The South Sudan blood bath and Kiir’s perfidious power consolidation act

President Salva Kiir

December 24, 2013

The Horn Times Newsletter

by Getahune Bekele, South Africa

Already castigated as another flop in tyranny prone Africa, the impenitent would-be-tyrant who is leading a corrupt and militarized autocracy, President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit is no longer sporting his trademark 10-gallon black cowboy hat he imports from the US state of Texas, some 7,000 miles away.

He first saw the hat in July 2006 when then President of the US, the peremptory George W Bush offered him one as gift at the White House during his first visit there. According to reports, Kirr wears the hat ever since in honor of President Bush who played an instrumental role in the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement, a measure that gave birth to the world’s youngest nation in 2011.

Witness for Ethiopia’s Semayawi (Blue) Party By Prof. Al Mariam

Why I support Semayawi party as a political party

In the days leading up to my speech at the first Semayawi (Blue) Party town hall meeting in Arlington, VA, just outside of Washington, D.C., on December 15, I was peppered with all sorts of questions. The one recurrent question revolved around my unreserved support for Semayawi Party after so many years of staying neutral and unaligned with any Ethiopian political party or group.

As I explained in my interview on ethiotube.com, my support for Semayawi Party should be viewed as an expression of my total confidence in the power of Ethiopia’s young people to change the destiny of their country and their readiness to struggle for peaceful change. The percentage of Ethiopia’s population under the age of 35 today is 70 percent. The vast majority of the victims of human rights violations in Ethiopia today are young people. The targets of political persecution and harassment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, abuse and maltreatment in the prisons are largely young people. Young Ethiopians are disproportionately

‘Mandela was not trained by Israelis’

\December 21, 2013

by SAPA

Johannesburg – The Nelson Mandela foundation on Saturday quashed reports that the former president received training from Israeli agents in 1962.

“Media have picked up on a story alleging that in 1962 Nelson Mandela interacted with an Israeli operative in Ethiopia,” the foundation said in a statement.

“The Nelson Mandela Foundation can confirm that it has not located any evidence in Nelson Mandela’s private archive…..that he interacted with an Israeli operative during his tour of African countries in that year.”

Remembering December 13th: The Anuaks Massacre

December 14, 2013

Let us take this day of sorrow and make it a day of healing among all peace-loving Ethiopians

Anuak Justice Council

December 13, 2013 marks the ten-year anniversary of the brutal massacre of 424 disarmed Anuak in Gambella, Ethiopia by Ethiopian National Defense Forces armed with guns and militia groups armed with machetes. Not just the families of the victims, but all Anuak, will forever remember that dark day that brought so many pains, tears and suffering.

Even after ten years, some widows, some fathers, some mothers and children are still waiting to bury their loved ones properly. Some day their bodies, which were buried in mass graves, will be exhumed and buried with proper respect by

Explaining the Ethiopian outmigration: Incentives or Constraints? By Seid Hassan and Minga Negash[1]

In both theory and practice, pull and push factors drive migrants out of their own countries of origin. The factors are complex but they are in general categorized as: (a) demand-pull factors, represented by better economic opportunities and jobs in the host (new) country; (b) supply-push factors, represented by the lack of economic opportunities, jobs, and economic downturns, political oppressions, abuses of human rights by home country governments, religious intolerance (constraints), war, conflict and insecurity in the home country; (c) mediating factors that accelerate or constrain migration which may include the existence or prevalence of opportunities available to human smugglers, fly by night recruitment agencies, registered recruitment agencies operating within the legal system and government policies encouraging/incentivizing citizens to migrate; and (d) social network (pull) factors such as the existence of relatives, friends and acquaintances in host countries, available opportunities for family unifications in host countries, and success stories of diaspora migrants. The role played by each of these factors and their relative importance and dynamics depend on the economic, political, societal conditions and geographical proximity between the home, transit and destination countries.

Mandela’s Message to Ethiopia’s Youth: Never give up…! by Alemayehu G. Mariam*

December 16, 2013

by Alemayehu G. Mariam*

Africa’s Wise Lion and Ethiopia’s Restless Cheetahs—Never give up and keep on trying to build your Beloved Ethiopian Community!

December 15, 2013. It is the saddest day of the year for me. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was finally interred with state honors in Qunu, a small rural village in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. He spent the “happiest days” of his life there as a shepherd. He returned to Qunu after a long life, a long imprisonment and a long walk to freedom to join his  ancestors. The young shepherd of Qunu returned to his final resting place as the revered, loved and respected shepherd of his people. I bid him farewell. May he rest in eternal peace!