Yearbook 2008
Ethiopia. The Supreme Court sentenced former ex-dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam to death in May. Thus, HD tore up the life sentence that was announced in 2007 in a lower instance. Another 18 lifetime sentenced employees at Mengistu had their sentences converted to death sentences. Two of them were reported to be living in the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa while the other 16 are imprisoned in the capital.
General elections, including both local and regional assemblies and unoccupied seats in Parliament, resulted in a grand victory for the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The party alliance seized virtually all of the seats that in the violent election in 2005 accrued to opposition parties but which have remained vacant since the holders have been brought to trial.
UN forces UNMEE ended its efforts to monitor the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea because of the failure of both countries to cooperate. The risk of new combat actions was considered to increase seriously, but the situation remained calm during the autumn.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER: Click to see the meanings of 2-letter acronym and abbreviation of ET in general and in geography as Ethiopia in particular.
Ethiopia’s near-permanent supply crisis worsened again during the year. Reports of severe malnutrition came mainly from the southern regions and in October six million people were reported to be in need of food assistance. The crisis was not only caused by the recurring drought, but also by the dramatically increased food prices on the world market.
During the period November 2015 to November 2016, security forces killed at least 800 people. Alone during demonstrations in Addis Ababa 6-7. August 2016, security forces killed over 100 and imprisoned 1,000, who were subsequently subjected to torture on a military base.
After the country was put into emergency in October 2016, more than 20,000 were arrested according to the report. Deutsche Welle. Acc. the opposition was the figure rather 70,000. Many of them journalists and media people as well as activists in human rights or other organizations. The state of emergency initially applied for 6 months, but has since been regularly extended.
Ethiopia also had soldiers in Somalia as part of the AU’s AMISOM mission. There were repeated reports of abuses by Ethiopians. In July, Ethiopian soldiers killed 14 civilians while hunting al-Shabab in Somalia’s Bay region.
In July, too, there were border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea that cost more than 100 soldiers.
The difference between Ethiopia and Eritrea is that Ethiopia allies with the US and the EU, gets 4 billion. US $ in annual development assistance from the West and is not criticized for the serious human rights situation in the country, while Eritrea is an independent country subject to UN and West sanctions. Since 2006, Ethiopia has prevented UN special rapporteurs from entering the country to investigate the situation.
Population 2008
According to Countryaah reports, the population of Ethiopia in 2008 was 87,639,853, ranking number 14 in the world. The population growth rate was 2.800% yearly, and the population density was 87.6400 people per km2.