News from Eritrea
Devolution Principal Secretary Teresia Mbaika (left) charts with the Secretary General East Africa Local Government Association (EALGA) Gertrude Buyinga at Teleposta Towers on March 21, 2023 after having an engagement. The Engagement was about building a stronger association for Cities in the East and South Africa Region to cover Cities and Local Government in Prevention of Violence Extremism, Crime Hate and Polarization.
Source: Kenya News Agency
At a forum organized on 16 and 17 March at the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers Hall, research papers have been presented in connection with the National Law Week that is being conducted under the theme “Law for Human Dignity and Development”.
Indicating that the Ministry has been exerting to finalize laws and modus operandi based on Eritrean social values, Ms. Fauzia Hashim, Minister of Justice, said that extensive effort is being conducted to modernize regional and global trade and material contract commitments.
Minister Fauzia also said the objective of the second National Law Week is to develop the understanding of the public on the core concepts of human values and development.
The research papers presented at the forum included ‘Law and Nationality’, ‘Human Values’, ‘Law and Development’ as well as the progress of Information Technology and Communications at the Ministry of Justice.
On the occasion, a documentary film entitled “Eritrea Apiary of Human Values” was presented to the participants of the forum.
Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea
Addis Ababa March 17/2023 /ENA/ The African Union (AU) has pledged to provide the necessary support to the effective implementation of Ethiopia’s transitional justice program.
A two day consultative meeting on policy options for Transitional Justice in Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa.
The consultative meeting, that attracted heads of several international institutions and experts, was organized by the ministry of Justice in collaboration with the African Union.
During the occasion, Representative of the African Union Commission (AUC) and Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention, Patience Zanelie Chiradza said Ethiopia’s transitional justice police would be crucial instrument to address the challenges that Ethiopia has been facing.
Appreciating Ethiopia’s plan to undertake transitional justice, the director affirmed AUC’s readiness to provide the necessary support to its effective implementation.
She also urged all stakeholders to make the process more inclusive that considers legal accountability, reconciliation, and compensation.
The Director has also commended the idea to respect Ethiopia’s history, culture and spiritual values in the course of implementing the transitional justice.
The process is also expected to include all segments of the society including women, the youth, internally displaced persons, persons with disability, the media, and religious groups among others, she added.
State Minister of Justice, Alemante Agidew, said the National Transitional Justice policy is believed to play critical role to ensuring sustainable peace, justice and reconciliation in Ethiopia expressing the commitment of the government to realizing the policy.
Efforts are also being made to harmonize the policy with the African Union Transitional Justice Policy with in the existing context of the country, he added.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
Addis Ababa March 17/2023 /ENA/ Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Ethiopia has revitalized the lately stagnant relations between Ethiopia and the United States, Professor Brook Hailu of the African Leadership Excellence Academy told ENA.
According to the senior advisor at the academy, the visit has revived the stagnant relations between Ethiopia and the United States of America.
Despite the brief period of unenthusiastic relationship, the longstanding 120 years relationship of Ethiopia and U.S.A has been mostly good, he added.
Stating that the two countries have been strategic partners on various bilateral and international relations, the professor noted that Ethiopia was the first African country to open its embassy in the U.S during the reign of Emperor Hale Selassie I.
And the United States also opened its first Consulate General, commonly known as American Gibi, in Africa around Mercato in Addis Ababa.
Professor Brook said that most of the history of relations between Ethiopia and America is good. He mentioned that the armies of the countries had fought along side in peacekeeping missions in Korea and Congo.
America had also a military base in the former Ethiopian province of Eritrea as the countries had strong military and agricultural relations.
However, the relationship between the two countries stalled during the Cold War and America did not have an ambassador in Ethiopia during the Derg military regime.
Following the recent reform in Ethiopia, Professor Brook said Ethio-U.S relations has been good despite the lately brief period of stagnation.
The role of the recent visit of Secretary Blinken to Ethiopia in boosting the countries relationship is crucial and it shows the firm commitment of the U.S to revive the longstanding relations between the two sides, he noted.
Recall that Blinken revealed that the two countries have agreed to elevate their bilateral and regional partnership.
The state secretary also announced over 331 million USD in new humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia in FY 2023 through the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
A seaman has cut a niche in the martial arts field of Karate through nurturing children from underprivileged families in Kasipul constituency in the sport, which has sent ripples among karate giants in Nyanza region. Mr Olafur Halldorsson, a retired sailor and a citizen of Iceland married to a Kenyan, is the director of little known TAKK Kenya Orphanage which has excelled in Karate sporting. TAKK Kenya orphanage is located about one-kilometre Oyugis from town Mr Olafur says he came to Kenya in 2017 after he got an early retirement at the age of 59 as a seaman in his home country of Iceland. He says while in his travels in Kenya, one day he came to know of the orphanage after he was offered a shelter for a night. ‘When I woke up in the morning, I was surrounded by children who were in a very bad condition, children suffering from malnutrition and very needy,’ he said. Olafur said that was when he got the call ‘Can’t I do anything about the situation?’ he thought and said if you don’t do anything about this you are a dog.’ It is now six years since he started supporting the orphanage, which he later took over as the director and a karate trainer. He says children as old as two months abandoned in various places in the sub county are referred to the orphanage through government agencies such as the police, Children’s Service department and hospitals for care. Olafur says some of the children are HIV positive and they need a lot of care and constant supply of drugs, some yet to get over a very traumatic past. ‘I try to give the children a good life as much as possible with the means we have,’ he said Mr Olafur says as an organisation they try to raise the children in a way so that they become of good character. ‘A number of the orphans are enrolled in government schools where we offer our support to them so that they get the best education,’ he said. Elsa Akinyi, the manager in the organisation said the children only come in the evening to eat and sleep. ‘Apart from education we also as an organisation train the children in sporting activities,’ Akinyi said. She said the new education curriculum recognises the place of talent and how to nurture it among learners. She said as an organisation taking care of children they identified three games that they deem quite relevant and manageable within the set up: volleyball, football, swimming and karate Ms Akinyi said luckily, when we started training the first cohort of students on sports many developed interest in karate especially the boys. ‘I think the children thought karate was interesting given the fact they were being trained by the director,’ she chuckled. ‘Karate so far has become the epitome of our institution,’ Ms Akinyi said, adding we are already sending ripples across the county and Nyanza region competing with experienced teams such as Ringa Boys, Kisumu Boys, Kisumu Polytechnic and many more.’ She said from the trophies and medal awards they have won, TAKK orphanage karate is a team to watch saying it has already rattled established karate clubs. Indeed, a quick scan in her office reveals a pageantry of trophies and medals won during previous competitions The manager said TAKK orphanage as a Junior Karate club has participated in four competitions in the year 2022 and gave a streak of successes. ‘The team was the first runners-up in the national inter -counties and institutions karate competition 2022, cadets male team Kumite,’ Ms Akinyi said. She said during the Kisumu open 2022 championships the team took position 2, winning a silver medal. ‘TAKK orphanage Kenya took position one at both the Taifa Open Karate championship in Mombasa and Kisii championship,’ she said. She said karate training in the organization started in the year 2021 saying despite initial training hiccups like the community around the institution thought they were training criminals because of the shouts that accompany karate training, they have been able to excel and now the community appreciates what they are doing and have since become supportive. ‘We have won two gold medals and a silver, you see,’ Ms Akinyi said adding that after the Kisii championship the boys gained new energy, and as an organization they were encouraged to employ a coach and hope to participate in international tournaments,’ she said The manager said initially the director Mr. Olafur was the trainer. ‘As a young man I was I trained in karate. It is a good sport in many ways,’ Mr. Olafur said He said given the children they have who are from diverse backgrounds, some even with traumatic past, karate makes one disciplined, it brings feelings of honour and it gives a sense of respect to self and others in society. Other important aspects of karate the director said includes helping in meditation, being mindful and calm. ‘Karate also makes people remain rooted in themselves and society and generally one gains skills to defend themselves against attacks,’ he said. Apart from sports Mr Olafur said they try to nurture the students in a way so that those who are good in academic work are helped to excel and those not so good are trained to gain vocational skills in sewing, knitting and in sports so that they can use the skills to earn a living. ‘This I do from my pension and the support I get from friends mostly from a Facebook page I created,’ he said. Mr Olafur said currently they have around 50 orphans in the organisation, some are in secondary schools, one in university, and another waiting to join university this year. The director said some of the students in karate club can earn a living adding that one or two can become trainers in karate. However, he said there is need for the students to acquire higher education. ‘I want the students to get higher education because it is what can take them out of the trap of poverty,’ he said. Felix Ochieng is one of the students in the orphanage. Ochieng is the team leader in the orphanage’s karate club. ‘I was taken in when I was in Form-two,’ he said. Ochieng is still accommodated in the orphanage and is waiting to join university this year to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Medicine He says he has been the karate club team leader and he loves it so much.’Karate makes one disciplined and remains focused in life,’ he said.
Source: Kenya News Agency
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s, visit to Ethiopia will take the diplomatic relations between the two countries to a new heights of cooperation, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Meles Alem said.
Ambassador Meles Alem gave a weekly press briefing to journalists on the main diplomatic activities of Ethiopia.
Anthony Blinken’s visit to Ethiopia will take the relations between Ethiopia and the US to a higher level, Ambassador Meles said.
He also stated that the visit of the secretary of state is an indication that the relations between the two countries are growing.
During his stay in Ethiopia, the secretary of state held discussion with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, focusing on various domestic, regional and bilateral issues, Meles added.
Blinken also held discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonen on various issues.
The two sides held discussion based on mutual understanding and cooperation, ambassador Meles said adding that the relations between the two countries have entered to a new phase of cooperation.
According to the spokesperson, successful diplomatic activities are being carried out, with particular focus on peace diplomacy.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has concluded his one day visit to Ethiopia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen bid farewell to the Secretary of State today at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
During his one day visit to Ethiopia, the state secretary met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and discussed domestic, regional and bilateral issues of mutual concern, with a commitment for enhancing the partnership between Ethiopia and the US.
Blinken has also announced 331-million USD in new humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia in FY 2023, according to the US Department of State.
Following the conclusion of his official visit to Ethiopia last night, the US Secretary of State said the cessation of hostilities agreement on the conflict in northern Ethiopia is one of the most powerful testaments to the importance of African leadership.
Anthony Blinken has also held discussions with African Union Commissioner Moussa Faki Mahamat.
“I was pleased to receive US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the AU HQ during his working visit to Ethiopia,” the commissioner twitted.
He added that we exchanged views regarding progress in the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement and other regional issues of mutual interest.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency