EFF FIGHT WITH MILITARY AT PARLIAMENT SONA 2017 aka WWE ROYAL RUMBLE

Citizenship for Jamaicans high on Ethiopia’s agenda - News - JamaicaObserver.com

BIRRU... roughly 500 Jamaicans live in Shashamane (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

ETHIOPIAN ambassador to Jamaica, North America and Mexico, Girma Birru, says he is working with the Jamaican Government to sort out issues of citizenship for Jamaicans residing in Shashamane, Ethiopia.

Ambassador Birru, who is visiting Jamaica in recognition of Diplomatic Week, told the

Jamaica Observer during a visit to the newspaper on Tuesday that there are about 500 Jamaicans living in Shashamane.

“In Ethiopia there isn’t dual citizenship and some of the Jamaicans have been living there for the last 50, 60 years,” the ambassador shared. “There are roughly 500 Jamaicans living there.

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“We are trying to work out a legal framework to provide them this type of residency, to allow them to keep their Jamaican citizenship,” Ambassador Birru continued. “At this stage, they are allowed to have their own identification card. That was the initiative Prime Minister [Andrew] Holness spoke to last year during his visit.”

At the same time, the ambassador said he is committed to maintaining the existing diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and Jamaica. While sharing that he is pleased with the relationship between both countries, Ambassador Birru said he is looking to build on this relationship by improving the areas of tourism, culture and sports.

“Ethiopia is good in long distance running, (Jamaica is) the best in short distance, so exchanging training would be beneficial for both sides,” he said. “Where tourism is concerned, you have quite a good amount of experience in this... we really want to get the tourism sector to assist in developing Ethiopia’s tourism sector, after the cooperation framework is approved,” he said.

Ambassador Birru was referring to a bilateral cooperation agreement Jamaica and Ethiopia signed to strengthen the areas of tourism, education, culture, sports, and air transport.

In the areas of culture and tourism, Ambassador Birru said he wants to see Jamaican music emphasised in Ethiopia, and, with the help of Jamaica, Ethiopia’s religion and historical tourism better marketed to the world.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Birru said although it’s his third time visiting Jamaica, “the best experience locally is the people”.

“It’s the best thing you have in this country. Any place I can think of Ethiopia being loved (outside) of its own country is Jamaica,” he said.

He also shared that he was thankful to the Jamaican Government for their continued diplomatic support.

Obama And The Fallacy Of The African Dream

Tafi MhakaWriter, professional communicator.

The leaders of Africa have sorely struggled to secure socio-economic security for all for more than five decades.

Obama And The Fallacy Of The African Dream The leaders of Africa have sorely struggled to secure socio-economic security for all for more than five decades. 05/01/2017 04:59 SAST | Updated 2 hours ago Tafi Mhaka Writer, professional communicator. EVAN VUCCI/AP U.S. President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands during a bilateral meeting with African Union Commission chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, at the African Union, Tuesday, July 28, 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On the final day of his African trip, Obama is focusing on economic opportunities and African security. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) When then-Senator Barrack Obama won the presidential election in the USA, ahead of Republican Party nominee John McCain, on Tuesday, November 3 in 2009 – Africa as a whole celebrated the election of a man many people on the continent regard as a son of the African soil. Ordinary Africans believed Obama could bring change to Africa, as they felt he was a man who could relate to the struggles of African people. His Kenyan lineage captured the imagination of Africa more than the legacy of Martin Luther King Jnr. ever will. Obama seemingly plugged an emotional void in the soul of Africa, which had lingered unperturbed for an excruciatingly long period of time. And he laid bare for all to see, the dearth of young African personalities in positions of leadership in post-colonial political and economic affairs. Obama oozes coolness and sophistication in buckets. He inspires dreams of an expansive nature much more than esteemed liberators like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana did in 1957. What does this say about the state of Africa today? ... do African men shamefully smother the voices and dreams of African women in the hope of perpetuating patriarchal dominance? The leaders of Africa have sorely struggled to secure socio-economic security for all for more than five decades. So millennials have begun to see hope in leaders like Obama. The fascination and respect Obama inspires in Africa, is a much-sought after rarity in African politics only the late Nelson Mandela held in times gone by. Mrs Obama is also highly popular in Africa. She fronted the #bringbackourgirls campaign calling for the release of 276 Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria. She is intelligent and articulate and appears to have formidable strength of character. But is Africa truly in short supply of phenomenal female leaders like Mrs Obama? Or do African men shamefully smother the voices and dreams of African women in the hope of perpetuating patriarchal dominance? Where are the young African pioneers of today, who can develop technology-driven enterprises in Africa, and create millions of decent jobs for the Africans emigrating to Europe in shabby fishing boats? We love to applaud the achievements of Mark Zuckerberg – and rightfully so, but is Africa promoting or stifling innovation for the sake of skewed policy considerations? African leaders are quick to welcome political change overseas, but loathe to see dynamic dispensations cropping up in Angola, Uganda, Egypt and Ethiopia. African leaders rush to congratulate leaders such as Theresa May and Donald Trump when they win elections in their respective countries, but largely fail to support democracy, or uphold the rule of law, or hold free and fair or peaceful elections in Kenya, Togo, Gabon, Gambia and Ivory Coast. African leaders are quick to welcome political change overseas, but loathe to see dynamic dispensations cropping up in Angola, Uganda, Egypt and Ethiopia. Africans love to stand up for the rights of African-Americans on Twitter and Facebook, but ignore injustices suffered by fellow Africans in conflict zones like Darfur and South Sudan. Africans have been all so eager to embrace the deeply personal African-American dream of Barrack Hussein Obama II, they have not discussed how the dream of a free and prosperous Africa remains solidly stuck in the fading hopes of 1957

African union summit starts in Rwandan capital Kigali

Never be satisfied with mediocrity, Kagame tells Ethiopian students

Rwanda: "Never be satisfied with mediocrity, Kagame tells Ethiopian students
By: JAMES KARUHANGA
PUBLISHED: July 03, 2016 News Print Email
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L-R: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tedros Adhanom, First Lady Jeannette Kagame, H.E President of the Republic of Ethiopia, President Paul Kagame, Dr Mulatu Teshome, Ato Gadu Andargachew, President of the Amhara Region State, Dr Baylie Damite, President of Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia yesterday. (Photograph: Sisay Argwa)
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President Paul Kagame yesterday told students of Bahir Dar University, in Ethiopia, to use their voice to stand up for what is right.

The President said this after the Ethiopian university conferred to him an honorary Doctor of Laws in recognition of his role in stopping the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, championing the empowerment of women and ensuring Rwanda’s sustainable development. The President was accompanied by the First Lady Jeannette Kagame.


“You have as much stake in this world of ours as anyone. Take your seat, Africa’s seat at the high table. In every situation strive to bring people together never to divide them. We benefit from our diverse ideas and identity,” Kagame said.

Whether as a nation, continent or the world, he added, there is always a way to build a common purpose and “we should strive” for this.

“Thank you for this great honor bestowed upon me and my people, this speaks a lot to how much we can do as brothers and sisters. We will continue to work together ever more closely with the people of this great nation of the Republic of Ethiopia. 

These are among the African and universal values that you youth inherit and you should be proud.”

The President thanked Bahir Dar University for awarding him with a honorary degree which pays tribute not just to him but also the Rwandan people.

“This recognition is a great honor to the struggle of the Rwandan people for liberation and prosperity.”

“You got it right by emphasizing the huge role Rwandan women have played in Rwanda’s rebirth. Thank you for that. Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia have been with us, all the way, which we will always appreciate and reciprocate. I am honoured to stand together with you today and to be associated with this university and the great nation of Ethiopia.”

“To the new graduates. Like your parents, I came of age in a different Africa with complicated circumstances. Injustice and bad politics prevented many of us from attending university. Even the right to live, was not always assured. We had no choice but to struggle and fight to secure the dignity and opportunity we now enjoy and deserve.”

Kagame then urged the graduates to build on “this foundation” and do even more and better for the continent’s future.

“We must therefore never take for granted how far we have come and the sacrifice required to get to where we are today. Neither can we be satisfied with mediocrity or praise for small ambitions. We live in a better Africa than ever before.”

He told them that it is not enough to have a degree or to be young. More important, he said, is the mindset of ownership, responsibility and curiosity. The biggest part of any problem, President Kagame added, is accepting it as normal.

President Mulatu Teshome and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Tedros Adhanom, including Chief Administrator of Amhara Regional State, Gedu Andargachew, attended the event.

President Teshome said: “It is an honor for us to have President Kagame grace this graduation. A continued testament of our close relations.”

“On behalf of the Government, I would like to thank the University for presenting this degree to President Kagame. Congratulations President Kagame on receiving this honorary Doctor of Laws. May our two countries continue to prosper.”

Bahir Dar University located in the city of Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara National Regional State in Ethiopia, graduated 8, 321 students trained in first, second and doctorate degree programs. 

editorial@newtimes.co.rw"



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Ethiopia wants Africa fully represented on UN Security Council

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  areyouseriouse? • 5 hours ago

  
  
  

  and why should Africa get a veto vote? Africa has shown no reasonable ability to even sorting out the smallest of problems and has no military to back up its actions... maybe one day when Africa has the military and resources it can have a say, but until Africa fix its problems, i can not see it ever happening ...

  maybe africa should focus on getting rid of people like robert mugabe and other dictators...

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

   

  
  

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    Ateme Sonko  areyouseriouse? • 24 minutes ago

    
    
    

    There was no need of specialized military force and big economy to defeat their specialized enemies in Africa. So African unity and solidarity is one of the best reasonable abilities of the Africans to fight terrorism and to have veto power on the council. Since World War2, everything had changed in the world except the number of permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Why? Five(5) is not the other name of the God. I believe that it has to change with changes.

Ethiopia gets non-permanent UN Security Council seat

Ethiopia is to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years. The country may spread peace while on blue helmet missions abroad, but critics complain that political space at home is contracting.

The vote at the UN General Assembly electing Ethiopia as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council turned out to be largely a formality because Ethiopia ran unopposed in its regional grouping. Africa heads of state and government had agreed on Ethiopia as a joint candidate at their summit in January, when Kenya and the Seychelles withdrew from the contest.

Ethiopia may have run unopposed but it still had to pick up two thirds of the votes cast in the 193-nation assembly. It was backed by numerous African states, including Rwanda whose candidacy Ehtiopia backed in 2013/2014, and by Brazil. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Viera said Ethiopia "with its extensive experience in regional, African and global peacekeeping missions" could make "an immense contribution" to the UN Security Council.

Regional gendarme

Ethiopia's participation and experience in peacekeeping in Africa was a trump card in its bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Its contingent of 8,000 troops - men and women - on peacekeeping duties is the largest in the world. (The official promotional literature says Ethiopia has the biggest number of female peacekeepers worldwide.)

As a founding member and host country of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the African Union (AU), Ethiopia is a major pillar in the continent's peace and security architecture. Africa's second most populous state also chairs the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), mediating in conflicts on the Horn of Africa, most recently during the strenuous negotiations between the warring parties in South Sudan.

Ethiopia has been criticized for ignoring the Ethiopia Eritrea Boundary Commission ruling that defines their common border

Ethiopia and Liberia signed the UN Charter as founding members in 1945. Ethiopia has represented Africa at the Security Council twice in the past, the last time in 1989/90. It contributed troops to the UN in Korea in the 1950s and 60s (when 121 Ethiopian soldiers lost their lives over three years) and in the Congo. Ethiopia pursed its candidacy for 2017/18 with some vigor, it would have been disappointed if it had ended in failure.

Crackdown on dissent

Critics of Ethiopia says its participation in blue helmet missions in Liberia, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and other conflict zones is considerably more successful than its efforts to create democracy and stability at home. The country, with a population of some 90 million, is run by an authoritarian regime. Journalists, human rights campaigners and opposition activists complain that the political space is contracting and that anti-terror legislation is being used to crack down on dissent.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry says it wishes to use its non-permanent seat on the Security Council to "promote peace and security through dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution." This prompts the question why Ethiopia has been so belligerent in its recent border clashes and verbal exchanges with its neighbor Eritrea.

In the promotional literature for its candidacy, Ethiopia said it "wanted to expand the role of regional security deals." So why then does Ethiopia ignore the ruling of the Boundary Commission defining its border with Eritrea?

Chatting with DW on Facebook on Tuesday, a number of Ethiopians spoke of the changes they hoped the Security Council seat would bring. "Perhaps there will be change within the country," said Kibrom Tadesse. Nesta Worku is more pessismistic. "Which African country protects human rights or democracy? The UN Security Council can't do anything about the African heads of state - they repress human rights."

Ethiopian troops standing guard before a display of weapons left behind by al Shabab militants in Somalia

In his historic speech to the UN General Assembly in 1963, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie said that "the Charter of the United Nations expresses the noblest aspirations of man" only to add that "these, too, are only words; their value depends wholly on our will to observe and honor them and give them content and meaning."

More than 50 years later, Ethiopia is no longer an empire but one of Africa's "lion states." As such, it will be expected to demonstrate that "African solutions for African problems" really is a promise that can be kept, especially in the field of peace and security policy. There is one particular project which Ehtiopia is expected to nudge forward - the African Peace and Security Architecture - the main plank of which is a rapid reaction force based in Addis Ababa.