BAYTO MESKEREM-I

Cheetahs vs. Hippos for Africa's future

Xenophobia — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:13:17 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnepHUYFqgg

I really respect his truthfulness....

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

ሰማይ - ብድምጻዊ ኣብርሃም ኣፈወርቂ

Zula — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 17:21:04 GMT

ሰማይ - ብህቡብ ኤርትራዊ ድምጻዊ ኣብርሃም ኣፈወርቂ

ኩሉ ሓላፋዩ ኢለ ገሚተ

ስግር ጋሻ ውሕጅ ጠሚተ

እጽዕር ኣለኹ ብተስፋ

ነዛ ሕማቕ እዋን ክሓልፋ

እጽዕር ኣለኹ ብዓቕመይ

ቃልስስ መናብርተይ ናይ ቀደመይ

ንግዚኡኳ እንተሓየለኒ

ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ተስፋዩ ደገፈይ ተስፋ እዩ ሓይለይ

ደጋጊመ እጽዕር ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኩሉ ጼረ ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኣይሕለልን ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ናብራ ከቢዱኒ ናማረርኩ

ጥዕና ዘይብሉ ምስ ረኣኹ

ኣጸናኒዔያ ንነብሰይ

ኣረጋጊኤዮ መንፈሰይ

ለካ ወሃቢምበር ኣይኮንኩን ሓታቲ

ተጸባዪ ኣይኮንኩን ተመጽዋቲ

ጥዕና ኣይትኽልኣኒ ምስ ተስፋ

ይምረርምበር ሂወት ከሰንፋ

ምዃነይ እነኹ ኣሚነ

ዝሓዝክዎ ሒዘስ ኣመስጊነ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኩሉ ጼረ ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኣይሕለልን ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ዘመስግንዩ ዕጉስ ዝዕገስዩ ሓያል

ዘዋህልልዩ ለባም

ይኣኽለኒ ምባል ዝፈልጥወ ሃብታም

ክበሃል ሰሚዔ

እንተስ ኣሚነሉ እንተስ ክጸናናዕ

ግን ተሰማሚዔ

ደሓን ክሓልፍዩ ናበሉኒ

እኳ ብዓይነይ ሪኤ

ኣቤትወ ክንደይ ድዩ ሓሊፉ

ተስፋዩ ደገፈይ ተስፋዩ ሓይለይ

ደጋጊመ እጽዕር ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኩሉ ጼረ ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኣይሕለልን ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ኩሉ ሓላፋዩ ኢለ ገሚተ

ኪኖ ጋሻ ውሕጅ ጠሚተ

እጽዕር ኣለኹ ብተስፋ

ነዛ ሕማቕ እዋን ክሓልፋ

እጽዕር ኣለኹ ብዓቕመይ

ቃልስስ መናብርተይ ናይ ቀደመይ

ንግዚኡኳ እንተሓየለኒ

ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

እወ ምዃን ሕስብ ተበልኩዎ

ስብሓት ሂወት ከምዝተረዳእክዎ

ነቲ ጽቡቅ ዝበለጸለዎ

ነቲ ሕማቅ ዝበኣሰለዎ

ነቲ ጣዕሚ ዝጠዓመለዎ

ነቲ ሕሰም ዝመረረለዎ

ጫፍ ጽቡቅን ሕማቅን ዓቂነ

ከለልዮ ወላ እንተፈቲነ

ኣበይ ከይህሎ ኣነ ሰብ ዝኣነ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኩሉ ጼረ ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፈገግታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኣይሕለልን ክሳብ ዝምሰለለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ዓለም ከም ባሕሪያ ከምዝበሃል

ክሕምብስ ዘይክእል ንኸይጥሕል

ሓቢርናዶ ጸገምና ነቃልል

ክንበላሓት ዝያዳ ክንጋደል

ስለቲ ሽግር ትወልዳ ንጥበብ

ብኣካል ብመንፈስ ንራኸብ

ሂወት ከነመሓይሽ ክንላዘብ

ተስፋዩ ደገፈይ ተስፋዩ ሓይለይ

ደጋጊመ እጽዕር ክሳብ ዝምሰለለይ

ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኩሉ ጼረ ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ይጥዓም ይሕሰም ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ኣይሕለልን ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ፍሽኽታ ኣመለይ ስዕሮምበር ኣይስዕረንን ጸገመይ

ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ውቅያኖስዩ ዓቅለይ

ትስፉውዩ ጠመተይ

ኣይዕገትንየ ሰማይዩ ደረተይ

ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ኣይጽንቀቅንዩ ሓይለይ

ትስፉውዩ ጠመተይ

ኣይሕለልን ሰማይዩ ደረተይ

ሰማይይይ. ኣይ ሰማይ ሰማይ

ሰማይ ሰማይ እዩ ደረተይ

ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ውቅያኖስዩ ዓቅለይ

ትስፉውዩ ጠመተይ

ኣይዕገትንየ ሰማይዩ ደረተይ

ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ኣይጽንቀቅንዩ ሓይለይ

ትስፉውዩ ጠመተይ

ኣይሕለልን ሰማይዩ ደረተይ

ሰማይይይ. ኣይ ሰማይ ሰማይ

ሰማይ ሰማይ እዩ ደረተይ

ክሳብ ዝኾነለይ

ክሳብ ዝሰምረለይ

ውቅያኖስዩ ዓቅለይ

ትስፉውዩ ጠመተይ

ኣይሕለልንየ ሰማይዩ ደረተይ

ሰማይይይ. ኣይ ሰማይ ሰማይ

ሰማይ ሰማይ እዩ ደረተይ

=========== ኣብዚ ይውዳእ ===============

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

[b]CANADA: Ground Shaking Political Melt-Down[/b]

Jacques — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 00:15:59 GMT

There is another major tremor shaking down Canadian political landscape. Unlike the United States, Canada is not a two party system. There are major spoilers sitting on the side almost all the time looking for weakness and opportunity to exploit over one of the two major parties (Liberal & Conservative) alternating in governing Canada. The Canadian political system is designed in such a way that the electorates vote a party to govern rather than directly a president or a prime minister. The party elected to govern has its own leader to guide the party and govern the country. Currently there are four parties playing in The House of Commons ring, it just happened the current arrangement is held by a loose thread so to speak, non of the parties has the necessary numbers to lead the country, hence the one with most number of parliamentary seat is governing the country and it has been like that since the beginning of 2006, prior to 2006 there was one major party with over half of the numbers of seats governing the country. The public would opt out for a change and that change results to a minority government with the governing party being conservative. Unfortunately having to be given a mandate to govern yet with limited capacity to implement the party's platform the government would engage with give-some and take-some arrangement with opposition parties in order to allow it to govern safely. In that style they have been governing the nation for nearly three years. Well that is just about to end with the new configuration the opposition parties are coming up with.

The two major opposition parties (namely Liberal and New Democratic Party) are merging and seeking the help of the third opposition party (Block-Quebecois) to have the number necessary to steal the rug under Prime Minister Harper's feet in a broad day light while watching them do it and he cannot help but only scream and appeal to the public to have them stop. Constitutionally the Commonwealth Nations elect party as a governing official, some of you from New Zealand, Australia and United Kingdom understand what I am talking about. But to our Eritrean-American friends and those from elsewhere, here is a little info about Canada. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth Realm, a club only reserved to past English colonies, and their social contract is designed to guide those Commonwealth Realms (16 independent countries).

Currently Canada has a minority governing party (Conservative Party) can only govern with the consensus of the opposition. Just a month and half ago Canadians had gone to the polls, and elected another minority with the same arrangements before. Hence the commonwealth constitution permits the opposition parties to form a coalition and bring down the minority government, but what makes this very interesting is that it comes amid all the ground shakings changes invading the North American skies. The arrangement is designed in such a way that the coalition opposition have to come up with mandate (agreement and platform to govern) and hand it to the governor general (representative of the queen of England). Canada's governor general is madam Michalle Jean (a Haitian by heritage).

Such conflicting decision-making task had come to another governor general once in Canadian history, sometimes in the 1920s. It is a powerful decision to be made, but then again the changing skies may make it easier for her to accept the wishes of the opposition request. Some people think this is the result of the aftermath of the financial meltdown tremor felt throughout North America and the world at large. While the US and many other nations have agreed to inject a substantial amount of rescue packages and inject stimulus packages in their respective economies, but Canadian financial Minister spoke of a $50-Billion stimulus package first and is holding back on that commitment.

That may well have been the recipe for disaster here, while millions of people depend on the manufacturing industry in Canada for their livelihood the government is playing political games at the expense of many, it seems. Well, what can I say; they failed to realize how angry people are at the thought of losing their life savings, thanks to the credit rating companies in the US whose negligence has created a vibration large enough to be felt all around the world. Now that the jig is up the Prime minister is appealing to Canadians to come to the rescue. He is calling for prorogation (suspending parliament), which he can but given the situation at hand and the changing skies, its unlikely he can save his job even with prorogation.

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

792 students graduated from NVTC Sawa

tvrahwa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:41:42 GMT

               792 students graduated from NVTC Sawa
                                             tv rahwa ( sweden )

          http://www.oppnakanalen.se/stockholm/webtv/?cat=20

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

Today in History UN agrees to hand over Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Borenbras — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:28:35 GMT

1950 - United Nations agrees to hand over Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Dec.02.1950
ERITREA: REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION FOR ERITREA; REPORT OF THE INTERIM COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASEMBLY ON THE REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION FOR ERITREA

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

you be the judge.....Susan Rice pro or Anti Eritrean.....

Xenophobia — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:52:00 GMT

State of Abuse

A journalist argues that Eritrea's tragic colonial past reverberates in its troubled present.

Reviewed by Susan E. Rice

Sunday, August 21, 2005; Page BW04

I DIDN'T DO IT FOR YOU

How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation

Coptic Christians pray for peace in Asmara, Eritrea. (1998) (Jean-marc Bouju / Ap)

By Michela Wrong

HarperCollins. 432 pp. $25.95

National identity is always woven out of many different strands: ethnicity, language, religion, geography, culture, economy and history. An outsider struggling to convey the essence of another nation's character may be tempted to simplify -- a temptation to which the British journalist Michela Wrong succumbs in her new book. I Didn't Do It for You portrays the east African state of Eritrea as a product of but one strand of its national tapestry: its history.

Eritrea's history, she writes, is a story "about betrayal, repeated across the generations, and how the expectation of betrayal can both create an extraordinary inner strength and distort a national psyche." Wrong's book provides a rare and convincing review of the policies and motives of Eritrea's colonial masters, but the history she recounts is less satisfying as an explanation of Eritrea's character and post-independence policies.

I Didn't Do It for You offers a highly readable, well-researched depiction of the region's serial exploitation by a parade of foreign predators. Italy ruled with "apartheid" brutality from the 1870s up until World War II (when it lost its east African colonies to the Allies), committed "mass killings" in Eritrea and resorted to "widespread use of mustard gas" against Ethiopian civilians; Britain, reluctant inheritor of Italy's surrendered colony after 1941, dismantled Eritrea's Italian-made infrastructure and shipped much of it to Her Majesty's more prized and longer held African outposts, such as Egypt, Sudan and Kenya. After 1952, the United Nations failed, as trustee of Eritrea's autonomy, to stop its annexation by Ethiopia in 1962 or even to respond to Eritrean diplomats' protests. Years later, Wrong discovered, the United Nations lost all documents related to this sorry chapter in its history, having "expunged from the record." Thus the world abandoned Eritrea to decades of Ethiopian repression -- facilitated by massive foreign military aid, first from the United States and Israel, later from the Soviet Union after the Marxist Derg regime shifted Cold War loyalties in 1976. Finally, Eritrea, the underdog nation, gained its independence from Ethiopia by referendum in 1993, after three decades of rebellion.

Wrong excels as a storyteller, providing evocative descriptions of Eritrea's dramatic topography and gripping dollops of military history, especially the dramatic British defeat of Italy's best Alpine forces at Keren in 1941. She paints fascinating personal portraits, including those of the grandiose Italian governor Ferdinando Martini and the British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst, a relentless critic of her own government. The stories of Eritrean fighters such as double agent Melles Seyoum (who stole valuable medical supplies from his Ethiopian employer), a bicycle-mounted hit man known as Asmerom and John Berakis (the famous field-hospital chef who studied European hoteliers' books and served great battlefield chow to thousands at a time, making the most of limited ingredients) offer enthralling insights into the liberation struggle.

But Wrong takes her storytelling off on a bizarre tangent when recounting the perversions of "the Gross Guys," a band of Americans based at Kagnew Station in Eritrea, a massive Cold War listening post from 1953 through 1977. Her chapter -- whose title cannot be printed in a family newspaper -- delves in lurid and gratuitous detail into the drunken sexual exploits of these servicemen. Indeed, this chapter seems misplaced -- however accurate its depiction of some Americans' lewd behavior may be.

Wrong's greatest failure is her portrayal of Eritrea's colonial past as an excuse for its troubled present: "If Eritrea today so often comes across as dangerously impervious to criticism and bafflingly quick to anger, she is largely that way because colonial masters and superpowers made her so." This conclusion diverges sharply from the premise of her fine first book, In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz , in which Wrong rightly blamed the late Mobutu Sese Seko for many of the crises of post-independence Zaire (now Congo).

But for Wrong and the many "well-intentioned Westerners" whom she calls "True Believers," Eritrea, which defied the odds to expel Ethiopia's Derg regime in 1991, held a unique promise born of its peoples' perseverance, self-reliance and inventiveness. True Believers saw in Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and his Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi the full potential of the much-touted African Renaissance of the 1990s. They were committed leaders, frugal and scrappy -- the antithesis of the rapacious, corrupt African big men like Mobutu or Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.

But five years after independence, "the national character traits forged during a century of colonial and superpower exploitation were about to blow up in Eritrea's face." Ethiopia and Eritrea, led by once-friendly leaders, had never bothered to demarcate their common border. In 1998, when a small skirmish occurred in the border region near the "nondescript," "one hotel, two-bar village" of Badme, Eritrea launched a massive invasion of Ethiopian-held territory. Ethiopia escalated the brutal two-year war, which claimed an estimated 80,000 lives. True Believers and sympathetic policymakers (myself included) were shocked and disillusioned. In contrast to her detailed chronicles of colonial excesses, Wrong treats this recent history superficially. "Nations that believe they cannot lose slide into war more easily than states that suspect the contest will be close," she unhelpfully notes.

After this conflict ended in 2000, many Eritreans began questioning their leader's judgment and pressing for democratic reform. Isaias responded by closing independent media outlets and holding without charge the country's most senior leaders (including government ministers) and countless others who dared question government policy.

Refusing to blame the Isaias regime for Eritrea's plunge from international darling to Zimbabwe-style pariah oversimplifies matters and, ultimately, condescends to the Eritrean people. Though Wrong writes that Eritreans "are losing the black-and-white certainties of the past," she ends her book by reprising the image of Eritrea as a youthful victim. Wrong approvingly quotes a former fighter and kidnapper: "We are like a child, going for the first time to . . . kindergarten. At the start, his mother has to stay with him. The West must stay with us now. It has to be patient. . . . Instead of slapping our government and saying: 'You did a stupid thing,' it should be saying: 'He will learn.' "

Indeed, we should all learn. Eritrea's tragic history teaches that it should not be underestimated by foreign powers or treated with condescension or pity. Nor should Western governments condone or dismiss Eritrea's post-independence failings as mere growing pains, as Wrong suggests. The Eritrean people have earned too much respect for that.

Susan E. Rice is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She was assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1997-2001.

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

ADE - Does somebody know?

Negash — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:03:57 GMT

How do we know that these are genuine individuals collecting money to be used by the people that REALLY need the money? Are these group of people associated with any political entity?

Does somebody know?

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

Defeated and Demoralized: Woyane Soldiers on the verge of fleeing from Somalia

Zula — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:40:02 GMT

Being no match for the popular resistance of the Somali people and abandoned by Washington, Ethiopia's mercenary dictatorship prepares to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Click here to read the full Article in the Financial Times.

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

Eritrean-Swedish footballer Henok Goitom scored his first goal in this season's Spanish League

Zula — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:45:39 GMT

To all Soccer fans in Bayto

Finally, Eritrean-Swedish footballer Henok Goitom scored his first goal in this season's Spanish League against Mallorca in the 66th minute.

Click here to see the whole story in ESPN's website

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

if their was an award for the best liers of the year, the so-called opposition will win hands down

Xenophobia — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:33:58 GMT

Iran deploys troops, missiles in Eritrean port opposition

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

November 29, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) An Eritrean opposition website, selfi-democracy.com, said that Irans submarines have deployed an undisclosed number of armed Iranian troops and weapons in the Eritrean port town of Assab.

The unconfirmed report claims that Iran recently sent soldiers and also a number of long-range missiles after Iran signed an accord with Eritrea to revamp the Russian-built Assab Oil refinery.

But the opposition source also pointed to some trepidation within the Eritrean regime, indicating that some high-ranking members are saying that the president is playing with fire and that the consequences for Eritrea could be grave.

Eritrean President Isayas Afwerki visited Iran last May, where he met with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. At a press conference after the meeting, Ahmadinejad said that the two countries share common views on regional issues and on ways to resist hegemony. Weve held fruitful talks on different subjects relevant to bilateral ties, mutual investment in the agriculture, industry and energy sectors and regional and international cooperation, he said.

The Eritrean opposition website now reports that Iran will refine its crude oil in Assab to cover shortages it faces at home, which will benefit Eritrea by not having to import expensive refined products.

But the report argued, The motivation behind this deal is believed to be more political and more strategic than economic.

Iran, due to its conflict with the West and in particular with the US, is under embargo which may be further extended and tightened if it continues with its nuclear programs, it continued. Thus, Iran may be trying to find some renegade states to help her break the embargo and who could be a better partner for this than Eritreas President Isayas.

Eritrea and the United States have also backed opposite sides in the war in Somalia, which erupted at the end of 2006.

Isayas personal blind hate of the US administration and everything it stands for is boundless and he will spare no effort to upset the Americans, added the Eritrean opposition.

It also said that Isayas, with the cooperation of some Somali Islamist groups, are also colluding to control the Bab El Mandeb Straights in case of any escalation of conflict with the United States and Israel.

The United States has moved additional naval forces off the coast of Somalia in response to piracy and the looming defeat of the U.S.-backed Transitional Federal Government.

Meanwhile, four NATO unmanned surveillance planes were reported to have flown for about half an hour earlier this week in Eritreas Red Sea region.

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

Thanks to Mr. Mugabe, Zimbabwe is heading for utter destruction

Jacques — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:11:14 GMT

From history the only scenario that resembles the current Zimbabwe was Germany in 1923, where the currency hyperinflation and economic meltdown reached unprecedented proportion. WW-I ended with Germany surrendering and agreeing to pay for war damages to the allied. Unable to make the determined set of payment, Germany began printing money like there is no tomorrow. At the end of the day, German Mark would be carried by wheel barrels to buy a loaf of bread. Due to unquenched love for power Mr. Mugabe has driven Zimbabwe the same path of destruction. This what it means selfish, a personal trait shared by many of the African dictators.

Zimbabwe: Soldiers Riot Over Cash Shortage

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

28 November 2008

Harare

Uniformed Zimbabwean soldiers raided one of the capital's money-changing haunts after becoming frustrated with queuing to withdraw cash at a Harare bank, according to an IRIN correspondent who witnessed the event.

The soldiers descended on foreign currency dealers in "Roadport" in central Harare on 27 November, where they assaulted money dealers and robbed them, an indication of the low morale among Zimbabwe's rank and file soldiers.

A soldier, who declined to be identified, told IRIN that there were increasing levels of despondency among soldiers deployed by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF government to suppress unrest and protest.

"We have no food in the barracks. There is no medication in military hospitals, while we can not access our money in the banks. The general attitude is that even if people are to riot, there would be no enthusiasm to stop them. After all, we are all suffering, and the irony is that we have done our own rioting," the soldier said.

We have no food in the barracks. There is no medication in military hospitals, while we cannot access our money in banks. The general attitude is that even if people are to riot, there would be no enthusiasm to stop them. After all, we are all suffering.

Zimbabwe's official inflation annual rate is estimated at 231 million percent, but independent economists cite the inflation rate in the billions of percent; hyperinflation is causing widespread cash shortages.

Banks have set a maximum daily limit of Z$500,000 (US$0.25), creating long queues at banks each day, with no guarantee there will be any money to withdraw.

Go slow

Soldiers and police officers are paid in local Zimbabwean dollars, and although in theory they are granted preferential treatment, in practice this is not occurring.

A junior police officer, who declined to be named, told IRIN: "The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has a facility for us to collect money from the banks, but senior officers are looting all the money and asking us to go to get ours from the banks, and we have said we will not do much work, as we have no money."

Low-ranking police and prison officers have embarked on a go-slow to protest their inability to access their wages, while the country's largest labour federation, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, and civil society organisations are calling on people to demand that banks allow them to withdraw all their money on 3 December.

The cash shortages join other shortages such as food - the UN estimates that in the first quarter of 2009 nearly half the 12 million population will require food aid - medicines, electricity, fuel, potable water and agricultural implements.

The collapse of municipal services has combined to produce a cholera epidemic that is sweeping the country, while Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal has stagnated; the latest dispute appears to be more about whether the power sharing deal has collapsed, or is on the verge of collapse.

Bad blood

A senior official of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who declined to be named, told IRIN a solution to the political impasse was not in sight.

"The issues of genuine equal power-sharing, including the provincial governors and diplomatic appointments, will have to be ironed out before it is steered through Parliament. The matter of Mr Mbeki continuing as a facilitator would also have to be addressed."

Mbeki was appointed as the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) negotiator, but the deal he brokered between the ruling ZANU-PF party and opposition MDC began unraveling at the first hurdle, when the signatories tried to decide on the allocation of government ministries.

The MDC has questioned Mbeki's partisanship in recent months, but correspondence between MDC negotiator Tendai Biti and Mbeki, published by a South African newspaper on 28 November, has illustrated the bad blood between the Zimbabwe's opposition and the former South African president.

In a letter to Mbeki on 19 November, Biti said the SADC decision to force the MDC to share the home affairs ministry with Mugabe's ZANU-PF was a "nullity", and warned that the Zimbabwe situation, "if left unresolved, will explode or implode, and indeed such an explosion or implosion will have a contagious multiplier effect in the region."

Biti also said there was another wave of political violence against MDC supporters, contrary to the September power-sharing agreement, and that "the ZANU-PF regime is crafting an assassination plot, code-named Operation Ngatipedzenavo (Let Us Finish Them), intended to eliminate the MDC leadership."

In his reply, addressed to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Mbeki said: "I must confess that the contents of this letter came to me as a complete surprise, causing me grave concern."

Zimbabwe's regional burden

Mbeki privately acknowledged in his correspondence to the MDC leader the Zimbabwean crisis was detrimentally affecting the SADC region, but "loyal to the concept and practice of African solidarity, none of our countries and governments has spoken publicly of this burden, fearful that we might incite xenophobia, to which all of us are opposed.

Loyal to the concept and practice of African solidarity, none of our countries and governments has spoken publicly of this burden, fearful that we might incite xenophobia, to which all of us are opposed

"This particular burden is not carried by the countries of Western Europe and North America, which have benefited especially from the migration of skilled and professional Zimbabweans to the north," Mbeki said in the correspondence.

"It may be that, for whatever reason, you consider our region and continent as being of little consequence to the future of Zimbabwe, believing that others further away, in Western Europe and North America, are of greater importance."

Mbeki's solution to the power-sharing deal impasse was: "All that is required is that you, the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe, should do what you have committed yourselves to do, and that is all!"

Mbeki then used the opportunity to address the MDC's repudiation of the SADC as "cowards" after rejecting the SADC's recommendation that the MDC share the home affairs portfolio, which controls the police, with ZANU-PF.

"All of us will find it strange and insulting that because we do not agree with you on a small matter, you choose to describe us in a manner that is most offensive in terms of African culture, and therefore offend our sense of dignity as Africans."

http://allafrica.com/stories/200811280971.html?viewall=1

Forum: MeskeremForum News

President Sarkozy of France giving Sh** to Mr. Al-Bashir of Sudan

Jacques — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:09:34 GMT

French president has tough words for Sudan's Bashir

November 29, 2008 (DOHA) The French president Nicolas Sarkozy today warned his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan Al-Bashir that he needs to step up efforts to end the five year conflict in Western region of Darfur.

http://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/jpg/Bashir_Sarkozy.jpg

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir (R) following a meeting on the sidelines of the UN conference on Financing for Development in Doha on November 29, 2008 (AFP)

Sarkozy met with Al-Bashir privately on the sidelines of the UN development conference being held in the Arab Gulf state of Qatar. No other officials were present.

"I told him that the Darfur tragedy has now gone on for too long, that he must take initiatives and change things" the French president told reporters after his meeting.

The ruler of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was reportedly supposed to attend the closed-door summit. There was no word as to why he skipped it.

Sudanese minister for international cooperation Al-Tigani Fidail told state news agency (SUNA) that the meeting discussed the Arab-African mediation efforts on Darfur and that Bashir reiterated his support to it.

Khartoum has been lobbying Paris in its bid to defer the indictment of Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In mid-July the ICCs prosecutor Luis Moreno- Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder and accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

The African Union, Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) called for invoking Article 16 which allows the UNSC to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

But Western members of the UNSC such as US and France made it clear that they would veto such a resolution was introduced at this point in time.

Sarkozy suggested that Sudan has yet to embrace changes for his country to support a suspension under Article 16.

He said the changes to be made concerned the tumultuous relations between Sudan and neighboring Chad and the situation inside Sudan "regarding human rights, and the presence of certain people in his government."

Last September Sarkozy made it clear that his country will not support a deferral resolution unless certain conditions are met.

"France wants the Sudanese authorities to radically change their policies. It is now up to Mr. Al-Bashir to determine what exactly he wants" Sarkozy said.

"We want to deploy the international force in Darfur to stop the scandalous situation in which tens of thousands are dying in this part of Africa. We want peace in Sudan as well as peace and the territorial integrity of Chad people in Darfur have the right to live and we cannot accept the situation as it is currently" he added.

There would be no recourse to invoking Article 16 unless there is radical and immediate change in Sudanese policies he said.

"If Sudanese authorities do change; totally change their policies then France would not be opposed to using Article 16" the French president added.

A Sudanese delegation flew to Paris in October to negotiate conditions that would secure a deferral.

France has been the only country to publicly offer Sudan a suspension of charges in return for concessions on the ground with regard to the Darfur crisis and relations with neighboring Chad.

Moreover French officials have said that it is unacceptable that an individual indicted of war crimes to be part of the Sudanese cabinet. This was in reference to Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs who is wanted by the ICC for 51 counts of war crimes.

Last month a senior European diplomat told Sudan Tribune that Khartoum offered to remove Haroun and investigate his alleged role in Darfur war crimes.

Sudanese officials insisted however, that any prosecution of Haroun is contingent upon coming up with evidence implicating him. They further said they will not cooperate with the ICC in conducting national proceedings as demanded by Paris.

Relations between the two countries have been troubled particularly over the presence of Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) who resides in France despite demands by Khartoum that he be expelled.

Al-Nur has been refusing to attend peace talks insisting that Khartoum honor a ceasefire and facilitate deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

Earlier this month Al-Bashir lashed out at Western countries and accused them of trying to topple his regime during the last 20 years.

"We will not be broken and we will not kneel or be driven because they will not prolong our life or reduce our term in office" Al-Bashir told a rally in Eastern Sudan.

"Money and ruling is not in the hands of US, France & UK. They are all underneath my shoes," he said angrily.

UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.

(ST)

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29436

Forum: MeskeremForum News

Parents placed on the spot: A must-listen panel discussion from Voice of Eritrea

meskerem — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:39:09 GMT

Naz of Voice of Eritrea continues
PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT
TEEN PREGNANCY AND ITS IMPLICATION IN THE ERITREAN DIASPORA
Diaspora parents share their experience in raising the first generation Eritreans.
Listen to Recorded

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

New Import Laws/Regulation: elaboraton needed

meskerem — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:39:33 GMT

Esteemed Members and Visitors:

Please comment on this new(?) import regulations.

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

Somalia Faces Collapse???

Jacques — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:11:08 GMT

President Abdullai Yusuf and the Prime Minister Ade are not in agreement as to how to proceed further with the peace process. The President feels very strongly against power sharing, while the PM feels its time to explore that venue. The Ethiopian leadership is completing its "mandate" and will withdraw at the end of the year, exactly two years later. What did the intervention achieved? other than the death of many civilians and made the opposition more radical. Two years ago the Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi felt it was necessary to intervine in Somalia, but many warned it would be counter productive to peace and stability. In his recent meeting with all the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) senior ministers P.M. Meles Zenawi was seen expressing serious resentment against President Abdullai Yusuf of TFG whom he has been backing for the past two years. PM Meles Zenawi feels President Yusuf failed to make peace.

Somalia faces collapse as Ethiopia plans troop withdrawal

By Daniel Howden
Saturday, 29 November 2008

Somalia's weak and discredited transitional government was facing outright collapse last night after its main backer, Ethiopia, declared it would remove its troops by the end of the year.

In the two years since Ethiopia invaded its Muslim neighbour to crush a grassroots Islamist movement, the fractured government in Mogadishu has failed to exert any authority over the rest of the country. With casualties and costs mounting for the occupying force, in the face of a powerful Islamist backlash, Addis Ababa has decided to withdraw.

"Regardless of what happens, we have decided to withdraw our troops from Somalia at the end of the year," an Ethiopian foreign ministry spokes-man, Wahide Bellay, said yesterday.

Such a rapid departure would almost certainly be a death sentence for the UN-backed government which has so far earned the scorn of many in the country and been threatened with regional sanctions over its refusal to agree basic items, such as forming a cabinet within agreed timetables.

The move also puts immense pressure on the UN to reconsider appeals for a larger peacekeeping force. Somalia's President, Abdullahi Yusuf, has asked for a UN force to replace a small African Union deployment from Uganda that has been under siege at its base in the capital, Mogadishu. AU peacekeepers have struggled to have any impact on lawlessness, with only 2,600 of the mission's approved 8,000 troops deployed. Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group thinktank, said Ethiopia may choose to seal the border with troops and air power. "They can ... continue to make military incursions across the border without troops on the ground who will be open to attack," he said.

Ethiopia remains Washington's main ally in the region and its 2006 occupation had Pentagon backing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somalia-faces-collapse-as-ethiopia-plans-troop-withdrawal-1040258.html

Forum: Bayto Meskerem

BAYTO MESKEREM-I

Cheetahs vs. Hippos for Africa's future

ሰማይ - ብድምጻዊ ኣብርሃም ኣፈወርቂ

[b]CANADA: Ground Shaking Political Melt-Down[/b]

792 students graduated from NVTC Sawa

Today in History UN agrees to hand over Eritrea to Ethiopia.

you be the judge.....Susan Rice pro or Anti Eritrean.....

State of Abuse

A journalist argues that Eritrea's tragic colonial past reverberates in its troubled present.

Africa's Battered Dreams

ADE - Does somebody know?

Defeated and Demoralized: Woyane Soldiers on the verge of fleeing from Somalia

Eritrean-Swedish footballer Henok Goitom scored his first goal in this season's Spanish League

if their was an award for the best liers of the year, the so-called opposition will win hands down

Iran deploys troops, missiles in Eritrean port opposition

Thanks to Mr. Mugabe, Zimbabwe is heading for utter destruction

President Sarkozy of France giving Sh** to Mr. Al-Bashir of Sudan

French president has tough words for Sudan's Bashir

Parents placed on the spot: A must-listen panel discussion from Voice of Eritrea

New Import Laws/Regulation: elaboraton needed

Somalia Faces Collapse???

Somalia faces collapse as Ethiopia plans troop withdrawal