Far from Ethiopia war front, mass arrests ensnare fearful Tigrayans
As Ethiopia and United States coffee shop giant Starbucks fight it out in a high-profile trademark dispute, little notice is being taken of another potential row brewing in the backstreets of a highland town. Owner of a small business Ambes Tewelde has a roaring trade selling about 400 cups a day of fine Ethiopian coffee in a perpetually packed coffee shop named … Starbucks!
Ethiopia said on Saturday it was in contact with an armed group that kidnapped five Europeans and eight locals in a remote northern region, but ruled out a military operation to rescue them. ”Those who are responsible are being reached through different channels, and we are hoping that these people would be freed unharmed and safe,” Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said.
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/ 28 October 2004
She became the face of famine, yet no one knew her name. Birhan Weldu’s emaciated face became the despairing image of Ethiopia in 1984 and was beamed to TV screens all over the world. Now Birhan, who miraculously survived the 1984 disaster that claimed the lives of one million Ethiopians, has become a symbol of hope for her country.