Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa: Conference

Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa: Conference on issues related to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa Prospects for a stable, Democratic and Prosperous Future.

Bye, Bye Karuturistan, Ethiopia!

February 22, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

RIP: A post-mortem on Karuturistan, Ethiopia

It was too good to be true. It is too bad it was true for the people of Gambella in western Ethiopia.

Last month, the ignoble demise of Karuturi  Global, Ltd.  (a/k/a “Ethiopian Meadows Plc.”, “Gambella Green Valley Plc (Ethiopia)”,  “Karuturi Agro Products Plc (Ethiopia)) in Ethiopia was announced  quietly and without fanfare.

Karuturi, an Indian agribusiness,  is touted to be “the world’s largest producer and exporter of cut roses with operations spread across Ethiopia, Kenya and India.” In 2008, Karuturi “leased” 300,000 hectares in the western Ethiopia region of Gambella.

SMNE: An Open Letter to President Barack Obama

February 7, 2015

An Open Letter to President Barack Obama, The alarming political conditions in Ethiopia that may threaten the future security and stability of this strategic country in the Horn of Africa

Honorable Barack Obama

The President of the United States of America

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20501

Dear President Obama,

I am writing this to you on behalf of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) to alert you to the

alarming political conditions in Ethiopia that may threaten the future security and stability of this strategic country in the Horn of Africa. Current United States policies that strongly support the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) are being abused by this regime to undermine the democratic aspirations of the Ethiopian people.

ESAT’s Historic Journey to Eritrea

February 9, 2015

by Nahum Zemariam

A Historic Journey

ESAT once again did it in a big way. It proved to sceptics that ESAT has been making huge impacts in the media landscape unparalleled by any other Ethiopian media outlet. Since its formation more than four years ago, ESAT has been the largest alternative media organization to Ethiopians back home, and around the world. Despite a determined and pernicious jamming efforts by the regime in Ethiopia and other sabotages like cyberattacks targeting ESAT journalists, ESAT has accomplished many milestones as it serves the people of Ethiopia.

Sending journalists to Eritrea is ESAT’s latest ground breaking media performance, and a historic accomplishment worth celebrating. This historic journey is indeed a turning point.

Ethiopia’s “Odious Debt” to the Odious World Bank

February 9, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

Ethiopia as “sovereign deadbeat” state due to debts incurred by the T-TPLF

In my last commentary, The World Bank and Ethiopia’s “Growth and Transformation”, I cryptically observed in passing, “… The USD$600 million is money the World Bank loaned to the Thugtatorship of the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (T-TPLF)  in the name of the People of Ethiopia. Future generations of Ethiopians will be asked to pay it back. Will they be legally obligated to do so!?! Umm!)” Are the people of Ethiopia responsible for the World Bank’s “odious debt” to the T-TPLF?

An “odious debt” may be defined as an “illegitimate national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation and therefore should not be enforceable against the people of the debtor nation.”

Exposed: “Honorable” Speaker Abadula Gemeda has fake degrees

February 10, 2015

by Abebe Gella

Addis Voice can reveal that the 4th term speaker of the House of People’s Representatives has bought and used two fake degrees from a bogus university selling non-accredited diplomas online.

“Honorable” Abadula Gemeda, who is the chief “lawmaker” in Ethiopia as speaker of the lower house, bought Bachelor of Arts and Masters “degrees” in public administration in 2001 and 2004 respectively from American Century “University”.

American Century University, owned by Iran-born diploma mill operator Ali Marzaei, is notorious for its degree-for-cash schemes. Mirzaei tried to sell this reporter worthless MBA and PhD degrees for $4000 without realizing that his fraudulent scheme was under scrutiny.