Ethiopian government starves citizens

Pan-African Coalition Condemns Junta Induced Starvation in Ethiopia

Houston, Texas (October 24, 2009) – On this World Food Week, we condemn the Mass starvation taking place in Ethiopia, primarily due to the Communist led economic and political policy of the regime for the last 20 years. Many observers believe that 23 million people, or nearly more than one in four Ethiopians is in need of food aid, but the Ethiopian dictator denies the existence of such famine.

The regime’s economic and especially agricultural policies have been counterproductive, as excessive state control from land to small business has become a road block to economic development, and put millions of people at risk unless international agencies come to their rescue.

It is heartbreaking and unforgivable to see the agony of Ethiopian children and their helpless and starving parents. Despite the recent hype about the economy by the regime, the food situation is worse than during 1984 famine (Watch video).

What is surprising is, just last week; President Girma Woldeselassie gave an account of a robust GDP growth of 10.1%, one of the highest in the world and dismissed the presence of famine. The current famine is an indictment of a failed economic policy of the regime. Like Marie Antoinette of France, Meles has a problem admitting famine exists in Ethiopia.

The stark and intolerable starvation lies directly and squarely on the laps of Meles and his party, TPLF, which has ruled Ethiopia for nearly two decades with an iron hand by controlling every resource including land, telephone, Internet and every aspect of life in this rich but forsaken country. Yes, forsaken by its own leaders for thousands of years. Ethiopians have been deprived of their land and their political rights by various succeeding rulers. Of course, this regime pales to any other in its cruelty in denying basic human rights and stupidity in management of resources or basic knowledge of economics.

It has been obvious for the majority of Ethiopians that the current regime has been a disaster for the country economically and politically, but the U.S. government keeps this regime afloat out of the believe that it is a stabilizing force for the region despite its corrupt, anti-free market and oppressive system.

In order to stay in power the regime has done uncalculated damage through its Machiavellian gerrymandering of Ethiopia by tribes, putting at risk the unity of the country, long term peace and co-existence of the people. The creation of the clan system has irreparably planted the seed for Ethiopia’s disintegration and has already caused numerous ethnic clashes by pitting one tribe against another. Consequently, it has created a fertile foundation for future genocide.

Some American representatives have been beneficiaries of the government’s largess either through lobbyists, direct funneling of funds to their foundation or direct gifts thus forsaking the people of Ethiopia and their solemn duty to defend human rights, free market and democracy.

In order to end this unprecedented pain and agony of perpetual famine of the Ethiopian people, we demand an unconditional and immediate resignation of this illegal and dictatorial regime which is directly responsible for the current episode and cessation of all non-humanitarian aid until a transitional government is constituted to lead Ethiopia to a democratic and free market economy.

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Contact: Dula Abdu, Media Relations

dula06@gmail.com, (713) 446-5222 (713) 446-5222

Guna, Owned by Ethiopian Ruling Party, Eyes Coffee-Export Share

By Jason McLure

Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Guna Trading House Plc, owned by Ethiopia’s ruling party, said it plans to become one of the nation’s biggest coffee exporters, raising concern among industry observers that private industry may get crowded out.

The company began shipping the beans in July and aims to export at least 12,000 metric tons of coffee in the year through June, Mulualem Berhane, general manager of Guna, said in an interview on Oct. 22 in the capital, Addis Ababa.

“We are intending to export to Europe, the U.S. and China,” he said, adding that Guna is among at least four other companies owned by the state or Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ruling party intend to expand in the industry.

Ethiopia, where arabica coffee originated, is Africa’s biggest producer of the crop, which accounts for 26 percent of the nation’s export revenue. The Horn of Africa country shipped 133,993 tons of beans worth $375.8 million last year, according to Trade Ministry data. More ≫

A country you can never stop worrying about

Last Updated: Friday, October 9, 2009 | 11:06 AM ET
By Brian Stewart, special to CBC News
Ethiopia is one country that I can never stop worrying about. Nor can the world.

Each time that I have gone back over the past 25 years I am encouraged to see so much has changed since the great famine of 1984-85 that shocked the world and so moved us Canadians. Yet there is also much here that is alarmingly similar.

This time old friends — survivors of that earlier tragedy — are proud to show me the signs of progress in the northern province of Tigray, the very epicentre of a famine that killed over a million people.

In the countryside, small catchment dams have been built to trap rainwater and reforestation projects are underway; in the small provincial capital of Mekele, they can now show off a modern university, busy markets and a vibrant youth culture.

A boy eats raw chickpeas from the family plot in Ethiopia's drought-stricken Oromiya region in January 2009. (Ho New/Reuters) Still, for all these encouraging signs I know there remain two constants here.

First, Ethiopia cannot yet feed itself without help from the rest of the world; and second, the unpredictability of this help means the threat of severe food crisis, even famine, is never far away. More ≫