Qabbanee

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

A sea of green & gray: #Oromo & #Sidama youth forcibly recruited to perish in a war between belligerents battling over who will control #Oromia & #Sidama.
Reminds me of Badme - southern youth sent as cannon fodder in an alien war. 100,000 buried by bulldozer on the open plains.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Specifically, @NEBEEthiopia "discovered" 79 polling places they had not set up! Here's a suggestion: Start over. Postpone elections. Launch an inclusive national dialogue. Stop the war. End violence. Release prisoners. Secure the infrastructure. Then vote. https://t.co/B67r4woWrr

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

#Ethiopia: @NEBEthiopia disqualifies as “illegal” 79 polling stations that were opened without its approval https://t.co/APeiMoPwb5 The Board said 2 polling stations in #AddisAbeba & 6 in #DireDawa City Admins, & 71 in #SNNPRS that were opened without its approval are illegal.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

If only her news were worthy of all these microphones! But, no, it is rather shameful. Breaking: even fewer constituencies will now participate in the 6/21 "election". Please be frank, @NEBEEthiopia. Postpone this pitiful attempt to subvert the will of 80 million to crown Abiy.

[Addis Standard @addisstandard]

Breaking: After the discovery of defect in ballot papers @NEBEthiopia announced a number of additional constituencies where the 6th national election will not take place as scheduled. Among them, all constituencies in #Somali region, & SW Referendum.

Developing story...

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

"Grave" in the Shakespearean sense, perhaps.
Today's ill-timed statement reveals that @StateDeptSpox isn't heeding dire warnings from every other part of US govt: the path to democracy in #Ethiopia is commitment to inclusive National Dialogue PRIOR to election, not POST election!

[Lauren Blanchard @LaurenBinDC]

“Grave concern” isn’t a phrase the State Department uses very often ahead of a country’s elections.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

To say "failed state" often does not resonate. But here is a clear example of what happens when the institutions of government -- that are supposed to protect the citizenry -- break down & people cannot expect security. No recourse proves that #Ethiopia has become a failed state.

[Laetitia Bader @LaetitiaBader]

1/ In May, #Ethiopian security forces in #DembiDollo western #Oromia detained, beat, taunted, and then publicly executed 17-year-old Amanuel Wondimu. Not only did they film all but the execution, they then publicized this horrific event. New @hrw https://t.co/3bG8e1rmbJ

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Perhaps the world’s democracies are preparing to flex their muscle to protect civilians at risk of annihilation? Yes, #Tigray is in precarious danger. Keep in mind, at 6 million, it’s the tip of a hidden iceberg. Most of the calamity among 110 million in Ethiopia is as yet unseen

[Josep Borrell Fontelles @JosepBorrellF]

On the eve of the @G7, @EU_Commission and @USAID join forces to open eyes of the world on the unacceptable situation in #Tigray. To the people of Tigray we say: You are not alone. To the parties involved in the conflict we say: The world is watching. You will be held accountable.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Thank you, @ChrisCoons, for placing the crisis in #Tigray in the context of the failing state in #Ethiopia. What happens here brings hope or tragedy to the 104 million other citizens facing violence & injustice -- especially egregious in #Oromia, #Somali #Sidama #BeniShangulGumuz

[Senator Chris Coons @ChrisCoons]

I am gravely concerned about the scale of human suffering in Tigray, including a man-made famine, systematic killing and sexual violence, forced removals, and the destruction of medical facilities and other critical infrastructure.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

"At the 18th Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute...the parties voted, unanimously, to expand the scope of the Statute and make starvation a war crime in non-international armed conflicts" i.e. civil war
Ethiopia On The Brink Of Famine via @forbes https://t.co/c3Y8QKuUBh

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

@HRW investigated the case of a 17-yr-old #Oromo grabbed & publicly executed w/o trial by armed security. “#Ethiopian authorities have shown nothing but contempt in the face of alleged atrocities instead of investigating these abhorrent acts,” Bader said.
https://t.co/WUhbCpCsRT

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Fortunately, this is open to the public.
Note: a window into events in #Tigray is a window into the kind of violence, destruction & injustice also happening in #Oromia and states to the west & south, #BeniShangualGumuz #Sidama #Somali.
And, an election is being railroaded thru.

[Lauren Blanchard @LaurenBinDC]

The US & EU will host a High-Level Roundtable on the humanitarian emergency in #Tigray tomorrow, with ⁦@USAmbUN⁩ ⁦@PowerUSAID⁩ ⁦@JanezLenarcic⁩ ⁦@JuttaUrpilainen⁩ ⁦@UNReliefChief⁩ ⁦@USGSRSGPatten⁩ ⁦@NRC_Egeland⁩... https://t.co/SrAvgpyoTG

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

I will never accept a system that lets billionaires add $1,620,000,000,000 to their wealth in 13 months but doesn’t raise the $7.25 minimum wage for 12 years.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

@PowerUSAID @POTUS @USAIDSCharles @SFRCdems @SenateForeign @USAID FYI -- Hearing began a bit late at 11:08 or so and is now in recess for a floor vote. Will reconvene.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

"#Ethiopia & other stakeholders across the political spectrum shd commit to an inclusive dialogue. Working together, the people of Ethiopia cn build a shared vision for the country’s political future & lay the foundation for sustainable & equitable economic growth & prosperity."

[Meaza Gidey Gebremedhin @meazaG_]

.@POTUS in his long awaited statement addressing the ongoing state-led #TigrayGenocide called for:
- Immediate ceasefire in #Tigray
- Immediate withdrawal of Eritrean & Amhara militia
- Immediate unimpeded humanitarian access to Tigray &
-Inclusive dialogue, among other things.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Things are moving in a new direction. Biden committed to support democracy over autocracy globally. #Ethiopia's test case could still go either way. A chorus of elite #Ethiopian voices are pushing hard for autocracy/"centralization". Can #democracy prevail?https://t.co/2FqXfobCLJ

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Yes, indeed! Youth of rural #Ethiopia who sacrificed enormously to demand just that—a stable prosperous #democracy—created the dramatic political opening that PM Abiy stepped into. The courageous unsung heroes of this generation deserve to be respected with credible elections.

[Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems]

Ethiopia cannot build a stable, prosperous democracy if its leaders insist on staying in power by jailing opposition leaders, persecuting journalists, & stifling free debate. Amidst a brutal civil war, Ethiopians deserve credible elections, not a coronation for the regime.

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

The US has taken a bold stand: to support lifting patents to make COVID vaccines available worldwide. Despite objection from big pharmaceutical companies, this approach gets vaccine protection to people beyond the reach of the Big Pharma business model. Bravo! Happy Mother's Day!

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Bravo! This support of #TRIPSWaiver is the 1st step in an about-face for the US, away from expecting Africa to rely on handouts & toward long term sustainability. With patent monopolies lifted, African countries can get the recipes & produce vaccines on their own continent.

[CTC @citizenstrade]

"President Biden’s support for the #TRIPSwaiver is unquestionably the right thing to do for the world and the nation. More work is needed to make sure the waiver moves forward as effectively as possible, but this has a real potential to help save lives." https://t.co/7r5unetvEe

[AdNA-Ubuntu @AdNAUbuntu]

The U.S. will support a proposal to waive intellectual-property protections for #Covid19vaccines and will actively take part in negotiations over the waiver at the WTO https://t.co/f485ppuBjR via @bpolitics #TRIPSwaiver @PaulineMuchina @AAkwei @emirawoods @AfricaNowOnline

[Qabbanee @QabbaneeDC]

Today AdNA joins #FreeTheVaccine rally urging the US to support temporary WTO TRIPS waiver (lift the patents so Africa can produce vaccines at home). Africa & the world need #PeoplesVaccine to beat #COVID19 This puts lives ahead of profits. https://t.co/mUbF2vLG0A