ከላይ ከታዘዘ ቁርጥ ቀን ከመጣ፣ ማምላጫ የለውም እፎቅ ላይ ቢወጣ። ከሼህ ጀሚል ሙሃባ ሁሴን፣ ከወሎ ወረኢሉ፣ ግንቦት ፳፪ ቀን ፲፱፻፺፱ ዓ.ም.

The Global Peace Index 2007: Norway Rated World's Most Peaceful Country - In Zenawi/Afeworki's Eritrean Gulag the TPLF/EPLF Regime's Crime Against Humanity is So Heinous lt Was Unmentionable (guardian.co.uk, 05/30/07) The TPLF regime listed among the least peaceful states (103rd out of 121) RELATED STORY: US Ranks Low, Just Above Iran on New Peace Index (uk.reuters.com, 05/30/07)

Five Die in Somalia After Insurgent Attack on TPLF Troop Convoy  (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/30/07) "Ethiopian troops have opened fire, killing five civilians, after a land mine attack on their convoy in the town of Beledweyne in central Somalia. Troops fired in all directions after the mine struck a water tanker, the convoy's last vehicle, witnesses said. The Islamists are increasingly adopting guerrilla tactics in the conflict. They have taken to using roadside bombs and landmines after they were defeated by a major offensive in the capital, Mogadishu, last month."

Somali Pirates Release Ship, Crew (newsday.com -ap- 05/30/07) "NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somali pirates have released a cargo ship and its 16 Asian crew members they had held for 26 days, after the cargo owners agreed to pay a $100,000 ransom, a maritime official said Tuesday. Somali pirates have hijacked eight vessels this year, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. That matches the total number of pirate attacks off the Somali coast in 2006."

Gunman Kills Somali Judge In Mogadishu (voanews.com, 05/29/07) "A gunman has killed the head of a Somali court, in the latest attack by insurgents targeting Somali government officials. Sheikh Mohamed Muse Duale was chairman of a court in the central town of Baladweyne.  Witnesses say he was shot twice in the head while waiting for a bus in southern Mogadishu Tuesday.  Authorities are investigating the attack. In a separate incident, a police officer was killed as police exchanged fire with gunmen in Mogadishu's Blacksea neighborhood.  Police say they have arrested several suspects."

Blair Attacks Africa Trip Critics (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/30/07) "Prime Minister Tony Blair has attacked UK critics of his week-long trip to Africa, after receiving a warm welcome on his arrival in Sierra Leone. Mr Blair's trip, just before he steps down as PM, has been dubbed a "vanity tour" by some UK newspapers. But Mr Blair said: "The one thing I have come to despise more than anything else in my 10 years is cynicism"."

Meles Zenawi Blaming the Victims of Jijiga for Propaganda and Political Gains (garoweonline.com, 05/28/07) "Right off the bat, the Ogaden Editorial Board, OEB, condemns the bombings in Jig Jiga where Ogaden civilians, forced to attend a political ceremony, which has no meaning to these poor citizens, have lost their lives. Without proper investigation and lacking a single shred of evidence, the misinformation ambassador and advisor to the head of the autocracy, Mr. Bereket Simon claimed that ONLF is the 'culprit supported by Eritrea'. It is incredulous how this prevaricator and purveyor of Ethiopian propaganda had quickly come up with a scapegoat for what local sources have attributed to a competition, which escalated to a physical confrontation, between two camps within the so-called local administration."

U.S. Africa Command Brings New Concerns (washingtonpost.com, 05/28/07) "The creation of the Defense Department Africa Command, with responsibilities to promote security and government stability in the region, has heightened concerns among African countries and in the U.S. government over the militarization of U.S. foreign policy, according to a newly released study by the Congressional Research Service. The Africa Command (AFRICOM) was announced in February by the Bush administration and is scheduled to begin operations in October with temporary headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. AFRICOM would have traditional responsibilities of a combat command "to facilitate or lead [U.S.] military operations" on the continent, but would also include "a broader 'soft power' mandate aimed at preemptively reducing conflict and would incorporate a larger civilian component to address those challenges," according to the CRS study."

Tony Blair Goes Down Decrying British Laws Upholding 'Traditional Civil Liberties' - The God-Father of African Terrorist Tyrants, the Likes of Meles Zenawi Who Absconded Budding Democracies, Showered With Praise as 'Beacon of Hope'. (news.independent.co.uk, 5/28/07) "Tony Blair has hit out at judges and opposition MPs for putting the human rights of terrorist suspects above the protection of citizens. He spoke out as the Government prepares to set out fresh proposals for antiterrorist legislation after three men on control orders went on the run. Mr Blair insisted their disappearance was not the fault of the Home Office or the security services, but the courts, which had blocked tougher action against Islamists. He said: "We have chosen as a society to put the civil liberties of the suspect, even if a foreign national, first. I happen to believe this is misguided and wrong.""

Ethiopia’s TPLF and Tigrean Identity Politics (sudantribune.com, 05/27/07) "May 25, 2007 —The TPLF dominated Ethiopian leadership holds the view that the Eritrean government plays the most destabilizing role in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian opposition forces and Eritrea on the other hand believe that it is the TPLF led Ethiopian government that is severely destabilizing the region. And yet the US foreign office is concerned by a "rising extremism of Islam", accusation which rests pointedly at Somalia and perhaps somehow at the Sudan."

China Honorary Member in TPLF's Celebration of Africa Day (eitb24.com, 05/26/07) "Chinese investment in Africa, in terms of business ties, aid and attempts to secure political influence, has soared in recent years in deals to keep Africa's natural resources flowing to China's booming economy. Ethiopia hosted a celebration of African independence on Friday, with China looking like an honorary member of this struggling continent as the only non-African delegation to attend. The Chinese delegation's presence at Africa Day was the latest example of increased ties between Africa and China.

Amir Meshal Back in US After Months in Zenawi/Bush "African Guantanamo" (khaleejtimes.com, 05/27/07) "NEW YORK - Amir Meshal, 24, a US citizen held in Ethiopia since February while charged with no crime, returned home to his family in New Jersey, his lawyer said on Saturday.  “The Meshal family is overjoyed that their son Amir has returned home after many months of secret detention,” said the family’s attorney, Jonathan Hafetz of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. “They look forward to spending time with their son.” Meshal had been held in Ethiopia without any charges brought against him, said a statement by the center, which describes itself as a think tank, public interest law firm and advocacy group for social justice." RELATED STORY: Meles Zenawi Releases Tinton Falls Man (app.com -ap- 05/27/07)

Meles Zenawi/George Bush Free Wife of Top African al Qaeda Suspect From Detention in Ethiopia ("African Guantanamo") (alertnet.org -reuters- 05/26/07) "NAIROBI, May 26 (Reuters) - The wife of one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda operatives has been released in Ethiopia after she was detained trying to leave Somalia during fighting over the New Year, a Muslim rights group said on Saturday. Halima Badroudine, the wife of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, was freed with her children and seven others, the chairman of Kenya's Muslim Human Rights Forum, Alamin Kimathi, told Reuters. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted list of terrorists, and there is a $5 million reward for information that leads to his capture."

Seyoum Mesfin Opens TPLF Embassy in Somalia (iht.com -ap- 05/27/07) "MOGADISHU, Somalia: Ethiopia reopened its embassy in Somalia on Sunday for the first time since the countries fought a war 30 years ago, strengthening the nations' ties as Somalia tries to stave off an Islamic insurgency. Ethiopia, the region's military powerhouse, has sent troops to protect this chaotic nation's fragile government. "The unpleasant history of lawlessness and anarchy in Somalia has ended, and the rule of law is coming back," Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said during a ceremony to open the new embassy, a freshly painted two-story building near the presidential palace." RELATED STORY: The TPLF Regime Opens Embassy in Chaotic Somali Capital (uk.reuters.com, 05/27/07)

Mogadishu Deputy Mayor Survives Bomb Attack (uk.reuters.com, 05/26/07) "MOGADISHU, May 26 (Reuters) - Mogadishu's deputy mayor survived a roadside blast on Saturday that killed a boy and wounded at least five others, the latest Iraq-style insurgent attack in the chaotic capital. Deputy Mayor Abdifatah Ibrahim Omar has only been on the job since last month, when he replaced his father who was killed in a similar explosion in February. "I was the target of the landmine blast, but I survived. A 10-year-old boy died on the spot. The mine exploded after I had just passed it," Omar told Reuters by telephone moments after the blast, his voice hoarse."

Meles Zenawi Confirms Detention of Three New York Times Journalists (sudantribune.com, 05/27/07) "May 26, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian government has confirmed the arrest and the release of three US journalists in eastern Ethiopia. Addis Ababa said they were detained because they had no professional visa to investigate in the country. The Ethiopian foreign ministry confirmed in a pres statement that three journalists of the New York Times were detained by Ethiopian soldiers in the Somali Regional State, in eastern Ethiopia in the town of Degeh Bur last week. They were subsequently sent to Jijiga, a town n eastern Ethiopia, before being taken to Addis Ababa. They have now left Ethiopia, the ministry said."

Zimbabwe Police Raid Opposition Office - Meles Zenawi and Mengistu Haile Mariam's God Father Mimicking Woyane Brutality (news.yahoo.com -ap- 05/26/07) "JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Riot police in Zimbabwe raided the headquarters of the main opposition party on Saturday and arrested dozens of supporters, a spokesman said. Nelson Chamisa said close to 200 Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters had been seized in the raid on the party's headquarters in central Harare. Three truckloads of riot police arrived at the headquarters around midday. The police broke up a "routine meeting" called by the MDC to discuss party issues ahead of next year's crucial presidential and parliamentary polls, Chamisa said in a telephone interview."

EU Urged to Adopt Targeted Sanctions Against Issaias Afeworki On Eve of Independence Day (rsf.org, 05/23/07) "On the eve of the 16th anniversary of Eritrea’s independence tomorrow, Reporters Without Borders calls on the European Union to rethink its policy towards what is one of the world’s most repressive and impenetrable countries and, in particular, to adopt targeted sanctions against President Issaias Afeworki. The press freedom organisation finds it incomprehensible that, for example, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Belarusian President Alexandre Lukashenko are banned from the EU but one of Africa’s most brutal dictators was recently received by the European Commission which, moreover, declared itself “very, very honoured” by his visit. “Aside from reflecting a double standard, the EU’s new policy towards Eritrea is disastrous for those who are exposed to the government’s terror and the 13 journalists who disappeared into Eritrean detention centres in 2001,” Reporters Without Borders said."

Activists Hail Fidelity's Divestment From Sudan-Linked Oil Company (news.yahoo.com -oneworld- 05/25/07) "UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (OneWorld) - The news that a major investment firm has drastically reduced its business interests with those close to the Sudanese government has emboldened pressure groups involved in the global campaign to stop attacks in Darfur. Last week, Fidelity Investments, the world's leading mutual funds company, announced it had sold 91 percent of its American Depository Receipts in PetroChina, which amounts to nearly half the investment firm's total holdings in the state-owned oil company that operates in Sudan."

Nations Use Fear to Distract From Rights Abuses, Group Says (washingtonpost.com, 05/24/07) "Powerful governments and armed groups are spreading fear to divert attention from human rights abuses, exacerbating polarization in an increasingly dangerous world, Amnesty International said yesterday in its annual assessment of rights worldwide. "The politics of fear is fueling a downward spiral of human rights abuse in which no right is sacrosanct and no person is safe," said Irene Khan, secretary general of the human rights watchdog. Governments are undermining the rule of law and human rights with "short-sighted fear-mongering and divisive policies.""

African Union Lays Foundation Stone For China-Funded Conference Centre (news.yahoo.com -afp- 05/25/07) "ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - China and the African Union on Friday launched a 150-million-dollar project to build a new conference centre for the cash-strapped continental body, officials said. AU Chairman John Kufuor and China's Assistant Minister of Commerce Wang Chao laid the foundation for the AU Convention Centre in Addis Ababa. "The Chinese government always attaches great importance to its ties and cooperation with African countries and is willing and ready to develop a new type of strategic partnership (...)," Wang said in a statement."

Ana Gomes (Hanna Gobeze) in attendance and former European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles will chair this historic meeting

Josep Borrell Fontelles

You are invited to attend a meeting on "Human Rights and Democratisation in Ethiopia - Two years after 15 May elections", which will take place at the European Parliament, on 5 June (11.30h), in Brussels, Belgium.  Please do not hesitate to share this information with other members of the Ethiopian community, journalists or NGOs that might be interested. Download Poster

Group Demands Information on 'African Guantanamo' Detainees (cnn.com, 05/24/07) "NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) -- In a case some rights campaigners have dubbed an "African Guantanamo," a British-based group called on Kenyan, Somali and Ethiopian authorities to come clean over the whereabouts and fates of some 66 Muslim detainees unaccounted for in Ethiopia. They were picked up in Kenya in January and February after a two-week war that saw allied Ethiopian-Somali troops oust militant Islamists from the Somalia capital, Mogadishu, and push many of their fighters south and across the border, the group, Amnesty International, said." "...."Ethiopia appears to be copying the unacceptable and unlawful treatment of prisoners practiced by the United States in the global war on terror," two rights groups, Reprieve and Cageprisoners, said in a recent release."

 A Poll Conducted by Reuters Afirms That Aid Groups Are Not Free to Speak About Darfur Horror (uk.reuters.com, 05/24/07) "LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Most aid agencies in Darfur cannot speak openly about the humanitarian situation in the violent west of Sudan for fear of jeopardising their work or being thrown out, a Reuters AlertNet poll showed on Thursday. Four-fifths of those surveyed said they could not talk about who was behind attacks on civilians and aid workers in case they upset the government or suffered reprisals from militias and rebels. More than two-thirds would not discuss rape. "Speaking about touchy issues might result in restrictions and an order to leave the country which we do not want to risk, considering many people depend upon our support," one agency told aid information Web site AlertNet."

Woyane Pastor Says It is OK to Take a Combination of Holy Water and Medicine For Treatment of HIV/AIDS (newsday.com -ap- 05/24/07) "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- For the past year, Yonas Tadesse has been trying to stave off the effects of HIV with a blend of science and faith -- he takes anti-retroviral medicine but also drinks a liter of holy water, blessed by a priest. The combination has long been a source of controversy in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, where many local leaders believe patients should not take both holy water and medicine. But on Wednesday, Ethiopia's top religious official gave the treatment his blessing in a country where an estimated 1.5 million people are infected with HIV."

Isaias Afewerki Declares That the US is Responsible For Border Impasse With the TPLF's Meles Zenawi (sudantribune.com, 05/25/07) "May 24, 2007 (ASMARA) — President Isayas Afewerki has blamed US administration officials for "concocting incessant obstacles" to hinder the implementation of the final and binding ruling of the Boundary Commission to end border dispute with Ethiopia. In his speech to the nation on the 16th anniversary marking Eritrea’s independence, President Isayas said more than any body else officials of the US administration are responsible for obstructing publicly and persistently the implementation of the final and binding ruling made by the boundary commission and also for violating the rule of law. He further said the US officials also practically dismantled the Temporary Security Zone, therefore in the face of this the Eritrean government could not stand by and watch with arms folded while its sovereign territory in the 25 km buffer zone remains neglected and deprived of development."

Ethiopia: Thousands of War-Displaced Return Home to Eritrea (reliefweb.int, 05/23/07) "ASMARA, May 23 (Reuters) - Some 3,400 Eritrean families who were displaced nine years ago during a border war with Ethiopia have returned home, the government has said. The 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia killed an estimated 70,000 people, and displaced 1.1 million Eritreans -- about a third of the Red Sea state's population." RELATED STORY: Thousands Displaced by 1998-2000 Eritrea-Ethiopia War Resettled- Gov’t (somalinet.com, 05/23/07)

Iraq Plans for Possible Quick U.S. Pullout (cnn.com, 05/22/07) "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's military is drawing up plans to cope with any quick U.S. military pullout, the defense minister said, as a senior American official warned that the Bush administration may reconsider its support if Iraqi leaders do not make major reforms by fall. The U.S. official did not say what actions could be taken by the White House, but his comments on Monday reflected the Bush administration's need to show results in Iraq -- as an answer to pressure by the Democrats in Congress seeking to set timetables on the U.S. military presence."  EDITORIAL NOTE: If likewise the US trained TPLF Aagazi troops in Mogadishu are suddenly pulled out of Somalia by Meles Zenawi, what will George W. Bush do next? Would he risk his entire investment and abandon Zenawi like Tony Blair did? Or resort to shock and awe over Addis Abeba? The Aagazi troops are being hammered by Ethiopian patriots and resistance fighters all over the country. Zenawi the blood thirsty tyrant is under intense pressure from the politburo of the Marxist Leninist League of Tigray to cut and run. The AU soldiers are reluctant to come to his rescue. Will Zenawi seek asylum in Harare or Crawford? How will Rice pull herself out of the quagmire she created in East Africa? Will Frazer loose her concentration and focus?

George W. Bush and His Cronies Rewarded Meles Zenawi For Allegiance and Provision of Aagazi Killers ... (publicintegrity.org, 05/22/07) "WASHINGTON — One dramatic act sets Ethiopia apart from the array of countries with poor human rights records that have become United States counterterrorism allies since the September 11, 2001, attacks: With U.S. backing, it invaded a neighboring country and overthrew a Taliban-like Islamist movement. The country that Ethiopia invaded is its neighbor to the east in the Horn of Africa, the disintegrated state of Somalia, where the Islamist movement, called the Union of Islamic Courts, had taken over much of the country and was suspected of harboring al Qaeda members. Ethiopia remains militarily embroiled there today." RELATED STORY: Meles Zenawi Now Says ONLY 1,000 Insurgents Were Killed in Mogadishu Clashes (reliefweb.int, 05/19/07)

Meles Zenawi,  the Pathological Liar Denies His Military Loses Claimed by the OLF and ONLF (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/21/07) "The two main rebel groups in eastern Ethiopia say their forces have killed dozens of Ethiopian soldiers in joint operations in May in the Ogaden region. But senior Ethiopian official Bereket Simon said their claims were untrue and just an attempt to get media attention. A statement from the Oromo Liberation Front said several separate attacks had led to more than 150 soldiers killed."

Two Rebel Groups Carry Out Joint Military Action in Eastern Ethiopia (sudantribune.com, 05/21/07) "May 20, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Two Ethiopian rebel groups carried out a joint military operation against the Ethiopian army in the eastern part of the country. A rebel statement alleged 157 soldiers were killed during the attack. In a joint military operation, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Ogaden National Liberation Army (ONLA) have killed 157 soldiers of the Ethiopian army in various places in the Warder zone of the Ogaden region in eastern Ethiopia. According to Voice of Oromo Liberation, between 10 and 15 May 2007, commando units of the OLA and ONLA conducted attacks in various places in the zone of Warder killing over 82 Ethiopian soldiers and wounding over 75 others."

Italy Presses Meles Zenawi to Pull His Troops From Somalia (metimes.com, 05/20/07) "NAIROBI --  The Italian government Saturday pressed Ethiopian troops to pull out from lawless Somalia and urged the rival factions there to observe a truce ahead of a key reconciliation conference in June. During a one-day trip to Mogadishu, Italy's deputy foreign affairs minister, Patrizia Sentinelli, held talks with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minster Ali Mohamed Gedi. "I expressed the position of my government that Ethiopian troops must withdraw," she told a press conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, after visiting Rome's former colony. 
"For this reason, I stressed something the Italian government has always said: the strengthening of the AMISOM [African Mission to Somalia].""

Western Journalists Detained in Dhagah Bur by Meles Zenawi's TPLF Regime (somalinet.com, 05/20/07) "May 19, 2007 Reports reaching our service desk from the city of Dhagah Bur confirm the detention of four Western journalists. These journalists are said to be both print and video journalists. It is said that these detained journalists are from United States of America, USA, and Great Britain."

A Canadian Couple Accused of Human Trafficking of Ethiopian Nanny (theglobeandmail.com, 05/20/07) "Montreal — A couple charged in what the RCMP describes as Canada's first human trafficking case say they treated their alleged victim like family. Nichan Manoukian and his wife Manoudshag Saryboyadijan, both of Laval north of Montreal, are facing charges of trafficking in persons, receiving material benefit from it and withholding travel or identity documents. They denied the allegations in an interview with French-language TV network TVA broadcast on Saturday."

Piracy Choking Somali Aid Delivery: UN Food Agency (news.yahoo.com -afp- 05/20/07) "NAIROBI (AFP) - The UN food agency pressed Sunday for uurgent action to end piracy off the Somali coastline which it said was choking the delivery of food aid to the war-torn east African nation."We urge key nations to do their utmost to address this plague of piracy, which is now threatening our ability to feed one million Somalis," World Food Programme chief Josette Sheeran said in a statement released in Nairobi."

Bomb Aimed at Somali Capital Mogadishu Mayor Mohammed Dheere Kills Two (uk.reuters.com, 05/20/07) "MOGADISHU, May 20 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb said to be targeting the mayor of the Somali capital Mogadishu killed two people on Sunday and wounded two others, officials said. The blast came barely three days after the Somali prime minister's convoy was attacked in the same city and four days after four Ugandan peacekeepers died in a similar attack. "Two died and two were wounded. I think the bomb attack was targeting Transitional Federal Government (TFG) officials. All the casualties were civilians," a security source who did not wish to be named, told Reuters." RELATED STORIES: Blast Near Mogadishu Mayor Kills 2 Civilians (voanews.com, 05/20/07) CIA Man Becomes Mogadishu's Mayor (prisonplanet.com, 05/05/07)

The Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Army Holds Talks With Foreign Oil Firms Over Security (sudantribute.ocm, 05/20/07) "May 19, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — In reaction to recent rebel attack against a Chinese oil firm working in the east of the country, Ethiopian army held a meeting with the three companies engaged in petroleum exploration activities in the country to dissipate fears and apprehensions. In presence of the minister of mines and energy, Samora; Alemayehu Tegenu, the Ethiopian army chief-of-staff, Let-Gen Samora Yunus, last week held a meeting with representatives of Petronas, South-West Energy and Pexco, the Addis Ababa based Reporter said today."

Bush Preparing for British U-turn On Iraq: Report (news.yahoo.com -afp- 05/20/07) "LONDON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush has been told to prepare for a British U-turn on Iraq once Gordon Brown becomes prime minister, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said. Bush has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals during Brown's first 100 days in office, the weekly said.: RELATED STORIES: Kurds Massacred as Blair Visits Iraq (news.yahoo.com -afp- 05/19/07) Explosions as Blair Visits Troops (rte.ie, 05/20/07) Amid the Bombs, Blair Remains Upbeat on Farewell Tour in Iraq (observer.guardian.co.uk, 05/20/07)

Sudanese Police Attack On Aid Workers Tests U.N. Chief's Diplomacy (washingtonpost.com, 05/20/07) "UNITED NATIONS -- On Jan. 19, a group of 20 international aid workers and peacekeepers celebrated their day off with an afternoon of dining, drinking and dancing at the guesthouse of the private relief agency, the American Refugee Committee, in the town of Nyala, Darfur. The outing ended in the early evening when Sudanese police and security agents broke into the house, videotaped the attendees -- which included five U.N. workers, representatives of six U.S. and British aid agencies, and African Union peacekeepers -- and then beat them with batons and rifle butts and sexually assaulted at least one female U.N. worker. Locals cheered from the street, and some joined in the assault."

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Accuses Blair-Bush's Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of Genocide in The Ogaden  (ogaden.com, 05/19/07) "Having failed politically and militarily in its campaigns to subdue the struggle for independence in the Ogaden, the colonial regime of Ethiopia has resorted to a campaign of terror, indiscriminate killing, gang-raping, looting of civilian belongings and burning villages and farms.  This scorched earth policy which, the Ethiopian regime is employing is all happening in the name of fighting The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)."

Racism Goes on Trial Again in America's Deep South: Here Lie the Roots of Neoconic (hypocratic) Bigotry That Condoleezza Rice is Attempting to Implant in Ethiopia. Despite Her Efforts, Shaibiat-Woyane Racist Supremacy Will Not Hold - At last, Justice will prevail! (observer.guardian.co.uk, 05/19/07) "In the cool and beflagged small courtroom in Jena, Louisiana, three black schoolboys - Robert Bailey, Theodore Shaw and Mychal Bell - are about to go on trial for a playground fight that could see them jailed for between 30 and 50 years. Jena, about 220 miles north of New Orleans, is a small town of 3,000 people, 85 per cent of whom are white. Tomorrow it will be the focus for a race trial which could put it on the map alongside the bad old names of the Mississippi Burning Sixties such as Selma or Montgomery, Alabama."

G8 Says Africa Threatened With New Round of Debt (news.yahoo.com -afp- 05/19/07) "POTSDAM (AFP) - The Group of Eight industrialised powers warned Saturday that irresponsible lending practices could condemn Africa to a new round of crippling debt, with Germany singling out China as a potential risk to the continent. Finance ministers from the G8 raised the alarm at a two-day meeting here during which they also vowed to make good on African aid pledges and insisted that Africa itself was responsible for applying sound financial management."

Mogadishu Seriously Damaged as Meles Zenawi's TPLF Troops Try to End Resistance (usa.mediamoniters.net 05/17/07) ""It is true that the international community and media have on the whole ignored the Somali conflict, concentrating their attention on Darfur (Sudan) instead. But the indiscriminate bombing by the Ethiopian army of Mogadishu, which in a short time destroyed many of its buildings, killed thousands of its inhabitants and injured many more, and forced most of them to flee, could not fail to draw attention to the mayhem. However, that attention was very little compared to the concentration of the West on Darfur, despite the fact that a UN agency pointed out that the Somali conflict is far bloodier and more costly.""

Sudan Accused On Darfur killings (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/18/07) "Sudanese security forces took part in the killing of some 100 people in the war-torn Darfur region, the UN says. UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour says Border Intelligence Guards took part in eight raids this year during clashes between Arab groups. "Attackers fired indiscriminately from the outskirts of the settlements with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades," her latest report said." RELATED STORY: Janjaweed Still Roam Free in Darfur (news.bbc.co.uk, 04/26/07)

China Insists it Has No Interest in African Governments' Domestic Affairs and Persists in Its Pursuit of Commercial Exploitation (uk.reuters.com, 05/18/07) "SHANGHAI, May 18 (Reuters) - China's rapid rise into an economic powerhouse offering aid and soft loans is changing the aid picture in Africa -- winning China its share of critics but also the gratitude of governments who say its engagement makes a difference. The World Bank has accused China of financing projects rejected by others because of environmental concerns and rights groups say it lends without regard to standards on governance or corruption." "....Chinese officials also make no bones about the ways in which government assistance smooths the way to commercial deals for its companies. "Through aid projects, China has received more business opportunities in African countries," said Commerce Ministry official Lu Bo." RELATED STORIES: China Complicit in Sudan Dam Rights Abuse: Activist (sudantribune.com, 05/18/07) China: Trade Ties With Africa Under Question After Ethiopia Attack (radioaustralia.net.au, 05/01/07) China: Don't Politicize Olympics (news.yahoo.com -ap- 05/18/07)

Belarus Blocked From Membership in U.N. Human Rights Council (nytimes.com, 05/17/07) "UNITED NATIONS, May 17 — Belarus, one of the world’s most repressive states, was blocked from gaining membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council today after being outvoted in favor of Bosnia, a late entry. Human rights groups had been campaigning for weeks to head off what seemed to be a near-certain choice of Belarus for the panel, after the Eastern European group submitted only Belarus and Slovenia as nominees for the two seats from its region."

INTERVIEW-TPLF's Meles Rules Out Hurried Exit From Somalia: Incoherent Ramblings of a Pathological Liar - No One Else But Him Tells The Truth! (alertnet.org -reuters- 05/16/07) "...."I am deeply disheartened by the fact that the media and the U.N. agencies have been circulating lies without any attempt to verify the facts," he said. Inflated civilian casualty figures came from a pro-Islamist rights group, Meles said. "People tell me there might have been a handful, let us say maybe in the tens, 20, 30, but nothing more than that.""

Four Ugandan Peacekeepers Killed in Somalia's Capital Mogadishu (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/16/07) "Four African Union soldiers have been killed after a roadside bomb struck their convoy while on patrol at the north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. AU spokesman Paddy Ankunda said five other soldiers were injured in the explosion targeted at the peacekeepers. The attack is the deadliest on the peacekeepers since 1,600 Uganda soldiers deployed to the city in March." RELATED STORY: Bomb kills 4 Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia (cnn.com, 05/16/07)

Meles Zenawi Troops Disguised as Insurgents Attack UN Health Office in Mogadishu, Retaliation for Holmes' Criticism About Genocide Being Committed in Mogadishu (uk.reuters.com, 05/15/07) "MOGADISHU, May 15 (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked a U.N. World Health Organisation (WHO) office in Mogadishu and wounded a guard, in the latest strike near the world body's facilities in Somalia since the weekend, a WHO official said on Tuesday.The late Monday attack came just two days after U.N. aid chief John Holmes, the most senior U.N. official to visit Mogadishu in a decade, cut short his visit when bombs planted by insurgents killed three people near a U.N. compound on Saturday. "We were attacked last night by gunmen wearing (government) uniforms. Our security guards repelled them. Unfortunately one of our guards was wounded," Mohamed Abdullahi, the acting officer in charge of WHO operations in Mogadishu, told Reuters."

The Secretary-General of the Marxist-Leninist League of Tigray Says He wants to Withdraw His Aagazi Troops From Mogadishu But G. W. Bush Won't Let Him Do So, Alpha Oumar Konare of AU Agrees (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/15/07) "Ethiopia's prime minister has said he wants to withdraw all his troops from neighbouring Somalia, where they helped oust Islamists last year. Meles Zenawi told the BBC that he hoped African Union peacekeepers would deploy soon to relieve his troops. One of the AU leaders says it would be a "catastrophe" if Ethiopia pulled out before the AU troops arrived."

The Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Foreign Minister Declared That "Americans Need Us for Counterterrorism" and Will Turn a Blind Eye to the Ethnic Genocide That His Marxist Group has Committed in Ethiopia (washingtonpost.com, 05/14/07) "Ethiopia's foreign minister dismissed criticism of his country's human rights record as concerns are rising about security there, saying the fight against terrorism is just as momentous in Ethiopia as it is in other nations. "Why should countries like Ethiopia be taken to task? There is no country that has established perfect institutions of democracy or human rights, even countries like the United States," Seyoum Mesfin said recently in response to accusations that his government has carried out arbitrary detentions, used excessive force in dealing with opposition demonstrators and rolled back personal freedoms."

UN to Probe Human Rights Violations Committed in Somalia by Meles Zenawi's Aagazi Troops (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/14/07) "Somalia's interim government welcomes a probe into alleged human rights abuses during recent fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, a UN official says. UN emergency relief co-ordinator John Holmes said although the Somali administration denies any wrong-doing, it will co-operate with investigators. Some 1,600 people died during fighting between Ethiopia-backed government troops and insurgents in Mogadishu." RELATED STORY: Live Ordnance Left in Wake of Somalia Battles (cnn.com -reuters- 05/14/07)

Meles Zenawi Says His TPLF Troops Will Quit Somalia After African Union Soldiers Arrive (forbes.com, 05/13/07) "KUWAIT CITY (Thomson Financial) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in Kuwait that Ethiopian troops will complete their withdrawal from neighbouring Somalia after the arrival of African Union peacekeeping forces. 'Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu will withdraw when the African Union peacekeepers arrive to support Ugandan forces which are already there,' Meles was quoted by the state-run Kuwait News Agency KUNA as saying."

Fury at Zimbabwe UN Role: Tragic-Comedy at the International Body- Duplicitous Diplomacy (observer.guardian.co.uk, 05/13/07) "A major rift between the West and Africa was exposed at the United Nations this weekend as Zimbabwe was controversially elected as head of the UN's main environment body. Diplomats from the European Union and the US had strongly objected to a country that has destroyed a once-thriving farming industry, has a failing economy, an appalling human rights record and a poor record of looking after its wildlife and national parks, holding the post."

U.N. Official Urges Somalia to Allow Aid (news.yahoo.com -ap- 05/12/07) "MOGADHISHU, Somalia - Wearing a flak jacket over a blue pinsttriped suit, the top U.N. humanitarian official crawled into a hut made of sticks and plastic tarp Saturday and asked the owner how he survives in one of the world's most violent cities." "..."While the fighting was going on we were very, very concerned about the plight of civilians. Clearly it was not the normal respect for humanitarian law," Holmes told the president." ".... After the meeting, Holmes said the fighting in the city had violated international humanitarian law. "When you have a pitched battle going on in a city full of civilians, that is not in accordance with the Geneva Conventions," he said."

Bomb Blast Mars UN Somalia Visit by UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator (news.bbc.co.uk, 05/12/07) "The highest-ranking United Nations official to visit Somalia for 10 years has arrived in the capital, Mogadishu. John Holmes, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said he was there to pressure the Somali government to let humanitarian aid reach its people. A car bomb killed four people near the UN compound in the south of the city as Mr Holmes' convoy left the airport. The visit comes two weeks after Somalia's government declared victory over a bloody Islamic insurgency. Senior intelligence official Ibrahim Mohamed Ahmed was one of those killed in the blast, a security source told Reuters news agency."

"Demonstrators held a "farewell party" for World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz outside the bank building in Washington on Wednesday." Photo Credit: By Win Mcnamee -- Getty Images

Bank May Vote No Confidence In Wolfowitz (washingtonpost.com, 05/12/07) "The World Bank executive board has concluded that the bank's president, Paul D. Wolfowitz, broke ethics rules in engineering a hefty pay raise for his girlfriend, and plans to try to end his tenure next week, senior bank officials said yesterday. Board members do not want to vote to fire Wolfowitz, the officials said, since that might provoke a rupture with the bank's largest shareholder, the United States. Instead, they are inclined to adopt a resolution saying they have lost confidence in him, hoping that will persuade him to resign."

Ethiopia, Kenya Discuss Border Insecurity (sudantribune, 05/12/07) "May 11, 2007 (NAIROBI) — An Ethiopian government delegation met their Kenyan counterpart to discuss security along the shared porous border, amid fears of renewed raids. The meeting in Embu, came as the Red Cross claimed that the number of deaths during a raid in northern Kenya had risen to 11, but the police insisted they were 10, the Kenyan Standard reported today. Ahmed Mohamed, the Red Cross disaster co-ordinator, who led his team in assisting the victims, told The Standard 11 people had been killed and 27 families displaced."

Foreign Aid Workers Held in Somalia Said to be Safe (uk.reuters.com, 05/11/07) " BOSSASSO, Somalia, May 11 (Reuters) - Two foreign aid workers kidnapped by gunmen in northern Somalia are in good health and their abductors are negotiating with local elders to free them, a source close to the captors said on Friday. 
The source, who did not want to be named, said the Briton and Kenyan were being held near where they were seized on Wednesday, some 75 miles (120 km) south of Bossasso, the main port of the semi-autonomous province Puntland. Both work for the CARE International relief agency."

Somalis Who Settled in Old Mill City in Maine are Having Hard Time (newsday.com, 05/11/07) "LEWISTON, Maine -- A prank in which a middle-schooler tossed a slab of leftover Easter ham onto a table surrounded by Somalian Muslim youngsters has exposed -- yet again -- the gaping cultural divide in this struggling former mill town. Over the past six years, as many as 3,500 black refugees from the war-torn African country have settled in this nearly all-white, heavily French-Canadian and largely Roman Catholic city of 36,000, giving Lewiston the highest concentration of Somalis anywhere in America."