The Week in review plus weekend news

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Weekend Top Stories:
[KIDNAPPED CHINESE WORKERS FREED IN ETHIOPIA]
[Worries mount as U.S citizen remains detained in Ethiopia] - [EHRCO Condemns Degehabour Massacre] - [Somalis move bodies after clashes]
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The Week in Review

TOP STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK

• 8 Ethiopian Hostages Freed After 52 Days
• Gunmen kill 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese workers in Ethiopia
• Somalia: Kismayu falls into the hands of clan militia
• Chaos at Addis Abeba university
• Report: Update in the Ethiopia trial against human rights defenders, political opponents
• Congressman Donald Payne: Mogadishu, Another Darfur in the Making?

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Coalition for H.R.5680, renamed Coaliton for H.R. 2003
Press Release

5K Walk FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMANRIGHTS, PEACE AND UNITY
Kinijit DC Metro Board
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KIDNAPPED CHINESE WORKERS FREED IN ETHIOPIA

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Seven Chinese workers captured in an attack last week on an oil plant by separatist rebels in eastern Ethiopia in which 77 people died have been released, their kidnappers told AFP on Sunday.

The ICRC in Addis Ababa confirmed that the workers had been handed over to them and said it would issue more details later in the day.A temporary ceasefire was arranged between the ONLF and the Ethiopian army -- with the ICRC acting as mediator -- to facilitate the handover, Mahdi said.(More...)

EHRCO Condemns Degehabour Massacre

The Ethiopian Humana Right Council (EHRCO) is saddened by, and utterly deplores with the strongest possible terms the summary execution committed on 74 innocent oilfield workers in Eastern Ethiopia, Degehabour Zone, Abole locality on the 26 April 2007 at around 5 a.m.

In this heinous massacre, 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese nationals have brutally been killed. The victims were on sleep in their tents when an armed group stormed the Chinese-run oil exploration facility, and committed such stunning atrocity against them. EHRCO believes that such brutal massacre of innocent people cannot be justified by whatsoever motives, and thus considers it as a sheer cowardly act.

EHRCO is also deeply concerned about the wellbeing and whereabouts of those oil workers abducted. It believes that no one benefits from crimes of this nature. EHRCO, therefore, demands the perpetrators to desist from committing such ghastly crimes against innocent workers. The Council also urges the government to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice, and accord the necessary protection to innocent civilians.

Finally, EHRCO calls up on citizens, national and international organizations, representatives of governments, international groups, and individuals who stand for human rights protection and the rule of law, to deplore the massacre committed on innocent oil workers, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of those kidnapped individuals.

Worries mount as U.S citizen remains detained in Ethiopia

TRENTON, N.J. - The family of a man being held in Ethiopia for alleged ties to Islamic militants is growing increasingly frustrated that he is still being detained despite reports that he would be released.

News reports, a congressman's office and U.S. officials said this month that U.S.-born Amir Mohamed Meshal, 24, would soon be freed. But no one seems to know exactly why he was not.

"It was an emotional roller-coaster for us," said his father, Mohamed Meshal, speaking from their home in Tinton Falls on the Jersey shore. "We started cooking, and marinating the meat for his homecoming and the next minute, everything collapses."(More...)

Somalis move bodies after clashes

Residents of the Somali capital have started to clear the bodies of those killed in nine days of fierce battles from the streets of Mogadishu.

Fighting has stopped for the moment, after Ethiopian forces drove insurgents from northern suburbs on Thursday.

Many houses and businesses were looted during the fighting, including the Coca-Cola factory opened in 2004. More people have been displaced in Somalia in the past two months than any other country, the United Nations says.

AFP news agency is reporting that Ethiopians and government troops are moving house-to-house in northern districts arresting suspected insurgents.(More...)




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Report: Update in the Ethiopia trial against human rights defenders, political opponents

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Congressman Donald Payne: Mogadishu, Another Darfur in the Making?]
[AAU: Food Poison Sends About 90 Students to Hospital ] - [UNICEF condemns shelling of Mogadishu hospital, calls for full access for humanitarian aid] - [Freed hostages return to Addis Ababa] - [Somalia govt. claims victory; diplomats are skeptical]

International:
[Analysis: Dems Keep It Cordial in Debate] - [Putin steps up missiles warning] - [Saudi police arrest 172 terror suspects ] - [France's Sarkozy in furore over axed TV debate] and more of today's top stories!

Freed Ethiopian captives, Yonas Mesfin (L), Debash Baye (2nd L), Hussain Ali (2nd R) and Ashenafe Mekonnen (R), celebrate with their friend Samson Teshome (C) at Bole international airport in Addis Ababa April 26, 2007. Eight Ethiopians made a tearful return to Addis Ababa on Thursday, two months after being kidnapped at gunpoint with five Europeans in the country's remote northeastern Afar region. REUTERS/Andrew Heavens

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Coalition for H.R.5680, renamed Coaliton for H.R. 2003

Press Release

5K Walk FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMANRIGHTS, PEACE AND UNITY
Kinijit DC Metro Board
___________________________________

Report: Update in the Ethiopia trial against human rights defenders and political opponents

(by The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders)

The Observatory recalls that it sent two international missions of judicial observation to Ethiopia in order to observe this trial in February and October 2006.

In view of its findings, the Observatory considered the charges to be arbitrary and disproportionate to the nature of the events that occurred in the aftermath of the May 2005 elections.

The Observatory also expressed its deepest concern about the fairness of this trial, as it believed it to be a way to silence any political criticism of the current regime.

The Observatory also condemns the continuing repression of human rights defenders and expresses its particular concern about the situation of members of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO).

Indeed, since the second crackdown on mass protests, several of EHRCO's veteran staff have been forced into exile for fear of their lives. Besides, several EHRCO members have been arrested arbitrarily and held in detention for various periods of time in 2006 (See Observatory Annual Report 2006).

Therefore, the Observatory reiterates its recommendations to the Ethiopian authorities urging them to:(More...)

Also see:
-Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual report: AFRICA

Congressman Donald Payne: Mogadishu, Another Darfur in the Making?

Congressman Donald Payne
For Immediate Release
April 27, 2007

Innocent civilians in Mogadishu are being killed and maimed by Ethiopian security forces and the militia of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

The atrocities being committed against innocent civilians in Mogadishu are war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is shameful and criminal to use tanks and heavy artillery against civilians.

Mogadishu is another Darfur in the making. It is sad to see that no one seems to care about the untold suffering of the helpless in Somalia. Unfortunately and sadly, the people of Mogadishu are not even allowed to bury their dead relatives and neighbors. We must not turn a blind eye to the suffering of innocent civilians.

Since the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, thousands of civilians have been killed and maimed and more than 320,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

The abuses that are being carried out by the TFG and the Ethiopian security forces are worse than during the dreadful days of the warlords. Instead of working towards peace and reconciliation, the TFG and the Ethiopian forces are engaged in collective punishment of innocent civilians.(More...)

AAU: Food Poison Sends About 90 Students to Hospital

AAU Students expressed anger on Tuesday after doctors of the Menelik II hospital allegedly took out some parts from the body of a student.

The deceased Ahmed Abdurrahman, a third year physics student from Harar, fainted in class while he was doing a presentation, before he died later.

One of his class mates told The Daily Monitor on conditions of anonymity that, after he died , Ahmed's body was taken to the hospital for autopsy and the doctors there "took his brain, his eyes and his kidneys." "The students demended that was outrageous, that it was inhuman, and that they wanted those who did this to be brought to justice," the student said.

According to the same source, the University's student community went to the University President's office the same day to demand that those responsible for the inhuman act on their colleague be named and brought to justice.(More...)

Freed hostages return to Addis Ababa

By Andrew Heavens

Addis Ababa - Eight Ethiopians made a tearful return to Addis Ababa on Thursday, two months after being kidnapped at gunpoint with five Europeans in the country's remote north-eastern Afar region.

"I am good. I am too happy. The first thing I want to do is have a beer," one former hostage, Ashenafe Mekonnen, told Reuters before being ushered away by government officials who said the eight would make full statements on Friday.

Crowds of cheering friends and family thronged the capital's Bole International Airport long before the eight arrived.(More...)

Somali PM Claims Win, but Battles Linger

MOGADISHU, Somalia Apr 27, 2007 (AP)— Somalis who fled the government's offensive against Islamic insurgents in Mogadishu began returning to the shattered capital Friday, following the prime minister's claim of victory in fierce fighting that killed hundreds.

But some began to question the claim when gunmen attacked a hotel housing government officials hours later.

"I don't think they accept yesterday's defeat," said businessman Abdullahi Kulmiye. "I believe they will restart the war until they get a victory over the government."(More...)

Also see:
-Ethiopia finds itself ensnared in Somalia (Some observers see similarities to U.S. in Iraq)
-Somalia govt. claims victory; diplomats are skeptical

UNICEF condemns shelling of Mogadishu hospital and calls for full access for humanitarian aid to displaced families

GENEVA, 27 April 2007 - UNICEF today condemned the mortar shelling of the SOS hospital in Somalia's capital and called for full access for humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing the fighting in Mogadishu.

"We deplore the indiscriminate shelling of a medical facility," said UNICEF Representative in Somalia Christian Balslev-Olesen, "It is an action that is totally unacceptable and one for which no justification can be given."

"Where is the accountability in this conflict? Every day thousands of displaced people - most of them women and children - are living a nightmare of violence.

Lacking food and shelter; poor water and sanitation they are enduring a perilous and intolerable existence. UNICEF's ability to deliver much-needed supplies is also hampered by the fighting. We cannot access our warehouses in Mogadishu and we cannot effectively reach the people who need our assistance the most," added Balslev-Olesen.(More...)

Looting breaks out in Mogadishu as Ethiopians tighten grip

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Looting broke out across Mogadishu on Friday as Ethiopian forces tightened their grip, a day after taking control of insurgent strongholds in some of the heaviest fighting in the city's history.

Men wearing government army uniforms attacked a Coca Cola bottling plant and looted the property after shelling it overnight, said Ali Abdi Yusuf, the chairman of Somali Human Rights Action group.

They "attacked the factory and stole many things that they loaded into trucks, before fleeing," Yusuf told AFP.(More...)

Also see:-Somalis move bodies after clashes

Analysis: Dems Keep It Cordial in Debate

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL (L) listens to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speak at the South Carolina Democratic party's presidential candidates debate at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, April 26, 2007. REUTERS/Jim Young

AP -- It was less of a debate and more like a polite first date where the Democratic presidential candidates wanted to avoid any fast moves that risk turning off voters.

Front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were on the receiving end of a couple jabs, but the Democrats vying for the White House were downright complimentary, calling each other by their first names more like friends than rivals.

Offered a chance to rebut Obama on his plan for Iraq, Clinton said: ``I think that what Barack said is right.'' Asked who else on the stage could win against a Republican presidential candidate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said: ``I'm looking at a bunch of winners right here, number one. And whoever wishes for Hillary is making a big mistake.''(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Global net use makes rapid rise (The net is helping to close the digital divide between industrialised nations, suggests a report)
-Putin steps up missiles warning
-France's Sarkozy in furore over axed TV debate
-Bank officials warn Wolfowitz 'a liability'
-Exiled Cuban Wins Journalism Award
-Iraq Sunni tribes build police force, fight al Qaeda
-Saudi police arrest 172 terror suspects
-Woman, 95, to be oldest college graduate






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Chaos at Addis Abeba university

26/04/2007

Addis Ababa - Dozens of students were injured on Thursday in clashes with each other and the police at Ethiopia's largest university, said students.

One student said he saw another killed, and about 50 wounded in the clashes at Addis Ababa University. Other students also reported dozens of injured.

But federal police spokesperson Demsash Hailu said no one had died, although there had been some injuries. There are "no dead, peace has been restored in the area," Demsash said, adding that police reinforcements had bought the situation under control.

Students and police said the riots began on campus on Wednesday evening, sparked by the alleged theft of the body organs of a dead student by a government hospital.

"The doctors took over some of his body parts without any authorisation from his family," said a demonstrator, asking to remain anonymous. "We asked the dean of the university to intervene but he refused. That is why we are demonstrating."

Students also cited the poor quality of food served in the university canteen as a reason for the riots. University officials were unavailable for comment on Thursday.


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The hunt for seized Chinese oil workers continues as death toll rises to 77

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Washington Update ] - [Ethiopia says Eritrea behind Chinese oil field bloodbath] - [Somalia's interim government suspected of preventing humanitarian aid] - [Beijing condemns attack that killed 9 Chinese in Ethiopia]

International:
[Nigeria's president says elections not fatally flawed] - [Democrats predict they can win Iraq vote] - [Potentially Habitable Planet Found ] - [French centrist Bayrou rebuffs presidential rivals ] and more of today's top stories!

A procession of ambulances leaves Bole International airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Wednesday, April 25, 2007. Some of the ambulances were carrying Chinese workers who were injured in Tuesday's attack. (AP Photo/Anita Powell)

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ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS BILL RE-INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE

The Coalition for H.R. 5680

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Washington Update

(By Mesfin Mekonen)

I. Congress

Rep. Donald Payne introduced the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 on April 20. The bill essentially the same as HR 5680 that Rep. Chris Smith wrote and introduced last year. The primary differences are:

1) the “findings” have been updated to include language from the State Department’s human rights report that describes outrages the Meles regime has inflicted on members of the opposition, including unlawful killings, beatings, and arrests.

2) the findings describe the results of an investigation by the Commission of Inquiry that the Meles regime created to investigate the use of force by government security forces. Although the Commission was hand picked by the government, it concluded that government security forces acted illegally and with extreme brutality.

3) Makes U.S. non-humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia contingent on punishment of security personnel who were involved in the unlawful killing of demonstrators. The bill specifically mentions Etenesh Yemam and the killing of prisoners at Kaliti prison.

4) The section on economic development assistance for Ethiopia has been expanded. It specifies that the U.S. government is to provide financial assistance for the development of irrigation to avoid future famines, including funds for the Blue Nile and Awash River. It also directs the U.S. to support Ethiopia’s healthcare infrastructure.

5) The bill authorizes the expenditure of $20 million per year for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to accomplish its goals.

6) Language in the previous version of the bill that provided assistance for development of Ethiopia’s tax collection system, debt management and other financial infrastructure has been deleted.

This legislation may not be perfect, but its enactment would be a tremendous benefit to Ethiopia. We should have an initial list of co-sponsors very soon. Once we have the list we will know who should be thanked for their support and especially who should be contacted to solicit support.

We have spoken with Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and he has indicated that he will co-sponsor the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007. He was a co-sponsor of HR 5680.

At this point it is important for every Ethiopian in the U.S. to contact Rep. Payne’s office to thank him for introducing the legislation and to urge him to push hard for its rapid enactment.

It is also important to acknowledge Rep. Smith’s efforts and to ensure that this remains a bipartisan issue. Especially when this legislation moves to the Senate, bipartisan support will be critical.

The Meles regime is certain to look for cracks that it can exploit to block the bill. We need to create and maintain a united front. There is no reason that Ethiopian human rights, freedom, democracy and economic development should be a partisan issue in the United States.

II. State Department

U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Donald Yamamoto, has helped arrange for a physician to travel from South Africa to Addis Ababa to treat Hailu Shawel, who remains in prison. We are hoping that he and all political prisoners will be released quickly.

The hunt for seized Chinese oil workers continues as death toll rises to 77

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Ethiopia searched for up to seven seized Chinese oil workers Wednesday after an attack on a Chinese-run oil venture which killed 77 people, according to a new toll.

Ethiopia sent an investigation team to the Ogaden oil prospection site in a remote eastern region, while a local leader added three more Ethiopians to the death toll, which includes nine Chinese.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front separatist group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack in a statement on its website in which it said it had completely destroyed the oil facility.(More...)


Ethiopia says Eritrea behind Chinese oil field bloodbath

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Ethiopia on Wednesday accused arch-foe Eritrea of supporting the rebels behind an attack on a remote Chinese-run oil field that killed 74 people, including nine Chinese workers.

Eritrea immediately denied the claim -- the latest in a string of accusations and counter-accusations between the rival neighbours.(More...)

Beijing condemns attack that killed 9 Chinese in Ethiopia

BEIJING: China condemned an attack on a Chinese oil company site in Ethiopia that killed 74 people, including nine Chinese, and said Wednesday it was working for the release of another seven Chinese taken hostage in the assault.

Rebels stormed a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia on Tuesday, destroying an exploration facility, killing 74 people, and kidnapping seven Chinese in the first such attack against a foreign company in the Horn of Africa nation.(More...)

FACTBOX - Facts about rebel group ONLF

* Formed in 1984 amid a resurgence of separatist sentiment in the Ogaden region on Ethiopia's border with Somalia, many of its first members supported Mogadishu in its failed war with Addis Ababa over the region in the late 1970s.

* The ONLF's aims have varied over time, ranging from full-scale independence to joining a "Greater Somalia", to more autonomy within ethnically diverse Ethiopia.(More...)

Somalia's interim government suspected of preventing humanitarian aid

Somalia's interim government is suspected of preventing humanitarian aid from urgently reaching people who have fled fighting in the capital.

Western diplomats say demands to inspect all aid shipments was adding to the misery, AP news agency reports. Earlier, the UN humanitarian chief said insecurity, checkpoint harassment and new administrative directives have all obstructed humanitarian efforts.

An estimated 320,000 people have left Mogadishu since February, the UN says. This is the eighth consecutive day of clashes between Ethiopian troops backing the interim government and insurgents and fighters from the city's dominant Hawiye clan.(More...)

Ethiopian tanks pound Somali insurgents, peace talks under way

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Civilians were caught in the crossfire Wednesday as the government’s Ethiopian backers used tanks and heavy artillery to pound insurgent strongholds, witnesses said.

Ethiopian military officials met with elders of Mogadishu’s dominant clan to try to broker a peace, said Abdullahi Sheik Hassan, a spokesman with Mogadishu’s powerful Hawiye clan. He gave no further details. Hundreds have been killed in eight straight days of fighting.(More...)

Also see:
-Fighting in Somalia kills 29 civilians
-Mogadishu clashes enter second week
-Militant group linked to Somalia bombing

Today's Top International Stories

-Nigeria's president says elections not fatally flawed
-Democrats predict they can win Iraq vote
-British court orders release of 9/11 suspect
-French centrist Bayrou rebuffs presidential rivals
-Pakistan's Quiet Fight For Iran's Favor
-N. Korea’s Kim reviews massive military parade
-Potentially Habitable Planet Found (European Astronomers Find Potentially Habitable Planet Outside Solar System)





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Gunmen kill 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese workers in Ethiopia

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Rebel group (ONLF) says it attacked Chinese oil field in Ethiopia]
[Ethiopian tanks pound Mogadishu] - [US accuses Eritrea of fueling deadly fighting in Somalia ] - [CPJ: In Somalia, shelling destroys broadcast stations, injures journalists] - [EHAHRD-Net: HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN SOMALIA DEPLORABLE]

International:
[Seven die as world rejects ‘flawed’ election in Nigeria ] - [British anti-terror police arrest 6 people ] - [Hamas armed wing ends truce, govt urges calm ] - [Iran's Leader Proposes Talks With Bush ] and more of today's top stories!

(Insurgents prepare a mortar to launch against government and Ethiopian positions south of the Somali capital Mogadishu, Tuesday, April 24, 2007. AP Photo/Abdi Farah)

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ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS BILL RE-INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE

The Coalition for H.R. 5680
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Commentary on Coalition for H.R. 5680 Press Release
International Ethiopian Women Organization (IEWO)
Radio Program
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Gunmen kill 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, April 24 (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese on Tuesday in an attack on an oil field run by a Chinese company, and Ethiopia's government blamed rebels backed by regional foe Eritrea.

Bereket Simon, special adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, blamed the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) which he said was fighting a proxy war on behalf of Asmara.

"The bandits entered the camp at around five a.m. and shot dead the 74 people while they were sleeping," he told Reuters.

Seven other Chinese workers and "scores" of Ethiopians were kidnapped by the gunmen from the site near Jijiga, 630 km (390 miles) east of the capital Addis Ababa, Bereket said. "The government has launched hot pursuit," he said.

In a statement, the ONLF said it attacked Ethiopian soldiers guarding an oil exploration field in Northern Ogaden region. "The oil facility has been completely destroyed," it said. "The ONLF has stated on numerous occasions that we will not allow the mineral resources of our people to be exploited by this regime or any firm."(More...)

Rebel group (ONLF) says it attacked Chinese oil field in Ethiopia

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said it had launched "military operations against units of the Ethiopian armed forces guarding an oil exploration site," in the east of the country.

-ONLF Statement

Ethiopian tanks pound Mogadishu

Ethiopian tanks are pounding parts of the Somali capital, stepping up a week-long campaign against insurgents and fighters of the Hawiye clan. Heavy shelling is also taking place near the presidential palace - guarded by Ethiopian and African Union troops.(More...)

Hospitals at capacity as fighting rages in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- There are no empty hospital beds in Somalia's bloodstained capital, and barely enough bandages to patch up the wounded. Even bottles of medicine are running dry.

But patients kept pouring in yesterday -- and they were the lucky ones, having survived another day of bullets and mortar shells as Islamic insurgents battled troops allied to the country's fragile acting government.

"Even the shades of the trees are occupied at this point," said Dahir Dhere, director of Medina Hospital, the largest health facility in Mogadishu. "We are overwhelmed."(More...)

Also See:
-ANALYSIS-Somalia burns - but does anyone care?
-Somali govt and insurgents battle for seventh day
-UN chief appeals for ceasefire in Somalia
-Suicide bomber targets Ethiopian troops in Somalia

US accuses Eritrea of fueling deadly fighting in Somalia

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States accused Eritrea Monday of providing funding, arms and training to insurgents battling Somali forces and allied Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu.

The State Department's top Africa official, Assistant Secretary of State Jendaye Frazer, also called for renewed ceasefire talks to end the deadliest fighting that Somalia has seen in years.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to discuss the situation Monday with her visiting Ethiopian counterpart, Seyoum Mesfin, officials said.

The fighting in Mogadishu pits heavily armed Ethiopian troops allied to the country's UN-recognized interim government against an Islamist militia known as al-Shabab and other insurgents supported by the city's dominant Hawiye clan.(More...)

CPJ: In Somalia, shelling destroys broadcast stations, injures journalists

New York, April 23, 2007—Two private broadcast stations were destroyed and several journalists were injured last week as Ethiopian troops backing Somalia’s transitional government attacked suspected strongholds of Islamist fighters and militiamen from the Hawiye clan, according to news reports and local journalists.

HornAfrik television and radio—the first independent broadcaster in Somalia’s history— has been off the air since several mortar shells destroyed its Mogadishu studios on Saturday, injuring cameraman Abdi Dhaqane and reporter Yahye Ali Farah, according to media reports and the National Union of Somali Journalists.

Dhaqane, who is also a Reuters stringer, was flown to neighboring Kenya for treatment after losing a finger and sustaining a thigh injury, Reuters Chief East Africa Correspondent Andrew Cawthorne told CPJ.(More...)

EHAHRD-Net: HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN SOMALIA DEPLORABLE

(The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network)
EHAHRD-Net Index: SOMA 010/005/2007
23rd April 2007

Death of innocent human rights defenders, bombardment of media houses, arrests of media workers, chaos and forced censorship among human rights defenders’ organisations; this according to the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRD-Net), is a brief description of the current situation is Somalia.

EHAHRD-Net wishes to bring to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council and the international community, the deplorable and gloomy human rights situation in Somalia , and calls for immediate intervention.

In the latest developments received so far, EHAHRD-Net has received information from the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) to the effect that; Radio HornAfrik was hit by artilleries on April 21st, temporarily halting its operations.

Journalist Yahye Ali Farah and Cameraman Abdi Dhaqane sustained injuries in the attack and were admitted to Dayniile and Madina hospitals respectively. Earlier, on April 19th 2007, the Global Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) based in Mogadishu had experienced “indiscriminate bombardments”, a situation that led to the damaging of equipment in its TV studio and newsrooms. GBC later had to shut down following the attack.

The above is only a small fraction of the mayhem that has rocked Somalia ever since fighting broke out in the capital Mogadishu between the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) backed by Ethiopia, and remnants of the Islamic Courts Union backed by Eritrean forces. Observers say the turmoil faced by Mogadishu in the last one month could be the worst Somalia has ever faced since the collapse of the State 15 years ago.

“The current operational environment of HRDs in Somalia is simply deplorable. The Network has recorded some deaths, while intimidation and closure of the media houses has, but become somewhat a daily occurrence.

This is a cause for worry, and we wish to call upon the warring forces to exercise restraint against inflicting further damage on the Somalis, and HRDs’ internationally recognised rights to operate. In trying to find a balance of the political situation in the country, all parties have to adhere to their international human rights obligations,” says Hassan Shire Sheikh, Chairperson EHAHRDP/Net.

BACKGROUND:

Human rights violations in Somalia considerably escalated towards the end of 2006 when Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in a bid to drive out the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) who had previously overtaken the capital Mogadishu .

This was done to reinstall the weak but internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG). However, following the expulsion of the UIC militia from Mogadishu, an all-out war broke out that has so far claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, and caused over half a million others to flee the fighting and as a result becoming internally displaced or seeking refuge outside Somalia.

In this situation, journalists and other human rights defenders have not been spared. A prominent human rights defender, Isse Abdi Isse, formerly working with the Kisima Peace and Development Organisation, was murdered at his hotel in Mogadishu in March 2007; journalist Ali Mohammed Omar, working with Radio Warsan, was murdered in February 2007, while a number of media houses have either been closed or handed serious warnings by the Transitional Federal Government.

APPEAL:

The Network appeals to the Transitional Federal Government, the Ethiopian Government, the Eritrean Government and the wider international community, to strictly observe human rights and humanitarian laws in order to save the people of Somalia from further suffering and demise.

The three nations should furthermore allow human rights defenders to pursue their work for the benefit of the civilian population, and adhere to the duties spelt out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Network members should add their voices to this call to remind the warring forces of their international obligations. Network members should also appeal to the UN Human Rights Council to use its mandate to ensure compliance of the countries in question.

Today's Top International Stories

-Seven die as world rejects ‘flawed’ election in Nigeria
-Car bomb kills 9 U.S. troops in Iraq
-British anti-terror police arrest 6 people
-Iran's Leader Proposes Talks With Bush
-Hamas armed wing ends truce, govt urges calm
-Scientists unearth Superman's "kryptonite"




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Somalia: Kismayu falls into the hands of clan militia

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[8 Ethiopian Hostages Freed After 52 Days] - [Asmara denies kidnapped Ethiopians freed by Eritrea ] - [Shelling rattles Somali capital for the sixth day as civilian casualties mount] - [Psychiatrists see big need in Ethiopia]

International:
[Former Russian Leader Boris Yeltsin Dies] - [Nigeria Opposition Rejects Election as Winner Declared] - [Sarkozy and Royal go through as 84% turnout sets new record] - [Virginia Tech students return to campus after massacre] and more of today's top stories!


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ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS BILL RE-INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE

The Coalition for H.R. 5680
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Commentary on Coalition for H.R. 5680 Press Release
International Ethiopian Women Organization (IEWO)
Radio Program
___________________________________


Brief Commentary on the Somalia situation

ETP -- On January 1, 2007 Ethiopian troops rolled into Somali's port city Kismayo after a fierce battle at Jilib with the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). Now, less than four months later, clan militias have taken total control of Kismayo.

As the battle in Mogadishu rages on and death toll of Ethiopian troops plus Somali civilians keep rising, it is becoming apparent that the Ethiopian government made a big blunder in choosing to militarily intervene in Somalia.

Even if it succeeds in securing Mogadishu for the short term (after sacrificing troop lives and resources), there is no guarantee that the city will not eventually suffer the same fate that befell Kismayo.

Somalia: Kismayu falls into the hands of clan militia

Government troops took off their military dresses and joined the militias

Shabelle Media-- Mogadishu ,April.23 - More than 16 people were killed and dozens more were wounded in the port city of Kismayu, 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu, Monday after a heavy gun battle between rival clans, Majegten and Marehan, took place in the town.

Shabelle reporter in Kismayu, Mohammed Ahmed, said the fighting stopped around 2:00 PM local time as the town fell into the hands of Marehan militias.

The rival clans fighting in Kismayu have long been challenging over the leadership of the town since contingents of Ethiopian troops deserted the town in mid February.(More...)

Shelling rattles Somali capital for the sixth day as civilian casualties mount

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Heavy shelling shook the Somali capital Monday as Ethiopian forces stepped up their nearly week-long battle against Islamist insurgents, and civilian casualties mounted.

After a night of sporadic fire, heavy explosions hit northern Mogadishu's districts, where Ethiopian forces aboard tanks pursued the insurgents seeking to wipe them out from the seaside capital, residents said.

At least five people were killed and 15 wounded as the clashes raged.

We have recovered the bodies of four people in a shop near Tawfiq area after an artillery shell landed in a house where they were hiding," said elder Ollow Mohamed Hassan. Another man was killed by a stray bullet.(More...)

Also see:

-Fighting rages in Somali capital as bodies rot in streets, say witnesses
-Hundreds of thousands flee bloody capital


8 Ethiopian Hostages Freed After 52 Days

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Eight Ethiopians held hostage for 52 days after they were kidnapped along with five European tourists have been released unharmed, government officials said Sunday.

Thirteen Ethiopians were seized at gunpoint along with the five Europeans on March 1 while on a sightseeing tour in northeastern Ethiopia near the disputed border with Eritrea. Five of the Ethiopians were found within days of the kidnapping. The Europeans were released March 13.(More...)

Asmara denies kidnapped Ethiopians freed by Eritrea

ASMARA, April 23 (Reuters) - Eritrea on Monday rejected Ethiopia's assertion that Asmara had released eight Ethiopians who were kidnapped last month with a group of Europeans, saying Eritrea had never held the group.

Ethiopian state television said on Sunday the eight had been freed following international pressure on Eritrea, its foe and neighbour, which has always denied involvement in the abduction in a remote desert region.

"It's not true. These are Ethiopians who have been taken by Ethiopians and it has nothing to do with us," Information Minister Ali Abdu told Reuters by phone.

"I don't know whether it is paranoia, obsession or madness. They have developed this pattern blaming Eritrea every day and night," he said.(More...)

Psychiatrists see big need in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Amanuel Hospital, Ethiopia's only psychiatric hospital, has a chaotic and desperate feel.

Male inpatients in pajamas wander aimlessly across a football field-sized courtyard where patches of green grass grow despite the dusty red soil and merciless sun.

Other patients sit and stare all day, some wearing chains around their ankles to prevent them from escaping. Many women pass their days braiding one another's hair under a dark overhang that protects them from the scorching equatorial sun.

Only a handful of overwhelmed doctors staff this 360-bed hospital -- not surprising given that the entire country of 75 million people has just 17 psychiatrists and 190 psychiatric nurses.(More...)

Nigeria Opposition Rejects Election as Winner Declared

ABUJA, Nigeria April 23 — The candidate of the governing People’s Democratic Party, Umaru Yar’Adua, has won the presidential election in Nigeria, according to party officials.

Partial results from Saturday’s election, which was marred by widespread fraud, violence and chaos, showed landslide victories for Mr. Yar’Adua in several states.

The European Union election observer criticized the conduct of the election and questioned the legitimacy of the results, which handed huge victories to the governing party.

Max van den Berg, chief observer for the mission, said at a news conference Monday that the elections “have fallen far short of basic international and regional standard for elections.”(More...)

Sarkozy and Royal go through as 84 per cent turnout sets new poll record

(France's first round presidential frontrunners Segolene Royal (L), Socialist party candidate, and Nicolas Sarkozy, UMP conservative party candidate - REUTERS)

PARIS (AP) - Socialist Segolene Royal and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy have two weeks to sell voters on two vastly different visions for France - at a time when its people are nervous about retaining their prosperity and carving out a viable identity in a rapidly changing world.

Either would be the first French president not to have lived through World War II, a significant generational shift. But the similarities end there.

Royal would bring a breezy elegance to the Elysee. She has openly appealed to women voters and says her election as the first French woman president would have no less than ``planetary'' consequences. On campaign posters the feminine ``e'' has optimistically been added to read ``presidente.''(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Virginia Tech students return to campus after massacre
-Former Russian Leader Boris Yeltsin Dies
-Police chief among 33 killed across Iraq today
-Echoes of Cold War in missile arguments(Russian hostility to the American plan to station anti-ballistic missiles and their radar in Poland and the Czech Republic is an indication of the wider unease in relations between Moscow and Washington)




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ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS BILL RE-INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE

Week in review plus weekend news

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Breaking News: hostages released says ETV

Ethiopian state TV said on Sunday eight nationals kidnapped in a remote northern desert region last month had been released in neighbouring Eritrea.

The statement, which quoted Ethiopian security sources, said further information, including on the health of the group, would be given on Monday.(More..)
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Weekend Top Stories:
[London Update: Gebrselassie drops out of marathon]
[Reuters: Even by Somali standards, Saturday's somali carnage shocking] - [Aspiring Ethiopian born Astronaut Commands Mars Training Mission]
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The Week in Review

TOP STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Amnesty Issues urgent appeal for over 80 detainees in Ethiopia
• Report says scores of Ethiopian troops flee Somalia to Yemen
• EU observers' report on the Ethiopia Trials SUPPRESSED
• 12th Annual GOTB highlights human rights violations in Ethiopia
• UN report says no military solution in Somalia

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Commentary on Coalition for H.R. 5680's Press Release
International Ethiopian Women Organization (IEWO)
Radio Program

YETESFA MELIKT
(by Tewodros Abebe)
April 20, 2007
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Gebrselassie drops out of marathon

LONDON (Reuters) - Ethiopia's pre-race favourite Haile Gebrselassie dropped out of the London Marathon shortly after the 30-km mark on Sunday. Television pictures showed Berlin marathon champion Gebrselassie, who has never won in London, holding his stomach as he stood by the side of the road (More...)

ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS BILL RE-INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE

The Coalition for H.R. 5680
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Coalition for H.R. 5680 is informed and believes that Congressman Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, introduced the “Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007” in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, April 20, 2007.

The official copy of the new bill will be available after the Clerk of the House issues a tracking number for it. Chairman Payne’s bill replaces H.R.5680, also known as the “Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy and Accountability Act of 2006”.

Chairman Payne’s bill maintains much of the substance of H.R.5680 in terms of legislative findings and provisions. However, Chairman Payne has re-drafted the new bill with regime accountability as a centerpiece of the legislation.(More...)

Reuters: Even by Somali standards, Saturday's somali carnage shocking

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Shells pounded Mogadishu on Saturday, killing at least 73 people to swell a death-toll already in the hundreds from this week's battles pitting militias and Islamists against Somali and Ethiopian troops.

The escalating war has also sent more than 321,000 residents fleeing in the biggest refugee movement in Somalia since the 1991 fall of a dictator ushered in 16 years of anarchy. Even by Somali standards, Saturday's carnage was shocking.

"I counted 20 dead in the street and the sidewalk. Some were missing heads, others were so mutilated you couldn't tell if they were men or women," resident Suleman Mohammed said from the Al Barakah market area where more than seven mortars landed.(More...)

Also see:
-At least 73 die in Mogadishu fighting
-Mogadishu war rages, shells kill civilians
-Mogadishu war escalates, hundreds dead

Aspiring Ethiopian born Astronaut Commands Mars Training Mission

The VOA Amharic program's Fregenet Asseged talked to aspiring astronaut Lealem Mulugeta, who recently commanded the Mars Society of Canada's Training Expedition known as Expedition Beta.

The expedition is a two-week training and research mission that simulates an actual mission to Mars, complete with geological exploration and studies of crew members physiology.

The mission, the second of its kind for the Mars Society of Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging exploration and eventual settlement on the Red Planet, took place at the Mars Desert Research Station.(More...)




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UN report says no military solution in Somalia

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Ethiopia "far worse" than Zimbabwe in police violence: Mapuranga]
[Reuters: Somali rebel says Ethiopian troops flee to Yemen]
[Latest Mogadishu violence kills 21 people] - [New WFP boss to visit Ethiopia next week] - [Islamists claim suicide chemical attack on Ethiopians in Somalia-Web] - [Gebrselassie aims to make it business as usual in city]

International:
[Nigeria ballots 'not in country] - [Ceremonies nationwide to mourn massacre victims] - [Kasparov Questioned by Russian Security] - [Mother: China Stole My Son's Organs] and more of today's top stories!

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Today: 12th Annual "Get On The Bus"

1,500 Activists will gather in New York City to highlight human rights violations in Darfur, Ethiopia and Guatemala

This year, GOTB will feature four actions as well as a speakers' panel. Activists will be demonstrating for the people of Darfur, to advocate for Mesfin Woldemariam, prisoner of conscience and one of Ethiopia's most prominent human rights defenders, and to bring the former Guatemalan dictator, General Efrain Rios Montt, to justice.(More...)
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Marathon runners Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, left, and Paul Tergat of Kenya pose for photographers, in front of Tower Bridge which spans the river Thames in central London, Thursday April 19, 2007. The runners will participate in the London Marathon Sunday April 22, 2007.(More...) AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

UN: "No military solution in Somalia"

UNITED NATIONS - A United Nations (UN) report has pressed for world support for African peacekeepers in Somalia but warned that pursuing military solutions in Mogadishu was likely to be "counter-productive."

"The international community should urgently support the African Union (AU) with all means at its disposal," the report by UN chief Ban Ki-moon said. It stressed the need to provide "sufficient financial and logistical resources" to the AU stabilisation force to enable it to complete its deployment and facilitate the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops.

But the report also warned that pursuing "military solutions to stabilise Mogadishu is likely to be counter-productive, creating long-term resentment among certain clans and communities and damaging prospects for the reconciliation process."(More...)

Ethiopia "far worse" than Zimbabwe in police violence: Mapuranga

Ambassador Mapuranga blamed media bias for the negative portrayal of Zimbabwean political events in the United States, listing "far worse" examples of police violence in other African nations.

"Two hundred people were shot dead by police" in Ethiopia after its elections in 2005, Mapuranga said, "but that coverage was not seen" in the United States.

In contrast, Mapuranga said, the Western media gave extensive coverage to a recent protest in Zimbabwe when "one demonstrator was shot dead as the crowd surged in a menacing manner.(More...)

Reuters: Somali rebel says Ethiopian troops flee to Yemen

SANAA, April 20 (Reuters) - A leader of Somalia's Islamist insurgents said on Friday some Ethiopian soldiers had fled to Yemen from the fighting in the capital Mogadishu and called on the Arab country not to extradite them.

Yemeni newspapers have reported that dozens of Ethiopian soldiers were among Somali refugees who arrived in Yemen in the past week, but Yemeni and Somali officials denied the reports.

"This war is illegal and immoral and any soldier who flees from it for fear of killing or being killed deserves to be ... treated in a humanitarian way," Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a leader of the Islamic Courts Council, told Al Jazeera television.(More...)

Latest Mogadishu violence kills 21 people

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Sporadic shelling and gunfire went on through the night in Mogadishu and residents on Friday said latest fighting and a suicide attack at an Ethiopian base had killed at least 21 people and wounded another 101.

Residents say the recent fighting, which had rockets slamming into a crowded market on Thursday, was as bad as a ferocious four-day war that killed 1,000 people at the end of March and displaced about a fifth of the city's population.

"We have admitted 71 and 41 of them are seriously injured and the other 30 had minor injuries," a doctor at the Madina Hospital told Reuters.(More...)

Also see:
-Mogadishu braced for humanitarian disaster
-Heavy fighting in Somali capital; casualties unknown
-Somali deaths mount, president downplays clashes

Islamists claim suicide chemical attack on Ethiopians in Somalia-Web

DUBAI, April 20 (Reuters) - A little known Islamist group on Friday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on an Ethiopian military base in Somalia, and said it used chemicals in the attack, according to an Internet statement.

The group, calling itself the Young Mujahideen Movement in Somalia, said one of its most prominent members, Abdul-Aziz Dawood Abdul-Qader, carried out Thursday's bombing. The attack came amid intense fighting between Ethiopian forces and Somali insurgents that killed at least 12 civilians.(More...)

Ethiopia: New Date Set for Somali Reconciliation Conference

ENA -- The Transitional Government of Somalia said Wednesday that the delayed national reconciliation conference seen as critical to the nation will be held on June 14, People's Daily Online reported.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Somali Ambassador to Kenya, Ali Mohammed Nur said the talks, which was earlier planned for April 16, 2007 was delayed due to security concerns.

"The National Congress which shall be followed by a series of reconciliation conferences at regional and district levels, is expected to reflect on our efforts at achieving genuine reconciliation and lasting peace in our country as well as the revival and restoration of Somalia's fine international image and preservation of our sovereignty," Nur told journalists.(More...)

New WFP boss to visit Ethiopia next week

Josette Sheeran, new executive director of the UN World Food Program (WFP), is scheduled to visit Ethiopia Monday and Tuesday in what is said to be her first international visit since taking office at the end of last year.

Sheeran's first visit to Ethiopia will focus on humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa region, the UN agency's Ethiopia Office said in a statement Friday.

"She will first visit Ethiopia to explore how WFP, the largest purchaser of surplus grain in Ethiopia, can better connect farmers to markets through its purchases," it said.

Sheeran will also have a number of high-level meetings, including those with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and African Union Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, according to the statement.(More...)

Luciano, Mikey General & Ragga lox to play in Addis

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The international reggae artists Luciano the messenger, Mikey General, and Ragga lox arrived in Ethiopia yesterday for their first Ethiopian performance in the country.

All the artist have not set foot in Ethiopia before but they have had their names tied to different successful shows which include the New York Irie Jam reggae concert that gathered 25,000 crowds.

The performance of the artists here is going to be at the Unity University College tomorrow Saturday. And the international promoter Dave Judah of the Reggae Jam Promotion International told SSI yesterday that the place is chosen for setting the positive message across the college students who are likely to promote the positive message all over Ethiopia.(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Nigeria ballots 'not in country'(Ballot papers have not yet arrived in Nigeria on the eve of the presidential election, the election commission head has said)
-Ceremonies nationwide to mourn massacre victims
-Iran, EU to meet on nuclear stand-off
-World Bank expresses 'great concern' over Wolfowitz affair
-Candidates make their last appeals to French voters
-Kasparov Questioned by Russian Security
-Mother: China Stole My Son's Organs(Woman Fights To Find Out What Happened To Body Of Executed Son, Suspects Organ Trade)




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EU observers' report on the Ethiopia Trials SUPPRESSED

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[VOA: Somali Sub-Clans Said to be Uniting Against Government, Ethiopia ]
[AP: Ethiopian military truck explodes in Somali capital]
[Report says scores of Ethiopian troops flee Somalia to Yemen ] - [Kenya to Begin Shuttle Diplomacy Between Rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia] - [Street battles kill 14 in Somali capital] - [Leave Somalia or face all-out war, Ethiopia told]

International:
[China says it opposes any Sudan sanctions] - [Sarkozy, Royal pull ahead in French election race ] - [Yahoo sued over data on Chinese dissidents] - [Missing BBC correspondent 'alive' ] and more of today's top stories!



Virginia Tech - Share your condolences, thoughts, and prayers


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Get on the Bus with Amnesty International

(Picture - 2005 GET ON THE BUS rally at the Chinese Consulate) Last Year Over 1000 student and adult activists from 160 different groups converged in New York City for a day of human rights action and education. This year, Amnesty International aims to make the human rights situation in Ethiopia one of its focus points.

This Friday April 20th:

For the 12th consecutive year, Amnesty International Local Group 133 in Somerville, Mass. is organizing the Get on the Bus (GOTB) trip to New York City for one full day of human rights action and education. We invite you and your group to join other activists to take to the streets of New York City and march for human rights.

The actions for the 2007 GOTB include - ETHIOPIA ACTION (Special Focus Case Mesfin Woldemariam)--Visit Event Site--
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EU observers' report on the Ethiopia Trials SUPPRESSED

ETP -- In a letter addressed to the European commission and the European council, the honorable Ana Gomes inquires about the EU observers' (British judge Michael Ellman) report concerning the ongoing trials in Ethiopia; in which opponents of the Prime Minister, human rights activists and journalists stand accused of trumped up charges.

EU commissioner Louis Michel in his reply dated April 16, 2007, says the EU observers' report has already been presented to the government of Ethiopia and some EU officials; but will not be made public until the completion of the trials.

The European Council, however, was more candid than Commissioner Michel - implying that the report was suppressed and the observer, Michal Elman, replaced - after the Ethiopian government expressed its objection.

- READ Mrs. GOMES’S LETTER AND THE RESPONSE FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL

Somali Sub-Clans Said to be Uniting Against Government, Ethiopia

Somali Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Aideed has formed an alliance opposed to Ethiopia's presence in Mogadishu.

VOA -- In a possible sign that fractious sub-clans of Somalia's Hawiye tribe may be uniting to oppose Ethiopia and Somalia's interim government, a top Islamist leader and the deputy prime minister of the interim government have jointly issued an ultimatum for Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia immediately or face an all-out war. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has this report from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

The ultimatum, issued late Wednesday by Islamist leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and Hussein Aideed, was blunt - leave Somalia now or prepare to fight to the death.

The two senior leaders, who are members of the Hawiye clan that dominates the Somali capital, Mogadishu, spoke after holding talks in Eritrea, Ethiopia's archrival in the Horn of Africa.(More...)

Ethiopian military truck explodes in Somali capital

Picture - Hawiye clan soldiers fire towards Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu, Thursday, April 19, 2007. At least 12 people were killed on Thursday during fighting between Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's fragile government and insurgents in the capital, said witnesses, hours after an Ethiopian military truck exploded on the capital's outskirts. Fighting between the two sides resumed Thursday after a day's pause. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

MOGADISHU, Somalia – An Ethiopian military truck exploded on Thursday on the outskirts of the Somali capital, possibly killing an unknown number of soldiers on board, said a witness, who did not know what caused the explosion.

The explosion comes after two days of intermittent street battles between Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's fragile government and insurgents that saw both sides use tank shells, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Some residents characterized the fighting as the most intense in many years. At least 14 people were killed in the fighting and dozens injured.(More...)

Street battles kill 14 in Somali capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Mortar fire killed three people and wounded six in the Somali capital Wednesday after a night of street fighting left at least 11 people dead and dozens injured, witnesses and health officials said.

Fadumo Muyadin, a schoolteacher, told The Associated Press that she saw two women and one man dead when she went to see whether victims of the attack in the northern part of Mogadishuh needed help. She said she drove some of the wounded to a hospital.

It was not clear who fired the mortars, witnesses said.(More...)

Leave Somalia or face all-out war, Ethiopia told

Ethiopia must withdraw its troops from Somalia immediately or face an all-out war that "no army" could resist, three senior Somali leaders warned on Wednesday.

The three, including top Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hussein Aidid, who holds a post in Somalia's government, were meeting in the Eritrean capital for talks.

Aidid said Somalis will unite against the "brutal occupation" of Ethiopian forces, who earlier this year helped the government's armed forces wrest control of much of Somalia from an Islamist movement.(More...)

Report says scores of Ethiopian troops flee Somalia to Yemen

Sana'a - Scores of Ethiopian army troops have arrived off the coast of Yemen onboard two boats belonging to smugglers after they fled fighting with Islamic insurgents in Somalia, a press report said on Tuesday.

Some 89 Ethiopian soldiers arrived in the Arqa area in southern Yemen after crossing the Gulf of Aden from Bosaso city in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia, the al-Ayyam daily newspaper said in a report on its website.

The paper said 49 Somali refugees were aboard the boats that carried the soldiers, who were wearing civilian clothes.(More...)

ETHIOPIA: Thousands exposed to danger from landmines

ADDIS ABABA, 18 April 2007 (IRIN) - Ethiopia's Afar and Tigray regional states are so heavily mined that hundreds of thousands of people living there are exposed to danger from the ordnances, official statistics show.

Most of the landmines were planted during the recent Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary war, which was mainly fought in the two states because they share borders with Eritrea. Data compiled by the national Landmine Action Office shows that 375,899 and 66,478 people in Tigray and Afar regional states, respectively, are exposed to the danger of landmines.

According to a local NGO, Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RaDO), at least 39 new mine and UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents were recorded in the two regions between January 2005 and May 2006. Ten people were killed and 16 injured.(More...)

Kenya to Begin Shuttle Diplomacy Between Rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia

Kenya's Foreign Ministry says it is preparing an intense diplomatic shuttle to bring an end to the crisis between Horn of Africa rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia over Somalia. VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from Nairobi.

Kenya's Deputy Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says ministry officials are working hard to lay the groundwork for Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju to begin the shuttle in the next two weeks.

"It is a process that involves wide-ranging consultations between several capitals," he said. "The details of how we are going to go about it are being worked out."(More...)

Campaign launched to re-erect Bikila and Wolde statues

(Left)Abebe Bikila, (center)Mamo Wolde, (right)Yidnekachew Tessema

The names of Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde hold a legendary aura in the history of the Olympics. The two Ethiopian runners gave their country an Olympic marathon monopoly in the 1960s, from Bikila’s barefoot victory along a torch lit Appian Way in Rome 1960 - Ethiopia’s first ever gold medal - and then his successful defence in 1964 in Tokyo - this time wearing shoes - to Wolde’s title win in Mexico City in 1968, when aged 38.

Bikila died on 25 October 1973 and Wolde passed away on 26 May 2002, and in their honour statues were erected by a grateful nation in St. Joseph cemetery in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

However, on the evening of 7 March 2007 the statues were vandalized and while the police have been investigating they so far they have not been able to identify the criminals.(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Heavy shelling in Somali capital
-China says it opposes any Sudan sanctions
-Gates Urges Iraq to Hasten Push to Defuse Sectarianism
-Yahoo sued over data on Chinese dissidents(human-rights group filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Yahoo Inc. for allegedly providing information to the Chinese government)
-Sarkozy, Royal pull ahead in French election race
-Missing BBC correspondent 'alive'
-IAEA: Iran making nuclear fuel in underground plant
-Silvio Surrounded by Girls: What Does Mrs. Berlusconi Say?




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Report says scores of Ethiopian troops flee Somalia to Yemen

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Somali capital rocked by renewed clashes, seven killed] - [Campaign to free Ethiopia hostages] - [Kenya to Begin Shuttle Diplomacy Between Rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia ] - [Free at last]

International:
[Ugandan police fire at protesters] - [World Reacts to U.S. University Shooting] - [France Knew Of Hijack Plot Before 9/11] - [Olmert: Israel Open to Prisoner Exchange] and more of today's top stories!

Free at last!

Serkalem Fasil, once publisher of Asqual, Satenaw and Menilik newspapers, was pregnant at the time of her arrest in November 2005 and gave birth to her son in prison. jailed for almost two years on charges of treason, genocide, and instigation to violent regime change, along with CUD leadership, members, civil society activists and other journalists. The young mother is aquitted on all counts.(Picture - Capital)


Our Quest for the Resolution to the Ethiopian Human Rights Crisis:Time for A Critical Appraisal
by Meqdes Mesfin
(daughter of renowned human rights activist and prisoner of conscience Professor Mesfin Wolde-Mariam)
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PRESS RELEASE
(EFJA) Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association
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Part II IEWO Radio Interview
Lulit Mesfin and Alemayehu Zemedkhun
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Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA) website
EACA demands that all political prisoners in Ethiopia be released urgent petition


Capital: Free at last

The Second Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court ruled for 25 journalists to be set free and for eight editors-in-chief to defend the charges brought against them by the Federal prosecutor.

Most of the freed journalists are either managing directors of newspapers or deputy editors-in-chief. The court has also quashed the attempted genocide and high treason charges leveled against all the accused in the case of Engineer Hailu Shawel et.al.

In a ruling on April 9, concerning the charges brought against journalists and publishers in the first charge, the court first stated that the role of the press was to promote the building of a democratic order by providing constructive criticisms, adding that it should be free and independent.

It then went on to say that pursuant to the Criminal Code of Ethiopia, for crimes committed through periodicals, it was chiefly the editor-in-chief who should be held liable and accordingly, ordered the editor-in-chiefs and four publishers among the accused to defend the charges against them, setting free deputy-editors-in chief as well as newspaper owners and managers of the companies that publish the newspapers.

Serkalem Fasil owner of Serkalem Publishing and her husband Eskinder Nega, who were also freed, told Capital that they thanked those who supported them morally during their incarceration.

Somali capital rocked by renewed clashes, seven killed

MOGADISHU (AFP - Apr. 17) - Heavy weapons fire broke out Tuesday in the Somali capital as Ethiopian army units and Islamist insurgents clashed in southern Mogadishu killing at least seven civilians, witnesses said.

Machinegun and heavy mortar fire rattled the Al Kamin quarter and some shells exploded close to the presidential palace, an AFP correspondent said.

Residents said long-range mortar shells rained over the nearby Bakara area, leaving a trail of casualties.(More...)

Kenya to Begin Shuttle Diplomacy Between Rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia

Kenya's Foreign Ministry says it is preparing an intense diplomatic shuttle to bring an end to the crisis between Horn of Africa rivals Eritrea and Ethiopia over Somalia. VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from Nairobi.

Kenya's Deputy Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says ministry officials are working hard to lay the groundwork for Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju to begin the shuttle in the next two weeks.

"It is a process that involves wide-ranging consultations between several capitals," he said. "The details of how we are going to go about it are being worked out."(More...)

Scores of Ethiopian troops flee Somalia to Yemen: report

Sana'a - Scores of Ethiopian army troops have arrived off the coast of Yemen onboard two boats belonging to smugglers after they fled fighting with Islamic insurgents in Somalia, a press report said on Tuesday.

Some 89 Ethiopian soldiers arrived in the Arqa area in southern Yemen after crossing the Gulf of Aden from Bosaso city in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia, the al-Ayyam daily newspaper said in a report on its website.

The paper said 49 Somali refugees were aboard the boats that carried the soldiers, who were wearing civilian clothes.(More...)

Campaign to free Ethiopia hostages

Thousands of people have signed up to a campaign to free nine Ethiopians who were kidnapped along with a group of Europeans in Ethiopia more than six weeks ago.

(Picture - captive Debash Baye)

The group were taken in the north-eastern Afar region of the country - one of the hottest, most remote places on earth.

The three Britons, a French woman and an Italian woman with dual citizenship were released two weeks later but the Ethiopians are still being held.

The release of the Westerners was negotiated by Afar elders who handed them over to Eritrean authorities.(More...)

Ethiopia: "Mahder" to Be Launched

"Mahder", an Amharic feature film, will be launched on Monday at the National Theatre. The script was written by three writers and a total of 2054 actors participated in the film. Mahder is produced by Wabi Film Production.

According to Daniel, a representative of the film production, the movie is shot with a digital camera approved by World Television Broadcast Standard Organization for professional use. The actors were cast with a screen test after inviting actors through a vacancy.

In the film production, 25 film professionals participated. A costume designer, lighting and film expert, film consultant, film economist and film technical experts were also part of the production crew.(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Ugandan police fire at protesters
-Ban hails Sudan's UN troops move(UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has described Sudan's decision to allow 3,000 UN troops into Darfur as "a very positive sign")
-World Reacts to U.S. University Shooting
-France Knew Of Hijack Plot Before 9/11(Officials Confirm French Spy Service Warned CIA Of Al Qaeda Plot In Early 2001)
-Olmert: Israel Open to Prisoner Exchange
-Ukraine's Constitutional Court Tries to Solve Power Battle
-China hoarding H5N1 samples for over a year: WHO




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