Month: September 2016
- Africa
Irreecha – The colors, the identity and the pride of Oromo nation
The Oromo nation is East Africa’s largest ethnic group for its cultural, spiritual and social values. In Ethiopia, home to the majority of East African Oromo, the main celebration of Irreecha in October coincides with the end of the summer rainy season. In a ceremony held every year at Hora Harsadii (Lake Hora ) in Bishoftu town, 45Km south east…
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Carlos Lopes Steps Down as Head of UNECA
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Carlos Lopes, is stepping down after four years at the helm of the institution; he was tasked with promoting Africa’seconomic and social development, fostering intra-regional integration and promoting international cooperation for the continent’s development. In a statement sent to Addis Standard, the UNECA praised Lopes for being a champion of…
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Ethiopia’s gradual journey to the verge of crisis
Born in Mekelle, the Capital of the Tigray regional state in the north, GebruAsrat became one of the early members of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), Ethiopia’s all too powerful member of the governing coalition, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). But Gebru left EPRDF in early 2000 following a major split within TPLF in the wake of the…
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Letter to the Editor: Why Dr. Tedros Adhanom should not lead the World Health Organization
Dear Editor, As a matter of historical coincidence, both Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) were established in 1948. Dr. Tedros Adhanom became the former’s first unqualified but politically appointed minister in history and he now wants to take over the later, in a similar and unjustifiable trajectory. First, it has to be established as to…
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Editorial: The government is harvesting what it sowed; now it must acknowledge it!
When news of a 100% victory by the ruling EPRDF came out shortly after the May 2015 general elections, everyone scorned the result; it was too stupid to be true. After all, democratic elections in a multinational state home to a near 100 million odd, which Ethiopia is one, were not supposed to be like this. So, the world was…
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#OromoProtests:The “Oromo street” and Africa’s counter-protest state
Part III (final) Etana Habte, Special to Addis Standard In the first part of this series, I explored in historic perspectives (particularly with developments in Oromia regional state) the Ethiopian government’s road to becoming a counter-protest state and the systematic ways in which the regime further bolstered its role as a counter-protest state. And in the second part…
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Opinion: The Qilinto Massacre: the truth shall be revealed
By Zecharias Zelalem, special to Addis Standard On Saturday, September 3rd 2016, something sinister, ghastly, premeditated and honestly speaking somewhat poorly calculated, transpired in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Abeba. The tragedy in question has, for the most part, managed to avoid the sort of outcry and global condemnation these incidents tend to get when the actors involved are from…
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Opinion: Human rights, development and American credibility in Ethiopia
By David Thompson Olympic silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa took complete control of the conversation surrounding his outstanding performance in Rio. Typically, conversations after an Olympic event circle around the standard, “What were you thinking during the last mile?” or opportunities to talk of one’s own achievements. Feyisa completed the incredible feat of finishing a marathon in 2:09:54, yet, he…
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Editorial – Justice should prevail for wrongly jailed innocent Ethiopians!
News of Ethiopians wrongly locked up behind the country’s notorious jails has long become a routine feed for the nation. And the impact of this repeated, gross miscarriage of justice carried out by none other than the country’s law and order institutions has led to a chilling outcome that many Ethiopians are today displaying an extraordinary level of indifference to…
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Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program: Chasing two rabbits, catching neither
Economic Commentary By J. Bonsa, (PhD), special to Addis Standard Prolonged humanitarian assistance and recurrent emergency relief have created a dependency syndrome in Ethiopia. For over four decades, Ethiopian history has been inextricably linked with famine and disaster. The country is often characterized as dependent on foreigners; and although successive Ethiopian governments have actively engaged in disaster risk management, disasters…
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