Year: 2018
- Africa
Opinion: ANDM and OPDO turned against their master but both follow diverging paths. Here is how
“From the forgoing, despite some similarity, the divergence between OPDO’s and ANDM’s paths is not insignificant. The obvious question when one observes such a divergence is “why?”. Why is ANDM—the most senior party within the front, next to TPLF, with modest contribution to the overthrow of Mengistu regime and historical tie with the legendary ERPP and the Ethiopian student…
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News: A mother of one, three months pregnant woman shot dead by a member of the military in east Hararghe, Oromia
Mahlet Fasil Addis Abeba, April 09/2018 – A military officer has shot dead Ayantu Mohammed Sa’idoo, a 20 year old, mother of a four year girl, last night in Qobo town, east Hararghe zone of the Oromia regional state, her neighbors told Addis Standard. She was also three months pregnant. Ayantu’s body was discovered after it was dumped in…
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Detention Memoir: Eleven detainees, eleven days. What really happened
From left, journalist Zelalem Workagegnehu, blogger and rights activist Mahlet Fatahun and blogger/journalist/rights activist Befeqadu Hailu as pictured next to the police station where the eleven of them were detained for eleven days Befeqadu Hailu, for Addis Standard Addis Abeba, April 09/2018 – Have you ever lived in a square meter room? I did, but not in a…
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News: Despite promises of release on individual bail, rearrested journalists, bloggers and opposition politicians remain in police custody
Etenesh Abera Addis Abeba, April 04/2018 – Despite signing on papers offering promises of individual bail on Monday, eleven individuals detained on March 25 remained in jail, families said. The eleven individuals, including journalists Temesgen Desalegn and Eskendir Nega, were rearrested on Sunday March 25 during a lunch party organized by Temesgen’s mother to celebrate the release his colleagues and…
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Analysis: Dr. Abiy Ahmed becomes a prime minister the legacy EPRDF fought against to the bitter end. What went behind closed doors and how could that shape his premiership?
In his acceptance speech, Ethiopia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed spoke everything Ethiopians in and outside the country were eagerly waiting to hear: A desperately needed message of unity among the politically fractured and polarized Ethiopians; a speech that began by paying tribute to Ethiopians who sacrificed their lives while defending “this proud country”; a speech that…
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News: Journalist Temesgen Desalegn admitted to hospital, others kept in “inhuman condition”
Mahlet Fasil Addis Abeba, March 30/2018 – Journalist Temesgen Desalegn, who has been rearrested last sunday along with ten other here in the capital Addis Abeba, is admitted to Zewditu hospital due to sever back pain he developed during his jail time in recent past, according to family members. “Temesgen did not have the break he needed to recover…
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Editorial: Ethiopia in the Crosshairs of the Military: Unmasking the narrative of counter revolution
From the Editorial Addis Abeba, March 29/2018 – Following the fall of the Soviet Union and the totalitarian political systems it spawned, a new brand of authoritarian governments emerged around the globe. In their edited volume, Constitutions in Authoritarian Regimes, Tom Ginsburg and Alberto Simpser point out that the new “constitutional autocrats” rule by enacting new constitutions or revising…
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Breaking: Dr. Abiy Ahmed elected new chairman of EPRDF with Demeke Mekonnen as deputy
Addis Standard staffs Addis Abeba, March 27/2018 – The just concluded meeting by the Council of Ethiopia’s ruling party, EPRDF, elected Dr. Abiy Ahmed Aliy, chairman of the OPDO, as EPRDF’s new chairman. The council has not decided on who will be the deputy. If the party sticks to its tradition, which is more likely than not, Dr. Abiy will…
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News: Many detained by the army as crackdown intensifies in various cities across Ethiopia, among them recently released politicians and journalists
Liyat Fekade Addis Abeba, March 26/2018 – In what appears to be a fresh round of crackdown by the army under the auspices of the command post implementing Ethiopia’s state of emergency, more than 30 people have been detained in various cities and towns during the weekend only. Arrests of civilians were made here in the capital Addis Abeba, in…
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Commentary: No Power Can Suppress People Power: The Hubris of Power against the Challenge of Barefoot Democrats in Ethiopia
Photo: Oromo festival goers chant protest slogans during the deadly Irreecha festival in Oct. 2016. Ezekiel Gebissa, Special to Addis Standard Addis Abeba, March 23/2018 – In his widely acclaimed book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, James C. Scott examines why state-sponsored social engineering schemes – socialist collectives in the…
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