Ethiopian Review
July 7, 2007
Dallas, Texas – The North America chapter of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) has formed a Kinijit Youth League on Thursday at a conference in Dallas.
According to Kinijit North America (KNA) officials, the Youth League was formed by representatives from several states who gathered in Dallas and drafted the organization’s objectives and bylaws.
At the end of the founding conference, a 3-member provisional executive team was formed. The main objective of the executive team is to organize Kinijit Youth League chapters through out the world, particularly in college and university campuses.
Tesfaye Mamo from Washington DC was elected to chair the executive team. Mikael Deribe from Boston and Tsega Besha from Washington DC were elected to service as vice-chairman and secretary.
The Kinijit Youth League was inaugurated by Ato Berhane Mewa, Secretary General of Kinijit International Leadership, Professor Alemayehu Gebre-Mariam and artist Tamagn Beyene.
Ato Berhane said that the party’s jailed leaders in Qaliti will be happy to hear about the formation of the Youth League.
The creation of the Youth League is a major development for the party and Ethiopian politics. It could play a major role in mobilizing resources, as well as serving as a recruiting ground for future Kinijit leaders.
Young members of Kinijit who fled to Kampala, Uganda, sent a message to the conference expressing their wish to be part of the Youth League.
The young leadership of Kinijit North America led by Ato Aklog Lemeneh has been quietly working to expand the party’s structure abroad. Recently, it helped create Women’s League. The Youth League is the latest effort of the KNA to widen Kinijit’s constituent base and make the party a genuine grassroots popular movement.