Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend Top Stories:
[Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu] - [Somalia battles called worst in 15 years] - [Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW]

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-Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit

-Letter from the Ethiopian community in Europe protesting PM Meles's invitation

-To speak out against Prime Minister Meles’s Invitation to the Summit, click here, find the MEP you wish to contact -- write or call

-ALDE event schedule
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The Hummingbird and the Forest Fire:
A Diaspora Morality Tale

(by Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)

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Free the Ethiopian Captives

(by Andrew Heavens)

A pressure group to campaign for the freedom of the eight Ethiopian hostages was formed yesterday. It is called the 'Free The Ethiopian Captives Committee'.

The idea is to collect lots of signatures and members, then approach international organisations and ask them to do all they can to bring about the release. At the very least, it will aim to keep the eight in the headlines.(More...)

Ethiopian reinforcement troops heading to Mogadishu

Hundreds of additional Ethiopian forces who crossed from the border have reached near Beledweine city, the provincial capital of Hiran region in central Somalia heading to Mogadishu to reinforce their colleagues fighting the local insurgents for the third day, report said on Saturday.

Other Ethiopian reinforcement troops are reported to have reached Afgoie town, 30km south of the capital joining the war with what they called ‘the remnants of the ousted Islamists.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian forces stationing around El-Irfid settlement in northern outskirt of the Somalia capital are reported to have deserted there heading to Afgoie town, 30km south of the city to reinforce the Ethiopian soldiers fighting the insurgents.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia: More Ethiopian tanks en route to hostile Mogadishu
-Reinforcement Ethiopian Forces Close to the Capital
-Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia


Heavy Fighting Continues in the Capital for Third Day

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavy fighting between warring sides of Ethiopian soldiers and Somali insurgents exchanging heavy weaponry fire has entered in its third day in the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

Dozens of people have been killed since Thursday, when the government and allied Ethiopian troops launched an offensive to quash an increasingly brutal insurgency by Islamic militants. A statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross said the people of Mogadishu are caught up in the worst fighting in more than 15 years.

More than 220 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours, most them civilians with bullet, grenade and other shrapnel wounds, the ICRC said.(More...)

Also see:
-Somalia battles called worst in 15 years
-Many killed, wounded in new outburst in Somalia
-Chaos in Somalia Worst in 15 Years

Kenya, Ethiopia, US secretly detained Somalis fleeing war: HRW


(AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Saturday accused the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the United States of secretly detaining hundreds of people fleeing the deadly conflict in Somalia.

"Each of these governments has played a shameful role in mistreating people fleeing a war zone," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's deputy Africa director.

"Kenya has secretly expelled people, the Ethiopians have caused dozens to disappear, and US security agents have routinely interrogated people held incommunicado," he added.(More...)

The Week in Review

  • Tuesday - March 27, 2007

  • [Smugglers toss Ethiopian and Somali refugees to sharks] - [Al-Qaida urges jihadis to go to Somalia] - [Miner says struck gold in Ethiopia] - [Ethiopian army camp attacked] - [Ugandan troops say they are being used as guinea pigs]

  • Wednesday - March 28, 2007

  • [Afar Diaspora group calls for the release of Ethiopian hostages] - [Swedish Teen Released From Ethiopia] - [Archaeologists find Ethiopia's lost Islamic kingdom] - [Prominent politician murdered in Mogadishu] - [Dancing to a better future in Ethiopia]

  • Thursday - March 29, 2007

  • [Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Invite Meles to Summit] - [Seven Ethiopian troops killed in heavy fighting, bodies dragged through Mogadishu] - [Ethioapin Helicopters fire on Somali market] - [Analyst says Somalia a Handicap for Ethiopia] - [Ethiopia calls for action on Eritrea] - [Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee]

  • Friday - March 30, 2007

  • [Court Postpones decision again - Reason: Judge has 'Gunfann'] - [Fresh Ethiopian troops arrive in Somalia] - [Ethiopian Helicopter shot down in Somalia] - [Ethiopia stops plans to close Jewish camp ] - [Travel Agencies to Campaign for Release of Colleagues]






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