|
The Eye on the Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa Vol. XXXII No.120 May 2005 NEWS DIPLOMATIC BRIEFINGS NEWS VIEWS & REVIEWS
It was looted by Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in 1937 during Italy's brief occupation of Ethiopia and has been a bone of contention between the two countries ever since. The Ethiopian authorities accused Italy of foot-dragging over the issue, while Rome blamed the slow progress on the difficulty and cost of moving such a massive stone between two continents. Trading empire The obelisk is the finest of more than 100 stone monoliths which stood in Axum, capital city of the ancient Axumite kingdom and birthplace of the biblical Queen of Sheba. In the 3rd Century AD, the Persian philosopher Mani described Axum as one of the four greatest kingdoms in the world, along with Rome, China and Persia. Situated on the northern edge of present-day Ethiopia, Axum first rose to prominence in the 1st Century AD trading its rich natural resources through its Red Sea port Adulis. A steady stream of textiles, animals, gold, ivory, precious jewels and spices passed through Adulis on their way to be sold in Arabia, India and throughout the Roman Empire. Profiting from this trade Axum grew into the dominant force in the Red Sea area and an ally of Constantinople - eventual capital of the Greek-speaking, and Christian, Byzantine Empire. Christian conversion Cultural exchange with Constantinople meant Axum's elite also spoke Greek, inscriptions in the city even appeared in the language, and around AD325 Ezana, the King of Axum, converted to Christianity. Ezana removed the crescent and disk motif from Axum's coins, replacing it with the Christian cross, and laid the foundations for the Christian conversion of the whole of Ethiopia.
Axum continued to flourish until the 6th Century, when the rise of the Persian Empire and conquests by Muslim Arabs cut the city off from its international trade network and contact with other Christian countries. But long after its political and economic decline, Axum remained the place where Ethiopia's emperors were crowned. It also retained its prestige as the birthplace of Christianity in Ethiopia, enhanced by the legend that Menelik I, son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum. Some believe that the Ark remains there to this day, now housed inside a small church built in 1965 on the orders of Haile Selassie, last Emperor of Ethiopia and claimed direct descendant of King Solomon himself. General Election in Kenya NAIROBI, May 17 Kenya president Daniel arap Moi has announced that the country’s general election will be held this year in accordance with the election with or without a new constitution. “Election take place every five years and you can follow what people are saying,” he told journalists When responding to questions soon after chairing a meeting of the national Executive committee of KANU, the ruling party of the country. The president’s statement puts an end to the ongoing debate on whether the current parliament will be extended as a result of the announcement by the Constitution of Kenya Review commission that a new constitution will be out on May 15, 2003. Local media said Moi’s words are expected to add more fire into the raging election fever which has already gripped the country. Kenya’s general election is scheduled to be held at the end of this year. Tear gas in Djibouti one-man poll Police in Djibouti have fired tear gas to disperse opposition protesters during polls in which President Ismail Omar Guelleh is the only candidate.
'Afraid' "Today, we return to single-party rule," lamented Assan Said Ahmed, a 40-year-old tour operator, before the police broke up the opposition protest. "It is meaningless to vote," Ali Guedda Boulsa told the AFP news agency. "Our votes are never considered." After casting his ballot, Mr. Guelleh said the opposition "was afraid to engage in the battle." He campaigned vigorously with most rallies held in the evening when the scorching afternoon temperatures of up to 45C had cooled. The opposition is campaigning indirectly and wants to influence the vote. That is why I have to campaign normally," Mr. Guelleh told the BBC. 'Masquerade' He has been in power since winning elections in 1999 but says he will not stand again. The only challenger withdrew last month citing a lack of funds. A diplomat told the BBC's Mohammed Adow in Djibouti that, with the outcome not in doubt, the process itself will be closely watched.
Sudan 'bans key opposition party'
The Umma party was also attempting to hold a rally commemorating an anti-government uprising 20 years ago which briefly brought Mr. al-Mahdi to power. He was later overthrown in a military coup by current Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, in 1989. 'Painfully low' Mr. al-Mahdi supports a United Nations Security Council resolution referring those accused of war crimes in the Darfur region to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Some 180,000 people have died from disease and malnutrition as a result of the two-year conflict in Darfur.
Quotes -Wisdom is better than weapons of war. Bible Ecclesiastes. 180 B.C - Even to observe neutrality you must have a strong Alexander Hamilton Jan 29, 1787 - If we are to negotiate peace … I imagine an essentially modest role . . . that of an honest broker who means to do business. Prince Otto von Bismarck Feb 19, 1878 FEATURES Annan calls for urgent Sudan help
. The money is just a fraction of the $32bn pledged by donors to rebuild Iraq. The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Juba, southern Sudan, says the region is one of the poorest in the world, with women and children among its most needy people. 'Time for action' "In the south, we will run out of food for 2 million people in a matter of weeks," Mr Annan told delegates from 60 countries in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. "If there was ever a time for donor countries to get off the fence, it is now." The Sudanese government and rebels in the south ended a 21-year civil war with a power-sharing agreement in January. Donors such as the US warn peace will unravel in the south unless violence is curbed in Darfur, western Sudan. But Mr Annan said the money for the south must be given unconditionally. He said: "All the people of Sudan want clean water, food for their families, schools for their children, proper healthcare, and the prospect of development. "They have earned this peace. We should not fail them." Refugees 'already moving' Sudan's southern rebels and government say funds are desperately needed to ease the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled one of Africa's longest-running civil wars. The $2.6bn demanded from foreign donors represents one-third of the total sum needed - much of the rest of the money is expected to come from revenues from Sudan's largely unexploited oil fields. January's peace deal between Khartoum and the rebels envisaged a power-sharing government in the south and a division of oil revenues. Former rebel leader John Garang told the BBC many of the refugees had already begun to make arduous journeys back home. "People are not waiting, they are moving already, they are coming on their own," he said, warning they faced great danger unless given essentials such water and security along the route. East African Officials to Visit Somalia
NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhuanet) --
Members of a technical committee of the frontline states in east Africa
will visit Somalia again next
IGAD comprises Kenya, the Sudan,
Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Eritrea, with Kenya chairing the Technical
Committee on Somali Madoka said that Djibouti failed to accompany Kenya and Ethiopia on the fact-finding mission to Somalia last month, thus leading to the committee's second visit next week to the war-torn country.
However, he said the peace
process is still on track, adding that the technical committee will
analyze the outcome of their visit before a decision on the date for a
planned Nairobi National Conference on Somali Reconciliation. He said
Kenya hoped to host the Nairobi conference in late June or early July to
end a decade of anarchy in the Horn of Africa Perspectives ....For the Netherlands’ Development co-operation, Sexual and Reproductive Health is a priority. We believe it is a key to poverty reduction. We believe it is the key to simultaneously improve the situation in Health, Aids and population. We also believe that it makes sense to link the protection form HIV/AIDS with protection form unwanted pregnancies. Ask any girl or women in Ethiopia and she will agree with you..... |
