US Issues Travel Warning Following Grenade Attacks in Gondar

April 27, 2017 - The United States issued a warning Thursday to its citizens about travelling to a popular tourist region in Ethiopia after a string of grenade attacks targeting hotels and homes, according to AFP report.

The US embassy in Addis Ababa said there had been four grenade blasts this month in Gondar, a city in the north known for its ancient castles.

A popular stop on Ethiopia's tourist circuit, Gondar was also the scene of anti-government protests last year that led to the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency.

"The embassy recommends US citizens carefully consider whether travel to Gondar is necessary at this time," the embassy said in a statement.

While Ethiopia has enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years and falling poverty rates, protests erupted in 2015 by communities disenchanted with the government of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Human rights groups say hundreds of people were killed and thousands arrested when security forces cracked down on the demonstrations.

The unrest erupted in the central Oromo region near the capital and then spread to Amhara in the north, including Gondar. (AFP) Read more here

Ethiopian-Israeli Woman Makes Good in High-tech: An Unrepresentative Story

Her circumstances really were hard when Shoshi Jambar joined WalkMe. Aged 28, two months after the birth of her second daughter, separated from her partner and owing a fortune to the National Insurance Institute, which forced her to return to work sooner than planned. She wanted a challenging job that would give her financial independence, but wound up cleaning the WalkMe offices at night.
Within two years, despite having no academic degree, connections or relevant professional background, Jambar is a manager in the growing startup.
Her previous work experience included cashier at an organic food supermarket. Her brother and former partner both worked for the company that got the cleaning contract at WalkMe. Hating it, she took the job.

However, the WalkMe sales team worked at night, when she did, and she learned from one Ido Paz of an opening in QA, quality assurance. She said she was “pretty good” at computers. “Anything you ask me, I’ll always say I’m terrific. Then I’ll study hard to prove I didn’t lie,” she says. And no, she hadn’t known what QA meant. “I barely knew what high-tech was.”
She feels the WalkMe team worked hard to help her get the job; she even consulted with them on what to wear for interviews.

But it would be wrong to ascribe all of Jambar’s success to luck or making good connections. Colleagues say she has a rare combination of amiability, irrepressible optimism, eagerness to express opinions and chutzpah – all pluses when it comes to taking advantage of opportunity.
After more than a year in QA, which involves testing software, she moved up to management and now supervises five employees.

For the most part, Jambar’s story is unrepresentative. Not many startups would give such an opportunity to a person bereft of resume, given the cost of training somebody from absolute scratch. But two weeks before she applied, WalkMe managed to raise $25 million, so at least it was feeling flush: Since its establishment, it’s raised $92 million. Today it has 460 employees in New York, Raleigh, North Carolina, Paris, Japan and southern Israel, where it employs 240 people. Its clientele includes the likes of SAP, Cisco, PayPal and Comcast.

Third of six children
Jambar, 30, was the third of six children, born in Be’er Sheva to parents who arrived from Ethiopia. The family moved to Petah Tikva when she was two. After an injury on the job, her father didn’t work for eight years. Her mother worked in kitchens and in cleaning and the family collected welfare. Her father died when she was 15 and she went to work at a pizzeria as a waitress and cashier. Jambar’s mother didn’t want her, the eldest daughter in a religious family, to be drafted.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-1.786131

Zenebech Injera, once the best Ethiopian restaurant in D.C., is reopening this summer

At her new location, Zenebech Dessu will have room to make injera only for diners, not for those who want to take her flatbread home. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Less than a year after shutting its doors in Shaw, Zenebech Injera Restaurant will reemerge in Adams Morgan, the neighborhood that once buzzed with Ethiopian restaurants and nightlife. Zenebech's owners hope to reopen in June at 2420 18th St. NW and pick up where they left off: as the best Ethiopian restaurant in Washington.

Zenebech announced the reopening Thursday on its Facebook page, which was first reported by PopVille. Michael Demissie, son of restaurant founders Zenebech Dessu and Gebrehanna Demissie, confirmed the news in a phone call. Demissie, 25, and his older brother, Surafal, 34, will manage the operational side of the new Zenebech, but their mother will continue to run the show in the kitchen.

[The 10 best Ethiopian restaurants in the Washington area]

The brothers' father, however, has decided to step away from day-to-day operations, though he'll be an informal advisor. "He wants a break," Michael Demissie says.

The new location will have a larger dining room, with space for about 75 customers, but its kitchen will be smaller than the one at the previous restaurant on T Street NW, which Dessu and Demissie sold last year after rejecting countless offers from developers. In practical terms, the smaller kitchen means Dessu will be able to prepare her famous injera only for diners, not for those who want to take the fermented flatbread home.

[‘I decided I had to sell it’: Sale of Ethiopian-owned buildings leaves a void in D.C.]

In moving to Adams Morgan, the matriarch and her two sons plan to make a few changes. For starters, they're applying for a liquor license so they can operate a full bar. They plan to hire an experienced bartender to manage it and create cocktails, perhaps even drinks with Ethiopian flavors. They also plan to expand the vegetarian and vegan options, a nod to the trend toward more plant-based eating.

Because the family is now renting, instead of paying a mortgage, they expect prices to increase. Michael Demissie says the prices of some dishes, but not all, could rise by $1 to $1.50 each. "It will go up a little bit because our overhead will go up a little bit," he says. "We're trying to stay as affordable as possible."

One thing that won't change? The way in which the food is prepared and served. Zenebech doesn't plan to follow the trail blazed by Etete, which closed last year for renovations and morphed into a modern Ethiopian restaurant in March. At Zenebech, Dessu will continue to serve her stews, tibs and salads on platters lined with injera, so diners can gather around the table and eat with their hands. It's the Ethiopian way, Demissie says.

[This restaurant serves modern Ethiopian food that you don’t eat with your hands]

But the brothers are thinking about the future, about that day their mother retires. Their plan is to learn everything they can about how she prepares the food. "So down the road, we can teach someone else," Demissie says. Or, he adds, so they can better understand how they might tweak recipes as the Ethiopian scene continues to evolve.

Speaking of evolving, Adams Morgan looks to be enjoying an East African renaissance, with the relatively recent additions of Ababa Ethiopian Restaurantand Quara Ethiopian Restaurant, both on 18th Street NW. Back in the 1980s, the neighborhood was the hub of Ethiopian life, centered around such bars and restaurants as the long-running Meskerem, which quietly closed in 2015 after a 30-year run. Michael Demissie has heard about the neighborhood's history from his mom.

[R.I.P., Meskerem: The Ethiopian restaurant that shaped Adams Morgan]

Did it influence the family's decision to choose Adams Morgan?

"We noticed" the history, he says, "but it wasn't a major factor." Far more important was the price of rent, the location and the ability to transform the property into the new Zenebech without bankrupting the family.

In other words, the best Ethiopian restaurant in the business doesn't have time for nostalgia. Read more here

Ethiopian gov't invites UN human rights chief for talks

The United Nations Human Rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, will be in Ethiopia between May 2 – 4 at the invitation of the government.

He will meet with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the speaker of parliament and other top government officials to discuss issues of human rights and the work of the UN office in the country.

He is expected to hold a press conference to round up his visit. Ethiopian human rights have been a top issue following anti-government protests and attendant security clampdown which led to deaths and mass arrests.

His talks with African Union officials will focus on plans to reinforce coordination between the UN and AU on human rights.

The UN rights body officially requested to send independent investigators, a position that was rejected by Addis Ababa. The PM stated last week that Ethiopia was competent enough to probe the deaths.

The country’s human rights outfit in a recent report stated that 669 people were killed as a result of the protests and the parliament directed subsequently that security officers found culpable of highhandedness be prosecuted.

The country has been under a state-of-emergency since October 2016. Hundreds of protesters were arrested, some have been released after receiving training. The worst hit areas are the Amhara and Oromia regions.

Meeting with AU chief and top officials

A statement from Zeid’s office further disclosed that he will take the opportunity to meet with the African Union (AU) chief, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and other top officials at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

‘‘His talks with African Union officials will focus on plans to reinforce coordination between the UN and AU on human rights, in line with other recent steps to strengthen their partnership, including the recent signature in New York of a framework agreement on enhanced cooperation in peace and security,’‘ the statement added. Read more here

ETHIOPIANS AIMING TO DOMINATE THE OTTAWA MARATHON ONCE MORE

Waving flags, ear-piercing ululations and other celebratory expressions have greeted the Ethiopian winners of the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon these past several years as their supporters have come out en masse for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Ethiopian women have won the past seven editions of the Ottawa Marathon, while their male compatriots have built up a four-year streak. That dominance could well continue at this year’s race on 28 May.

“There are so many things I like about Canada but simply the city of Ottawa is so beautiful with amazing people,” says defending champion Koren Jelela. “What I remember most about Ottawa last year is that the weather was so heavy – it was windy and cloudy – and we Ethiopians finished 1-2-3 in the women’s race.

“But the support of Ethiopians in the crowd, I remember, made me so happy and proud that we all have got these results and made those other people happy. I was so sure all the hard work was worth it.”

Jelela, who set a Canadian all-comers’ record of 2:22:43 in Toronto six years ago, trains under coach Gemedu Hailemariam alongside sub-2:21 performers Aselefech Mergia, Aberu Kebede, Tirfi Tsegaye, Feyse Tadese, Shure Demise and Amane Beriso.

“They have a great respect for Ottawa,” Jelela says of her training partners. “Also for Toronto. It was won two times by our team member, Shure Demise, so we all work hard to get the best result in Canada.”

At the moment Jelela is running roughly 180 kilometres each week at altitudes of between 2500m and 2800m with the intention of retaining her Ottawa title. Victory isn’t a foregone conclusion, however.

A year ago she easily handled the competition, which included 2015 winner Aberu Mekuria, stretching her winning margin to nearly three minutes by the finish. Now Mekuria is also returning with revenge in mind.

The men’s race will feature several Ethiopian stars including Seboka Tola Dibaba marking his second visit to Canada in seven months after finishing second at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October. With a personal best of 2:06:17 from the 2012 Dubai Marathon, he will be one to watch. He is joined by compatriot Sisay Jisa, who has a PB of 2:06:27.

Jisa has the nickname ‘Sherube' for his unique hairstyle – he races with his hair in cornrows. Earlier this year he finished fourth in Dubai in 2:08:09 and Ottawa will mark his first race in Canada.

Adugna Takele will also be making the journey from Ethiopia this year. He finished second at the 2013 Ottawa 10km and then moved up to the marathon, setting a PB of 2:08:31 in Frankfurt in 2014.

Not only do Ethiopian runners have a grip on the podium, but both the course record-holders are from the East African nation.

In 2014, Yemane Tsegay emerged victorious in the men’s race while Tigist Tufa took the women’s. Tsegay also set a still-standing Canadian all-comers’ record of 2:06:54 that day and earned a bonus of a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. A year later he took the silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

He isn’t the only Ethiopian to excel beyond the Ottawa Marathon.

After setting a course record of 2:24:31 in 2014, Tufa ran a PB of 2:21:52 to win the Shanghai Marathon later that year. But it was her surprise victory at the 2015 London Marathon that really caught the world’s attention.

“I had mixed feelings thinking of the 2014 Ottawa race,” said Tufa, who finished eighth at the recent London Marathon in 2:25:52. “I was so happy being the champion. It was my first IAAF Gold Label marathon win and I will always remember as it is my first happiness.”

Tufa says winning Ottawa made it easier for her to get into other IAAF Gold Label races, including London. She was also selected to the Ethiopian team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The field assembled this year by race director Manny Rodriguez is worthy of the IAAF Gold Label and one thing is certain: the Ethiopians will come expecting to dominate. As Jelela says, there is national pride.

“I hope to run 2:23 as it is going to be my best time there and, yes, I expect we will finish 1-2-3 and we will celebrate,” said Tufa. “The victory is very important to me. If I win, I will be a three-time winner in Canada, which has a big name.” Read more here