Day: May 11, 2021

WASHINGTON – The United States said it “strongly supports democratization in Ethiopia” as it nears a national election June 5, while noting a “free, fair, and credible election” can happen only with a conducive electoral environment.

The statement comes amid a humanitarian crisis and conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had pressed for Ethiopia’s and Eritrea’s commitments to withdraw Eritrean troops from Tigray “immediately, in full, and in a verifiable manner.” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in late March that Eritrea had agreed to withdraw its forces from Tigray. Abiy Ahmed then traveled to Eritrea and met with President Isaias Afwerki, but despite assurances from Abiy that Eritrea would withdraw U.S. officials said there is no evidence to date that such a withdrawal has occurred.

Ethiopia has struggled to prepare for the June 5 general elections because of difficulties in registering voters. The general elections have been delayed since August because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Administrative elections for the cities of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa are scheduled for June 12.

“If that (a conducive electoral environment) is to be achieved, the government of Ethiopia must respect the freedom of assembly, the freedom of speech, political participation, and access to internet and information,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price Monday during a briefing. “Political parties, we know, should discourage violence, and state security forces must demonstrate restraint in the use of force and partisan tactics.”

“We’re also working closely with international partners to promote community-based dialogue to minimize violence surrounding the elections,” Price added, in response to questions posed by VOA.

The State Department did not say whether it believes the elections will go forward as planned under the circumstances.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia David Shinn told VOA it is not possible to have an election in the Tigray region, adding “there are some real concerns as to the viability of an election on June 5th” in Ethiopia, outside of Tigray.

The unrest and restrictions on outside observers have led some to question the electoral process. On May 3, the European Union High Representative Josep Borrell issued a statement announcing the cancellation of an election observation mission to Ethiopia. Borrell cited disagreement “on key parameters” for an EU Electoral Observation Mission. “As conditions are not fulfilled, the deployment of the mission has to be cancelled,” the statement added.

‘Deep concerns’

On Monday, a bipartisan U.S. congressional statement expressed deep concerns for the continued presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray.

“The only viable path toward a durable cessation of hostilities and inclusive political dialogue will not be found through military action. The continued presence of Eritrean forces, who have been credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights in Tigray, is a major impediment to resolving this conflict,” said congressmen Gregory Meeks, the chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the committee.

The U.S. will continue to pause non-humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia to pressure Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government to do more to end atrocities in Tigray. But the State Department will continue other humanitarian aid to the country.

“As we consider our aid to Ethiopia, we want to make sure that in the first instance, we’re not doing anything that would place a further burden on the people of Tigray, who are in such humanitarian plight,” said Price.

“We want to make sure that as we consider any future steps that we continue to do all we can to support them,” he added.

The Tigray crisis was among issues discussed at last week’s G-7 foreign ministerial meetings in London.

In a communique, foreign ministers called on “all parties to cease hostilities immediately, ensure the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law as well as media freedom and access, and hold those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, including sexual violence, accountable.”

Source: Voice of America

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON – Cameroonian convict Jacques Calvin Eyafa has been bound to a wheelchair at the Yaoundé maximum security prison for the past two years. But authorities say that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to steal money from people over the phone.

Police in Cameroon say they have charged Eyafa with impersonating African presidents over the phone to defraud victims, including the government of Niger.

Judicial police officer Vincent De Paul Meva says Eyafa is accused of using a smuggled mobile phone to impersonate officials, including Cameroon’s President Paul Biya.

Meva said Eyafa’s skills are so good, he managed to con Niger’s embassy in Cameroon last year out of an undisclosed sum of money before he was caught.

Meva said in March 2020, the office of the president of the republic of Cameroon reported that someone was impersonating Biya and his cabinet director, Mvondo Ayollo. He said the impostor called Niger’s then-President Mahamadou Issoufou on the phone several times. He said Issoufou alerted Biya of the suspicious calls and Biya asked the police to open investigations and track the calls.

Meva said the search led to the prison and Eyafa, who is serving a three-year sentence for running a fake employment agency that promised jobs for a fee.

Police say Eyafa mimicked Biya’s voice in calls where he vowed to rally Nigeriens in Cameroon to vote for Issoufou in December’s election – for a price.

Niger’s embassy in Yaoundé confirmed that people they believed were Biya and other state officials called them and made some inquiries but declined to go into detail.

Meva said Eyafa got the embassy to give him the personal telephone number of Niger’s President Issoufou.

He said Eyafa is suspected of cheating or attempting to cheat several French-speaking African leaders, international aid groups, and private companies.

Meva would not disclose the amount of money Eyafa allegedly received by mobile money transfer from Niger or name any other victims.

Catherine Penda, who owns a road construction company called Construct Cameroon, said Eyafa duped her out of what she called a “huge amount of money.”

She said she never for a second suspected that Eyafa was an impostor. Penda said she doesn’t want to disclose the amount of money Eyafa extorted after promising to give her contracts to build roads in Cameroon. But she said Eyafa did not act alone and pleads with Cameroon’s and Niger’s police to track his network, which according to her is well organized.

Cameroon police say they are investigating a network of impostors, allegedly led by Eyafa, who impersonate and cheat high-ranking state officials and investors in central African states.

Germain Ntono Tsimi, a lecturer of law at the University of Yaounde, said Eyafa could get up to 40 more years in prison if found guilty.

Source: Voice of America

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The United Nations warns Somalia faces a perilous future as drought followed by torrential rains have destroyed this year’s planting season.

Somalia is one of the countries in the world most prone to the erratic and calamitous impacts of climate change. It has been hit by a double climate disaster for more than two weeks that is likely to worsen its already acute situation of food insecurity.

The drought, which was declared on April 25 was soon followed by torrential rains that caused flash floods and rivers to overflow. The U.N. organization for the coordination of humanitarian affairs reports the rains came too late for the planting season.

OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said floods have killed at least 25 people in various parts of the country. The victims include nine children who died when their house flooded in the Benadir region, in the capital, Mogadishu.

“The Juba River has burst its banks, houses have been washed away and livestock have perished. There are also reports of flooding in the north of the country and there are continuous flash flood warnings across Somalia, especially for people living in low lying areas. In flooded areas, local communities are struggling to prevent further flooding by placing sandbags, poles and other materials to reinforce riverbanks,” he said.

The World Food Program reports 2.7 million Somalis are short of food, with more than half-a-million on the brink of famine. An estimated 300,000 children under age five are malnourished, including 48,000 who are severely malnourished and at high risk of disease and death.

OCHA spokesman Laerke warned the combined impact of drought and floods is likely to worsen this critical situation.

“Both climate shocks cause displacement, jeopardize access to safe water, increase waterborne diseases and impact people’s livelihoods. Despite increasing humanitarian needs, the funding forecast for 2021 is the worst in six years. This year’s Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan requires $1 billion to assist four million people. As of today, the plan is only 19 percent funded,” he said.

Laerke said OCHA and partners are using the limited funds at their disposal to step up operations in drought-affected areas and reach at least 353,000 people with aid. Urgent efforts, he adds also are under way to respond to the flash flooding.

The World Food Program reports it has distributed food to more than 20,000 people in Jowhar city, one of the areas hardest hit by flooding in central Somalia.

Source: Voice of America