Sunday, April 6, 2014

Egypt mulls international arbitration over Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam

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Ethiopian water minister calls on Cairo to re-engage in talks on controversial dam project
A man walks over a bridge by the construction of Ethiopia's Great Renaissance Dam in Guba Woreda, some 40 km (25 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, June 28, 2013. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
A man walks over a bridge by the construction of Ethiopia’s Great Renaissance Dam in Guba Woreda, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Ethiopia’s border with Sudan, on June 28, 2013. (Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Addis Ababa confirmed on Wednesday that it is ready to open talks with Cairo on its Renaissance Dam project, following news that Egypt has formed a special legal committee to look at the possibility of securing international arbitration over the issue of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.
Talks between Ethiopia and Egypt broke down in January amid technical differences of opinion over the affect that the dam will have on Egypt’s share of Nile waters. Cairo claims that the construction of what will be Africa’s largest dam will have a significant effect on the flow of the Nile River, although Addis Ababa says that such fears are over-exaggerated.
Ethiopian Water Minister Alemayehu Tegenu said on Wednesday that the Addis Ababa government had “exerted utmost efforts to build trust among all riparian countries,” adding that “Egypt has continued to engage in negative campaigning against the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
Speaking at a ceremony held to mark three years since construction of the dam started, Tegenu criticized Cairo’s attempts to politicize the action of a panel of experts tasked with studying the dam’s potential impact on downstream states.
“Egypt is determined to delay the tripartite engagement by withdrawing from the Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt forum,” he said, adding: “We urge Egypt to re-join the engagement and work for the benefits of our countries. “
Addis Ababa’s call for Egypt to re-engage with the talks comes following news that Cairo has formed a high-level ministerial committee—including three international law experts—to determine Egypt’s legal rights to Nile waters and the possibility of securing international arbitration.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed that Cairo’s stance towards the controversial dam project remains unchanged. Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty issued a statement saying that “Egypt’s stance towards the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is clear and there is no room at all to waive or risk endangering Egypt, because the issue is considered a national security one.”
Abdelatty added that Cairo has a plan to tackle the crisis, saying it is “gradually being implemented.” That plan covers the political, legal and technical aspects of the dam, he said, adding that it aims to push for “serious negotiations” to guarantee the interests of all riparian states.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy spoke with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton about the Egyptian–Ethiopian dispute before the start of the EU–Africa summit in Brussels on Tuesday. The summit began on Wednesday, with Fahmy expected to discuss the dam project with his Ethiopian counterpart, Tedros Adhanom, during the two-day conference.

Ethiopia's Bekele wins Paris Marathon



By Greg FRASER

Paris (AFP) - Ethiopia's legendary runner Kenenisa Bekele notched up another impressive milestone in an already glittering career by winning the Paris Marathon on Sunday, his first attempt at the gruelling event.
The 31-year-old 5,000m and 10,000m world record crossed the line in an event record time of 2hr 5min 02secs after negotiating a sunbathed course of 42.195km (26.22 miles) through the streets of the French capital.
The previous Paris record was held by Kenya's Stanley Wiwott who clocked 2hr 05:10 in 2012.
Fellow Ethiopian Limenih Getachew came home second at 2hr 06.49secs with Luka Kanda of Kenya, the 2012 Rome winner, claiming the final spot on the podium crossing the line in 2hr 08.02.
"It was my first marathon and I didn't have much experience," said Bekele, the 31-year-old triple Olympic champion.
"It was very tough but it was the time I expected. After 25km I pushed alone but it was very tough." added
Bekele emulated his great compatriot Haile Gebreselassie who also made a successful step from the track to marathon and has the third fastest time in history.
Bekele made his move with about 25km to run and opened up a lead that may have been even more significant had he not struggled with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
"The hamstring wasn't good after 25km. It was cramping but it's ok. I'll feel it more in the morning," explained Bekele.
He missed out on the world record which is held by Kenyan Wilson Kipsang who set a mark of 2hr 3min 23secs in 2013 at Berlin.
"At 5km from the finish, my hamstring cramped up again and I couldn't accelerate. I think in the future, I'll do better but it's very positive."
In the women's race, Kenya's Flomena Cheyech dominated proceedings, winning in a time of 2hr 22:41secs as she turned in a confident showing and a winning margin of 3min 37secs over Ethiopia's Yebrgual Melese.
A second Ethiopian, Ahmed Zemzem was a further 3min 14secs back in third place.
"I'm very happy, the course was good," said a delighted Cheyech.
"I wasn't that fast but in the middle of the race, I felt confident and just told myself to keep running," she added.
The victory for five-time world champion Bekele, who dominated the 5,000m and 10,000m for the best part of a decade, caps a stunning comeback from a debilitating calf injury which kept him out of competition for nearly three years.
Last September, he defeated Gebreselassie and his track rival Mo Farah in his comeback race at the Great North run in England –- his half marathon debut -– outkicking Farah in sprint for the line.
Britain's Farah, who emulated Bekele when he won Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m gold at the 2012 London Games, makes his own marathon debut in London next week, but Bekele has opted not to go head to head with him in the English capital.









Saving Oromia from the TPLF Gluttons

By HGoche | April 6, 2014
There are many Oromo Scholars, past and present who advocated the urgency of coordinating our multi-faceted struggle for liberation of Oromia before the TPLF gluttons consume Oromia’s resources. By resources, I mean Oromia’s natural and human resources.
TPLF is doing what is humanly possible to win the next election to continue pillaging what is left of Oromia and selling what they cannot gluttonize to anyone who can pay them the highest bid to fatten their overseas bank account, because deep-down TPLF leaders know very well their days in Oromia and the South will end one day. That day depends on how, we, the Oromos will over-come our petty differences and mobilize as one people. The TPLF gluttons also know that they can continue their destruction of Oromia as long they can disfranchise the Oromo Liberation movements Organization’s, as they did for the last twenty odd years, and it is up to each and every one of us to arrest their evil agendas and save our nation, Oromia.
Had the TPLFities cared about the democratization of the empire, they should not have aborted the 1991 genuine attempt made to democratize the empire by the Oromos, the Sidamas, and the Walaitas, the Somalis, the Afar and many others.
IF the TPLF gluttons and gangs may expect us not to see and hear, or we will forgive them the glaring environmental and human genocide they are committing against the Oromos and the Southern Nations since 1991, we tell and remind them they are dead wrong. The TPLF gang has been committing extra-judicial killings, torturing, displacing Oromo farmers from their ancestral land at will and selling their land to the highest bidder , expelling Oromo students from Universities and Colleges for only being Oromo, and throwing over 40,000 innocent Oromos in its torture chambers cannot expect us to forget or forgive these grave human and environmental violations. While terrorising Oromos and the Southern Nations in their own back-yard, the TPLF juntas attempt to label us terrorist for demanding our All Almighty given rights is like vomiting on us and insulting our intelligence. Remember, these shameless and immoral bunches are vomiting their venom on our face by invading our own hamlet, villages and towns.
Why and How TPLF aborted the 1991 genuine attempt to change the empire for good?
Being given the green light by the West and by the reckless OLF representatives at the London Conference of 1991, and the huge military support of the Eritreans, the uncivilized and savage TPLF army moved into the heart of Oromia with Oromo Prisoners of Wars POWs), whom they later named OPDOs. After conquering Finfine and realizing there was no meaningful force that can challenge them apart from the OLF, the TPLF leaders started conspiring on how to wipe-out the OLF so that they can gluttonise Oromia’s resources unchallenged. With the help of POW’s and the enemy within, TPLFities achieved their first stage of conspiracy of wiping out OLF by encamping OLF soldiers. Once they achieved their goal of encamping the armed OLF soldiers with much pressure from EPLF and the so-called OLF representatives, they started terrorizing the Oromo mass and detaining them in harsh prison camps, where many innocent Oromos perished due to exposure to tropical diseases such as malaria and the in-humane treatments at the hands of savage TPLF and Eritrean soldiers. There is no actual figure on how many innocent Oromos had perished in TPLF’s torture camps, but according to some estimates, the figure is in the hundreds of thousands.
WHY Abyssinian Political Culture is NOT compatible with Democracy and the Rule of Law
1) It is not hard to understand why Abyssinians political culture is not compatible with democracy and the rule of law, we do not need to go far to but refer to the history written by Abyssinians church historians. According to these historians King Tewodros assumed the Abyssinian throne by killing and committing genocide on all his rival kings. King Yohannes of Tigre did the same thing to claim Kings of Kings title. Here we should note that both Tewodros and Yohannes committed genocide on Oromos who did not want accept the Orthodox Christianity at the time. King Minilk waged a bitter war on his opponents before he declared himself as King of Kings of Abyssinia. The cutting of Women’s breast and the men’s hands at the battle of Calanqo and Anole during the imperial expansion of Abyssinia to Oromia and the South by Minilk and its foot-soldiers clearly demonstrate how savage, backward and evil Abyssinian political culture and mind-set was.
King of Kings Haile Selassie came to power by disposing Lij Eyasy and his mother, who were in-line to assume power after the death of Minilk II. After the defeat of the Italian Colonial army by local fighters with the help of Western powers (Britain, the USA), Haile Selassie, who returned to his throne by the help of the Western powers jailed and killed all local heroes he thought could be a threat to his power.
Haile Selassie not only destroyed those who fought Italian colonization while he fled to exile, he incorporated the Italian Somaliland, currently known as the Ogaden and Eritrea. After the UN, the USA and the UK agreed to support the cession to Ethiopian Empire of the Italian Somaliland and Eritrea in 1952. In the case of Eritrea, the UN in its September, 1952 passed a resolution called for Eritrea and Ethiopia to be linked through a loose federal structure under the sovereignty of the Emperor against the will of the Eritrean people’s wish for independence. Eritrea was to have its own administrative and judicial structure, its own flag, and control over its domestic affairs, including police, local administration, and taxation, while the Ethiopian Empire was to have a control over foreign affairs, defence, finance and transportation. As a result of a long history of rule under the Italian and British colonizers, and the introduction of modern democracy into Eritrea by the British before their departure in 1952, gave Eritreans a desire for political freedoms which is alien to Ethiopian political tradition. Due to the incompatibility and the absence of democratic political culture in Abyssinia, Shortly after ratifying and accepting Eritrean federal status, Haile selassie started violating the UN approved agreement, and finally pressured Eritrean Assembly to abolish the federation and join the Ethiopian Empire. The violation of the UN agreed Federation of Eritrea to Ethiopia, and its subsequent abolishment by Haile Selassie gave birth to different Eritrean Liberation Organizations. Both Haile Selassie and the Military Junta after him, never understood or own the intellectual, cultural capacity to comprehend the Eritrean People’s demand for freedom and independence. They even have not attempted it to restore the federal structure, under which Eritrea was linked to the Ethiopian Empire by UN. We all know the consequences of the Eritrean war of independence, where Abyssinians forcefully conscripted thousands of young Oromos from schools and market places to fight and die in the hills and valleys of Eritrea. Only History will tell how many innocent Oromos fought and died in Eritrea for an evil empire Ethiopia.
Abyssinian Political Prostitution and the Ethiopian Empire State
Despite all the evidences showing Abyssinians psychological make-up is not compatible with democracy and the rule of law, there are some Oromos who advocate salvaging the dying empire in the name of democratization of the empire. Nowhere in human history, where an empire is democratized but, instead, empires were dismantled by sheer force and her subjects freed. In the case of Ethiopian Empire, many gallant and brilliant Oromos such as Tadese Biru, Mamo Mezemer, Senay Leke, Haile Fida were sent to the gallows for only demanding let Ethiopian Empire represent the whole of nations and nationalities within her border. Abyssinians top-down and authoritarian system of governance, where words and decrees uttered by the Prime Minster, King, President ( whatever title past and present Abyssinian rulers had) , was equated with words given by the all Almighty God, and violating or breaking them was like breaking the words of the all Almighty God. Those who tried to break these authoritarian systems were sent to the gallows.
All Abyssinian rulers, past and present are clever in embracing any dominant political ideology of the day to maintain the status quo of the empire’s grip on their subjects nations such as the Oromos, the Sidamas, the Walitas, the Somalis, the Afars and others, so that they can kill, harass, humiliate, exploit these subjects nations at will. After the brief occupation of the empire during the Second World War by the Italians, the subjects’ people of the South were allowed to use their language and culture, but this freedom was short lived. Immediately after King Haile Selassie was restored onto power, he banned the limited freedom these subjects’ nations have enjoyed under the Italian occupation. Despite Abyssinian way of governance is alien to any world political system, they are very canny to embrace and pay lip-service to any given world political system of the day to hide the injustices and colonization they commit on the colonized nations of the Oromo, the Somali, the Sidama, the Walaita, etc.
For example, King Haile Selassie embraced parliamentary democracy to gain political and diplomatic support from the West, despite his reign was backward authoritarian Feudal system. By embracing fake parliamentary democracy, Haile Selassie not only managed to hold his grip on the South, but, also given Eritrea and Italian Somaliland by the West.
The military Junta of Mengistu jumped on the band-wagon of International Socialism and maimed millions and fought un-just wars in Eritrea and the South in the name of defending the mother land. The current TPLF gang, once rested power from the Amhara ruling class, abandoned its Communist ideology and embraced the name democracy, and continued the Abyssinian tradition of killing, torturing, and gluttonise the resources of the South at its will.
There was no democratic culture in the history of the Abyssinians, and there shall never be any in the future, and attempting or even thinking the democratization of the Ethiopian Empire with Abyssinians is like expecting a dove from the eggs of the snake.
HGoche can be reached at hgoche2011@gmail.com

IN PICTURES: The Unveiling of the Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument in Hetosa, Oromiyaa

Gadaa.com
The Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument was unveiled in Hetosa, Arsi, Oromiyaa, on April 6, 2014 – also inaugurated was the Aannolee Cultural/Historical Museum. The Monument commemorates the Oromo martyrs whose limbs and breasts were cut off atrociously by the invading Abyssinian/Shoan Amhara army of Menelik II in 1886. Known as the harmaf harka muraa Aannolee, the Menelik’s Abyssinian/Shoan Amhara army mutilated an unknown number of Oromo men’s right hands and Oromo women’s breasts for resisting Abyssinia’s conquest of the Oromo land.
According to the recently published book by Prof. Abbas H. Gnamo, “Conquest and Resistance in the Ethiopian Empire, 1880-1974 – The Case of the Arsi Oromo,” the Aannolee Oromo Martyrdom has “become the symbol of Oromo resistance.”
Prof. Gnamo continues:
“Of all the brutalities committed by the Shoan army and its leaders against the Oromo, the worst was the Anole mutilation known as harmaf harka muraa Anole (the mutilation of hands and breasts at Anole) – a tragedy on which Ethiopian sources are silent …
… Anole is located about 25km north of Asella, an area where most battles took place and where the Arsi inflicted heavy losses on the Shoan army. Anole seemed to have been chosen to avenge Shoan losses and to teach a lesson to the Arsi who still resisted after their shattering defeat at Azule on September 6, 1886. Arsi strong men and women were assembled under the pretext of concluding peace. All the men and women present, whose exact number was unknown perhaps more than thousand people, were mutilated; their right hands and right breasts were cut off. As a further form of humiliation, fear and terror, the mutilated breasts and hands were tied around the necks of the victims who were then sent back home.”
The following are some pictures from the Unveiling of the Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument and Cultural/Historical Museum.
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OSA President’s Thank-You Note to OSA Members and Supporters on the Success of the 2014 Mid-Year Conference

Dear OSA members and supporters,
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I just wanted to say thank you to all who came to attend the OSA Mid-Year Conference or presented an article.
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We had several outstanding scholars who presented novel and interesting studies, and an amazing enthusiasm created by it. This year’s OSA Mid-year has its own legacies, creating opportunities for the Oromo people and elites to learn Oromo history from the heroes and heroines of the Dhombir war era, helping Oromo communities of Mid-West USA to forge unity by establishing a network of Oromo community organizations; live-streaming some of the panel discussions for the Oromo people to follow the deliberations on these important topics as the events unfold. The participation in OSA Mid-Year conference by the Oromo community of Chicago is unparalleled given the small size of the community. The discussions were civil, lunch was served free sponsored by Gilead Chicago office and the Oromo community of Chicago.
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There was an overwhelming feeling of “What a wonderful conference!” What a wonderful round table by heroes and heroines of the Dhombir war! What an amazing story told by Akko Makkaa – widow of the late Colonel Adam Jilo! What an amazing story telling by Hajji Umar Malka of Radio Mogdisho! .. The keynote speakers created great enthusiasm as anticipated and helped to increase our conference attendance. Drs. Beyene Petros and Marara Gudina’s presence at our conference was also a good opportunity for the attendees to ask questions and voice their concern during and after the conference.
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Special thank you for OSA Board members Aad. Bonnie, Dr. Guluma and Aad. Arfasse; and Dr. Ezekiel, Dr, Mesfin, Aad. Yeshi Tolesa and Ob. Kadiro for coming and participating and contributing. I would like to extend my heartfelt thank you to the Oromo community of Chicago and the youth for the participation and for working so hard, for the Sunday lunch and dinner and the volunteers who organized the conference with us. Special thank you to Weiss Memorial Hospital for allowing us to use the Leo Wallach auditorium and a second conference room, and parking service free of charge. It is my home campus and I am proud of Weiss Hospital for its service for our community. Weiss is the best!. I believe, OMN had a good opportunity to use the second conference room to interview some of the conference participants, distinguished OSA panelists and keynote speakers. OMN’s coverage of the event would provide another opportunity to disseminate knowledge and information generated by our conference. Thank you gadaa.com, ayyaantuu.com, oromowiki.com and other websites for providing coverage. Thank you Ferhan Abdulselam of oromp3.com for being a resource person.
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Finally, preparation is underway for our annual conference to be held in Washington DC Metro area! We will promote the Oromo Gada system and Oromo democracy, celebrate 40 years of research by esteemed scholars and Oromo renaissance. I look forward to a robust partnership with Oromo community organizations and individuals as we work to make this forthcoming annual conference one of the most memorable in the history of our association. We are planning to bring Oromo Gada councilors to USA. Your help is needed! Last but not least, OSA is in the process of creating a mailing list through its new website. I would like to invite all Oromos who would like to be informed about OSA’s activities and that of its members to become members of the forum which is available on OSA’s website home page. Please, go to OromoStudies.org and create an account and be a member, there you will find newest information from OSA. You can also post news and info for forum members. We did it together!
Thank you. Galatooma.
Ibrahim Amae Elemo M.D, M.P.H
President, Oromo Studies Association
Senior Resident, Internal Medicine , Weiss Memorial Hospital
E-mail: ielemo@yahoo.com / ielemo@weisshospital.com
Cell Phone: 773-679-1064
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