AGOA as a Political Tool

December 29, 2021

BY ADDISALEM MULAT

The U.S. for long has been trying to justify its unfair sanctions and pressure against Ethiopia as a tool to influence the political leadership of Ethiopia. But last week, the country moved to approve the suspension of Ethiopia from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Washington’s measure would make millions of working Ethiopians, particularly, women to lose their jobs. The people who have been working in the textile and apparel industries will be economically impacted by the political decision.

The U.S. termination of Ethiopia from AGOA eligibility is an ill-judged and politically-motivated measure that would damage the American business interest in the continent of Africa. The decision also validates the years of argument that economic privileges are used to enforce the political interests of the providers.

Washington’s decision came amidst opposition from congress members with some writing open letters to the Biden administration.

For instance, member of the United States Congress and Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Karen Bass lobbied the Biden Administration to keep Ethiopia in AGOA.

Prior to the endorsement of the termination, Bass has urged the Administration to allow time for all parties in Ethiopia to take the necessary steps to end this conflict, deploy humanitarian aid to those who need it, and continue negotiations to garner peace. “The abrupt timeline of January 1, 2022, will adversely impact citizens without necessarily alternating the pace of progress.”

On November 2, the Biden Administration announced its intent to suspend Ethiopia from AGOA by January 1, 2022. Suspension of AGOA will reverse economic gains that have been hard-won by the people of Ethiopia, American investors, and exacerbate the circumstances of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including women and children.

In other news, Sen. Jim Inhofe in his Twitter page also stated that the Biden administration should take real steps to undo the sanctions against the democratically elected government of Ethiopia and roll back the termination of AGOA benefits. Sen. Jim took the lead in successfully removing the “Genocide” Provision included in the Defense appropriation bill of HR 4350 (Section 6464), it was learned.

The approval of the termination in spite of its impact on low-income communities indicates that the political measure to ban Ethiopia from economic opportunities is a textbook example of western bias and unwarranted pressure AGOA is only the tip of the iceberg. The U.S. has been putting all-rounded pressure against Ethiopia. The U.S. and its allies have been sparing no effort to twist the arms of nations worldwide under the guise of human rights and democracy.

On the subject of the misguided U.S. foreign policy towards Ethiopia, people from all walks of life have been expressing their disappointment time and time again. As things stand at present, the issue is turning out to be the talk of the entire world.

The sanctions that the U.S. government has imposed against Ethiopia and other developing nations are in contrast to international laws, said international criminal law expert John Philpot in a webinar meeting hosted by the Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC) and Sanctions Kill.

Noting different countries including Iran, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, and North Korea are suffering greatly as a result of the U.S. sanctions, Philpot expressed the desire of his organization to make the same not to happen in Ethiopia. Sanctions Kill’s report underlined that the U.S. sanctions are violating the United Nations’ Charter of the sovereign equality of all member states.

“Big countries and institutions including the U.S. or EU cannot interfere in the internal affairs of Ethiopia or try to impose a change in the government or a policy. That is illegal.” In December 2020, the UN General Assembly voted in Resolution 75/181 rejecting resolution of human rights and unilateral coercive measures by 70 percent against, in a clear manifestation of the world is against sanctions.

“North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and other countries have previously been subject to the U.S. sanctions, but the measure did not change the Sanctions. As a matter of fact, sanctions have made countries more resilient and stronger,” said economist Tsegaye Degineh (Ph.D.) in an interview with local media.

Noting Cuba has been under sanctions for more than 60 years, the scholar highlighted that the country has never changed its policy even if it has been challenged by economic setbacks. By the same token, Iran has repeatedly been sanctioned; however, it has been able to compete with the West by increasing productivity and strengthening market linkages with other neighboring countries.

“While the U.S. decision to revoke Ethiopia’s AGOA privilege is something embarrassing, the work being done by Ethiopians must be intensified to change the former’s stance rather than begging them.”

Tsegaye noted that exploring potential markets and increasing productivity would enable Ethiopia to overcome the Biden Administration’s unwarranted restriction. Only seven percent of Ethiopia’s total exports are destined to the U.S. and the AGOA’s share is insignificant The U.S. government is now doing its level best to use Ethiopia for geopolitical advantages in the Horn of Africa region. This is a return that makes the Ethio- American relations not to be in a good position. These have been observed on various occasions namely in the UN security council, UN Human Rights Council and AGOA cases. The country has been also supporting the terrorist TPLF ideas and so on which spoil the Ethio-American diplomatic relations, according to EACC President Deacon Yoseph Teferi.

In order to reverse such misguided policy, EACC and the members of Ethiopia Diaspora have planned to do various activities. Among the plans, EACC would continue staging rallies to echo Ethiopian stances, signing petitions as well as intensifying diplomatic and lobbies efforts in every direction to keep and protect Ethiopian national interest, Yoseph added.

“Since EACC is a civic organization, it has a chance to put pressures on the voting process of the American election. So, we will also continue our influence on the coming U.S election as we did in Virginia. This is important to warn the Democrats that we will not put our votes in the same basket as we did in the past.”

Ethiopian-Americans could vote senators who could listen and understand them”, he explained. Besides, they must understand that harming and tarnishing Ethiopia and its image both in the United Nations and international arenas would cause many years of trouble for the Ethio-American relations. Hence, “we are ready to work with the U.S. for the common benefit of both countries.”

The Ethiopian Herald December 29/2021

Ethiopia’s Dilemma: What to Do with the Military Victory?

December 29, 2021

By Messay Kebede, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy University of Dayton

Without doubt, the counter-attacks of the Ethiopian armed forces can be characterized as a success: they achieved the goal of ousting TPLF’s invading troops from Amhara and Afar regions in a relatively short time and inflicted on them heavy human and material losses. Yet, this important victory landed Ethiopia in a real catch-22 situation, which is whether or not to pursue the insurgents into their own territory of Tigray. That the dilemma is real is shown by the fact that the government’s arguments for its decision not to enter into Tigray can be countered by equally valid arguments. Let us review them.  

Government’s Arguments

The Prime Minister himself laid down the reasoning of the government in a written communiqué. While acknowledging that the decision is likely to disappoint many people who are angry at the crimes and destructions committed by the TPLF and understandably seek justice, strategic considerations targeting the long-terms interests of the country explain the government’s position. The option of continuing the offensive into Tigray seriously put the acquired victory in jeopardy, with the consequence that it will ultimately turn it into a sure defeat. 

To begin with, such a decision will reward the TPLF with the reasons it needs to prolong its control over Tigray. In light of the 40 years of relentless ethnonationalist indoctrination, the venture into Tigray will be perceived as an invasion, and this will give TPLF leaders the cause that enables them to reemerge as the defender of Tigray despite the severe setbacks they suffered. For many Tigreans, the choice will be between invaders with all the possible ill intentions and compatriots still defending the interests of Tigray, however reckless they may have been. In this case, the easiest guess is that Tigreans will prefer to be ruled by their own kin rather than by “strangers.” The continuation of the TPLF’s rule means, in turn, the prolongation of the state of war. 

The decision to go into Tigray will no doubt achieve a quick victory, but it will not avert the recourse to guerrilla attacks. The purpose of these attacks is not to score a decisive victory; rather, it is to bleed slowly the army to death while also deepening the rift with the civilian population through attacks resulting in civilian causalities. In the long run, these attacks end up by causing heavy human and material losses and an irreparable animosity between the population and the federal government. In other words, the decision of the government is based on lessons learned from the immediate past. When this war began a year ago, Ethiopian armed forces achieved a quick victory and immediately engaged in the work of bringing back a normal life to Tigray. We know what the outcome was: viewed as invaders, the Ethiopian forces came under attacks from armed groups as well as from the civilian population, just as they became the objects of fabricated slanderous accusations of all sorts of crimes, including genocide. As the saying goes, “mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating.” 

Another compelling reason for not moving into Tigray is that the TPLF is not alone in this fight. As is now unquestionably obvious, it has the full backing of powerful Western allies, including among high officials in the United Nations. These allies do not hesitate to provide military, diplomatic, financial, and media supports to assist the TPLF’s goal of regaining the hegemony that it lost in Ethiopia. Add to this the hostility of Egypt and Sudan over the construction of the Nile dam, and you have unfolding before your very eyes a scenario similar to “David versus Goliath.” The inability of the TPLF to capture Addis Ababa and its subsequent military defeats in Afar and Amhara regions have left these powerful allies with no other choice than to strategize for direct intervention in the conflict. 

Given the status of Ethiopia as a sovereign nation, these allies must find a compelling reason that justifies intervention. Where else could such a justification be found but in the UN resolution conferring on member states “the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity”? Clearly, the decision to advance on Tigray provides the opportunity to accuse the Ethiopian defense forces of crimes against humanity and genocide, be it through fabricated stories or through killings resulting from deliberate provocations by civilian groups.  

The decision not to cross into Tigray does not mean the cessation of all military confrontations. According to the announcement, it is the right and solemn duty of the government to take whatever measure is necessary each time it deems that there is threat to national sovereignty and unity. But then, this provision does no more than confirm that the government is opting for what looks pretty much like a siege warfare. The option has many advantages: it wants to force TPLF forces to surrender by cutting off the supply of weapons from outside, just as it avoids the exposure of government troops to guerrilla attacks and direct contacts with the civilian population. Although siege warfare is time-consuming, it lowers the human and material costs by averting direct confrontation in open battle or house to house search for insurgents. It also forces the civilian population to ask whether continued resistance is worthwhile, whether it has any chance of success. 

Reasons to Go into Tigray

Those who oppose the government’s decision ask us to consider whether the policy of isolating Tigray can really eliminate the fighting capability of the TPLF forces and break down the resistance of many civilian Tigreans. For them, far from being an emotional stand, pursuing the insurgents into their own territory is the logical continuation of their ousting from Amhara and Afar regions. Without moving into Tigray and occupying some major centers of activity, TPLF’s defeat will never be consummated. Worse yet, it will give the distinct impression that the federal government is afraid to confront the insurgents directly, preferring instead to isolate Tigray, mostly for the purpose of cowardly aerial bombardments. 

In refusing to finalize the war, is not the government putting in limbo its recent victories? The only way to guarantee the victory of the Ethiopian forces is to eliminate the TPLF, and this cannot be achieved without taking the war into Tigray. Without direct occupation, the TPLF will regroup and regain strength for further attacks. The government cannot prevent these attacks by means of targeted occasional incursions and air strikes.  Anything other than outright elimination leaves the TPLF in control of Tigray, which control means the indefinite continuation of the war. Granting the TPLF the opportunity to retain the control of Tigray is a sure way of ensuring its full resurgence. 

The consistent move after the recent victories is not to back down, but “to strike while the iron is hot.” What happened in the not distant past should serve here as a lesson. When Mengistu Haile Mariam withdrew from Tigray, he was under the belief that the TPLF will remain confined in that region so that he could focus on battling the Eritrean insurgents. We know what followed: The TPLF moved into Amhara territory and marched on Addis Ababa. We can even go further into the past: when Menelik refused to move into Eritrea to dislodge the Italian army, the consequence was that Eritrea served as launching pad for the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia. 

This is not to suggest that the situation of today’s Ethiopia is comparable to the two past events. Even a superficial analysis can easily pinpoint the outstanding differences that separate the past events from the current situation. Still, the parallel calls attention to the fact that the nature of the enemy matters when one wants to assess the possible efficacy of the policy of encirclement. In the case of Tigray, mere encirclement has little chance of yielding the expected surrender of the insurgents. Knowing the ideology of superiority and the hegemonic political goal of the TPLF, one can say for sure that it will never stop attacking Ethiopia by using whatever means and methods it has at its disposal. Both the ideology and the political goal invite war; we can even say that the TPLF needs to wage war in order to survive. So that, the condition for Ethiopia to have peace and concentrate on its development is the destruction of TPLF’s fighting power as well as ideology. And this destruction cannot even begin until the leaders are eliminated or forced to face a court of law. 

Last but not least, not moving into Tigray has the deleterious effect of granting a de facto independence to Tigray, which will then be in the same situation as neighboring Somaliland. Isolating Tigray, cutting off its social, economic, and political ties with the main land, is it not to act as though Tigray were no longer part of Ethiopia? If, as we all claim, Tigray is an integral part of Ethiopia, then there is no other way to ascertain it than to reinstate the authority of the federal government. 

General Outcome

Clearly, each argument from both camps can be easily countered, but the general impression of an intricate dilemma cannot be dismissed. Thus, it can be shown that the arguments in favor of moving into Tigray underestimate the military, economic, and psychological impacts of a prolong guerrilla warfare on Ethiopia. It also overlooks the difficulty of finding the leaders unless the people of Tigray cooperate, which is far from being given, but also almost impossible to obtain in a prolonged guerrilla war. There is more: with guerrilla war in full motion, the accusation of serious crimes and genocide will give TPLF’s Western allies the needed justification to intervene directly. One lesson we can learn from Menelik is that he refused to pursue the Italian military into Eritrea because he did not want to antagonize European powers by challenging the established colonial status quo. 

The main weakness of the arguments in favor of not crossing into Tigray is the assumption that isolation and targeted attacks can seriously undermine the threat of the TPLF to Ethiopia’s stability and internal unity. The assumption overlooks the nature of the TPLF, the fact that the TPLF is the problem child of Ethiopia: containment will not dissuade it from engaging in repeated attacks into Amhara and Afar territories, nor will it prevent it from instigating and financing clashes in various parts of the country. The bare truth is that peace cannot descend on Ethiopia unless TPLF’s ideology and military structure are eliminated for good. 

Even graver than the failure to significantly diminish the fighting capability of the TPLF is that the success of containment depends on whether or not it can create a rift between TPLF and the Tigrean population. The assumption here is that Tigreans will in time engage in a cost-benefit analysis leading them to the realization that they have sacrificed much but only to be left with losses. The war was not only useless, but it was a complete catastrophe in terms of human life, not to mention the loss of annexed territories. From this analysis to holding the leadership accountable the path is wide open, all the more so as they do not see any possible improvement in the horizon. 

Will this projected divorce between the Tigrean people and the TPLF occur? Only time will tell. But if it does occur, it opens the path for the Ethiopian armed forces to move into Tigray where they will be welcomed as liberators. Under this condition, law enforcement will become possible again: the leaders can be captured and brought to justice. It will also silence the international cabal supporting the TPLF by taking away all excuses for intervention. More importantly, such a condition will bring the war to its natural conclusion, namely, to a negotiated settlement with genuine representatives of the Tigrean people.

Why Stop at Mekele’s Gate?

December 27, 2021

Ethiopian troops marching north after victories over TPLF forces in December 2020 (photo: file/ENA)

By Addissu Admas

This war has generated so much anger and rancor on both sides that most believed that only a final showdown in Mekele would have satisfied the involved parties. For the Federal Government of Ethiopia (FGE) to rid itself once and for all of an armed party that was determined to remain contentious, rebellious and insurrectionist to the end. For the TPLF party bosses to prove to themselves and the world that they are able to destabilize at will the region and damage the reputation of the federal government and PM Abiy. What else? All TPLF’s rigmarole about restoring federalism, or creating a confederation of Ethiopian states, or its declared intention to stop the progressive centralization of the Ethiopian system of government, or worse yet, attempts of re-Amharanization of Ethiopia, etc… are ways of hiding its true intentions. Which are, as I have stated in many occasions, to evade prosecution for its vast corruption, politically motivated imprisonments and assassinations, and countless other crimes. It appears to have felt that it deserved freedom from prosecution because it had convinced the West that it had “brought”, so to speak, a modicum of economic progress to Ethiopia. But we Ethiopians continue to ask: to whose benefit and at what expense? I guess the reason may be good enough for the West since we are not starving. All the other things, such as freedom of speech, detention with due process, respect for one’s property and limb, freedom of movement, etc… are all luxuries reserved only to Westerners. 

The TPLF and its ardent supporters want the Ethiopian Defense Force (EDF) to march to Mekele to demonstrate to the World that it has still enough power to exact revenge for its disastrous five months campaign in Ethiopia. A campaign motivated, designed, and implemented not to restore the power the TPLF once held, but to humiliate, degrade, and insult the Ethiopian people; especially the Amhara and the Afar. What it has really displayed for the world and history to see is its unbound cruelty, utter inhumanity, meanness of spirit, and extreme coarseness. Instead of being a campaign of battles, it was more of an orgy of depredation, destruction and rape. Was it because TPLF’s army was undisciplined and unwieldy? I do not believe so! It was intended and executed according to the plans designed and conducted by the TPLF bosses sitting comfortably in Mekele! I am more than convinced that this crazed march to the South was neither guided by a confederalist ideology, nor for uniting Ethiopians against the supposed maladministration of the new government. It was inspired instead by a paroxysm of hate. Not for what the EDF supposedly did during its 8 months campaign in Tigray, but I suspect, for all the imagined and unreal humiliations that Amharas have inflicted on Tigreans during the imperial and Derg regimes.

Let us set the records straight here once more: In Ethiopia, no one ethnicity has “colonized” the others. Colonizing not only implies occupying a territory to reside in it, but to exploit its resources for the benefit of one’s nation or ethnic group. In addition to this, countless attendant practices accompany colonialism: garrisoning, expropriation of land for the State, virtual enslavement of the local population, etc…I contend that there has never been colonialism in Ethiopia, except during the 5 years of Italian occupation. What has existed in Ethiopia is territorial expansion through wars between populations with comparable technologies, economy and political systems. The whole discussion of Amhara colonization obfuscates rather than clarify our present circumstances.

I venture to say also that Ethiopia has always been a multi-ethnic state; perhaps more today than in previous times. As such, it is inevitable that population size, organization (military and otherwise) may have allowed one group to dominate the others. This has always been the lot of contiguously living populations. It is also a fact that ethnicities living closely have often seen each other with some diffidence and prejudice even though they shared many cultural traits and belief systems. However, these should never constitute a basis for hostility, rejection and division. Ethiopia is, as the famous Ethiopia scholar Conti-Rossini memorably stated, a mosaic of peoples. Rather than this being cause for disunity and acrimony, it should be reason for celebration and pride. Indeed, we are “e pluribus unum”, out of many one.

Any group, party or movement that tries to overemphasize and exploit our differences and understandable diffidence towards each other’s ethnicity must be seen with suspicion, and even condemnation. This is what the TPLF has nurtured consistently for no other reason than to secure for itself and its people a lasting hegemony. 

PM Abiy and his government’s decision not to continue the war by marching into Mekele is one of the wisest decision in Ethiopia’s recent history. In addition to the reasons or justifications he himself has provided for it, I would like to add here what his decision will be preventing and what benefits it will garner. 

To begin with, I have been uneasy from the start by the Ethiopian government’s decision to enter Tigray to unseat the government of the TPLF in Tigray over a year ago, even though it had every legal justification to do so. While it managed, against the bitter hostility of the local population, to remain there in charge for eight long months, there was the awareness that the TPLF would have resurged since it had convinced the Tigrean people that only it stood for their wellbeing and good governance. Besides, fully aware that the day of reckoning would dawn sooner than later, it had put in place all its contingency plans. 

The TPLF had done an incredible job at convincing the Tigrean people that the government of Dr. Abiy was their most malevolent enemy and that all Ethiopians wanted to see them suffer. Thus, the EDF was literally chasing a guerilla force fully protected, supplied, supported and encouraged by the people of Tigray. Had the EDF decided to pursue the TPLF again in Tigray, it would have fallen into the same predicament. To those who counter by saying that the TPLF is much weakened and cannot pose a credible resistance, I say that the TPLF is not so foolish as to have squandered all its force on its failed southern campaign. It may be that it has been preparing all along to do more damage to the EDF, whether it planned to win or not, once the EDF entered Tigray’s borders. By denying it a final confrontation, the EDF will preserve its newly acquired capabilities to seal off the TPLF in Tigray and deny it any possibility of a passage to the Sudan, or again to the South. Moreover, there is also the question of economics. Waging this war has been enormously burdensome on Ethiopia’s limited resources. Continuing this war out of desire to punish a deviant and malevolent group will only bankrupt the country. In effect, by not satisfying the bloodlust of the TPLF, the government of Ethiopia may be executing its best strategy.

Many have seen the PM’s decision to halt the war as a diplomatic act and an extending of an olive branch to his most rabid critics, namely the US. I say that the PM should not care one whit about them since they had decided beforehand that their winning horse has always been the TPLF. Any deviation or desire to dissimulate this on their part should be taken as a blatant hypocritical act. In their “grand global” scheme, we have never counted and we will never do. What the PM and his administration must pursue are the alliances that will never question or compromise the sovereignty of Ethiopia and her peoples. The war has indeed shown Ethiopia who her fair weather friends are. 

By sealing off Tigray for a while and limiting the war to eventually necessary small-scale interventions, the government of Ethiopia will be providing Tigreans with a rare occasion to re-assess their stance vis a vis Ethiopia. This silencing of the guns should become for them, as it has been for the overwhelming majority of Ethiopians, an occasion to realize that the TPLF has no place either in Ethiopia, or most pressingly, in Tigray. In resuming the cease-fire that it had unilaterally declared in evacuating Tigray, the Ethiopian government is not only acting in coherence to it, but would be putting the well-being of Tigreans over its constitutional right to bring to justice the TPLF. This, indeed, requires enormous restraint. The TPLF’s thuggish daring of the EDF to enter Mekele should be looked at for what it is: an occasion to cry foul and attract the condemnation of the world on Ethiopia once more.

I believe that when the dust settles, all this mindless campaign of the TPLF will be seen for what it really has been. And the people of Tigray will ultimately come to realize that hitching their wagon to the TPLF may have been the worst blunder of their history, and hopefully will lead them to reconsider their relationship with the rest Ethiopia.

In Botswana, Heavy Metal Band Overthrust Grows Fame

By Reuters

Dec 29, 2021 07:13 PM

Spencer Thrust, guitarist of the Death Metal band Overthrust from Botswana, performs at Wacken Open Air heavy metal music festival in Germany, on August 5 2016. Photo: AFP

Tshomarelo "Vulture" Mosaka used to think connecting with his leather-clad fans could only ever happen as he growled lyrics at one of Botswana's underground heavy metal concerts, until the pandemic forced him to rock out online instead.

As well as keeping Mosaka's band Overthrust in touch with fans during lockdown, going digital helped them find new audiences abroad and unexpected financial support as donations started pouring in, from cash to guitar strings.

"Someone even sent a fan because they could see we were sweating ... others sent me money when I was in a car accident to help cover the costs," said Mosaka, 36, adjusting his leather cowboy hat at a cafe in Gaborone, the capital.

"We've been underground for very long, but now we want people to know about us," said Mosaka, whose Facebook Live streams of local bands including his own have drawn thousands of viewers as far as Malaysia, Germany, and the United States.

The small, southern African country is typically known for its diamonds and game parks, less so for its heavy metal scene, and limited income from gigs means most Batswana musicians have to maintain a day job.

Mosaka, who has two children, also works as a security guard and a heavy metal concert organizer.

Despite low rates of internet access and high data costs across the continent, many African musicians, comedians, and artists have boosted their online presence during COVID-19 to forge links with fans and potential backers overseas.

"We're trying to build the scene in Africa, from Angola to Namibia and South Africa," said Mosaka.

"If we're united here we can be exposed outside," he said, adding that he was hopeful the bands would soon be invited to more international metal festivals.

'Humanity and love'

Heavy metal became popular in the late 1960s, mainly in the United States and Britain, gaining traction a decade later with Batswana rockers, or Marok as they are known.

Some Marok say tourists brought in some of the first heavy metal records and CDs.

Now Marok are quite well-known in the country of 2.5 million people, largely for their leather attire in the blistering Botswana heat, their decorative chains, animal bones, and studs used to mark their heavy metal admiration.

While rumors were once rife that the metal fans were vampires or criminals, they say such negative stereotypes are slowly dissolving as more women join their ranks and their charity work becomes better known.

One group, known as the Humanitarians, sings and posts online about human rights issues such as homelessness and albinism.

"There was this message going around that rockers are the devil, but actually we spread the message of humanity and love," said Martin Beats, one of the band members from their small recording studio in Lobatse village outside the capital.

Mosaka and his band have helped organize an annual heavy metal concert in Ghanzi, a town in the west of Botswana, called the Overthrust Winter Metal Mania Charity Fest since 2010, with 40 percent of profits donated to local charities.

It is also a space where women feel they can defy traditional gender roles and speak out against high rates of gender violence against women.

"I stand up as a woman, no man can try me," said veteran rocker who goes by the pseudonym Siera Madrid, 49, outside her home in Gaborone, donning a metal chain around her neck, leather boots, and a black head scarf.

"We are called Queens and we are treated as such," said the former law enforcement official, adding that many metal musicians and fans are police officers, soldiers, and even priests.

Costs and internet connection

Despite the positives of rocking out online during the pandemic, Marok members lament the fact that more than half of Botswana's people do not have internet access and that many foreigners have no idea where the country is.

"There is a talent for metal here but many people don't even know where Botswana is," said 38-year-old Nikki Mokalake, a metal fan from a village an hour outside Gaborone.

Many of the instruments they use are unavailable in Botswana, said Mosaka, adding that it can take band members three to four years to save up enough money to import them.

The year 2020's lockdown was a particularly hard time, said Beats.

"It was tough ... but the online videos lifted our spirits," he said, adding that one of his band's videos reached nearly half a million people and their Facebook followers grew from 700 to nearly 6,000.

Mosaka stopped by at a metal workshop in Gaborone where a fellow rocker who goes by the name King Taker works, welding beneath a large skull he erected above his workshop to let other metal fans know they are welcome.

"Lockdown was brutal," he said, adjusting his black face mask bearing a white skull and crossbones.

"But bands like Overthrust fought to make it through ... the metalheads in rural areas and fans across the world connected, the internet put us on the map where we belong," he said.

Reuters

Ship Captain’s Sentence for Mauritius Oil Spill Commuted

By AFP

Dec 28, 2021 06:20 PM 

Satellite image obtained courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows a close-up view of the forward section of the MV Wahashio shipwreck off the coast of Mauritius on August 19. Photo: VCG

The captain and first mate of an oil freighter that crashed into a coral reef off Mauritius, unleashing the Indian Ocean archipelago's worst environmental disaster, will be released "imminently" after their 20-month sentence was commuted Monday, a lawyer said.

The MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged vessel, ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tons of toxic fuel into pristine waters, coating mangroves, corals and other fragile ecosystems.

The two men, who have been in police custody since August 2020, were convicted last week and sentenced on Monday, with magistrate Ida Dookhy Rambarrun noting that the court had taken "into consideration the fact that both defendants pleaded guilty and apologized."

Kushal Lobine, who represents the ship's insurers Japan P&I, said the sentences had been commuted on the grounds of good behavior and 16 months of time served, allowing the pair to return home.

"Their departure is imminent. The captain will return to India and the other to Sri Lanka, their respective countries," Lobine said.

The vessel's captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, and first officer, Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, were found guilty of "endangering safe navigation."

"The captain and his second in command were irresponsible and did not deliver as they should on their 'navigational duties,'" the magistrate said on Monday.

The MV Wakashio was sailing from Singapore to Brazil with 3,800 tons of fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel aboard when it ran into the reef off the southeast coast of Mauritius.

During the trial, the captain admitted drinking during an onboard birthday party and said he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters in order to gain access to a phone network so that crew members could contact their families.

"The sea was bad, but the visibility was clear and it was safe to navigate... At one point, the ship could not move and had touched the sea floor," Nandeshwar said.

"Since I had had a few drinks, it did not seem worthwhile to intervene and it did not occur to me that we were sailing that close."

More than 1,000 tons of oil seeped into waters full of marine life from a gash in the vessel's hull before salvage crews were able to remove all the remaining fuel.

AFP

Somalia’s President and Prime Minister Lead to the PM’s Suspension

Roble dismissed amid election delays

By AFP

Dec 27, 2021 05:52 PM

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed speaks during a joint press conference with his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir (not seen in picture) in Khartoum, capital of Sudan, on Oct. 5, 2017. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said on Thursday that his country would exert utmost efforts for peace and stability in Somalia. The President made the remarks at a joint press conference after a meeting with Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in the capital. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed announced Monday that he was suspending Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, a day after the two men sparred over long-delayed elections in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.

"The president decided to suspend Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and stop his powers since he was linked with corruption," the office of the president said in a statement, accusing the premier of interfering with an investigation into a land-grabbing case.

Relations between the president, better known as Farmajo, and Roble have long been frosty, with the latest development raising fresh fears for Somalia's stability as it struggles to hold elections.

On Sunday, Roble accused the president of sabotaging the electoral process, after Farmajo withdrew the prime minister's mandate to organize the elections and called for the creation of a new committee to "correct" the shortcomings.

Roble, who has not responded to Monday's suspension announcement, said Farmajo did not want to hold "a credible election in this country." 

Farmajo in turn has accused Roble of trying to influence a probe into a scandal involving army-owned land after the premier sacked the defense minister and replaced him on Sunday.

"The prime minister has pressurized the minister of defense to divert the investigations of the case relating to the grabbed public land," Monday's statement said.

Somalia's elections have been hamstrung by delays for several months.

In April, pro-government and opposition fighters opened fire in the streets of Mogadishu after Farmajo extended his term without holding fresh elections. The constitutional crisis was only defused when Farmajo reversed the term extension and Roble brokered a timetable to a vote.

But in the months that followed, a bitter rivalry between the men derailed the election again, alarming international observers.

Farmajo and Roble only agreed to bury the hatchet in October and issued a unified call for the glacial election process to accelerate. Somalia has not held a one-man one-vote election in 50 years and its polls follow a complex indirect model. 

Elections for the upper house have concluded in all states and voting for the lower house began in early November. But the appointment of a president still appears to be a long way off, straining ties with Western allies who want to see the process reach a peaceful conclusion.

On Sunday, the US said it was "deeply concerned by the continuing delays and by the procedural irregularities that have undermined the credibility of the process."

Exclusive: China, Russia to Sign New 5-year Space Cooperation Program, Build International Lunar Station by 2035: Roscosmos

By Deng Xiaoci and Fan Anqi

Dec 29, 2021 09:22 PM

China-Russia Photo: VCG

China and Russia will sign a new space Cooperation Program for 2023-2027 next year, which will include a plan to create an open and inclusive International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035, Russia's national space agency Roscosmos told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. 

The new program will also include plans to support the development of the ground segment of the two countries' national satellite systems, Russia's GLONASS and China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to be installed next year, as well as a slate of exciting projects Roscosmos and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) will work on in the coming decades as the two countries join forces to achieve new heights in the sphere of space exploration.   

In contrast with the US lunar exploration project known as the "Artemis Accords," which experts believe reveals its "exclusive nature for mimicking a space-based NATO," China and Russia's partnership stresses bringing advancement for all, with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Creation of lunar outpost for all

As the largest current cooperation project between the two "longstanding and reliable partners" in the space field, the ILRS provides for the construction of a station by 2035 on the lunar surface, while experimental and research facilities for a wide range of scientific work would operate in lunar orbit, the Russian national space agency's press service said in a statement responding to Global Times' inquiries.

Roscosmos revealed to the Global Times that it is assumed the ILRS will include an Earth-to-Lunar flight system, an auxiliary long term operation system on the lunar surface, a lunar surface travel and operations system and automatic facilities with complexes of scientific instruments.

The scope of cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the project would include strategy development and coordination related to lunar exploration and use, identifying areas of cooperation and planning, and cooperation in launching component parts of the ILRS, joint operation, control, including ground station support, and other activities, as well as joint conceptual and preliminary design, modeling and validation of the ILRS and its components. 

China and Russia are working on a draft of a legally binding intergovernmental agreement on the project, which is due to be signed in 2022, Roscosmos said. 

Song Zhongping, a space analyst and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the extensive cooperation plans that China and Russia are developing indicate a high-level of political mutual trust, as well as mutual trust in science and technology. This type of cooperation will not only benefit them both but bring greater help to enrich mankind's understanding toward the vast universe.

In March this year, approved by the two governments, the two heads of the CNSA and Roscosmos signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on joint construction of an international lunar research station via video link, which stressed the principles of joint consultation, construction and sharing, to push forward cooperation concerning the building of the international research station on the moon.

Following that, China and Russia issued a joint declaration on the creation of the ILRS in April amid the national celebration of Space Day of China 2021, emphasizing the project is open to all international partners interested in cooperation.

Phase-4 missions

Wu Yanhua, deputy administrator with the CNSA, recently disclosed to media that state authorities have approved the fourth phase of China's lunar missions, which will include new Chang'e-6, 7 and 8 missions, which are expected to be carried out in the next decade. 

China plans to launch the Chang'e-7 probe to the lunar South Pole first, which will be followed by Chang'e-6 for a sampling and return mission from the lunar South Pole.

And Chang'e-8, the last piece of the fourth phase, will construct a primary form of the ILRS.

Wu said although China will lead those three lunar missions, Russia's cooperation in the joint creation of the ILRS can be expected in the process, and we will join hands to explore the lunar environment and resources in the quest to find out how to peacefully use lunar resources to lay solid ground for the future. 

Wu stressed that openness and inclusiveness is the key path to advance to the center of the stage of world space, and China has signed some 160 cooperation agreements with nearly 60 countries and international organizations worldwide. 

Adding to its cooperation with the upcoming Chang'e lunar exploration series, Roscosmos said they have begun implementing interagency agreements with CNSA in the coordination of the Russian Luna-Resurs-1 (OA) orbital spacecraft and the Chinese Chang'e-7 mission, as well as on cooperation in the creation of a joint Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Data Center, which was signed on September 17, 2019.

"A particular feature of this project is the openness to participation by other international partners," Roscosmos said.

Danil Bochkov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, told the Global Times that Moscow "expects space-research initiatives to be more open and cooperative, not facilitating 'NATO-in-space' political projects." 

"It is exemplified by such outstanding initiatives of bilateral cooperation as the International Lunar Research Station, which also comes with foreign policy implications. Russia - though invited by the US to participate - has criticized similar Moon research project by NASA blaming the "Artemis" project for its exclusive nature by mimicking a space-based NATO," Bochkov noted. 

"Although cooperation between Russia and the US in the space sector is still being carried out, the US has been suppressing Russia's space power," Song Zhongping noted. "It's more about getting what they want from each other, which in fact is not cooperation in the real sense, only mutual suspicion."

"By contrast, what China and Russia are working on reflects the common needs of players worldwide, with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind," Song said.

Compatibility & Complementarity

The 2018-2022 Russian-Chinese space cooperation program will end next year, Roscosmos said, adding that the program has proven to be an effective tool for stimulating bilateral cooperation at the industry level.

The Global Times learned that the CNSA is developing a list of mutually beneficial projects with Roscosmos that will be included in the new Cooperation Program for 2023-2027.

In addition, work is under way to develop Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of satellite navigation, in particular to ensure the compatibility and complementarity of the GLONASS and BeiDou (BDS) navigation systems.

On November 29, 2021, the Russian-Chinese Roadmap for Cooperation in Satellite Navigation for 2021-2025 was signed, which includes plans for the integrated and innovative development of GLONASS and BDS.

Specifically, there are plans to support the development of the ground segment of national satellite systems. In this regard, both sides have identified locations of mutual ground measuring stations for GLONASS and BDS, which are to be installed in 2022, Roscosmos said.

China Sets New Mark against US Bullying with 1st White Paper on Export Controls

By GT staff reporters

Dec 29, 2021 10:43 PM 

A worker makes high-efficiency photovoltaic solar modules for export at an enterprise in Huai'an, East China's Jiangsu Province on November 15. The city is striving to integrate local photovoltaic industry resources and build a 100 billion yuan ($15.67 billion) level new-energy industrial cluster amid the country's efforts to achieve its carbon emissions peak and carbon neutrality goals by 2050. Photo: cnsphoto

China on Wednesday set a new mark for anti-US bullying, with its first ever white paper on export controls drawing a clear line between the country's approach to safeguarding its interests that is aligned with standard international practice and the US' indulgence in imposing export sanctions, as Washington seeks to crack down on Chinese tech firms.  

The policy document puts China, an advocate of a joint push for the healthy development of international export controls, in stark contrast with the US, which is seeking to hook its allies into small circles for export controls, experts said, adding that the policy paper is also a dose of reassurance for foreign investors on China's continuous opening-up.

The white paper was released by the State Council Information Office and consists of four chapters that give a systematic account of its basic position on export controls, improvements that are underway to the legal and regulatory system for export controls, the modernization of the export control mechanism, and the push for international exchanges and partnerships.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the world's largest goods trader and manufacturer, China has always been committed to the principle of safeguarding national security, world peace and regional security by steadily improving export control governance, read the white paper.

It termed export controls as a standard international practice that involves prohibitive or restrictive measures on exports of dual-use items and military products, among other goods, and technologies and services related to safeguarding national security and national interests.

The country will take concrete actions to participate in global coordination of export controls and work together with the rest of the world in giving a strong boost to world peace and development, the white paper said.

Urgent fix to global regime 

The Wednesday document serves as a much-needed fix to global export control practices, as China outlined its legal and regulatory improvements that will pave the way for its alignment with standard international practice, thereby overcoming challenges posed by a US-led selection of countries undermining global practice, Chinese officials and experts stressed. 

Currently, international export controls are facing a variety of challenges, including the abuse of export control measures and unreasonable discriminatory restrictions. Some countries, in particular, have generalized the concept of national security, fabricated excuses, directed state power to intervene in normal trade flow and market transactions, and frequently used export controls as a tool to attack and bully other countries, officials from China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a question-and-answer session following the release of the white paper.

Such moves have eroded the legitimate interests of fellow developing countries in the peaceful uses of controlled items, disrupted international industrial chains and supply chains, and jeopardized the sustainable development of many countries, MOFCOM officials said. 

"The second challenge is the attempts of countries to form small circles and turn their back on true multilateralism, or even apply double standards on non-proliferation, which are in essence unilateralist practices carried out under the pretext of multilateralism," the officials said.

"This is the right approach that China championed in response to the chaotic situation in international governance of export controls and anti-globalization sentiment and aims to let the torch of multilateralism light the path ahead for mankind," said Guo Xiaobing, a research fellow with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

As export control systems and mechanisms are established and improved in more countries, they are expected to promote and guarantee in-depth development of globalization, rather than block that trend, Guo said.

Export controls will reduce security risks, the expert said, noting that effective export controls can reduce security threats, prevent the risk of conflicts, ease tensions and create a stable and predictable international trade environment.

The white paper made special mention of the release of the Export Control Law in October 2020, the culmination of a wide range of administrative regulations, departmental rules and regulatory documents that have been introduced over the past few decades to set detailed provisions on matters related to export controls.

The law sets a basic institutional framework and unified rules for export controls, including a control list, temporary controls, a restricted name list and supervision, the white paper said, emphasizing that the law "raises China's export control legislation to a higher level."

In addition to the Export Control Law, the country has in place a foreign trade law, national security law, data security law and nuclear safety law, among other laws, which provide a strong legal basis for export control measures.

As the white paper put it, the country has now instituted a well organized basic legal system on export controls with well-coordinated laws, among other regulations and rules, "providing a solid legal foundation for developing a modern export control system with Chinese characteristics."

Chinese authorities will speed up the improvement of supporting regulations for the Export Control Law and accelerate the formulation of a unified export control list, according to MOFCOM.

Song Wei, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under MOFCOM, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the laws and regulations related to the export control regime are becoming more complete, enabling China to gain a stronger foothold and more policy options in defending its national interests and security, which is also in line with China's responsibility as a world power.

 "The law and regulation framework is the very basis of China's export control regime, which is in stark contrast to the US, a country that often wields its stick to crack down on other countries and their enterprises," Song noted.

She believed that in future implementation of the Export Control Law, relevant departments will roll out specific rules, further improving the framework.

Stark contrast 

The white paper conspicuously separates the China-endorsed multilateralism and the US-led decoupling mentality with a discriminatory approach to export controls, observers said, lambasting the US-led crackdown on Chinese tech firms that stops at nothing to impose various export sanctions.

In recent years, the US has led a reversing trend in the field of international export controls. Instead of promoting economic and trade development, it promotes decoupling and engages in small circles of technological blockades, Guo noted.

Since the US added Chinese tech giant Huawei to its entity list in 2019, an increasing number of Chinese businesses and entities have been slapped with export controls and sanctions based on various accusations that China has slammed as groundless.

In a fresh move, China's foreign ministry earlier in December harshly criticized more reported US sanctions on Chinese chipmaking giant Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and vowed to defend Chinese companies' legitimate rights and interests.

In order to maintain its technological hegemony and competitive advantage, the US has expanded and strengthened export controls in high-tech fields, according to Li Hengyang, an associate research fellow with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The US government is attempting to isolate and block the supply chain through export controls, and prevent China from acquiring and using US products or technologies in the high-tech field, Li said, emphasizing that the US only cares about bringing difficulties to Chinese companies' operations through these control measures.

"Those US moves lack factual basis and are full of lies. They are total political manipulation and bullying tactics." 

In comparison, China's move toward putting global export control governance on track is seen as a reassurance to the business community of a fair and more sustainable business environment, market watchers said. 

Export controls will help maintain and enhance the reputation of enterprises and reduce barriers to foreign trade, Guo said.

"For companies, improving export control construction will add to internal procedures and costs, but these little burdens will be compensated with more convenience in trade and more positive international reputations," he continued, describing such efforts as securing long-term development and bringing a large return with only a small investment.

‘Slanted Eyes Equal to Insulting Chinese’ Controversy Should Not Divide Chinese Society

By Hu Xijin

Dec 27, 2021 11:11 PM

Photo: screenshot from Weibo

A 2019 advertisement of Chinese food brand Three Squirrels reminded some Chinese people of how Westerners often use slanted eyes to mock them because the model in the ad has small eyes and is dressed up with strong taste. For this reason, it was labeled as an attempt to "humiliate China." Three Squirrels withdrew the advertisement a few days ago, but it is far from settling the matter. The model defended herself in a post Sunday evening, asking "am I unqualified to be a Chinese because of my small eyes? "She also complained that it is a morbid statement to make a big deal of everything. This has further fueled the controversy. 

I think "humiliating China" is a specific phenomenon and a kind of special feeling that has been going on over quite a long period. Since modern times, the West has never ceased its contempt and mockery on the Chinese people, Chinese, especially those overseas, are particularly sensitive to this. The feeling has partly been strengthened by our sense of cultural inferiority. In other words, they did humiliate us first but how much we were hurt was inversely proportional to our strength. We also scold Westerners but often they are not concerned. This is because they have a sense of superiority, so they do not care about being ridiculed by us. 

I believe that we are now living at a time when China's material capacity is increasing and its people are becoming more and more broad-minded. And I believe that our attention to the "insults to China" from Westerners will definitely gradually fade, so will our anger when facing "insults."  We have discovered more cases of "insulting China" in recent times. That is because as the internet develops, there are more scrutiny and more resources to punish those who "insult China." It is quite interesting to teach the "offenders" a lesson and it helps us find our own sense of power. I have noticed that those who "insult China" often apologize quickly when they are caught because they fear the possibility of losing of their business in China. This is a complete contrast to what happened when China was very poor: Back then, Westerners used to have a sense of superiority that we could do nothing even if they insulted China.

I believe this will remain the same for a long period. Now, exposing case of "insulting China" are no longer something that makes Chinese tremble with fury. Instead, we generally feel good. It is a natural process for Chinese people to bid farewell to sorrow and to increasingly consolidate our national confidence. 

Regarding Three Squirrels, I do not believe the company and the model have a motive to "insult China" from within. What would be their purpose? Are they crazy to commit a "social suicide"? I think the case is still a problem of aesthetic disconnection. There is the possibility that the company has been affected by the standards set by the West on aesthetics regarding China. If Chinese society refuses to accept the image of Chinese people presented in this advertisement, I believe similar behavior will disappear from ads. 

When Westerners say that Chinese people have slanted eyes, some speak out of contempt and others out of humor and not necessarily maliciously. When we present Chinese people with small eyes, it could mean confidence or self-mockery. I think they are all fine. But if we divide ourselves from within along the China-West rift and make a big issue out of it, it is truly unnecessary.

The author is a Global Times commentator. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn 

‘No Federal Solution’ Sheds Light on Biden's Empty Promises, Poor Governance

By Global Times

Dec 28, 2021 06:11 PM

US President Joe Biden speaks during the National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC Nov 19, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

Did American politicians' promises during the US presidential elections mean anything at all? "I'm going to shut down the virus, not the country," US President Joe Biden said ambitiously during his presidential campaign in October 2020. However, judging from Biden's current attitude toward the COVID-19 fight, similar promises made by US politicians are nothing but hollow slogans used to attack other candidates and collect votes.

"Look, there is no federal solution… This gets solved at a state level," Biden said on Monday referring to stopping the COVID-19 spread in the US. Many American people taunted his words, and the tag "#NoPlanJoe" has gone viral on Twitter. People still remember how Biden released his "seven-point plan to beat COVID-19" last year and said "We're eight months into this pandemic, and Donald Trump still doesn't have a plan to get this virus under control. I do." Ironically, he doesn't.

It is beyond people's imagination that the president of a superpower lacks a unified, federal-level guideline in the COVID-19 fight. "People previously thought that anyone would do a better job than former US president Donald Trump in fighting the epidemic. But to be honest, Biden has not made remarkable moves at the federal level apart from encouraging people to get vaccinated and wear masks. US states are working independently and the federal government has not made efforts to keep them unified," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

In fact, the US' COVID-19 vaccines were developed during the Trump administration. Biden has not made any practical moves, which is retrogression.

The epidemic in the US is getting more and more severe, with a dramatic surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases. The US is now averaging 198,404 new COVID-19 cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on Sunday. The Omicron variant has been confirmed in all 50 states less than a month after entering the US. Another problem is that the country's COVID-19 testing capabilities have been stretched to their limit due to the surge in cases.

This being the case, instead of dealing with the epidemic seriously, the federal government and local governments seem to be at a loss when it comes to effective actions. The situation does not reflect Biden's previous promise to "shut down the virus."

"Anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America," Biden said so during his final presidential debate with Trump in October 2020. However, COVID-19 deaths in the US reached 400,000 as Trump left office, and since Biden assumed office, the number has reached more than 810,000. The death toll during each of the parties' is comparable. How can Biden explain this, and who should be held responsible for the deaths of these innocent people?

During the 2020 presidential elections, many American people had high expectations of Biden because they were convinced that he could curb the raging epidemic. In fact, this was also one of his key platforms. Unfortunately, since US elections have become displays of bipartisan disputes and empty slogans, it is always the American people who ultimately suffer.

"Almost all US presidents tend to forget what they said during the presidential election after assuming office. This has already become a norm in the US. The American people seem to be already numb about this, and they have to bear the consequences in the end," Lü said.

If the leader of the only superpower in the world today is unable to formulate a unified policy to deal with the public health crisis, and only brag about goals to win more votes, then the US' system and leadership are dubious. 

Under Scourge of the Pandemic, ‘Human’ is Left Out in US-style Human Rights: Global Times Editorial

By Global Times

Dec 30, 2021 12:23 AM

White flags are seen on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 16, 2021. More than 660,000 white flags were installed here to honor the lives lost to COVID-19 in the United States.Photo:Xinhua

The US hit a record high of 543,928 daily new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The number of new deaths reached 3,023 the same day. For two consecutive days, new COVID-19 cases in the US have exceeded 500,000. Behind each startling number is an unfortunate live and family. As the epidemic hits new records again and again, Washington is ending 2021 in an extremely somber way, and its fiasco will go down in history.

The previous record of new COVID-19 cases was a figure of 294,015 recorded on January 8, one day after the confirmation of Joe Biden's presidential election victory by the Congress. After taking office, Biden made control of the epidemic a top priority and launched a series of prevention and control measures. Many thought that the record on January 8 would be the peak, and even the most pessimistic person at that time probably couldn't have imagined that a new record would be reached by the end of the year. The White House has a new president, but the epidemic is raging even more widely. In 2021, the US still presents the world with chaos, disorder and contradiction in its fight against the epidemic. 

Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik wrote in his article, entitled "Farewell to 2021, the stupidest year in American history," that "instead of unity and immunity, this year has brought us stupidity and insanity on an unimaginable scale." He argues that COVID-19 is surely "the focus of the most obtuse and ignorant public reactions and state and local policy responses to any crisis in American history." Some media outlets commented that a sense of powerlessness over political confrontation, social rifts and rampant anti-intellectualism has further dissipated expectations of a united response to the epidemic.

As the country with the most advanced technology and top comprehensive strength, the US has the strongest financial and medical resources, moreover, it only has a population of 329 million people. But two years since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, over 810,000 people have died of the pandemic. Under the so-called democratic system, nobody is held accountable for such a huge loss of human lives. People don't even know who is responsible for fighting the pandemic under the US President. "Human" is left out of human rights: such an absurd logic just happened in a modern society.  

People found that the death toll has a much smaller impact on politicians in Washington than the number of votes and the ups and downs of the stock market. In developed countries with advanced medical conditions and better welfare systems, we have constantly seen cruel scenes of social Darwinism: The poor are facing a higher risk of being infected and witnessing a higher death rate. Some medical institutions have even given tacit permission for "selective treatment" of impoverished patients or those of ethnic minorities. 

When a large number of ordinary families are caught up in financial difficulties due to the epidemic, the assets of billionaires have risen significantly. According to a recent report by Business Insider, 52 members of the US Congress were found to have concealed their technology, pharmaceutical or other stock trades, violating the STOCK Act. They were suspected of taking advantage of the turmoil of the epidemic to make a fortune out of national crisis through engaging in insider trading. 

What's currently happening in the US is a humanitarian catastrophe and a human rights disaster. But those "human rights preachers" are either at a loss about what to do, or they just turn a blind eye to it. Apart from being symbolically mentioned on occasional commemorative ceremonies, the misfortunes of the broken families and individuals have been collectively neglected. The "human" has been left out of US' "human rights," that's why the economy has been put above human lives and saving the stock market is considered more important than curbing the epidemic. 

In 2021, under the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US has defeated the US, and the true nature of the "human rights defender" has been exposed. We feel sympathy for the American people who have suffered miserably from the pandemic, while having a more sober understanding of the hypocrisy of the US-style human rights. 

GT Voice: US is to Blame, if Phase 1 Deal Falls Short as Reports Claimed

By Global Times

Dec 29, 2021 07:48 PM

Photo taken on Nov. 10, 2020 shows the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.Photo: Xinhua

As the China-US phase one trade agreement is set to mark two years in force next month, there are many questions about the progress of the deal amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But if there were any issues with the implementation process, it is the US side who should accept the blame, given the country's worst response to the public health crisis, severe economic and logistical woes and refusal to give up protectionist trade policies. 

Ironically, many US and Western foreign media outlets have jumped on the story to discredit China's efforts to carry out the deal. Without any official assessment from both China and the US, several media outlets sought to piece together figures from various sources to conclude that China's purchase of US products fall short of the amount stated in the agreement. 

Many of the reports have been fixated on China's commitment to increase import of US agricultural and other products by $200 billion in two years over 2017 levels. An article published by the Washington-based think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), which claims to have followed the two countries' trade, suggested that China's purchases would only reach 60 percent of the commitment and that "enforcement [by US President Joe Biden's administration] was critical." 

First and foremost, the accuracy of the number cannot be verified by any single party - not the PIIE, nor the media outlets that cited it. It is clearly stated in the agreement that both Chinese and US official trade data would be used and that "if an analysis of the respective trade data gives rise to conflicting assessments of whether this Chapter has been implemented, the Parties shall engage in consultations."

Beyond the assessment of pledged purchases, the agreement clearly stated that the US would ensure to take appropriate steps to facilitate the availability of the US goods and services to be purchased by China and that the purchases would be made at market prices based on commercial considerations. China could also request consultations with the US if purchases were affected by the US or other circumstances in the US. 

That is not to suggest that China would or would not reach the goal of buying $200 billion US products and services. The point is that the agreement made it clear that assessments of the purchased must be made by both sides, instead of a US think tank, its media outlets or US officials. There is no way China will sit idle against such slanderous claims against it. 

Asked about the issue at a recent press briefing, a spokesperson for China's Commerce Ministry pointed out that despite a number of challenges, including the pandemic, global economic recession and disrupted supply chains, China has strived to push forward the joint implementation of the deal, while urging the US to create better conditions for expanding bilateral trade cooperation. The spokesperson also said that trade teams from the two countries were engaged in regular discussion. 

The messages are clear. First, China has been doing its part to fulfill its commitment. Second, there were a lot of other factors regarding global and US conditions that China cannot control. Third, communications were underway to address these issues. 

Let's check the data. In the first 11 months of 2021, China's imports from the US jumped by 27.5 percent year-on-year - among the fastest pace for China's import from top trading partners. Among them, US agricultural exports grew by 33 percent during the period. It is also obvious, with one of the worst responses to the pandemic, the US is struggling with elevated inflation and backlogged port supplies. 

Given the spirit of the phase one trade deal was to address disputes between the two economic powers through consultation, we believe that talks on the phase one agreement is necessary to make an accurate and fair assessment on the results of the deal to avoid adding any additional tension to the already fraught bilateral ties. 

The deal was aimed at defusing the trade war. But since Biden took office in January, the US has not changed its aggressive economic and trade tactics targeting China, and the Biden administration has even ramped up its assault against dozens of Chinese high-tech firms. Chinese officials stated when the agreement was first signed that the deal would see the gradual removal of US punitive tariffs on Chinese products, but Biden has kept in place those tariffs, which has exacerbated US inflation and is nothing but ridiculous.

All Africans Must Stand Together to Fight Imperialism: Pan Africanist

December 28, 2021

BY MISGANAW ASNAKE

ADDIS ABABA – Uganda Pan-African Movement National Executive Chairman, Daniel Rugarama (PhD) stated Ethiopia is fighting imperialism thus all Africans must stand together to fight this common enemy.

The chairman told the local media that the situation in Ethiopia is not just an Ethiopian case, and what is happening in Ethiopia is directly a matter of Africa. “We consider an attack whether it is internal or external on the Ethiopian soil, as an attack on Africa,” he said.

According to him, an attack and dismantling whether ideologically or geographically on Ethiopia is indeed an attack and a very bad example to Africa.

The historical importance of Ethiopia is beyond debate, Rugarama stated, adding that pan-Africanists are all aware that Ethiopia is not colonized and various attempts to do so did not succeeded.

“As pan-Africanists, we are aware of the intention and we are behind the success being registered by Ethiopian forces against the group.”

He stressed that the people of Tigray are going to realize what a fool they had made; and they must realize that they are being used by the imperialists whose agenda is a failed agenda right from the start.

“Realizing that, the rest of Africa must all come together and fight the common enemy because I can assure you that when critically look at the Tigray situation, it is not the people of Tigray who have been fighting. There is an invisible hand. Imperialists have already been at the helm of destabilizing Africa to make sure that Africa is kept in captive, in social, economic, political and other ways.”

This is what the pan-African movement and Africans must fight wherever we are, whether in the continent or in the Diaspora, he underlined.

He further pointed out, “What affects Ethiopia directly affects Africa not just because Africa has got its head office in Addis Ababa, but because of its historical importance of Ethiopia as a country and people.”

One of the biggest challenges of pan-Africanism is that it is fighting and competing against the hegemonic forces of Western imperialism and high level capitalism, he added.

“We are not failing to realize the enemy who is against the development of Africa. We are very well aware of the enemy against the African continent. We are very well aware of the enemy that is making the black man suffer. Whoever the enemy is we know that it has not given up in distorting the development in the continent about exploiting the African resources.”

The enemy is at work day and night, Rugarama underlined, noting that it is therefore the work of pan-African movement to cultivate a high revolutionary pan-Africanism ideology work hard in resolving the situation in Ethiopia to make sure that it is the heart of Africa.

The Ethiopian Herald December 28/2021

Why Stop at Mekele’s Gate? (Addissu Admas)

December 27, 2021

Ethiopian troops marching north after victories over TPLF forces in December 2020 (photo: file/ENA)

By Addissu Admas

This war has generated so much anger and rancor on both sides that most believed that only a final showdown in Mekele would have satisfied the involved parties. For the Federal Government of Ethiopia (FGE) to rid itself once and for all of an armed party that was determined to remain contentious, rebellious and insurrectionist to the end. For the TPLF party bosses to prove to themselves and the world that they are able to destabilize at will the region and damage the reputation of the federal government and PM Abiy. What else? All TPLF’s rigmarole about restoring federalism, or creating a confederation of Ethiopian states, or its declared intention to stop the progressive centralization of the Ethiopian system of government, or worse yet, attempts of re-Amharanization of Ethiopia, etc… are ways of hiding its true intentions. Which are, as I have stated in many occasions, to evade prosecution for its vast corruption, politically motivated imprisonments and assassinations, and countless other crimes. It appears to have felt that it deserved freedom from prosecution because it had convinced the West that it had “brought”, so to speak, a modicum of economic progress to Ethiopia. But we Ethiopians continue to ask: to whose benefit and at what expense? I guess the reason may be good enough for the West since we are not starving. All the other things, such as freedom of speech, detention with due process, respect for one’s property and limb, freedom of movement, etc… are all luxuries reserved only to Westerners. 

The TPLF and its ardent supporters want the Ethiopian Defense Force (EDF) to march to Mekele to demonstrate to the World that it has still enough power to exact revenge for its disastrous five months campaign in Ethiopia. A campaign motivated, designed, and implemented not to restore the power the TPLF once held, but to humiliate, degrade, and insult the Ethiopian people; especially the Amhara and the Afar. What it has really displayed for the world and history to see is its unbound cruelty, utter inhumanity, meanness of spirit, and extreme coarseness. Instead of being a campaign of battles, it was more of an orgy of depredation, destruction and rape. Was it because TPLF’s army was undisciplined and unwieldy? I do not believe so! It was intended and executed according to the plans designed and conducted by the TPLF bosses sitting comfortably in Mekele! I am more than convinced that this crazed march to the South was neither guided by a confederalist ideology, nor for uniting Ethiopians against the supposed maladministration of the new government. It was inspired instead by a paroxysm of hate. Not for what the EDF supposedly did during its 8 months campaign in Tigray, but I suspect, for all the imagined and unreal humiliations that Amharas have inflicted on Tigreans during the imperial and Derg regimes.

Let us set the records straight here once more: In Ethiopia, no one ethnicity has “colonized” the others. Colonizing not only implies occupying a territory to reside in it, but to exploit its resources for the benefit of one’s nation or ethnic group. In addition to this, countless attendant practices accompany colonialism: garrisoning, expropriation of land for the State, virtual enslavement of the local population, etc…I contend that there has never been colonialism in Ethiopia, except during the 5 years of Italian occupation. What has existed in Ethiopia is territorial expansion through wars between populations with comparable technologies, economy and political systems. The whole discussion of Amhara colonization obfuscates rather than clarify our present circumstances.

I venture to say also that Ethiopia has always been a multi-ethnic state; perhaps more today than in previous times. As such, it is inevitable that population size, organization (military and otherwise) may have allowed one group to dominate the others. This has always been the lot of contiguously living populations. It is also a fact that ethnicities living closely have often seen each other with some diffidence and prejudice even though they shared many cultural traits and belief systems. However, these should never constitute a basis for hostility, rejection and division. Ethiopia is, as the famous Ethiopia scholar Conti-Rossini memorably stated, a mosaic of peoples. Rather than this being cause for disunity and acrimony, it should be reason for celebration and pride. Indeed, we are “e pluribus unum”, out of many one.

Any group, party or movement that tries to overemphasize and exploit our differences and understandable diffidence towards each other’s ethnicity must be seen with suspicion, and even condemnation. This is what the TPLF has nurtured consistently for no other reason than to secure for itself and its people a lasting hegemony. 

PM Abiy and his government’s decision not to continue the war by marching into Mekele is one of the wisest decision in Ethiopia’s recent history. In addition to the reasons or justifications he himself has provided for it, I would like to add here what his decision will be preventing and what benefits it will garner. 

To begin with, I have been uneasy from the start by the Ethiopian government’s decision to enter Tigray to unseat the government of the TPLF in Tigray over a year ago, even though it had every legal justification to do so. While it managed, against the bitter hostility of the local population, to remain there in charge for eight long months, there was the awareness that the TPLF would have resurged since it had convinced the Tigrean people that only it stood for their wellbeing and good governance. Besides, fully aware that the day of reckoning would dawn sooner than later, it had put in place all its contingency plans. 

The TPLF had done an incredible job at convincing the Tigrean people that the government of Dr. Abiy was their most malevolent enemy and that all Ethiopians wanted to see them suffer. Thus, the EDF was literally chasing a guerilla force fully protected, supplied, supported and encouraged by the people of Tigray. Had the EDF decided to pursue the TPLF again in Tigray, it would have fallen into the same predicament. To those who counter by saying that the TPLF is much weakened and cannot pose a credible resistance, I say that the TPLF is not so foolish as to have squandered all its force on its failed southern campaign. It may be that it has been preparing all along to do more damage to the EDF, whether it planned to win or not, once the EDF entered Tigray’s borders. By denying it a final confrontation, the EDF will preserve its newly acquired capabilities to seal off the TPLF in Tigray and deny it any possibility of a passage to the Sudan, or again to the South. Moreover, there is also the question of economics. Waging this war has been enormously burdensome on Ethiopia’s limited resources. Continuing this war out of desire to punish a deviant and malevolent group will only bankrupt the country. In effect, by not satisfying the bloodlust of the TPLF, the government of Ethiopia may be executing its best strategy.

Many have seen the PM’s decision to halt the war as a diplomatic act and an extending of an olive branch to his most rabid critics, namely the US. I say that the PM should not care one whit about them since they had decided beforehand that their winning horse has always been the TPLF. Any deviation or desire to dissimulate this on their part should be taken as a blatant hypocritical act. In their “grand global” scheme, we have never counted and we will never do. What the PM and his administration must pursue are the alliances that will never question or compromise the sovereignty of Ethiopia and her peoples. The war has indeed shown Ethiopia who her fair weather friends are. 

By sealing off Tigray for a while and limiting the war to eventually necessary small-scale interventions, the government of Ethiopia will be providing Tigreans with a rare occasion to re-assess their stance vis a vis Ethiopia. This silencing of the guns should become for them, as it has been for the overwhelming majority of Ethiopians, an occasion to realize that the TPLF has no place either in Ethiopia, or most pressingly, in Tigray. In resuming the cease-fire that it had unilaterally declared in evacuating Tigray, the Ethiopian government is not only acting in coherence to it, but would be putting the well-being of Tigreans over its constitutional right to bring to justice the TPLF. This, indeed, requires enormous restraint. The TPLF’s thuggish daring of the EDF to enter Mekele should be looked at for what it is: an occasion to cry foul and attract the condemnation of the world on Ethiopia once more.

I believe that when the dust settles, all this mindless campaign of the TPLF will be seen for what it really has been. And the people of Tigray will ultimately come to realize that hitching their wagon to the TPLF may have been the worst blunder of their history, and hopefully will lead them to reconsider their relationship with the rest Ethiopia.

Sudan Directs to Probe Sexual Violence against Protesters

December 27, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – The military-controlled Sovereign Council in Sudan ordered to investigate allegations about the rape of female protesters perpetrated by the security forces during anti-coup demonstrations on December 19.

The collegial presidency held a regular meeting on Monday chaired by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

After the meeting, the council’s spokeswoman Salma Abdel-Jabar said the discussions touched on the preparations for elections of July 2023, the security situation in Darfur and recent sexual violence against mass demonstrations.

“The Council directed the competent authorities to investigate what is being circulated in the media about the rape incident in the demonstration of the 19th of this month,” she said.

The rape of female protesters was confirmed by Salima al-Khalifa Director of the government Combating Violence Against Women Unit.

Al-Khailfa said eight women were raped by the security forces after their arrest following the protests.

UN Human Rights Office in Sudan said they received allegations that 13 women and girls were victims of rape or gang rape.

For its part, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, condemned the rape and called on the Security Council members to press Sudan’s rulers to end the use of rape to disperse protesters.

Patten requested the Sudanese authorities to work with the UN to implement a framework agreement on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence Sudan signed in 2020.

“Special Representative Patten calls upon the international community, including members of the Security Council, to use their good offices with leaders of Sudan to demand an end to all forms of violence and intimidation against civilians, including sexual violence,” further reads a statement issued on December 23.

(ST)