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Kinijit exists in the minds of millions of Ethiopians. It is the spirit of liberty, the spirit of freedom, the spirit of democracy, the spirit of justice, fairness, and progress, and development. It is the desire, the purpose, the mission, the vision of millions of us have for Ethiopians and the Ethiopian nation. This is Kinijit, the subjective reality, the idea, the thought, the feeling - Kinijit the Spirit... More >>
The news of EPRP’s split last week was received with great interest among supporters of the pro-democracy camp. It would have been even better had a united EPRP transformed itself into a genuinely democratic party. But with the reactionary forces led by Ato Iyasu Alemayehu firmly in control of the party resources, a split up was an inevitable outcome... More >>
Aid agencies are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia after a military offensive unleashed by Woyanne forced up to 100,000 people to flee Mogadishu in recent days. Woyanne has sent up to 15,000 additional troops into its Horn of Africa neighbour as it struggles to pacify an Islamist-led insurgency... More >>
October is a turbulent month, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a month of transitions. Summer grudgingly gives way to fall. The leaves turn yellow. The weather is at times harsh, and at times mellow. It can be rainy out there; stormy and thunderous. So turbulent was also the month of October to Ethiopians everywhere. The five Kinijit delegates were on everyone mind. So was Ato Hailu Shawel as well. They all were on everyone’s face, on everyone’s ears. Many of the encounters with the leaders were joyous occasions — heroes’ welcome for democracy champions who put their lives on the line for their convictions. Other encounters were not. The meeting in DC that hosted Ato Hailu was in large parts an exercise in make-believe and quixotic meanness... More >>
They came on a mission to America. It was mission blessed by the Ethiopian people. It was a simple mission: “Go share the gospel of democracy, freedom and human rights among Ethiopians in America. Thank them for all they have done for us, and tell them to keep hope alive. We shall overcome!”...
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The hoax being played on the people of Ethiopia by Hailu Shawel and friends does not stop with finance. Just before rushing to the U.S. to protect his friends from corruption investigation, Ato Hailu held meetings with central committee members of his former party, the AEUP. Out of the central committee’s 110 members, only 16 showed up. And out of the 9 executive committee members, only 3 showed up. Four executive committee members — Ato Gizachew Shiferaw, Ato Aschalew Ketema, Ato Brook Kebede and Ato Akalu Girgire — who called the meeting illegal and did not show up were summarily fired by Hailu Shawel and replaced with... More >>
Kinijit delegation finalizes USA tour
The Kinijit delegation that is currently on a working visit in the U.S. has only one major public appearance left before returning to Ethiopia next week. With all the obstacles thrown at the delegation from an unholy alliance of several groups, it has still managed to visit 12 cities, hold open discussions with several thousand Ethiopians, testify at a U.S. Congressional hearing, meet with U.S. Government and local officials, and raise well over half a million dollars. The delegation has archived its mission above and beyond anyone's expectation. Next Sunday's (Oct. 28) public meeting in Washington DC will be the delegation's last public appearance of their USA tour. Place: Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1000 H Street NW, Washington DC (More info: 202 541 0556).
Kinijit leaders crisscross five cities over the weekend
The Kinijit high-level delegation to the United States led by Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa and including Dr Hailu Araya, Ato Gizachew Shiferraw, Ato Brook Kebede and Dr Berhanu Nega visited five cities since Friday as they finalize their USA tour. On Saturday, Wzt. Bertukan, Ato Gizachew, and Dr Berhanu participated in a town hall meeting and fund raising event in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Artist Abebe Belew conducted the fund raising event which brought in $25,000. The meeting was attended by about 600 people. On Sunday... More >>
Ethiopia’s eminent scholar, human rights advocate, and one of the founding fathers of Kinijit, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, gave interviews to the DW and VOA on Tuesday from his hospital bed in India. Both interviews focused on the leadership crisis inside Kinijit. The professor’s interview on the VOA, in particular, was a complete rebuke of Hailu Shawel’s failed leadership. It may well have sealed Ato Hailu’s fate as chairman of Kinijit. At the same time, his endorsement of Bertukan Mideksa to lead the party is a big boost to Kinijit’s leadership. In that sense, Prof. Mesfin’s VOA interview was beneficial. But many of his other points were uninformed, confusing and off the mark...
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The secretive leadership of the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Party is currently in turmoil over the active role being played by some of its top leaders in fanning disagreements inside Kinijit. Ethiopian Review’s Research Department has learned that the leadership is currently split into two factions...
The Kinijit Atlanta chapter held a successful town hall meeting with Kinijit leaders on Saturday, Oct. 13. Fund raising was also conducted. According to the organizers, over $64,000 have been raised, but they may yet be able to pass Seattle's $67k figure since there will be more public events tomorrow, Sunday, including a picnic at the Stone Mountain Park. Next to Washington DC, the Ethiopian community in Atlanta is the most active and politically conscience. Today's town hall meeting is a good example...- read more
The busiest airport in the world had served more airline passengers than any other the last few years. Yet, this is the first time that the gigantic airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield, had the honor of hosting the most loved leaders of Ethiopia’s opposition delegation to the U.S., Wrt. Birtukan, Dr. Berhanu, Ato Biruk Kebede, Dr. Hailu Araya and Ato Gizachew Shiferraw... - read more
The estranged Kinijit chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, has told the Washington Post reporter Nora Boustany that he was in Washington DC on Oct. 2 to and met with Congressman Chris Smith one day before the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2003... - read more
The estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, will travel to Washington DC this coming weekend to attend a public meeting organized by the Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP group. Several Ethiopians who believe that this meeting has an anti-Kinijit purpose have met last night to discuss what actions to take. Participants include representatives of youth, civic, and media groups... - read more
Few places are more desolate than southern Ethiopia, where the barren plains suffer hunger and poverty even when the rains fall. Yet one of Britain’s closest African allies is waging a brutal military campaign in this bleak region, burning villages and forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minister, is determined to crush Somali rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The response by Mr Zenawi's troops have blockaded areas seen as rebel strongholds, halting the flow of goods and leaving some 600,000 people dependent on food aid to avoid starvation... - read more
When it comes to Ethiopian politics, Los Angeles is rarely mentioned. It is a city with the second or third largest number of Ethiopians, but it is a place where the least political activity goes on. South Dakota is mentioned more often than Los Angeles when it comes to Ethiopian politics. That has changed yesterday... read more
My fellow Ethiopians, I have a great news to share with all those who champion the cause of our motherland. After about ten days of intense negotiations between Ato Hailu Shawel, Chairman of Kinijit, and the Kinjit delegates mediated by concerned Ethiopians including myself, the two parties met together for the first time ever since their arrival in the U.S., on Oct 4 in Minneapolis...
Ethiopians in Seattle made history in the past two days by turning out in massive numbers to welcome Kinijit leaders and raising a total of $65,700 for the party. Dr Shakespeare and his team were able to achieve such a monumental success in the face an all out attack by the unholy alliance of the corrupt Shaleqa group and EPRP. This is in great part the result of strong leadership by the N. America Kinijit that was determined to enforce organizational discipline, and the tireless work of Attorney Shakespeare Feyissa who brought together young Kinijit activists, prominent religious leaders, businessmen, the media and others behind his effort to make the Kinijit leaders' visit in Seattle a great success... - read more
Ethiopians in Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and other nearby cities gave Kinijit leader a cheerful welcome when they arrived at the SEATAC Airport in Seattle Friday afternoon. Seattle area local government officials were among those who greeted the leaders at the airport... - read more
The Kinijit town hall meeting in Las Vegas is now over. More time than usual was given for the question and answer program of the event. The audience were expressing their views as much as asking questions. The 370 people who participated in the meeting raised a total of $41,900 for Kinijit. Considering that there are far fewer people in Las Vegas than in Dallas or Oakland, raising this much money was a great success. The next major event is the Kinijit leaders' arrival in Seattle on Friday and the town hall meeting on Saturday... - read more
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2003 (Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007) on a unanimous vote at exactly 12:58 Eastern Standard Time. Donald Payne delivered an impassioned speech on the floor of the House urging members pass the bill. He outlined the long train of human rights abuses that have taken place in Ethiopia over the past two years. He said the people of Ethiopia deserve democracy and human rights and a government of their choice... - read more
The Kinijit train whistled through California and Texas over the weekend creating excitement and hope among Ethiopian communities. Kinijit leaders' core message was that their party is trying to institute genuine democracy and rule of law in Ethiopia by being an example. They repeated the message that a party that doesn't have a democratic culture, a party that doesn't respect its own rules and procedures cannot bring democracy and rule of law to Ethiopia... - read more
This week there are two major events -- Lav Vegas (Tuesday, Oct. 2), and Seattle (Friday, Oct. 5). The incredible success in Oakland and Dallas have motivated and also put pressure on Kinijitians in these two major cities... more details later
The goal is met! Oakland raised $52,195 for Kinijit. Woyanne cadres joined by other groups did every thing they could to derail the Oakland event. The success in Oakland is just one more proof that nothing can stop Kinijit's freedom train. What do you say Dallas? It is your turn Sunday... - read more
Dictator Meles Zenawi, the butcher of Addis Ababa, Ogaden, Mogadishu, Anuak… is coming to Washington DC on Monday or Tuesday, according to Ethiopian Review sources. Meles will be in Washington to meet with State Department officials. The U.S. House of Representatives will take final action on H.R. 2003 Tuesday, Oct. 2. Meles is expected to make last minute attempt to dissuade members of Congress from voting on the bill... - read more
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed H.R. 2003, “Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007.” The bill authored by Africa Subcommittee Chair Donald Payne provides funding and technical assistance to Ethiopia to improve human rights protections and build democratic institutions. H.R. 2003 has full bipartisan support in House, and is co-sponsored by 85 members... - read more
The successful Kinijit fund raising in Boston last Saturday is putting the spotlight on Kinijit chapters in the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland-San Jose) and Dallas, Texas. The Kinijit delegation led by Vice President Bertukan Mideksa will arrive in the Bay Area next Thursday (Sept. 27) and Dallas (Sept. 30).... - read more
The controversy caused by the recent dictatorial behavior of Hailu Shawel, instigated and promoted by the EPRP-Shaleqa unholy alliance, will soon be dwarfed by another issue — the upcoming local election in Ethiopia. Next April, in about 7 months from now, there will be kebele, woreda and zonal elections in Ethiopia. Kinijit has not decided whether to participate in the elections. The leaders have put off the decision until they return from their worldwide tour. But Ethiopian Review believes that the discussion must start now, and Ethiopians in the Diaspora must take an active part in the debate... - read more
Kinijit leaders who are currently on a working visiting in the U.S. arrived in Boston Saturday morning. Ethiopians in Boston turned out in large numbers to give them a warm welcome. After getting some rest they attended a fund raising dinner which raised over $40,000, according to the organizers. In her speech at the dinner, Wzt. Bertukan made a public appeal to Ato Hailu Shawel to join the delegation... - read more
The concern of many people is not that Kinijit will be harmed or divided because of what Shaleqa Yoseph, Ato Moges, and Dr Taye are doing now taking advantage of Ato Hailu’s condition. Last Sunday’s successful public meeting in Washington DC has demonstrated that individual leaders may come and go, but Kinijit will move forward because it is built on principles rather than personalities. Kinijit supporters were also reassured that the Kinijit leadership is united and intact. The concern of most Kinijit supporters now is not Kinijit’s integrity or viability, but Ato Hailu’s legacy. It would be unfortunate if the first chairman of Kinijit leaves the party without proper farewell, even worse, in disgrace... - read more
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party's (Kinijit) high-level delegation that is currently on a working visit in the United States held its first public meeting Sunday in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington DC. The meeting was held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel's meeting hall. Well over 2,000 Ethiopians paid $30 each to attend the meeting. When the Kinijit delegation led by Vice President Bertukan Mideksa arrived around 2:30 PM, it was received with deafening applause, cheers and chants... - more report and photos here
Hundreds of Ethiopians have participated in a rally today in front of the United States Congress to urge members of Congress to pass H.R. 2003. Kinijit leaders Dr Hailu Araya and Ato Gizachew Shiferraw, U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, and representatives of several Ethiopian civic and political groups were among the speakers... - read more
The Meles regime released 17,765 political prisoners who are suspected of being members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), according to members of the elders council Prof. Ephrem Isaac and Pastor Daniel... - read more
When the Kinijit delegations arrived in Washington DC and London earlier today, they were welcomed by thousands of supporters and well-wishers. Dulles Airport in Washington was swamped with over 5,000 Ethiopians who chanted and displayed Kinijit's V sign. Many were observed crying when the Kinijit leaders stepped out. The police and the organizers could not control the excited crowed. After making two attempts to let Wzt. Bertukan and colleagues make brief remarks, the police were forced to take them back to the waiting room and sneaked them through a side door to the limousines that were waiting outside. The scene in London was similar. The crowd was as excited, emotional and overjoyed to see the heroic Kinijit leaders. What a day it was! Such an outpouring of genuine love and admiration for political leaders by Ethiopians has not been witnessed since the earlier part of the Haile-Selassie era (1960s and before). Today is another milestone for Kinijit that continues to enjoy a vast reserve of popular goodwill. It is a party that is facing monumental challenges, but it will overcome them since it is blessed with several highly educated, skilled and strong leaders. If it were not for the use of military powers by the Woyanne regime, Kinijit would have been the party that is leading the country today. Kinijit is still the legitimately elected party, and sooner than later it will start governing and leading Ethiopia to a better future according the wish and will of the people... - continue reading here >>
Bertukan Mideksa and members of the Kinijit delegation have just boarded Ethiopian Airlines plane at the Bole Airport in Addis Ababa...
Kinijit supporters from several cities in the United States are on the way to Washington DC to welcome Kinijit Vice President Bertukan Mideksa and her delegation when they arrive Sunday morning... - continue reading
Secretary general of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Ato Muluneh Eyoel, said that the delegates who are travelling to the U.S., Europe, Australia and South African have all obtained their visas. Ato Muluneh himself will lead a delegation to several European countries, while vice president Bertukan Mideksa arrives in Washington DC on Sunday [see poster] leading a delegation of five high level Kinijit officials... read more
While conducting mobile health clinics and measles vaccination campaigns in the Wardher area of the region, MSF staff saw emptied and burned villages, and assisted numerous people who reported being forcibly displaced from their homes. Despite limited operations, MSF treated several victims of beatings and gunshot wounds... - continue
Ato Andargachew Tsige, considered to be one of the brightest and the most visionary politicians of our generation, talks about his observations of the Kinijit movement in the past two years and makes recommendations on the direction the party needs to take in the future... - continue reading
The crisis that has engulfed the Kidist Mariam Church in Washington DC continues to worsen...
To understand why today the TPLF leaders give interviews defending the Eritrean independence, we have to keep in mind the aftermaths of the 2005 Ethiopian election, which brought about the political and ideological bankruptcy of the present government... - read more >>
Aleqa Ayalew Tamiru, a prominent Ethiopian theologian and scholar, passed away on Sunday at his home in Addis Ababa. Aleqa Ayalew was an icon of the Ethiopian Orthodox church who was engaged in a running battle with Aba Gebre-Medhin (formerly Aba Paulos) over fundamental teachings of the Church. He had served as chairman of YeLiqawnt Gubae until he was forced out by Aba Gebre-Medhin, the gun-totting illegitimate patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church... - read more
Meles Zenawi has often dealt brutally with people deemed threatening to his fragile ruling coalition. In the capital, people suspected of supporting opposition groups routinely disappear from their neighborhoods. Elsewhere, the government is conducting brutal campaigns against rebels and opposition movements in the Ogaden and Oromia regions, where widespread extrajudicial killings, illegal detentions and torture are documented...
- The Washington Post [All this is thanks to the continued moral and financial support to the Woyanne dictatorship primarily by the U.S. Dept. of State]
Issayas said this in a recent interview, according to ETN. To help promote Ethiopia's unity, the Eritrean government said that it has launched a new magazine named "One Ethiopia." - watch the ETN report
The EPRP and the TPLF have little to distinguish them from Khmer Rouge, except that the TPLF is now terrorizing Ethiopia whereas the EPRP resides in old Diaspora minds as a political paranoia. They do share concealed hate and love for each other; they can’t go against each other, thay can’t go for each other either... There is little doubt that most of the destructive vectors in all political fronts and organizations can be traced to this futile ideology in a resistive or adaptive form... By betraying its own mission and stated goals, the EPRP is acclaimed to be the weakest link of the Ethiopian political opposition against Tigrean domination... Facing a disgruntled Ethiopian opposition forces is the TPLF, an organization that has an exceptional talent in further disgruntling opposition forces. The TPLF has two strong suits that link it to the Ethiopian political power and shape its capacity to destabilize the opposition. They are: a) military, and b) economy... - click here to continue reading
The dawn of the new Ethiopian Millennium, which will be observed by Ethiopians at home and those in the Diaspora with immense pride and well-founded hope for the future, will bear different significances to different groups. For Zenawi and his oppressive machinery, it will be a smokescreen to divert attention from the critical issues of the day...It will be a welcome opportunity for Zenawi to attract Ethiopians in the Diaspora, who are eager to celebrate the special occasion with their loved ones, and who will come with much-needed hard currency. The Ethiopian Airlines, one of the most valued cash cows of the TPLF money launderers, and the various TPLF owned hotels, restaurants and other tourist-oriented facilities in the country are expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars to fatten the foreign bank accounts of the dictator and his cronies that have been hit hard by the negative reactions of donors toward the brutal actions of the tyrannical regime following the elections... continued here
[Woyanne] forces violated the laws of war by widely and indiscriminately bombarding highly populated areas of Mogadishu with rockets, mortars and artillery. Its troops on several occasions specifically targeted hospitals and looted them of desperately needed medical equipment. Human Rights Watch also documented cases of [Woyanne] forces deliberately shooting and summarily executing civilians... - Human Rights Watch
The Ethiopian Teachers Assocation (ETA) has dismissed its long-time chairman, Dr Taye Woldesemayat last week, according to Addis Dimts Radio reporter in Addis Ababa. ETA's 7-member executive committee reportedly made the decision to fire Dr Taye after he failed to communicate with the association's officials in Addis Ababa for the past several months... - ER
The TPLF would like us to believe that the Ogaden problem is an issue of session and as such it should be condemned and fought. Surprisingly, many Ethiopians who even oppose the current tyranny fell into this trap. The best way to avoid secession is to tackle it at its root. Think of what happened to Eritrea because of the same old war policy of Mengistu Haile-Mariam. The TPLF policy is in fact aimed at fueling the conflict and exacerbating the struggle for session... - read more
The board is accusing the Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Idir officials of stealing $300,000. In a Washington DC court on July 30, the Idir officials Ato Seyoum Garedew, Ato Tadele Gebre-Wold and Ato Solomon Bedasso, told the judge that not a penny was moved from the account and that the board is harassing them for trying to give the Idir legal status, which it never had. The Idir officials also believe that the Kidist Mariam board, which has recently put the church under the Woyanne patriarch, Aba Gebremedhin, is using a lawsuit as a pretext to take over the 400-members strong Idir (self-help group)... - ER
ER introduces a new tool for its readers. You can now type Ethiopian languages on any computer without installing a software... read more
A six-member high-level delegation of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) headed by Ato Hailu Shawel will depart Ethiopia for the United States on August 20, according to Ethiopian Review sources... - ER
Kinijit, EPPF, OLF, the Orthodox Church, the media and every sector of the Ethiopian society must come to the aid of our people in the Ogaden region who are currently being slaughtered by the Woyanne forces.
Rising tensions in the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia, combined with chronic instability in neighbouring Somalia, Eritrean enmity, and human rights concerns, are testing US support for the Woyanne government led by Clinton-era good governance pin-up Meles Zenawi. The Bush administration welcomed the recent release of 38 opposition politicians detained after violent protests over the conduct of elections in 2005. But it has kept quiet over Ethiopia's subsequent expulsion of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers from Ogaden's Somali regional state, following claims they were aiding ONLF. The ONLF claimed the expulsions, and a ban on foreign media, were an attempt to prevent the international community witnessing the war crimes taking place against the civilians of Ogaden… - Simon Tisdall
The luncheon at Ras Amba hotel hosted by Kinijit parliamentarians led by Temesgen Zewdie to welcome the release of the party's leaders seems to have cleared the confusion as to the what the relationship would be with the top leaders...
Following the release of the Kality prisoners of conscience, Zenawi cranked up his propaganda machine in a desperate attempt to erase the shameful signature of his dictatorial regime -- the Kality prisoners of conscience -- and resurrect his battered international image, and reinvent himself. He has been doing everything he can to palm himself off as a consensus-seeker, compassionate peacemaker, upholder of the rule of law, a humble man who listens to the voices of the elders, and a crusader for peace and national reconciliation. But a wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf; and the sheep can smell his stench from miles away... - Alemayehu G. Mariam
Haile Gebrselassie won the New York City Half Marathon in 59 minutes, 24 seconds on Sunday, cruising away two-thirds through the race to win his eighth half marathon in eight attempts...
Villages have been attacked, sacked and burnt. Livestock - the lynchpin of the region's pastoralist economy - have been confiscated or destroyed. A partial trade blockade has been imposed on the region leading to serious food shortages. Relatives of suspected rebels have been taken hostage. Thousands of civilians have been displaced, fleeing across the borders of Ethiopia into northern Kenya and Somaliland. Last week, with little objection from the international community, the Woyanne government expelled from the Ogaden the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the few neutral observers of the crisis left in the region... - Tom Porteous, The Guardian
Ato Tesfaye Yirga, the Secretary General of the Addis Ababa branch of ETA, has been arrested, the office is surrounded by Woyanne security agents...
Bahr Dar to Gonder - a photo slide show
Meles pardoned the political prisoners in exchange for their admittance of guilt and their plea for forgiveness. At last he had his revenge for the humiliation he suffered, but also much more since he will appear in the eyes of the West as the leader who for the sake of reconciliation reversed the harsh judgment of his own court and even went to the extent of reinstating all the rights of the prisoners, including their right to continue their political struggle. Clearly, thanks to the mediators, Meles emerges, by all accounts, as the only winner... - Prof. Messay Kebede
Mortars slammed into a residential area of the Somali capital overnight, killing at least eight people, including a pregnant woman, and wounding more than 20. Woyannes started to launch mortars indiscriminately after a 30-minute gunbattle with insurgents... - AP
ER and EMF conducted a press conference with Kinijit North America auditor, Ato Tesfaye Asmamaw. Ato Tesfaye, a senior accountant with the U.S. Federal Elections Commission, has also served as the auditor of Kinijit North America. Ato Tesfaye has informed us that he has finished preparing a comprehensive report to be presented to the Kinijit executive committee in Addis Ababa. The report exposes the rampant corruption that went on inside the Kinijit North America committee under the leadership of Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, in collaboration with his long time friend since their EDU days, Ato Moges Brook of Los Angeles. Between these two individuals, according to the auditor, $700,000 - $1.2 million dollars have been stolen, wasted, or unaccounted for... - read more
