A second historical home belonging to Ras Abebe Aregay was demolished only weeks after Muller Real Estate destroyed one of his other homes. The home was 2,000sqm and, like the first one, was located in Adwa square near Aware. It was seventy years old. This means that only one of the three homes listed as historical sites by the Addis Ababa Cultural and Tourism Bureau remain.
The excavator tore down the historical heritage last Friday at 8pm by the owner of the home, a church who wanted to replace it with a G+14 story building. Eye witness told Capital the entire process took 30 minutes.
“The excavator came at night and demolished the old house with no pity in their heart,” one person said.
Konjit, the wife of Ras Abebe lived in the home. It was later sold to a businessperson and then to the church for 1.2 million birr 20 years ago.
Recently Capital reported that the Addis Ababa Cultural and Tourism Bureau planned to file charges against Muller Real Estate for demolishing the first historical Ras Abebe Aregay home.
It was listed as one of the 440 historical houses in the City’s master plan. It sits on 1,800sqm and was constructed 70 years ago, and was used as a residence for Ras Abebe Aregay and his families.
Under the current heritage proclamation in Ethiopia if somebody illegally demolishes a heritage site they may face up to 10 years imprisonment plus a fine.
Ras Abebe Aregay was a major leader of the resistance in Shewa against the Italians during the fascist occupation, and leader of the largest anti-occupation force in Ethiopia. Abebe Aregay was the grandchild of Menelik II’s loyal General Ras Gobena Dachi. As Balambaras Abebe Aregay, he had been commander of Addis Ababa’s metropolitan police before the 1936 occupation of the capital. After the Emperor’s departure and the Italian occupation, the then Balambaras Abebe Aregay was proclaimed a son of Lij Iyasu at Amba Aradam as Emperor Meleke Tsehai in 1938, and was given the title of Ras. However the young claimant died of an illness soon after, and Abebe Aregay returned to supporting the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie. Emperor Haile Selassie again granted him the title of Ras legitimately, and he was among the guerilla leaders that escorted the Emperor back into Addis Ababa on Liberation Day, May 5, 1941. Ras Abebe served as governor general of Shewa, governor general of Tigrai, Minister of Defense, Minister of the Interior, Crown Councilor and Senator at various times. He was killed during the Imperial Guard coup attempt of 1960 and was buried at Debre Libanos Monastery.
Second historical Ras Abebe Aregay home demolished
Djibouti to construct three new ports
Djibouti that inaugurated three new ports last year is going to launch the construction of another new three ports this month.
The logistics hub that is the main gateway for the land locked Ethiopia is going to commence the construction of different ports along the coast lines of the outskirt of the capital Djibouti city and Damerjog on the aim to expand its port handling capacity, which has now upper hand in the region.
Recently on the meeting held by the Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority and Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) here in Addis Ababa Aboubaker Omar Hadi, Chairman of DPFZA, told Ethiopian media that the country is going to commence the construction of new additional ports that will be finalised in different phases.
“In the last 13 months we have opened three new ports. We are now planning by the end of this month to start the construction of additional three ports in different location in the country,” the chairman said.
He added that the investment cost is going to be in several phases but the initial investment would be about half a billion USD for the projects.
As one of the upcoming projects Djibouti International Container Terminal is main project that would boost the country’s exclusive container port terminal facility by additional container terminal from the current Doraleh Container Terminal.
The total investment of Djibouti International Container Terminal may cost USD 654 million and will be erected between Doraleh Container Terminal and the recently inaugurated Multi-Purpose Port (DMP) with natural water depth of 18.5m.
The upcoming additional container will have a capacity of 2.5 million TEU containers on the first phase.
The other project that is expected to be launched in the current month is the construction of Ship Repair and Drydocks, which will consume USD 200 million, according to the document Capital obtained from DPFZA.
Djibouti Damerjog Industries Development (DDID) is also the other huge project that the Djibouti government planned to undertake in the near future.
The DDID project will have a multipurpose port, livestock terminal, a refinery, storage tanks, dry dock, gas complex and its jetty, and jetty for refined and crude oil.
Few years back Djibouti has been targeting to construct the livestock port at Damerjog, a place that is close to the border of Somaliland in the south of Djibouti, but it has been revised with additional huge and massive development facilities.
As per the plan the DDID will have a multipurpose port that shall accommodate all kind of cargos including bulk and containerized. The livestock port that targeted to solve the claim of livestock exporters from Ethiopia will be constructed on the aim to boost and modernize the cattle export of Ethiopia.
At the same time the complex port and additional facilities will also include several projects that are directly related with the natural gas development and export from Ethiopia.
New Hospitality Academy offers international standard education
Hospitality Job fair starts February 17
A new hotel training academy will simulate a four star hotel with 100-150 rooms. The Addis Ababa Hotel Association is building the academy to help supply the industry with better trained hospitality workers and at the same time help the youth find employment in the hospitality industry. Over the next 32 years it plans to train one million people in Ethiopia. Currently they are conducting a study and getting ready to sell shares and secure the land to begin construction. Students will learn food and beverage service, food production and housekeeping. Each trainee will then select one path for their career and could look for work in one of the star hotels or use their certificate to look for work abroad.
Binyam Bisrat Addis Ababa Hotel Association President told the press last Thursday that the new school will train many people and make a difference in hospitality.
“There are 165 hotels are in Addis Ababa which are rated from one to five star and more than 100 local and international brand hotels are in the pipeline. So we need the right skilled man power. The new hospitality academy will present a fantastic opportunity for the area’s communities and its hotels.’’
He added that the academy will play a role in sending skilled workers abroad. “When Ethiopians want to get jobs in hotels in other countries employers require them to have a certificate but previously it wasn’t really possible to obtain this. This school will be accredited so that employers will know they are getting skilled workers.”
Binyam says that hotel business has been improving lately and tourists are returning.
In related news the first Hospitality Job fair and Networking event will be carried out at the Intercontinental Hotel on February 17.
More than 200 hotels will participate in the event and up to 5,000 trained hotel workers will have the opportunity to meet hotel owners and apply for hotel jobs.
Andualem, Eskinder among the 746 prisoners to be released
Two Ethiopians considered by rights groups as among the country’s most prominent political prisoners are to be released as part of the government’s efforts to “foster national reconciliation” after almost three years of anti-regime protests. Andualem Aragie, vice president of the Unity for Democracy and Justice party and jailed for treason, and Eskinder Nega, a journalist who has been detained seven times on treason and terrorism charges, are in a group of 746 people serving sentences for terrorism, inciting violence and similar offences to be freed, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday.
The announcement follows the release of almost 6,400 prisoners and detainees last month. They are the first steps in what the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled since 1991, has said will be an opening up of the “democratic landscape”. Analysts say the moves are tacit recognition that repression has failed to quell almost three years of protests by people across large swaths of the country, and particularly in the Oromia and Amhara regions, demanding greater democracy. Andualem was one of the cofounders of the UDJ in 2009, having already served several years in prison for opposing the government. He was detained again in September 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2012 for “attempting to dismantle the constitution”, according to the charges. Eskinder was first arrested on treason charges in 2005 when he was editor of the newspaper Satenaw over demonstrations against the result of the 2005 general election. He was pardoned at the end of 2007 but the newspaper closed. He was arrested in September 2011 on anti-terrorism charges and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in January 2012. The following year a UN panel concluded that Eskinder’s imprisonment was “a result of his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression”.
Commenting on the news that journalist and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Eskinder Nega will be among 746 prisoners released as part of a government pardon, Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said“It is wonderful news that this brave journalist will soon walk to freedom after seven years spent in jail simply for doing his job. He should not have spent a single day behind bars.”
“But the world must not lose sight of the thousands of other people still languishing in jail on trumped up and politically-motivated terrorism charges, including Bekele Gerba, Addisu Bulala, Woubshet Taye. All prisoners of conscience must be released immediately and unconditionally and compensated for the grave injustices done to them.”
(Compiled from Agencies)
