In the ever-shrinking space for freedom of expression and association in Ethiopia, Daniel Bekele has faced heavy-handed government repression as a prominent anti-poverty activist and human rights lawyer. Daniel has dedicated his life to building a vibrant civil society and strengthening human rights in a country where freedom of expression and other fundamental rights are severely constricted.  

Daniel Bekele made the following statement upon hearing about the award announcement:

"I accept such a prestigious award with a genuine sense of humility. I hold this award in the name of my fellow colleagues working for the promotion of human rights in Ethiopia. I am humbled by such global level recognition of the human rights work in Ethiopia; but it is also a constant reminder of the human rights situation in my country. Read more at Human Rights Watch

Expert Brief: CFR’s says the U.S.-Ethiopia security partnership is undermining U.S. counterterror goals in Somalia. If the United States hopes to play a constructive role in Somalia, it must address democracy backsliding in Ethiopia, she says. The government’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), is perceived by many Ethiopians to be dominated by a single minority ethnic faction, the Tigre, and its consolidation of political power may be read as an assault on the majority ethnic Amharic and Oromo populations. Public dissatisfaction with the government is high in the wake of the 2005 elections and a violent explosion is not out of the question.

U.S. Policy Shift Needed in the Horn of Africa  
Author: Bronwyn E. Bruton, International Affairs Fellow in Residence

U.S. strategic interests in the Horn of Africa center on preventing Somalia from becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda or other transnational jihadist groups. In pursuing its counterterror strategy, the United States has found common cause with Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has long feared the renewal of Somali irredentist claims on its eastern border, or that a powerful Islamist movement may stoke unrest among its own large Muslim population, and feels beset both by a powerful indigenous separatist movement in its Ogaden region and an unresolved border dispute with its northern neighbor, Eritrea.

"አባቴ ያቺን ሰዓት":  Major General Demissie Bulto and the coup d'état of May 1989.       
A new Book by Derege Demissie

In " አባቴ ያቺን ሰዓት ," author Derege Demissie narrates the story of his late father, Major General Demissie Bulto. Derege's story is about the private and public life of his father as well as a number of other high-ranking officers whose life run in tandem with the rise and fall of the post-WWII Ethiopian military history.

Derege's book follows the arc of his father's life and career from this period of Ethiopian history until his fateful death in 1989, by which time General Demissie had reached the pinnacle of his career as a Major general in command of the largest single military unit in Ethiopia.