July 23, 2024 – by Mesfin Mekonen
Ethiopia: Washington Update
- Senator Menendez conviction. Good riddance.
One of the charges against Senator, soon to be ex-Senator Bob Menendez, was accepting bribes from the government of Egypt in exchange for promoting Egypt’s opposition to construction and utilization of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. Menendez tried to convince the U.S. State Department to adopt Egypt’s position.
As Washington Update has written in the past, the GERD is vital for Ethiopia’s economic development and prosperity. It will alleviate water shortages, including for irrigation, and bring power to millions of Ethiopians who have lacked access to electricity.
While Menendez was motivated by personal greed, it isn’t clear why former President Trump took Egypt’s side in disputes over the GERD. In 2020 then-President Trump predicted that Egypt would blow up the GERD, a potential catastrophe that he did not attempt to forestall.
- An obscene palace
Prime Minister Abiy is moving forward with a plan to spend as much as $10 billion on a presidential palace under a so-called Chaka (forest) project. The extravagant spending is obscene at a time when the UN reports that millions of Ethiopians are suffering from malnutrition, the country is at war in the south and in the north. Ethiopia needs a democratically elected government, rule of law, peace, economic development and human rights – not a lavish palace built to pamper a man who is responsible for his own people’s suffering.
- Constitutional conference. Ethiopian Diaspora uniting for democracy.
Members of the Ethiopian/American concerned civic organizations will hold a meeting on September 23, from 9 a.m. to noon, in the Kennedy Caucus Room, Senate Russell office building, to complete work on proposed draft constitutions. We thank Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) for his assistance in securing the room and for his support.
The conference is intended to discuss the root cause of the misery in Ethiopia is the nation’s constitution based on divide and rule ethnic federalism, Ethnic conflicts that threaten to tear Ethiopia apart, and debate draft constitutions that attempt to address the root causes of Ethiopia’s most serious problems, a constitution that is intended to facilitate an authoritarian, kleptocratic government. To secure democracy, human rights and economic prosperity, Ethiopia needs a new constitution that places power in the hands of its people.
What a shameful and repulsive crime by a senator who betrayed those who put great trust in him. Above all he betrayed the country that gave him so much opportunity. This is an example of a child of immigrants who sold his soul to the devil. He conspired with bigots in Al-Qahirah against innocent black folks who are trying to pull themselves out of abject poverty using their Allah gifted natural resources without causing any harm to their neighbors near and afar. Now he is to face the wrath of this great nation. If the judge decides to go full blast with the law this despicable crook can face a prison sentence of more than 200 years which means he will never see a daylight outside prison.
Now this investigation that ended in an indictment should be used as a starting point. If there were any lawmakers who were at one time or another vocal against the GERD dam, they should also be looked at and investigated. They may/might have used the lack of democratic governance and rule of law as an excuse but they should have known better the fact that the dam has nothing to do with such improprieties in its benefits to those black folks who have been living in the dark.
Bon voyage to prison convicted felon!!!!!