Aksum University awarded Sebhat Nega an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Leadership and Politics. Sibhat Nega Medhaniye, 81, is one of the founders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). He is commonly referred to as “Aboy Sebhat” – a heading for a father figure. He attended primary school at Nigist Saba School, Adwa, Tigrai region and high school in Mekele and graduated in Economics at Haile Selassie I University (now Addis Ababa University) in 1964. Later, after the armed struggle, he studied Masters of Business Administration from Amsterdam University. Sebhat quit his job as Ministry of Finance’s officer in southern Ethiopia and took a job as school director in Adwa. Shortly afterwards, he teamed up with a group of college students and locals and started armed struggle in February 1975 – where he dropped his birth name Wolde-Selassie and picked his nom de guerre Sebhat. TPLF’s Central Committee elected Sebhat as chairperson unanimously, following the first, the second and third congresses, 1978/79, 1982/83 and 1989/90, respectively. Photo – Axum University awarded Sebhat Nega Honorary Doctorate [Photo: Mulualem Asfaw] In a rare move in African politics, Sebhat resigned from his post, despite the resistance from the Central Committee, citing the need for a younger chairperson as [...]
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Aksum University honors Sebhat Nega
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Ethiopia’s Growing Challenge of Hate speech
(Tesfai Hailu) “Hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it incites violence or prejudicial action … attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation.” “Incitement means encouraging or persuading another to commit an offense by way of communication, for example by employing broadcast, publications, drawings, images, or speeches. It is “public” under international law if it is communicated to a number of individuals in a public place or to members of a population at large by such means as the mass media.” The aforementioned characteristics of hate speech and incitement to commit an offense have become so common in Ethiopia that their criminality is often overlooked. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that hate speech has become the new normal not only in the political arena, but also even in social discourse. To that end, it is an open secret that the recent rampant hate speech and call for violence particularly targets persons of Tigray origin from at least three corners of hate: 1) The first consists of people with deep-rooted and undying hatred for [...]
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The Legality Of The Wolqait Question: Issues To Worry About
(Zeray W/Senbet) [Clink on the table of contents to jump to specific section] 1. Preliminaries What is an identity question? What is state border delimitation change/re-adjustment question? And how does Ethiopian law protect them? What is the question of Wolqait? Does the federal and Tigray state Constitutions recognize and protect the right of Wolqait woreda dwellers to distinct identity? The object of this article is to consider these questions, giving thought to the relevant provisions and suggestions as to their meanings. Remedies, enforcement of the claim and other related matters are touched on only briefly. The principles of identity and ethnic rights protection through-out the world make up a complex body of law, one which differs in many respects among different countries. The relevant Ethiopian rules are few, and do not by any means cover all the problems in the area or solve clearly all the problems they do cover. The significance of this article lies in the intense interest and heated discussions that seek to generate on the subject of identity question. This article’s purpose is more to provide a preliminary point for reflection than to provide comprehensive answers. 2. The nature of identity question and the relief sought [...]
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Tigray’s problem is “sikifta” not narrow nationalism
(Gebremedhin Gebru) There is no visible sentiment of narrow nationalism among the people of Tigrai; rather our “Culture of Excessive Sikifta” has hampered our developments. I didn’t get the exact English word to the Tigrigna term Sikifta. Though not the exact definition; Sikifta could mean “forgo your feelings and/or advantages to keep or not to damage somebody else’s feelings and/or advantages”. Thus, I will be using the Tigrigna term with this basic meaning. During the last 25 years, it was frequent to hear from some individuals as if there is visible sentiment of narrow nationalism among the people of Tigrai. However, this labeling lacks factual explanation on how the problem was being manifested and how widespread it is among the general public. It seems that such accusation has been portrayed purposely to further exploit the people of Tigray’s Culture of Excessive Sikifta. Map – Tigray region and North Gondar, Amhara region If there is someone who could answer to most of the questions below to the contrary with objective facts and supportive evidences; then I will tend to pause and re-consider my stand in this regard. Thus, the questions which I am forwarding to all Ethiopians will be the following: [...]
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Ethiopia: An ad hoc Coalition of Adversaries!
Many political parties/organizations or groups around the world, including in Ethiopia, find coalitions to be useful way to stretch resources and increase power that enables them to further their agenda and ultimately win a political power. There is nothing wrong when blocs of political parties with a common political objectives and goals agree to work together. This does not mean that parties necessarily agree on every issue; but they should have at least one or more important political issue that hold the coalition together. But does a coalition of parties that have entirely opposing political agenda make sense? In the Ethiopian political arena, this is not the first time that we saw two or more forces of antagonistic political views stand together. We witnessed several unholy alliances formed in Addis Ababa, Asmera, European and the US cities with much fanfare. But how realistic and sustainable is the unity among these actors? Not much; because “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” has always been the characteristic of the alliance of these unprincipled political groups. Obviously, they lack all elements of unifying factors, nor have a fertile ground to grow within the people. OLF pursues with a failed separatist ideology [...]
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Why ESAT and Messay Mekonen called for genocide on the people of Tigray?
(Affirmative Article: A voice to the voiceless people from the Organization of Tigrian’s Network for the Affirmative Action (OTNAA) Several researches suggest that the present modern day of northern Ethiopia (Tigray region) and Eritrea previously called the Kingdom of Aksum (Abyssina) is described as one of the four greatest powers in the world at the time from the 1st to the 7th centuries AD even though very little is known about it. As a civilization, it had a profound impact upon the people of Egypt, Southern Arabia, Europe and Asia, all of whom were visitors to its shores, and in some cases were residents. It was a meeting point of religions, including Christianity, Judaism and, later, Islam and it continuous to be the home of several religious and spiritual practices in an inclusive manner. It is a place where the birth and the real essence of democracy and human right emerges as a society, expands and develops to the entire globe through human migration to all parts of the planet. For instance, during, the two Migrations of Muslims to Abyssinia (A.D. 615-616), the Christian king of that period welcomed the Muslim refugees from Mecca into his kingdom. He gave them [...]
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Battle of Adwa – Tigrayan Army uses Envelopment, Frontal Attack to Annihilate Italian Forces
(Infantry magazine – U.S. Army Infantry School) On 1 March 1896, in the vicinity of the Ethiopian town of Adwa, a local army led by Emperor Emmeye Menelik, also known as Menelik II, cut a colonialist Italian army to pieces. Historians consider the Battle of Adwa, culmination point of the Italo-Ethiopian War (1895-1896), to be […]
Read more Battle of Adwa – Tigrayan Army uses Envelopment, Frontal Attack to Annihilate Italian Forces at Horn Affairs
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The Agazian Movement: Exhuming a Corpse?
(Tesfay Nigus) Recent exchanges on [social] media among self-claimed propagators of the so called ‘Agazian’ movement, the antagonists, and few independents have attracted the attention of many active youth. And it has also provoked me to write on the general issues attending the movement. Even though brotherhoods such as Agazianism had been declared dead long […]
Read more The Agazian Movement: Exhuming a Corpse? at Horn Affairs
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Ethiopia: Mekelle-Woldya railway project at a Standstill
The Mekelle-Woldya railway project has been mostly suspended and laid off its workers, according to eyewitnesses and documents obtained by HornAffairs. Government officials denied the matter. Multiple sources in the Mekelle-Woldya railway project and the Ethiopian Railway Corporation informed HornAffairs that the project has been laying off workers in the past two months. The 268 […]
Read more Ethiopia: Mekelle-Woldya railway project at a Standstill at Horn Affairs
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Ethiopia’s Tigray region nominated for an award for tackling land degradation
The 2017 Future Policy Award has released a shortlist of the world’s best policies for tackling land degradation, one of humanity’s foremost challenges that undermines food security, livelihoods and the health of hundreds of millions of people. The six shortlisted policies are from Australia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, Jordan, and Niger. The international 4 […]
Read more Ethiopia’s Tigray region nominated for an award for tackling land degradation at Horn Affairs
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Ethiopia’s Tigray region earns Gold in UN-backed award for conservation
Ethiopia’s Tigray region won Gold in the 2017 Future Policy Award for world’s best policies for tackling land degradation organized by the World Future Council and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UN-backed award organizers announced last July the six shortlisted contenders for the award were from Australia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia’s Tigray […]
Read more Ethiopia’s Tigray region earns Gold in UN-backed award for conservation at Horn Affairs
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New gold mines in Shire, Wollega, TuluKapi, as illicit trade rises
(Kaleyesus Bekele – The Reporter) Three foreign and local mining firms are developing large scale gold mines in different parts of the country which are expected to revive the declining foreign currency earnings from gold minerals export. The Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural gas, Motuma Mekassa, told The Reporter that a giant American gold […]
Read more New gold mines in Shire, Wollega, TuluKapi, as illicit trade rises at Horn Affairs
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The adverse impacts of hyper urbanization & industrialization on Mekelle & its environs
(Tesfai Hailu) As the biblical wise man put it centuries ago, “Where there is no vision, a people perish (Proverbs 29: 18), which is strikingly apparent in Mekelle’s urban development and industrialization. Indeed, for policy and decision makers, it appears that development is constrained to building and factory construction with little regard for their social, […]
Read more The adverse impacts of hyper urbanization & industrialization on Mekelle & its environs at Horn Affairs
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Arena Tigray party should lead or get out of the way
(Haile Tessema) In a democracy, the opposition party has a very significant role to play as a representative of its constituency s or the people at large by endeavoring to safeguard their political and socioeconomic interests. Unfortunately, opposition parties in Ethiopia haven’t been effectual in that area and this – notwithstanding hurdles placed by the […]
Read more Arena Tigray party should lead or get out of the way at Horn Affairs
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Land Grabbing Cases in Mekelle & Wukro
(Haile Tessema) Residents of Mekelle and visitors to the regional capital would be familiar with two businesses in the service industry: Milano Hotel and Geza Gerlasse Restaurant, which are at close proximity from each other. The former is a full-fledged hotel, while the latter is a famous traditional restaurant. And what these two have in […]
Read more Land Grabbing Cases in Mekelle & Wukro at Horn Affairs
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