“Ethiopians Should Not Wait for Obama to Give Them Democracy”
US President Barack Obama made history this week by becoming the first sitting president to visit Ethiopia and to deliver a speech before the African Union. Obama's plan to visit Ethiopia was rebuked by human right advocates who argued that it would award undue praise to the Ethiopian government, which has pursued a crackdown on local media workers resulting in dozens of detentions and multi-year prison sentences, including the jailing of six members of the Global Voices community. The ruling party also secured 100% of parliamentary seats in the May 2015 elections, leaving Ethiopians suspicious that authorities had interfered with electoral systems. The tone of the disappointment and anger began to ease after the release of several bloggers and journalists prior to the arrival of President Obama. President Barack Obama and Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn hold a press conference at the National Palace Barack Obama and PM Hailemariam Desalegn hold a press conferen