaa isa ibidda tufaa, margaa-muka, sa’aa-nama barbadeessaa deemu sana dura dhaabate. Booda dubbiin dubbii meeshaa waraanaa isa kan ammayyaatii, akkuma uummanni keenya jedhu sana “qawwee ibiddaatiin” gubatee moyamuu dandaye. Kutaan kun akka nutti hin dheeranneef, asuma irratti dhaabuun bullaa, mee nagaa fi nageenyaan naa bubbulaa!

============    Hubachiisota Miiljalee    ============

* Barroolee Faranjoota kana lamaanii dubbisuun hedduu barbaachisaa dha. Fakkeenyaaf, Krapf Afaan Oromoo qubeedhuma (fidaluma) Saabiyaa (warra Gi’iizii) sanan barreessuu jalqabeet ture. Garuu, lubeewwan (qeesonni) Amaaraa daran isa rakkisani. Akka lammata gara Manjeetti hin deebinellee kan mooticha isaaniitti himuun dhoowwisiise abbootii bataskaanaa kana. Inni Biyya Oromoo isa karaa kanaan jiru, Oromiyaa seenuu dhoorkamnaan gara Biyya Oromoo isa Keeniyaa keessaatti qajeeluun, qorannoo isaa itti-fufe. Hubaddhaa, jarri kun oggaa sana, bara 1838 faa irraa qabaniiti kan farra Afaan Oromoo fi farra Oromoo tahaa deemani.  Major Harris yommuu Amaartonni Habashaa Oromoota Tuulamaa irratti gara-bineensummaa isaanii agarsiisan sirriitti ijaan argee kitaabe. Dabaleesoo, barreeffata obboleessi keenya Barachiis (Pirofeesar) Makuraa Bulchaa nuuf dhiyeesse mee ilaalaa! a) J. L. Krapf: “Travels, Researches, and Missionary Labours, 1858″, b)  Major Harris: “The Highlands of Aethiopia, 1844″, c) Mekuria Bulcha: “A DECADE AFTER THE ABORTED OROMO EVICTION FROM FINFINNEE - A Persistent Story of Expropriation, Humiliation and Displacement“, Gadaa.com, isa gaafa 10. 01. 13. 4) Tamene Bitima/ Jürgen Steuber: “Die ungelöste nationale Frage in Äthiopien -  Studie zu den Befreiungsbewegungen der Oromo und Eritreas“, 1983.

** Tulluun seena-qabeessichi kun waan mukkeen isarra turan keessaa, kan akka heexoo faa bona-bona baalli fi midhaan baala sana irra jiru faa daalachaawanii muldhataniif, “Tulluu Daalattii“, jedhame. Akkanuma bakki loon Gullallee hammi tokko oolaniiyyu, urufni keessa oolan sun dhooqee loonitiin (faltiidhaan) dhoqqaayeef, iddoon sun: “Urufa Boombii” jedhama ture. Achi boombiin silaa akkuma nuti damma jaalannu dhooqqee loonii jaalattii, urufa sana keessa uursaa oolittiyyu. Warri abbaa geeddaraa isa kanas geeddaruun, “Jaan Meedaa” jedhaniini. Maqaa baasudhaan eenyutu Oromoo keenyaan morka-ree? Mee warri Shaggar shaggaa biyyaa kana beektan takkaa boombii, “Jaan Meedaa” isaanii kana keessatti agartanii beektuu? Jarri kun akkuma namoota keenya fixan sana: boombii keenyas, leenca keenyas, gafarsa keenyas, arba keenyas, mukkeen keenya faas lafarraa duguugani.

*** Taammanaa Bitimaa: “SEENAA OROMOOTA FINFINNEE SHAGGAR“, MANDIISUU, Hidhaa 6, Lakk. 1, Bitootessa 2004, fuulee 10-29.
Tamene Bitima: “ON SOME OROMO HISTORICAL POEMS” – in, PAIDEUMA 29, 1983, pp. 317-325.

———————–

*- Taammanaa Bitimaa: gurree@web.de

=>gadaa

Child Prostitution in Ethiopia incredibly increased in the last 5 years

Ethiopia, 85 million people, almost half of its population is under 14 years of age. In rural and urban areas, children often begin working at 5 years. Poverty, death of one or both parents, child trafficking, forced early marriage are key factors that push children into work, above all young girls to be involved in commercial sex work. Around 90,000 children were found to be working in prostitution, over 50% started engaging in prostitution below 16 years of age. Child prostitution in Ethiopia is increasing incredibly during the last 5 years. Sex exploitation has devastating consequences for minors: physical and psychological trauma, HIV, diseases, drug addiction (qat abuse), unwanted pregnancy. A body is sold at a price of between 10 and 60 birr (0.40 – 2.40 €). The belief is the young 

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Artists in Nile Project try to bridge political divisions

Nile Project musicians perform in Aswan, Jan. 29, 2013. (photo by Mohamed Nour)


AUTHOR                                        TRANSLATOR(S)

Rani Geha

               Ayah Aman


CAIRO — Egyptian musician Mina Girgis and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero started their music band the Nile Project to act as a new platform for dialogue and cultural exchange, away from the language of tension among the governments of the Nile Basin countries, which are currently embroiled in a water dispute.

In the band's second tour since it formed two years ago, the Nile Project, with its 19 musicians and singers, traveled to Nile Basin countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt. The group sang their lyrics in local dialects and expressed their relationship with the Nile, not to convey messages of peace, but to send an invitation saying, “We have something in common. We should look at it and strengthen it before we resort to war.”

“We are not trying to be a form of popular diplomacy that carries a message of peace from one country to another. This project doesn’t belong to Egypt or Ethiopia alone. Rather, it is a project that brings together all the countries of the Nile Basin,” Girgis, the Nile Project’s founder, told Al-Monitor.

In August 2011, during Wafaa al-Nil — meaning the "Flooding of the Nile," a holiday that has traditionally been celebrated in Egypt to mark the river’s annual flooding — the idea for ​​the Nile Project came to Girgis when he attended a concert by an Ethiopian singer in America.

Girgis, who studied musicology and anthropology, spoke about the idea behind the Nile Project, saying it was aimed at “mixing music from the Nile Basin countries to reflect the cultures of the peoples of the region together. I thought about establishing a music project linking the Nile Basin countries, and then opening a space for ​​interest and dialogue through cultural and environmental relationships.”

Despite the many languages ​​and dialects in the Nile Basin countries, the Nile Project has created harmony between them in a new type of music. “There are many common elements, from instruments, rhythms and such, which can be built upon. The amadinda instrument in Uganda is very much like the tanboura and simsimiyya in Egypt. Theadungu looks like the hareb, the musical instrument of the Pharaohs,” said Girgis.

Only two weeks before a concert do the band members meet and start composing and writing songs together. Girgis spoke about the difficulty of the experiment. “We tried to create a harmonious environment to reveal the inherent capabilities in musicians, and we managed to make a good musical product, although some artists had no knowledge of the cultures in other countries on the Nile River,” he said.

The Nile Project musicians in Zanzibar, March 16, 2014. (photo by Peter Stanley)

Girgis criticized the idea of a “musical operetta” that transmits specific messages through songs. “Our musical history is filled with these songs that have a propagandist nature [and that seek to promote] a specific idea or message. But people no longer need this kind of ‘cheap’ art. I don’t ask the musicians in the project to send messages about water or the environment. I only invite them to sing the music that reflects their association with the Nile and the songs that reflect the cultures of the Nile Basin countries.”

Despite the common cultural traits among the peoples of the Nile Basin countries, a number of complex political, social and cultural issues have become a potential cause of conflict between these countries. This may be an obstacle that prevents possibilities for cooperation between these countries, according to a study by the Nile Basin Initiative.

Given these problems, the Nile Project does not limit itself only to music. “We tried to make it so that attending a concert and listening to the music of the Nile Project is not the end of the project. And we started a series of workshops for dialogue between university students and members of the project who came from different Nile Basin countries to look at the problems and discuss how to solve them, by building on the interest and acceptance for dialogue, which was created by the music in the first place,” said Girgis.

Kasiva Mutua, a musician from Nairobi, Kenya, spoke with Al-Monitor about her experience playing with the Nile Project. “The project is a good chance to confirm that we are one fabric in the Nile Basin and can play one music,” she said. But before participating in the project, she didn’t expect the experiment to succeed because of the different cultures and languages. “Despite the differences, we worked together in good spirit. We were like a family linked by music,” she added.

“I didn’t have prior knowledge of Egyptian or Ethiopian music, and when the Nile Project started I was surprised by the new and different tunes and rhythms. Yet we were able to integrate our music production together,” Mutua added.

“What does the word ‘country’ mean? … It means people who have no homes,” sings Egyptian singer Dina el-Wedidi in the Nile Project with Ethiopian singer Selamnesh. The song employs both Ethiopian and Egyptian beats.

“The idea for ​​the song came from mixing verses from poems by Bayram al-Tunsi written in the 1930s, poems by Fouad al-Qaoud in the 1960s and others by Marwa Jamal al-Din from our generation. All these verses reflect the situation in which we see our society now,” said Wedidi.

Wedidi spoke to Al-Monitor about the Nile Project, which has become a personal artistic project. “The experience of the Nile Project has revealed very rich artistic material in African cultures. It was the first opportunity to get to know it because our problem in Egypt is that we always look to the north toward Europe and America, while we really need to look toward the south, to Africa.”

Last year, Wedidi sang a song for the Nile Project called “Ya Ganouby,” which is about the sad situation in the south of Upper Egypt. ”The veterans of Egyptian music came from the south. Egypt’s true folklore came from Upper Egypt. The south is in our true roots. But we are always absent from it,” said Wedidi.

After its East Africa tour ends, the Nile Project will continue to deliver its message to new countries in Africa, Europe and Asia, to confirm the unity of the people of the Nile, despite the water dispute and the polarization promoted by government policies. The Nile Project is trying to build bridges of dialogue before the dispute escalates to a war over resources, given the environmental challenges and energy shortages in Africa.

=>al-monitor

In Accepting Ethiopia, Transparency Group “Sacrifices Credibility

By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, Mar 20 2014 (IPS) - A major international initiative aimed at promoting transparency in the extractives industry is coming under harsh criticism for accepting an application from Ethiopia, despite significant ongoing legal restrictions on the country’s civil society.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a standards programme based in Oslo, had declined a previous application for candidature from Ethiopia, in 2010. The previous year, the Ethiopian government had passed a law widely seen as repressive, and the EITI board stipulated that the country’s application would be deferred until that law was struck down.

"The simple fact is that the EITI process won’t be able to advance any improvements unless civil society is at the table and has a voice." -- Lisa Misol

Yet despite the fact that the law remains in place, on Wednesday the EITI board voted to accept Ethiopia’s application to become a candidate for full membership in the organisation. Some say the group has now violated its own rules.

“We’re very disappointed by this. If these people don’t follow the criteria, what’s the point of having criteria?” Obang Metho, executive director of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, a Washington-based advocacy group, told IPS.

“Today it is impossible for civil society to function in Ethiopia, because of this bill. We can wait for years for changes, but as long as the current government is there I can’t foresee any tangible change. This decision [by EITI] is not going to be productive.”

The law in question is known as the Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSP). Ethiopia’s first comprehensive legislation to regulate the registration of civil society groups, the law places onerous restrictions on groups that receive more than 10 percent of their funding from foreign sources.

It also forbids organisations from engaging in a range of activities central to ensuring public oversight over the government and its officials. The United Nations has warned that the law has “devastating” ramifications for the ability of Ethiopians to effectively form and operate civil society organisations.

Such concerns are particularly relevant for EITI, which, since its founding in 2003, has offered a unique platform for cooperation between the extractives industry, government and civil society. Importantly, each of these elements is to receive equal voice within the EITI system, with the immediate aim of sector-specific transparency meant to translate into broader strengthening of good governance.

Thus, if the civil society component isn’t able to function effectively, the entire process would cease to function. That, anyway, was EITI’s own concern in 2010, when it rejected Ethiopia’s application – the first time the board had ever taken such an action.

The EITI “board concluded that Ethiopia’s [CSP] would prevent civil society groups from being sufficiently independent and meaningfully participate in the process,” Anthony Richter, a member of the EITI board, stated in 2010. “The board decided, in effect, not to admit Ethiopia ‘until the [CSP] is no longer in place’.”

The EITI board made another high-visibility decision on Wednesday, voting to accept the candidature application of the United States (as well as that of Papua New Guinea). Yet if EITI has gone back on its own rules, critics say, the standard’s important overall potential will have been weakened.

“Before this decision, EITI was a prominent global initiative, considered to be one of the leading efforts to increase transparency and give citizens a chance to have a voice in important matters in their countries,” Lisa Misol, a senior business and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), a watchdog group, told IPS.

“Now I think all governments need to ask themselves what’s the value of being part of an initiative that allows in a country that doesn’t allow its citizens to make any use of this transparency. Unfortunately, EITI has sacrificed its credibility and irreparably harmed its own reputation.”

Neutered criteria

EITI currently lists 26 countries as compliant with its standards, and another 18 countries, including Ethiopia and the United States, as candidates. In total, 35 countries have produced formal EITI reports over the past decade.

Yet the decision to move forward with and approve Ethiopia’s application during this week’s EITI meeting reportedly led to deep divisions in the group’s board. While the EITI secretariat did not respond to a query from IPS, it has been quick to note that acceptance of Ethiopia’s application to become a candidate country means that the Ethiopian government now has three years to come into full compliance with EITI’s standards.

“Some opposed this decision, but it should be remembered that becoming a candidate does not mean that any country has met the EITI Standard,” Clare Short, the EITI chair, said in a statement after the board’s meeting.

“In the case of Ethiopia, the decision shows that the Board was convinced by the government’s commitment to the EITI’s principles. Membership of the EITI will mean that all stakeholders, including civil society, will have a better platform to hold the government and the companies to account and ensure the better management of the burgeoning sector.”

For its part, the Ethiopian government states that it has already set up a national steering committee made up of government, industry and civil society representatives, and has begun a series of trainings on the EITI standards. Its most recent application, from October, also deals directly with concerns over the CSP.

“In our view, the proclamation is not meant to restrict the operation of the civil society,” an introductory letter, presumably written by Minister of Mines Sinknesh Ejigu, states, “rather to create conducive environment for their activities as well as ensure transparency and accountability, establish a legal framework for their operation.”

Yet critics are pushing back strongly against the suggestion that EITI will now have more leverage to effect positive change in Ethiopia.

“The simple fact is that the EITI process won’t be able to advance any improvements unless civil society is at the table and has a voice,” HRW’s Misol says.

“It’s shocking to me that the board of an initiative that values civic participation has just endorsed Ethiopia as a candidate when there is no ability to have a functioning civil society in that country. The moment of leverage was before joining Ethiopia to join the club – not once it’s in. In effect, EITI has now neutered its own civil society criteria.”

Ethiopia will now be required to submit its first formal report to EITI by March 2016.

=>ipsnews

Zambia: 18 Ethiopian PIS Fined

EIGHTEEN Ethiopians have been convicted and fined K4,500 each or in default nine months simple imprisonment for unlawful entry into Zambia.

The Nakonde magistrate's court has also discharged 13 other Ethiopian juveniles who were charged with the same offence on account of their age.

This is according to a statement released in Lusaka by Immigration Department public relations officer, Namati Nshinka.

The 31 Ethiopians were arrested on February 17, 2014 by a combined team of Immigration and Zambia Police Service officers at a place called Peulu along the Great North Road.

They were found hidden in a concrete mixing and kneading machine carried by a truck, registration number T806 ARF, belonging to Dandho Cross Border, a Tanzanian transporter.

Mr Nshinka said the 13 juveniles were deported on Friday last week, while the Dandho truck and trailer, which was impounded, has since been released to the owner.

In another development, the magistrate's court in Solwezi has convicted and fined Charles Odum ,52, a Ghanaian, K2,000 or in default six months imprisonment with hard labour.

The magistrate's court in Kitwe also convicted and fined a Tanzanian national K6, 000 or in default 12 months simple imprisonment for unlawful stay in Zambia.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department in Nchelenge in Luapula Province on Monday arrested two Congolese nationals for unlawful entry and stay in the country.

=>allafrica