U.S. Embassy Warns Ethiopian Students Of Visa Fraud

Embassy in Ethiopia on Tuesday warned Ethiopian students wanting to travel to the U.S. of the dangers of visa fraud.

The Embassy didn’t specify the reasons for the notice, but it comes months after another statement dismissing speculation that visa rules for Ethiopians will be tightened.

Though Ethiopia was not one of the seven countries placed under the executive travel ban of the administration of U.S. President Donald trump last January, the ban nevertheless caused concern.

Every year thousands of Ethiopians travel to the U.S. for resettlement, education or family visits.

Although there are no known statistics of number of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origin living in the U.S., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia estimates it to be in upwards of half a million.

With Ethiopia bordering by Sudan and Somalia which were put on the travel ban and refugees from both countries using the U.S. embassy in Ethiopia for visa applications Ethiopian visa applicants feared they would be unwittingly included in the ban.

READ: Ghana Govt deletes 50,000 phantom personnel from its payroll

During the January executive travel ban several dozen people mainly from Somalia, Sudan and Yemen which use Ethiopia as a transit were temporarily stranded at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

The travel ban first issued in late January was suspended by a judge, although there was a second failed effort to reinstate the ban on six of the seven countries again blocked in the courts.

With the suspension of the travel ban, the stranded passengers were able to leave the airport for their final destinations. Read more here

Ethiopia would never harm the interests of the Egyptian people, FM Gebeyehu says in Cairo

Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu meets with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and counterpart Sameh Shoukry (Photo Courtesy of Egypt's Presidency)

The Ethiopian Foreign minister also met Wednesday with Egypt's President Sisi who stressed that Cairo does not interfere in other countries' domestic affairs and does not conspire against them

Addis Ababa will never harm the Egyptian people and their interests, Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu said Wednesday during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.

Ahead of the press conference after his arrival in Egypt, Gebeyehu met with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi who stressed that Egypt does not interfere in other countries' domestic affairs and does not conspire against them. 

At the press conference, Gebeyehu said he came to deliver a message to Egyptians that his country was not seeking to cause suffering to the Egyptian people, in reference to Ethiopia's construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile river.

"We will not harm the Egyptian people, but they should also help us in making use of our natural resources," he said.

Gebeyehu described both nations as connected "throughout history and the Nile River," addressing Shoukry as his "brother."

"I am here today to assure the Egyptian people that we must work together to accomplish our goals," he said.

The Ethiopian minister said that he discussed bilateral relations with the Egyptian president and foreign minister "honestly."

"We have to work very closely in the future with consultations on all issues," he said, adding that El-Sisi described the relationship as an important one that should be improved.

Shoukry said that the discussions were characterised by a "keenness [to boost] the relationship, with further dialogue on the necessity of maintaining it."

The Egyptian foreign minister added that the "transparent and honest" discussions were intended to promote the best interests of both nations.

According to Shoukry, the two countries' officials will be meeting and holding talks every two months to work on improving relations. He added that El-Sisi expressed hopes for Cairo to host a joint high committee meeting soon, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in attendance.

The first-ever visit by FM Gebeyehu to Cairo comes amid reports of renewed tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the past months, with back-and-forth accusations of interference in one another's domestic affairs and conspiracies against each other involving other foreign countries lodged from both sides. 

Cairo has said it fears the construction of the Renaissance Dam, which has not been completed yet, will negatively affect Egypt's Nile water share.

However, Addis Ababa maintains that the dam project, which Ethiopia says it needs to generate electricity, will not harm downstream countries.

In September 2016, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed final contracts to implement long-awaited technical studies on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries. Read more here

Cairo to host tripartite meeting with Ethiopia, Sudan on Renaissance Dam impact studies

Cairo is set to host a tripartite meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) next week to discuss initial reports by consultancy firms tasked with assessing the possible impact of the dam on downstream countries, the spokesman of the Egyptian foreign ministry told Ahram Online on Thursday.

The Egyptian irrigation ministry spokesman was not available for comment on the details of what will be discussed in the committee's meetings.

The meeting would come few days after a visit by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu to Egypt, where he met with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and foreign minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss bilateral relations.

Gebeyehu affirmed that his visit comes as an assurance to Egyptians that Addis Ababa would never harm the Egyptian people and their interests, in reference to Ethiopia's construction of the GERD on the River Nile.

Officials from the two countries have agreed to hold talks every two months to work on improving relations, with El-Sisi expressing hopes to the Ethiopian minister for Cairo to host a joint high committee meeting soon, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in attendance.

In late 2016, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed the final contracts for the long-awaited impact studies with French consultancy firms BRL and Artelia, as well as British law firm Corbett, which will carry out studies on the potential impact of the on the flow of the Nile.

The studies by the French firms, expected to take 11 months from their start date in late 2016, will include the managing of water and hydroelectric resources as well as an assessment of the cross-border environmental, social and economic impact of the mega project.

Cairo has expressed concerns that the construction of the Renaissance Dam, which is more than halfway complete, could negatively affect Egypt's share of Nile water.

Addis Ababa, however, has maintained that the dam project, which Ethiopia says is vital for generating electricity, will not harm downstream countries. Read more here

Ethiopia adopts 2016 protest report, 'harsh' security officers to be prosecuted

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) – the Ethiopian parliament – has approved recommendations surrounding protest deaths as presented by the country’s rights commission’s recent report.

The Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Tuesday submitted its report on the Amhara and Oromia protests that threatened the security of the country last year.

The main recommendation which the HPR backed was for ‘members of the security forces who used excessive force in the unrest to face justice,’ the state-owned FBCreported.

Other areas the legislators touched on included the need to rehabilitate persons displaced by the events and to prosecute all persons and institutions who took part in the unrest.

The parliament also decided that two parties – Blue Party and the Oromo Federalist Congress – be held responsible for playing ‘unsettling roles’ in violence activities in the town of Bahir Dar and Oromia regional state.

The Horn of Africa nation imposed a six-month state-of-emergency to help quell the protests. The EHRC said the total number of casualties – protesters and security officials – stood at 669, a figure that activists dispute.

Addis Ababa flatly refused to open its doors to independent investigators from the United Nations and the European Union. The Premier Hailemariam Desalegn has insisted that internal mechanisms were capable of probing the unrest. Read more here

Egypt pledges to stop anti-peace forces threatening Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, has told local media that north African neighbour Egypt had agreed to stop the activities of anti-peace forces who are behind protests in Ethiopia.

The premier was speaking at a press briefing to address major issues in the country. He said Egypt had pledged to stop any persons and activities related to fomenting violence in Ethiopia.

The state-owned ENA said the PM revealed that the two countries were committed to halting activities of media networks, specifically mentioning the Oromo Media Network and others that are considered terrorist institutions by Ethiopia.

We will not harm the Egyptian people, but they should also help us in making use of our natural resources. I am here today to assure the Egyptian people that we must work together to accomplish our goals.

Ethiopian FM in Cairo

Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, was in Egypt to meet President Al-Sisi and his counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

Gebeyehu assured that Ethiopia was ready to help Egypt achieve their goals. “We will not harm the Egyptian people, but they should also help us in making use of our natural resources. I am here today to assure the Egyptian people that we must work together to accomplish our goals,” he said.

The Egyptian leader for his part also said Cairo respected the sovereignty of all countries and it neither interfered in domestic affairs nor conspires against its neighbours.

Ethiopia had in the past accused Egypt and Eritrea of accommodating persons who were behind widespread anti-government protests that started late in 2015 and throughout most of 2016. The parliament imposed a state-of-emergency to help quell the protests in October 2016.

Egypt has in the past flatly rejected claims by Ethiopia. Eritrea, the other accused, have also rubbished the allegations which were recently reiterated by PM Desalegn in an interview with the BBC.

Another area of cooperation where Egypt and Ethiopia meet is with respect to the Nile Dam and construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Leaders of the two countries and Sudan signed a deal in 2015 in a bid to ease tensions over the dam.

The leaders signed the cooperation deal over the giant hydroelectric dam which will lie on a tributary of the river Nile, tensions had risen over regional water supplies. The leaders said the “declaration of principles” would pave the way for further diplomatic cooperation on the Grand Renaissance Dam, which has stirred fears of a regional resource conflict. Read more here