Ethiopia: TPLF/EPRDF Nefarious Deeds That Will Blow Your Mind - Ethnic Cleansing

By Ewnetu Sime We are witnessing unprecedented hatred to Amhara ethnic group under Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)/ Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF) ethno-centric dictatorial rule. As soon as TPLF/EPRDF came to power in 1992, the regime and supporters began to brutalize the Amhara ethnic group in particular. A well-coordinated support with extremist loyalist to the TPLF/EPRDF regime incited conflict in Arba Gugu, Hararghe area against the Amhara ethnic group. The houses of Amhara were burned with people inside, people were killed thrown over the cliff, people of hacked to death in broad day light, robbed, bodies mutilated by regime supporters., Some of the lucky ones fled to Addis Ababa, other took shelters in nearby towns. Ethnic cleansing was conducted in unprecedented scale. In 2012, poor farmers of Amhara ethnic group from the southern part of Ethiopia were expelled. People were made homeless; similarly, in 2013 Amhara ethnic group from Benishangul-Gumuz area forceful evicted. TPLF/EPRDF’s ethnic dictatorship anti-Amhara policy claimed many lives in many parts of Ethiopia. Sadly, the TPLF/EPRDF's leaders and associated tugs are getting away with ethnic cleansing crimes. To-date no one is charged for it. It is evident that as Derg came to power in 1974, they ruled the whole country in terror and brutality. Derg’s regime was faced with resistance and gravely weakened and finally defeated by TPLF/EPRDF and Eritrea Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF) guerrilla warfare. TPLF/EPRDF guerrilla movement transformed to large scale by recruiting fighters partly by intimidation of the Tigeran peasants, and finally able to mobilized thousands of fighters. They disseminated in their fighters propaganda of hatred to other ethnic and continuing to exhibit parochialism even after they assumption of power. Before TPLF enter Addis Ababa they quickly formed EPRDF to get a cover as an Ethiopian force. The TPLF claims in its propaganda that they fought Derg dictatorship for the pursuit of liberty or ideals of democracy has been revealed as carefully crafted deceptions. It is not too surprising that it is done to stay in power by coercion enforced by viscous Agaiz private armies that are recruited from one minority ethnic and secret police organization to continue their tyrannical rule. As we briefly look back why the Weyane’s/TPLF revolt started we found that primarily reason was a conflict with the local authority to protect economic interest within Ethiopia. However, in mid-1970’s the Weyane intelligesta has shifted from the regional problem to call secession from the centralized Ethiopia state. For this reason, since the guerrilla years the Tigrian identity and historical heritage to Ethiopia has been deliberately and systematically reinvented by their leaders to mislead others. The rich and long Ethiopians history and nationalism has been distorted. Their leaders have no love for Ethiopia or compassion for people except for their interest that is driven in creating non-viable ethnic states and provoking ethnic conflicts. It is well to remind ourselves, their supreme leader Meles Zenawi made statements in public that Ethiopia flag is a piece of rug, proud to be pure gold ethnic, has done treachery acts about Assab, the Algerian agreement etc. all these originated from dogmatic ethnic political beliefs. Furthermore, as TPLF/EPRDF’s seized the power, they implemented the divide and rule strategy under disguise of ethnic rights ideology. It quickly adopted a new constitution “the right of ethnic/nationalities Rights” under Article 39, 46 and 47. Of course, these articles objective are to divide and rule at same time to erode the eighty nationalities unity and diversity that coexisted side by side for generations. Even though active social interaction and intermarriage among nationalities is always a given fact. The recent forceful eviction of members of the Amhara people from Benishangul-Gumuz area is indeed a direct implementation of the TPLF/EPRDF’s ethnic policy. They have a wrong belief that creating ethnic conflict is the foundation of their strength to stay in power. As demonstrated with above few facts, they are deliberately creating ethnic conflict as one of the tactics to stay in power. We cannot afford to remain as onlookers where ethnic cleansing encouraged by regime. As stated by many scholars the international laws is applicable for this type of crime, and TPLF/EPRDF leaders can be charge by ethnic cleansing. This cannot be seen as a long shot. The role of Ethiopians, at least in USA, has to demand through available avenues such email/letters/on line petition, etc. to our senators, congressmen/women to expose the ongoing ethnic cleansing act. We should always keep in mind that the Opposition political groups, independents journalist, other concerned citizens risked all they had, their families, friends, homes, etc. all these sacrifice is for glimmering hope of a better life for all Ethiopians. We should support them by intensifying campaign in exposing their ethnic cleansing that blow our minds, and put in its own coffin as seen in past world history. Ethnic cleansing is barbarous and heartless. As it said in the past, if you care about Ethiopia do not remain idle, get involved and make your voice be heard. It will take a massive effort, discourse, dialogue, and to get Ethiopia back on its feet and to make it home again for all Ethiopians.

How One Brave Woman Rescued An Ethiopian Slave

04/17/13 Steve Lipman Staff Writer Traveling around Ethiopia in late 1991, at the end of the African country’s civil war, was unsafe for anyone. It presented special risks for a woman traveling alone, a foreigner, a white person in the northern hilly region on a mission of mercy. Judie Oron, a Canadian-born resident of Israel who had worked for the Jerusalem Post and had taken up the cause of Ethiopian Jews having problems getting to Israel, was in Ethiopia in 1991 to find one particular person – Wuditu, a 17-year-old Ethiopian Jew. Wuditu’s family had already managed to make aliyah and had not heard from her since leaving their homeland; they weren’t sure if she was still alive. Oron, who had taken Wuditu’s younger sister into her Jerusalem home, had done research and had reason to believe Wuditu was living as a slave in a northern village. “If she’s alive … she couldn’t be living a very good life,” Oron thought. So she went to Ethiopia by herself, as an Amharic-speaking visitor on a Canadian visa, located Wuditu through bribes and street-smarts, paying 500 birr ($111 then) to free the teen. With the help of the Jewish Agency, Oron managed to have Wuditu (she doesn’t give out the last name of the now-38-year-old Israeli) flown to Israel to join her siblings and desperately ill father. Oron tells the story in “Cry of the Giraffe” (Annick Press, 2010), an account related through the eyes of Wuditu, who had become separated from her family as they tried to reach Israel via a refugee camp in neighboring Sudan. Forced to return to Ethiopia, Wuditu, homeless and penniless, eventually spent two years as a mistreated slave. When Wuditu settled in Israel, Oron took her in, too. “I’ve raised a slave,” Oron told The Jewish Week in an interview from Toronto, where she now lives. After bringing Wuditu out of slavery, Oron helped rescue a few other Ethiopian Jews from their homeland. Now she serves as an anti-slavery advocate, speaking to Jewish groups and non-governmental organizations, warning about the ongoing, too-little-known problem of slavery in Ethiopia. Wuditu, Oron says, is healthy (considering what she went through two decades ago) and working in “a helping profession.” Oron has spent much of her own funds – her parents’ inheritance, and some of her savings – on her efforts on behalf of Ethiopian Jewry. Money well-spent, she says. “I don’t regret any of it.” Steve@jewishweek.org

Oil Exploration Being Stepped Up In Ethiopia, Says Mines Minister

ADDIS ABABA, April 18 (BERNAMA-NNN-ENA) -- Ethiopian Mines Minister Sinknesh Ejjigu says petroleum exploration activities will be stepped up across the country.

In an exclusive interview with the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) here Wednesday, she said large international oil companies were engaged in strengthened petroleum exploration activities across the nation.

Seven large international companies were exploring for oil in Ogaden, Abay basin, Gambella and Omo basin areas, the minister said, adding that one of them, Tullow Oil plc, had already recorded hydrocarbon indications along the Omo basin.

The company has the technical capabilities and has carried out successful activities in petroleum exploration in Ghana, Uganda and Kenya, the minister noted.

Similarly, Southwest Petroleum company, Falcon Oil and Gas Ltd. as well as Africa Oil New Age are undertaking preparations to drill wells in Degehabur, Abay basin, Woreilu and Erkuran areas respectively.

Tullow said it had found hydrocarbon indications in South Omo Zone. The company's Corporate Affairs Senior Adviser, Sisay Zerihun, told ENA that a well named Sabisa-1 had been drilled to a total depth of 1,810 metres in South Omo Zone of South Ethiopia Peoples' State.

Sisay said hydrocarbon indications in sands beneath a thick claystone top seal had been recorded whilst drilling but hole instability issues required the drilling of a sidetrack to comprehensively log and sample these zones of interest.

The sidetrack recently commenced and a result is expected in late May. Tullow Oil Director Angus McCoss also said that the Sabisa-1 well had proved to be technically challenging, as was often the case in frontier basins, and the well now required a sidetrack to redrill, log and sample the objective section.

"Nevertheless, we are encouraged by the hydrocarbon indications, which provide emerging evidence for a working petroleum system in the previously undrilled South Omo Basin," he said.

-- BERNAMA-NNN-ENA

EU, Ethiopia to boost bilateral relations

BRUSSELS, April 17 (KUNA) - EU President Herman Van Rompuy met here Wednesday Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and discussed with him bilateral ties and regional issues. "Both the European Union and Ethiopia see the value of further deepening our political and trade relations as well as tackling wider regional security challenges," Van Rompuy told reporters after the meeting.
They also talked about a number of regional issues related to the situation in the Horn of Africa region, including the situation in Somalia. "We agreed that we must all work towards a new future in regional relations, building a new atmosphere of economic integration and security cooperation," he said.
Van Rompuy noted that since Ethiopia holds the 2013 chairmanship of the African Union, the meeting also covered EU-African Union relations and in particular the preparation of the next EU-AU Summit in 2014. He stated that the EU is by far the most important trade partner for Ethiopia with over 40% of Ethiopia's exports going to Europe. The EU is an important investor with 300 European companies active in Ethiopia. The EU is also the biggest aid donor commitments totalling around 1 billion euro per year.
On his part, Desalegn said his visit to Brussels was the first visit outside his country since he assumed his post.
"EU is our major strategic partner," he stressed and added that they have agreed to work on democratisation and promotion of human rights in Ethiopia. (end) nk.ajs KUNA 171716 Apr 13NNNN http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2305251&language=en                   

Good Day :South Sudan's Mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea (11)

Mekki Elmograbi Email: makkimag@gmail.com Good Day :South Sudan's Mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea (11) Date: 16/04/2013 I read an article on "thinkpress" website written by Salih Nur under the title: "How could a Lasting Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea be achieved?" with the subtitle: "After more than a decade of low-level hostilities and sour relations, there are signs Eritrea and Ethiopia could be ready to talk again". The approach of the writer is optimistic and positive but I didn't read any article for the writer before. This article is clearly written and to the point. The strangest thing in his article and many other articles is that most of writers avoided commenting on South Sudan's mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea. No mentioning for this initiative in African media at all! I made very positive comments on this initiative even during the military tension between Sudan and South Sudan because I was sure at that time that the tension will not lead the two countries to a new cycle of wide range military conflict. After 25 years of civil war, no more war; Sudanese people in North and in South will not support war initiators and will not give extremists any other chance. According to my point of view, Salih's article highlighted the realistic part of the "problem and the solution": (… This narrow approach was exacerbated by a flawed arbitration process which focused in on legal matters rather than political disagreements. Legal methods are inherently conservative and inflexible, and the clause of Algiers Agreement which said the boundary decision would be “final and binding” left no leeway for cooperation – instead, it propelled both parties into a zero-sum game) The writer highlighted the economic side of the problem: (Any peace initiative should go beyond previous negotiations in seeking a comprehensive settlement of the root causes of the conflict – both economic and political. One major contention is land-locked Ethiopia’s claim of a “right of access to sea” either through incorporation of some Eritrean territory along the coast or guaranteed lease of the port of Assab. Previous fears that Ethiopia could claim access to the sea by military force make Eritrea’s insistence that Ethiopia unconditionally respect Eritrea’s territorial sovereignty all the more salient. The lease of Assab to Ethiopia would likely be in Eritrea’s economic interest, but a history of Ethiopian (previously Abyssinian) attempts to annex the country mean mistrust is high. Any peace effort must come up with an intelligent way to address this and other complex issues. The first step in answering this question is to examine why the Algiers Agreement failed. On the one hand, there is some truth to the argument that neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea had any real interest in the process to begin with. But at the same time, there was also a multitude of real and complex issues which hindered any possible reconciliation)

Egypt Rejects Entebbe Agreement's Decisions On Nile Water

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Bahaa el-Din said Egypt will not agree on any decision to divide the water of the Nile, if it is taken without its participation. He added that Egypt would use the appropriate international mechanisms in the right time. The minister pointed out that there are continuing Egyptian-Sudanese contacts with Nile Basin countries, adding that cooperation is the best way to achieve development and stability for the peoples of the region. Bahaa el-Din stressed that the ministry takes all negative impacts, which may result from the establishment of the Ethiopian Dam, into account. The Minister said Ethiopia cooperates with Egypt and presents all studies and information about the dam. The final report will be submitted by the end of May 2013. The minister explained that there is a new mechanism for cooperation between the Eastern Nile Basin countries aside from the Entebbe Agreement the State of South Sudan is invited to join.

Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Attempting to Use Eritrea to Undermine Ethiopia

AFRICANGLOBE – Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr met with the Eritrean foreign minister Osman Saleh and the Eritrean presidential adviser for political affairs, Yamani Jabr, in Cairo on Monday to boost bilateral relations between the countries and discuss a number of regional and international issues. According to Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy, the two dignitaries addressed the growing problem of trafficking in African refugees through Egyptian territories. For the last two years, refugees and asylum-seekers, most of them Eritrean, have been kidnapped from refugee camps in Sudan and transported to the Sinai desert where they are held for ransom by Bedouin gangs, according to a recent Amnesty International report. In the report, Amnesty International called on all the countries along the trafficking route to crack down on kidnappings and abuses and to increase their engagement with international agencies to protect the safety of refugees. In Monday’s meeting, Amr stressed the need to increase awareness of this issue and the harm it causes to African refugees. They also agreed to establish a plan headed by both foreign ministers to increase political communication between the two countries, to strengthen Egypt’s relationship with Eritrea, and to increase Egypt’s involvement in a variety of development projects in the Nile Basin countries, Roshdy said. Amr also confirmed Egypt’s desire to promote trade with Eritrea, especially once the planned land bridge between Sudan and Egypt has been established. Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi also discussed the land bridge with a Sudanese delegation led by the head of the Council of States, Adam Hamid Musa. In their meeting on Monday, Morsi emphasised that it is the responsibility of both governments to push ahead with the three land routes, one in the east, one in the west and one along the coast, to facilitate the movement of peoples and goods between the two countries. Islamist Morsi expressed a desire for continued communication between the Sudanese Council of States and the Egyptian Shura Council as both states work toward convergence at legislative and civil levels. Chairman of the Shura Council, Ahmed Fahmy announced that the parliamentary committees of both states have established an agreement to promote cooperation between their legislative branches. This agreement will expand to include the House of Representatives once it has been elected, Morsi said. The cooperation and integration initiatives between Egypt and Sudan mark the beginning of wider regional collaboration, Morsi said.

Invade, if Shabbia collaborates with Egypt against Ethiopia

by Goba » 16 Apr 2013, 18:08 Ethiopia should occupy strategic territories such as ports, main roads in Eritrea ... if shabbia ever collaborates against Ethiopia or against the interest of any Nile basin African nation with the intention of supporting its Arab masters. Any Shabbia servitude to the Arabs to harm Ethiopia should be seen as a national threat. Read below what the Arab slave is planning with Egypt, as the Arabs buy and sell Eritreans into slavery: "In the report, Amnesty International called on all the countries along the trafficking route to crack down on kidnappings and abuses and to increase their engagement with international agencies to protect the safety of refugees. In Monday’s meeting, Amr stressed the need to increase awareness of this issue and the harm it causes to African refugees. They also agreed to establish a plan headed by both foreign ministers to increase political communication between the two countries, to strengthen Egypt’s relationship with Eritrea and the rest of the African continent, and to increase Egypt’s involvement in a variety of development projects in the Nile Basin countries, Roshdy said. Amr also confirmed Egypt’s desire to promote trade with Eritrea, especially once the planned land bridge between Sudan and Egypt has been established. Morsi also discussed the land bridge with a Sudanese delegation led by the head of the Council of States, Adam Hamid Musa. In their meeting on Monday, Morsi emphasised that it is the responsibility of both governments to push ahead with the three land routes, one in the east, one in the west and one along the coast, to facilitate the movement of peoples and goods between the two countries. The president expressed a desire for continued communication between the Sudanese Council of States and the Egyptian Shura Council as both states work toward convergence at legislative and civil levels. Chairman of the Shura Council, Ahmed Fahmy announced that the parliamentary committees of both states have established an agreement to promote cooperation between their legislative branches. This agreement will expand to include the House of Representatives once it has been elected, Morsi said. The cooperation and integration initiatives between Egypt and Sudan mark the beginning of wider regional collaboration, Morsi said."

Ethiopia Targets 250,000 Indian Tourists

Ethiopia is setting up a special tourism office in India to try and woo some of the 13 million Indians who annually travel abroad, to visit Africa's second most populous nation.

The slogan for the campaign is 'Come, visit Ethiopia'.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines has already got things off the ground by hosting a group of tour and travel operators from India on a week-long familiarisation tour to some of the country's popular destinations.

Ethiopia boasts of 20 National Parks, four wildlife sanctuaries, eight wildlife reserves and 18 controlled hunting areas.

Nine of its historical places are designated by UNESCO as World Heritage sites.

These include, Fasil Ghebbi, the Axum Obelisk, the Lower Valley of Omo, the Harar Jugol Wall, Konso Cultural Landscape, the Lower Valley of Awash, Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, the Tiya carved stones and Simien National Park.

This year the government wants to see a sharp increase in tourist arrivals. Feelers have ben made out to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Tekeba H. Sellasie, the airline's Regional Director for the Indian subcontinent, said: "We have all forms of tourism in Ethiopia, be it historical, wildlife, religious and anthropological. We need to promote it as a package."

"India is a good source market for tourism nowadays. More than 13 million people travel out of India every year. We also expect to have a good share of this market, even one or two per cent of this is significant for us," Genet Teshome, the Consulate General of Ethiopia in Mumbai said.

The Ethiopian government opened a cultural centre in its embassy in New Delhi and plans to set up several tourism promotional centres in major Indian cities.

"By next year we plan to establish our tourism boards in New Delhi and Mumbai. India is going to be a crucial factor in development of Ethiopia as a world-class tourism destination," Getenet Yigzaw , an expert at the Cultural and Tourism Ministry said.

Just over 500,000 tourists visited Ethiopia in 2012, number the government wants to see doubled. http://allafrica.com/stories/201304160418.html

Ethiopia enlists help of forest communities to reverse deforestation

Despite taking years to establish the first projects, growth in forest cover and increasing incomes for the communities involved have enabled bigger schemes to begin

When the Ethiopian government realised that outright bans on cutting down trees failed to stop deforestation, it instead turned to a strategy based on enlisting the help of forest communities.

The first participatory forest management (PFM) schemes were piloted 15 years ago. Based on signs of success, PFM is being rolled out in larger areas. A particularly ambitious scheme is taking place in the mountains of Bale in the southern region of Oromia, where the authorities are applying PFM to 500,000 hectares (1.24m acres) of forest in a project run by Farm Africa, a British NGO in partnership with SOS Sahel, a local NGO.

Ethiopia has experienced massive deforestation. From a baseline of perhaps 40% forest cover in the 16th century, the country is down to 4.6%, a result of 0.8% deforestation a year. Pressure on forests comes from a rapidly growing population – 85 million – with over 80% living in rural areas, relying on rain-fed agriculture. The 70 million livestock put pressure on land and forests.

Starting the first PFM projects was difficult, Tsegaye Tadesse, programme manager with Farm Africa, told the Guardian, on a visit to London.

"We were not welcomed by communities at first," says Tadesse, who has worked in forestry since the 1980s. "Imagine being told that you will no longer have free access – despite laws prohibiting you from cutting down trees. You would want to carry on with the easy way, coming and going as you choose."

The government applied a carrot and stick approach. Officials raised the spectre of eviction and bused forest dwellers hundreds of kilometres to areas that had suffered extensive deforestation to show them the bleak future that was in store once the forests had disappeared. "We took community representatives to degraded areas so they could see the results of failing to take proper care of forests," he says.

The carrot was managed use of the forest – including logging – for an unspecified time. In Ethiopia, land is owned by the state so it cannot be sold or used as collateral. Nevertheless, the offer of legal exploitation of resources was used as an incentive to gain the involvement of forest communities.

It took eight years to apply PFM to 5,000 hectares, in Chilmo, about 90km west of Addis Ababa, the capital. It has become easier since the first projects because now, says Tadesse, forest communities can see successful examples of PFM. "It is a bit like vaccines. It takes a lot of money to develop at first, but once you have it, things become easier," he says.

Besides husbanding forest resources, PFM also develops money-making activities. In Bale, forest communities have been taught to grow coffee and bamboo and to become bee-keepers. Of the 23,000 households (an average of five people per household) covered by the Bale project, about 3,500 have taken up these activities. But Tadesse says efforts to develop alternative livelihoods are being hampered by the lack of a strong private sector.

"The idea was to bring in the private sector," he says. "But it is not strong enough yet to develop the continuous supply of forest coffee, natural oils and honey. We know the consumers are there – there is strong demand for honey in Addis. But we need hives to be distributed, technical support. Markets are not functioning as well as they should."

Tadesse says the results have been encouraging from the first PFM pilot project, in Chilmo, where satellite imagery has shown a 9.2% increase in forest cover. Communities are seeing an increase in incomes from sales of honey to Addis and coffee to Italian firms.

"Families are sending children to colleges. Thatched roofs are being replaced by corrugated iron, but we need to find out more about how big an impact these livelihoods are having," Tadesse says.

One unintended consequence of PFM has been the growth of a sense of civic responsibility. "There are always conflicts around natural resources. PFM involves lots of conflict mediation and exercises in negotiation. It has contributed to the building of stable communities and in building democracy at a grassroots level."

The question, as ever, is whether these communities can sustain themselves, once funding for the project stops. Funding of €5.4m (£4.6m) from Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands ended in December, although Norway has extended funding of €2m for another three years. With the help of Oxford University, Farm Africa is designing a scheme for Bale to tap into the UN's Redd+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) plan to raise money through carbon credits. According to Redd+, global deforestation accounts for nearly 20% of all CO2 emissions. Under the Redd scheme – proposed by Papua New Guinea and others in 2005 – developing countries are paid for protecting their forests.

In preserving the forests of Bale, Tadesse estimates that the PFM scheme could produce 18m tonnes of tradable carbon over the next 20 years. A carbon credit currently sells for $5 a tonne. Tadesse, however, says any money from carbon credits would be a bonus, but not central to the viability of the project in Bale.

A new report, Rediscovering Ambition on Forests, by Bharrat Jagdeo, former president of Guyana and a roving ambassador for the Three Basins Initiative, calls on rich countries to invest in forest conservationschemes. The report estimates that $29bn in incentive payments could halve annual deforestation across the 26 net deforesting countries of theThree Basins (Amazon basin, Congo basin and south-east Asia). It warns that without commitment to forest preservation now, it will be impossible to stabilise the world's climate within 2° above pre-industrial levels.

• This article was amended on 16 April 2013. The original said the PFM scheme could produce 80m tonnes of tradable carbon over the next 20 years. This has been corrected to 18m http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/apr/15/ethiopia-forest-communities-reverse-deforestation

Ethiopia: Local and City Administration Elections in Ethiopia

regional states and the city administrations of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa on Sunday (April 14th). Polling booths opened at 6am local time under the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia's timetable.

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said in total the different political parties had fielded a total of more than 3.8 million candidates for the elections, and voters in the Afar, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Oromia, Somali, and South Ethiopia Peoples' and Tigray Regional States voted freely. Over thirty million people were expected to cast their votes in voting for the voting for woreda, kebele and city administrations (including those in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa) and in the subsequent vote for Addis Ababa woreda councils and for the Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples Kebele councils on April 21s.

The Chairperson of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, Professor Merga Bekana, said more than 90 per cent of the eligible electorate had cast their ballots by the time the polls closed at 6:00 pm on April 14th. The election, he said, had been conducted in a fair, peaceful and democratic manner and he commended the efforts of the public, political parties, employees of the board, the media and election observers for the successful operation.

The results will begin to be posted locally later today, but the final overall results will be announced by the National Electoral Board at national level on May 10th. According to the NEBE, the largest number of candidates was fielded by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front which put up some 3.7 million candidates. Among other parties fielding candidates were the Ethiopian Peaceful Democratic Party (EPDP) (183 candidates) and the All Ethiopia National Movement (AENM) (85 candidates).

Opposition political parties including candidates from the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the Ethiopian Visionary Party (EVP) (which put up 42 candidates and observers in Addis Ababa) expressed satisfaction over the process, describing it as "fair, peaceful and democratic", with the electorate casting their ballot for political parties of their choice without anybody trying to exert and undue influence. The elections were observed by civil society organizations and other public organizations as well as observers from various political parties who were deployed to different parts of the country to observe the process.http://allafrica.com/stories/201304160630.html

Ethiopia Working To Strengthen Economic Co-operation Among East African Nations

ADDIS ABABA, April 16 (BERNAMA-NNN-ERTA) -- Ethiopia has been working to strengthen existing economic ties among the nations of East Africa, according to the Foreign, Defence and Security Affairs Standing Committee of the House of People's Representatives, the lower chamber of the Ethiopian Parliament.

The Committee on Monday organised an experience-sharing forum with a visiting Ugandan parliamentary delegation. Addressing the forum, the Committee chairman, Tesfaye Nega, said the forum would contribute significantly towards strengthening existing economic ties between Ethiopia and Uganda.

He lauded Uganda's peacekeeping role in Somalia where it is contributing its troops to serve with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

He said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed between Ethiopia and Uganda in the near future so as to reinforce co-operation between their parliaments.

The head of the Ugandan delegation expressed his country's keen interest to work closely with Ethiopia in strengthening regional economic linkages.

-- BERNAMA-NNN-ERTA http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=942357

Ethiopia to Spend U.S.$250 Million for New ICT Park

15 APRIL 2013

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — In three years time, Ethiopia will boast of an expansive knowledge facility, 'The Ethio ICT Park, costing just over $250 million. More than 12 local and international companies have already booked space.

Fronted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT), Ethio ICT Park will be situated on 200 hectares of land behind Bole International Airport in the Bole district.

Private operators have signed up for 25,000 square metre plots including China's ZTE and Techno Mobile and Security Innovation Network (SINET) who will establish their own ICT incubation centres, manufacturing plants and software development centres.

According to media reports the complex will have internal roads, such as a 50 metre wide access road, a 40 metre wide arterial road, a 30 metre wide primary road and a 22 metre wide secondary road, in addition to a convention centre and petrol stations. It will also include supportive facilities, such as a food court, restaurants, pubs and karaoke lounges, medical facilities, financial services, postal and banking services.

The government wants to give the local ICT community a substantial push forward by investing in the Park. It also hopes that Ethio ICT Park will encourage more Ethiopians to buy smart phones.

By the end of the year, Ethiopia will switch over to digital transmission from analogue.

According to officials, the documentation process is done and implementation will soon begin. Addis Alemayehu, a member o the high level board appointed to supervise the venture. He said: "Software that operates in local languages will also be developed in the park."

The feasibility study and design of the Park is being handled by WiPro IT Consulting, an Indian firm, who have worked on a similar project before.

The Park will be divided into five zones, which include business, assembly and warehouse, commercial, administration and knowledge Park.

The Park will have its own road infrastructure as well as supportive facilities including a food court, restaurants, pubs, karaoke lounges, medical facilities, financial services, postal and banking services.

According a recent African Development Bank report, while public sector investment in ICT in Africa has improved considerably over the last decade, the private sector continues to be the key driver for investment and has invested close to $50 billion over the last decade. 'In 2007, the private sector committed to increase investment in telecommunications from $35 billion to $50 billion by 2012,' the report states.

Tullow Falls After Delaying Well in Ethiopia for Two Months

By Eduard Gismatullin - Apr 15, 2013 7:28 PM GMT+0300

Tullow Oil Plc (TLW), the U.K. explorer searching for Ethiopia’s first crude, fell to a 19-month low in London trading after delaying the Sabisa well.

The shares slumped 5.4 percent to 1,097 pence, the lowest price since September 2011.

“Hole instability issues have required the drilling of a sidetrack,” or secondary wellbore, the London-based company said today in a statement. “The sidetrack recently commenced and a result is now expected in late May,” rather than in March as previously planned.

Tullow’s partner in the project, Africa Oil Corp. (AOI), has lost almost 10 percent in Toronto since April 12 when shareholder Lukas Lundin said drilling had been set back by technical difficulties. The exploration group, which also includes Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO), has drilled Sabisa in western Ethiopia to 1,810 meters (5,940 feet) and found evidence of hydrocarbons in sands, Tullow said today.

“Encountering a sand formation with hydrocarbons gives a promising initial indication that this basin has potential,” Oswald Clint, a London-based analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., wrote in an e-mailed report.

Separately, the company said its Ngamia-1 well in Kenya flowed 281 barrels of oil a day during tests. Tullow and Africa Oil announced Kenya’s first oil discovery at Ngamia-1 in the Turkana region in March last year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eduard Gismatullin in London ategismatullin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Will Kennedy at wkennedy3@bloomberg.net

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-15/tullow-falls-after-delaying-oil-well-in-ethiopia-for-two-months.html 

Ethiopian Airlines to launch direct flights to tourist hotspots in Africa

ADDIS ABABA: Indian tourists will soon have direct flights from several Indian metros and tier-two cities to tourist hotspots in Africa, with the Ethiopian Airlines planning to operate regular flights from these places. 

Already operating daily flights from New Delhi and Mumbai, the Ethiopian Airlines is all set to deploy its newly acquired luxurious Boeing-787 Dreamliner from India's financial capital to attract business and leisure travellers. 

"So far it (the plans for the new routes) is for Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Cochin, Trivandrum and Hyderabad are also interesting destinations for the Ethiopian Airlines... We are trying to start from Chennai within a year," Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Ethiopian Airlines, told PTI here. 

He said Bangalore and other destinations in India's south are currently being explored to start direct flights to the Ethiopian capital. 

Going ahead with its plans to tap the Indian tourists, Ethiopian Airlines is also offering stop-over flights to other African countries like Tanzania and Kenya, which are famous for wildlife, safaris and ethnic tourism. 

On plans to operate Dreamliner aircraft from Mumbai, Hailu said, "We are planning to put Dreamliner 787 in Mumbai, effectively from later this month, immediately after the restrictions from the Dreamliners are lifted." 

Dreamliner aircraft will also increase our tourism volume from India to Ethiopia and rest of Africa, he added. 

Planning to compete with European and Asian countries to tap the Indian travellers, the airlines is also planning to offer discounts and package tours to African tourist hotspots. 

"We have so many packages for Ethiopian and African tourism which will bring the cost down. A new destination which is yet not explored always comes with a premium, but we may minimise our cost and offer discounts to our customers," Hailu said. 

To meet the demand from the Indian market, Ethiopian Airlines has planned to operate big-bodied aircraft such as Boeing 787 and 767-300 from New Delhi and Mumbai. 

Heavily banking upon tourism business from India, the Ethiopian government has extended all its support to its Tourism Ministry and state-owned Ethiopian Airlines. 

"India is a good source market for tourism now a days. More than 13 million travellers travel out of India every year. We expect to have a good share of this market. Even one or two per cent of this is significant for us," Genet Teshome, Ethiopian Consulate General at Mumbai, said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/ethiopian-airlines-to-launch-direct-flights-to-tourist-hotspots-in-africa/articleshow/19539417.cms