Friday
I snuck into the office today; everything is still closed, everyone is at home listening to Voice of America for "real" news, which ironically I can't access because it's in Amharic. Anxious for news, I call my friends at the embassies and the UN for updates, but the phone lines are often down.The conflict has escalated and spread to major cities in Ethiopia via student riots and worker strikes--including Dessie, where I was in October. In Addis, police have been going door-to-door in certain neighborhoods and dragging away any young men. One could say it's a biblical approach. At best, it's desperate, and at worse, it's massacre.
The Brits are getting riled about the response of the government here—about time. Ana Gomes, whom Meles hates and has publicly dissed, has written another letter of protest to the EU about their weak approach of scolding the PM verbally but continuing to do active business with his regime. Meles' government is wholly propped up by direct European aid, I might add.
Thanks for your words of support; it helps to feel more connected in what has been a strangely isolating experience thus far. Fortunately for me, the last thing the gov't wants on the news is some faranji shot and killed, unless of course, as they've been claiming on all the gov't channels, "the opposition did it." From their jail cells, I suppose.
posted by Margot @ 4:04 AM
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