Hundreds of Ethiopian Refugees Flock Through Zimbabwe-RadioVop Zimbabwe

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By Ngoni Chanakira, Juru Growth Point, July 18, 2011 - More than 25 shabbily dressed and visibly hungry refugees from Ethiopia are passing through Zimbabwe almost daily using the Juru Growth Point Highway.

The refugees, old men, women and children, say they are en-route to South Africa where they "hope" to settle soon, investigations reveal.

A trip accompanying the refugees on parts of their long journey by Radio VOP, showed that the individuals come from very "poor families in Ethiopia are unemployed and are political individuals who have virtually nothing to lose from their quick departure".

They cannot speak English and use a translator whom they pay about US$2 daily in each country travelled through. The Zimbabwean translator was known simply as "Billy".

Billy, it later emerged after asking several questions, comes from a broken home in Mozambique.

The witty boy had "falsely" informed the refugees that he could speak English and, therefore, could take them "safely" across Zimbabwe to South Africa where he would pass them over to yet another translator based there.

Little did they know that for "witty" Billy this was full time work since he is unemployed in Mozambique.

"They share everything they can get their hands on," Billy told Radio VOP in an exclusive interview when the refugees had stopped for some water at Blue Ridge Shopping Complex along the highway.

Blue Ridge Shopping Centre is owned by fugitive business tycoon, James Makamba, a former ZBC Disk Jockey (DJ), who became an overnight millionaire in Zimbabwe and began his own television station rivalling the monopolistic ZBC TV.

Makamba, owner of a huge farm behind Blue Ridge, is understood to be in London in the United Kingdom (UK) where he fled Zimbabwe allegedly fearing political persecution from State Security agents after he had been specified by the Government of President Robert Mugabe. Makamba has since been de-specified.

Last night we only managed to get some packets of maputi (popped maize) when we passed through Juru Growth Point," Billy said. "We got these after we had begged some businessmen there. They then also gave us water to drink and hoped us well on our trip to Harare.

"But I am not stopping in Harare. In fact I am taking them to Bulawayo and then finally to Beitbridge where I will leave them for another translator in South Africa. It is a very long trip," he said, sometimes speaking to this Reporter in Shona, a major language also used in poor Mozambique.

Billy revealed that food was very difficult to come across especially at night on the long trip.

He said, in an interview, that the refugees had fled starvation and alleged poor governance from the current government in power.

Billy said the refugees "thought" that since their former President, Mengistu Haille Mariam, was given shelter in Zimbabwe by President Robert Mugabe, they could also receive the same.

Some pilots flying the national carrier Air Zimbabwe and the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) led by Perence Shiri, were trained in Ethiopia before Independence in 1980.

"They say they want to see President Megistu Haille Mariam when we get to Harare," Billy said in the interview.

But Mengistu is nowhere to be "easily" seen in Harare. He is housed under close State Security agents in the plush Gun Hill suburb in Harare's Northern Suburbs near The Harare Mayor's Mansion built by the late Harare Executive Mayor, Solomon Tawengwa.

However, investigations by this Reporter show that the road leading to where Mengistu used to reside is now quite easily accessible even by gardeners and house maids working in Gun Hill.

The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) soldiers guarding the road are sometimes "nowhere" to be seen because they would have gone shopping for cigarettes at Sam Levy's Village in Borrowdale suburb, about five kilometres away from the mansion secured for the "former dictator Megistu".

Mengistu was given refugee status in Zimbabwe by his political friend Zanu (PF) boss, Mugabe. The 87-year-old Mugabe agreed to keep him in this country until the political and economic clouds hovering over Ethiopia had cleared.

Nothing has been heard about Mengistu's whereabouts.

The last time information was gathered from State Security agents was that he had been given a lucrative commercial farm somewhere in the plush Mazowe farming area - the area reserved mainly for prominent top army bosses where "grabbed commercial farms" from white commercial farmers were dished out by President Mugabe.

"We are just stopping here for water," Billy said in the interview. "I think Harare is near now because they tell me that it is only about 20km from here (Blue Ridge Shopping Centre). We will get there by tonight."

Billy and his new found poor and hungry friends once they arrive in Harare they will be faced with yet another task - this time the more than 420km gruelling trek to Bulawayo - the City of Kings.

Senior CPC official vows to boost cooperation with Ethiopia

BEIJING, Jun 30, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pledged on Thursday to increase cooperation with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Wang Gang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks while meeting with a delegation headed by Shiferaw Tekle-mariam, a member of the EPRDF executive committee. Shiferaw is also Ethiopia's federal affairs minister.

Wang talked about China-Ethiopia relations, saying cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, culture, education and public health was expanding, and the two countries were working closely together on international and regional affairs coordination.

"The China-Ethiopia relationship, under the framework of the Sino-Africa Cooperation Forum, has set an example for South-South cooperation," Wang added.

The CPC and the EPRDF have forged a close partnership over the past years, he said.

"We are willing to step up exchange and cooperation with the EPRDF on the basis of the four principles for party-to-party interaction, and continue seeking new means of exchange and cooperation in order to inject fresh vitality into the China-Ethiopia All-round Cooperative Partnership," Wang said.

The four principles include "independence, complete equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."

Ethiopia arrests 9, including 2 journalists, on terrorism charges, government official says - The Washington Post

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian official says nine people were arrested last week on suspicions of organizing a terrorist network and planning attacks.

Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said Wednesday that two journalists were among those arrested. He says they were involved in planning attacks on infrastructure, telecommunications and power lines. Shimeles says two other suspects are members of an opposition party.

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Shimeles says the suspects were supported by Ethiopia’s archenemy Eritrea and by an international terrorist group, which he did not name.

International media rights groups have been calling for the release of Reeyot Alemu, a columnist for the independent weekly Feteh, and Woubshet Taye, deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Awramba Times newspaper.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ethiopia-Sudan Mineral explorations

Trend Lines | Global Insider: Ethiopia-Sudan Relations: "Global Insider: Ethiopia-Sudan Relations
BY THE EDITORS | 20 JUN 2011
Sudan and Ethiopia recently reached a initial agreement to explore and develop mineral resources along their shared border. In an email interview, David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and a current adjunct professor of international relations at George Washington University, discussed Ethiopia-Sudan relations.

WPR: What is the recent history of relations between Ethiopia and Sudan?

David Shinn: Ethiopia and Sudan have a long history of alternating periods of conflict and cooperation. Following the outbreak of war between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1998, Ethiopia's relationship with Sudan shifted from hostile to cordial as Ethiopia sought to ensure peace on its other borders. The relationship has remained positive ever since. Ethiopia improved its main road connection to Sudan and now imports Sudanese oil. It plans to build additional dams on Nile tributaries and sell electricity to Sudan. It recently agreed to send two battalions of Ethiopian troops to the contested Abyei region between north and south Sudan in order to help ensure the Republic of South Sudan has a peaceful birth on July 9. Ethiopia also has a good relationship with the new government in south Sudan.

WPR: What is the significance of the agreement to jointly develop resources in their border region?"

Ethio Kenyan |Border raids bad for EAC The East African: - Editorial

EDITORIAL

Border raids bad for EAC

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Posted Sunday, June 12 2011 at 13:06

It is about time Kenya and Ethiopia ended the incessant raids occurring at their borders. Key among the causes of these raids is poverty and climatic change that has affected the livelihoods of pastoral communities that occupy the region.

It is encouraging that the two governments have realised there is a need to address the conflict arising from shared resources. The Turkana in Kenya, Toposa in Sudan and Merille in Ethiopia come from the same stock. But the struggle for survival occasioned by the harsh environment in which they live in has led to unending feuds between communities, with dire consequences.

The East African Community cannot sit quietly and let such age old malpractices as cattle rustling persist with impunity. The the continued conflict will only lead to the proliferation of small arms as each community desperately tries to protect itself.

The two countries have recognised the need to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation. This is particularly important to Kenya that is spearheading the regional economic integration. Experience has proved that cross-border trade and social interaction is the antidote of ethnic prejudices.

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Ethiopia May Charge More Oromo Rebels, After Fighters Sentenced Over Plot - Bloomberg

Ethiopia May Charge More Oromo Rebels, After Fighters Sentenced Over Plot

By William Davison - Jun 10, 2011 2:19 PM GMT+0200

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Ethiopia is “highly likely” to charge another 121 Oromo rebels with terrorist offences after 14 people were sentenced yesterday over their involvement in a plot to bomb an African Union summit, a government spokesman said.

The Supreme Court yesterday jailed four of the accused for life, while six received 25-year prison terms, one got 14 years and three others were incarcerated for nine years, State Minister of Communications Shimeles Kemal said in a phone interview from Addis Ababa, the capital. All 14 were convicted of involvement in a plot to set off bombs at the AU’s headquarters in the city during a summit in January.

“All of the defendants were members of the Oromo Liberation Front,” Shimeles said yesterday. “Some of them were assigned to go to Eritrea for the purpose of carrying out the operation to terrorize the summit as well as demolishing hotels and entertainment sites.”

Oromos are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. The OLF has waged a 38-year campaign for autonomy in Oromia, the biggest of Ethiopia’s nine federal states. Cases are still being put together against 121 OLF fighters arrested in March, some of whom were trained by the Eritrean government, Shimeles said.

“It’s highly likely they may be charged in accordance with the anti-terrorism proclamation,” he said.

Regional Destabilization

In April, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said it will back Eritrean rebels trying to overthrow the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki unless that country changes its policies of regional destabilization. Eritrea’s ambassador to the AU, Girma Asmerom, denied the charge and said the stance was “pure aggression and a declaration of war.”

The two countries fought a 1998-2000 border war in which an estimated 70,000 people were killed, according to International Crisis Group, the Brussels-based advocacy organization.

The OLF denied its forces had anything to do with a plot to attack the AU summit and said its fighters are trained in Oromia, not in Eritrea.

“The OLF did not and will not plan to bomb the AU headquarters,” Beyan H. Asoba, spokesman for the rebel group, said in an e-mailed response to questions yesterday. “As a matter of policy, the OLF does not target civilian populations and property in its military operations.”

In March, Oromo opposition parties said that 69 of their activists or sympathizers had been arrested by the government that month.

“Generally the government’s strategy is the marginalization of the opposition using the anti-terrorism law. They use it against the opposition whether they are legal like us or operating outside the legal framework,” Merera Gudina, chairman of the Oromo People’s Congress, said in a phone interview from Addis Ababa yesterday. “For sure I know the members have nothing to do with Eritrea or illegal activities.”

The mobile phone of Ambassador Girma was switched off when Bloomberg called seeking comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa via Nairobi atpmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Ethiopia Buying 200 Tanks From Ukraine for $100 Million

Ethiopia Buying 200 Tanks From Ukraine for $100 Million

Ethiopia has signed a $100 million deal with Ukraine to buy more than 200 tanks. UKRINFORM news agency reports that Ukrspecexport SC signed the deal with the Ethiopian Defense Ministry to supply 200 T-72 tanks. The upgraded version of T-72, the T-20 tanks are equipped with modern technology. The company claims that the tanks are equipped with upgraded guided weapons, reactive armor system for improved battlefield survival, and modernized propulsion system. This is the eighth largest contract signed by Ukrainian’s state-controlled arms exporter in 15 years since its establishment following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tanks were originally manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1970s before its collapse. These tanks were known as Soviet Union's premier weapons systems and had high demand in the Asian, African, and Middle Eastern nations. The arms exporter expects that one of its biggest deals will have a great social and economic impact in Ukraine and that the contract would be a harbinger of attracting new orders for the country’s defense establishment. It is likely to boost capacity of Ukrainian businesses, increase revenues, and generate jobs. Further, under the deal, Ukrspecexport will be responsible for the repairs and upgrades of the tanks supplied to Ethiopia, which will further boost Ukrainian businesses. This is the second such military deals Ethiopia has signed in the recent past. Earlier, it signed a contract with Israel for the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles. The deal also includes Israeli manufacturer BlueBird’s help in setting up maintenance facilities for UAVs. Due to its fragile borders and active neighbors like Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, the need for securing borders becomes intense. Ethiopia often accuses Eritrea of sponsoring violence in the country. Skirmishes and small violence incidents are a common occurrence on the Ethiopia-Eritrean border. Ethiopia and Eritrea were engaged in a border war between 1998 and 2000, which claimed more than 70,000 lives. Since then, Ethiopia has been engaged in securing its borders. Government critics find fault with the administration’s military deals, saying that expenditure on procuring weapons is not rational for a country dependent on foreign aid and fighting poverty. Ukraine and Military Supplies After the dismemberment of the Soviet Union, important military production infrastructure was left in Ukraine. The country continues to supply tanks, aircraft, and other important Soviet military hardware at low cost to other countries. Under deepening economic crisis, the country looks forward to military hardware sales to revive its condition and create employment. Ukraine-Russia Relations The relations between Ukraine and Russia seem to be getting strained as a result of Ukraine's further integration into the EU. Ukraine-Russia relations were at the lowest ebb during the earlier Yushchenko regime. Ukraine even went to support Georgia against Russia over South Ossetia. Even Russia stopped supplying gas to Ukraine. However, with the return of Viktor Yanukovych to power, the relations improved. But the people of Ukraine are divided over their ties with Moscow. The industrially developed West Ukraine looks for integration with EU while the agricultural east favors stronger bonds with Russia. Political leaders are also divided on the subject and there is no consensus in the country over its foreign relations. Integration with EU is looked at by political leaders as a more important option to save the country from an impending economic disaster.