In July 2015, President Obama became the first sitting US president to travel to Ethiopia.
However, many human rights organizations have criticized Obama for the visit because of
the country’s history of human rights abuses and government corruption.
So, just how corrupt is Ethiopia?
Well, Ethiopia is one of the most powerful nations in Africa.
They have a huge population, and a strong diplomatic relationships with the US and China.
The country also has significant natural resources, including gold mines, oil fields, and vast
tracts of fertile agricultural land.
Additionally, the capital city of Addis Ababa is known as the “political capital of Africa.”
Yet, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
Around 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.
And only a small handful of government and business officials hold significant wealth.
Several watchdog organizations attribute the wealth disparity to widespread corruption.
In 2014, Transparency International ranked Ethiopia as one of the most corrupt nations
in the world.
The report alleged that there was minimal transparency in public institutions, minimal
oversight of government employees, and widespread bribery.
One of the worst areas of corruption is in land allocation.
Despite it’s importance to the agricultural industry, it lacks both oversight and regulation.
Another major issue is the bribery of government officials to avoid paying taxes.
This situation is due in part to the fact that the Ethiopian government has been dominated
by a single party for nearly 25 years.
This party is known to suppress political dissent in order to retain power.
Recent elections have seen party officials claiming over 99% of the vote, spurring riots
and accusations of rigged elections.
During a 2005 election, police fired on a crowd of protesters who were disputing election
results, killing 22 people.
Ethiopia is also known for severe human rights abuses.
In the name of national security, political activists, journalists and bloggers have been
imprisoned and tortured for reporting on political dissent.
Former detainees have described being held in “stress positions for hours upon end,”
and being “hung from the wall by their wrists.”
Along with other notoriously censored countries like China, Iran and Eritrea, Ethiopia imprisons
a very high number of journalists — 17 as of 2014.
During President Obama’s visit with Ethiopian leaders, he discussed “the need to allow
political opponents to operate freely.”
But he maintained that the US will support the country and encourage progress.
Although Ethiopia struggles with wealth inequality, censorship, and human rights abuses, it is
still a valuable diplomatic foothold for many global superpowers.
Where does Ethiopia stand among the world's nations?
Find out this video!
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