Ethiopian State of Emergency continues!

As of 29. March 2017 the continued State of Emergency from 2016 continues, as the oppression and military enterprise into Amhara and Oromia continues. The speed of this proves the neglect and little care for the civilians, as the military, Agazi squad and other battalions has been stationed in the provinces that clearly are tired of the rulers and their regime in Addis Ababa.

As stated in Parliament in Addis on the 29th March:

“Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives voted to extend the State of Emergency by four months on Wednesday (March 29), passing a bill entitled “State of Emergency Proclamation for the Maintenance of Public Peace and Security Renewal” (…) “This extends the proclamation decreed in October last year. The Minister of Defense and Secretary of the Command Post responsible for enforcing the State of Emergency, Siraj Fegessa, told Parliament that the Command Post, chaired by Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, wanted to see the emergency decree extended to reinforce “the peace and stability which has been gained since Parliament declared the State of the Emergency” (…) “The State of Emergency has been amended twice since October, with the lifting of the curfews imposed on areas close to industrial sites and major development projects. More recently, it has also ended the arrest of suspects without court warrants, and lifted travel restrictions for diplomats” (…) “The vote this week follows the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament two weeks ago that “the majority of people surveyed by the government wanted to see the emergency law extended.” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia, 31.03.2017).

So even if this is a softer ban and less limiting of the public will and public opinion, still the clear picture is that the dissidents of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), will certainly get into arrests, detained or even taken away. The amount of citizens arrested during the period has amounted to 20,000 by some estimation. That is the size of decent town put into camps to silence their disobedient selves.

Good that somebody reacts to the measure:

“The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Ethiopia (CAHDE) is considering to mount a legal challenge against the legality of the state of emergency and its extension before the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and other relevant international human rights forums” (…) “We believe that the emergency did not meet the requirements of Ethiopian law and applicable international legal standards. Even if one assumes that there were reasonable grounds to believe that exceptional measures were necessary to respond to the ‘threat’ represented by the protests, the continued enforcement and extension of emergency measures is totally unjustified and disproportionate to the exigencies of the circumstances” (CAHDE, 31.03.2017).

So even Human rights observers and NGOs are reacting to the measure made by the Central Government to silence the provinces and regions who are in turmoil, where the army has used force and the police has rounded up locals. Where the cellphone coverage, internet that has been for long time disconnected by the regime and the other needed infrastructure has dwindled away. This is happening while the citizens are scrambling to survive in the efforts of the government to destroy their livelihoods and will to stand-up against them. If the government we’re democratic than they would accept that Amhara and Oromia we’re addressing the misgivings and the maladministration of the regions, while trying to negotiate and even give way to civilians. Instead, they are sending weapons, soldiers and turning of the electricity, and phone-lines. Such noble creatures in the EPRDF.

However, we do know now that the EPRDF now fears demonstrations and dissidents so much that would kill their own, create lack of food and use the extended drought to see who will be loyal subjects, as the oppression and extended security operation inside the regions has not stopped and doesn’t seem to have an idea of when to stop. The reality is that the false flag of wishful peace, when they themselves pick up the guns or the bracelets to detain or kill fellow citizens. That is the end game of the Ethiopian tragedy, where to many lives are lost for wanting a government that cares about more than their own pockets. As seen repeatedly, that they do not care and surely the citizens wants someone govern with accountability and transparency in Amhara and Oromia. That is surely not happening now! Peace.

Troika statement on South Sudan (31.03.2017)

UK, US and Norway call on all parties in South Sudan to commit to a ceasefire immediately.

LONDON, United Kingdom, March 31, 2017 – The members of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) reiterate their strong support for the combined efforts of the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and United Nations to end the conflict in South Sudan, and join in their recent calls on all armed parties, including the Government of South Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition, and other armed groups, to commit to a ceasefire. The Troika welcomes the recent commitment by President Kiir to IGAD leaders to announce a unilateral ceasefire by government forces, and it calls upon him to ensure that his order is carried out immediately and in full effect.

The Troika underlines that the dire humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is the direct result of the conflict and demands that all parties cease violence against humanitarian workers and obstruction of humanitarian assistance. Military offensives and the obstruction of lifesaving assistance must stop immediately in order to end the suffering and severe food shortages inflicted upon millions across South Sudan.

The Troika reiterates that there is no military solution to this conflict and that a durable end to the conflict will require a political process involving all the principal parties. An inclusive national dialogue, deemed credible by the South Sudanese people, could provide a means to redress root causes of conflict and build a true national consensus. As President Kiir committed in announcing the planned national dialogue, it should supplement, and not replace, the core elements of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

The Troika endorses the ongoing efforts of AU High Representative Alpha Konarée and UN Special Envoy Nicholas Haysom to encourage all parties to end fighting and engage in peaceful dialogue. It also fully supports Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission Chairperson Festus Mogae’s work towards a truly inclusive and effective process to implement the Agreement. In addition, the Troika endorses the work of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, and the deployment of its Regional Protection Force. Lastly, the Troika notes the importance of breaking the cycle of impunity, and encourages further progress by the AU toward the rapid establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan.

 

U.S. House of Rep. Smith’s got the Honest ACT passed, that regulates EPA opportunity to spread information!

“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.”Garry Kasparov

Welcome to the Banana Republic, the United States of America (USA), the Trump Administration has a new golden child and has to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that has to be silenced. The EPA under Scott Pruitt. The Environment and Climate Change is lie under the Trump regime, that is myth that the environment gets destroyed or worsen by industry or mineral extraction. Still, they have to make sure that the EPA doesn’t explain the environmental regulations without any scientific evidence. It has to be tested and retested the narratives, as the EPA should not question the need for free release of CO2 or any other damaging gas that can worsen the sky, or the after effects of crude-oil pipelines and the damage of soil in the areas after fracking.

Well, take a look at the Lamar Smith proposal that get through and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday:

To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible” (…) “The Administrator shall not propose, finalize, or disseminate a covered action unless all scientific and technical information relied on to support such covered action is” (…) “publicly available online in a manner that is sufficient for independent analysis and substantial reproduction of research results, except that any personally identifiable information, trade secrets, or commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential, shall be redacted prior to public availability” (H.R. 1430, 2017).

Representative Lamar Smith the man behind the bill, who has a magical fascination with silencing and stopping the EPA, as he is from San Antonio, Texas and Republican, surely if somebody would have remembered what sort of greatness, he showed in February:

On Tuesday, Smith held a hearing titled “Making the E.P.A. Great Again.” From the list of witnesses, it was clear that Smith was not, however, interested in improving the E.P.A.—in fact, just the reverse. One of the witnesses was a lobbyist for the coal industry, another a lobbyist for the chemical industry. In a display of hypocrisy so blatant it could have been hilarious, but wasn’t, Smith used his opening statement to rail against “conflicts of interest” at the E.P.A. The agency, he complained, depended on the expertise of scientists to whom it sometimes also awards research grants. His proposed solution to this problem? To stack the E.P.A.’s science advisory board with scientists who work for regulated industries” (Kolbert, 2017).

So Rep. Smith has no issues listening to the Coal, Chemical and Oil industry, if it benefits them at a U.S. House hearing on making EPA great again, like the ones who wants to pollute and drop hazard into the environment for a buck is the ones to listen to. Shows the lack of thinking and integrity that is in the Washington D.C. right now and is accepted by the Trump Administration. Where the businesses are more important nature and the future, where the kids of Trump has to live in wasteland and in narrow future of damaged rivers, creeks and polluted air.

The donors for the 2015-2016 Campaign for the U.S. House Representative for Texas and parts of Committee for Science, Space and Technology, those we’re $95,050 from Oil and Gas, either as PACs or individuals, other important donors for the campaign of Smith we’re Nustar Energy, AT&T, Boeing Co., Koch Industries and Marathon Petroleum (Check Opensecrets.org).

So, the man who has massive support for his elections and campaigns was supported through business who needs to extract their resources and has to pollute to do so. It could seem that they scratched an itch for the Representative and when he was elected he scratched an itch for them. Instead of direct brown envelopes directly into the pocket of the representative, they paid for his campaign and his viable campaign in Texas.

Now that he has a place on the Committee for Science, Space and Technology, there he can change legislation that fits Nustar, AT&T, Boeing Co., Koch Industries and Marathon Petroleum, as they will not have any sort of information that cannot be verified by generous study. They have been silenced and cannot question climate change or even the implication of pollution or environmental damages by industry, as the Honest ACT, who is made to stop certain information from getting into public.

So it it good to know that the EPA sentiment is old:

But I don’t know whether Americans want the EPA and Congress to be honest. You say, “What do you mean, Williams?” There are numerous laws, restrictions and regulations based upon the EPA’s fraudulent report on secondhand tobacco smoke. How many Americans do you think would say, “Hey, now that we know that EPA 1992 report was a fraud, let’s repeal all those laws and regulations based upon it”? I’m guessing most would say, “I don’t like the smell of cigarettes and if it takes government fraud and duping the public to get rid of it, so be it.” (Williams, 1999).

So there are surely many who has hard feelings against the EPA and their practices, but they should still wonder if it is wise to stop the EPA. They might get wealth to buy cars, but nature is not something that returns after you have used it and extracted the minerals. There are so many places destroyed by industry and not habitable, so much touched nature that will not come back after oil industry and other industry has used their tools. Together with the knowledge of pollution, there are invisible particles that might hurt mother nature on the long run, but that doesn’t Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump or Lamar Smith. Peace.

Reference:

Kolbert, Elizabeth – ‘THE CONGRESSMAN WHO’S TRYING TO MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT WORSE, AGAIN’ (08.03.2017) link: http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-congressman-whos-trying-to-make-the-environment-worse-again

U.S. House of Representatives: H. R. 1430 – ‘Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017’ or Honest ACT (29.03.2017)

Williams, Walter – ‘Do Americans want honest EPA?’ (09.06.1999) link: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/701389/Do-Americans-want-honest-EPA.html

RDC: Rassemblement – Lettre de Félix Tshisekedi adressée à Antonio Guterres , Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies 28 mars 2017

Opinion: Dear Swedes stick to IKEA, please forget the talks between Museveni and Besigye!

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry, but what sort of discussion should be from people who gave us IKEA, Volvo and tiny meatballs. We know that the Swedish needs to prove their worth in the world on other venues, than the Eurovision and hair-styles of Zlatan Ibrahamovic. Still, the recent of willingly sending Pro Bono people to mediate between the long serving, self reliance and thief in chief, the National Resistance Movement wizard, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Opposition leader, creator of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Dr. Kizza Besigye are supposed to talk between cups of tea and biscuits provided with Swedish hospitality.

The Swedish Government has confirmed that it has been approached and, has accepted, to mediate planned talks between President Museveni and former presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye” (…) “The government of Sweden is involved in supporting and promoting dialogue in many parts of the world, as part of its policy of conflict prevention and support to peace processes. Sweden has been asked to facilitate a possible dialogue in Uganda,” Swedish Foreign ministry spokeswoman Katarina Byrenius Roslund, noted in reply to email inquiries from this newspaper. The “discussions are still at an early stage”, she noted, adding: “When there is concrete progress to communicate, we will do so” (…) “Ms Annika Söder, the Swedish state secretary, has been agreed on by the principals as the mediator for the expected talks. She flew into the country last week and held separate back-to-back meetings with the President and Dr Besigye on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in what knowledgeable sources described as “exploratory” (Butagira, 2017).

First and foremost, can the Swedes explain the content of tear-gas into public meetings, police blocking, detaining of FDC Youths, falsified charges against the FDC leadership, the Public Order Management Bill who is created to stop meeting of anyone else, than the loyal men of Museveni. How can there be talks between the parties?

Secondly, when every travel and meeting of FDC and Besigye is met with heavy police force, blocking of main roads and tear-gas when they congregate. What is there to discuss? What perimeter of Kasangati he is allowed to leave before it is an issue? What sort of ideas do the Swedes have in mind, except selling Volvo and SAAB to Uganda, instead of Isuzu and Toyota!

Seriously, that the Government of Sweden must either be blind or ill-minded if they think this will give way. If they know the history of Nairobi Talks of 1980s. When the National Resistance Army and the other parties gathered to iron out the differences. Than that was used to forge more way for the NRA agenda and silence the others with guns and ammo. Not generate peace without knowledge of Museveni landing on top. So this is in his blood and the blood that is shed for him to gain all power.

Global IDP Database wrote this about his negotiations:

In July 1985, conflict between some Langi and Acholi soldiers led to the overthrow of the Obote regime. The coup, which brought General Tito Okello to power, shattered the military alliance between the Acholi and Langi and escalated ethnic violence. The Okello regime invited all fighting groups and political parties to join the military government. Every armed group and political party, with the exception of the NRA, joined the administration. The NRA, however, engaged the regime in protracted peace negotiations held in Nairobi. In December 1985, the Nairobi Agreement was signed under the chairmanship of President Moi of Kenya. However, the Agreement was never implemented and Museveni seized power on the 25th January 1986” (Global IDP Database, P: 18, 2004).

So will the Swedish buy into the mantra that everything can be reassembled and rebuilt? Since they want to forge a relationship between Besigye and Museveni. Museveni, who rather take up guns and get rid of opposition and vowed last year to destroy the opposition. Well, I am sure the Swedish we’re busy finding ways to export designer materials, than following the post-election dogma of Museveni. Since a man who only believes “he is the only man with a vision”. That is the man who is supposed to co-operate and negotiate with an advisory! Really?

A man who doesn’t want to talk about succession and doesn’t want to speak about his lingering in charge. A man who has run a country and nation since 1986, has nothing more to win or to gain by playing soft. If he does so and the Swedish is dumb enough to buy into the fake wood and think they get mahogany, than they will offer donor-funding and possible other prices for the so-called negotiations between the NRM and FDC. Even as the FDC Headquarter we’re a year ago a crime scene and many members and leaders we’re detained on manufactured charges.

There shouldn’t be these sort of talks at this point, if so, than the Swedish are legitimizing the thieving of Museveni and his NRM elite. Does the Swedish government want that on their plate? Is that the Swedish people’s prideful mission to support and trust in a corrupt and militarized government, while they at the same time is using Besigye as pawn?

The Swedish government, if they care should back-off, go home to Stockholm. Cut their aid and stop the talks. As they will only give more way to dictator and his clientele at the Okello House. There aren’t anything else to give.

Did the Swedish government do any research and care about the track-record of the Museveni regime? Have they seen how many mysterious deaths and men who has worked close who has either had to flee or been detained by his regime? Have the Swedish considered their implications in establishing legitimacy of the current leadership? Who doesn’t care if they bankrupt their country? While they are driving expensive cars on the State coffers?

Does the Swedish government need this win or this talks to gain international recognition, and not only sell IKEA furniture? Time to take the dozens pieces and assemble that the chairs in Umeå, and step away from Kampala.

Or do the Swedish government and their team no problem with losing their credibility for helping a fellow dictator? Peace.

Reference:

Butagira, Tabu – ‘Sweden to mediate Museveni, Besigye talks’ (29.03.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Sweden-to-mediate-Museveni–Besigye-talks/688334-3868674-b3fqil/index.html

Global IDP Database – ‘PROFILE OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT : UGANDA’ (17.06.2004)

RDC: Moise Katumbi – Declaration Publique du 30 mars 2017

Kenya: Chase Bank Limited (In Receivership) – (Been so since 07.04.2016) – (28.03.2017)

The SPLM/SPLA(IO) Proposes Establishment of a Humanitarian Coordintion Mechanism for South Sudan (30.03.2017)

Parliament Speaker Kadaga recommendation letter to Lwengo District LC to hire a Civil Servant (22.03.2017)

RDC: Declaration Politique du Rassemblement (29.03.2017)