The Ethiopian government has asked the United States and other western countries to lift their travel advisory warning, arguing the warnings have hurt the tourism industry. The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rebuked US claims that it is unsafe to visit Ethiopia, due to the potential for civil unrest and arbitrary detention since a state of emergency was imposed in October 2016.
Ethiopia’s government last Friday lifted a state of emergency imposed in October and on Monday briefed the diplomatic community on its decision to lift the state of emergency.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene on Monday said the government had demonstrated its commitment to solving the impasse and ending the state of emergency, and the US and its Western allies have no excuse to maintain their travel warnings.
In June, the US State Department warned Americans about the risk of traveling to Ethiopia as a result of the potential for civil unrest and arbitrary detention, replacing the travel Warning of December 6, 2016. Other European countries followed suit.
As result, the country’s tourism sector is suffering, due to a decline of European and American tourists visiting the country.
However, the country is still the site of sporadic but unnerving unrest, according to various reports. Even today five people were arrested in the capital of the Amhara region, Bahir Dar after a bomb exploded in the city yesterday, according to Radio Fana. The city’s police chief, Walelegn Dagnew, accused of social media activists and anti-peace elements for the explosion, and the subsequent closing of businesses. In western towns of Ambo and Wolisso, business facilities staged a stay away protest today, according to various reports.

Minister of Federal and Pastoralist Development Affair, Kassa Teklebrehan has been named Ethiopia’s new ambassador to the United States, a delicate assignment in the midst of uncertain relation with the new American administration. His nomination of was part of a wave of nominations in which 11 ambassadors were appointed. Kassa will replace Girma Biru, who served as Ethiopia’s top envoy to the United States for the past seven years.
Kassa, who hails from Sekota area, born to a Tigrayan father and an Amhara mother, took up in the armed struggle against the military regime. After the fall of the Derg, Kassa’s career began as a politician and party loyalist in the Amhara regional state in Bahir Dar. An effective political strategist, Kassa came to Addis Ababa and served as president of the House of Federation and chairperson of the Addis Ababa University Governing Board for a number of years. Kassa replaced Bereket Simon in the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front executive committee two years ago.
Even though with a reputation for his oratory skills, the position in Washington, considered perhaps the best diplomatic posting, came as surprise for many, including for some career diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. kassa is not known for his wonderful command of English and skill in foreign affairs, leading to questions if he is qualified to manage the important foreign relations task.
The EPRDF that came to power in 1991 has always been supported by the US government and is viewed as a valuable security ally and a bulwark against terrorism. However, with the current Trump administration, nothing could be taken for granted.
Since 1992, with the emergence of the EPRDF-led government, the Ethiopian embassy has had four ambassadors: Berhane Gebre-Christos, Kassahun Ayele, Samuel Assefa and Girma Birru. The Ethiopian embassy in Washington incudes an Economic, Financial and Trade Affairs Office. The office is also accredited to the World Bank, and to the International Monetary Fund.

Ato Habteselassie Tafesse, popularly known as father of Ethiopian tourism, and credited with coining the catchphrase, “Thirteen months of sunshine”, which has been the motto of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization for decades has passed away at the age of 90, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He had been seriously ill on a respirator in Addis Ababa’s Balcha’s hospital and died after his condition deteriorated sharply.
The veteran tourist pioneer, who has repeatedly urged that Ethiopia has to market its fresh air to the world, was born in Addis Ababa and attended primary school in Athens, Greece, and secondary school in Alexandra, Egypt. Then he moved to the US where he earned his B.A in international relations from Minnesota University. He served as head of the press and information department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first person to propose the idea of tourism in the country, he was the founder and first manager of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization.

Elilly International Hotel, which opened in 2013, is one of the most expensive and grandest hotels in Addis Ababa. Located in Kazanchis business district on the main entrance of the United Nations Conference centre (UNCC), the hotel boasts “breath-taking views from its rooms”. It was awarded five star last year, a rare accolade that it shares along with Sheraton Addis and Capital Hotel. The construction cost of the hotel was reportedly more than 700 million birr, with its 154 rooms that including penthouse and two presidential suites. An expansion project for the hotel was underway, and it includes a building only intended for parking. This hotel is registered under the name of Gemshu Beyene Bote, a businessman, who is described as co-owner, even though the name of the other co-owners are not mentioned.
Gemshu Beyene, who is the owner of Gemshu Beyene Construction (GEBECON) is in the process of constructing two mega resorts, one on the shore of Lake Babogaya, Bishoftu and another in Burayu town, located 15 kilometers from the center of Addis. The one in Bishoftu would have a meeting hall that would accommodate 2500 people, making it for the biggest in the country. This would make Gemshu one of the few hotel moguls in the country and Ethiopia’s nouveaux riches.
Who is Gemshu and where does his wealth come from? By his own account, Gemshu Beyene Bote, who hails from small village Homa Kulkula in Wolega, began his career as a humble daily labourer in road construction in Jiga town, 75 kms away from Debre markos, in his teen age years. He didn’t have the possibility of going to day school, he attended the night shifts while working in the day time. He would later get his driving license and would be employed in Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) as chauffeur with a salary of 247 birr per month. In a little while, he would move to Pawi area, Benishangul-Gumuz where Salini Construction was present again as driver, earning 1,200 birr per month, considering the difficult working condition of the area. In three years’ time he would come to Alem Gena ERCC training centre, with 40,000 birr in his pocket, large sum.
Gemishu proved an enterprising young man and he bought a lorry in partnership with Adugna Ejigu, owner of Homa Construction, who is related to him and who came from the same village as him, the year Gemishu was 24. After EPRDF took power in 1991, he formed his own company, Fincha Fufuate Freight Transport PLC. He managed to get some working contracts with an NGO to transport grains, substantially increasing his savings. Around that time, he became friends with Getachew Gebre Selassie, the then owner of Nyla Motors, who would allow him to take five trucks only paying twenty five percent. This, he says, is how the Gemshu Beyene Construction (GEBECON) PLc came about.
The details of Gemshu’s subsequent career and the manner in which his company came to win several road contracts remain murky, as is the case for many contractors in this country, yet his connections with the regional Oromia government, has increasingly become visible. His friendship and association with the power brokers was described as fraudulent, and he was accused of by some circles offering officials money, plane tickets in exchange for political favors and contracts.
In several dealings the regime’s officials, even the justice system showed favour with Gemishu. One blatant favour that was done for Gemeshu was the way he secured 1,696 sqm metre land close to the Elilly hotel in kazanchis area for the expansion project, a land which was already leased to Ayat Real State, that had already invested around three million Birr for digging foundations. Ayat had brought a charge against Gemshu and the Kirkos District for taking the piece of land, but the judge ruled in Gemeshu’s favour. (Ayat’s patron, Ato Ayalew, once the favoured protégé of the regime, is behind bar accused of a tax evasion.)
Some OPDO officials are rumoured to have been instrumental in advancing Gemshu’s career by financing his early development. For instance, it in an open secret that Gemshu has deep personal ties with Abadula Gemeda, speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives and former president the Oromia Region. It is also rumoured, and likely true that Elilly is co-owned by Abadula, who might also be behind the chain of important hotels under construction.
Since from his days as president of the Oromia region, Aba Dula was often accused of selling and distributing land illegally and controlling minimum five luxury homes. He in 2009 gave his house which was located in Adama town to his own party, OPDO saying that it would be stumbling block to his struggle, as it was reported in the Reporter newspaper. It was widely reported then that Aba Dula took this measure not on his own but by secret orders from on high, probably Meles Zenawi himself. His villa located on Olympia, next to New York Café has reportedly been rented for 4,000 dollars. His two daughters, Jalete and Sorete who went to the British school and the French school, are fabulously wealthy for teenagers and are gaining notoriety in Addis Ababa’s business circle as spendthrift. When Abadula ironically spoke of the corrosive effects of official corruption in 2012 after taking up the house of speakers post, there were several cynic responses, such as one from a newspaper columnist, saying “the parody has reached its climax.”
Now Gemshu Beyene is under official pressure and an asset freeze order was issued against his Construction Plc and Ellily Hotel, along with other 210 individuals and 15 companies who are suspected of having dealings with the officials, individuals and brokers who are arrested for corruption charges.
According to one insider, Gemshu was escorted out of the country last Sunday and he is now believed to be in china.
The Ethiopian authorities have not discussed Gemshus’s situation publicly. Gemshus’s company is one of a number of politically companies that have heavily borrowed from the government banks.
Observers say that the government wants to give the impression that it is tightening its grip on corruption but the highest echelons of the party apparatus and bigger abusive officials have remained in their jobs. Several weeks into a government campaign against official malfeasance, many people here remain deeply cynical about whether the regime can truly alter the sort of self-serving behavior that has long suffused its vast bureaucracy.
Abadula is by no means the only high-level government official who is controlling hotels, shopping complex, banks with joint venture, obviously to avoid any scrutiny. There are rumours about many other officials, though difficult to confirm them all, controlling businesses, indication of the growing case of graft, greed and corruption in Ethiopia. In the absence of the free and independent media, many of the cases go unreported.
The recently inaugurated Azzeman hotel located in Bole Atlas area, 100 metres from the famous Habesha 2,000 resutrant is another case in point. The Hotel, named after a mountain in Guraghe region, with 79 rooms, a conference hall that could accommodate 300 people and 120 personnel was officially inaugurated on January 25, 2017 at a ceremony attended by businessmen and government officials, including Dr. Hirut Wolde-mariam, Minister of Culture and Tourism. The young and mysterious owner of the hotel, Ayele Gebre Medhin, a one-time EPRDF youth league member, said he spent more than two hundred million birr in the hotel. It is a huge amount of money and investment from someone who has no other registered business in the country. Questions about the sources of the money was evaded by the manager of the hotel, who only said that the owner is a young businessman who goes often to Dubai and but he appears to have amassed considerable wealth. However, we have some information surfacing in the business community of the area actually the large share of the hotel is owned by non-other than Debretsion Gebremikael, the hardliner within TPLF and the central force shaping Hailemarima’s regime and Minister of Communication and Information Technology, since 2010.
Debretsion, who has been implicated in other corruption cases, is, irrefutably becoming powerful, especially after the death of Meles Zenawi, allowed to join in as the TPLF’s Executive Committee member. Debretsion has his fingerprints all over the government important business contracts and some recent evidence suggests he is grouped around by the influential group of secret service and military officials. Debretsion had once served under intelligence chief, Kinfe Gebre-Medhin, who had been assassinated in 2001.
Another senior official who owns a grand new hotel, the Land Mark located in the north western Gondar town, and that is run by a company with investors that included Nega Addisu, an architect who lived in Germany and the United States. The hotel was inaugurated on January 2014, in connection with the Timkat celebration and the construction was said to be 75 million birr. Singer, Fiker Addis Nekatibeb, who are originally from Gonder, performed at the event. The large cake prepared for the occasion was cut by none other than Berekt Simoen, whose career had been defined by his close relationship with Meles Zenawi and his business acumen, and his personality described by detractors as secretive and merciless.
Land Mark hotel, of course had construction loans from Dashen Bank, and the hotel pays back 600,000 birr every month Dashen bank. But the hotel doesn’t make that amount in a month.
Another hotel owned by Bereket’s wife, Asefu Fente and her brother Mezmur Fente, is Rahnile hotel located in Bahir Dar town, a hotel which was given three star last year. The hotel boasts of having “40 luxury rooms, international standard restaurant, two bars, spa facility.” Asefu and Mezmur, who are from Sekota, have long been engaged in the fight against the Derg, and their mother belonged to EPRP party. Mezmur often likes to talk about his role in composing propaganda music of the struggle, along with Hilawe Yospeh and Berekt Simoen in addition to making most of the business dealings.
The former Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse has large share in Papyrus hotel located in Bahir Dar town. What makes this case special is the person, under whom the hotel is registered Tebqew Baile, passed away few years ago. His wife and children decided to sell the hotel, what they saw as their family’s rightful inheritance. They soon realized that that they couldn’t as the hotel was jointly owned with Addisu. Addisu also is reported to co-own Addis View Hotel in Addis Ababa, whose so-called owner is in custody in suspicion of money lending scam.

(Eurosport)-Ethiopian Muktar Edris crashed the Mo Farah party by beating the Brit to take 5,000m gold at the World Athletics Championships.Having won gold in the 10,000m Farah was the favourite to take the 5,000m gold as well.
Farah rarely looked troubled as he ran the race extremely well from a tactical perspective, with none of his fellow runners really forcing him to run hard from the off.
However in the final 1,000m Farah started to struggle as the 23-year-old Edris and compatriot Yomif Kejelcha really upped the pace. Farah just couldn’t keep up with them and he was grimacing as he fought off Paul Chelimo from the United States to make sure he took silver. In his last track race Farah quickly went to the front of the race in order to keep the pace with the dangerous Chelimo.
With nine laps to go Farah’s fellow Brit Andrew Butchart briefly led with the pace slow as Edris and Cyrus Rutto made the moves to go up with Farah.
As the lap clock ticked down to seven, youngster Selemon Barega pushed up as he tried to increase what was a tepid pace.As the group went through the 3,000m mark Australian Patrick Tiernan was the one who decided to change the pace and he opened up a little gap between Chelimo, Farah and the rest of the pack.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that two million animals have been lost to a “devastating” drought in Ethiopia. The UN agriculture agency said that the drought had devastated herders’ livelihoods as it exhausted pastures and water sources.
It said the current food and nutrition crisis was significantly aggravated by the severe blow to pastoral livelihoods. “For livestock-dependent families, the animals can literally mean the difference between life and death – especially for children, pregnant and nursing mothers, for whom milk is a crucial source of nutrition. “With up to two million animals lost so far, FAO is focusing on providing emergency livestock support to the most vulnerable pastoralist communities through animal vaccination and treatment, supplementary feed and water, rehabilitating water points, and supporting fodder and feed production”.

Read more at Vanguard.

Ali Suleiman, commissioner of the Ethiopian Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, has a new job as Ethiopia’s ambassador to France. He would also be a non-resident ambassador to Spain, Portugal, and Tunisia. At the same time, Ambassador Ali will serve as the Permanent delegate to UNESCO.
The nominations committee, led by Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu announced the appointment of Ali last week, saying Ali has the necessary experience for the position, even though he is not Francophone. The appointment has been approved by the government, Ethiopia Observer has learnt.
Ali will replace Nega Tsegaye, who served as Ethiopia’s diplomat to France since 2013.
Ali has been in charge of the anti-corruption agency since 2005 and before that, he worked in politics at the Amhara regional state, including as president of the high court.
Ethiopia and France established their diplomatic relations as early as 1897, according to the ministry of foreign affairs website.

The Addis Ababa-based experimental Ethiopian quartet, Qwanqwa – ቋንቋ, is on its way to WOMEX Festival in Poland this fall, October 2017 and they are taking pre-orders for their new record to fund the trip. Qwanqwa is comprised of 4 Ethiopian traditional instrumentalists, Messele Asmamaw (Lead Kirar), Anteneh Teklemarim, (bass), Misale Legesse (kebero), Endris Hassen (masinko) and the violinist Kaethe Hostetter (who has been living in Ethiopia and working with Ethiopians musicians since she first set foot in 2009). It’s been called a supergroup of master virtuosos, holders of tradition, brought together by a spirit of experimentalism.
Qwanqwa’s third album, Volume Three, produced by Shahzad Ismaily, is set for early 2018 on FPE Records. The group promises to present its take on a forgotten melody of the Blen tribe of Eritrea, a muscly version of a Gurage melody, as well as an epic wedding medley.Qwanqwa is asking for help to finish the 3rd album, and for getting the members to Poland for the showcase at WOMEX-17, described as the largest gathering of professionals in the world music community.
“Some of funds we raise will be used to cover international flights, lodgings, food, and incidentals while we are in Poland, promotional materials to give to people in he industry, as well as visa fees, and anything else that gets us there. Part of the funds will be used to pay for the mixing and mastering of the album, as well as the artwork and graphic design of the album,” Kaethe said.

Check out this project and pre-order the album.

Tesfaye Sahlu, affectionately known as Ababa Tesfaye, who has died aged 96, was an Ethiopia actor, vocalist, lyricist, author, comedian, and a staple of the children’s television programme for forty years. A veteran of stage and screen, Tesfaye has come a long way from a small village, Kedo in Bale region to becoming one of the longest serving actors at the national scene. He resumed his career at the Ethiopian National Theatre the year it was officially opened, 1955 by presenting comic shows, and has appeared in a succession of 70 stage productions, as well as television programs.

He is remembered for the roles in Alula Aba Nega, Ha Hu Be Sidist Wor, King Oedipus, Dawitna Orion (David and Orion), Othello, Ya Zawntoch kebeb, and Enat Alem Tenu. He played female parts convincingly in such theatres as “Gonderew”, “Tela shaich”, as there was shortage of female actresses. He also played musical instruments such as washint (bamboo flute), kirar (five string lyre), begena (great harp), trombone and accordion. As vocalist, he had also his own Amharic hits such as “Anchi alem”, “Tsehay”. His work during the period earned him good reception, and his popularity with the theatre audience’s grew dramatically. But it is his work for children that most of us remember: voicing every character in the weekly national TV show, presenting folk-tales with passion, imitating people, the sounds of various animals. He would get a weekly program called Ye Lijoch Gize, that would feature music, comedy skits, dance, jigging and pantomime. The show, geared towards children and teens, ran for forty two years.
Tesfaye grew up in Ginir, Bale and lived in Harar in his young hood. He attended the French Mission School at Harar which he attended until he was 14 and he moved to Addis Ababa and joined the Kokebe Tsibah School. He lost his parents during the invasion of Italian, and he had to fend for himself afterwards. It was during his time that he would discover his talent for entertaining. He joined the municipal City Hall Theatre, along with Getachew Debalke, Getachew Mekuria, Belay Meressa. Tesfaye was one of the Ethiopian artists who went to Korea in 1951 to entertain thousands of troops sent by Emperor Haile Selassie to fight as part of the American-led UN force supporting South Korea against the communist North and its ally, China. For this, he was given the military title of sergeant.
Tesfaye was awarded gold watches three times from Emperor Haile Selassie. He also received an award for his lifetime achievements from the Ethiopian Fine Art and Mass Media Prize Trust in 1998.
He published two children books, Ke’abbatoch lelijjoch (1986) and Lojoch, ye zare abebawotch, yenege frewoch (1972).
Tesfaye is survived by two children and five grandchildren.
Getachew Debalke, a colleague and long-time friend wrote an account of the life and work of Tesfaye Sahlu but was not published because of objection from family members about some details of Tesfaye’s love life.

State Minister at the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC), Alemayehu Gujo arrested on corruption charges. He is part of a group of ten individuals from the ministry detained in connection with a multi-million dollar integrated financial management information systems project, according to state media. Alemyahu and the others are accused of awarding the project to private company called Transnational Computer Technology without bid and causing around 1.1 billion birr damage. They have also illegally awarded another project for the implementation of the project on 125 government offices to Techno Brain, a Nairobi-based company, according to the charges. In an emergency session, Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives lifted Alemayehu’s immunity from prosecution. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Zaid Woldegabriel, the former Director General of the Ethiopian Roads Authority, was also detained on Friday, according to reports. The state-owned Sugar Corporation former vice director and the current deputy director general of irrigation & housing infrastructure, Kiros Desta, was also arrested. Around 50 people have been arrested as a part of the regime’s anti-graft drive in the last two weeks. Critics express concerns about alleged state corruption and mismanagement on the regime’s watch. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently said the government has done much to expand democracy and improve the lives of Ethiopians, though he admitted that corruption, factionalism and other problems were hurting the party in power. Observers says the corruption clampdown is not done in earnest and targets the small fish. “The fish stinks from the head,” a commentator wrote on Facebook. Even the regime’s enthusiast and apologist, Daniel Berhane wrote on his Facebook page that that “the recent events are just minor blips without fundamental implications. EPRDF remains devoid of the political will to take critical steps,” he wrote.

A planned concert by Ethiopia’s biggest pop star, Teddy Afro on Ethiopian New Year’s eve has been denied permit, according to the radio show Ethiopicalink.
The September 10 concert in Addis Ababa’s Millennium Hall was expected to draw more than ten thousand people and the artist was reportedly to be paid around 1.8 million birr. Although a permit application was presented to the mayor’s office on early July, organizers were told last week that it was rejected because another ruling party’s affiliated musical event would be held on the same evening, bringing Prime Minister Hailemarim Desalegn as one of the attendants, Ethiopicalink announced on Saturday night. The entertainment company organizing the event, Joy Events and Promotion PLC said that the concert would be postponed to a date yet to be announced.
This is not the first time that Teddy Afro, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, has been denied permit for such events. His planned gig for same time last year and the year before had been banned by authorities. Even his interview with the state owned television had been abruptly cancelled few months ago, resulting in the resignation of the journalist.
Teddy’s fifth studio album “Ethiopia,” released in May was the fastest-selling record in the country’s history, and topped Billboard’s world albums chart.
The Ethiopian music star first made his name on the local music scene in 2001 with his mix of reggae and pop. He became renowned for songs paying tribute to the late Emperor Haile Selassie as well as athletics hero Haile Gebrselassie. His third album, Yasteseryal, was released in 2005, the year of disputed national elections that saw a wave of anti-government protests quashed violently by security forces. One of Teddy’s songs accused the government of failing to deliver on promises of change, and his music was the anthem of the anti-government protesters.

Somalia is preparing to take back control of its national security from the AU mission.
Turkey is one country that’s stepping in to help ready Somalia for the security handover. It is opening a military base in Mogadishu that will train thousands of soldiers.
China Global Television Network’s Abdulaziz Billow also has this report.

ALEM (world in Amharic) is the 2nd release in a series of collaborations between the Hoodna Orchestra and artist and performers from Ethiopia. The song was written and sung by the singer and poet Demisu Belete to a tune by Ilan Smilan. It is an intense love song describing one’s love as a cure to all pains and woes.

Belete’s singing style is heavily influenced by the great singers from the golden age of Ethiopian music, especially Mahmoud Ahmed and Tilahun Gesesse. Belete’s deep voice, alongside the dynamic and groovy performance by the Hoodna orchestra, creates a powerfull composition that sweeps the listeners away to a different time and place.

The B-side is an Ethio-dub version of the song, that features members of Aydabo Ensemble, a group that specializes in traditional Ethiopian music and Folklore.
The song titled Alem-dub is an attempt at fusing old and new, tradition and modernity. The result is a hypnotically groovy track, heavily painted in bright psychedelic colours.
The single will be released in a 7″ vinyl format and will be launched at the Red Sea Jazz Festival Aug. 30th 2017 and in a series of special shows featuring Demisu Belete which will come to Israel especially for this occasion.

A week ago it was announced that Merga Bekana has been awarded the job of ambassador to Sweden. Merga, a 60-year-old Wellega native, has served as a chairman of the so-called independent national electoral board of Ethiopia for eight years, though often criticised for his unconditional support and loyalty for the regime. His nomination, as part of part of eleven ambassador nominations has prompted several reaction and comments. Two years ago, the ruling party claimed to win all 567 parliamentary seats, in an election Merga said “culminated in a free, fair and peaceful, credible, and democratic manner.”
Merga would come to the job in Sweden with no diplomatic experience, question surrounding the appropriateness of his nomination, and the distinction of being the administration’s first non-party affiliated ambassador nominee. While most of the nominees are political appointees, and serving the ruling party loyally, and few career diplomats, Merga comes from an institution that claims to be an independent and autonomous organ for conducting elections. However, for many, the foreign posting confirms the widely held notion that the electoral board was not that independent, and the man who was running it was rewarded for his service for the regime. “Professor Merga Bekana, are you really happy with your current achievements? Your current assignment as an ambassador clearly indicates that you were not neutral during your service as a neutral electoral authority of Ethiopia,” a certain Genet Asfaw wrote on her Facebok page. “He told us he is neutral from any political party ….Can’t to stop laughing. What a stupidity we have seen. I wish to see the end of this madness and dirty political game,” Getachew Genetu reacted on his Facebook page.
Mulugeta Aregawi, a teacher of Constitution and Media Law at the Addis Ababa University told the Amharic service of the Voice of America that he sees no problem for the state to name him ambassador legally, but he admitted that political question could be raised. “Nothing in the constitution indicates if it is possible or not” he said. Approached by Ethiopia Observer, a blogger close to the regime defended the action saying that Merga is the right person for the position, as he knows the country, where he did PHD from the Swedish university of Agricultural science.

Many people have stayed at home and business owners have closed their doors in parts of Oromia region. Most shops, hotels and restaurants in south-eastern towns of Miesso, Chiro, Hirina and Aweday towns have been shut after strikes were called on Wednesday. The latest protest is said to be a continuation of the nation wide strike that started in July to protest against the government over the imposition of a revised tax law. Taxi service from the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Asko to Burayu has been disrupted. In the town of Ambo 130 kilometres west of Addis Ababa almost all shops, hotels and restaurants have been shut. In nearby Woliso and Ginchi retail businesses were also closed. There were similar strikes in some towns of Arsi and Bale zones including Shashemene, despite reports that police and security forces were threatening to revoke the licenses of those who joined the strikes.
While most protests are peaceful and the towns are quiet, in some parts damages on public transports and farms are reported. A minibus carrying passengers on the road from Harar to Dire Dawa has been attacked by stone throwers. A long distance bus, Selam heading to Harar from Addis Ababa made a half turn at Adama town this morning, sources told Ethiopia Observer. Selam bus, as it is owned by the ruling regime, has been a frequent target of attack in the past.
The latest protest is one of the biggest stay-away actions, since the state of emergency has been lifted in early August. Emergency law imposed in October, after more than a year of violent protests in the region led to the arrests of more than 21,000 people.

At least thirteen people have been injured in a grenade attack in southwestern town of Jimma at midday, say police.
An attacker threw the grenade at an area called Laghar between two buildings at Jimma town in the Oromia region on Thursday, wounding thirteen people, the town police inspector Fadil Mohamed told the state- owned Radio Fana. Fadil said the injured, including a ten-year old girl were taken to Jimma University Referral hospital.
It is not clear if the attack is related to the stay-at-home strike that started in many towns of Oromia region yesterday. Most shops, hotels and restaurants in several town of the region have been shut after strikes were called on Wednesday.
A second day protests continued in Oromia region, despite a security forces crackdown. Business remained closed and many people stayed home. Security forces in many towns were issuing warnings to owners to open their business, or face court proceedings. Eyewitnesses say policemen in several towns were removing number plates of cars parked. According to the Amharic Service of the Voice of America, the second day protest was larger in scale and more intense than Wednesday’s.

Sufian Ahmed Beker, former Ethiopian Minister of Finance has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program. Sufian served as finance minister from 1995 to 2016 making him the longest serving finance minister in history. He is widely acclaimed as the architect of Ethiopia’s impressive economic progress over the past 20 years. Sufian Ahmed is currently special advisor to the Prime Minister on macro-economic development.

The Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organization (OPDO) issued a statement Friday that the Oromia regional government plans to respond to what it called the legitimate demands of peaceful protesters, after a third day protests severely handicap the region.
OPDO offered to address the demands through talks and political settlements, though saying it has no jurisdiction to set free the leaders of the Oromo Federalist Congress leaders, Merera Gudina and Bekele Gerba. “We want to emphasize that there can no longer be any doubt about the region’s sincerity to respond to the demands and it is also our wish to see prisoners released. That is why in the past six months, we have freed more than 22,000 prisoners. Since the leaders of OFC are under the federal government and accused of terrorism, the region has no jurisdiction. However, in a meeting with the Prime Minister Hailemariam in Nekemt town on July 12, religious leaders and elders drawn from east Wellega and Horo Guduru Welega zones presented their demands for their release, for which the prime Minister responded in positive and the region is also waiting for that.”
OPDO is one of the four parties that make up the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Front, though it is often criticised for being rubber stamp of Tigrayan Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF)’s agenda that controls the army and security apparatus.
In another news, a stay-at-home strike in Oromia region have continued for a third day. Activists tweeted photos of empty streets and shops in several towns such as Ambo, Guder, Ginchi, Nekemte, Miesso, Aweday, Haromaya.

“Erase Me” is solo exhibition of Tariku Shiferaw’s current body of work titled “One of These Black Boys” at the Addis Fine Art project Space in London.
“One of These Black Boys” interrogates the concept of mark-making both physically and metaphysically. Using titles of songs from Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Blues, and Reggae music, these paintings embody both the experiences and struggles expressed through music by Black artists. The topics range from expressions of being black bodies in a white social construct to expressions of romance and sex.
In appropriating song titles as painting titles, the work automatically inherits the references, identities, and the history portrayed through the songs. For Instance, “If I Rule The World” is a song-title used as a title of a paintings. It is a 1996 song by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill, where Nas re-imagines a world different from the unjust one he lives in. Every song used to title paintings tells a story that refers to a certain reality. The work becomes a reference of a reference, much like a signifier to another symbol. This creates repetitive patterns both aesthetically and conceptually.
Subtle, yet intricate works that overtake a space with authority, these paintings are placeholders for Black bodies, creating a literal way of being “seen” in a society that does not often see the “other.” These works are in some way as minimal and subtle as Ad Reinhardt’s black paintings, where he exhibited large black paintings with slight variations in luminosity between grades of black paint. “One of These Black Boys” creates an overwhelmingly immersive experience without losing the qualities of the little moments of subtlety.
Tariku Shiferaw (b.1983) was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Currently based in Brooklyn, he studied for his bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2007 and later attained his MFA at Parsons The New School for Design in 2015. Recent exhibitions include The 2017 Whitney Biennial as part of Occupy Museums’ Debtfair project (New York, 2017); Hard Cry, Lubov (New York, 2017); Life Sized, Anthony Philip Fine Art (Brooklyn, 2016); Introduction 2016, Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, 2016); The LA Art Show, Werd Gallery (Los Angeles, 2016); ATAVAST, Roomservice/Standard Practice (Brooklyn, 2015); New Work New York, 1st MFA Biennial Presented by St. Nicks Alliance & Arts@Renaissance (Brooklyn, 2015).

Visitor information
Addis Fine Art Project Space
Tafeta, 47 – 50 Margaret Street
London, W1W 8SB, UK
Tel: +44 7931557544
hello@addisfineart.com

Exhibition Hours
14 Sept: Opening Reception (6-8pm)
16 Sept: Artists Talk (2-4pm)
17 Sept – 8 Oct: Mon to Sat 11am-6pm
Free Admission

A top leader of the banned Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has been handed down to Ethiopia by Somalia government, sources said.
Abdikarim Sheikh Muse, known by his nickname “Qalbi dagah” was captured in the northern town of Adado town, 500km north of the Somali capital last Friday, according to reliable sources. Some Somali websites described him as ONLF’s main man and an Eritrean trained leader of the military wing of ONLF. The same sources indicated that Abdikarim was flown from Adado to Mogadishu in military aircraft, escorted by government security forces on Sunday and arrived in Bishoftu on Monday. No official confirmation had come from Ethiopian government nor from ONLF.
The ONLF has been fighting since 1984 for autonomy of the Ogaden region, which borders Somalia. The rebel group was among five organizations outlawed as terrorists by the Ethiopian government on 2011.