Senator Menendez’s conviction. Good riddance.
One of the charges against Senator Bob Menendez, soon-to-be ex-Senator, was accepting bribes from the Egyptian government in exchange for promoting Egypt’s opposition to the construction and utilization of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. Menendez tried to convince the U.S. State Department to adopt Egypt’s position.
As Washington Update has emphasized, the GERD is a cornerstone of Ethiopia’s economic progress and prosperity. It promises to alleviate water shortages, particularly for irrigation, and provide electricity to millions of Ethiopians who currently lack access to power.
While Menendez was motivated by personal greed, it isn’t clear why former President Trump took Egypt’s side in disputes over the GERD. In 2020, then-President Trump predicted that Egypt would blow up the GERD, a potential catastrophe that he did not attempt to forestall.
An obscene palace.
Prime Minister Abiy is moving forward with a plan to spend as much as $10 billion on a presidential palace under a so-called Chaka (forest) project. The extravagant spending is obscene at a time when the UN reports that millions of Ethiopians are suffering from malnutrition and the country is at war in the south and in the north. Ethiopia needs a democratically elected government, the rule of law, peace, economic development, and human rights – not a lavish palace built to pamper a man responsible for his people’s suffering.
Constitutional conference. Ethiopian Diaspora uniting for democracy.
Members of the Ethiopian/American concerned civic organizations will hold a meeting on September 23, from 9 a.m. to noon, in the Kennedy Caucus Room, Senate Russell office building, to complete work on proposed draft constitutions. We thank Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) for his assistance in securing the room and for his support.
The conference is a beacon of hope, intended to discuss the root cause of Ethiopia’s misery—the nation’s constitution based on divide-and-rule ethnic federalism and ethnic conflicts that threaten to tear Ethiopia apart- and debate a draft constitution that attempts to address the root causes of Ethiopia’s most serious problems. To secure democracy, human rights, and economic prosperity, Ethiopia needs a new constitution that places power in the hands of its people.
All Ethiopians are invited to attend and participate. A registration link will be sent by early September, ensuring that everyone has a chance to contribute to Ethiopia’s future.
Ethiopians Mourn the death of over 200 Ethiopians
The New York Times reports that two Landslides kill 229 people in Ethiopia. A waterlogged hill slide above a village gave away, burying several houses in mud. A second slide hit neighbors and rescue workers who had rushed to help.
Mesfin Mekonen
Mesfin Mekonen is the author of Washington Update, a bulletin about Ethiopia’s struggle for freedom and prosperity, and founder of MM Management.
