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Opposition supports Ethiopia Dam, Egyptian army threatens

Ethiopia’s main opposition parties announced support for the country’s latest hydroelectric dam but criticized the politicization of the massive project by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The largest coalition party MEDREK and the EDP said they are cautious but in favor of the “Great Millennium Dam.”

The planned dam will be the largest dam in Africa in electric power generation capacity and the 10th largest in the world. Professor Beyene Petros, the former leader of the Southern Ethiopia People Democratic Coalition, is now the current chairman of Medrek. Mr. Petros said he is concerned about Sudanese and Egyptian opposition to Ethiopian projects. “It is right that Ethiopia uses its natural resources and we have no opposition to the government’s intention to build the dam,” Beyene Petros said. “Our concerns are the after-effects of the move and whether stakeholders, such as other riparian countries, were consulted. Such moves need strong diplomatic support.”

The stakes are extremely high as Ethiopia’s biggest enemy is poverty,” Beyene said. “One way of fighting poverty is to nurture our energy sector so that it can fuel development projects. If anyone tries to prevent us from achieving this task, we will not be forgiving.”

According to Addis Fortune, the “Millennium Dam will have two powerhouses with 10 turbines on the left side of the river bank and an additional five on the other side, each generating 350MW at a time. This is equal to the combined capacity of Tis Abay I and II, Koka, Melka Wakena, as well as Awash I and II dams. [It] will have a height of 145 metres, shorter than Tekeze Dam by 43 metres, while it will stretch 1,800 metres wide. Once completed, the dam is designed to hold 63 billion cubic metres of water, making this manmade lake twice the size of Lake Tana, the source of the river on which the dam is to be built.”

The new president of the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) opposition party, Mr. Mushe Semu said his party supports hydroelectric dam developments in Ethiopia. If there are Ethiopian dissidents in the Diaspora who oppose this dam, “They are not real Ethiopians” he declared. Asked if Meles will get benefit from this dam, Mr. Semu said “Meles will unfortunately get political advantage by the success of this dam but the dam is more than politics. It is about our country, about fighting poverty and it is a call of our generation.” Semu said he is calling on his party’s supporters and members to back the construction of this dam while fighting Zenawi’s politicization of development projects in the country.

Oromo political analyst Kemal Abdisa said Meles should not be praised for the initiative since the project was first planned during the Emperor Haile Selassie I era and all governments are expected to improve a nation’s basic infrastructure in their time. According to him, irrigation projects along the Nile are more important than Zenawi’s dam projects. “All people in Ethiopia, no matter which ethnic group or religion they belong to, must support infrastructural advancement. But this does not make Meles a democrat or excuse the failure of his economic policies the last 20 years. Ethiopians still want the end of the one-party dictatorship in their country,” Mr. Abdisa stated.

The Millennium Dam which will be built along the Nile River, has caused uproar in Cairo. Some Egyptian media outlets stated that authorities in Egypt have ordered the Egyptian air force to prepare for possible attacks in Ethiopia. In response, Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dina Mufti played down the rhetoric. “It’s a psychological threat persisting from the early time of Egypt's former President Anwar Sadat”  Mr. Mufti added. The Comprehensive Framework Agreement (CFA) signed by the majority of Nile basin African countries has effectively stripped Egypt of its veto rights. However, Egypt has managed to block international funding for Ethiopia’s new development projects, including China, which Meles previously claimed was immune to such lobbying. Sources in Ethiopia say the Meles government has been disappointed with some Chinese officials. Earlier this year, Meles was praising China's and India’s nonpolitical role in Africa as his government saw the growing Asian giants as alternative sources of finance to the WEST.

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Comments 11 comments for this article
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Added: April 24, 2011. 03:58 PM GMT
intersting bravo Medrek and EDP
This is what we excepect from all ethiopian oppsition party, any thing good is good for all citzens.and i hope the GOV't also need to take one step forward for the countrys multy party system ,change his dictatorship comunist ideas and a limited time for our prim minsters and all other political postion...
Fitwi K.
Added: April 14, 2011. 05:48 PM GMT
ofcouse we have to support the dam. even when we were under dictators mengistu and haile, people supported ethio development
our freedom fighters should only destroy Woyanne targets, not development projects
Tarik
Added: April 14, 2011. 05:21 PM GMT
Tarikawi sihtet
Inante teqawami tebiyewoch! Le 20 ametat leweyane yepoletika shifan bemestet asaridachhunal. aybeqachihum ahun inkuan? Keweyane belay yezich hager telat inante nachihu. resa hula.Ye ethiopiawiyan yetafene chuhet inditastegabu manim baymertachihum. Enante inkuwan bezeginet yemitebeqibachihun halafinet batiwetu enkwan MEDAN LE ETHIOPIA KE LELA SIFRA YIMETAL.Ahun beiwunet endih bemehon weyanen yemitadinu yimeslachiwal way? Ende Japan sunami tirigrig indatilu. Yehe sifetsem tayalachihu.
kebid mesara
Added: April 14, 2011. 12:35 PM GMT
Tigrai to Mekele
We know from begning this this Dam is for the people of Tigria.This little and narrow mind popput are always stand for this 5% poppliton of Ethiopia.First moved this Tigria gangs then fight the poverty.The Tigria land is dry and they need Ethiopia but first give us our Ethiopa untill this point you never get back Ethiopians heart.
Elin Ghetachow
Added: April 14, 2011. 01:38 AM GMT
first let us remove TPLF then we build dams
Urji
Added: April 13, 2011. 08:46 PM GMT
Transformation is the ONLY solution!
Kikikikiki... What an endless sweet dancing acrobat at the sweet attention diversion Dumb Dam DRUMMING by the cunning fox minority brutal dictator.

The minority Mafia actively offering Ethiopian mining and agricultural concessions/investments for Egypt right now as we talk while turning around and pretending to be challenging Egypt and Egyptian interests on behalf of Ethiopia simply for the sheer fooling and foxy manipulation purpose of lining up parochial and enslaved Ethiopian circles behind its brutal domination and hunger for power. What a shameless cunning fox dressed in sheep skins and trying to manipulate and control our independent minds and independent thinking's for freedom and democracy? The dictator needs to dragged out of his medieval bunker just like Tyrants Gbagbo of Ivory Coast and Mubarak of Egypt currently standing trial for the massive criminal human rights violations and gigantic robbery of the century. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Tammirat Taye
Added: April 13, 2011. 02:21 PM GMT
Attention diversion!
This is simply an attention diversion maneuver from the imminent REVOLUTION! We like it or not, the Oromo people in particular and all the affected nations of the empire in general, do have no other alternative to fighting in unison against this nama-nyaataa regime. All Oromo nationalists in the political spectrum of the Oromo organizations, as described below, must now build a formal or informal tokkummaa and tumsa to push together for their common ground, i.e for bilisummaa from Woyane fascism. After achieving this bilisummaa from fascism, they will have in the future a chance to compete against each other and to advocate for their respective versions of the desired Oromo national sovereignity, on which the Oromo public will decide per referendum:

- the far-left, like the UDJ struggling for a unitary Ethiopia with Oromo leadership,
- the middle-left, like the OPDO, who tries to keep the status quo of a limited Oromian cultural autonomy,
- the central-middle, like the OFC striving for a complete Oromian autonomy within Ethiopian union, i.e for a pre-walabummaa union,
- the middle-right, like the ULFO fighting for an Oromian independence/for a walabummaa, and
- the far-right, like the OLF pushing further for Oromian union, i.e for a union of the Horn region, where all Oromo clans do live, that means pushing further for a post-walabummaa union.

The political spectrum I used here is not based on a class ideology (communism vs capitalism), but the spectrum of the Oromo parties based on their view regarding the national liberation movement of the Oromo people. Here, the far-left doesn't mean an extremist communist fascist, but it does mean the WORSE approach to the liberation struggle than that of the others; whereas the far-right means the BEST approach and the best solution to the national problem, it doesn't imply the meaning of an extremist capitalist aparthied type of nationalism. Accordingly, UDJ is worse than the others, OPDO is the bad party, OFC the good, ULFO the better and OLF the best. Enjoy a related article from Fayyis Oromia here: http://gadaa.com/oduu/3580/2010/05/12/oromo-tokkummaa-via-the-olf-mindset-in-the-bad-opdo-the-good-ofc-the-better-ulfo-and-the-best-afd/

So, let's all Oromo nationalists in all walk of life wake up and be united for the common noble cause of bilisummaa from the fascists and racists as a common denominator. If we can realize this freedom from fascists and then foster democratic rights in that empire/country, the Oromo nation will not have any disadvantage, what ever type of national sovereignity we will have based on the Oromo public verdict, be it 'independent Oromia' or 'true Federation' or 'unitary Ethiopia'. That is why the OLF in particular and all the Oromo liberation froces in general should take a lead in the upcoming imminent revolution, without being distracted by the attention diversion maneuver of the Woyane.

But the question is: can we give the above mentioned five Oromo parties the original Gadaa names, for instance: UDJ = Birimaji; OPDO = Horata; OFC = Bichile; ULFO = Duulo; OLF = Robale? Otherwise looking at their respective explicit vision and just taking in to consideration the liberation journey according to the famous metaphor (the journey from Djibouti/from Garbummaa to Finfinne/to an optimal Bilisummaa):
- UDJ wants to bring back the status of an 'Erased Oromia' from the world map = a backward move to Djibouti,
- OPDO wants to maintain the present 'Occupied Oromia' by Woyane occupation force = a life in Ayesha, the desert town at the border of Djibouti,
- OFC strives a forward move to 'Autonomous Oromia' = a move to Diredhawa,
- ULFO fights for a further move to 'Independent Oromia' = further move to Adaama, and
- OLF struggles for an optimal form of bilisummaa beyond an independence, i.e for a 'United Oromia' in the Horn = a final journey to Finfinne.

Accordingly, we can see that UDJ's struggle for an individual liberty of citzens is good, but its attempt to erase Oromia must be checked; OPDO is good only to hinder this attempt of erasing Oromia, but its tendency to maintain the occupied status of Oromia can not be accepted; the moves of OFC, ULFO and OLF are just complementary, if they are wise enough to synchronize their move and work in tandem to promote our liberation journey first to Diredhawa, then to Adaama and finally to Finfinne without creating an artificial conflict as they sometimes seem to do. But now as already said, we have to give a priority to getting rid of the fascist and racist Woyane regime by any means possible, including the revolution.

Of course, the current diaspora Oromo uprising may help the revolution at home erupt. But, as far as I am concerned, I am a private Oromo nationalist, who is now "living in Ayesha" (a desert town at the border to Djibouti = a metaphor depicting the political status quo of the Oromo). I actually want to move to Finfinne (a metaphor for an independent and a united Oromia). Let’s not forget the fact that UDJ, G-7 and the likes do want to realize the 'erased Oromia' by opposing the possible true Killil-federation (the same political status to that of the past Ethiopian regimes); they simply want to forge a Derg-type of Ethiopa, which is equivalent to a move back to Djibouti/to a complete slavery. Sure is that I will never take a drive with them from Ayesha back to Djibouti. Also let’s just think about the OPDO, who wants to give me a car lift to make a tour only in Ayesha (keeping the status quo), but never wants to help me move a single killometer towards Finfinne. Then, what is the use of driving with OPDO? Nothing! But we can look at the OFC, who wants to help me move forward to Diredhawa (an autonomous Oromia within an Ethiopian union) and we can see ULFO, who wants to bring me further to Adaama (an independent Oromia within an African union). Should I reject their help? Never! I surely will take a ride with them to both Diredhawa and Adaama. After being in Adaama, it is up to me to ask for further car lift to Finfinne (an example for not only an independent Oromia, but also for a united Oromia in the Horn region).

That is the reason for the fact that it is the time for ALL freedom fighters from all walk of life to rise up in unison against the fascists, racists and tyrants (against the Woyane regime). After getting this freedom from tyranny, the Oromo popular verdict to decide on the type of sovereignity we want to have will be excercised, which can lead us to one of the following: to UDJ’s ‘Erased Oromia’, to OPDO’s ‘Occupied Oromia’, to OFC’s ‘Autonomous Oromia’, to ULFO’s ‘Independent Oromia’ or to OLF’s ‘United Oromia’. But now, the common denominator for all these movements is the ‘freedom from Woyane’s Tyranny’, on which all of them need to cooperate. That is why the present tendency to demonstrate against the tyrants together is a very good start. Let’s ALL march together against this Evil regime.

I think this is a very nice step of a revolution to be taken, which is in the right direction as far as Oromo cause is concerned. No question that the upcoming third revolution will erupt as expected. During the first revolution in 1974, the revolutionaries had three main agenda: 'land to the tiller', 'self-rule of nations' and 'democratic human rights'. The first demand (land to the tiller) was/is at least formally accepted since the first revolution, but not yet implemented; the second one (self-rule of nations) is also formally respected since the second revolution of 1991, but also it is not yet implemented. Now we do hope that these two agenda will be surely implemented and the third one (democratic human rights) will also be added after the success of the expected and the upcoming third revolution. Of course OLF can take the lead in this third revolution as it did during the last two revolutions.
Warraaqaa
Added: April 13, 2011. 09:51 AM GMT
destroy egypt!
let egypt start war, we will crush the arabs like we did 200 years ago!

this time, ethiopian jets will fly from many directions to cairo, including from jerusalem airspaces!

long live Israel!!
Added: April 13, 2011. 09:42 AM GMT
bravo!
the oppositin is very smart! the dam is being built for our children and for our country, NOT for zenawi!

DEATH TO WOYANE!
Adama
Added: April 13, 2011. 04:02 AM GMT
nice choice medrek, you are the right party for ethiopia
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