Prof John Harbeson Ethiopia’s very existence as it has been known for more than a century may well be at stake most immediately because of the civil war in its Tigray region between the central government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). At this writing, by unilaterally declaring a ceasefire at the behest of its interim administration in Tigray, conditionally accepted by the TPLF, the Ethiopian government has appeared tacitly to concede that it has been unable to defeat the TPLF’s Defense Forces (TDF), after an eight-month campaign. Not clear at this writing is…
Author: NLM Team
Abiy Ahmed’s election in 2018 as Ethiopia’s prime minister came after his predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, was forced to resign as Ethiopians opposing repressive practices that had lasted 30 years, including violent state repression, protested in large numbers. Abiy’s ascendancy brought to an end the lengthy reign of The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). In his initial days in power, Abiy freed tens of thousands of political prisoners, lifted Internet restrictions and restored diplomatic ties with Eritrea, culminating in the end of a long-running border war. These reforms contributed to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, impressing friend and…
By Kevin Motaroki People think of judges as being judgmental. Justice William Ouko would disagree. “Because a judge doesn’t decide a case until s/he has all the information and is in a position to pass judgment. You have to be fair, and the ruling has to be the best in accordance with the facts and the law.” At my prompts, sometimes out of his own volition, Justice Ouko quipped, rhetorically, “It is just so much easier when we all play our part” through our two-hour interview. He believes in destiny and duty; that we, all of us, but especially judges,…
By Frankline Mbogori In America’s post-colonial history (245 years), only one court ruling has ever been disobeyed by an American President. Even then, that order was issued during wartime. In 1861, at the height of the American civil war, Abraham Lincoln defied Chief Justice Roger Taney’s ruling in Ex Parte Merryman, overturning the President’s wartime suspension of habeas. This case tested the ability of the American President to disobey judicial orders when he believed such orders to be erroneous. Since that time, many constitutional scholars have argued that a President can disobey a court order when it is clear that…
Travelling visa-free across the globe, enjoying tax incentives and accessing a wider range of educational and healthcare services were once luxuries reserved for the fortunate few – but not any longer. Citizenship by Investment (CBI) and Residency by Investment (RBI) has opened the doors to high net worth investors (HNWIs) seeking freedom of travel, favourable tax advantages as well as the option to live, work and study in a new jurisdiction. Plus, with a wide range of investment options and countries to choose from – to include Portugal, the Caribbean, the US and the UK – finding the right program…
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) emerged as an incongruous liberation in the mid-1970s. Theirs was a befuddled agenda that oscillated between demanding independence for Tigray Province to opposing ethnic discrimination and achieving equality for all Ethiopians. By the late 1980s, TPLF had created alliances with other armed opposition movements like the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), and also enjoyed military support from the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF). The resulting coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) deposed Mengistu Hailemariam’s military government in 1991, which was then heavily defeated in Eritrea. The TPLF…
How will South Africa’s quota imposition for local content play out? By Antony Mutunga In 2016, without any warning, Netflix was launched in Africa; the streaming service was suddenly available in all African countries. What followed was a mixture of excitement and suspense in the continent. While some were overjoyed at the prospect of more options besides the likes of DSTv, which were the only provider of similar entertainment, others were concerned about the pricing and whether many could afford it. Years later, Netflix has grown popular to become the leading streaming service on the continent. According to Digital TV…
People want to put their trust in government – or so they would like to, in an ideal world, so why do powerful figures often get away with lies? George Orwell once said that political language is “designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind”, and he wasn’t wrong. It seems like over the past decade, with the rise of tech and social media, that politicians and influential figures are finding it harder to hide behind their lies as the laymen call them out and demand answers when things go wrong.…
By Mohamed Sheikh Nor This year, Somalia’s 61st independence day was celebrated over six days. First to commemorate its independence in the northern region from Britain on 26 June, and then again on 1 July to mark the reunification of the Somali republic. The younger generation – people under 30 – make up about 70% of the population today, and they have only ever known a country marked by its scars from war. Do they see a future for Somali? This year’s independence celebration was nearly marred by the continued delay of the national elections. But with a new timetable…
The strategy proposes bold reforms in the management of public finances to eliminate revenue ‘leakages’ and ensure an efficient, productive, and transparent use of scarce resources By NLM Writer The African Development Bank on July 2, 2021 launched its Strategy for Economic Governance in Africa (SEGA), aimed at fostering transparent and accountable governments and institutions to secure inclusive, sustainable development. Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has exposed African countries’ weak public financial management and service delivery and vulnerability to exogenous shocks, the strategy proposes bold reforms in the management of public finances to eliminate revenue ‘leakages’ and ensure an…
