The Scramble for the Horn of Africa

Ethiopian Regime Crumbles: Enter CIA

by THOMAS C. MOUNTAIN

With its foundations irreparably cracked and its edifices of power crumbling the Ethiopian regime headed by Meles Zenawi is turning more and more to the CIA to make the critical decisions in the ministries of power in the capital Addis Ababa.

የመለስ ህመም፣ ታክቲክ እና መፃኢ እጣ ፈንታ

የመለስ ህመም፣ ታክቲክ እና መፃኢ እጣ ፈንታ

Posted by admin on July 16, 20120 Comment

ተመስገን ደሳለኝ

ሰሞኑን አዲስ አበባ በወሬ መጋኛ ተመታለች። ወሬው በአዲስ አበባ ብቻ የተወሰነ አይደለም። በተለይም በአውሮፓ እና ሰሜን አሜሪካ በሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያን እንደ ጉድ እየተራገበ ነው- የ57 ዓመቱ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር መለስ ዜናዊ በጠና መታመም። ህመማቸውንም ተከትሎ ቤልጂየም ለህክምና መሄዳቸው እና ከፍተኛ ሊባል የሚችል ክብደት የመቀነሳቸውም ወሬ እንዲሁ የመጋኛ ያህል ነው።

በእርግጥ የጉብዝናውን ወራት የዱር ፍሬ እየበላ በረሃ የታገለ ቀርቶ በቤተመንግስት ያደገ ‹‹ልዑል››ም ቢሆን የዚህን ያህል አመት በስልጣን መቆየቱ (ሌላ ምክንያት እንኳ ባይኖር) በጤናው ላይ አንዳች ጉዳት ማስከተሉ አይቀሬ ነው። የጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር መለስ ችግርም ይህ ነው። ሌላ አይደለም። በበርካታ አምባገነን መሪዎች ላይ የታየ ማለቴ ነው፡፡

Ethiopia says Meles is ill amid AU Summit absence

Ethiopia says Meles is ill amid AU Summit absence

By William Davison | July 16, 2012

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Newai Gebreab (left), long time economic advisor to Meles, and Foreign Ministry chief Berhane Gebrekristos are running the country since Meles Zenawi's absence from the state of affairs due to illness. The two Meles Zenawi's confidantes from Adwa with Eritrean lineage have assumed key leadership positions. Undoubtedly, they are supported by Gen. Samora Yonus and Communications Chief Bereket Simon (both of Eritrean heritage) together with Meles' God-father and profoundly anti-Ethiopian Sebhat Nega and Tewodros Hagos, an Eritrean but ironically a TPLF politburo who closely monitors the political heartbeat of Tigrai. This signifies Meles Zenawi's power oligarchy will remain intact long even after his death - with First Lady Azeb Mesfin sparkling at the center of the oligarchy like a diamond. It has been an old habit to call ultra-Eritrean nationalists like Meles "Woyane," a term which strictly implies the Tigrians, who have been politically dead since 2001, after Meles decimated them for trying to remove him for sabotaging Ethiopia's imminent military victory over the 1998-2000 War with Asmara. (Ethiomedia)

July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia’s government said that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is ill after he failed to attend an African Union summit, and an opposition group reported he may have died in a European hospital.“There is no serious illness at all. It’s minor only,” Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said today in an interview in Addis Ababa, the capital. “As any human being, he has to get medication and he’ll be coming back soon.”
The 57-year-old leader wasn’t at the opening of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa yesterday. He also skipped a meeting of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development in the city on July 14 for “health reasons,” Senegalese President Macky Sall was quoted as saying by the Addis Ababa-based Reporter newspaper.

Meles is head of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front and has held power in Ethiopia for more than two decades, after helping lead allied rebel groups to oust Mengistu Haile Mariam’s Marxist military junta in 1991. The EPRDF and its allies in 2010 won all but two of the 547 seats in parliament in an election the European Union said was “heavily” balanced in favor of the ruling party. The Ethiopian National Transitional Council, a Dallas, Texas-based opposition group, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday that Meles may have died in a Belgian hospital. The Ethiopian Review, an anti-government website, reported that Meles was in the Saint-Luc University hospital in Brussels.
Géraldine Fontaine, a spokeswoman for the hospital, wasn’t immediately available for comment when called today.
“ENTC on behalf of the Ethiopian people demands that the government has the responsibility to disclose the truth to its citizens,” the council said.

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Ethiopia: Not free to speak or write?

Ethiopia: Not free to speak or write?  By Alemayehu G Mariam | July 16, 2012 Prof. Al Mariam Free to Speak To paraphrase an old expression, “There are two things that are quintessentially important in any society. The first is free speech and I can’t remember the second one.” Free speech is the bedrock of all human freedoms. In my view, the value a society gives to freedom of expression determines whether that society is free or unfree. A society is unfree if individuals are afraid to speak their minds, to think unpopular thoughts, to criticize government, or to dispute ideas and opinions. Expressive freedoms were so paramount to the founders of the American Republic that they provided constitutional protections unrivalled in the history of mankind. In breathtakingly uncompromising, unambiguous, and sweeping words that could be found in the English language, they declared: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press

Ethiopia: Scores Injured As Police, Muslims Clash in Ethiopia Capital

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, 15 July 2012

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Addis Ababa — Over 100 people including eight policemen were injured after clashes broke out during the weekend between police and Muslim protesters in Addis Ababa, where African leaders are gathered for African Union (AU) assembly.

Egypt: Morsi Congratulates French Counterpart on National Day

15 July 2012

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President Mohamed Morsi sent a cable of congratulate to French President Francois Ollande on the occasion marking the National Day of France.
Morsi delegated presidential Chamberlain Karim el-Diwani to the French Embassy in Cairo to offer greetings on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Morsi sent a cable of greetings to Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi after the later had undergone a successful surgery in Germany.

Azeb Mesfin banned from leaving Ethiopia

Azeb Mesfin banned from leaving Ethiopia

July 16th, 2012 |  |  16 Comments

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The Ethiopian Review Intelligence Unit has learned that Meles Zenaw’s daughter Semhal Meles, who was in Washington DC during the Summer, has gone back to Ethiopia yesterday. According to our source, many of Meles Zenawi’s close relatives and friends have been informed on Sunday afternoon that the dictator’s illness is terminal.

We also have been informed that Meles Zenawi’s deteriorating health could be as a result of poisoning, and not just cancer.

Meanwhile, Woyanne security chief Getachew Assefa has reportedly banned Meles Zenawi’s wife Azeb Mesfin — also known as mother of corruption — from leaving Ethiopia today. Azeb has amassed enormous wealth and political influence, which has garnered her a number of enemies. Her fate is very much intertwined with that of Meles.

Several family members of the Woyanne junta have been observed leaving Ethiopia en mass during the past few days fearing possible chaos that could result from the power struggle that could follow the dictator’s death.