Police shoot into crowd in Ethiopian capital

CBC News:

At least eight people have died after riot police clashed with opposition supporters in Ethiopia's capital Tuesday. The clash in Addis Ababa comes a day after police arrested and revoked the licences of 30 taxi drivers who had participated in demonstrations against parliamentary elections last May. The May 15 election gave Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's party – the Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front –control of 60 per cent of parliament. Other parties contend fraud, intimidation and violence marred the results and have been demanding an investigation. Opposition parties say hundreds of their members have been arrested since the election.

This sort of story really saps support for helping to end poverty in Africa. While there is some progress in some places, most of Africa remains a basket case that cannot be helped. I am unsure what, if anything, we can do about that. I have always been fascinated with Africa, probably since I started reading Tarzan books, and it is a place I would love to visit someday. I would also love to see it a prosperous continent able to compete with the rest of the world economically and the diseases that ravish the people there contained. The first step, the step that can make the other steps possible, is political reform though, and Africa as a whole seems unwilling or unable to accomplish that at this time. That is a shame. Update: Another tragic African story, in this Dead Parrot post.