Mereja.Forum

[euroland]

It seems clearly now the Abiy government is exists in name only after the US managed to twist his arm with threats and had him signed a document that was drafted and written by Mike Hammer in S. Africa.

Why would any country leader allow a foreign “diplomats” aka foreign intelligences to interfere in its internal affairs by allowing them to make repeated trips to a poor and insignificant region (Tigray) and have these so called diplomats held secretive meetings with the regional government? Why would a foreign agents allow to have contact with Ethiopian’s one region on regular basis but not with major regions such as Oromia and Amara? Is there any reason why a central government cannot say, do not interfere in our internal matters? It is like a guy who doesn’t really like you, frequently comes to your house and asks your wife to speak to her in “private”, not once but multiple times. He also brings his friends to do the same. Your wife won’t tell you what the she discussion was about nor willingness to stop it. That’s an ultimate disrespect no man on earth would tolerate, then why any country does?

[eden]

I think it’s valid point to say foreign relations has to go through the federal government

a region shouldn’t be allowed to deal with foreign governments:

[sun]

It seems clearly now the Abiy government is exists in name only after the US managed to twist his arm with threats and had him signed a document that was drafted and written by Mike Hammer in S. Africa.

Why would any country leader allow a foreign “diplomats” aka foreign intelligences to interfere in its internal affairs by allowing them to make repeated trips to a poor and insignificant region (Tigray) and have these so called diplomats held secretive meetings with the regional government? Why would a foreign agents allow to have contact with Ethiopian’s one region on regular basis but not with major regions such as Oromia and Amara? Is there any reason why a central government cannot say, do not interfere in our internal matters? It is like a guy who doesn’t like you frequently comes to your house and asks your wife to speak her in “private”, not once but multiple times. He also brings his friends to do the same. Your wife won’t tell ypu what she discussed about nor willingness to stop it. That’s an ultimate disrespect no man on earth would tolerate.

[euroland]

Edu justi

PIA was invited by Abiy to visit Ethiopia, including Amara state, Oromia state as well as Benshangul state. All his trips were accompanied by the country’s leader, Abiy himself. However, have you seen Abiy accompanying these so called diplomats to Mekele? Even if Abiy asks to tag along with these diplomats, I don’t think the “diplomats” nor the Chigar Kilil’s leader wants him to come along…became he would be listening to their “discussions”.

I think it’s valid point to say foreign relations has to go through the federal government

a region shouldn’t be allowed to deal with foreign governments:

[eden]

Asmara, 14 September 2018 – President Isaias Afwerki yesterday received in Adi-Halo representatives of Amhara Regional State headed by the Speaker of the Regional Assembly, Ms. Worksew Mamo.

The Amahara Regional State representatives comprised members of the Regional Assembly, religious leaders, youth and women as well as businessmen.

Source:
https://shabait.com/amp/2018/09/14/pres ... nal-state/

[Zmeselo]

A courtesy visit from Amara killil to Eritrea does in no way constitute Amara interference in Eritrea's internal affairs, as it definitely does in Ethiopia's case with uncle Sam's heave-handed one.

Asmara, 14 September 2018 – President Isaias Afwerki yesterday received in Adi-Halo representatives of Amhara Regional State headed by the Speaker of the Regional Assembly, Ms. Worksew Mamo.

The Amahara Regional State representatives comprised members of the Regional Assembly, religious leaders, youth and women as well as businessmen.

Source:
https://shabait.com/amp/2018/09/14/pres ... nal-state/

[sun]

Edu justi

PIA was invited by Abiy to visit Ethiopia, including Amara state, Oromia state as well as Benshangul state. All his trips were accompanied by the country’s leader, Abiy himself. However, have you seen Abiy accompanying these so called diplomats to Mekele? Even if Abiy asks to tag along with these diplomats, I don’t think the “diplomats” nor the Chigar Kilil’s leader wants him to come along…became he would be listening to their “discussions”.

I think it’s valid point to say foreign relations has to go through the federal government

a region shouldn’t be allowed to deal with foreign governments:

So what if he listens to their boring redundant discussions because then it means that they are blessed and need to pay him a lot!

[euroland]

Edu junti

Nice try. Everyone from neighboring country’s state such as in Ethiopia and Sudan frequently visit Eritrea. For example: the Sudanese states of Kassala, Gedarif and Red Sea state governors frequently visit Asmara and their counterparts in the Eritrean regional leaders such as Barka and Anseba states. Any of the US state’s governors also visit their counterpart states in Mexico and Canada to discuss bilateral matters. Amara state, as the neighboring state to Eritrea, would have many bilateral issues to discuss with its counterparts in Eritrea. This isn’t interfering in once internal matter. Now, tell us what exactly is your Chigar Kilil has a bilateral discussion with UK, US or France? Are they neighboring states?

I am sure also if PIA had allow your junta leaders to visit Eritrea, they would have been seen in Asmara on weekly basis. This was in fact suggested by Abiy but flatly rejected by PIA; I am sure you hear PIA’s interview on this matter.

Asmara, 14 September 2018 – President Isaias Afwerki yesterday received in Adi-Halo representatives of Amhara Regional State headed by the Speaker of the Regional Assembly, Ms. Worksew Mamo.

The Amahara Regional State representatives comprised members of the Regional Assembly, religious leaders, youth and women as well as businessmen.

Source:
https://shabait.com/amp/2018/09/14/pres ... nal-state/

[eden]

but doesn’t allowing regional governments have their own channel to talk with foreign governments open the possibility for regional states go behind the federal government and sabotage it? Doesn’t it allow for foreign governments like hgdef to blackmail the federal government when it wants to?

[euroland]

If Abiy thought the neighboring state representatives (Amara) visit their counterparts in the north, he wouldn’t be giving them a blessing to go to Eritrea. His government was in fact the one coordinated these visits because he sees the benefits, not a threat to his government. Again, when the Sudanese states of Kassala and Gadarif governors frequently visit to Eritrea, their central government encourages it. Do you think if the central government think those governors would probably conspire with neighboring country authorities, would they tolerate it? On your case, the mini Kilil has no business to discuss any issue with a countries 10,000 miles away without the central government blessing; the same countries that a few months prior we’re considering with Ethiopia’s enemies to turn it to Syria.

but doesn’t allowing regional governments have their own channel to talk with foreign governments open the possibility for regional states go behind the federal government and sabotage it? Doesn’t it allow for foreign governments like hgdef to blackmail the federal government when it wants to?

[eden]

if, as you insist, the issue they are discussing is small local issue, why is Eritrea represented by President instead of the local reps?

[euroland]

Does the place where the Amara state visitors went looks like a place to hold some sort of important discussion to you? Clearly these people stop by at Adi Halo to say hi where PIA is busy working with his hands, dressed as manual labor. Nothing sinister there.

if, as you insist, the issue they are discussing is small local issue, why is Eritrea represented by President but not local reps?

[eden]

but why the whole Eritrea has to show up for this local discussion but only one tenth of Ethiopia? How can Eritrea president be counterpart of officials of a region within a country? I’m asking because you used the word counterpart

[Noble Amhara]

what the hell are you talking about

you just made a contradictory statement saying Isaias only reps eritrea and that all of eritrea has to show up for local discussion?? kkkk what the hell are you talking about

what the hell is one tenth of ethiopia who and what are you referring to

if, as you insist, the issue they are discussing is small local issue, why is Eritrea represented by President instead of the local reps? why the whole Eritrea has to show up for this local discussion but only one tenth of Ethiopia?

[eden]

noble,

there are 10 local governments, no?

the president office represents a country, not just part of a country, no?

[Sadacha Macca]

Come on. You know why. We all know why.
Ethiopia itself wouldn't exist without the west. They not only armed menelik, they directly participated in some of his conquests, training his forces on how to conquer and permanently annex lands. All of the Ethiopian state leaders have depended on external aid to Gain and hold power.
Menelik, haile Selassie with the west, mengistu and the ussr, and meles with the west, now abiy is following tradition.
The countries budget is probably what, 40% or so, based on foreign aid, which is just a way to control a country.
PIA may be a human, therefore he's flawed and has made blunders, but he was and is absolutely correct about what aid does to countries. It's meant to keep a state dependent and subservient. Self reliance is difficult and one has to consistently work hard, but is worth it.

[Wedi]

It seems clearly now the Abiy government is exists in name only after the US managed to twist his arm with threats and had him signed a document that was drafted and written by Mike Hammer in S. Africa.

Why would any country leader allow a foreign “diplomats” aka foreign intelligences to interfere in its internal affairs by allowing them to make repeated trips to a poor and insignificant region (Tigray) and have these so called diplomats held secretive meetings with the regional government? Why would a foreign agents allow to have contact with Ethiopian’s one region on regular basis but not with major regions such as Oromia and Amara? Is there any reason why a central government cannot say, do not interfere in our internal matters? It is like a guy who doesn’t really like you, frequently comes to your house and asks your wife to speak to her in “private”, not once but multiple times. He also brings his friends to do the same. Your wife won’t tell you what she discussion was about nor willingness to stop it. That’s an ultimate disrespect no man on earth would tolerate, then why any country does?

There is no government in Ethiopia right now

[Fiyameta]

Today’s Ethiopia is colonized by foreign aid – Alex Martinez, Stanford University

Inside and outside the American embassy compound in Ethiopia: my summer at USAID

By Alex Martinez

From the outside, the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, looks just like you would imagine. A high wall surrounds the complex and a series of gates and barriers mark the main entrance. All that’s visible behind the fortifications are the top few floors of a plain, government-style building. Outside, teenage boys herd groups of sheep through the streets towards the informal livestock markets in the center of town. Blue minibuses – carrying twice as many passengers as seats – pass by in all directions, weaving their way around the sheep. A few salesmen push handcarts laden with soaps, candy, cigarettes and SIM cards through the street, avoiding both the sheep and the minibuses as they go.

Inside the embassy, it’s easy to forget this is Ethiopia.

In addition to the main offices, there’s a smaller building that houses the embassy commissary, which is stocked with all the staples of an American diet (ketchup, sugary peanut [deleted], Gatorade and the like). A paved running path winds its way around the complex, weaving between basketball and tennis courts. There’s even an outdoor pool house where embassy employees can swim laps or just lounge, watch American television on flat screen TVs, and use the pool WiFi – assuming it’s working. Not even the American Embassy is immune to the constant blackouts that characterize Ethiopa’s state-run internet network.

All American employees of the embassy live in similar gated compounds (minus the swimming pools and tennis courts, of course). In theory, a U.S. government employee stationed in Ethiopia could spend their entire tour of duty – only two years, because Ethiopia is considered a “hardship” post – without ever stepping outside of a gated compound or a Land Cruiser.

Just over one month ago, I arrived in Addis Ababa to intern with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of the Stanford in Government Stipends Program. One month is really not enough time to fully experience Addis Ababa, and certainly not enough time to fully experience Ethiopia or the field of international development. However, my time as an intern has allowed a glimpse into all three.

Since the beginning of my internship, it has been my mission to try to get a sense of what drives people to live and work overseas, and to figure out if I could make a career in international development. I’ve met and talked with quite a few Americans from USAID and other development agencies, but most don’t really want to talk about their work. Inevitably, our conversations drift towards how difficult it is to live in Addis Ababa.

Complaining – about blackouts, the long rainy season, the complete lack of traffic regulation in Addis Ababa and the poor service at restaurants and hotels – makes for easier conversation than intellectual forays into the role of foreign aid in Ethiopia’s development. If I ask how they feel about suggestions that foreign aid is be doing Ethiopia more harm than good, most expatriates tend to get suspicious, even the young professionals just a few months into their careers. Some answer thoughtfully, but others behave as if I’m mounting an assault on their character or their motives.

At first, I thought they simply didn’t want to be questioned by some kid with less than a summer’s worth of experience in international development (a totally reasonable reservation, I might add), but I’m beginning to wonder if this is simply the kind of question most expats would rather not ask themselves.

I think people have a romantic image of international development. Before my internship I certainly did, and to a certain extent I still do now. The draw of development is that you feel like you’re doing something meaningful – having a real impact. As everyone says, you’re making the world a better place.

But how do you know you actually are?

As an intern at USAID, I’ve been assigned to work on the SCOPSO project, more formally known as the School-Community Partnership Serving Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS. SCOPSO helps school communities provide services like school supplies, food support, loans, healthcare, and psychosocial counseling to schoolchildren and their families. During visits to primary schools I’ve seen lives changed by foreign aid firsthand – a single mother who turned a $50 loan from SCOPSO into a thriving small business, a child who gets the cost of his antiretroviral drugs reimbursed at school and a little girl who received a school uniform for the first time in her life.

But for the majority of my internship, I’ve collected and analyzed data that will probably be ignored, and helped write reports that will most likely never be read. It’s incredibly frustrating trying to reconcile marginal improvements in healthcare, education and environmental sustainability with the billions of dollars of foreign aid flowing into Ethiopia each year ($3.5 billion, according to Global Humanitarian Assistance).

I’m beginning to understand why so many expats seem jaded. As a field, international development is incredibly degree-heavy. For example, nearly all entry-level positions with USAID require a master’s degree and several years of working experience. I’ve met several expats who invested so much time and education at the beginning of their careers only to get locked into a field that’s far less rosy than they expected. It’s taken me barely four weeks to become somewhat disillusioned with the field, and I can’t imagine coming to this realization after investing years of education in international development.
Most people starting a career in development never intend to lose touch with people out in the field, but nearly all career paths in development inevitably lead to less time on the ground and more time stuck behind a desk in some gated compound. As you gain experience, and move up the ranks in development organizations, it becomes easier and easier to distance yourself from the very people you’re supposedly trying to help.

Thankfully, my internship revolves around work on the ground. Although SCOPSO is funded by USAID, it’s actually carried out by an implementing partner, in this case an independent NGO called World Learning. That means I get to work with an all-Ethiopian staff. It also means that I actually get out to the field to visit schools. Every other week I pack a backpack of clothes, hop into the backseat of a Toyota Hillux, and spend five days driving all over Ethiopia with two World Learning program officers.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my internship, it’s that I only really experience Ethiopia when I leave Addis Ababa and everything it represents – hot water, internet cafés, pizza, my expat friends – behind. With no iPhone to distract me, I simply sit in the truck, chat with the program officers and listen to radio stations in Amharic, Ethiopia’s most widely spoken language. I’m always amazed how quickly the geography of Ethiopia changes, even during the course of a short car ride. My coworkers love to point out the different ethnic tribes as we drive by villages on our way to school visits.
When I first came to Ethiopia I pictured a relatively flat, dry country with one unified culture, populated by one group of people. In reality, it’s a country divided amongst a seemingly endless array of cultures, languages, and landscapes. It’s also a country divided by foreign aid. Even in the most rural parts of the country Ethiopia’s villages are divvied up between World Vision, USAID, South Korean Model Villages, Save the Children and many other development agencies.

Ethiopia was never colonized by a western power. Even so, I think a different kind of colonialism exists here today—one where thousands of foreigners with different visions of what is best for Ethiopia compete for the rights to experiment with the country’s villagers. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a single Ethiopian whose life hasn’t been touched by aid in some way, sometimes for the better.

My first week in Ethiopia, I interviewed a little boy at Yetimihirt Bilichta Primary School in Addis Ababa. The boy lost both his parents to AIDS and now lives in a rented bedroom with his older brother. Before USAID intervened at his school, he skipped class frequently, performing odd jobs to pay for food and rent. Now, using a shoeshine kit provided by SCOPSO, the boy shines shoes before and after school and on the weekends. He makes enough money ($.50 to $2.70 a day) to pay the rent, eat and attend class every day. He’s 11 years old.

At times during my internship, there are moments when I want to run away from international development completely. But how do you run away from a story like this?

As I near the halfway point of my time in Ethiopia I understand why so many expats struggle to share their perceptions of foreign aid. My thoughts change from day to day, and the more time I spend immersed in development the more confused and conflicted I become. I see the promise of foreign aid, and I see its peril. After this experience, I may never return to Ethiopia. I might go down an entirely different career path, but I’ll carry my experience this summer with me forever. I’ll always feel the constant draw of development forever pulling me back.

https://www.ethiopianreview.com/index/48111

[Zack]

Abiye is using good tactics to keep the Amhara in check if one has to use western intelligence or anything else it’s all good and justified

Dr Zackovich

[Zmeselo]

Human-garbage, only cos you love to get [ deleted ] by pink tiny d!cks, it doesn't mean everybody does! 🤮

Abiye is using good tactics to keep the Amhara in check if one has to use western intelligence or anything else it’s all good and justified

Dr Zackovich