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Human Rights Watch: World Report 2016: Ethiopia: Events of 2015 January 27, 2016

Posted by OromianEconomist in Uncategorized.
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Agazi, fascist TPLF Ethiopia's forces attacking unarmed and peaceful #OromoProtests in Baabichaa town central Oromia (w. Shawa) , December 10, 2015

 

In Ethiopia in 2015 there were continuing government crackdowns on opposition political party members, journalists, and peaceful protesters, many of whom experienced harassment, arbitrary arrest, and politically motivated prosecutions.

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the ruling party coalition, won all 547 parliamentary seats in the May elections, due in part to the lack of space for critical or dissenting voices. Despite a few high-profile prisoner releases ahead of the June visit of United States President Barack Obama, there was no progress on fundamental reforms of the deeply repressive laws and policies constricting Ethiopian civil society organizations and media.

Elections and Political Space

May’s federal elections took place in a general atmosphere of intimidation, and concerns over the National Electoral Board’s lack of independence. Opposition parties reported that state security forces and ruling party cadres harassed and detained their members, while onerous registration requirements effectively put opposition candidates at a disadvantage.

Opposition parties reported that government officials regularly blocked their attempts to hold protests and rallies in the run-up to the election by denying permits, arresting organizers, and confiscating equipment.

These restrictions, alongside the absence of independent media and civil society, meant there was little opportunity for dissenting voices to be heard or meaningful political debate on key issues ahead of the elections.

Freedom of Peaceful Assembly

Eighteen individuals identified as leaders of the Muslim protest movement that swept across Ethiopia from 2012-2014 were convicted in July under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation and sentenced in August to between 7 and 22 years each after closed, flawed trials. Authorities detained them in July 2012 when some Muslim communities were protesting against perceived government interference in their religious affairs.

An unknown number of ethnic Oromo students continued to be detained, many without charge, after protests throughout Oromia in April and May 2014 against the planned expansion of Addis Ababa’s municipal boundary into Oromia. Security personnel used excessive and at times lethal force, including live ammunition, against protesters in several cities, killing at least several dozen protesters, and arrested hundreds.

There have been no investigations by Ethiopian authorities into the deaths and the use of unlawful force. Those released said they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention. Ethnic Oromos make up approximately 45 percent of Ethiopia’s population and are often arbitrarily arrested and accused of belonging to the banned Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

Freedom of Expression and Association

Media remained under government stranglehold, with many journalists having to choose between self-censorship, harassment and arrest, or exile. At least 60 journalists have fled into exile since 2010. Tactics used to restrict independent media included targeting publishers, printing presses, and distributors.

The Ethiopian government’s systematic repression of independent media has created a bleak landscape for free expression ahead of the May 2015 general elections. In the past year, six privately owned publications closed after government harassment; at least 22 journalists, bloggers, and publishers were criminally charged, and more than 30 journalists fled the country in fear of being arrested under repressive laws.

In June, journalist Reeyot Alemu and five other journalists and bloggers from the Zone 9 blogging collective were released from prison ahead of President Obama’s visit to Ethiopia, On October 16, the remaining four imprisoned Zone 9 bloggers were acquitted of terrorism charges after 39 hearings and 539 days in detention. A fifth charged in absentia was also acquitted. Many other journalists, protesters, and other political opponents continued to be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, and many journalists including Eskinder Nega and Woubshet Taye remain in prison.

The 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSO law) continues to severely curtail the ability of independent nongovernmental organizations to work on human rights. The law bars work on human rights, good governance, conflict resolution, and advocacy on the rights of women, children, and people with disabilities if organizations receive more than 10 percent of their funds from foreign sources.

The government regularly monitors and records telephone calls of family members and friends of suspected opposition members and intercepts digital communications with highly intrusive spyware. Leaked emails from Milan-based Hacking Team, which sold spyware to the Ethiopian government, reveal that despite warnings of the risk of Ethiopia misusing their spyware, they issued a temporary license to Ethiopia while they began negotiations in April on a new contract worth at least US$700,000.

Torture and Arbitrary Detention

Ethiopian security personnel frequently tortured and otherwise ill-treated political detainees held in both official and secret detention centers to give confessions or provide information. At its UN Universal Periodic Review in 2014, Ethiopia accepted a recommendation to “adopt measures which guarantee the non-occurrence of cases of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention,” but there is little indication that security personnel are being investigated or punished for carrying out these abuses.

The Liyu police, a Somali Regional State paramilitary police force without a clear legal mandate, continued to commit serious human rights abuses in their ongoing conflict with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in Ethiopia’s Somali Region, with reports of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and violence against civilians who are accused of supporting or being sympathetic to the ONLF.

Andargachew Tsige, a United Kingdom citizen and secretary-general of the Ginbot 7 organization, a group banned for advocating armed overthrow of the government, remains in detention in Ethiopia after his unlawful 2014 deportation to Ethiopia from Yemen while in transit. He had twice been sentenced to death in absentia for his involvement with Ginbot 7. UK consular officials visited Andargachew only three times, amid growing concerns about his mistreatment in detention. In April, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called on Ethiopia to release and compensate Andargachew.

Forced Displacement Linked to Development Programs

Some donors, including UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, rechanneled funding from the problematic Protection of Basic Services (PBS) program in 2015. PBS was associated with the abusive “villagization program,” a government effort to relocate 1.5 million rural people into permanent villages, ostensibly to improve their access to basic services. Some of the relocations in the first year of the program in Gambella region in 2011 were accompanied by violence, including beatings and arbitrary arrests, and insufficient consultation and compensation.

Some Gambella residents filed a complaint in 2013 to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel, the institution’s independent accountability mechanism, alleging that the bank violated its own policies on indigenous people and involuntary resettlement. The Inspection Panel identified major shortcomings in the PBS program in its November 2014 recommendations, although the World Bank Board largely rejected the findings in February. A translator who worked with the Inspection Panel in Gambella was arrested in March and charged under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation in September 2015.

In February, in the course of a court hearing on a complaint by an Ethiopian farmer that the UK violated its partnership principles by supporting the PBS program, DFID announced that it was ending support to the PBS program. DFID cited concerns over Ethiopia’s civil and political rights record, including concerns related to “freedom of expression and electoral competition, and continued concerns about the accountability of security services.”

There are ongoing reports of forced displacement from development projects in different regions, often with minimal or no compensation and little in the way of prior consultation with affected, often indigenous, communities. Allegations have arisen from commercial and industrial projects associated with Addis Ababa’s expansion and the continued development of sugar plantations in the Lower Omo Valley, which involves clearing 245,000 hectares of land that is home to 200,000 indigenous people. Communities in Omo have seen their grazing land cleared and have lost access to the Omo River, which they relied on for crops. Individuals who questioned the development plans were arrested and harassed.

Violent incidents, both between different ethnic groups and between the government and ethnic groups, increased in 2015 partly due to the growing competition for grazing land and other resources. The reservoir behind the Gibe III dam began filling in January 2015, reducing the annual natural flood that replenished the agricultural lands along the banks of the Omo River.

Key International Actors

Ethiopia enjoys strong support from foreign donors and most of its regional neighbors, based on its role as host of the African Union and strategic regional player, its contribution to UN peacekeeping, security and aid partnerships with Western countries, and its progress on development indicators. The African Union(AU)—the only international body that monitored the May elections—declared the elections “credible” despite the severe restrictions on opposition political parties, independent media, and civil society.

Ethiopia continued to facilitate negotiations between warring parties in South Sudan, and its troops maintained calm in the disputed Abyei Region. Ethiopia deploys troops inside Somalia as part of the AU mission, and in 2015 there were growing reports that abusive “Liyu police” forces were also deployed alongside the Ethiopian Defense Forces. Ethiopia continued to host hundreds of thousands of refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea.

Ethiopia is one of the largest recipients of donor aid in Africa, receiving almost $3 billion in 2015 despite allegations of human rights abuses associated with some development programs, including forced displacement in Gambella and the Omo Valley. There are no indications that donors have strengthened the monitoring and accountability provisions needed to ensure that their development aid does not contribute to or exacerbate human rights problems in Ethiopia.

Motumaan Itoopian humna dhiibaa fudhechuu itti fuufeera. Bara 2015 keessatti qofa miseensota dhaabbilee siyaasaa, gaazexessitoota, fi hiriirtota nagaa baay’inni isaanii gidiraa adda addaa, hidhaa akka malee, akkasumas hiraarfama ilaalcha siyaasa irraa ka’ee gaggeeffamaa tureef saaxilamuun isaanii itti fufeera.

Sababa qaamota sagalee addaa qaban irratti karaan cufameef Gamtaan dhaabota siyaasaa aangoo irra jiru, Addi Dimokraatawaa Warraaqsa Ummata Itoopiyaa (ADWUI), baatii Caamsaa keessa filannoo gaggeeffameen teessuma paarlaamaa 547 hunda moo’eera. Dhufaatii Prezedantiin biyya Amerikaa Baaraak Obaamaa dura hidhamtoota siyaasaa beekamoo muraasa gadhiisuu tiin alatti mirga bu’uraa dhala namaa, seerota, imaammata caasaawwan bilisaa ummataa fi midiyaa cunqursan fi akka hin malletti sochii dhorkuuf tolfaman ilaalchisee biyatii keesatti fooya’insi ta’e homa hinjiru.

Filannoo fi Waltajjii Siyaasaa

Filannoon sadarkaa Federaalaa Caamsaa sun akka waliigalaa tti doorsisa/sodaachisuun kan guutame, Boordiin Filannoo Biyyoolessaa bilisummaa haala hin qabne keessatti gaggeeffame. Gama tokkoon dhaabotni mormitootaa humni tikaa fi dabballeewwan dhaaba siyaasaa aangoo qabatee jiru akka miseensota isaanii dararan fi hidhan yoo gabaasan gama biraatiin ammoo sirni dorgomtoota galmeessisuu mormitoota irratti akka malee ulfaataa akka ta’u godhamee ture.

Dhaabotni mormitootaa yaroo filanaannan dhiyaate tti hiriira nagaa gaggeessuuf fi ummata sochoosuuf yaalii yaroo hedduu godhanillee angawootni mootummaa hayyama dhorkachuu, hidhuudhaan akka danqaa itti ta’an ibsu.

Qoqqobbiiwwan kunniin, midiyaan fi dhaabotni ummataa bilisa ta’an dhabamuu isaanii waliin wal qabatee, hiikni qabu sagaleen addaa akka hin dhagayamne ukkamsuu falmiin siyaasaa hiikaa qabu qabxiiwwan siyaasaa murteessoo irratti akka hin godhamne taasisu.

Mirga Walgayii Nagaa Gaggeessuu

Sochii Hiriira Musliima kan bara 2012-2014 Itoophiyaa guutuu keessatti qabate qindeessu jedhamanii namootni adda baafaman kudha saddet irratti baatii Adoolessaa keessa labsii farra shororkeessummaa jalatti himatni dhiyaatee, Hagayya keessa adabni hidhaa waggaa 7 fi 22, dhaddcha cufaa fi falmii karaa malee gaggeeffameen irratti murtaaye.  Angawootni mootummaa Adoolessa 2012 keessa yommu ummatni Musliimaa mootummaan dhimma amantii isaanii keessa galaa akka jiru fakkaatee mul’atetti mormii hiriira taasisu jalqabanitti aanee hidhamani.

Karoora Finfinnee gara Oromiyaatti babal’isuu waliin wal qabatee hiriira mormii Ebla fi Caamsaa 2014 eegaleen, barattoota Oromoo lakkoofsi isaanii hammana jedhanii himuu hin dandeenye, hedduun himata seeraa tokkoon alatti qabanii hidhuun itti fufeera.  Qaamotni tikaa humna akka malee ta’e, kan lubbuu namaa balaaf saaxiluu, rasaasa dabalatee, fayyadamuudhaan magaalaa hedduutti hiriirtota irratti dhukaasuun yoo xinnaate namoota kurnoota hedduutti lakkaayaman ajjeesaniiru, dhibbootatti kan lakkaayaman hidhaniiru.

Ajjeechaa fi humna seeraan ala fayyadamuu kana ilaalchisee angawoota mootummaa Itoophiyaatiin qorannaan gaggeeffame hin jiru. Kanneen hidhaa irraa gadhiifaman garuu akka reebaman ykn haala akka malee keessatti qabamanii akka turfaman ibsu. Ummata Itoophiyaa keessa % 45 kan ta’u Oromoo yoo ta’u, yaroo hedduu hidhaa akka hin malle kan saaxilame fi Adda Bilisummaa Oromo (ABO) dhaaba seeraan uggurman deeggara maqaa jedhuun kan himatamudha.

Mirga Yaada Ofii Ibsachuu fi Walgeettii

Miidiyaaleen mootummaa jalatti ukkamamamanii hojjechuu itti fufaniiru, gaazexessitootni hedduun of to’achuuf dirqamanii hojjetu ykn hiraarfamuu, hidhamuu fi biyyaa baqatanii baduu keessaa tokko filachuun dirqama itti ta’eera. Bara 2010 irraa eegalee yoo xinnaate gaazexessitootni 60 ta’an biyyaa badaniiru. Tarsiimoon midiyaalee bilisaa ukkaamsu kun barreessitootaa fi waldaalee maxxansitoota fi raabsitoota dabalata.

Baatii Waxabajjii keessa, gaazexessituu Riyoot Alamuu fi gamtaan bilogarota Zoonii 9 faa fi kanneen biroo shan do’ii Pirezedantiin Obaamaan Itophiyaatti godhe dura mana hidhaa irraa gadhiifaman.  Onkololeessa 16, bilogarota Zoonii 9 keessaa kanneen hidhaa keessatti hafanii turan fi labsii farra shororkeessummaa jalatti yakkamanii ballama 36 tiif mana murtii tti deddeebi’aa erga turaniin fi bulti 539 erga hidhamanii booda murtiin bilisa jedhamanii hiikamani. Inni shanaffaan bakka hin jirretti dhimmi isaa ilaalamaa tures bilisa ta’eera. Gaazexessitootni biroo hedduu, hirmaattotni hiriiraa, akkasumas mormitootni siyaasaa biroo irrattis himatni labsii farra shororkeessummaa jalatti irratti dhiyaatu ittuma fufeetu jira, gaazexessitoota Iskindir Naggaa fi Wubisheet Taayyee dabalatee ammoo ammallee manuma hidhaa keessa jiru.

Labsiin Waldaawwan Tajaajila tolaa kennuuf hundaawan fi Jaarmiyaalee Hawaasaa, dhaabota bilisaa kan miti-mootummaa ta’an mirga isaan hojjechuuf qaban takaalee dhorkuun isaa ittuma fufeetu jira.  Seerichi waayee mirga dhala namaa, bulchinsa gaarii, walitti bu’insa hiikuu, falmii mirga dubartoota, kan ijoollee, fi ummata hir’ina qaamaa qaban irratti, dhaabotni hojjetan bajata qaban keessaa dhibbeentaa 10 olitti madda alaa irraa horii kan argatan yoo ta’e akka hin hojjente uggura.

Mootummaan kuusaa odeeffannoo haasawaa bilbila maatiiwwan fi hiryyootni namoota akka mormituutti shakkamanii itti fufinsaan towata, haasawaa isaanii gidduu galee meeshaa ‘spaayiweer’ jedhamutti fayyadamee akka hin malletti dhaggeeffata.

Imeeliin garee basaastuu- imeelii Miilan, spaayiweer mootummaa Itoophiyaatti gurguruun isaatiif icciitiin kan harkaa baye akka himutti, jarreen hayyama yaroo Itoophiyaaf kennanii akka ture fi Ebla irraa eegalee waliigaltee haaraa yoo xinnaate US 700,000 kan baasu raawwachuuf marii irra akka jiran argisiisa.

Reebicha fi Hidhaa Seera-Malee

Hojjettootni humna tikaa Itoophiyaa hidhamtoota siyaasaa manneen hidhaa beekamoo fi dhoksaa keessatti qabamanii jiran reebuun ykn akka hin malletti dararuudhaan jecha amantii fi odeeffannoo irraa fuudhuuf yaaluu ittuma fufaniiru. Mootummaa Gamtaawaniitti Gilgaala Waliigalaa Yaroo Yarootti Gaggeeffamu kan bara 2014 irratti, Itoophiyaan yaada fooyya’insaa kennameef fudhachuudhaan “manneen hidhaa keessatti reebicha raawwatamu fi hiraarsa irratti raawwachuun akka hin jiraatne mirkaneessuu kan dandeessisu deemsa akka diriirsuu” waliigalaeera, haa ta’u malee ergasii asitti hojjettootni humna tikaa kanneen hojii akkanaa raawwatan qoratamuu ykn adabamuu isaaniitiif mallattoon argame hin jiru.

Liyyuu poolisii, humni paaraamilitarii Mootummaa Naanoon Somaalee, Poolisii aangoo seera ifaa ta’e tokkoon maleetti, walitti bu’insa Adda Biyyoolessaa Bilisummaa Ogaaden (ABBO) waliin jiru sababa gochuun socho’uudhaa yakkoota ciccimoo mirga dhala namaa sarbuu Itoopiyaa fi somaalee keessatti raawwachuu itti fufeen, gabaasotni seera malee nama akka fedhanitti nama ajjeesuu, hidhaa seeraan malee, ummata siviilii ABBO gargaaruun shakkaman dararuun baay’inaaa gabaafamaa jira.

Andaargaachoo Tsiggee, lammii biyya Yunaayitid Kiingdam fi dhaaba mootummaa humnaan fonqolchuuf yaale jedhamee ugguramee jiru dhaaba Ginboot 7 jedhamuuf barreessaa kan ta’e, bara 2014 seeraan ala biyya Yaman irra otoo darbuu seeraan ala qabamee erga Itoophiyaatti dabarfamee booda hanga ammaatti hidhaa keessa jira. Namni kun hirmaannaa Giboot 7 keessatti qabuuf harka lama murtiin du’aa bakka hin jirretti irratti murameera. Miseensotni Qonsilaa UK, Andaargaachoo, mana hidhaa keessatti hiraarsi irra gayaa jiraachuu isaatiif shakkiin guddaan otoo jiruu, marraa sadii qofaaf dhaqanii isa ilaalani. Baatii Eblaa keessa gareen hojii seeraan malee hidhaa raawwatu irratti hojjetu kan UN tokko mootummaan Itoophiyaa Andaargaachoo akka gadhiisuu fi beenyaas akka kafaluuf gaafate.

Maqaa Karoora Misooma jedhuun Humnaan Nama Buqqisuu

Hirphaa kennitootni gariin, Qajeelcha Misooma Addunyaa UK (DFID) fi baankii addunyaa dabalatee, horii kennuu Tajaajila Bu’uraa Tiksuu (TBT) [Protection of Basic Services  (PBS)] sagantaa rakkisaa turerra bara 2015 jallisanii jiru. TBTn sagantaa ummata qubachiisuu, yaalii mootummaan ummata miliyoona 1.5 ta’u, maqaa tajaajila bu’uuraa ummatatti dhiyeessa jedhuun hawaasa baadiyyaa jiraatu buqqisuu waliin wal qabsiisee raawwatu dha. Bakki itti ummata buqqisanii bara duraaf galchuuf itti saganteeffatan  gariin, kan Naannoo Gambeellaa bara 2011 raawwate ummata hiraarsuu, reebichaa fi hidhaa akka maleetti fayyadamuudhaan, marii fi kaasaa gayaa tokkoon maleetti kan hojii irra ooledha.

Jiraattotni Gambeellaa muraasni bara 2013 Garee Qorataa Baankii Addunyaa, qaama bilisaa mala ittigaafatamummaa bilisa jedhamutti himata dhiyeeffatani, Baankichis seera mataa isaa kan imaammata jiraattota biyyaa fi ummata fedha isaa maleetti qubachiisuu waliin wal qabsiisee hordofu cabseera jedhu. Gareen Qorattuu, yaada fooyya’insaa Sadaasa 2014 dhiyeesseen sagantaa TBT keessatti rakkoowwan bu’uuraa adda baasee dhiyeesseera, haa ta’u malee Boordiin Baankii Addunyaa argannoo kunniin hedduu isaanii baatii Guraandhalaa keessa kufaa godheera.  Afaan hiiktuun Garee Qorannaa san waliin Gambeellaa keessatti hojjetaa ture Bitootessaa keessa erga qabamee hidhamee booda Labsii farra shororkeessummaa jalatti yakka raawwatte jedhamee Fulbaana 2015 tti himatame.

Guraandhala keessa, yommu himatni qotee bulaa Itoophiyaa tokko sababa UK’n waadaa sirna waliin hojjechuuf tolfame kabajuu hanqachuudhaan sagantaa TBT deeggarte jedhamtee mana murtiitti falmiin dhiyaachaa turetti, DFIDn sagantaa TBT deeggaruu akka dhaabe labse. Murtii isaa kanaa tiif akka sababa tti waantota tuqe keessaa, Itoophiyaan mirgoota siyaasaa kabajuu ishee ilaalchisee ragaan jiru, haala yaachisaa bilisa ta’anii yaada ofii ibsachuu fi dorgommii filannaa irratti, akkasumas haala yaroo dheeraatiif yaachisaa ta’ee itti fufaa jiru kan raawwii hojjettoota humna tikaa ilaalchisee jiru kaasee ture.

Humnaan ummata qeyee isaa irraa buqqisanii bakka biraa qubachiisuu ilaalchisee itti fufinsaan gabaasni dhiyaachaa jira, hojiin kun kafaltii xinno yoo kaan ammoo kafaltiin tokkoon alatti, otoo jiraattotni ykn ummatni dhimmi isaa ilaallatu sirnaan hin irratti hin mariisisiin kan raawwatamu dha. Komiin akkanaa kun projektota daldala fi indusitrii kan Finfinnee babal’isuuf karoorfamee jiru fi misooma biqiltuu shonkoraa holqa Oomoo isa garjalla isa lafa hektaara 245,000 irraa qulqulleessanii kaasuu fi jiraattota 200,000 kan laficha irra jiraatan waliin wal qabatee ka’udha.  Hawaasni Oomoo lafa isaa irraa kaloo horii qulqullaayee laga Omoo kan midhaan hoomishuuf itti fayyadamnanitti karaan yoo itti cufamu arganii callisuuf dirqamani.  Kanneen karoora misoomaa kana ilaalchisee gaaffii kaasan ammoo ni hidhamu ni hiraarfamu.

Walitti bu’insi hamaan, sabaa fi sablammoota gidduu akkasuma mootummaa fi ummata adda addaa gidduutti mul’achuun bara 2015 keessa dabaleera, sababni kanaas gara caalu lafa kaloo fi qabeenya umamaa irratti wal dhiibuu irraa madda.  Cufaan jallisii Gibee III duuba jiru Amajjii 2015 irraa eegalee, bara baraan bishaan uumamaan gad darbee gamaa-gamna Oomootti lafa qonnaa   jiisuun irra ture hanqisaa, ofii garuu guutuu eegaleera.

Qaamota Biyya Alaa Dhimma Kana Keessatti Furtuu Ta’an

Itoophiyaan hirphaa kennitoota biyya alaa hedduu fi biyyoota ollaa irraa gargaarsa guddaa argachaa jirti, kunis biyyattiin teessuma Gamtaa Afrikaa ta’uu ishee irraa kan ka’e bakka murteessaa qabaachuu, nagaa eegsiftuu Mootummaa Gamtoomanii (UN) keessatti gumaacha qabdu, nageenya fi gargaarsa waliin wal-qabatee walitti dhufeenya biyyoota dhiyaa waliin tolfatte, akkasumas misooma biyyaa irratti safartuuwwan jiru irratti fooyya’insa mul’ifte jedhamee kan himamu san irraa kan maddudha.  Gamtaan Afrikaa (AU) – qaamni tokkittiin addunyaa hunda irraa filannaa 2015 to’ate- otoo dhaabotni siyaasaa mormitootaa, miidiyaaleen bilisaa fi dhaabotni bilisaa kanneen biroon akka hin sochoone qoqqobbaan cimaan irratti godhamee jiruu, filannaan sun  “amanamaadha” jedhee labse.

Itoophiyaan kanneen lola irra jiran araara ummata Sudaan Kibbaa aanjessuu itti fuftee jirti, humni waraanaa ishii bakka wal dhibdeen jiru Naannoo Abiye’i qabatee jira. Itoophiyaan shoora Gamtaa Afrikaa (AU) keessatti qabdu waliin wal qabatee humna waraanaa ishii Somaalee akka bobbaaftee jirti, bara 2015 keessa humna akka maleetti fayyadama kan jiru humni “Liyyuu Poolis” humna waraanaa Itoophiyaa cinaa socho’aa akka jiru gabaasni dhiyaachaa ture. Itoophiyaan dhibba fi kumaatamatti lakkaayaman baqattoota Ummata Sudaan Kibbaa, Somaalee fi Eertiraa irraa simattee keessee jirti.

Karoorri misoomaa Itoophiyaa gariin isaa dhiibbaa mirga namaa waliin wal qabatee-humnaan ummata Gambeellaa fi Holqa Omoo keessa jiraatu buqqisuu dabalatee, kan mormiin irratti ka’u yoo ta’ellee, biyyattiin hirphaa biyyoota alaa irraa bara 2015 keessa biliyoona $3 hirpha argachuun Afrikaa keessaa sadarkaa tokkoffaa irra jirti.  Biyyootni hirpha kana kennan waliigaltee gargaarsichaa keessatti sirni ittigaafatamummaa fi to’annaa itti cimu, gargaarsi kun cunqursaa mirga dhala namaaf akka hin oolle gochuu irratti keewwata cimaa tokko kaayuu isaanii kan argisiisu mallattoon tokko hin jiru.

 

https://www.hrw.org/om/world-report/2016/country-chapters/285336

 

East Africa: Little Progress, Worsening Repression

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/27/east-africa-little-progress-worsening-repression

 

Oromia (#OromoProtests):The Movement that Caught all by Surprise January 27, 2016

Posted by OromianEconomist in #OromoProtests.
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Odaa OromooKakaa Oromoo

The Movement that Caught all by Surprise

 

By Ibsaa Guutama,  Gubirmans.com     January 2016

 

We are raising this matter repeatedly in order to remind each other now and then, so that we may not be caught off guard by daily sprouting distorters. The way Oromiyaa resistance of November 2015 took shape surprised not the incumbent colonial government and opposition organizations that aspire to replace it alone, but also confused Oromo organizations as well. Because it was unprecedented phenomenon the TPLF leaders seem to be at a loss on how to handle it. What they can do was only secretly declaring Marshal Law that led to genocide and unnecessary incarceration. Ethiopian opposition organizations that crave to replace TPLF jumped to support the movement unconditionally but cooled down when they found their unevenly developed constituencies of Nafxanyaa remnant extremists were not supportive. This exposed that they are not representing a people’s dreams but that of groups that aspire to control the colonies next. These guys are reactionaries blinded by greedy for power and cannot move with the new world order. The naïve are in cahoots with them for nothing. That there are those that started conspiracy crossing the line to overthrow Wayyaanee and mount the peoples is becoming an open secret.

The peace loving Habashaa people have no problem with their neighbors. They are not yet subjected to eviction Oromiyaa type or land grab, their language is still the king’s language and their green, yellow and red flag is flying far beyond their borders etc. so no reason to rebel now. Even Habasha students in Oromo universities are mostly said not involved in the uprising but stayed in campuses. That implies that they do not feel belongingness to the rebelling region. “Ethiopianism” politicians want to propagate is only their own wish.

Oromo politicians lived confused by multifaceted pressure for a long time. Unable to move forward they turned to defending their leadership turf from assumed internal descent. As a result sincerity and transparency to members and supporters is lost. They have weakened their own base denying themselves the advantage due to a great people. Members became first in the list of adversaries. While they are in this mood, the movement came and gave the politicians and individual activists their lives’ shock. That they were only façade is exposed. Since then their behavior has become incoherent and frenzy, trying to cling on any string they come by and at times whisper of being in control of the movement. And some also are fuming with ambitions for fame and fortune they expect as a result. In connection with this, lies released have no bounds. But they should not forget the saying, “To fool the wise is to seek hatred”. For the mute observer there are lots to be said.

The opposition later switched to asking Oromo resistance movement to be named “Ethiopian”. The Oromo struggle had been around in its organized manner for half a century. They still do not comprehend it differently from how they initially responded to it. Since then much was gained by Oromo revolution as a result of damage done to fabrics of colonialism. Oromo nationalism has since spread throughout the land and people are now politically more conscious of their interest and identity than their elites. So the same approach of 70s and 80s do not serve. Instead of responding to national demand, when it was only a drop, with contempt full of tirades and insults, had they given it necessary attention then, it could not have now turned into the uncontrollable great flood? Though different in presentation and tactics this movement is only extension of the first phase of movement started by Oromo youth of the 60s. However that the objective goal or Kaayyoo is the same can be seen from placards and slogans they are using.

Even now, the offer given them by stray Oromiyaan politicians, to stand with them as equals and fight the Wayyaanee did not sink well with them. They want to humiliate them further by asking them to accept all about Ethiopia unconditionally and work against Article 39 of Ethiopian Constitution. They also want them to condemn OLF for them. They do not lack the method of attracting tamed Oromo but how to cleanse “the poison” spread by OLF. Those that join them are those who can do that, not those demanding to seat on equal level. In their mind there is only one old Imperial Ethiopia that they head, no modification is acceptable to them.

Therefore those that are going crazy with her love have to take that anyways. For independence camp the national objective set by OLF can never be stopped from reaching its goal even if they go insane. OLF is like a mushroom; its spores are scattered everywhere ready to sprout when one mutates into Ethiopianist. It must be known that the nation is not proud of enemy “Askaries” who were defectors and captives however capable they may be, they died enemy soldiers. Our concern is with those that died fighting for independence of their nation our praise should go for them and them alone. No one can rehabilitate the Askaries except independent Oromiyaa.

For Oromo struggle there will be no negotiation with any one that does not accept Oromiyaa’s sovereignty. Habasha have to think how to live with their neighbors after the decline of the empire. Trying to scare us with civil war of the Somalia type, if Oromiyaa gets freedom is not realistic and productive. Unless wanting to be quoted after death for saying it, they are no more the types to venture into colonial war again. Oromiyaa is not Somalia; there will be no mess let alone civil war for the breakdown of the empire. It has the capacity and the culture for self-control. It is clear that the life of Ethiopian Opposition will be short without Oromiyaa or civil war. Even unity of what is now called Amaaraa Country could become doubtful. But it would be prudent if genuine representatives of all people that have stake in the empire sit around a peace and reconciliation table and liquidate the empire and give everyone the chance to decide on its destiny. By participating in that, they can overcome their fears but not by trying the impossible sabotaging of others freedom. Image of “Mother” presented by Afework Teklee serves no more; times have changed. Spit your “Hirmii”.

Oromo youth is finding its way to build Oromiyaa devoid of oppression and servitude imposed on it by aliens. Oromiyaa is for Oromiyaans. There is no force to defend non Oromo Oromiyaans or aliens living in it than Oromiyaa itself. Those that do not want can smoothly exit without much ado. Alien forces that want to take DNA of long abandoned relatives as excuse to disturb its peace have to think twice. Oromo nationals that are trying to jeopardize hard won victories of Oromo youth and farmers must know they are misfired cartridges; they cannot be effective now as they have not been in yester years. Therefore, for good or worse better repent for past mistakes and stick to their people’s struggle. One who does not hold fast on what one initiates and holds that, leaving this one is of no use to oneself or for anybody. Without showing perseverance there is nothing one can be trusted for. It is high time that we all Africans understand values our peoples attach to freedom and independence and act accordingly. Oromiyaa has now burst into existence thanks to the sacrifices of its heroes of the past, and its revolutionary youth of the present. No force can hide it anymore! Long live Oromiyaa, long live our patriots!

Honor and glory for the fallen heroines and heroes; liberty, equality and freedom for the living and nagaa and araaraa for the Ayyaanaa of our forefathers!

Ibsaa Guutama
January 2016

Former WB Researcher on Impact of Oromo Protests on Foreign Direct Investment Flows to Ethiopia January 27, 2016

Posted by OromianEconomist in #OromoProtests.
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Odaa Oromoo#OromoProtests against the Ethiopian regime fascist tyranny. Join the peaceful movement for justice, democracy, development and freedom of Oromo and other oppressed people in Ethiopiaagazi-fascist-tplf-ethiopias-forces-attacking-unarmed-and-peaceful-oromoprotests-in-baabichaa-town-central-oromia-w-shawa-december-10-20151#OromoProtests of 7 December 2015