Good for you. Never easy moving on and esp. not where you'll be heading. Had a friend who managed to last 4 months in Khartoum before it got the better of him. Not that I want to put a downer on your move or anything :)

I'll quite miss your blog banner, assuming you change it. In fact, I guess you might be starting a whole new blog... What you gonna call it?

Some ideas here maybe

http://tinyurl.com/227vp7

I very much look forward to hearing your views on Sudan and finding out more from the ground there. Bon chance.

You'll keep blogging, right? I'll miss your take on Ethiopia, but so long as I can have your take on Khartoum, I'll do my best to carry on.

Just don't disappear. I keep losing my blogging friends. (Claypot, Religious Policeman, Sleepless in Sudan, and on and on.) It makes me feel like I'm in a nursing home before my time.

Keep on truckin!

Dear Andrew,

Even though you don't miss some of the things you mentioned above,and we don't miss some of your distorted storys, i'm not exagerating when i said, we are really going to miss you and spacially your website.

I hope you continue writting positive things about Ethiopia and keep these website alive.

Convey my regards to Amber and wish you happy future.

'Abet, Abet?' or 'Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh?'

What’s going on? We are going to miss you man. Ethiopia (we) need journalists like who genuinely care about the people they are reporting. Don’t forget Ethiopia (us). Whenever you get a chance try to report about our miserable government.

What can I say, good luck for you and your family.
Wish you the best, thanks again.

sad to hear it since i enjoyed this blog so much, but i suppose all things come to an end at some point.

can we expect a new blog from khartoum?

Hi Andrew:

You are a unique journalist in a way you handled this rather difficult task of covering Ethiopia. There is no middle ground as you know and you are praised and criticized at the same time by anyone with opinion.

Best of luck in the Sudan! If they solve Darfur problem, you will have nothing to report on! The Sudanese are great people; but short of drama unlike the Ethiopians.

KS

are you kidding???????????? what!!!!! maybe i am too confused, what is going on? who is going to run meskelsquare.com?? this us hard to believe

For Heaven's sake, Andrew, say it ain't so. There goes our main source of unbiased reporting from Ethiopia. I never knew what a blog was until I surfed onto your site, and was hooked ever since. For Ethiopians sick of biased pro-government or pro-opposition articles, Meskel Square has been a healthy alternative. It's true nothing lasts forever, and thanks for giving your loyal readers early notice. Good luck to you and Amber in Khartoum, I'm sure you'll both work hard to keep media attention on Darfur.

I hope Khartoum now flush with oil money has less power cuts than when I was last there, and I hope you'll have great photos to share of Khartoum's magnificent Haboub (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDzV4Mw1CHQ).

Happy trails!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... I have to admit that I am addicted to your site and your reporting. You are truly the balancing force between the extreme lies and the total propaganda. We Ethiopians are unlucky, we don't have truly sober journalists, but rather one sided emotionally loaded ranters who call themselves "journalists." Thank you for all your work, and your reporting not only the "typical" African story of "Misery" but the other side of our humanity too. You will be truly missed.

Maybe you can rename your blog "Crescent Square" formerly known as "Meskel Square" and have a go at it from Khartoum.

Thanks for the wonderfull job you did in Ethiopia. U were one of my source from backhome. I hope U will tell us your observations in your stay in Ethiopia. Specially the sensitive political stories. Once you leave Ethiopia, U will be more free to tell us the real stories.

Thanks again

You will be greatly missed. Didn't know you and Amber were related...that is a doule whammy for us Ethiopians.
Hope you will be visiting us as often as you can and, please keep your blog alive.
You article about the 'Abiy Guday', btw, tell all about you, not in the way Urael misunderstood you!
I always liked your pictures and have on several occasions used them in my classes.

Andrew--

Hysterical post, a precise exit summary! Anyways, if you would be up for a drink one evening, holler.
---Daniel (from St Matts).

Andrew...
As someone stated "You are truly the balancing force between the extreme lies and the total propaganda". I guess we have to find another source that can provide us a reliable information.

Good Luck in Sudan and hope to be reading some news from Khartoum. If you end up in Sweden please drop an email so we can go out for a bira or a cup of coffee.

Regards
Tazabeo

Do us a favor and leave a good mark of your having been in ETH in the next "two years, nine months and several days". A banging exit won't disappoint either.

Ahhh! Sad to see you go soon. Best wishes.

Dear Andrew,

Congrats to both of you with the new jobs. I will miss your blog. It made me smile many times and also sometimes wonder what (and why) I was doing in Ethiopia.
Good luck to the three of you.

Cheers,
Bart

Aiso' Andy,

Sudan, huh? Good luck, and keep on blogging.

The world still needs you ;-)

Ciao

Andrew,

Your blog is undoubtably THE BEST BLOG on Ethiopia! U've allowed me to stay in touch with my country while i was away & now that i'm back i still visit u'r blog daily...Your photos are amazing! Now, where the hell are we going to turn to for entertaining/newsworthy stories on Addis & Eth?You will be greatly missed...snif

Andrew,

You will certainly be missed from this corner of the World. I always looked forward to reading your stories. Growing up in Africa realy helps a journalists that reports on the continent see things the way they are, like you do. Hope there will be someone who will be as balanced. Bon Voyage!

P.S. Speaking of men in Uniform with sticks and guns, have you seen The last King of Scotland? It is an excellent movie. I will be looking forward to a book of your memoirs.

Mamitu
From Washington DC Suburb

Me again.

You will be missed greatly. Hope we will see your great pictures from the booming Khartum too. Also the ever changing alliance and re-alliance of Horn Politics, the emerging alliance of Khartum and Asmara. Hope your next assignment would be Eritrea so we will have a complete picture of the Horn short of offcourse SOMALIA.

Thanks again

good riddance!

Awww Andrew,

Such a shame that we'll be losing a voice of reason from Ethiopia.

Best wishes for your new lives in Sudan. I'm sure you'll do an amazing job there as well. I hope you'll still keep meskelsquare around ... in some form or another.

I'm not sure what 'Abet, abet?' is but 'Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh?' irritates the crap out of me too ;-)

Andrew,

I loved the pictures in particular..you were good for us.Best wishes.

Dear Andrew ,
Your blog will be missed for those who enjoy it as social blog (includes me) with fun and indirect criticism where a government dont want to be told a " spade is spade". You were too soft and I can understand why u were soft because the Zenawi Regime is sapde but thinks it is an axe. If u were not soft you will end up in Nairobi like Anthony Mitchell. Well Kahrtoum will be more tough though than Nairobi. May be Zenawi recomend you with high honour for Kahrtouma than Nairobi where people like the late Anthony Mitchel well bol enough to say " A spade is a spade"

Hello Andrew,

Sad to hear that you will be leaving Ethiopia soon. You will greatly be missed. Although I have never commented or participated, I enjoyed reading your blog frequently. I guess you can call me a "free rider".

Good Luck with your new endeavor.

By the way, will you be keeping your Meskelsquare blog?

Many Thanks,
Tita

Well Well,maybe next time we will get rid of all the pedestrians from the streets,just for you :).Oh Well time to go and save other poor Black Africans somewhere,GOOD LUCK.

are you going to name your blog, "Crecent Square"?

Thank you for all those historic pictures.

reading all the comments, all the praises you are showing him is like what people say when someone passes away. he is alright, he is just going next door. you can still have a go at him, take your diaspora frustration out on him, he can take it.

all of a sudden you are going soft, what is wrong with you people!! what happens to the Ethiopian pride of "you dis my nation and I will have you down" diatribe!

oh well I say,

For he is a jolly good fellow, for he is a jolly good fellow
for he is a jolly good fellooooow so say all of us!

good luck man!

Sorry to hear that you won’t be in Addis to report. Though not your regular reader, I really enjoyed the few times I visited your blog. Thanks for being sensitive and mature about Ethiopia and Ethiopians. I will miss not having you as a bloger from Addis.

Good luck,
bihon

Hey there,

Like a lot of people who commented already, I am sad to see you go. I hope you keep the blog and put the stuff about Ethiopia in your archives or something. I really enjoyed reading Meskel Square.

Thanks for everything. I hope your new home treats you well.

Yemi

Andrew,

Thank you for everything. Learned a lot from your blog.

Good luck.

p.s.
you know that they call those Isuzus "al quida"?

Dear Andrew Lung,

It's Carry on Up the NIle!!:)!!

Thank you for the view from Meskel Square. I for one never believed you were a vanilla guerulla. Like the priests daily megaphone broadcast onto Meskel Square from Istiphanos Church, I looked forward to your short sharp sermons, all of them parables, many misunderstood. Your dry humour, and insightful snapshots of our reality at such a sad wet warped visionless time will be sorely missed.

Mengedoon cherk Yargilih! Godspeed!

Oh yes, I forgot to say, "You lung, you"

Good Luck Andy! you did a wonderful job reporting. I am going to miss your blog. I hope you will keep it alive! You were fair and balanced!

I don't think many people know the present history ( at times you were right in the middle of its making ) of Ethiopia as you do. You've had a unique chance to cover Ethiopia over a few years. If you sum it up (with pics) in a book I promise I will buy it.
Good luck in Sudan.

Tom

Hey Andrew,

Sad to see you go. Though I must admit, you were too cozy with the powers in Addis, you provided a good coverage of the going-ons in the country from your own perspective. I hope you will still maintain this blog and post notes even on the Sudan. Good luck to you and mostly to Amber; I gather it's not going to be easy in Khartoum.

so here is the thing... every now and then when i wanted to know some fresh and unbiased news, i just logged on meskel square. the other thing was that u were the one who thought me about blogging and u are just great. i am sure that u will do an amzing job in Sudan. Wishig u all the best for u and u'r family

Well done, Angrew, you have done a brilliant job in Ethiopia. I spent two years eleven months living in Addis Abeba and would only add to your first list: people unwilling to open windows in taxis when it's not the rainy season.
Thank you.

Journalist's Nirvana Achieved!! Nirana some where else...Sudan!

Will miss the pictures you were posting.

How long will it take till the next Nirvana? who knows?

All the best,
Tewodros

Thank you for your service. I enjoyed reading your blog and viewing your photos. I hope someday you return back to Ethiopia and continue your service. Until then, I wish you all the best.

-M- from San Francisco

Andy, hope I aint member of the 10% u mentioned.
Wish you the best of time in the Sudan, one place I would come back to to resettle. I'd choose Kessella, however.