The organisation said it supported the move, and the agreement between Somalia's government and Kenya to co-operate in the operation. Kenya says it is acting to protect its own security against the Somali Islamist militants of al-Shabab. Earlier this week, Kenyan forces crossed the border, advancing on towns in southern Somalia. The statement, from Igad, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, came at the end of a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, attended by ministers from the region. Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula said the Islamist insurgents were being pursued by the Kenyan army, were on the run and growing weaker by the day. Mr Wetangula said that Kenya's incursion into Somalia had made tremendous progress against al-Shabab which Kenya blames for a string of kidnappings on Kenyan soil. The Igad communique said the region "welcomes and supports the up scaling of the security operation by Kenya" and backs the agreement between Kenya and Somalia's Transitional Government to "co-operate on all aspects of the operation". Al-Shabab claim success in Mogadishu, but are being attacked by Kenya in the South Their remarks followed fierce clashes between al-Shabab and African Union peacekeepers backed by government forces in Mogadishu this week. 'A colonial graveyard' On Thursday al-Shabab displayed 76 bodies said to be African Union troops killed in the fighting - a claim the AU denied. An AU spokesman dismissed the claim as propaganda and said 10 of its soldiers had been killed and two were missing. The AU has 9,000 troops in Somalia to back the weak interim government. But a statement from the leader of al-Shabab, Ahmed Godane, broadcast on the militants' radio station said they had taught the AU force, Amisom, a lesson they would never forget. "Mogadishu is a graveyard for colonialists," Mr Godane said.

A&T, Your eloquently written response has so many holes it is hard to cover them all. - Eritrea was the instigator of the 1998-2000 war, as was proven by the UN. Therefore, your notion that Tigres wanted to humiliate Eritreans for past wrongs (??) and hence initiated /sustained the conflict doesn’t hold water. Further more, the 2001 split between your newfound friend Seye Abraha and Meles Zenawi was, at least on the surface, Seye’s charge that Meles was too soft on Eritrea. It is further proof that Meles was not on warpath with Eritrea from the get go. Currently there are over 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray. Some of them have been allowed to pursue their education in many of the higher learning institutions in the country. A government that wants to exact revenge on Eritreans would not make such generous gestures. - If some of your sub-sub clanist colleagues have misgivings about working with Andargachew (Betinachew) Tsige and his ilks, it is for good reason. The chauvinists that Admiral Osman is hobnobbing with these days have diametrically opposite intentions from the sub sub clanists. It is a marriage of inconvenience. The Chauvinists hate the Federal system of government that exists in today’s Ethiopia. They are against the ethnically drawn Administrative regions. They don’t like the fact that many of the nation nationalities in Ethiopia are give the right to promote their culture, language and traditions. A Osman’s new buddies want the old Ethiopia of strictly centralized monolithic nation. Diversity is a dirty language in their vocabulary. As I wrote earlier on, Osman-ONLF, no matter how many deals it makes with the devil, has zero chance of making a dent on xabashis. The people of region 5 who are fighting it tooth and nail will make sure of that. Keep fantasizing though.

Abtigiis The brother leader did not owe the longevity of his rule to his iron hand only. Some facts I got from a comment made by people paying tribute to him: Dude, you've gone overboard with your mourning of the former Libyan dicator. Many on SOL have issues with the way he died, but not the death itself. I know he was your leader's benefactor thru the Eritrean tyrant, but it is time to let go man.

Gaddafi was a bad person. He fueled so many of the civil wars in Africa, especially in west and central Africa. That said, the way he died was unjustifiable in so many levels. . I am afraid his death is the beginning, and not the end of Libya's ordeal.

If the Amharas are as civilized as you say they are ( I don't dispute it) , why was there a need to wage war against the benevolent emperor, Haile Selassie, in the 1960s or against Mengistu in the 1970s and 1980s? Hmmm... Yes, Shaleqa Admassu doesn't represent Amhara people as a whole, but he does represent the fringe elements (chauvinists) your boss is hoping to get a better deal from (fat chance! ). Passerby, you Agaame, ... Your hypocrisy has no bound. May I remind you that your boss's boss is an agame. Who do you think A Osman answers to? This man right here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwMc7EZW5zk By the way, you'll be shocked to discover that I am not an agame. You will be further shocked if you knew where I am really from, but I don't want to give you a heart attack. You can only take so much . By the way, you should realize there will be no Ethiopia once we and the OLF march to Finfine. ONLF today is an empty shell of itself from 20 years ago because of the hypocrisy, opportunism, and whoretitude of Osman and his boys. It has no chance in hell of defeating region five’s special police, never mind xabashis. Keep on fantasizing though. Abdul Most of your countrymen cant afford pair of pants how can you teach anybody how to wear it??? You should direct your question to A&T. The people from whom he is hoping to get a better deal for his sub sub clan are known to insult Somalis as Shiritam Somale. You can ask him what that means and the connotation of it.

PM Meles receives message from Kenyan President Addis Ababa, October 19, 2011 (Addis Ababa) - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi received message from Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki on Wednesday. Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister, Moses Wetangula handed over the message to the premier. After handing over the message, the Kenyan FM told journalists that the two countries have common position and reaffirmed their commitment to ensure peace and stability in the region. The two countries are working closely in all spheres of bilateral and regional concerns, he said. The two countries are the major players in particular in the region and in general in the continent. He said IGAD member states is expected to meet in the coming Friday in Addis Ababa to discuss on the situation in the Horn of Africa, Somalia and other development issues. The two nations share a common understanding on issues including cross-border terrorism, piracy, regional integration under the umbrella of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the prime importance of peace and security in the Horn of Africa and beyond

Abtigiis In which case, we will either get a better deal with the incoming more civillized Amharas Oh my! I sure remember Siad Barre's propaganda during the 1977 war. He and the WSLF used to foam about the “Amhara rulers in Addis Ababa”. How times have changed. It is so wonderful that you recognize Amharas as civilized people. You take me back to the transitional period in Addis Ababa (1991-1995). A member of parliament named Shaleqa Admasu used to tell stories of how Amharas taught Somalis to wear pants. (Do you recognize the “Shiritam Somale” insult? ). Anyway, your stance on the Kenya invasion and your not so genuine praise of Amharas (in the hope of “getting a better deal” from the same people you accuse of incorporating region 5 to Ethiopia illegally in the 1950s) is a clear indication of the level of whoretitude A Osman and his boys have sunk to.

Xaji Borat, you are known to post articles with exaggerated titles. That was the gist of my message. I find no pleasure in the misfortunes of others, dimwit.

Good job, Djibsomali. You made xaji borat taste his own medicine. Hahahaha.

The secessionist flamer, Xaji Borat, this thread has nothing to do with Tigre or Kikuyu. It is about Nomads. Notably Osman's Boys, who objected to the international sanctioned Ethiopian invasion pretending to be Somali nationalist only to cheer the unilateral Kenyan invasion. They are having hard time defending this blatant contradiction. It stinks to heaven and they know it.

Even a blind man can see the hypocrisy of the Kikuyu invasion cheerleaders. Xajit Borat may pretend not to see it because he is a secessionist flamer in this forum.

I wonder if Kikuyu azz kissing nomads will change their tune when civilian causalities mount. Or will they blame the civilians for their misfortunes? Hmmm...

A&T and Zack ( I wonder if they are the same person..hmmm) blessed the unilateral Kenyan invasion of Somalia while cursing Ethiopia's invasion which had the support of TFG, IGAD, AU and UN. The reason is they are hoping Kenya will install their sub sub clan members (Azania) as stooges in Kismayo. Yikes. In a way, the Kenyan invasion is a blessing in disguise. It exposed those who pretended to be Somali nationalists when in fact they are sub sub clanists willing to offer their azz to the highest bidder. Allah Hu Akbar.

At UN, Gabon Begins Move for More Sanctions on Eritrea in UNSC By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive UNITED NATIONS, October 14, updated -- For days as the Eritrean Permanent Representative Araya Desta has been checking and re-checking the Security Council, Gabon's Permanent Representative Nelson Messone has been speaking to other member's ambassadors one by one. When Inner City Press asked Messone what project he was working on, Messone laughed it off. Desta meanwhile said that the next step would be Eritrea's submission of its "comprehensive response" to charges that it, among other things, planned to bomb the Africa Union summit in Addis Ababa. "We will never give in," Desta told Inner City Press. On Friday morning outside the so-called "horizon briefing" of the Council by the UN Department of Political Affairs, sources told Inner City Press that the topics in the closed meeting included Somalia, Madagascar and "sanctions." Then Inner City Press heard that Gabon would be circulating a draft resolution for new sanctions on Eritrea.

Burundi, Chad, DR Congo, Eritrea alarmingly hungry – Report Page last updated at Friday, October 14, 2011 11:11 AM // Leave Your Comment The latest report to be released on the state of the world’s hunger, the 2011 Global Hunger Index report, has described four countries in sub-Saharan Africa as experiencing extremely alarming levels of hunger. Themed “The challenge of hunger: taming price spikes and excessive food price volatility” the report states that a total of 26 countries have levels of hunger that are alarming or extremely alarming. Released in Washington DC for the sixth year, in advance of World Food Day which falls on October 16, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide jointly produced report classifies Burundi, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea, all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as countries with extremely alarming levels of hunger. The report also tags Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as having serious levels of hunger, while Angola, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone and the Yemen Republic are described as experiencing alarming levels of hunger. Classification of the countries was based on three equally weighted indicators: the proportion of people who are undernourished, the proportion of children under five who are underweight, and child mortality rate. The report, however, provides a picture of the past, not the present, because up-to-the-minute data are still not available. That notwithstanding, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report 2011, states that growing demand for biofuels, extreme weather and climate change, and increased financial activity through commodity futures markets are the main causes of high and volatile food prices. These challenges, it states, are exacerbated by historically low levels of grain reserves, export markets for staple commodities that are highly concentrated in a few countries, and lack of timely, accurate information on food production, stock levels, and price forecasting, which can lead to overreaction by policymakers and soaring prices. “This humanitarian tragedy also underscores one of the main motivations behind the global hunger index—the need to provide information,” stressed Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General at Welthungerhilfe. He added that “although information will not fill people’s stomachs, addressing the problem of hunger requires timely data about where and why hunger is occurring.” For his part, Klaus Von Grebmer, Lead Author of the report and IFPRI Communications Director, stated, “the poorest and most vulnerable people bear the heaviest burden when food prices spike or swing unpredictably.” “This report calls for action on several fronts to build resilience and mitigate the effects of volatility, particularly in countries where hunger is most severe,” he added. Also commenting, Tom Arnold, Chief Executive at Concern Worldwide said, “The current crisis in the horn of Africa, while not unaffected by global prices, highlights the vulnerability of millions of poor people around the world to weather and other shocks, as well as the need to address the root causes of hunger.” To tame food price volatility and protect the poor against future shocks, the report makes several policy recommendations focused on the three levels of action. These are, addressing the drivers of food price volatility; which is tackling global market characteristics affecting volatility, including building up stocks by coordinating international food reserves and sharing information on food markets as well as building resilience for the future. “To tackle the main drivers of excessive volatility, policymakers need to curtail biofuels subsidies and mandates, discourage the use of food crops in biofuels production, regulate financial activity in food markets, and reduce the incentives for potential excessive speculation in food commodities,” said Maximo Torero, co-author of the report and Director of the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at IFPRI. He further subscribed that policymakers “also need to invest in climate change adaptation and mitigation and safeguard smallholder farmers against extreme weather-related shocks.” To build resilience to changing food prices, it is crucial to strengthen social protection systems, improve emergency preparedness, and invest in sustainable small-scale agriculture. Policymakers also need to improve livelihood opportunities for both the rural and urban poor, and strengthen the provision of basic services, such as education, healthcare, and sanitation, the report recommends. Lead Author Klaus Von Grebmer, however said; “We already know a great deal about how to reduce vulnerability and effectively tackle poverty and hunger, now is the time to apply this knowledge so that everyone, everywhere, has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times so that they can live healthy and productive lives.” The 2011 Global Hunger Index (GHI) is calculated for 122 developing countries and countries in transition for which data on the three components of hunger are available. This year’s GHI reflects data from 2004 to 2009—the most recent available country-level data on the three GHI components. By Edmund Smith-Asante

EEPCo network to Djibouti may generate 721.8 million dollars and slash household energy costs The idea of connecting Djibouti to Ethiopia’s national power grid is as old as the independence of this Red Sea nation, established in 1977. After almost four decades and an investment of 1.5 billion Br, Djibouti now receives power supply from Ethiopia for the first time in its history, described by Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water and Energy, as “clean and carbon free” energy. Leaders from both countries, who inaugurated the substation erected 12km west of Djibouti City on Wednesday, October 5, 2011, attributed the hydroelectric power interconnection to the political will shown by the leadership of the neighboring countries. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who stayed in Djibouti for just five hours during the inauguration, praised the project as “another bond of brotherhood with [Ethiopia’s] special friend.” The increasing interdependence between Djibouti and Ethiopia dates back to the early 20th Century and the building of what was originally the Franco-Ethiopian railway in 1917. In the early 1970s, the 782km railway corridor was handling 30pc of Ethiopia’s international trade. Its significance, however, also declined in the early 1970s after the reconstruction of the Port of Asseb at a cost of 30 million Br. Eritrea’s breakaway from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and the subsequent war later on that same decade, returned Djibouti to its former status. But it took nearly a century for the countries to share another major public infrastructure - hydroelectric power - which Meles said in his address last week was “another milestone” interconnecting the economies of the two countries. Despite strong interest during the period of Emperor Haileselassie to develop the power supply project, it was not until the mid-1980s that the idea was pursued aggressively. A regional cooperation meeting called in March 1985 launched the feasibility study which took two years to complete. Due to political instability in Ethiopia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the project was buried. It was resurrected only in November 1999, after the two countries signed a cooperation agreement to re-launch the project, and a memorandum of understanding for power purchase agreement was signed in April 2008. Over 90pc of the project cost was financed by loans and grants from the African Development Bank (AfDB). The project is thought to be very crucial to Djibouti, a country that aspires to become a regional hub for transport, finance and trade. Much of its 1.25 billion dollars in real GDP (2011) comes from its port services and the hospitality industry, both heavily dependent on electric power. Up to now, power has been generated not only from increasingly expensive sources, but also by noisy and frequently disruptive diesel-powered generators. On Wednesday, a few hours after the inauguration of the substation in Djibouti’s PK12, one of the two stations built over the past two years, including the one in Dire Dawa, members of the Ethiopian delegation had to endure three interruptions of power while having lunch at the Palace Kempinski, Djibouti’s seaside luxurious hotel, and an icon of Dubai’s investment in Djibouti over the past 10 years. Arial view of the substation located 12km from Djibouti City, part of the 1.5 billion Br investment on the Ethio - Djibouti transmission. “Don’t blame us,” said Misiker Negash, public relations head of EEPCo, to a couple of journalists who traveled to Djibouti for the inauguration. “We supply them power between 11:00p.m. and 7:00a.m.” Concluding the negotiation has not been as easy as signing the MoU. It took two years before the 25-year agreement was finalized in March of this year. During that period, the project was redesigned to incorporate a double-circuit transmission line, and the number of Ethiopia’s border towns meant to benefit along the 283Km line went up from originally four to 12. “The toughest part was, however, agreeing on the tariff,” Alemayehu told Fortune. “They stood their ground to get a much lower price.” They finally settled for two tariffs: 0.6 US cents/kw during summer and 0.72 cents/kw for the winter, an amount which is higher than Ethiopia’s domestic tariff of 0.06 US cents/kw but 72.7pc lower than the tariff Djibouti’s Electricite de Djibouti (EDD) charges its subscribers. “I’m more relieved to know that we will have less of an interruption than we have lived through,” said a prominent Djibouti businessman involved in the logistic and maritime industry. The project has a lot more meaning to EEPCo than simply its ability to generate a projected 721.8 million dollars by 2037, which will make the company listed alongside Ethiopian firms whose exports and services generate revenues in foreign exchange. Ever since a trail transmission began in May 2011, with provision of 20Mw power, EEPCo has been generating between 1.2 million dollars and 1.5 million dollars in monthly revenues, and the volume of power has been increased to a current 35Mw, with a further agreement to increase it to 50Mw. This may even go as high as 100Mw, a power supply that consumes 0.05pc of Ethiopia’s current generation capacity, according to a feasibility study conducted by AfDB. “The power sector will now generate more revenues in foreign currency than some of the exportable items,” Mihiret Debebe, its managing director, declared to journalists in Djibouti. Indeed, the energy sector could bring in more dollars than what exports of incense, leather, shoes and honey have earned during the last fiscal year. But where his pride comes from is the symbolic value of the project to the realization of the East African Power Pool, whose secretariat Ethiopia hosts. “Ethiopian and Djibouti governments have demonstrated their leadership by being the first countries in realizing this noble objective,” Mihiret told a delighted gathering that soldiered out the blazing sun of Djibouti and a temperature of 38 degrees. “It is the first power interconnection line in the region equipped with optical ground wire for broadband-secured highway communications.” But it may not be the last. EEPCo has already signed the second phase of interconnection with Djibouti, to be financed by AfDB, to build a 350km transmission line with double-circuit 230Kv directed from Koka-Dire Dawa substations. When completed on schedule in September 2013, immediately after the anticipated commissioning of Gilgel Gibe III, Mihiret promised to quadruple the current energy consumption of Djibouti, which is now covered 65pc from power generated in Ethiopia. Yet, more is to come in the way of supplying power to Sudan and Kenya, both countries in different stages of negotiations with EEPCo. When the power purchase agreements are signed, Sudan will get 100Mw, equal to what Finchaa Amertineshe will generate, and 500Mw to Kenya, a volume a little over of what Takeze and Gilgel Gibe I generate. This is a regional initiative Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh praised as “a concept we must, above all, believe in.”

Passerby are you Agame loool rejected from your own Ethio forums Forget Ethio forums, "Agames" rule the Horn of Africa. Horn of Africa leader Meles Zenawi.

You know a killer song when the police who are supposed to keep order finally relent to their instinct and join in the Revelry.

May I ask why you have an ethiopian flag as your avatar? Just curious. It is an avatar the moderator assigned to me, and I stuck with it.

PM Meles, Somalia's PM hold talks Addis Ababa, October 7, 2011 (Addis Ababa) - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi here on Friday held talks with his Somalian counterpart Professor Abdiweli Mohamed on bilateral issues. PM Meles on the occasion said Ethiopia will continue its support to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. He said Ethiopia is working toward realization of security and stability program introduced by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Premier said that his country is also providing the necessary support to Somalis affected by the famine. Prime Minister Meles expressed sadness over the recent attack of Al-Shabab against innocent civilians. Somali Prime Minister Mohamed on his part said the two parties discussed on ways to further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. He said they also discussed on the joint strategy planned to strengthen the TFG and protect civilians from the terrorist acts of the Al-Shabab.

Security cooperation in good shape with Silanyo Source: Indian Ocean Newsletter After being a little strained under Somaliland’s previous home affairs minister, security cooperation between Hargeisa and Addis Ababa is now in going strong. The very same day Somaliland’s new Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed Nour Arale known as Duur (ION 1316) took up his functions on 1 September in Hargeisa, replacing Mohamed Abdi Gabose, President Ahmed Mohamed Mahamoud known as Silanyo received a letter from the Ethiopian government. Addis Ababa wanted 500 Ethiopians who had fled to Somaliland for political reasons to be expelled and sent back to their country. A significant number of them are Oromowhom the Ethiopian authorities accuse by name of being linked to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) or other opposition organisations. Gabose had previously resisted certain Ethiopian security requirements (ION 1315), but President Silanyo and the new home affairs minister did not have the same scruples. On 4 September, the Deputy Home Affairs Minister Osman Garad Sofe announced in Hargeisa that Somaliland would expel within a month all illegal immigrants to their country of origin. At the same time Mohamed Nour Arale ordered his police service, together with intelligence officers, to round up the Ethiopian exiles Addis Ababa wanted. Around 300 of are believed to have already been captured and are awaiting deportation.

Abdul Atleast they dont take orders from the west like your beloved Ethiopia. An alleged meeting which took place in Rome, Italy, between Issayas and Susan Rice and Gayle Smith, two American senior officia... disclosed gossip. Gossip claims this meeting was facilitated by the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, a man who runs an oil-rich desert country with a particular passion in bankrolling pariah states such as Eritrea. During this meeting, Mesdames Rice and Smith laid out the things Issayas needed to do in order to persuade the United States to change its views towards his regime, gossip disclosed. Top on the list was for his regime to stop destabilizing countries such as Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, claims gossip. They want him to rebuild his relations with their leaders; going to visit Museveni in Kampala was part of this process, according to gossip.

The other funny thing is, he is supposed to be married. And yet he was in a bar with unidentified fat azz woman who followed him all the way to his hotel room. The Eritrean leadership is morally and ethically bankrupt.

Eritreans chased Isayas Afewerki's top adviser, Yemane Gebreab ( Monkey), out of a New York bar, on to the street and to the hotel lobby he was staying in. They were calling him Agame because his parents are from Agame, Tigray. Many of the top Eritrean leadership are Tigreans by birth or blood, including the dictator himself. I haven't laughed this much in years. :D See the coward run to his hotel room without uttering a word.