Ethiopia is a powerhouse in the making

[loyola llothta]

 

[loyola llothta]

Ethiopians Protest US Sanctions over Brutal “Tigray War”


Sunday, May 30, 2021

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA

Ethiopians protest against international pressure on the government over the conflict in Tigray, at a demonstration organised by the city mayor's office held at a stadium in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Sunday, May 30, 2021. Thousands of Ethiopians gathered Sunday to protest outside pressure on the government over its brutal war in Tigray, after the U.S. said last week it has started restricting visas for government and military officials of Ethiopia and Eritrea who are seen as undermining efforts to resolve the fighting. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Thousands of Ethiopians gathered in the nation’s capital Sunday to protest outside pressure on the government over its brutal war in Tigray.

Protesters at the rally in Addis Ababa carried banners that criticized the United States and others in the international community who are voicing concern over atrocities in Tigray, where Ethiopian forces are hunting down the region’s ousted and now-fugitive leaders. Troops from neighboring Eritrea are fighting in Tigray on the side of Ethiopian government forces, in defiance of international calls for their withdrawal.

But the protesters in Addis Ababa carried placards that said “Ethiopian young people denounce the western intervention.” Others said Ethiopia’s sovereignty was at stake.

The U.S. said last week it has started restricting visas for government and military officials of Ethiopia and Eritrea, who are seen as undermining efforts to resolve the fighting in Tigray, home to an estimated 6 million of Ethiopia’s 110 million people. Besides the visa restrictions, Washington is imposing wide-ranging restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia.

Atrocities including brutal gang-rapes, extrajudicial killings and forced evictions have been part of the violence in Tigray, according to victims, witnesses, local authorities and aid groups. Thousands of people are estimated to have died.

The Ethiopian government called the U.S. action “misguided” and “regrettable.”

“The Ethiopian government will not be deterred by this unfortunate decision of the U.S. administration,” said the statement tweeted by the ministry of foreign affairs.

“If such a resolve to meddle in our internal affairs and undermining the century-old bilateral ties continues unabated, the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will be forced to reassess its relations with the United States, which might have implications beyond our bilateral relationship,” said the statement.

The crisis began in November after Ethiopia accused former leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, of ordering an attack on an Ethiopian army base in the region.

Troops sent by Ethiopia’s leader, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, quickly ousted the TPLF from major cities and towns, but guerrilla fighting is still reported across Tigray.

More than 2 million people have been displaced by the war.

link:
Pan-African News Wire

 

[Sinnerman]

Ethiopia could really use a leader like Otto Von Bismarck, because these next ten to fifteen years a crucial for them.

 

[loyola llothta]

I don't understand. Is this fake news? Cuz that's horrific.

Disinformation war(they don’t have any proof but allegations of what they think happen ). Don’t this remind you of the Syria chemical weapon reporting afew years back?

I post this lady because this is the latest propaganda piece the US is pushing(she was on CNN pushing this). I want to show how MSM or liberal media work together to push the west imperialism with they white supremacist model


She was not the only one. A lot of liberal organizations like BLM, Democracy Now... pushing this chemical attack

the west is on Ethiopia and Eritrea head right plus Ethiopia got the Egypt grid issue

 

[loyola llothta]

While people trying to make me look like the bad Guy pay attention to who is really behind all this. This is a Great read. “A Morally Bankrupt Institution”: How the UN is Betraying Ethiopia | by Jeff Pearce | May, 2021 | Medium



“A Morally Bankrupt Institution”: How the UN is Betraying Ethiopia
jeffpearce.medium.com

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Disinformation war(they don’t have any proof but allegations of what they think happen ). Don’t this remind you of the Syria chemical weapon reporting afew years back?

I post this lady because this is the latest propaganda piece the US is pushing(she was on CNN pushing this). I want to show how MSM or liberal media work together to push the west imperialism with they white supremacist model


She was not the only one. A lot of liberal organizations like BLM, Democracy Now... pushing this chemical attack

the west is on Ethiopia and Eritrea head right plus Ethiopia got the Egypt grid issue

Its crazy that I literally can’t watch the news. The only reliable info has been from the few honest Twitter handles and a journalist brotha I know that has been going out there and seen the media’s absolutely propaganda campaign.

This is honestly some crazy shyt. But if there’s one thing that actually unites Ethiopians it’s when foreigners try to meddle.

 

[Red Shield]

Its crazy that I literally can’t watch the news. The only reliable info has been from the few honest Twitter handles and a journalist brotha I know that has been going out there and seen the media’s absolutely propaganda campaign.

This is honestly some crazy shyt. But if there’s one thing that actually unites Ethiopians it’s when foreigners try to meddle.

the journalist bro got a twitter?

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

the journalist bro got a twitter?

I gotta ask him next time I see him.

 

[loyola llothta]

Ethiopia could really use a leader like Otto Von Bismarck, because these next ten to fifteen years a crucial for them.

I don’t think the leadership is the problem. The US already made it’s mind 20+ years ago about Ethiopia and the HOA

 

[loyola llothta]

Belarus, Ethiopia committed to political dialogue, economic cooperation



Belarus, Ethiopia

Belarus is one of the states both Eritrea and Ethiopia acquired weapons over the years but interesting timing for relations to be upgraded as Addis Ababa feel the pressure from Washington

The U.S. has asked multilateral development banks to suspend funding to Ethiopia as fresh reports of human rights abuses surfaced from the Tigray region



U.S. to Freeze Funding for Ethiopia as Tigray Abuses Surface
bloomberg.com
11:09 AM · May 28, 2021

 

[loyola llothta]

Egypt, Sudan Conclude War Games Amid Ethiopia’s Dam Dispute


By SAMY MAGDY

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt and Sudan on Monday concluded joint war games that involved ground, air and naval units. The six-day drill meant to showcase deepening security ties between the two neighboring countries and present a show of force amid mounting tensions with Ethiopia.

The dispute stems from Ethiopia’s controversial, unfinished dam on the Nile River’s main tributary. Monday’s part of the drill, at a military base near Khartoum, was attended by the two countries’ chiefs of staff, Sudan’s Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Farid.

The exercises aimed at “strengthening bilateral relations and unifying methods on dealing with threats that both countries are expected to face,” said a statement from Khartoum.

Sudan and Egypt have deepened ties since the ouster of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 amid a public uprising against his nearly three-decade of rule. The growing Cairo-Khartoum rapprochement has caused concerns in Ethiopia.

Talks over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam stalled in April.

The two countries want an international agreement to govern how much water Ethiopia releases downstream, especially in a multi-year drought, fearing their critical water shares might be affected.

International and regional efforts have since tried to revive the negotiations as Ethiopia plans to add 13.5 billion cubic meters of water in 2021 to the dam’s reservoir — even without a deal on the dam’s operation and filling.

In March, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned that his country’s share of the Nile waters was “untouchable” and that there would be “instability that no one can imagine” in the region if Ethiopia fills the reservoir without an agreement.

Egypt and Sudan have called for the U.S., U.N, and the European Union to help reach a legally binding deal. The agreement would spell out how the dam is operated and filled, based on international law and norms governing cross-border rivers.

The Blue Nile meets the White Nile in Khartoum, before winding northward through Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea.

link:
Pan-African News Wire

 

[Sinnerman]

I don’t think the leadership is the problem. The US already made it’s mind 20+ years ago about Ethiopia and the HOA

I'm just saying that they need a leader that can handle all the foreign pressure from the West, the same way someone like Bismarck managed external pressure

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

I'm just saying that they need a leader that can handle all the foreign pressure from the West, the same way someone like Bismarck managed external pressure

I have a lot of criticisms about Abiy but he could be doing far worse. Where he fukked up is in thinking he could simply go about his business without anticipating and countering what’s left of the political machine that Woyane have built up over nearly 3 decades.

Geopolitically, Egypt is already enough of an issue. But with the West now eagerly trying to meddle in Ethiopia’s affairs the situation is much worse. It’s 10 days until Ethiopia holds elections, the delay was one of the triggers that started the whole conflict. That’s what makes this shyt so sick, they’re attempting to advocate for a gang of old geezer criminals that resorted to illegal elections and then violence rather than wait until the pandemic was under control. Once the election is over, if Abiy wins then he’ll actually have the power to flex and change things. As of now because he was appointed he hasn’t had a full mandate to lead. So this election might cause more action.

The irony in all this is that it’s brought Ethiopia and Eritrea closer together than we’ve been since we were one entity. shyt is beautiful as hell to me. Us against Babylon.

 

[loyola llothta]

@Secure Da Bag


US Moves against Ethiopia and Eritrea: Atrocities Alleged, Sanctions Imposed

Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
27 May 2021



Historian Jeff Pearce, @jeffpropulsion, responding to the atrocity reports of Alula Solomon, @Alula_Solomon, CEO, Tigrai Media House


US hostilities towards Ethiopia and Eritrea look more and more like those preceding US wars in Yugoslavia, Libya, and Syria, writes Ann Garrison.

On May 20, the US Senate passed Senate Resolution 97 "calling on the Government of Ethiopia, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and other belligerents in the conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, allow unfettered humanitarian access, and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations." The resolution also called on neighboring Eritrea to withdraw troops from Ethiopia.

On May 21, Cameron Hudson told Foreign Policy , “This is a major strategic shift in the Horn of Africa, to go from an anchor state for U.S. interests to become a potential adversary to U.S. interests.” Hudson self-describes on Twitter as former CIA, State Department, and White House staff, now with the Atlantic Council.

On May 23, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a statement announcing sanctions on both Ethiopia and Eritrea, including official travel restrictions and aid cuts, most of which targeted Ethiopia, which receives the largest share of US aid in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On May 24, Ethiopia responded angrily with their own statement , saying, “As the Ethiopian Government has made it clear, time and again, the attempt by the U.S. administration to meddle in its internal affairs, is not only inappropriate but also completely unacceptable. Ethiopia should not be told how to run and manage its internal affairs.”

On the same day, the Telegraph published “Exclusive: Ethiopians suffer horrific burns in suspected white phosphorus attacks ,” citing anonymous “leading chemical weapons experts” who had “evaluated footage” from Tigray. The publication acknowledged, “The UN and other bodies were called to investigate. But nobody would, and nobody condemned its use because it’s very hard to prove it was used with ‘intent’ against people."

International law allows for the use of white phosphorous to illuminate the battlefield at night or to provide tactical smoke screens, but the United Nations’ Geneva Conventions classify its use to harm civilians as a war crime.


We all know this playbook

We all know this playbook. The US and its ancillary powers and publications allege atrocities, usually in the Global South, then claim to be the exceptional arbiters of peace, justice, and human rights for the entire world. Jeff Pearce, who identifies on Twitter as “historian, novelist, career surrealist,” wasted no time responding to the unsubstantiated white phosphorous alarms with a sardonic analysis on his Medium blog: “Ethiopia: Manufacturing More Outrage .”

Pearce’s blog and Twitter page are a hilarious running commentary on the demonization of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and I recommend them to anyone trying to keep up with this. Recently he tweeted, “They keep telling me the earth is flat, and they’re going to push this African country off the edge to prove it.”

I asked Pearce if I could use the above screenshot from his Twitter page with this article, and he responded:

“Sure, but could you please mention that I'm the author of a book on Ethiopian history, Prevai l: The Inspiring Story of Ethiopia's Victory over Mussolini's Invasion, 1935-1941? This is because folks are quite entitled to wonder why anyone should listen to this bald, white doofus about African affairs.

“And the other thing that you may wish to mention is that I've written articles on Medium that have investigated the Axum Massacre, the Mai Kadra Massacre, and United Nations officials allegedly threatening Ethiopian aid workers, and that none of the mainstream news operations have bothered to pick up or check any of these stories, even though they are clearly taking some cues and tips from social media.

“While this last bit may sound self-serving, frankly, it's downright damn appalling that NONE of these stories are being pursued with proper investigative zeal.

‘Their mainstream narratives are treated as already established facts. Same with the white phosphorus story in the Telegraph, for which, if you actually go over the details, nothing is proved at all yet.

“All that Ethiopians have been asking for is BALANCED coverage and not to be penalized in the international community, which is relying on a version of events put forward by a terrorist organization/criminal oligarchy, the TPLF.

‘They deserve far better than this.”

Indeed. And we know that in instances including Yugoslavia, Libya, and Syria, these fabulist human rights campaigns are often followed by US/NATO bombing, asset seizures, international criminal indictments and arrests, CIA-engineered coups, proxy wars, and/or occupation. The US leads the world in creating chaos in the name of human rights.

link:
US Moves against Ethiopia and Eritrea: Atrocities Alleged, Sanctions Imposed | Black Agenda Report

 

[loyola llothta]

Part 2: The US is scrambling to regain control of the Horn of Africa

I spoke to Eritrean American medical doctor Simon Tesfamariam, as I did in March when the EU imposed new sanctions on Eritrea. Tesfamariam lives in New York City, but he has a long history of organizing and activism within the global Eritrean community. He has lived and worked in Eritrea, volunteering in Eritrean hospitals and lecturing at the University of Asmara. He says that the US counted on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front , commonly known as the TPLF, to control Ethiopia and thereby the Horn of Africa for 30 years, but it’s struggling to regain control now that the TPLF is out of power in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.

Simon Tesfamariam: America basically bet on the TPLF to maintain control of the Horn of Africa, but the TPLF rule was repressive, based on tribalism, and it built up resentment throughout the country until the people removed them from power in 2018. Now America’s scrambling to figure out how to regain control.

Ann Garrison: What do you mean when you say that the US used the TPLF to control the Horn? What sort of control did they exert that benefited US interests?

ST: Prior to 2018, TPLF was, first, what we call a puppet or client regime for Washington.

Second, TPLF was a minority regime in that it preferentially represented the interests of the Tigrayan people, which make up only six percent of the Ethiopian population.

Third, TPLF was a bourgeois nationalist regime in that it only represented a small group of Tigrayans. Over the last three decades, the US showered the tribalist, bourgeois TPLF minority regime with roughly a billion dollars a year in aid under the guise of humanitarian assistance. (This is generosity akin to that the US shows to Egypt and Israel, which respectively receive $1.5 and $3 billion annually). In exchange, TPLF served as Washington's policeman in the Horn of Africa and used its influence in the African Union, which is based in Addis Ababa, to protect Washington's interests on the African continent. Think about that for one minute: one six-percent minority tribe in Ethiopia was exercising that much power over the whole of Africa.

More than anything, the US seeks to control the Horn militarily and strategically. Resource acquisition is secondary. Thus, with undue power and influence, the US-backed TPLF illegally invaded both Eritrea and Somalia in 1998 and 2006, respectively, to bring those countries under US control.

Then, when Eritrea stood up for the Somali people by opening its doors to all the exiled Somali political leaders who were looking to unite to expel the TPLF-led Ethiopian invaders, it was denounced by the US as a "spoiler" in the Horn, accused of militarily supporting Al-Shabaab, and consequently sanctioned in 2009.

TPLF committed unspeakable war crimes against the Somali people, even using white phosphorus bombs on the civilian population .

Let's also not forget about TPLF's war on Eritrea from 1998 to 2000, under the guise of reclaiming the supposedly contested border town of Badme .

AG: I’m glad you brought that up. Badme seems to be a nowhere desert town with nothing to fight for on the border of Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Tigray Province. So I guess it was just an excuse?

ST: Yes. And during this totally unnecessary war, TPLF sent to their death hundreds of thousands of mostly ethnic Oromo peasants as "minesweepers" barbarically launched in human waves against the Eritrean Defense Forces. This reveals the class-based and tribalist nature of TPLF. Anyone who doubts this, should read the groundbreaking 1999 article by David Hirst , who wrote about this in the Guardian back when it was still a somewhat progressive paper. In that article he wrote:

"It was Oromo peasants it [the TPLF] selected as human minesweepers, and Tigrayan officers who shot them from the rear. Yet it showed hardly less contempt for its own people. Local Tigrayan villagers were pressed into that suicidal baggage train, and mainly Tigrayan soldiers died in the tanks that were entrusted to no other nationality."

During the so-called border war, TPLF also ethnically cleansed Ethiopia of almost 80,000 Eritreans living there on account of the "color of their eyes" and then seized their assets. TPLF would go on to do to Ethiopians themselves what it had already done to Somalis and Eritreans—invade their lands, ethnically cleanse innocent people, and seize their resources.

The US not only turned a blind eye to TPLF's crimes against innocent Ethiopians, Somalis and Eritreans and provided them international cover, but also actively took a hand in supporting TPLF in their assault on the peoples of the Horn.

The US integrated TPLF's security architecture with its own. It has sent drones, armaments, and troops to Somalia, but, interestingly, 80 percent of US weapons ultimately end up in Al-Shabaab's hands. This has kept Somalia weak in a "forever war" and essentially rendered it a US colony.

The US also pursued a hostile isolation strategy against Eritrea and sought to implode its economy. However, Eritrea survived and became the final bastion of resistance in the Horn. To put it simply, the Eritrean state and its defense forces served as the primary obstacle to Washington's total control of the Horn through its TPLF puppet regime. It is the only African country still refusing to collaborate with AFRICOM, the US Africa Command.

link:
US Moves against Ethiopia and Eritrea: Atrocities Alleged, Sanctions Imposed | Black Agenda Report