Through a new recommendation issued on its website, the German Foreign Ministry lifted its warning for German tourists planning to visit the main touristic areas of Ethiopia. According to the Ministry, cities such as Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela, Dire Dawa, Arba Minch can be visited safely. Travelling there “is currently possible without any problem”, the website further states.
This warning was lifted after the peace and stability was restored in the country, said Getnet Yigzaw, public relations head of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO).
As a result of the unrest that occurred recently in some parts of the country, countries, including Germany, had issued travel warnings for visitors.
These countries are cancelling the warnings since the Ethiopian government has managed to restore peace and bring back business as usual, Getnet said. According to him, Britain and the US are also expected to lift the travel warning to Ethiopia.
Last week, Ethiopia lifted the directive which restricted diplomats from travelling beyond a 40-kilometer radius out of Addis Ababa without the permission of the command post.
Ethiopia declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency early October following unrests that occurred in some areas of the country.
On 8 November 2016, Euractiv published an interview with Feyisa Lilesa with the title «Olympics dissident: Ethiopia could ‘become another Libya’». During this interview, Feyisa Lilesa accuses the Ethiopian authorities of killing at least 1,000 demonstrators, of «trying to create tensions between the Amhara and Tigray» and of leading the country to a similar situation than Libya.
Though Feyisa Lilesa has the right to share his opinion about the situation in Ethiopia, it is important to give a nuanced view of the reality in the country.
The exact number of demonstrators who died during the protests is still investigated by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A previous report by EHRC in June 2016 on the unrests that started in November 2015 established that the measures taken by the defense forces and the federal police in collaboration with the public to control the situation were proportionate, though in some specific cases security forces used excessive force to control the violence. According to this report, 173 people died including 14 members of the security forces and another 14 public administrators. Following this report, the Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn has shared the regrets of the government for the avoidable deaths which occurred despite the professional conduct of security forces.
Furthermore, the claim that the Ethiopian authorities are «trying to create tensions between the Amhara and Tigray» is not grounded in reality. Each region is self-administrated, and the national Parliament, the government cabinets and other institutions are representing the different peoples according to their size. With more than 80 ethnic groups in the country, the authorities have no better option than insuring peaceful coexistence between the different communities and exercising democracy, which has yet a very young history in the country − merely 25 years.
Finally, Feyisa Lilesa is implying that Ethiopia could become «another Libya», probably thereby meaning that the country could fall into chaos and instability. This might in fact precisely be the agenda of extreme anti-peace forces trying to divide the country and take advantage of a situation of chaos which would suit their hidden agendas. Widespread attacks encouraged by some extreme diaspora elements targeting public and private properties, including several foreign investments providing thousands of jobs to local communities testify of this agenda of destruction and chaos. However, the government is fully committed to restore order in the country for the benefit of the citizens and development of the country. The Prime Minister has, in accordance with the Constitution and with the approval of the House of People’s Representatives, announced a State of Emergency beginning of October. Since then, peace and order have been restored throughout the country, and some of the measures have been eased in the meantime, including lifting of travel restrictions for diplomats.
It is to be hoped that the commitment of the authorities and the public will further improve the situation in the country. However, unbalanced and biased comments in the media such as this interview are not helping to advance in this direction.
Germany’s Development Minister Gerd Mueller said on Friday (November 11) that Germany would in the coming weeks release details of what he called a new “Marshall Plan with Africa”.
He was referring to the huge U.S. investment program in Germany and Europe after World War Two. He urged other developed countries to support a plan Germany is finalizing to bolster the economies of Africa, create jobs and slow the flow of migrants from the continent to Europe.
The International Organization for Migration last week said nearly 160,000 people had crossed the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy this year, while 4,220 had died trying. Mr. Mueller told a news conference: “We have to invest in these countries in Africa and give people perspectives for the future”, adding “if the youth of Africa can’t find work or a future in their own countries, it won’t be hundreds of thousands, but millions that make their way to Europe.”
Mr. Mueller also noted that in addition to the migrants already looking to come to Europe, there were about 20 million displaced people in Africa. Mueller said his plan was aimed at developing joint solutions with African countries, with a big focus on program for youth, education and training and on strengthening economies and the rule of law.
He also said these issues needed to be recognized by the international community, and Africa should have representation on the U.N. Security Council.
Mr. Mueller said a significant share of his ministry’s proposed budget increase of over 1 billion euros for 2017 would be earmarked for projects in Africa.
Earlier in the week, Germany also pledged a 61-million-euro ($67 million) rise in funding for U.N. relief operations in Africa.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie received a copy of credentials of the newly appointed Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Urban Andersson today (November 11). Discussions focused on the promotion of peace and security in the Horn of Africa. The Special envoy commended Ethiopia’s continued engagement in the maintenance of regional peace and security. On the occasion, Ambassador Taye noted the long-standing and excellent relations between Ethiopia and Sweden and stressed that Ethiopia would continue to work to bring the two countries relations to the highest level possible in areas of mutual concern and cooperation
At the major horticulture fairs in the Netherlands IFTF and Royal Flora Holland, investors in the floriculture sector reiterate their determination to expand their business in Ethiopia.
The Finnish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Helena Airaksinen said yesterday (November 8) that her country would continue providing professional and financial assistance to Ethiopia.
She said the assistance would focus on rural water supply and sanitation as well as the expansion of primary school education. The Ambassador added that Finland had the desire to carry out concrete works in these selected sectors during the second Growth and Transformation Plan.
Ambassador Airaksinen said 15 million Euros would be allotted annually to realize the development programs during the Growth and Transformation Plan. She also disclosed that more than 1.8 million people and 140,000 institutions would benefit from the supply of potable water.
Ethiopian coffee received the “2016 World’s Best Coffee Award” at the first-ever Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards Ceremony held in New York on 1st November 2016.
The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards recognizes top quality coffee growers who produce the best beans in the coffee paradises across the world.
The event which was organized with the major aim of recognizing coffee grower’s commitment to quality and sustainability along with emphasizing the importance of working hand-in-hand with the coffee growers was attended by a number of ambassadors and United Nations delegates from around the globe.
The judges, who tasted 27 cups of coffee from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India and Nicaragua, awarded Ahmed Legesse from Ethiopia with the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award.
In the event, the jury’s spokesperson described Ethiopian coffee: “A special coffee with a mild, delicate aroma and a unique perfume with distinctive floral notes of jasmine and a hint of citrus fruit.”
The Government of Ethiopia has announced today (November 08, 2016) that it has lifted the state of emergency directive which restricted diplomats to travel beyond 40 KM radius outside of Addis Ababa without notifying and getting the permission of the Command Post.
According to Siraj Fegessa, Secretariat of the Command Post and Minister of Defense, the decision to lift the travel ban was ascribed to the relative peace and security currently evident in the country.
The newly issued directives for the implementation of the state of emergency also lifted the directive which prohibits carrying and possessing at home uniforms of law enforcement bodies.
The new directives also include amendments on self-defense measures that law enforcement officers and others on guarding duty would take while implementing the state of emergency proclamation and prohibitions as well as amendments to the state of conducting searches.
Apart from taking self-defense measures to avert attacks by means of weapons or blade directed against their life and property as stated in the first and previously issued directive, law enforcement officers and those on guarding duty as per the newly issued directives for the implementation of the state of emergency are now also entitled to avert attacks targeted against the lives of others and property.
The Simien Lodge, in the Simien Mountains National Park, in Ethiopia’s Amhara Regional State on Sunday (October 30) ranked first in Community Development Projects in the 2016 Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award in the category of Rural Accommodation. The award at the Skål World Congress, taking place in Monaco, recognized the Simien Lodge for its commitment to sustainability and innovative projects that address the needs of the community surrounding the lodge. The projects commended by the Skål World Congress included: educational developments, water safety, sustainable tourism initiatives, medical aid and provision of alternative livelihoods. Other projects acknowledged and praised by the Congress were: the donation of 1000 energy-efficient stoves for cooking and heating; the delivery of over 800 school benches to local schools, and more recently the completion of eight new classrooms in three primary schools in the areas around the lodge as well as the restoration of the ancient Saddique Amba Monastery.
Skål is the oldest tourism association in the world and is represented through clubs in 83 countries. The first club was formed in Paris in December 1932. Skål professionals meet regularly and share experiences to further the principal of sustainable and equitable tourism. The International Awards are given annually to those companies, who in the opinion of a panel of judges, are considered to have provided the best sustainable tourism projects in the year. This year, some 450 delegates drawn from 49 countries met at the International Congress in Monaco, between the 29th October and 2nd November 2016. The award of the first prize underlines the international standard reached by the Simien Lodge.
The Simien Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its undulating plateau and deep valleys, is often dubbed the Grand Canyon of Africa. The Park, in northern Ethiopia, features remarkable vistas and landscapes in which erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters or more. The Simien Mountains make up one of the most beautiful stretches of unspoilt mountain wilderness surviving in the world today. The park includes some of Ethiopia’s tallest peaks, including Ras Dashen, which at 4, 543 meters is the highest mountain in Ethiopia.
Wildlife is equally rich, with the Simien range providing the last remaining habitat in the world for the rare Walia Ibex, a type of large wild goat weighing up to 120 kilograms, with long, curved densely-ridged horns. Rarely found at altitudes below 2, 400 meters, these lovely, shy creatures are hard to approach. Ecology has adapted them to live on nearly vertical cliff faces, where they can often be seen in the morning or evening, browsing on narrow, grassy ledges. The Gelada baboon, which like the Walia is another of Ethiopia’s endemic mammals, is also found in the Simien. Nicknamed the ‘lion monkey’ because of its characteristic mane of fine auburn hair, the Gelada is in fact a polite and cautious creature quite unlike the more common baboons found elsewhere in Africa. The heart-shaped patch of bare, reddish skin seen on the chests of both males and female has given rise to another nickname for this species, the ‘bleeding-heart baboon’. A third representative of Ethiopia’s endemic mammals, the Simien red fox, or Abyssinian wolf, can also be seen in the national park. In fact, neither a wolf nor a fox, it is a member of the dog family, but is the only example of its genus. The unique character of Simien wildlife is also mirrored in the many unusual kinds of vegetation to be found in the park, making it a botanical wonderland.
Ethiopia is, indeed, an encyclopedia of geology and geography open for all to read under the intense blue of the African sky. More than this, it is a living book in which the whole story of humankind from its first beginnings millions of years ago, through all the stages of evolution and development, can be viewed with awe and wonder. The traveler in Ethiopia voyages in time as well as in space, for here the drama and beauty of the present are illuminated in countless ways by the grandeur and majesty of the past and in a nation that is building itself anew, with glimpses and intimations of a noble future. Upon visiting Ethiopia and looking at such wonders, Rosita Forbes, a popular English travel writer and explorer once said, “When the old gods reigned in Ethiopia, they must have played chess with these stupendous crags, for we saw bishops’ miters cut in lapis lazuli, castles with the ruby of approaching sunset on their turrets, an emerald knight where the forest crept up onto the rock, and, far away, a king crowned with sapphires and guarded by a row of pawns.”
Ambassador Ranieri Sabatucci presented his credentials to Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission at the Commission’s headquarters in Addis Ababa today, formally assuming the role of Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the African Union (AU).
Ambassador Sabatucci is the third diplomat to hold the position of EU Ambassador to the African Union Delegation.
The EU established the first African Union dedicated diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa in 2008.
On 8 November 2016, Euractiv published an interview with Feyisa Lilesa with the title «
Germany’s Development Minister Gerd Mueller said on Friday (November 11) that Germany would in the coming weeks release details of what he called a new “Marshall Plan with Africa”.
The Finnish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Helena Airaksinen said yesterday (November 8) that her country would continue providing professional and financial assistance to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian coffee received the “2016 World’s Best Coffee Award” at the first-ever Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards Ceremony held in New York on 1st November 2016.
