Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, with a population of over 80 million; it is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa.  More than eighty five percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas.  It is one of the world’s poorest countries with a per capita income of only $1,000 (2010 est.) per year.  Ethiopia has a turbulent history of famine, drought, civil conflict and war.  Despite its volatile history, Ethiopia has long been a symbol of independence in Africa.  Geographically, Ethiopia is located in a strategic geopolitical region.  It plays an important role as a key U.S. ally in the so-called “war on terrorism.”  It has sent troops to Somalia to combat the Al Queda connected Al Shabaab Islamist organization that controls large swaths of Somalia north of Mogadishu.  It was a founder member of the United Nations and is home to many international organizations such as the African Union.

 Although Ethiopia appears to be a stable country, it is actually plagued by decades of oppression, corruption, human rights violations and sustained repression of opposition to its governments.  Today,  executive power resides with Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and his Tigrayan ethnic compatriots, who have held power since 1995. While Ethiopia claims to be an electoral democracy, in practice, Ethiopia is an authoritarian state. All land has been owned by the State since the communist Mengistu regime of the 1970’s.  The Meles Zenawi regime has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and leased their land to Chinese, Indian, Saudi, and Malaysian agricultural corporations. Authoritarian government and the exploitative economic system negate the principles of a democracy.

Politics in Ethiopia is often defined by a power struggle between the Amharic and Tigrayan ethnic groups. The two largest ethnic groups are the Oromo and the Amhara.  The largest group, the Oromo have never held power in modern times. There are more than 60 legally recognized political parties in Ethiopia.  However, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is led by Tigrayans, completely dominates politics. Political repression is rampant and currently the government is using development aid as a means to suppress political opposition and to oppress neglected minorities.

In  2008 the government passed new laws to restrict the use of media and civil societies.   Of the many laws that were passed in 2008, two of the most significant laws were the Charities and Societies Proclamation and the Anti-terrorism proclamation.  The Charities and Societies Proclamation restricts Ethiopian nongovernmental organizations from doing any work that involves human rights, if they receive more than 10 percent of their funding from foreign sources.  The Anti-Terrorism proclamations, have been used to prosecute human rights activists and journalists. The law is vague and has a broad definition of terrorism.

During the period leading up to the 2010 parliamentary elections the government used a policy of intimidation to suppress political dissidents.  The government arbitrarily arrested individuals opposing the EPRDF, conducted house to houses searches, and forced individuals to vote for the EPRDF. Often voters were pressured to join or support the ruling party through systematic harassment. The government also used discriminatory penalties for those supporting opposing parties; these penalties included the denial of access to public sector jobs, denial of loans, educational opportunities and food assistance.  The EPRDF overwhelming won the 2010 parliamentary elections because opposition candidates were ruled off the ballot.

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