CHINA’S HUAWEI TO ROLL OUT 4G SERVICE IN ETHIOPIAN CAPITAL

A man walks past a Huawei company logo outside the entrance of a Huawei office in Wuhan, Hubei province, October 9, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

By Aaron Maasho

Addis Ababa (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s state-run Ethio Telecom said on Thursday it had pickedHuawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world’s second largest telecom equipment maker, to roll out a high-speed 4G network across the capital Addis Ababa.

The introduction of the service is part of a $1.6 billion deal signed in July and August between the Ethiopian firm, Huawei and ZTE, China’s second-biggest telecoms equipment maker, to expand mobile phone infrastructure throughout the Horn of Africa country.

“In terms of allocation, Huawei will be responsible for the expansion of 4G in Addis Ababa, including other mobile services – the 2G, 3G, IP and the like,” Abdurahim Ahmed, Ethio Telecom’s head of communications, told Reuters.

Abdurahim said the allocation plan was finalized on Wednesday.

“It is expected to benefit more than 400,000 subscribers. Within an eight-month period, the expansion project of Addis Ababa, including 4G, will be completed.”

The deal, signed by ZTE in August and Huawei a month before, will enable Ethiopia to double subscribers to more than 50 million by 2015 and expand 3G service throughout the country.

Both firms will split their work along 13 expansion areas.

The contract was awarded under a long-term loanpackage to be paid over a 13-year period with aninterest rate of “less than 1 percent”, Abdurahim said.

Africa’s rapidly expanding telecoms industry has come to symbolize its economic growth, with subscribers across the continent totaling almost 650 million last year, up from just 25 million in 2001, according to theWorld Bank.

Ethio Telecom is the only mobile operator in the country of more than 80 million people, among the last remaining countries on the continent to maintain a state monopoly in telecoms.

The government has ruled out liberalizing its telecoms sector, saying the 6 billion birr ($321 million) it generates each year is being spent on railway projects. Ethiopia plans to build 5,000 km of railway lines by 2020.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by James Macharia/Mark Heinrich)

Source: Reuters

LEGAL ANALYSIS: Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement: Intellectual Property Chapter

On 13 November, Wikileaks published a full draft of the IP Chapter of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (‘TPP’), a multilateral trade agreement negotiated largely in secret by 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region. The draft text, which runs to 95 pages, dates from August 2013 and is the most up-to-date version of a document that has only been made available for public scrutiny through a series of leaks.  It gives, for the first time, an insight in the positions of the 12 countries, which are party to the negotiations of the TPP.

In this analysis, ARTICLE 19 reviews specific provisions of the Draft TPP related to copyright for their compliance with international human rights standards.

The leaked text confirms many of the concerns that have been expressed by ARTICLE 19 and other civil society groups, namely that the US-led proposals in the Intellectual Property (IP) Chapter – often supported by Australia and Japan – would severely infringe Internet users’ rights to freedom of expression, privacy and due process online. If adopted, signatory countries would be compelled to adopt far more restrictive copyright enforcement measures than are currently required under international copyright treaties. Several countries, such as Chile or Canada, could be forced to significantly amend their domestic copyright law in the absence of democratic oversight as the TPP negotiations have been held largely in secret.

At the same time, the leaked text reveals that there are profound disagreements between the negotiating parties, notably concerning copyright terms, intermediary liability, criminalisation of non-commercial copyright infringement and digital locks provisions. In contrast to the US aggressive proposals, countries such as Chile, Canada and New Zealand generally seek to promote more balanced intellectual property policies that better protect Internet users’ rights. It is therefore questionable whether the TPP negotiators will achieve their target of concluding the agreement by the end of 2013.

It is clear that secrecy of the TPP negotiations is motivated by attempts to avoid public scrutiny over this document. Hence, as the negotiations draw to a close, ARTICLE 19 calls on the TPP member states to release a complete, up-to-date, draft text of the TPP so as to enable meaningful scrutiny of the agreement by all stakeholders concerned.

We further urge the TPP negotiators to follow our recommendations regarding the protection of fundamental rights in the IP Chapter of the TPP.

Summary of recommendations

1. Given the potential  impact of the TPP on human rights, the negotiations should be transparent: the draft texts of the agreement and state positions on it should be made public on regular basis and should include a process for comments by all stakeholders.
2. Member states must subject the TPP to strict scrutiny as part of the ratification process.
3. The TPP should include a provision dealing with “objectives” following the original proposals made by New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Vietnam, Brunei Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and Mexico;
4. General provisions dealing with “objectives”, “principles” or “implementation” should make express reference to the importance of protecting the rights to freedom of expression, privacy and due process and more generally make reference to users’ “rights”.
5. Temporary copies should be a clear exception to copyright protection;
6. Copyright terms should be no longer than necessary so as not to impair the right to freedom of expression. For works created by individuals, this means that copyright protection should last no longer than life of the author;
7. Proposals to extend retroactive IP protection to subject matter already in the public domain should be firmly rejected.
8. Internet intermediaries should benefit from broad immunity from liability. They should not be encouraged to monitor their networks. Nor should they be encouraged to implement “three-strikes” policies. Disconnection from the Internet on copyright grounds should never be permitted.
9. Non-commercial copyright infringement should not be criminalised;
10.  The circumvention of TPMs should not be criminalised. At a minimum, any criminalisation of circumvention of TPMS should be linked to actual copyright infringement. Any exceptions to provisions criminalising circumvention of TPMs should be broadly drafted.
11.  If statutory damages are available for non-commercial infringement, they should be capped so as not to impose a disproportionate restriction on the right to freedom of expression.
12.  Limitations and exceptions to copyright should be broadly drafted and interpreted;
13.  Arbitration tribunals should not be used to deal with copyright claims. 

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Wada-hadalada Somaliland iyo Somalia Oo Dib Loo Dhigay, Maxaa u Sabab ah

Wasiirka Arrimaha Dibada Somaliland

Dr. Maxamed Biixi Yoonis

Hargeysa - Wado hadaladii labada Wadan ee Somaliland iyo Somalia ayaa la sheegay in dib loo dhigay muddo bil ah. Wad0 hadalada labada dhinac oo lagu waday in ay qabsoomaan bisha fooda inagu soo haysa ee December 2013, ayaa waxa dib loogu riixay bilowga bisha January ee sanadka 2014. Sidaasna waxa shaaca ka qaaday in Wasiirka Arrimaha Dibada Somaliland Dr. Maxamed Biixi Yoonis oo u waramayay BBC-da.

Wasiir Arimo Dibadeedka Somaliland Dr. Maxamed Biixi waxa uu intaasi ku daray in dib u dhigistan wado hadalada ay codsadeen dawlada Federaalka Somalia oo uu sheegay in uu dalkoodu meel khatar badan marayo.

"Wadada hadaladii labada wadan ee Somaliland iyo Somalia oo lagu waday in ay qabsoomaan bisha December, waxa dib loogu dhigay labada todobaad ee ugu horeeya bisha January, waxaana codsigaasi keentay dawlada Somalia oo aynu ognahay xaalada ay ku sugan yihiin" ayuu yidhi Wasiirka Arrimaha Dibada Somaliland.

Dhinaca kale waxa uu intaasi ku daray in Dalka Turkigu ay Xafiis ka furan doonaan Somaliland isagoo arintaa ka hadlayana waxa uu wasiirku yiri "Dalka Turkigu waxa uu xafiis ka furan doonaa Somaliland, arintaasi oo ka mid ahayd waxyaabihii uu waftigii uu hogaaminayay Madaxwaynaha Somaliland ee dhawaan Turkiga tagay kala hadleen Ra'iisal Wasaaraha dalkaasi, si labada dal ay u xoojiyaan dhinacyada xidhiidhka diblamaasiyadeed, dhaqaale, ganacsi iyo taageeroba in Somaliland iyo Turkigu is waydaarsadaan xafiis dublamaasiyadeed" ayuu yidhi.

20th Anniversary of International Human Rights Day 2013 Theme: 20 YEARS: WORKING FOR YOUR RIGHTS

Human Rights Day 2013 has special significance in this 20th anniversary year of the establishment of the mandate of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Human Rights Day continues the celebration of the anniversary with 20 YEARS: WORKING FOR YOUR RIGHTS as its theme but with the emphasis on the future and identifying the challenges that lie ahead.

The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all 

Memo to The Hague: Somalia is Not Safe

Leslie Lefkow

Author(s): 

 Leslie Lefkow

Twenty-six-year-old Said Ahmed Said was walking down the street in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, on November 8 when there was an explosion at a nearby hotel. He was hit by flying debris.

Such attacks are not unusual in Mogadishu. As with Iraq, Afghanistan or other places in which there is an armed conflict, it’s easy to become immune to the news that every week civilians in Mogadishu are killed or injured. Many incidents are not even reported in the international news unless the casualties are particularly large—like the April bombing of a Mogadishu courthouse that killed more than 30 people, or aimed at foreign targets—like the June suicide attack on the United Nations compound in Mogadishu.

What makes Said’s case special is that until November 5 he lived in the Netherlands. Said, along with his mother and sisters, fled Somalia’s terrible conflict in the 1990s, when he was 7 years old. Although Said’s mother and sisters eventually received residency in the Netherlands, his application was denied because he had a criminal record. Said got a temporary respite in 2011 when the Dutch government – along with many other European governments – suspended returns to Somalia after judicial rulings that, in general, failed asylum seekers should not be returned to Mogadishu due to the appalling violence in the city.

That position changed in December 2012. Many of Somalia’s international donors and partners wanted to support the new government that took office in August 2012, seeing it as Somalia’s best hope for re-establishing stability and peace after more than 20 years of conflict. European donors have provided millions of Euros in aid for reconstruction and military support to the Somali and African Union forces pushing back the main armed Islamist group al-Shabaab, which continues to control large swathes of territory in south-central Somalia.

But European governments also saw the political developments as an opportunity to resume sending failed asylum seekers back to Somalia, under the wishful-thinking position that the situation had stabilized. “'It's very evident that the general situation in Mogadishu has improved,”said Dutch Secretary of State Fred Teeven on December 19, 2012. He continued: “The indiscriminate violence because of which everyone in the city was at risk, has substantially decreased.” The UK’s Home Office has made similar arguments.

While there has been a reduction in open conflict in Mogadishu, the reality on the ground is that on a daily basis civilians are injured and killed by targeted attacks by gunmen, or attacks by improvised explosive devices and grenades. The Somali government does not even control all of Mogadishu and is failing to provide much of its population with basic security. And large parts of south-central Somalia remain in the throes of ongoing fighting, or even under al-Shabaab control. Al-Shabaab still has the capacity to wreak havoc, and civilians still bear the brunt of its attacks.

People who follow events in Somalia listen to the political rhetoric with disbelief. In 2013, as the Dutch and other European governments began the process of resuming deportations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Vluchtelingenwerk and other organizations argued that the time was not right to send Somali asylum seekers back to Mogadishu or south-central Somalia.

Sweden is another country eager to send Somalis back, and the European Court of Human Rights gave it a green light in September. The court said the general level of violence in Mogadishu had decreased to the extent that everyone was no longer at a real risk, an assessment based largely on a Norwegian and Danish team that visited Kenya and spent three days in Mogadishu, sleeping in the airport because of the insecurity.

Appeals in Dutch courts held up deportations from the Netherlands for a while. In April I testified in a High Court case in The Hague that would ultimately set a dangerous precedent. I showed maps with large black patches covering most of south-central Somalia: the areas that remained inaccessible to humanitarian agencies because of insecurity.

I had compiled data showing that even though there was less outright fighting in Mogadishu, the toll of injured and dead civilians from grenade attacks and bombings had gone up in 2013. But the judges seemed far more interested in hearing the Dutch government’s arguments about how the situation in Mogadishu had improved, again based on questionable information, given the limited access.

The Somali client lost her appeal and after several months the Dutch government prepared to resume deportations.

The Dutch and other European governments should recognize that facts on the ground, not political “wish lists,” need to determine their policy on Somali returns. The Dutch government should immediately reverse their decision that the time is ripe for returns. Lives depend on it.

After the Netherlands resumed deportations to Somalia, Said was the second Somali to be sent back. He was lucky – he was only lightly wounded in the attack. The next Somali returned might not be so lucky.

Leslie Lefkow is deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch and lives in the Netherlands.

Originally published in Het Parool on November 26, 2013.

SOMALIA: Humanitarian air service seeks urgent funding to maintain support

Nairobi - The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operation in Somalia is currently facing a funding shortfall with current funding enabling it to continue the service only until the end of January 2014.

The significant size of the humanitarian aid community in Somalia and staff based in neighbouring Kenya, but travelling to Somalia on regular
missions, combined with a precarious security situation, demands a continued and augmented humanitarian air transport capacity.

UNHAS has regular flights to eight locations of which only two are served by domestic commercial airlines that do not yet meet United Nations standards for staff travel.

The UNHAS operation in Somalia transports about 2,300 passengers and 13 metric tons of cargo every month. About 155 humanitarian organizations, as well as the donors and the diplomatic community operating in Somalia, rely on the operation.

Press Release of Foreign & Commonwealth Office: Boost for development in Somaliland

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of Somaliland and its Somaliland Development Fund development partners

Signing of MoU between the Government of Somaliland and its Development Fund development partners

Today the Somaliland authorities, along with the UK’s Department for International Development and DANIDA, committed to working together to improve the lives of the people of Somaliland. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of Somaliland and its Somaliland Development Fund development partners at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa.

The SDF provides a single channel through which donors can support Somaliland’s development goals. It supplements Somaliland’s own resources to help deliver the National Development Plan (2012-2016) and associated Somaliland Special Arrangement. It demonstrates a level of confidence and trust in the level of progress achieved in Somaliland. The SDF aims to reduce the fragmentation of development assistance going to Somaliland,and give the Somaliland Government ownership over how and where the funds are spent.

Speaking at the event President Silanyo welcomed the agreement.

“Somaliland has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring, peace, stability and development over the years and has been supported by its partners and close friends, specially the UK and the Danish Government’s. The SDF is a vote of confidence in Somaliland’s efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals and create a strong and sustainable country. We thank the UK and Danish Government’s for their commitment and faith in our people and our systems.” The SDF aims to contribute to a more stable and prosperous Somaliland. Achieving stability and prosperity is dependent on citizens receiving core public services and the Government engaging with their citizens through transparent and accountable systems.

The SDF will deliver the following headline results:

• Delivery of core state functions by Central and local government in Somaliland
• Improving service delivery – initially focused on roads, livestock, water, and the environment. This will include:
• Rehabilitation of Hargeisa to Berbera road, and feasibility study of Burao – Erigavo road providing much needed infrastructure and links to Berbera port and regional markets
• Upgrading of Hargeisa urban water supply to benefit an additional 500,000 people as well rural potable water supply to 200,000 people
• Construction of two livestock holding grounds to support exports and the livestock sector which is the mainstay of the Somaliland economy
• Regeneration and protection of rangelands to enhance productivity
• Promotion of reforestation through community managed tree nurseries
• Political commitment delivers public financial management and wider public sector reforms, leading to improved accountability and government strengthening.

UK Ambassador Mr Neil Wigan and Danish Ambassador Mr Geert A. Andersen,signed the MOU together with the Head of DFID Somalia Ms Joanna Reid.

“Our visit represents the continued commitment of the UK and Denmark to support Somaliland.We recognise the efforts the government is making to strengthen governance, and providing access to equitable basic services for all citizens of Somaliland,” said Mr Wigan

“The Somaliland Development Fund will ensure that ordinary people in Hargeisa and across Somaliland will benefit from improved services. For example 500,000 men, women and children will soon have access to a clean water supply,” added Ms Reid.

Mr Geert A. Andersen said, “Having visited Somaliland on several occasions, I am truly impressed by the progress seen in so many areas. Our support to SDF and other areas is based on a close partnership with Somaliland having demonstrated leadership and ownership. SDF is the New Deal in practice.”

Notes to editors

• The Somaliland Development Fund (SDF) provides a single vehicle through which donors can support Somaliland’s development goals. The SDF supports the Government of Somaliland (GoSL) fill a critical gap through funding projects that are fully aligned to the National Development Plan (NDP) 2012 -2016 while at the same time recognizing the role of GoSL in the delivery of basic services.
• The Fund supports recurrent and Capital costs. The SDF will also support GoSL’s communication of results to build accountability and transparency. Furthermore, the SDF is designed to strengthen the state-citizenship relationship and enhance accountability and domestic revenue generation. This, in turn, should lead to more stability and prosperity in Somaliland.
• Current donor contributions to the fund stand at the $60.5 million provided by the UK’s Department for International Development ($40.5m), and DANIDA ($20m).
• This is a clear demonstration of confidence and commitment on the part of contributing donors to the Fund. However, this fund is only 4.2% of the $ 1.19 billion required for funding the National Development Plan.
• Further information is available at www.somalilanddevelopmentfund.org

Media contact: Ifrah, Somaliland Government Communications Officepogcsom@gmail.com or Amanda Lawrence-Brown, Communications Unit British Embassy Mogadishu A-lawrence-brown@dfid.gov.ukPage history:Organisation:

Source: Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Ethiopia: 'India can partner Ethiopia in space technology'

Addis Ababa: With Ethiopia launching a new space programme last month, India can have a promising partnership with Africa in this frontier technology, India's outgoing ambassador here has said. 

"An Indian rocket may carry an Ethiopian satellite into space; that is possible," outgoing envoy Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said at his farewell reception here organized by the Indian Business Forum (IBF) in Ethiopia. 

"India's space launches are much cheaper (than in the West); hence launching micro satellites for Ethiopia is something that I think the two countries should work closely together for," he added. 

After South Africa and Nigeria, Ethiopia is becoming a hub of Africa's aspirations in space with the East African nation's finalising the installation of two huge deep-space observatory telescopes to promote space research in the region, a prelude to its developing a space mission by launching its own satellites. 

Indian technology has enabled the successful launching of satellites that now provide the country communication facilities and information on a range of subjects, including mineral deposits and weather trends. 

"I will discuss this new partnership opportunity with my successor," Bisnoi said. On completing his four-year term, Bishnoi is moving to New York as deputy head of India's permanent mission at the UN. He will be succeeded by Sanjay Verma, currently India's consul general in Dubai. 

He said Indian technological companies should invest in Ethiopia in the opportunities that are opening up. "The technologies that India brings are affordable, adoptable and suitable for household uses and others depending on the circumstances", the ambassador said. 

"There is a lot of things that Indian industry has to offer." 

During his tenure, the ambassador had encouraged Indian investment to Ethiopia and several Indian projects, especially in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, have been set up. 

"As a patron of IBF, he (Bishnoi) constantly guided us to achieve our main objectives of IBF," Mayur IBF president Suryakant Kothari said. 

According to Kothari, the other major contribution of the Indian ambassador was to create a platform for dialogue between Indian and Ethiopian government officials, which is also an objective of the IBF. 

"Creating a dialogue between government officials is very important for investment and he enabled this platform where Indian investors frankly and candidly engage with Indian and Ethiopian government officials, and a lot of their challenges and problems were resolved," Kothari said. 

One outcome of this dialogue is that India is the first country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) that has been successfully implemented by both sides. 

The first visit of Indian leaders like Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Mnister Manmohan Singh, as well as of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to India when he was foreign minister happened during Bishnoi's tenure. 

Source: zeenews.india.com

Saudi Arabia Deports 50,000 Ethiopian Workers

Up to 50,000 Ethiopians have been deported from Saudi Arabia in the past three weeks as part of a crackdown on illegal workers.

Ethiopian workers stranded in Yemen last year after fleeing Saudi Arabia

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

Thousands of Egyptians, Indonesians, Malaysians and others have also been flown out of the country as the Saudi government seeks to create jobs for local people by deporting some of the estimated nine million foreign workers.

An amnesty for people working in the country without proper permits expired on November 4 and, since then, planes have been taking off around the clock to get the workers to their home countries.

The crackdown has involved tens of thousands of people being rounded up and has led to disturbances in which three Ethiopians have been killed. Almost one million illegal workers had left voluntarily over the past few months.

Saudi employers are now responsible for 'sponsoring' their workers

Saudi Arabia may be one of the richest countries in the world but it has an unemployment rate of 12.5% in a population of 27 million.

The Government not only wishes to get more locals into the workforce, it also wants to diversify the economy.

Interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is overseeing the operation and says the campaign has "so far led to the deportation of more than 60,000 violators of the residency and labour system, while procedures are on-going to deport others".

The Government chartered 70 planes just to deport Ethiopians, who are thought to constitute the biggest group of people leaving.

Foreign workers from numerous countries are affected by the crackdown

The foreign ministry in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said it expected the final total, once the airlift had finished, to be 80,000. 

Foreign minister Tedros Adhanom said the government was in "around the clock crisis management" to help get its citizens home.

A majority of them are thought to be women who were employed as domestic workers.

A Paris protest in support of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia

Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria, and also one of the poorest. This leads large numbers of its 91 million citizens to leave to try to find work abroad, many in the Middle East. 

There are consistent and numerous reports alleging the ill treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, especially those from developing countries.

In many cases, people's passports are taken from them when they begin a job.

This has exacerbated the problem of illegal working, as employees sometimes simply keep the worker on, but do not bother to return their passport, or fill in the correct paperwork.

Source: sky.com

Ethiopia: Terrorist threat forces Kathryn to cancel Ethiopia charity run

OPERATION Transformation host Kathryn Thomas was forced to pull out of the Great Ethiopian Run after al-Shabaab terrorists threatened to sabotage the charity event.

Kathryn Thomas. 

Picture: Brian McEvoy

Kathryn (34) was due to travel to Africa last week and run 10k to raise money for Self Help Africa.

But the Carlow native had to cancel her flight after the charity advised participants not to travel for the run.

She told the Herald: "I've travelled to Ethiopia and to Addis Ababa before and I think it's a great place and city – I've always been happy and felt safe travelling there.

"But the al-Shabaab terrorists were responsible for the Westgate Mall attacks in Nairobi, so the organisers had to take things seriously.

"Ethiopia has been on high alert since those two suicide bombers blew themselves up before Ethiopia's World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria."

Kathryn added organisers were particularly conscious after the Boston Marathon bombings earlier in the year. "They really had to alert participants to the danger and advise them not to travel," she said.

"The event wasn't cancelled but Self Help Africa had to warn everyone about it."

Despite the alert, several Irish participants made their way to Ethiopia. The hard core marathon men and women ran a different race in Hawass, several hours south of Addis Ababa, and dubbed it 'The Alternative Great Ethiopia Run'.

Kathryn added: "I'm delighted the other participants ran an alternate race and the event was a success despite everything.

"It was obviously a disappointment. It's the biggest run in the city – over 40,000 take part – but these things happen and safety is always a priority."

Kathryn is currently down in Cork filming the next series of Operation Transformation. But despite being in a different continent, she made sure to make a contribution to the 10k run.

So she threw on a pair of sneakers and hit the pavements in the south.

She revealed: "We did a 10k run down in Cork to make up for it.

"I was going to run it on the same day but I was travelling so did it the following day."

hnews@herald.ie