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15 August 2016 (The Centre for Human Rights) – The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is deeply concerned by the ongoing human rights violations in Ethiopia following popular anti-government protests in the Amhara and Oromia regional states, as well as in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The Centre is particularly dismayed by the use of force against protesters and the killing of civilians by the police, security and military forces during the protests. According to reports, nearly 100 people have been killed in the recent Amhara and Oromo protests, while more than 400 people have been killed during the earlier Oromo protests which began in November 2015.
The Centre is further concerned by the fact that the government of Ethiopia continues to suppress the human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens including the rights to life, assembly, peaceful demonstration and the freedom of expression and association.
Considering the fact that Ethiopia is the seat of the African Union, and is regarded as a symbol of freedom against colonialism, the Ethiopian government is expected to have an exemplary human rights record to other African states. On the contrary, the government has been continually using force against peaceful protesters, which has often resulted in the death of a considerable number of people so far.
This is particularly distressing as there have been no signs of holding the perpetrators accountable. The government has often brought charges against the leaders of protests—who are often demanding human rights—while the very persons who are responsible for the deaths and injuries of many people go scot free.
Although Prime Minister Haile-Mariam Desalegn has apologised for the loss of lives and the injuries sustained by protestors earlier this year, the government has not shown improvement in handling protests, and in holding perpetrators accountable. Instead, it continues to hold a firm stand against protesters as it is shown—again—when the Prime Minister threatened that ‘measures will be taken’ against protesters. The fact that government officials, alongside members of the security forces, are involved in these human rights violations highly hampers the quest for justice at the domestic level.
The Centre is further concerned that, despite these gross violations of human rights, there has been inadequate pressure from the African Union, international organisations and the ‘international community’ in general.
Therefore, the Centre calls upon the African Union and the international community to take steps to ensure that the Ethiopian government produces tangible results with regards to its human rights record.
In particular, the Centre calls upon:
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to condemn the human rights violations in the country; to undertake an urgent visit to the country, and to report the human rights situation in the country to the African Union Assembly;
The Government of South Africa to condemn the serious human rights violation by the Ethiopian government, and work together with other African states towards a common AU position and action towards this issue.
The Centre also calls upon the Government of Ethiopia:
To immediately stop violence against, and the killing of protesters, as well as to respect and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people, including the right to life, the right to peaceful assembly, the right to freedom of expression, the right not to be tortured, and the freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention;
To take precautionary measures to prevent the use of force during peaceful assembly;
To address all the issues raised by the people, in a democratic manner, according to the Ethiopian Constitution and the human rights treaties to which Ethiopia is a party;
To note that the right to peaceful assembly and peaceful demonstration should not be impeded by arbitrary restrictions in the pretext of protecting law and order;
To bring to justice government officials and members of security forces, who are responsible for the attack and killings as well as to provide adequate remedy for people whose properties have been destroyed and looted during the protests, and;
To promptly establish an independent and impartial commission of inquiry to investigate, report, and where required, to prosecute perpetrators.
For more information, please contact:
Prof Frans Viljoen
Director, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 3228 / 3810
Mobile: +27 (0) 73 393 4181
Email: frans.viljoen@up.ac.za
Since November 2015, Ethiopia has been experiencing a wave of anti-government protests unleashed by fears by the Oromo people that the government was planning to seize their land. Hundreds of people have been killed.
In early August, anti-government demonstrations rocked the Oromia and Amhara regional states of Ethiopia. Thousands of demonstrators went on to the streets calling on the government to stop killing protesters, release those arrested, implement political reform, and respect justice and the rule of law. However, the response from government security forces, which used live ammunition against protesters, led to the death of about 100 unarmed people.
Although the government security apparatus reported that the demonstrations had been contained, “the current political situation has become volatile. Things are fast changing and developments have become increasingly unpredictable,” according to analyst Tsegaye R. Ararssa. Activists are said to be busy devising alternative methods of protest that range from weakening government institutions through staying at home and not operating businesses to organizing a Diaspora-based “grand solidarity rally.”
Change of tactics
In the town of Gondar in the state of Amhara, where the first demonstration took place, residents resorted to a new mode of protest – staying at home. A resident of the town, talking on condition of anonymity, told Deutsche Welle that from last Sunday to Tuesday the streets were deserted. Workers stayed at home and stores remained closed.
Asked why the public had opted for this type of protest, the man said “it is clear that society has demanded an answer from the government, but the response was one of bullets in return, so the public decided to launch a stay-at-home strike.”
For Tsegaye, this peaceful method of protest demonstrates “a complete rejection of the regime by the people. It also blunts the regime’s false claims that the protests were violent. The stay-at-home protest is an indication of the increasing maturity of civil disobedience in Ethiopia.”
Protesters are now leaving the streets and staying at home
Internet restrictions
Residents in both the Oromia and Amhara regions say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get an internet connection and access to social media tools has been blocked. “The only way to get through is by using proxy servers,” one resident of Gondar told DW.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Ethiopia’s Communications Affairs Minister Getachew Reda claimed that that social media had been used “to churn out false information after false information, mostly seditious remarks, trying to agitate people against security forces and also against fellow brothers and sisters.” The administration therefore decided to gag “the kind of vitriol running over social media,” he said.
However, political pundits argue that the state move to censor the internet places a strain on political discourse and the sharing of information. Despite the fact that the country has less than three percent of internet access, there are growing numbers of news and opposition websites which the regime is notorious for blocking.
Aid from the West
The Ethiopian government receives some 3.5 billion dollars (3 billion euros) annually from international donors and has remained a key strategic partner of the West, particularly the US and the EU, in the ‘war against terror.’ However, analysts argue this financial support has been toughening the regime’s resolve to silence dissenting voices. The western approach of tiptoeing around human right violations in the country and its continued support for the regime has been stirring up anger among sections of the public.
Tsegaye says that US and EU “support of the regime – which they know is clearly undemocratic – is the very cause of the state terrorism we observe in the region.”
A recent editorial in The Washington Post argues that the Obama administration, beyond releasing their “deeply concerned” statements, should put pressure on the regime to allow for “credible investigation into the killings.” Following the demonstrations in the two regions, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, urged the Ethiopian government to “give access to international observers in the affected areas to establish what really happened.”
In an interview with DW, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the commissioner, said restrictions on internet access, the blocking of social media and lack of civil society organizations in the country have made it difficult to verify reports of deaths and casualties.
Oromo activists took to the streets of Berlin in November 2015
Mohammed Said, public relations officer with Ethiopia’s Communications Affairs Office, told DW that the government had its own system of checks and balances and the country’s own Human Rights Commission was doing its job in investigating and publicizing the human rights situation in the country.
For analyst Tsegaye, this shows that the regime “is still in denial of the injustice its policies have resulted in.” The Ethiopian government now has the opportunity to change its approach – otherwise, Ravina said, “if the situation is left to fester, there will be more outbursts, more unrest, more protests and perhaps more violence.”
In Ethiopia unrest and protests against the government. This goes with a heavy hand against it. At the center of the conflict is the distribution of farmland.
Seit einigen Tagen weiten sich in Äthiopien Unruhen und Proteste gegen die Regierung aus. Diese geht mit harter Hand dagegen vor. Im Mittelpunkt des Konflikts steht die Verteilung von Ackerland.
Menschenrechtsbeauftragte zu den Unruhen in Äthiopien
Erscheinungsdatum17.08.2016
Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Menschenrechtspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe, Bärbel Kofler, erklärte heute (17.08.):
Zusatzinformationen
Die Unruhen in Äthiopien, die sich inzwischen von der Region Oromia auf die Region Amhara sowie Addis Abeba ausgeweitet haben und zuletzt in einem blutigem Wochenende gipfelten, bei dem schätzungsweise 50 Menschen bei Zusammenstößen mit Sicherheitskräften getötet wurden, verfolge ich mit großer Sorge. Ich mahne alle Beteiligten an, in einen inklusiven Dialog einzutreten und bedingungslos auf Gewalt zu verzichten. Mein Beileid spreche ich den Angehörigen der Verstorbenen aus und wünsche den Verletzten eine baldige Genesung.
In der äthiopischen Verfassung garantierte Rechte wie freie Meinungsäußerung und friedliche Versammlungsfreiheit müssen gewahrt bleiben. Einsätze der Sicherheitskräfte gegenüber Demonstranten dürfen den Grundsatz der Verhältnismäßigkeit nicht brechen.
Ich bin davon überzeugt, dass Umverteilung von Land für Entwicklungs- und Investitionszwecke, sowie die Neugliederung von Verwaltungsbezirken partizipativ, transparent und sozialverträglich umgesetzt werden muss. Hierbei ist es wichtig, dass legitime Forderungen von ethnischen Gruppen und Oppositionskräften berücksichtigt werden. Die in Äthiopien erreichten wirtschaftlichen Fortschritte müssen allen Bevölkerungsteilen gleichermaßen zu Gute kommen. Ich appelliere daher an die Regierung, unter Nutzung der lokalen Kräfte und Stärkung der föderalen Struktur in einen konstruktiven Dialog mit der gesamten Bevölkerung einzutreten. Nur so kann die Lage auf Dauer beruhigt und ein friedvolles Leben gesichert werden.
Hintergrund
Seit November 2015 kommt es in der Region Oromia und neuerdings auch in der Region Amhara immer wieder zu Demonstrationen und Protesten gegen die Zentralregierung und die strukturelle Benachteiligung der Provinzen und deren ethnischen Bevölkerungen. Der äthiopische Staat reagierte darauf mit Zensur, Einschüchterung und gewaltsamen Vorgehen der Sicherheitskräfte. Wie auch bei früheren Protestaktionen hatte die Regierung zunächst die sozialen Medien und Nachrichtendienste und schließlich das gesamte Internet landesweit gesperrt.
Bestätigte Zahlen über die Opfer gibt es nicht. Es kann jedoch als gesichert gelten, dass im Zeitraum November 2015 bis Mai 2016 mehrere hundert Menschen ums Leben kamen (bis zu 400 laut AI und HRW). Die äthiopische Regierung bestätigt diese Zahlen nicht.
Neben der unruhigen Region Oromia hat sich Gondar (Amhara Region) seit einigen Wochen zu einem weiteren Brennpunkt Äthiopiens entwickelt. Aus der blutigen Festnahme einiger Aktivisten der Welkait-Volksgruppe am 14. Juli ist binnen weniger Wochen eine größere Protestbewegung entstanden, deren Ende noch nicht abzusehen ist.
press release (Google translated)
Human Rights Commissioner on the unrest in Ethiopia
Release date 17 August /2016
The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, Bärbel Kofler, stated today (17:08.):
additional information
The unrest in Ethiopia who have now spread from the Oromia region of the Amhara and Addis Ababa and recently culminated in a bloody weekend in which an estimated 50 people were killed in clashes with security forces, I have been following with great concern. I urge all parties to engage in an inclusive dialogue and unconditionally to renounce violence. My condolences to the families of the deceased, I and wish those injured a speedy recovery. In the Ethiopian Constitution guaranteed rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly freedom must be respected.Appearances of the security forces against protesters must not break the principle of proportionality. I am convinced that redistribution of land for development and investment purposes, as well as the reorganization of administrative districts must be participatory, transparent and socially acceptable measures. It is important that legitimate demands of ethnic groups and opposition forces are taken into account. The arrived in Ethiopia’s economic progress must come to Good all populations equally. I therefore appeal to the Government to engage using local forces and strengthening the federal structure in a constructive dialogue with the entire population. Only so the location can assured permanent and peaceful lives are saved.
Background Since November 2015, in the region of Oromia and recently also in the Amhara region repeatedly to demonstrations and protests against the central government and the structural disadvantage of the provinces and their ethnic populations. The Ethiopian government responded by censorship, intimidation and violent actions of the security forces. As with earlier protests, the government had first social media and news services, and finally the entire Internet nationally banned. Confirmed figures on the victims do not exist. However, it can safely be assumed that in the period from November 2015 to May 2016, several hundred people were killed (up to 400, according to AI and HRW). The Ethiopian government does not confirm these numbers. In addition to the troubled region of Oromia to Gondar has developed (Amhara Region) for a few weeks to a further focal point of Ethiopia. From bloody arrest of some activists Welkait ethnic group on July 14 a larger protest movement has arisen within a few weeks, the end is not yet in sight.
The government has recently killed and disappeared hundreds of people.
A couple hundred members of Seattle’s Ethiopian immigrant community marched through downtown’s streets Tuesday afternoon in protest against U.S. support for the brutal Ethiopian regime.
“Back in Ethiopia, we have a dictatorial regime which has committed mass crimes against its own people,” said attorney Daniel Ajema, a marcher who identified himself as an organizer. “We’re here in solidarity with the people back home, and would like to support them and show our support.”
He’s not exaggerating. In their “Democracy Index” last year, the Economistgave Ethiopia’s government their lowest classification: an authoritarian regime, with an “Electoral Process and Pluralism” score of zero out of ten. Since November, according to the Human Rights Watch, government forces have killed hundreds of largely peaceful protesters and “disappeared” hundreds more.
Ajema said that the protest was specifically aimed at urging President Obama and philanthropist Bill Gates to try to lean on Ethiopia’s national government to do better on human rights and democracy. “We are here to voice our concern and our anger against the enablers of the regime,” he said. The Gates foundation currently has 150 projects worth more than $500 million in Ethiopia, according to the South African Broadcasting Service. The official U.S. relationship with Ethiopia is a friendly one: Ethiopian troops have battled the terrorist army al-Shabaab in neighboring Somolia, and last year our government sent theirs more than half a billion dollars in aid.
Ajema says both the U.S.’s and Gates Foundation’s money helps finance the regime, and he says both Gates and the president should insist on putting human rights ahead of political expediency.
“They’re not doing a whole lot of checking on good governance and democratic rights,” Ajema said. “They’re just blindly giving money to the government.”
For the first time in history, the plight of the Oromo people has also received worldwide attention. International media outlets have reported on the peaceful protests and subsequent government repression.
Ethiopia’s volcano: The Oromo are resisting the regime and its bid to grab their land
Largest ethno-national group has been under martial law with citizens killed and subjected to beatings, torture and detention in concentration camps.
Oromo men in their traditional costume
Countrywide demonstrations by the Oromo in Ethiopia have flared up again. Ethiopia’s authorities reacted with heavy force, resulting in the death of 100 civilians. SAMANTHA SPOONER asked Professor Asafa Jalata, a leading scholar on the politics of Oromia, about the countrywide protests
Who are the Oromo people?
The Oromo are the single largest ethno-national group in northeast Africa. In Ethiopia alone they are estimated to be 50-million strong out of a total population of 100-million. There are also Oromo living in Kenya and Somalia.
Ethiopia is said to have about 80 ethno-national groups. The Oromo represent 34.4% and the Amhara 27%. The rest are all less than 7% each.
The Oromo call themselves a nation. They have named their homeland “Oromia”, an area covering 284 538 square kilometres. It is considered to be the richest area of northeast Africa because of its agricultural and natural resources. It is often referred to as the “breadbasket” of the region. Sixty percent of Ethiopian economic resources are generated from Oromia.
The capital city of Ethiopia is located in the heart of Oromia. What the world knows as Addis Ababa is known to the Oromo as Finfinnee. When the Abyssinian warlord Menelik colonised the Oromo during the last decades of the 19th century, he established his main garrison city in Oromia and called it Addis Ababa.
Despite being the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, the Oromo consider themselves to be colonial subjects. This is because they have been denied equal access to their country’s political, economic and cultural resources. It all started with their colonisation by, and incorporation into, Abyssinia (the former Ethiopian empire) during the Scramble for Africa.
Today, comprising just 6% of the population, Tigrayans dominate and control the political economy of Ethiopia with the help of the West, particularly the United States. This relationship is strategic to the US, which uses the Tigrayan-led government’s army as their proxy to fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
The Oromo have been demonstrating since November last year. What triggered the protests?
The Oromo demonstrations have been underway for over eight months, first surfacing in Ginchi (about 80km southwest of the capital city) in November last year. It began when elementary and secondary schoolchildren in the small town began protesting the privatisation and confiscation of a small football field and the sale of the nearby Chilimoo forest.
The sentiment quickly spread across Oromia. The entire Oromo community then joined the protests, highlighting other complaints such as the so-called Integrated Addis Ababa Master Plan and associated land grabbing. The master plan was intended to expand Addis Ababa by 1.5-million hectares on to surrounding Oromo land, evicting Oromo farmers.
Last year’s demonstrations were the product of over 25 years of accumulated grievances. These grievances arose as a result of the domination by the minority Tigrayan ethno-national group. Because of this dominance the Oromo people have lost ownership of their land and become both impoverished and aliens in their own country.
What was different about these demonstrations was that, for the first time, all Oromo branches came together in co-ordinated action to fight for their national self-determination and democracy.
Which part of the Oromo is organising the rallies?
It is believed that underground activist networks, known as Qeerroo, are organising the Oromo community. The Qeerroo, also called the Qubee generation, first emerged in 1991 with the participation of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in the transitional government of Ethiopia.
In 1992 the Tigrayan-led minority regime pushed the OLF out of government and the activist networks of Qeerroo gradually blossomed as a form of Oromummaa or Oromo nationalism.
Today the Qeerroo is made up of Oromo youth. These are predominantly students, from elementary school to university, organising collective action through social media. It is not clear what kind of relationship exists between the group and the OLF. But the Qeerroo clearly articulate that the OLF should replace the Tigrayan-led regime and recognise the Front as the origin of Oromo nationalism.
What are their demands?
Their immediate demands are for the Ethiopian government to halt the so-called Addis Ababa Master Plan, land grabbing, corruption and the violation of human rights.
Their extended demands are about achieving self-determination and sovereignty by replacing the Tigrayan-led regime with a multi-ethno-national democratic government. These demands gradually emerged to create solidarity with other ethno-national groups, such as the Amharas, who also have grievances with the regime.
How has the government reacted to the protests?
The government reaction has been violent and suppressive. Despite Oromia being the largest regional state in Ethiopia, it has been under martial law since the protests began. The government has been able to use this law to detain thousands of Oromos, holding them in prisons and concentration camps.
Security structures called tokkoo-shane (one-to-five), garee and gott have also been implemented. Their responsibilities include spying, identifying, exposing, imprisoning, torturing and killing Oromos who are not interested in serving the regime.
There have also been deaths and reports of thousands of Oromos who have been maimed as a result of torture, beatings or during the suppression of protests. For example, during the Oromia-wide day of peaceful protest on July 6, the regime army, known as Agazi, massacred nearly 100 Oromos. According to Amnesty International, 400 Oromos were killed before July 6. But in reality nobody knows exactly how many Oromos have been victims of violence.
What effect have these protests had on the country?
The Oromo protest movement has started to change the political landscape of Ethiopia and shaken the regime’s foundations. Erupting like “a social volcano”, it has sent ripples through the country, and several groups have changed their attitudes to stand in solidarity with the Oromo. The support of the Ahmaras has been particularly significant as they are the second-largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia.
For the first time in history, the plight of the Oromo people has also received worldwide attention. International media outlets have reported on the peaceful protests and subsequent government repression.
This has brought about diplomatic repercussions. In January the European Parliament condemned the Ethiopian government’s violent crackdown. It also called for the establishment of a credible, transparent and independent body to investigate the murdering and imprisonment of thousands of protesters. Similarly, the United Nations human rights experts demanded that Ethiopian authorities stop the violent crackdown.
Not all global actors are taking a strong stance. Some are concerned about maintaining good relations with the incumbent government. For example, the US State Department expressed vague concern about the violence associated with the protest movement. In sharp contrast, they signed a security partnership with the Ethiopian government.
Nevertheless, the momentum of the Oromo movement looks set to continue. The protests, and subsequent support, have seen the further development of activist networks and Oromo leadership, doubling their efforts to build their organisational capacity.
Is this the first time the Oromo have demonstrated their grievances?
No. The Oromo have engaged in scattered instances of resistance since the late 19th century when they were colonised.
In the 1970s the Oromo started to engage in a national movement under the leadership of the OLF. The Front was born out of the Macha-Tulama Self-Help Association, which was banned in the early 1960s, and other forms of resistance such as the Bale Oromo armed resistance of the 1960s. Successive Ethiopian regimes have killed or sent Oromo political and cultural leaders into exile.
How do you believe their grievances can be resolved?
Critics believe the Tigrayan-led minority regime is unlikely to resolve the Oromo grievances. Oromo activists believe that their national struggle for self-determination and egalitarian democracy must intensify.
I am sure that, sooner or later, the regime will be overthrown and replaced with a genuine egalitarian democratic system. This is because of the size of the Oromo population, abundant economic resources, oppression and repression by the Tigrayan-led government, the blossoming of Oromo political consciousness and willingness to pay the necessary sacrifices.
This is an edited version of an article that was originally published on theconversation.com
Grand #OromoProtests (6 August 2016) MUST SEE: Soldiers shooting and killing a peaceful protesters in Robe, Bale. The victim is Abdela Kadir. Video source credited to Jawar Mohammed.
Calls for an international investigation in Ethiopia have surfaced after more than 100 people were killed in demonstrations.It is a conflict that has led to 400 deaths since November, 100 of them in the last week alone, according to human rights groups.The Ethiopian government is cracking down on ethnic Oromos and Amharas, who are calling for political reforms.Human rights groups have called the reponse ruthless. And the United Nations wants to send international observers to investigate.Ethiopia has denied that request, saying it alone is responsible for the security of its citizens. But what can be done to ensure the Ethiopian government respects human rights?Presenter: Folly Bah ThibaultGuests:Getachew Reda – Ethiopian communications affairs minister.Felix Horne – Ethiopia reseracher for Human Rights Watch.Ezekiel Gebissa – Profesor of History and African studies at Kettering University.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe– Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish– Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera– Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
#OromoProtests Alert! Mass torture and killings are going on against Oromo people in Ethiopia. Oromo children are subjected to torture and mass killings by fascsist Ethiopia’s regime (TPLF/Agazi force.
The New York Times was able to picture in video camera while fascist cruel Ethiopia’s regime (TPLF/Agazi) was attacking peaceful Oromo Protesters in Finfinnee (Addis Ababa), Oromia on 6 August 2016, Grand #OromoProtests.
Genocide is going on against Oromo people. On 6 August 2016 Protests held over 200 towns and cities in Oromia state wide. All over, Oromo demonstrators demanding political change in Ethiopia have been met with violent resistance by the fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime.It has been reported that over 283 innocent Oromo have been gunned down by cruel fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime ( https://oromianeconomist.com/2016/08/13/oromia-dhiigi-mucaa-kootii-dhangalaee-hin-hafu-oromiyaan-ni-bilisoomti-akeeka-ummatni-oromoo-bakkaan-gahuuf-murteeffate/ ). These are in addition to over 600 people the regime has murdered since November 2015. Since 6 August 2016, over 4000 people are being tortured in Awash Arba concentration camp alone. This figure does not include thousands and thousands in thousands TPLF torture camps.
Fascist Ethiopia’s regime’s detaining and torturing Oromo children. This photo was taken at Iyasu IV prison in Gara Mulata, East Hararge, Oromia. 13 August 2016
This is picture is a photo of martyred birght Oromo teenager school girl Mamiituu Hirphaa who was killed by cruel fascist Ethiopia’s regime Agazi forces in Ambo town, West Shawa, Oromia on 6 August 2016.
Fascist Ethiopia’s regime forces attacking 80 years Oromo elder in Arsi, Oromia state, captured by citizen journalist camera and social media.
A full scale military massacre has-been conducted by ethiopias fascsit regime in Naqamte East Wallaggaa, Oromia. The is picture is a young Oromo gunned down by the regime forces. 6 August 2016. Grand #OromoProtests.
These are tips of the iceberg of genocidal crimes of Fascist (TPLF) Ethiopia’s regime.
(Oromedia, 13 Hagayya 2016) ABO fi QBO irratti shirri haaraa xaxamaa jiraachuu saaxile. Haata’uutii, ABO fi Ummatni Oromoo lammata shira akkasii akka hin keessumeessine ABOn gada jabeessee hubachiiseera.
Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo ibsa Hagayya 13 bara 2016 mata duree “Gaaffii fi Galii Siyaasaa Ummata Oromoo Caalaatti Ifa Gochuu” jedhuun baaseen karoorri haaraan qabsoo Oromoo dadhabsiisuuf qopheeffama ajiraachuu ibse.
Karoorri kun akak ABOn ibsetti, akkuma London Conference 1991 irratti godhame marraa lammataaf shira qabsoo Oromoo irratti akeekame, kan mirga hiree murteeffannaa Oromoo hin kabajne ta’uu addeesse.
“Akeekaa fi yaada farrummaa QBO kan mirga hiree murteeffannaa Oromoo hin kabajne kana ABO-Qeerroo fi ummatni Oromoo jabinaan dura dhaabbatu,” jedhee jira ABOn.
Itti dabaluunis, “mirgii fi dantaan ummata Oromoo alagaa fi humnoota alaa irraa kanneen dantaa aangoof bulaniin osoo hin taane ummata Oromoo abbaa dhimmaatiin murteeffamuu qaba,” jechuun ejajnnoo jabaan ibseera.
Reiterating the Oromo political Questions and Ultimate objectives of the Oromo struggle The OLF press release
The aims of the Oromo struggle led by the OLF is to realize the Oromo people’s selfdetermination right; to dismantle colonial system from Oromia and to free Oromo from subjugation and to establish free Oromia state. This can be achieved through the sole decision of the Oromo people who will choose either to establish a free Republic of Oromia or to make new political arrangement with neighboring nationalities based on interest, equality, mutual respect and democratic values and principles. This means that the OLF struggles to make an arrangement for Oromo people for free referendum rights.
The Oromo people has struggled and made huge scarifies to fulfill the aims and objectives of the Oromo struggle set out by the OLF. When the Oromo elites and committed individuals developed the OLF program, the central aim was to solve the fundamental political problem of the Ethiopian empire from its roots. The program was not only based on the interest of Oromo people but also considered the interests of other peoples in the Ethiopian empire who were colonized in a similar way and benefit from this struggle.
Thanks to Oromo heroes and heroines, today the Oromo people liberation struggle has reached the stage where every Oromo has gained a full confidence to achieve its long awaited freedom. Also millions of Oromo heroes and heroines are ready to sacrifice their lives for freedom until
the liberation of Oromia is realized. We have no doubt that with the sacrifices of committed Oromo heroes and heroines, the OLF vision, which is also the vision of vast Oromo people, will be achieved. However, we cannot deny that there are internal and external forces that want to give the Oromo liberation movement a blind eye and want to divert the Oromo genuine questions for their own political agenda and strategic interest.
Funerals are taking place across the country. Locals report a heavy military presence in every town in Oromia and all major towns in the Amhara region. Arrests and disappearances have become daily occurrences. Despite the ongoing crackdown, the protests are expected to return to the streets with more vigor.
The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is in total disarray.
Ethiopia protests at a point of no return
(OPride 12 August 2016) — At least 104 people were killed last weekend as anti-government protests flared across Oromia and Amhara regions. Nearly a week after the bloody carnage in which hundreds of thousands protested the Tigrayan domination in Ethiopia, the regime in Addis Ababa remains tight-lipped.
Ethiopia’s bombastic communications minister Getachew Reda has blamed the diaspora and social media activists for hijacking the protests. Addis Ababa also rebuked a plea for an independent investigation into the killings of protesters by the United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights. Reda on Thursday told Al Jazeera English that international observers are not welcome in Ethiopia.
Funerals are taking place across the country. Locals report a heavy military presence in every town in Oromia and all major towns in the Amhara region. Arrests and disappearances have become daily occurrences. Despite the ongoing crackdown, the protests are expected to return to the streets with more vigor.
We asked a well-placed Addis Ababa-based analyst to get an accurate reading on the latest developments on the ground. Here’s an excerpt of that exchange:
The prevailing situation is similar to the last days before the 1974 revolution which saw the demise of emperor Haile Selassie. How? The regime is busy with self-destruction by focusing excessively on internal bickering and clueless about the storm gathering on the outside;
Expressions of solidarity between the Amhara and Oromo has become the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)’s greatest anxiety. A dangerous social division is emerging. There have emerged two Ethiopias: one intoxicated by the Ethiopia rising narrative, the new Tigrean elite, and the other resentful of Tigrean excesses. The former has no clue as to why people are protesting and the later is wondering and waiting for the time when the whole country will be rising up to remove the humiliation.
The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is in total disarray. TPLF has become incoherent. The Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organization (OPDO) and Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) — supposedly the two most influential members of the four-party EPRDF coalition after TPLF — are embittered by their Inability to contribute to resolve the crisis due to TPLF intransigence;
The rank and file of ANDM is bitter against its old guard. They see them as instruments of Tigrean dominance. The lower level Amhara leaders are angry about being continually presented as oppressors when TPLF has been oppressing for 25 years;
The overwhelming view in the country is this: EPRDF is not an organization that is capable of reforming itself and thus headed to its demise.
On the question of why TPLF failed to tackle corruption and bad governance, a high-ranking official responded “how can thieves police themselves?” While the problems are structural in nature, remedies proposed by EPRDF are of administrative and technical nature. A case in point is their flagging of what they call rent-seeking, which is a catch-all category which is as open to different interpretation as vacuous.
Amhara solidarity with Oromo protests is growing and is serious. They are impressed with the discipline and peacefulness of Oromo protests. While the diaspora-based Amhara elite are still mistrustful of #OromoProtests, those at home are at peace with the Oromo desire for self-governance and equitable representation;
The general feeling in the country is that the protests have reached a point of no return. Many had appealed to the Tigrean oligarchy to prevent such a development and they are not coherent to steer country off the cliff;
There is a great deal of fear of further chaos. TPLF will not stop killing. People’s restraint is being exhausted. Disagreement within the army and police, along ethnic lines, is potentially the greatest source of chaos;
Protests in Addis Ababa are increasingly likely. People’s sense of justice has grown steadily strong. People’s hearts are ailing from the abuses Oromo protesters are subjected to and the youth appear ready to resist at all cost.
In short, Ethiopia is at a dangerous crossroads. We have a regime that will not stop killing and not ready for the kind of dialogue that the volatile situation demands. Besides, the EPRDF regime has become increasingly incoherent and unable to come to an approach that will pull the country away from the cliff.
On the other hand are highly enraged and mobilized populations whose patience and restraint against regime violence is fast running out. This is a deadly combination. Ethiopia’s allies can no longer deceive themselves, as they have in the past, that EPRDF-led Ethiopia is a force for regional stability. A destabilized Ethiopia is a nightmarish scenario with regional and continental repercussions. And the instability within Ethiopia’s ruling party and its intransigence to steer away from violent means of dealing with the gathering storm of society-wide dissent and resentment is driving the country toward chaos.
Ethiopia must admit international observers to establish the facts around deadly protests that killed scores of people over the weekend, according to the United Nations human rights chief.
Anti-government protesters took to the streets in several parts of the Horn of Africa country to demonstrate against alleged economic and political marginalization. In the Oromia region—which has seen an unprecedented wave of demonstrations in recent months—protesters marched in the capital Addis Ababa, while rallies were also held in parts of the northwestern Amhara region, including the regional capital Bahir Dar.
Amnesty International claimed that almost 100 people were killed and hundreds injured in the protests as Ethiopian security forces used live bullets on protesters. The worst violence took place in Bahir Dar, where some 30 people were killed in a single day, according to the rights group. The Ethiopian government blamed “nearby and distant foreign enemies and social media activists” for holding the protests, which it said were unauthorized, and that security forces were reacting to violence and vandalism from demonstrators. The authorities also disputed the death toll given by rights groups and opposition politicians.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said that the use of live ammunition against protesters “would be a very serious concern for us” and said that information about the protests had been difficult to come by. Press freedom is limited in Ethiopia, with the country ranked 142out of 180 in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
Zeid urged Ethiopian authorities to give international observers access in order to determine whether security forces had used excessive force and “promptly investigate…these allegations,” in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
Protests began in the Oromia region—which is home to the country’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo—in November 2015 over government plans to expand the territory of Addis Ababa, which Oromo protesters said would result in forced land seizures and displacement of farmers. The government dropped the plan in January, but protests continued, partially motivated by a brutal crackdown that had seen more than 400 people killed, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). A spokesman for the Ethiopian Embassy in London, Abiy Berhane, told Newsweek that HRW’s death toll was “exaggerated.”
The other main group protesting the government is the Amhara, Ethiopia’s second-largest ethnic group. The Amharas have a decorated history in the country; all but one of the Ethiopian emperors were Amhara, according to IBTimes UK.
Protesters chant slogans during a demonstration over what they say is unfair distribution of wealth in the country at Meskel Square in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, August 6. Scores of people were reportedly killed in the protests.TIKSA NEGERI/REUTERS
In Focus: Addis Ababa master plan threatens Oromos self-determinationIBTimes UK
Ethiopia has witnessed a rise in protests in the north-western region of Amhara and in Oromia state, in the country’s south. Reports claim that clashes between police and protesters in both regions have resulted in alleged deaths and dozens of arrests.
Amhara unrest
Anti-government protests erupted in Amhara earlier in August, when thousands took to the streets of Gondar and Bahir Dar to protest over the administration of disputed territories. Members of the Welkait Tegede community are demanding their lands be administered by theAmhara region, instead of the Tigray state.
These territories used to be part of Amhara, until the political coalition known as theEthiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) introduced a federal system and restructured the region including the areas into the Tigray region.
Protesters, who identify themselves as ethnic Ahmara – Ethiopia’s second largest group – clashed with police during the demonstrations, labelled as the biggest anti-government unrest Ethiopia has witnessed in recent history.
Police fired tear gas and shot in the air to disperse thousands of people who shouted anti-government slogans.Authorities accused protesters of attacking public properties and saidat least seven people died during the unrest, which entered its third day on Sunday (7 August).
However, both witnesses and Amnesty International claimed at least 30 people were killed in Bahir Dar.
People mourn the death of Dinka Chala who was shot dead by Ethiopian forces in Yubdo Village, about 100km from Addis AbabaZACHARIAS ABUBEKER/AFP/Getty Images)
Oromo protests
Oromo activists, opposition members and Amnesty have claimed that at least 67 people were killed across Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest state,during anti-government protests at the weekend (6-7 August). The demonstrations were the culmination of a wave of unrest that has rocked Oromiain recent months.
Deadly protests erupted in November 2015 againsta government draft plan − later scrapped − that aimed to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa. Oromo people feared the plan would result in the confiscation of land owned by farmers, who would become impoverished as a result.
Demonstrations are still occurring today, although less frequently, with people calling for self-rule, the liberation of political prisoners, the end of what they perceive as “military regime” in the region and the cessation of an alleged crackdown by security forces on “peaceful and unarmed” demonstrators, mainly students and farmers.
Activists and human rights organisation have accused authorities of killing some 400 people since the protest started. The government has always denied the allegations of violence and claimed that legitimate protests had been infiltrated by people who aimed to destabilise the country.
“Having been tired of only counting the dead, Oromo activists called a grand Oromia wide public demonstration, dubbed #GrandOromiaRally, last Saturday, to call on the government to stop the killings and release the thousands it arrested,” an Omoro activist told IBTimes UK.
“The rallies were a great success. People came out in their thousands each in over 200 towns and cities across Oromia including the capital Addis Ababa and other major regional cities like Adama and Dire Dawa,” the activist, who spoke on condition of anonymty, continued.
There is no apparent connection between the two waves of demonstrations, but members of both communities have shown support for each other’s causes.
Reports claimed the government blocked internet access during the demonstrations that occurred at the weekend.
The Ethiopian embassy in London has not responded to a request for comment on the allegations.However, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) reported authorities as blaming foreign enemies for the recent unrest anddeemed the recent protests as illegal.
“The government is aware that the ideas and slogans reflected in the demonstrations do not represent the people of Oromo or Gondar,” Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in a statement.
UN calls for probe into Ethiopia protesters killings
90 deaths in Oromia and Amhara regions must be investigated by international observers, UN human rights chief says.
(Aljazeera) — The UN human rights chief has urged Ethiopia to allow international observers to investigate the killings of 90 protesters in restive regions at the weekend.
Zeid Raad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Wednesday that allegations of excessive use of force across the Oromia and Amhara regions must be probed and that his office was in discussions with Ethiopian authorities.
“The use of live ammunition against protesters in Oromia and Amhara, the towns there of course would be a very serious concern for us,” Zeid told the Reuters news agency in an interview in Geneva.
He also said that his office had “not seen any genuine attempt at investigation and accountability” since January when the killings of protesters first began.
Unrest continued in Oromia for several months until early this year over plans to allocate farmland surrounding the regional capital for development.
Authorities in the Horn of Africa state scrapped the scheme in January, but protests flared again over the continued detention of opposition demonstrators.
At the weekend, protesters chanted anti-government slogans and waved dissident flags.
Some demanded the release of jailed opposition politicians. Information on the reported killings has been difficult to obtain, Zeid said.
Zeid said that any detainee, who had been peacefully protesting, should be released promptly.
The state-run Ethiopian News Agency said on Monday that “illegal protests” by “anti-peace forces” had been brought under control. It did not mention casualties.
Ethiopia must allow in observers after killings: U.N. rights boss
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein gestures during an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy
(Reuters) — The U.N. human rights chief urged Ethiopia on Wednesday to allow international observers into restive regions where residents and opposition officials say 90 protesters were shot dead by security forces at the weekend.
In his first comments on the incident, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that allegations of excessive use of force across the Oromiya and Amhara regions must be investigated and that his office was in discussions with Ethiopian authorities.
Since January, when he said the killings of protesters first began, his office had “not seen seen any genuine attempt at investigation and accountability”.
“The use of live ammunition against protesters in Oromiya and Amhara, the towns there of course would be a very serious concern for us,” Zeid told Reuters in an interview in Geneva.
Unrest flared in Oromiya for several months until early this year over plans to allocate farmland surrounding the regional capital for development. Authorities in the Horn of Africa state scrapped the scheme in January, but protests flared again over the continued detention of opposition demonstrators.
At the weekend, protesters chanted anti-government slogans and waved dissident flags. Some demanded the release of jailed opposition politicians. Information on the reported killings has been difficult to obtain, Zeid said.
“So I do urge the government to allow access for international observers into the Amhara and Oromiya regions so that we can establish what has happened and that the security forces, if it is the case that they have been using excessive force, that they do not do so and promptly investigate of course these allegations.”
Zeid said that any detainee who had been peacefully protesting should be released promptly.
The state-run Ethiopian News Agency said on Monday that “illegal protests” by “anti-peace forces” had been brought under control. It did not mention casualties.
As in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which Zeid visited last month, it is vital that security forces employ non-lethal means during peaceful protests, he said.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Mark Heinrich)
There was also a blanket ban on the internet over the weekend. “At least 97 people were killed and hundreds more injured when Ethiopian security forces fired live bullets at peaceful protesters across Oromia region and in parts of Amhara over the weekend, according to credible sources who spoke to Amnesty International. Thousands of protesters turned out in Oromia and Amhara calling for political reform, justice and the rule of law. The worst bloodshed – which may amount to extrajudicial killings – took place in the northern city of Bahir Dar where at least 30 people were killed in one day. ‘The security forces’ response was heavy-handed, but unsurprising. Ethiopian forces have systematically used excessive force in their mistaken attempts to silence dissenting voices,’ said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.” (Amnesty http://bit.ly/2b96dcg)
(ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia) — Ethiopian security forces shot dead several dozen people in weekend protests across the country as frustration with the government grows, an opposition leader and Amnesty International said Monday, while hundreds staged a rare demonstration in the capital after calls via social media. The government again blocked the internet over the weekend,…
Ethiopia’s Crackdown on Dissent: Police Attack Oromo Protests
Protesters chant slogans during a demonstration over what they say is unfair distribution of wealth in the country at Meskel Square in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, Aug. 6, 2016. | Photo: Reuters
The protests have left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
Hundreds of protesters clashed with police Saturday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa after campaigners called for nationwide protests due to what they say is an unfair distribution of wealth in the country.
Violence broke out as police tried to stop several hundred chanting protesters from accessing the historic Meskel square.
The demonstrations started as a small-scale student protest over the government’s plan to expand Addis Ababa into adjacent farm lands of Oromiya, Ethiopia’s largest constitutionally autonomous state.
Now they have evolved into a series of large and bloody demonstrations against the government, leaving hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
On Friday, two people were killed in similar clashes with police in Ethiopia’s ancient city of Gonder. The violence broke out when police brought one of the leaders of the land campaign movement to court.
Protestors chanting “Freedom!”
Chief administrator of the Amhara region, Gedu Andargachew, has declared the protests illegal and said security services will take measures against those who take part.
In a country known for cracking down on dissent, the public protests are rare.
But tensions over the status of Wolkayt — a stretch of land that protestors from the region of Amhara say were illegal incorporated in the neighbouring Tigray region — have been embroiling for at least the past 25 years.
The issue first resulted in violence two weeks ago when throngs of people in Gonder protested against an attempt to arrest Wolkayt campaigners.
Oromo: Nationwide Protests Against Continued Marginalization and Suppression
Photo Courtesy of: Awol Allo 2016 @Zehabesha
Already, dozens have been killed and thousands arrested by security forces in what is a new, nation-wide wave of Oromo protest which has swept through Ethiopia. When the protests started in November 2015, the focus was primarily on the central government’s proposed expansion of the capital into Oromo territory. Since then, the protestor’s focus has widened – mainly due to the government’s brutal response – and they now raise broader economic and political grievances which are also shared by other ethnic groups in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo, have staged nationwide rallies today to protest their continued marginalisation and persecution by the government. These are a culmination of ongoing protests by the Oromo people since November 2015 and mark by far the most significant political development in the country since the death of the country’s long-time authoritarian leader, Meles Zenawi, in 2012.
At least hundreds of thousands of protestors reportedly took to the streets in more than 200 towns and cities across Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest regional state, to demonstrate against widespread and systematic persecution. According to local media reports, over 50 individuals have been killed and thousands arrested as police and security forces opened fire on peaceful protestors. These details are likely to change as more information comes in, though the government has severely restricted the internet and social media making communication difficult.
What are now widely referred to as the #Oromoprotests began in November 2015 when the government introduced the Addis Ababa City Integrated Master Plan, effectively expanding the territorial limits of capital Addis Ababa into neighbouring Oromo towns and villages. Oromo political leaders and activists argued that the plan, as designed, would displace millions of Oromo farmers from their ancestral lands and would threaten to eventually cleanse Oromo culture and identity from the area.
The protests were triggered by the announcement of the Master Plan and menacing land-grab policies that have already displaced more than 150, 000 Oromo farmers from the area, but they were also manifestations of a much deeper crisis of massive ethnic-based inequalities and discontentment that have been boiling underground, waiting to erupt.
Since the protests have begun, the government has arrested and jailed many of its vital and outspoken activists and organisers. A recent report by the Human Rights Watch puts the death toll from the first seven months of the protest at over 400 while the figure tallied by activists is significantly higher.
The Oromo are the largest ethnic group both in Ethiopia and East Africa, consisting of more than a third of Ethiopia’s 100 million people. However, the group has been marginalised and discriminated against by subsequent Ethiopian governments. Oromo culture and identity have been stigmatised and pushed into the periphery of country’s national life, while Oromo history has been filtered out of public memory.
Since assuming state power in 1991, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has sought to exploit historic disagreements between the Oromos and Amharas, the second largest ethnic group, to sustain the hegemony of ethnic Tigrayan elites. The TPLF framed longstanding Oromo demands for equality and justice as the greatest threat to Ethiopia’s unity and regional stability, and it used historic antagonisms between Oromo and Amhara as a political instrument to legitimise, justify, and consolidate its political and economic hegemony. The “Oromo question” became the quintessential Ethiopian problem.
Within this frame, Oromos are presented as narrow-minded, extremist, and exclusionary, while the Amharas are presented as chauvinist and violent. By producing crisis between the two groups, the current TPLF-led system presented itself both locally and internationally as the only moderate centrist force that can secure Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity from the secessionist threat of the Oromos and the perceived far-right extremism of the Amharas.
In the decade since 9/11, Ethiopia refashioned itself as an anchor of stability in an increasingly restless region and began to build a reputation as a regional policing and intelligence powerhouse. As part of this West-facing strategy, it announced its 2006 invasion of Somalia as a war against terrorism, conning the US into sponsoring its proxy war with Eritrea. As the crisis in Somalia deepened, Ethiopia cemented its reputation further, emerging as America’s most reliable partner in the Horn of Africa.
This is not a partnership based on shared values of freedom, liberty, and commitment to democracy, but one based purely on security considerations. Ethiopia served as America’s local ally, and America, in turn, provided enormous financial, technical and diplomatic support. This brought in much-needed resources for the government to build the political and security infrastructure that has as its main aim the policing, control, and surveillance of internal dissent and opposition.
As the US began to define its foreign and human rights policy through the lens of fighting terror − entering a period of post-truth and post-moral politics in which sacrificing people in distant places in return for security became fair game − this emerged as the paradigmatic threat upon which the West’s fears and anxieties were projected. This made its ally Ethiopia completely impervious to criticism, even as the government used its grotesque anti-terrorism law to crush dissent, decimate the opposition, muzzle the media, and shrink civic space to extinction – all the while holding periodic elections.
Just as terrorism in the West is entangled with religion, terrorism in Ethiopia is entangled with ethnicity. And Oromos have been the primary victims of Ethiopia’s cynical appropriation of the cultural referents and resonances of the War on Terror.
Ethnic domination forms the hidden underside of the terrorism-politics nexus in the country. And its anti-terrorism law has provided the government with the most powerful political device to criminalise, police, and prosecute independent expressions and articulations of the Oromo question. Through the magic of this law, even the most basic of demands for human rights or expressions of opposition to government policy can be twisted into an existential threat.
Ethiopia’s persistent turn to its anti-terrorism law to purge critical opposition, activists, journalists, and community leaders is an unqualified disgrace to Ethiopia and its partners on the Global War on Terror.
The #Oromoprotests are a clear response to these and other forms of historic discrimination, and today’s nationwide protests mark a clear break from previous forms of protests in terms of its coordination and mobilisation. In a letter addressed to the government, protestors expressed their rejection of “the regime” and specifically asked the government to stop the violence against the Oromo, to free Oromo and other political prisoners, and to end military rule in Oromia and allow genuine self-rule, among others.
The government’s violent response to peaceful demands has led protestors to demand more radical and systemic change. The #Oromoprotests are no longer a single-issue movement. This is unchartered territory for the country and how the government reacts could go a long way to determining its fate. But today’s protest makes it clear that there can be no more business as usual for Ethiopia’s ruling elites.
ADDIS ABABA, Aug 8 (Reuters) – More than 90 people were shot dead by security forces in protests across Ethiopia’s Oromiya and Amhara regions at the weekend, residents and opposition officials said on Monday.
Unrest flared in Oromiya for several months until early this year over plans to allocate farmland surrounding the regional capital for development. Authorities scrapped the scheme in January, but protests flared again over the continued detention of opposition demonstrators.
At the weekend, protesters chanted anti-government slogans and waved dissident flags. Some demanded the release of jailed opposition politicians.
“So far, we have compiled a list of 33 protesters killed by armed security forces that included police and soldiers but I am very sure the list will grow,” Mulatu Gemechu, deputy chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said.
The deaths were in at least 10 towns across Oromiya, he said, including Ambo, Dembi Dolo and Nekemt – areas that saw previous rounds of protest.
“Twenty-six people have been injured, while several have been detained,” Mulatu said, adding three members of his party were also being held.
Government officials were not immediately available for comment. The state-owned Ethiopian News Agency said “illegal protests” by “anti-peace forces” had been brought under control. It did not mention casualties.
DISPUTED TERRITORY
Oromiya is the second region to be hit by unrest in the past few days.
In Amhara, residents said police fired live bullets at demonstrators during protests over disputed territory that continued until early Monday in the city of Bahir Dar.
“Soldiers fired live rounds at protesters. Hospitals have been filled by dead and wounded victims,” one resident said, putting the number killed at 60.
Tensions have been rumbling for two decades over the status of Wolkayt district, a stretch of land that protesters from Amhara say was illegally incorporated into the neighbouring Tigray region to the north.
Nigusu Tilahun, spokesperson for the regional government, told state-affiliated news outlets that seven people died over the weekend.
Amnesty International said the bloodshed in Bahir Dar may amount to “extrajudicial killings” and that at least 30 people were killed in one day.
The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by the violence in both regions.
“We reaffirm our call to respect the constitutionally enshrined rights of all citizens, including those with opposition views, to gather peacefully and to express their opinions,” its embassy in Addis Ababa said in a statement.
Any sign of unrest is closely watched in Ethiopia, a Western ally against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia and an economic power seen as a centre of relative stability in a fragile region.
“Ethiopian forces have systematically used excessive force in their mistaken attempts to silence dissenting voices,” Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by George Obulutsa and Janet Lawrence)
A massive Oromia wide Oromo protest was called by activists in Oromia and those in diaspora to take place on August 6, 2016 and it swept the country with millions of protesters marching through towns and cities including Finfine(Addis Ababa) across Oromia, Ethiopia. The mass rallied waving the Oromo liberation flag which is red green red with sycamore surrounded by sun and a star at the top which is outlawed by the Tigrean People Liberation Front dominated Ethiopian government. The demands included stop killing Oromos, free all political prisoners, stop evicting Oromo farmers, make Afaan Oromo an official federal language, justice for the victims of government force killings, remove military out of Oromia, respect the right to self rule in Oromia to name a few. The demonstration was planned to be peaceful as the coordinators advised the Oromo mass to refrain from violence and to avoid attacking government officials and the police.
However, the government deployed forces violently reacted to the protest by brutally beating the protesters and shooting at point blank killing over 60 in different Oromia cities and towns. Citizens report that several participants were killed cold blooded by ethnic Tigray Agazi forces, and federal forces killing 13 in Asaasaa Arsi zone, 8 in Aawwadaay Hararghe, 5 in Dodolaa Arsi zone, 4 in Addelee East Hararghe, 5 in Haramaya East Hararghe, 4 in Ambo West Shawa, 4 in Naqamte East Wallaga, 2 in Mandi West Wallaga, 1 in Ghimbi West Wallaga, 1 in Shashimanne Arsi, 2 in Eddoo and 1 in Hirna Hararghe. The social media news indicates the government forces have continued to assassinate Oromo business men across different cities alleging them for funding the protests.
Since the government responded to the peaceful protests with violence the citizens and the organizers have finally decided to respond to the violence by the government by arming the civilians and warning that everyone has to be ready for self-defense. Organizers are planning to hold all Oromo organizations meeting in diaspora to chart the future roadmap for the Oromo’s struggle for independence. It is expected that the meeting will be focused on how to empower the Oromo nation for self-defense and to mobilize resources to achieve it.
The Oromo political prisoners including the Oromo Federalist Congress secretary general Beqale Garba have called on the Oromo nation to intensify the struggle. The Oromo Liberation Front chairman Dawud Ibsa also issued a statement calling for an intensified struggle and soliciting more support for OLA.
A massive Oromia wide Oromo protest was called by activists in Oromia and those in diaspora to take place on August 6, 2016 and it swept the country with millions of protesters marching through towns and cities including Finfine(Addis Ababa) across Oromia, Ethiopia. The mass rallied waving the Oromo liberation flag which is red green red with sycamore surrounded by sun and a star at the top which is outlawed by the Tigrean People Liberation Front dominated Ethiopian government. The demands included stop killing Oromos, free all political prisoners, stop evicting Oromo farmers, make Afaan Oromo an official federal language, justice for the victims of government force killings, remove military out of Oromia, respect the right to self rule in Oromia to name a few. The demonstration was planned to be peaceful as the coordinators advised the Oromo mass to refrain from violence and to avoid attacking government officials and the police.However, the government deployed forces violently reacted to the protest by brutally beating the protesters and shooting at point blank killing over 60 in different Oromia cities and towns. Citizens report that several participants were killed cold blooded by ethnic Tigray Agazi forces, and federal forces killing 13 in Asaasaa Arsi zone, 8 in Aawwadaay Hararghe, 5 in Dodolaa Arsi zone, 4 in Addelee East Hararghe, 5 in Haramaya East Hararghe, 4 in Ambo West Shawa, 4 in Naqamte East Wallaga, 2 in Mandi West Wallaga, 1 in Ghimbi West Wallaga, 1 in Shashimanne Arsi, 2 in Eddoo and 1 in Hirna Hararghe. The social media news indicates the government forces have continued to assassinate Oromo business men across different cities alleging them for funding the protests.Since the government responded to the peaceful protests with violence the citizens and the organizers have finally decided to respond to the violence by the government by arming the civilians and warning that everyone has to be ready for self-defense. Organizers are planning to hold all Oromo organizations meeting in diaspora to chart the future roadmap for the Oromo’s struggle for independence. It is expected that the meeting will be focused on how to empower the Oromo nation for self-defense and to mobilize resources to achieve it.The Oromo political prisoners including the Oromo Federalist Congress secretary general Beqale Garba have called on the Oromo nation to intensify the struggle. The Oromo Liberation Front chairman Dawud Ibsa also issued a statement calling for an intensified struggle and soliciting more support for OLA.We will continue to follow up and update as the news unfold back in Oromia.
Oromo youth Muaz Abdulhamid, killed by fascist Ethiopia’s regime in Awaday, 31 July 2016.
#OromoProtests 31 July 2016: The city of Awaday in East Hararge, Oromia has erupted in renewed protest. The main road from Addis Ababa to Hararr and Jigjiga is closed.
FXG Hadoolessa 30 bara 2016: Awwadaay keessatti hiriirri mormii haarayani dhoohee jira. Daandiin kara Harariifi Jigjigaa demu cufameera.
Farmers in Gurawa district, East Hararge burbed down a house owned by a militia who killed two people two days go.
Dhiyoo kana Harargee Bahaa Aanaa Gurawaa magaalaa Dogutti ergamtoonni Wayyaanee dhukaasa banuun ilmaan Oromoo 5 madeessani lama ajjeesuun ni yaadatama. Kaleessaa galgala dargaggoonnifi ummanni Araddaa Dursituu mana milishaa Bishrii Mohammed Qallii jedhamu kan joollee san gaafas rasaasaan dhahee gubuudhaan tumaalessa re’ee 4 jalaa qalatanii jiran.
https://youtu.be/64FC80rfqQ0
#OromoProtests July 30, 2016: intense protest underway in two towns of West Arsi, Edo Waqantera and Xiyo. People have kicked out the military from the town. Witnesses saw more reinfrocement arriving and regrouping outside the town. Three people have been shot and wounded so far.
#Oromoprotets july 30/31, 2016: In the mean time protesters in Tijo-Waqantera town in Gadab Asasa district, West Arsi destroyed every fascist (TPLF) Ethiopia’s regime local they could find. They also burned down homes of government officials including that of Dawano Kadir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs.
#OromoProtests 30 July 2016, Jamal Kadirwas wounded in Tijo-Waqantera town yesterday. One Agazi soldier was reportedly killed and another was injured.
#AmharaProtests in Gondar in solidarity with #OromoProtests, 31 July 2016
Ethiopia, a country where has ruled by ethnic-apartheid soldiers. But it is taken as democratic country by Western for their interests around East Africa. We Ethiopians know our country more than what Obama is telling us.
Itoophiyaan, biyya loltoonni saba tokkoo saboota biraa cunqursuun bulaa jiruudha. Garuu Itoophiyaan tun, biyyoota Lixaa biratti fedhii faranjoonni Baha Afrikaa irraa qabaniif jecha biyya dimookiraasiin keessatti guddatee jiruufi biyya guddataa jirtu fakkeessaneeran. Nuuti biyya teenna faranjii caalaa beekna.
ኢትዮጵያ፣ የአንድ ብሄር ወታደሮች ሌሎችን እየጨቆኑና እየረገጡ በወታደር የሚትተዳደር ሀገር ናት። ፈረንጆቹ በምስራቅ አፍርካ አከባብ ላላቸው ልዩ ጥቅም ሲባል ይህች ኢትዮጵያ ዲሞክራሲ የሰፈነባትና ያደገች አስመሰሉት እንጂ እኛ ፈረንጅ ከምነግረን በላይ ሀገራችንን እናዉቃታለን! Comments from social media
As the regime fears renewed protest across Oromia, more reinforcement of Ethiopia’s regime fascist ( Agazi) soldiers arrived in Begi, West Walaga, Oromia, 29 July 2016.
You might recall the report about incarceration of Dekeba Wario, a renown elder from Shashemene. Today they arrested his daughter, Bontu. 28 July 2016.
Baatii lama dura manguddoo beekkamaa Dhaqqaboo Waariyoo naannoo Shaashamanneetii qabanii maa’ikalaawitti hiraarsaa akka jiran gabaafamuun ni yaadatama. Guyyaa har’aa ammoo intala isaa Boontu qabanii hidhan. Jawar Mohammed
#OromoProtests: Respond to their demands and STOP the hunger strike NOW!!
#OromoProtests 27 July 2016: It has been 8 days since Bekele Gerba and other political prisoners held at Qilinto prison began hunger strike in protest against violation of their rights by prison officials. Instead of addressing their legitimate demands to stop the strike, the prison officials have prevented their families and lawyers from seeing and speaking to them.
We call on the Ethiopian government to immediate and positively respond o their demands and stop the hunger strike. If the regime refuses this call, The Oromo people will be forced to take nonviolent direct action against all prisons and jails in Oromia in order to exert pressure on the system as way of saves the lives of these leaders.
#OromoProtests 27 July 2016: Fascist Ethiopia regimes is continue killing peacefull Oromo protesters in Oromia. This video is in Borana, Miyo District, Boku Luboma town. At the time of this report, 3 people were injured and in critical condition. One is died.
#OromoProtests 27 July 2016: Captured on camera while soldiers are firing on peaceful protesters in Boku Luboma town, Miyo District, Borana Province, Oromia state. Three people have been critically wounded and one person died.
Fascist Ethiopia’s regime forces shot and killed Oromo youth QAAMAR QARBATOO in Bokku Lubom, Borana, 27 July 2016, #OromoProtests.
Goodinaa booranaa magalaa bokkuluboomatti waranni wayyanee hirirtoota ajjeessa jira.uummatni soda tokko malee duraa dhabbacha jira. Ethiopia military is killing peace protests in borana zoni bokuluboma town
Namoota rasasaan rukkutaman sadi(3) yoo ta’an isaan keessa dargaggeessi QAMAAR QARBATOO jedhamuu ajjeefamee jira agaziidhan. 1:Fatuma waqoo fi 2:Sora Halake Haala badaa keessa jiruu
Suura kun hiirara magalaa Bokkuu Luboma keessatti kan ajjeefama DARGAGGOOTA QAAMAR QARBATOOTTI
#OromoProtests 27 July 2016, Miyo District, Boku Luboma, Borana, Oromia.
#OromoProtests on 26 July 2016, the road from Robe Gerjeda town to Bokoji and Hasasa has been closed, Arsi, Oromia.
#OromoProtests, Raising the Resistance Flag Robe-Gerjeda, Arsi, Oromia July 26, 2016
#OromoProtests 26 July 2016: Oromo child Lencho Abdi Abdulkarim is , one of the 6 people shot in Dogu town, Gurawa District, East Hararge when fascistTPLF’s soldiers opened fire on wedding party on 25 July 2016. The irony is his father, Abdi Abdulkarim is serving in TLF’s army stationed in Badme ( Eritrean border).
Body of Rihaanaa Ahmad, Kombolcha College student, Oromia, shot and killed by fascist Ethiopia’s regime force on 25 July 2016
Kun reeffa Rihaanaa Ahmad, barattuu Koollejji Kombolchaa, kan Adoolessa 25 bara 2016 Aanaa Gurawaa Magaalaa Doguu keessatti ajjeefamteeti. Reeffi isii yeroo ammaa gara iddoo dhaloota ishii Aanaa Haramaayaa geeffamaa jira.
#OromoProtests 26 July 2016: Update on Oromo Prisoners in Kalitti and Makelawi
The revolution is underway in Oromia, Ethiopia. The fact that the Oromo non-violent leader, a man of peace, human rights defender BEKELE Gerba and his comrades fainted in their 5th day of hunger strike made the #OromoProtests intensified fiercely and more protests is going to happen through out Oromia. The where about of BEKELE and his comrades is not known according to family members. They were taken out of the prison and are not in hospitals. (At least not in police or major hospitals).
In another news, Oromo Prisoners in Makelawi started a hunger strike demanding end to human right violations committed to them and seeking justice today. You all may know that more than 95% of prisoners in Makelawi are Oromo prisoners of conscience.
Dubbistanii waliif daddabarsuu hindagatinaa!
Guyyaa har’aa waaree duraa kaasee ummanni Oromoo ma’akalawwiitti sababa ati shororkeessaadha jedhamanii hidhaman hundi nyaata isaaniis ta’ee kan maatiin isaanii geessaniif didanii dhaabanii jiru! Sababni isaa ifatti beekkamuu baatus akka odeeffannoo dhagahetti, Nuti badii tokko malee askeessatti hindararamnu! Mirgi wabii ta’ee mirgi keenya nu eegamuu qaba! Nuti himata fi gaaffii tokko malee ji’oota afurii ol sarbamuun keenyaaf itti gaafatamaan mootummaadha kan jedhuudha! Rabbi isin waliin haata’u! Kaayyoon keessan galma haageessu jennaan! Hidhaa fi ajjeechaan ummata Oromoo duubatti hin deebisu! Nageessaa Oddoo Duubee irraa.
#OromoProtests Adoolessa (July) 26, 2016: Harargee Lixaa Magaalaa Baddeessatti poolisoonni dargaggota lama kan Jaafar Mahammadsani fi Abaadir Mahammad jedhaman yoo qabuuf dhufanitti ummanni akka jirutti bahee harkaa buusee jira.
#OromoProtests 26 July 2016, Hiddi Lolaa, Borana, Oromia.
OMN:Oduu Amma Nu Gahe Harargee Irraa (Adoolessa (July). 26, 2016).#OromoProtests continues in Eastern Oromia.
As #OromoProtests continued in Arsi, Oromia, 25 July 2016, track load of fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime forces were deployed from Shashemene to Dodola to terrorize and attack the people.
Bashir Nure is one of the victims of TPLF fascist forces, from Dodola. #OromoProtests 25 July 2016,Arsi, Oromia.
#Oromoprotests Adoolessa (July) 24, 2016: HUBADHAA! Oromiyaa aanaalee hedduu keessatti kaabineen aanaafi gandaa ummataan qawwee dhuunfaa hiikkadhaa jechuu eegaltee jirti. Kun seeraa ala ta’uu qofa osoo hin taane yakka saba kana gaaga’ama guddaaf saaxiluuf godhamuudha. Yeroon ammaa kan qawwee harkaa qaban hiikkatan osoo hin taane kan kufanii caphanii harkatti galfatani. Kan maallaqa qabu bitattee kan humna qabu diinarraa hiikkatee awwaalachuu feesisa malee kaabinee gowwaa kara biyti itti deemaa jirtu hin agarretti itti kennanni miti. Irran deebi’a. Yeroo ammaa kanatti qawwee dhiisaati shimalawuu hiikkachurra du’uu wayya. Kaabinee aanaafi gandaa ajaja ‘dahininatii’ Wayyaaneetiin ummatarraa qawwee hiikuu yaaltuuf, rabbi ija keessan haa banu, banadhaa laalaa jennaan. Ummataan ammoo irra deebi’ee gara hundaanuu qawwee caphxuus taatu harkatti galfadhaa jenna.
#OromoProtests 22 July 2016: Bekele Gerba & Other Oromo Political prisoners are on the 3rd day of their latest hunger strike. They are too weakened to even converse with their lawyer. Below is a status update from one of their attorney’s Abduljebar Hussien:-
“It is my first visit after the court ruling. Before getting my clients the prison administration has given me orientation (the dos and undos ).I have been with my clients Bekele Gerba, Dejene Tafa, Gurmesa Ayano Adisu Bulala in Qilinto prison an hour and half minutes ago. They told me that they are on hunger strike for third day. They have no enough energy to discuss with me as usual. with the little energy they have we tried to discuss on the next step to be taken on the court ruling on our petition. They also told me why and how long they will continue the hunger strike. I will let you know sooner because am on the way to Adama.”
#OromoProtests Adoolessa (July) 22 bara 2016: Aanna Masalaa araddaa Coomaa injiifannoo galmesaaniin wal qabatee marii isaanii xumuranii yeroo galan.
#OromoProtests 22 July 2016: youth marching in Choma Village, Masala District, West Hararghe, Oromia.
#Oromoprotest 20 July 2016: Bekele Gerba and his colleagues are at hunger strike. They were very disappointed by the decision of the court on their appeal on bad treatment by prison administration and against the violations of their human rights. They started the strike yesterday according to the sources.
#OromoProtests Adoolessa (July) 20 bara 2016: Godina Booranaa magaalaa yaa’aballootti barattonnii fi uummannii hiriira nagaa ba’anii gocha mootummaa wayyannee balalleffachaa oolan.
Adoolessa 18,2016/ Magaalaa Adaamaattis mormiin konkolaachiftootaa eegaluun konkolachiftoonni gara Finfinnee fi gara Arsii bahaa dalagan dalagaa dhaabuun mormii sirna Wayyaanee eegalanii jiru.
Kana maleess galgala kana ammoo waraanni Wayyaanee humni guddaan gara magaalaa Itayyaa fi magaalaa Shaashamannee konkolaataan yaa’aa jiraachun himame. Har’a galgala keessa Saa’atii 5:30wb Naannoo Asallaatti dhukaasi meeshaa dhagahamaa jira. Waraanni Wayyaanees galgala kana baay’innaan magaalattii guutee jiraachuu gabaasi Qeerroo addeessa.
Fascist Ethiopia’s (TPLF) regime has lost all the people legitimacy and is not governing the country but terrorizing the people of Ethiopia.18 July 2016
#OromoProtests, road closure in action in Shukute, West Shawa, Oromia, July 18, 2016
Adoolessa 18 bara 2016 gootonni Oromoo Shukkutee bifa kanaan daandii mara cufuun waraanni gara Goojjoo deemu akka hin dabarre danqan.
#OromoProtests 18 July 2016: Jaldu and shukutee are in intense situations. Fascist Ethiopia’s agazi forces were shooting on people indiscriminately and several people were injured.
An Agazi military camp located in Muka Oda village, Ada Barga District of West Shawa has been destroyed when grenades hit it setting fire to the building. The Agazi commandos were station there for the last months now forced to leave the area.
#OromoProtests July 14, 2016: after completing their 12th grade exam students at Asasa Preparatory school marched to town chanting ‘ We want Freedom Today.’
#OromoProtests 14 July 2016: Interesting form nonviolent resistance in Arsi. Here is the story. A government soldier shot two young boys who were caring for cattle. In response women from the village drove their cattle and sheep to the town closing all roads for hours demanding justice. Creative resistance at its best!!
Fascist Ethiopia’ regime (TPLF/ Liyu Police) has continued its genocidal mass killings and land grabs against Oromo people in East Hararghe, Oromia. As of 11 July 2016, 16 Oromo nationals were reorted killed and several injured. ODUU
Wayta gara garaatti milishoonni mootummaa Itiyyophiyaatiin gargaaraman kun daangaa godina Harargee bahaa seenuun duula jabaa geggeessaa kan turan yoo ta’u, inni ammaa kun haalaan yaadessaa ta’uullee jiraattonni himanii jiru.
#OromoProtests 13 July 2016: Funeral Ceremony for Haji Guye Dula, a respected elder who died yesterday as a result of the injuries he suffered during the protest in Adaba 6 months ago.
Sirna awwaalchaa haji Guyyee Duulaa magaalaa Adaabbaa keessatti bifa kanaan raaw’atamee jira. haji Guyyeen manguddoo biyyaa kan ji’a jaha dura gaafa mormii magaalaa Adaabbaa miidhamanii kaleessa boqotan.
#OromoProtests 12 July 2016: Mormii ummata godina Arsii aanaa Xiyyoo konkolaataa madaabaraa (daappii) fe’ee gara baalee deemu akka hindeemne dhoorkanii nuuf ta’a malee jedhan.
In Arsi Zone, Xiyyoo district, OromoProtesters block a road and stop trucks carrying fertilizer demand they must be given before it passes to other parts of the country.
Adoolessa 11/2016 Irraa Eegaluun Qormaatni Kutaa 12ffaa Seensa Yuunibarsiitii Qormaatni qulqullina hin qabnee fi shiraan guutame Oromiyaa keessatti Waraanaa Wayyaanee Komand Post dhaan Kennamuu Eegale.
Akka Guutummaa Oromiyaatti Qormaatni kutaa 12ffaa kun Waraana Wayyaanee Agaazii Komand Poostiin hooganamaa jiruun eegamaa fi kennamaa kan jiruu yoo ta’uu, Barsiisootni dabbaallootni Olaanoo Wayyaanee fi kanneen dhalootaan Oromoo hinta’iin Manneen barnootaa Oromiyaa keessa jiruu irratti Sadarkaa Supervisor mallaqni guddaan kanfalameefii kanneen ramadamani qorumsicha kennaa jiran addatti namoota dhalootaan Amaraa fi Tigree fi Oromoo hin taaneetti akka baay’atan saaxilamee jira. Supervisor dabballootni wayyaanee kunis waraanaa agaazii Komand Post hogganamuun kanneen eegamaa jiran ta’uun mirkanaa’era.
Mootummaan Wayyaanee Sochiin Qeerroo Dargaggootaa barattoota Oromoo fi uummata oromoo keessaa duubaan hudhee kan isaa qabee, sodaa guddaa sochii warraaqsaa Biyyooleessa Oromiyaa FXG irraa qabuu fi Qorumsa kanarrattis Warraaqsii kun daran natti cimaa jira jechuun Hoomaa waraanaa isaa Godinaalee oromiyaa Gidduugaleessaa Oromiyaa fi Godina Lixa Shaggar amboo fi Naannoo ishee, Godina Horroo Guduruu Fincaa’aa fi naannoo ishee, godina wallaaggaa bahaa Naqemtee fi Naannoo ishee, Godina Wallaagga Lixaa Gimbii, Godinaa Qeellaam Wallaggaa Danbii Doolloo fi Naannoo ishee, Godina Kibbaa Lixa Shawaa Walisoo fi Naannoo Ishee fi Godinaalee Bahaa Oromiyaa Harargee Bahaa fi lixaa fi Godina arsii Lixaa irraa Waraanaa hedduminaan Qubsiisaa jiraachuun hubatamee jira.
Adeemsii Mootummaan Wayyaanee Waraanaan sochii biuyyoolessaa Oromiyaa ukkamsuuf Bulchiinsa Oromiyaa Zoonii Waraanaa 8 jala galchuun Hooggansa Waraanaa komand Post jedhuun uummata Oromoo irratti yakka waraanaa rawwachaa jiruu kufaatii mootummaa wayyaanee kan saffisiisuu malee Sochii warraaqsaa Biyyooleessaa Oromiyaa kan Bilisummaa Uummata Oromoo fi walabummaa Oromiyaa kan dhaabuu hin dandeenyee ta’uu; Hoggansii warraaqsaa Biyyooleessa Oromiyaa FXG Dhaamsaa diinaa abdii kutachiisuu gadi jabeessuun dabarsee jira.
Injifannoon Uummata Oromoof!!
#AmharaProtests, 12 July 2016: Amhara people of Gondar protests fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime, 12 July 2016. Tigray Peoples Liberation Front declared war on Amhara people in Gondar. Residents of Gonder block roads, burn TPLF’s Selam Bus and torch other TPLF’s vehicles.
#OromoProtests reports 11, July 2016: Case settled. 12th grade students just took the English exam in Oromia/ Ethiopia, 11 July 2016. The booklet ( code 18) that was reported as leaked and circulated was the wrong one. I am glad to have trusted the assessment of our teachers and university students who reviewed the booklet and concluded it to be fake. They made the right call for the second time. They have helped our students avoid distraction based on uncorroborated report.
Good luck to all students on the rest of the exams!!
Hadoolessa keesa qorumsi hatamee bahe hin jiru. Kan hatame jedhame soba wayyaanee ta’u mirakanaa’ee jira. Hadoolessa 11 Bara 2016.
TPLF land grab has continued in Buraayyuu, Oromia. Evidence, 11 July 2016.
NEWS (11 July 2016) FROM METEKEL OROMO!!!
Recently in the District of Dangab or Dibati the Oromo of Metekel established the Wakefana Association at a place called Galessa or Chancho with the recognition of Federal and Benshangul Gumuz Regional state govermment agencies. And then they got a strong support from thier own people and thier neighbours.The reason was as part of this religion association they inplaced the original structure of Gada system and the Oromo people saw their every cases before the nine representatives of Aba Gada who were represented from different clans of Metekel Oromo.This brought unity and trust among the Oromos and the nearby people.on the other hand it brought strong suspection from government and put in prison the following members of Galessa or Chancho Wakefana Association.
1.Debelo Hika
2.Abdisa Dhuguma
3.Kusa Tolera
4.Oljira Amante
5.Abebe Gobana
Title of their accusation:
1.”Doing magic”
2.Establishing an association with out the knowledge of government
3. Strong mischief
Let’s all stand together with the Oromo of Metekel.
(SBO/VOL – Adoolessa 11,2016) Guyyaa har’aa kan jalqabe qormaatni kutaa 12ffaa barattootni humna waraanaatiin marfamanii fudhachaa jiru. Akkasumas namootni qoran garmalee to’annaa waan itti cimsaniif barattoonni bilisa ta’anii hojjechuu hin dandeenye. Namootni qormaata kana qoranis nama muraasarraan kan hafe Tigiroota waan ta’aniif barattootni si’a qormaata jalqabaa ykn kan ganama kenname fudhatanii yeroo bahanitti dhaadannoo jechuudhaan wayyaaneen nu hin qortu jedhanii akkasumas sirba Caalaa Bultumee sirbaa yeroo deemanitti humni waraanaa bittinneesseera. Haalli kun Dhiha Oromiyaa keessatti mul’ateera.
#OromoProtests 11 July 2016: Guyyaa har’aa, Hadoolessa 11 bara 2016 Alaaban ABO/Alaaban Oromoo Godina shawaa lixaa aanaa Gincii magaalaa Gaalessaa keessaattii bifa kanaan balalli’aa jira.
#OromoProtests, Mass rally at Eshetu Worku Moroda’s funeral service in Gincii, West Shewa, Oromia, 10 July 2016. Eshetu was a 9th grade Oromo student when he was murdered by the fascist Ethiopia’s regime Federal Police Force.
#Oromo Protests continues. The Oromo people’s demands remain the same: stop the killing of our youth and stop stealing away their lives and futures other; stop the arbitrary mass arrest and incarceration; stop the eviction from ancestral lands; bring perpetrators to justice; remove the army from the region; compensate or otherwise restate the farmers; restore peace; restore legality and order to communities; stop using the fascist state apparatus to terrorize the people; restore civil administration to Oromia; people have clearly rejected the tyrannic regime, and so take steps to organize election to enable the people to form a legitimate government; and take steps to address all contemporary and historic demands of justice and human rights of the people.
July 6, 2016 #OromoProtestshas been continued in Awadaay, Oromia. Fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime forces (Agazi) murdered Seyfuddiin Abdallaa, 9 year old Oromo child.
Oromo national Lachiisaa Beenyaa was kidnapped by fascist TPLF Ethiopia’s regime forces on July 6, 2016 from his residence in Naqamtee city, Oromia and his where about is not yet unknown.
Godina Arsii bahaa magaalaa Seeruu Habee,Saddiiqa fi Arsii lixaa magaalaa Kofalee keessatti ummanni haala qindaayeen FXG gaggeessaa jira.
July 6, 2016 #OromoProtests in Seeruu Habee, Saddiiqa and Kofalee towns, Arsi, Oromia.
Barattootni Boqonnaaf Gara Maatii Galan Humna Waraana TPLFn Ukkaamfamaa Jiru.
July 6, 2016
Adoolessa 5,2016 Wayyaaneen barattootni gara maatii isaaniitti boqonnaaf galan ergama Qeerroo fi ABO fudhatanii galan jechuun barattoota baadiyaalee fi magaalota Oromiyaa keessaa hidhaa jirti.
Akka odeessi Qeerroo nu gahaa jiru ibsutti barattootni bara kana manneen barnootaa irraa boqonnaaf galan godina shawaa lixaa aanaalee hedduu irraa addatti ona Gindabarat irraa barattootni gara qe’eetti galaa jiran hedduun mana hidhaatti darbamaa jiru. Guutummaan dargaggootaa ona kana keessatti dhalatee guddatee Qeerroo fi ABO dha jechuun gaaffii tokko malee dhaabbilee barnootaa olanoo irraa kan gara qe’eetti galan yeroon boqonnaa isaanii amma mana hidhaa wayyaanee tahaa jira. bakka kana qofa miti ona fi godina hedduutti kun mul’ataa jira.
Qellem, Jimmaa Horrootti miseensa WBO jechuunis Qeerroon ona Jimma Horroo keessa jiratus duuchaatti hidhaatti guuramuu fi qabamaa akkasuma reebichi suukkanneessan irra gahaa jiraatuunis himame. Kana malees shamarran hedduunis humnaan waraana wayyaaneen gudeedamaa jiraatuunis odeessi achi nu gahe addeessa.
Barattootni yeroo ammaa boqonnaaf gara maatii galaa jiran dabalatee kan bara kana eebbifamanis yeroon kun wayyaaneef dhumaatii waan taheef hidhaa gaaffii malee kanaan dura akka itti barattoota argatuu dhabee amma akkaataa ittiin barattoota kana qabu maatii biraa tikoota isaatiin waan qabataa jiruuf of eeggannoo taasifamuu qabu waliin socho’uudhaan FXG itti fufuu Qeerroon asumaan gadi jabeessee dhaama.
#OromoProtests 5 July 2016:Agazi soldiers, all in red hat, deployed throughout Shashamanne city today, according to reports coming in. Tensions running high between them and the general public. The soldiers trying to terrorize the youth, whom they target if seen in groups of two or more. What’s going on in Shashanmane indeed needs to be closely observed and monitored.“Magaalli Shaashamannee guyyaa har’aa yeroo kamiiyyuu caalaa Agaazii warra qoobii Diimaatiin weeraramtee jirti. Ummanni Garuu yaalii mootummaan isa shororkeessuuf taasisaa turee fi jiruuf utuu bakka hin kennin sodaa tokko malee socho’aa jira. dargaggoonni lamaa fi sanaa ol. ta’anii yoo deeman doorsisni cimaan wayta halkanii agaazota irraa isaan mudataa jira. Ajjeechaan duguuggaa sanyii kan mootummaan qindaahe erga oromoota magaalattii irratti raawwatamee booda ummanni xiiqiidhaan mootummaa irratti ilkaan ciniinnatee gaarrifataa kan jiru ta’uusaa waan bareef murni tplf kan Abbaay Tsahaayyeetiin durfamu ummata shaashamannee irratti xiyyeeffatee hojjataa jira. kuni ajjeechaa oromoota irratti torban darbe raawwate kan qindeesses kan durses mootummaa ta’uusaa ifaan ifatti kan mul’isuudha.https://youtu.be/mjuXxYUtaAsODUU
Harmeen Obbo Dajanee Xaafaa akka Ilma isaanii hingaafanne dhorkaman.
Haati Warraa Obbo Dajanee Xaafaa// Biyya ajaji Manni Murtii hin kabajamne Keessatti Maaliif akka Hidhamtoota gara Mana Murtiitti deddeebisaniif nuuf hin galuu jedhan.
Tibba Darbe abukaattoon Himatamtootaa dhittaa Mirga namoomaa Mana Hidhaa Qilinxoo keesatti Maamiloottan Isaanirra ga’aa jiru barreeffamaan erga Mana Murtiitti dhiheessaniin booda, Manni Murtii akka bulchinsi Mana adabaa deebii itti laatuuf kaleessatti beellamee ture.
Torbanuma darbe – Obbo Dajanee Xaafaa Himatamtoota galmee tokko jalatti himataman bakka bu’uun rakkoo Mana dukkanaa sana keessati isaanirra ga’aa jiru erga abbaa Murtiif himanii booda, Harmeen koo namni ganna 85 Mana Hidhaa seentee na dubbisuu hin dandeenyee, Karaa fagoo deemtee na ilaaluu dhuftee otuu na hin argin deemuun baayyee na gaddisiiseeraa jechuun abbaa Murti duratti himatani turan. Akkasumas Maatiin keenya dhaddacha seenanii Adeemsa Seeraa hordofuufillee isaani hayyamamaa hin jiru jechuun Mana Murti sanas ta’e, Bulchinsa Mana adabaa himatanii turan. Beellamni kaleessa tures, Manni adabaa sun akka isa kanaaf deebii laatuuf ture kan beellamame.
Bulchiinsi Mana Adabaa Qilinxoo Kaleessa isa kanatti deebii laatee Jira akka Aadde Assallafach Mulaatuu Jedhanitti. Mana Adabaa Qilinxoo keessa manni Dukkanaa hin jiruu. Dhiittaan Mirgaa isaan irratti raawataa jirus hin jiru jechuun barreeffamaan bulchinsi Mana Adabaa sub Obbo Abrahaan Mana Murtiif deebii deebisanii jedhan aadde Assallafach Mulaatuu. Manni Murtii akka Haati obbo Dajanee Xaafaa Waraqaa Eenyummaa Soorama ittin fudhataniin seenanii Ilma isaanii dubbisaniif ajaja dabarsee, bulchinsi Mana adabaa sunis ajaja sana erga fudhantaniin booda Har’a garuu Ilma koon arga jedhanii gammachuun Yoo walii wajjin Mana adabaa Deemnu Seerri nuun nu ajaju hin jiru jedhanii ol seensisuu didanii jedhu.
Dajaneen erga Hidhamee baatii Torba. Baatii kana guutuu keessatti si’a tokko Qofa Maa’ikelaawiitti dhaqanii ijaan arganii jedhu aadde Assallafach. Umuriin Isaanii deemeera. Ganna 85. Manni Murtiis kan ajaja dabarse fageenya isaan irraa dhufaniif Umurii isaani ilaalcha keessa galcheetu akka Aadde Assallafach Mulaatuu nuu himanitti. Hata’uutii garuu, Manni Adabaa ajaja Mana Murtiitiin geggeeffamaa akka hin jirre qofaa osoo hintaane, manuma Murtii sanayyuu kan achi ol ajaju Mana Adabaa sana hanga nutti fakkaatutti Itiyoophiyaa keessa ol aantummaan seeraa bakka dhabeeraa jedhan.
Mootummaan Itiyoophiyaa keessa seerri jira haa jedhu Malee Paartii aangoorra jiru sana Seerri bulchu hin jiruu jedhu aadda Assallafach. Achuma mana Adabaa sana keessatti Murtoo barbaadan itti murteessuu otuu danda’anii Maalif akka Hidhamtoota kana Mana Murtiitti deddeebisaa jiraniyyuu nuuf ifa mitii jedhu.
Murtiin Abbaa seeraa waan biraa dha. Gocha nuti Mana Adabaa Yoo geenyu arginu ammoo kan biraadha. Yoo balbala Mana Adabaa sana geenyu akka namaatti kan nu hin ilaalanii jedhan.
Nama gaaffii gaafannu hinqabnu.
Akka isaan jedhanitti qaamni walaba ta’e biyyatti keessa otuu jiraatee haala qabiyyee Mana Hidhaa sanaa seenanii daawwachuu danda’u. Garuu Hin jiru. Ol aantummaan Seeraa Jiraatee bakki itti himatanis hin jiru. Namooti kun harka isaanii keessa jiru waan ta’eef dararaa barbaadan irraan ga’anii mana Murtii duratti haaluu jedhu aadde Asallafach.
Akka Isaan Jedhanitti – Abaan Murtiiyyuu – Abbaa Alangaa Mootummaas ta’e, bulchinsa Mana adabaa Sana Sodaarraan kan ka’e ija jabaatee ol jedhee Ija keesa isaan hin ilaalu. Abbootiin murtii suniyyuu hidhaa keessa waan jiraniif isaaniinuu bilisummaa feesisaa jedhan.
Odeessi Qeerroo yuunibarsiitii wallaggaa akka addeessetti yuunibarsiitichi barattoota erga eebbifamanii waraqaa dhowwatee jira.Barattooti kun afaan qawwee jalaa hafanii kan eebbifaman yeroo ta’u, guyyaa eebba isaanii maatiin isaanii fi hawaasi eebba barattootaa kanarratti argame reebamuun kan yaadatamudha!
Yeroo ammaa kana barattooti kun waan nyaataniifi bakka bulanis dhabuun rakkachaa akka jiran beekameera!
#OromoProtests 1 July 2016: Godina Harargee Bahaa Magaalaa Aawwadaay keessatti fincila ganama kana Adoolessa 1, 2016 taasifameen namoonni 4 kan ajjeefaman yoo tahu namoonni madaawanis hedduudha
Namoota du’an keessa daa’imni waggaa 7 akka jiru beekame.
Fascist Ethiopia ‘s regime has been conducting mass killings in Awaday, Oromia. Fascist Ethiopia’s regime forces killed several Oromo children in Awaday, Oromia, 1 July 2016.
‘People like TPLF leaders are those who never change no matter how much one tries to explain to them about the brutality of their ruling system and barbaric actions of their military and special commandos. This article expose the failed policy of the TPLF and their new destructive plan to slow-down the Oromo people movement for freedom.’
“The government’s repression of independent voices has significantly worsened as the Oromo protest movement has grown,” said Yared Hailemariam, Director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE). “The international community should demand the end of this state-orchestrated clampdown and the immediate release of peaceful critics to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.”
UNPO: Oromo: Protesters Achieve Postponement of University Exams
After an exam paper had been leaked by Oromo protesters, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education had to cancel upcoming university entrance exams. Mostly student-led protests over the rights of the country’s marginalized Oromo people have effectively led to the months-long closure of the region’s high schools. Therefore, Oromo students had less time to prepare than students in other parts of the country. The leak of exam papers by Oromo students, thereby buying more time for students to prepare for university entrance exams, is thus a major success for the beleaguered movement.
The Oromo people in Ethiopia have long complained of being marginalized. Addis Ababa expansion plans which sparked fresh protests have been scrapped but the conflict continues to simmer.
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken condemned the lethal violence used by the government of Ethiopia against hundreds of Oromo protesters. #OromoProtests
HRW: Foreign Policy In Focus: Deafening Silence from Ethiopia:The Ethiopian government is cracking down on journalists and NGOs. Where’s the outrage from the international community?
Why Have Oromo People Been Clashing With The Ethiopian Government For So Long? http://www.afrizap.com/en/why-have-oromo-people-been-clashing-with-the-ethiopian-government-for-so-long
France 24: Focus: Anger among Ethiopia’s Oromo boils over.
Residents protesting as the fascist Ethiopia’s regime is to demolish their houses in Hanna Furi, Finfinnee, 29 June 2016. Roads are blocked. ” ታሪኩ የተባልው የአፍራሽ ግብረ ሀይሉ መሪ በህዝቡ ተገድሏል.”
OromoProtests 29 June 2016: Oduun Waxabajjii 29 bara 2016 nannoo Finfinneeti qaxxamuree Asi ga’e akka ibsuuti humni polisii wayyaanee kan meeshaa waraanaa hidhatee jiru humna Ummata Oromoo kan meeshaa Uumama ykn dhagaa hidhate jiru wajjiin warrana gaggeeffamaa ture irratti loltun diina 17 ajjeefamanii hedduun immoo hojiin ala akka ta’an Odeessii gamaa sanaa ifa godhee jira. Garuu soba polisii amma kana miti kan du’e jechuun motummaan kan ufiin jettu fashitii wayyaanee wakkachuu akka jirtus himame.
17 Armed fascist Woyane officers killed and seven civilians injured in a clash at Hanna Furi Area, Lafto Subcity of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa). Residents have been protesting the governments decision to demolish some 30,000 houses in the area with the aim of giving the land to TPLF. The commander of the woyane police was ambushed and his motor cycle was burned down as you see below.
June 28 /29 2016: #Oromo protests in Oromia (finfinnee, Hanna Furi) as the regime engaged in destroying residential houses for land grabs.
This is not just a political slight of hand. This is downright tragic. This is simply brutal. This is an act of state terror. This is bureaucracy deployed to disrupt life and terrorize poor citizens. This is a heartless exposure of people to a miserable death on the streets in these dark rainy days. You can’t call out women and children to a meeting and yet demolish their houses in their absence. We say NO to this in the strongest possible terms! NO! to a continued infliction of unnecessary suffering to poor people! Tsegaye Ararssa.
Rakkooleen kun wayta adda addaatti jiraattota irratti raawwatamaa jiraachuu kan nuuf himani jiraattoonni inni ammaa kun haalaan hamaadha jedhanii jiru.
Godina Arsii aanaa Diksiis magaalaa Hamdaa keessatti guyyaa har’aa mormii barattoonni mana barumsaa sadarkaa tokkoffaa godhaa oolani.
Kana malees ummanni Magaalaa Asaasaa fi naannoo ishee mormiirra ooleera mormiilee isaanii keessatti ajjeechan gara jabeenyaa kan addatti ummata Oromoorratti raawwataa jiru haa dhaabbatu nuti wayyaanen hin bullu soba Wayyaanee hifanne jechaa oolaniiru, Arsii magaalota hedduu keessatti waraana akka cabbiitti gadi naquun ummata sochii dhoorgaa jiru.
TPLF’s delegates being escorted by police in Rotterdam, Netherlands after their planned event was forcefully cancelled by #OromoProtests, 25 June 2016.
Lukkee Wayyaanee bifa kanaan poolisiin Holland ummata jalaa baasee geggeesse.
Demonstratie in Rotterdam tegen ‘genocide’ Ethiopië
Demonstratie tegen de Ethiopische regering (Foto: Marianne van den Anker)
De emoties liepen hoog op toen ambassademedewerker met een busje vertrokken
Demonstratie tegen ‘genocide’ Ethiopië
Kinderen in de Ontdekhoek konden pas vertrekken na de demonstratie27 juni – oromo demonstratie
Honderden demonstranten blokkeerden zaterdag een zaal in Rotterdam waar leden van de Ethiopische ambassade aanwezig zouden zijn. De emoties liepen daarbij hoog op.
De activisten zijn woedend op de Ethiopische leiders. Die zouden zich schuldig maken aan ‘genocide’ op de Oromo, de grootste etnische groep in het land.
”Duizenden Oromo zijn gearresteerd en in hechtenis”, staat te lezen in flyers, die door demonstranten werden uitgedeeld aan de Tamboerstraat in Rotterdam.
Eieren De sfeer tijdens de protest was gespannen. De activisten bekogelden een busje met vertrekkende ambassademedewerkers met eieren.
Het vertrek van de Ethiopische functionarissen ging verder gepaard met veel gejoel en geschreeuw. De politie moest de aanwezige demonstranten in bedwang houden.
Voor de jonge bezoekers in het aangrenzende kinderwerkplaats de Ontdekhoek was de demonstratie even schrikken. Zij moesten enige tijd binnen wachten.
Veiligheidstroepen Mensenrechtenorganisatie Human Rights Watch sloeg eerder deze maand alarm over het gewelddadige optreden van veiligheidstroepen in het Afrikaanse land.
Zij zouden sinds november vorig jaar tijdens demonstraties zeker vierhonderd activisten hebben gedood. Ook zouden tienduizenden mensen zijn opgepakt.
De Oromo demonstreren volgens de activisten in Rotterdam tegen illegale landroof door de regering, die boeren hun land zou afpakken.
OromoProtests in Asaasaa, Arsi, Oromia, 25 June 2016.
Akkuma amaleeffatee fi baratee mootummaan wayyaanee fi ergamtuun wayyaanee OPDO’n ilmaan Oromoo bulchiinsa waraanaa jala jiran irratti loltoota agaazii bobbaasuun Oromoo nagaa hojjetatee of jiraachisuu fi mormii keessatti illee hin argamiin itti dhukaasanii ajjeesuu itti fufuun Shaamarree Oromoo kan hojii buna daandii irratti danfistee ittin of jiraachiftuu fi maatii ishee tajaajiltuu dubree Sabrina Abdallaa jedhamtuu Harargee Bahaa magaalaa Calanqootti itti dhukaasuun, lubbuun ishee wareegame jira.
Kana malees Godina Harargee Bahaa fi Lixaa keessatti bakkoota garaagaraatti yakki waraanaa ummata Oromoo irratti gaggeeffamaa jiraachuun walqabatee Qeerroo fi ummatni wal ta’uun addatti warraaqsa Biyyooleessa Oromiyaa FXG daran jabeessuun dura dhaabbachuu qofatu furmaata jechuun waamicha warraaqsaa waliif akkasumas guutuu barattoota, dargaggoota/qeerroo fi ummata Oromoo cufaaf dabarsaa jiraachuun ibsamee jira.
Injifannoon uummata Oromoof
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#OromoProtests 22 June 2016: Ajjeechaan Sabrina Abdallaa kan dhagahe hunda Sabrii dhowwate. Ajjeechaan mucittii miskiina kana irratti hidhattoota mootummaatiin raaw’atame ergaa guddaa Oromoof dabarsa. Ajjeefamuuf Oromoo tahuun qofti gahaa akka tahe nutti hima. Sabriinaan dhagaa darbitee miti yookiis qawwee baattee hidhattootatti dhukaaftee miti kan ajjeefamte. Oromoo waan taateef qofa. Bakki ajjeechaan kun itti raaw’atame ammoo Calanqoo lafa lafeen Oromoo kumaatamaa lafa jala ciiftu. Tarkaanfiin Wayyaaneen Shashamannee fi Baha Oromiyaatti ummata Oromoo nagaa irratti fudhataa jirtu godaannisa madaa gaafa Calanqo fi Aanoolee daranuu billawa itti horfee dhiigsuun tarkaanfii maayyii fi murteessaaf Oromoo qopheessa malee hin callisiisu!
#OromoProtests 21 June 2016, the Road to Dire Dawa has been closed by commandeered bus at Chalanqo in protest against the barbaric killing of Sabrina Abdalla.
Daandiin gara Dire Dhawaa deemuu ganama kana Calanqorratti cufamee jira.
18 years old young Oromo woman Sabrina Abdalla was shot by fascist Agazi of the TPLF Ethiopia’s regime on 20 June 2016 in Chalanqo, East Hararge, Oromia. She has died at upon arrival at Harar hospital. She was shot in a small hut she uses to sell tea and coffee.
Body of Sabrina Abdalla (18 years), the 10th grade Oromo female student who was gunned down in the night of 20 June 2016 byfascist Ethiopia’s regime soldiers in Chalanqo, East Hararge, Oromia.
#OromoProtests 20 June (Waxabajjii) 2016: Students in Shamene staged mass protest against the killing of their classmate, Harun Haji Tusu, who was murdered by unknown assailants. The students marched through the town and paid a mass visit to Harun’s family. Students have demanded those responsible must be identified and held accountable at the court of law. Shashemene Police has announced arresting several.
#OromoProtests 20 June 2016: 12 grade students rally in Qobo town, East Hararage, Oromia complaining that the government is not providing with necessary support needed prepare for exam.
Waxabajjii 16-17/2016 Godina Lixa Shagar Ambootti Goototni Barattootni Oromoo M/B Amboo Sadarkaa 2ffaa Fi Qophaa’inaa Qormanni Kutaa 12ffaa Utuu Nuti Hin Baratiin Nuuf Kennamuuf Jiru Kun Kan Keenyaa Adda Ta’uun Nu Midhuuf Kan Karoorfamedha Jechuun Warraaqsaa
FXG Finiinsan.
Qormaatni Biyyoolessaa kutaa 12ffaa utuu hin baratiin nuuf kennamuuf jiru kun akka guutuu biyyattiitti j`alqaba baatii Adoolessaa kennamuuf kan jiru Kana Godina keenyaa Addatti M/B Amboo sadarkaa 2ffaa fi Qopha’inaa fi Maneen Barnootaa tokko tokkoo keessatti guyyaa adda ta’eetti kennuuf karoorfachuun kan nu miidhuuf karoorfamee fi nu shororkeessuu malee bu’aa tokkoo iyyuu hin qabuu waan ta’eef yoo kan qoramnu ta’ee haaluma wal fakkaatuun qoramna malee ofumaa itti fakkeessiif guyyaa adda ta’etti qabuun kun bu’aa hin qabu jechuun gaaffii mirgaa dhiyeeffachuun deebii waan dhorkatamaniif warraaqsaa keenyaa daran jabeessuun itti fufuun uummata Oromoo hundaaf furmnaata jechuun Warraaqsaa biyyoolessaa Oromiyaa FXG bifa adda ta’een Waxabajjii 16/2016 irraa eegaluun kan qabsiisaan guyyaa har’a Waxabajjii 17/2016 warraaqsaa FXG daran jabeessuun sagalee daadannoo guddaa gaaffii mirga abbaa biyyummaa fi kabajamuu mirgoota dimookiraasii fi dhala namaaf deebiin nuuf kennamuu qaba, abbaan irree qawween nu bulchaa jiruu aangoo irraa haa kaafamu jechuun mormii isaanii jabeessan.
Motummaan bakka bu’insa uummataa hin qabne abbaan irree Wayyaanee akkuma amala isaa loltoota agazii barattootatti ol seensisuun gaazii
summaa’aa nama imimmeessuun irratti dhukaasuun barattoota hedduu akka malee reebuu fi madeessuun, kaan immoo hidhatti ukkaamsuun gabaafame jira.
Director M/B sadarkaa 2ffaa fi Qopha’inaa kan ta’ee Namni Ambassee Tulluu jedhamuu waraana agaazii barattoota qalama malee waatu of harka hin qabnetti seensisuun yakka waraanaa barattoota irratti rawwachisaa jira. Namni Ambasee Tulluu jedhamu kun asiin Fuldura bara 2013 yeroo Directora Mana Barumsaa Geedoo sadarkaa 2ffaa fi Qophaa’ina turettis barattoota Oromoo 30 Ol barnootarraa guutummaatti kan arii’achaa turee fi bara kana illee Barattoota Oromoo 8 M/B Amboio sadarkaa 2ffaa fi Qopha’inaa irraa maqaa barattootni kun shororkeesitoota jedhuun dabarsee diinatti kennuun kaan hiisisee kaan barnootarraa arii’achuun daba daangaa hin qabnee barattoota Oromoo fi barsiisota Oromoo irratti dalaguun kan beekamu waan ta’eef uummatni Oromoo sabboontootni Oromoo lukkee diinaa kana irraa of eegachuu fi bakka argameetti gumaa barattoota Oromoo bara dheeraa akka bahaattan dhaamsii Oromomummaa isiniif dabarfamee jira. Warraaqsii itti fufa, garboomsaan ni kufa!!
#OromoProtests 11 June 2016: The Oromo and Ogaden protesters in action in Canberra, Australia; they forced cancellation of TPLF’s meeting, 11 June 2016. All ‘presidents’ forced to leave through emergency door….then the room was left only by protesters.
#OromoProtests 11 June 2016: Guyyaa Har’aa walgahii Wayyaanee Canberra, Australia’tti godhame hawaasni Oromoo fi Ogaaden harkaa fashaleessanii jiru.
three people have been arrested from Rift Valley University, Labu Campus today.
1. Chalchisa Damtew
2. Gololcha Bali ( Dean of the College, an Italian educated academic who returned to the country with hope of serving his people)
3. Abiyot Nugissie Head accountant
OromoProtests 9 June 2016: Residents Qarsa and Kontoma villages in Lafto Subcity of Addis Ababa who are facing eminent eviction from their homes marched to the prime minister’s palace to plead their case. But they were stopped near a place called ‘Total’ where several of them have been arrested. Its reported that the people have been protesting for the last four days. Over 7,000 homes have been marked for demolition.
OromoProtests 9 June 2016: The brave faces of Dill University Oromo students who were incarcerated at Maekelawi for four months and now being tried at local court in Dilla. Hundreds of students gathered at the court house but the session was adjourned without any hearing at the prosecutor continues to ask for extension.
Waxabajjii 9 bara 2016: Barattoonni Oromoo Yunivarsitii Dillaa kan baatii afurii oliif Maakkallawiitti rakkifamaa turanii gara mana murtii Dillaatti deebifman kunoo har’as dhihaatanii turan. Barattoonni hedduun mooraa mana murtiitti deeggarsaaf argamanii turan. Garuu abbaan alanagaa yeroo dabalataa waan gaafateef dhaddachi osoo hin taa’amin hafee jira.
#OromoProtests 9 June 2016: The emergency meeting of Oromia Regional Parliament ( Caffee) has removed presidents and vice president of the Supereme Court, Damoze Mame & Boja Tadesse. They have been replaced by Addisu Qabeneessa ( President of SW Shawa High Court) and Hussien Adam ( president of Arsi Supreme Court) , respectively. The change of guard at supreme court is a result of TPLF’s accusation of the Oromia judiciary of being lenient towards Oromo Protesters. The parliament also removed immunity for Zelalem Jemaneh, former OPDO executive committee member and head of the agricultural department.
#OromoProtests 9 June 2016 (Waxabajjii 9, bara 2016): Yuuniversitii Haromaayyaatti dhiyoo doormiin barattoota dhiiraa gubatuu irraa kan ka’e mooraan yuunniversitichaa humna waraana Wayyaaneen kan toohatamee fi buufata waraana tahe gabaasuun keenya ni yaadatama. Haala kanaan barattootni waggaa tokkkoffaa baratanis mootummaan wayyaanee akka galan dirqisiisee akka galan taasifameetu jira. Guyya doormiin barattootaa gubatee kaasee barattootni hedduunis yeroodhaa yerootti hidhaatti guuramaa jiraachuunis hubatamee jira.
barattootni hedduunis kan gara qe’ee galan mooraa alatti tika diinaan butamanii mana hidhaa darbamaa jiraatuunis Qeerroon gabaasee jira.
#OromoProtests 9 June 2016: Dhaamsa hatattamaa qeerroo guutummaa oromiyaa keessa jirtaniif .Konkolaataan abbaan qabeenyummaa isaa kan tujaarota tigirootaa ta’e kun gidduu kana magaalaa naqamtee keessatti tarkaanffiin irratti waan fudhatameef mootummaan wayyaanee sodaa guddaa keessa seenuun humnoota federaalaa konkolaatota kanaaf ramaduun akka isaan dirqiin oromiyaa keessa hojjetan gochaa jira.Nuti qeerroon guutummaa oromiyaa keessa jirrummoo konkolaataa kana duwwaa irratti xiyyeeffachuu hin qabnu.Maaliif yoo naan jettan konkolaattonni kanneen akka
star bus, sky bus, tata fi kanneen albuuda oromiyaa saamuuf kutatanii ka’an fakkeenyaa dhagaa daalattii kan jedhamu kan naannoo mandii keessaa ba’u .Dhagaan kun albuuda oromiyaan yeroo ammaa kana albuda qabdi jedhamee abdatamu keessaa isa guddaadha.Kanaaf nuti qeerroon guutuu oromiyaa keessa jirru yeroo kamiyyuu caalaa tarkaanffii qabeenyaa diinaa fi lukkee lee diinaa irratti fudhachuuf qoophii ta’uu qabna.Kanaaf adaraa keessan yeroo tarkaanffii fudhannu bifa qindoomina qabuun hojjechuummoo akka qabnu isiniif eeruun fedha.
#OromoProtests 8 June 2016: Naqamtetti Waxabajjii 08 bara 2016 qabeenyaa TPLF kan ta’ee fi SELAM BUS bakka kan bu’e Kan GOLDEN BUS jedhamu akka malee caccabsanii jiru. karaa Cinasaa fi Fuula duraan caccabee wajjira Polisii Ganda 07 fuldura dhaabachaa jira.
5. Ulee diinaa ta’uun Ilmaan Oromoo sadarkaa hundatti lafarraa fixaa kan jiran keessaa Muktaar Kadir, Bakar Shaallee, Asteer Maammoo, Kumaa Dammaqsaa, Abbaa Duulaa fi fakkaattoota isaanii ta’uu hubachuun sabboontootni ilmaan Oromoo sirnicha keessatti argamtan gadi fageenyaan caasaa sirna kanaan ijaarame irraa akka of eeggattan. Sirni kun akka diinaaf tolutti maqaa OPDO jedhamuun diinni namoota isaaf amanamoo fi ergamtuu ta’aniin ijaarrate kun ilmaan Oromoo kamiif iyyuu diina malee qaama mirga keessan kabachiisuu fi isin bakka bu’u akka hin taane hubachuun sirna badaa fi hirmii uummata keenyaa ta’e kana of irraa gara galchuu irratti akka fuulleeffattan dhaamsa keenya!!
6. Master Plan Finfinnee fi Magaalota addaa Oromiyaa ifaan ifatti ibsi fi labsiin baldhaan mootummaa Federaalaa irraa kennamee akka haqamu gadi jabeessuun gaafatna!!
7. Ilmaan Oromoo sababaa Oromummaa isaanii fi Sochii Warraaqsaa FXG Oromiyaa keessatti hirmaattee jirta jedhamuun sobaan himatamanii hidhaatti guuraaman hidhamtootni Oromoo hundi haalduree tokko malee hatattamaan akka hiikaman kallattii hundaan ilmaan Oromoo Poolisii, mana murtii, abbootii alangaa, abbootii seeraa hojjettoota fi ogeessootni sadarkaa garaagaraarratti argamtan dhiibbaa barbaachisu roga hundaan akka gootaan gadi jabeessuun waamicha lammummaa isiniif dabarsina!!
8. Manneen kondominium Magaalota naannawaa Finfinnee fi Naannawaa Finfinneetti Ijaaramanii jiran Hundaa kan hirmachaa jiruu fi carraa itti fayyadamuu kan argataa jiran sadarkaa 1ffaatti ilmaan Tigrota, sadarkaa 2ffaatti dabballootaa fi ergamtoota sirna wayyaanee dhalootaan Oromoo hin ta’iinitu itti fayyadamaa jira. Ilmaan Oromoo biyya abbaa isaanii irratti akka lammii 2ffaatti ilaalamuun hirmannaa qabeenya abbaa isaanii keessaa illee moggaatti dhiibaman. Oromoon sirnichuma keessatti ogummaa fi hojiilee garaagaraan argamu carraa kana dhorkatamee kan jiru ta’uun hubatamee waan jiruuf, Sochiin ijaarsa manneen kondominium fi ijaarsi kamuu fedhii uummata Oromoon alatti gaggeeffamaa jiru bakkuma jirutti akka dhaabbatuu fi manneen ummataa humnaan diiguun qe’ee irra buqqisaa waan jiranuuf uummata qe’ee irraa hin buqqaanu jedhee qe’ema isaa irratti dhumaa jiruuf dirmachuun qe’ee fi qabeenyaa isaa irratti sabni keenya wareegamee akka falmatuu fi carraan manneen kondominium ijaaramanii jiran carraan dursaa abbaa qe’eef akka eegamu ummatni keenya bakka hundaa harka wal qabatee ka’uun haa falmannu.
Injifannoon Ummata Oromoof!!
Gadaan Gadaa Bilisummaa Oromoo ti!!
Qeerroo Bilisummaa Oromoo
Oromiyaa, Finfinnee!!
Waxabajjii, 2016
#OromoProtests 7 June 2016: What could be the reason why OPDO gave 30 million birr to Mekelle Technical and Vocational Education and Training college? The source say its a payment for the demands made by ‘people of Tigrai’ during the organizations 25th anniversary which was when they were forced to admit they were founded in Adet, Tigray rather than Darra, Oromia. J.M.
#OromoProtests June 6, 2016: Fascist Ethiopia’s regime set fire on Kotobe University college on the night of 5 June 2016. Several Students were injured as fire razed the University College.
Tarkaanfii loltoota ishee irratti fudhatametti kan aarte wayyaaneen ABO tu itti gala waan ta’eef, bosonni kun gubachuu qaba waan jeetteef ummatni nu fixxu malee bosonni kun hin gubatu jedhanii akka dura dhaabbatan gabaafameera.
On 4th June 2016 Oromo national Tesfaye Erena Elema was killed by cruel fascist Agazi/TPLF Ethiopia’s regime forces bullets in Kattaa near Burrayyu at 7:30 PM.
#OromoProtests 5 June 2016: This piece of paper contains plight of four Dire Dawa University students who are being held underground at one of the military camps. They appeal to their fellow citizens to save them. The letter was found on street near the camp.
The letter lists four students, their department, year and place of birth)
1. Gada Ebisa, English 2nd yr ( from Mandi, West Walaga)
2. Amanuel Etefa, Sport 3rd yr ( Dambi Dollo, Qellam Walaga)
3. Oli Zewde, Law 2nd yr ( Mandi, West Walaga)
4. Bedhasa Endale, Biology 2nd year (Naqamte, EastWalaga)
#OromoProtests News (3 June 2016):In another dramatic turn of events, Bekele Gerba attended court naked ( only underwear) and not even shoes and socks. The took this unusual step after they were prevented from wearing black color cloths.
#OromoProtests News (3 June 2016): The TPLF regime expels the entire class of 1st year engineering students of Haramaya University. This decision is passed in the name of the university senate but sources tell us that the faculty including the president are strongly against it. The decision is attributed to the security command post using the chairman of Board of Governors Mr Sileshi ( Minister of Fish) to over rule the faculty. The students are vowing not to leave campus until the entire university is closed down. You might recall that students have been boycotting class for the last three weeks demanding release of their classmates and removal armed forces from campus.
Oromo: HRW Report Highlights Ethiopian Government’s Excessive Use of Force in the Oromo Protests
UNPO, 16 June 2016
A report published by Human Rights Watch [June 2016] reveals that the Ethiopian security forces have killed more than 400 by using excessive and unnecessary lethal force in the peaceful protests in the Oromia region, since November 2015. Many have also been arrested and mistreated in prison, and have been restricted in access to information by the Ethiopian government in order to supress the protest movement. Human Rights Watch urges the Ethiopian government to immediately free those who have been wrongfully detained and to start an independent investigation to hold the security forces accountable for abuses.
(Nairobi) – Ethiopian security forces have killed more than 400 protesters and others, and arrested tens of thousands more during widespread protests in the Oromia region since November 2015. The Ethiopian government should urgently support a credible, independent investigation into the killings, arbitrary arrests, and other abuses.
The 61-page report. “‘Such a Brutal Crackdown’: Killings and Arrests in Response to Ethiopia’s Oromo Protests,” details the Ethiopian government’s use of excessive and unnecessary lethal force and mass arrests, mistreatment in detention, and restrictions on access to information to quash the protest movement. Human Rights Watch interviews in Ethiopia and abroad with more than 125 protesters, bystanders, and victims of abuse documented serious violations of the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly by security forces against protesters and others from the beginning of the protests in November 2015 through May 2016.
“Ethiopian security forces have fired on and killed hundreds of students, farmers, and other peaceful protesters with blatant disregard for human life,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should immediately free those wrongfully detained, support a credible, independent investigation, and hold security force members accountable for abuses.”
Human Rights Watch found that security forces used live ammunition for crowd control repeatedly, killing one or more protesters at many of the hundreds of protests over several months. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have identified more than 300 of those killed by name and, in some cases, with photos.
The November protests were triggered by concerns about the government’s proposed expansion of the capital’s municipal boundary through the Addis Ababa Integrated Development Master Plan. Protesters feared that the Master Plan would displace Oromo farmers, as has increasingly occurred over the past decade, resulting in a negative impact on farm communities while benefiting a small elite.
As protests continued into December, the government deployed military forces for crowd-control throughout Oromia. Security forces repeatedly fired live ammunition into crowds with little or no warning or use of non-lethal crowd-control measures. Many of those killed have been students, including children under 18.
The federal police and military have also arrested tens of thousands of students, teachers, musicians, opposition politicians, health workers, and people who provided assistance or shelter to fleeing students. While many detainees have been released, an unknown number remain in detention without charge and without access to legal counsel or family members.
Witnesses described the scale of the arrests as unprecedented. Yoseph, 52, from the Wollega zone, said: “I’ve lived here for my whole life, and I’ve never seen such a brutal crackdown. There are regular arrests and killings of our people, but every family here has had at least one child arrested.”
Former detainees told Human Rights Watch that they were tortured or mistreated in detention, including in military camps, and several women alleged that they were raped or sexually assaulted. Some said they were hung by their ankles and beaten; others described having electric shocks applied to their feet, or weights tied to their testicles. Video footage shows students being beaten on university campuses. Despite the large number of arrests, the authorities have charged few individuals with any offenses. Several dozen opposition party members and journalists have been charged under Ethiopia’s draconian anti-terrorism law, while 20 students who protested in front of the United States embassy in Addis Ababa in March were charged with various offenses under the criminal code.
Access to education – from primary school to university – has been disrupted in many locations because of the presence of security forces in and around schools, the arrest of teachers and students, and many students’ fear of attending class. Authorities temporarily closed schools for weeks in some locations to deter protests. Many students told Human Rights Watch that the military and other security forces were occupying campuses and monitoring and harassing ethnic Oromo students.
There have been some credible reports of violence by protesters, including the destruction of foreign-owned farms, looting of government buildings, and other destruction of government property. However, the Human Rights Watch investigations into 62 of the more than 500 protests since November found that most have been peaceful.
The Ethiopian government’s pervasive restrictions on independent human rights investigations and media have meant that very little information is coming from affected areas. The Ethiopian government has also increased its efforts to restrict media freedom. Since mid-March [2016] it has restricted access to Facebook and other social media. It has also restricted access to diaspora television stations.
In January, the government announced the cancellation of the Master Plan. By then, however, protester grievances had widened due to the brutality of the government response.
While the protests have largely subsided since April, the government crackdown has continued, Human Rights Watch found. Many of those arrested over the past seven months remain in detention, and hundreds have not been located and are feared to have been forcibly disappeared. The government has not conducted a credible investigation into alleged abuses. Soldiers still occupy some university campuses and tensions remain high. The protests echo similar though smaller protests in Oromia in 2014, and the government’s response could be a catalyst for future dissent, Human Rights Watch said.
Ethiopia’s brutal crackdown warrants a much stronger, united response from concerned governments and intergovernmental organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said. While the European Parliament has passed a strong resolution condemning the crackdown and a resolution has been introduced in the United States Senate, these are exceptions in an otherwise severely muted international response to the crackdown in Oromia. The UN Human Rights Council should address these serious abuses, call for the release of those arbitrarily detained and support an independent investigation.
“Ethiopia’s foreign supporters have largely remained silent during the government’s bloody crackdown in Oromia,” Lefkow said. “Countries promoting Ethiopia’s development should press for progress in all areas, notably the right to free speech, and justice for victims of abuse.”
The status of the Oromo students whose US Embassy protest in March was deemed unlawful by the Ethiopian authorities has remained unchanged due to a delay in proceedings. Their dire situation is seen by many as an example of the harsh treatment handed out to the Oromo ethnic minority within Ethiopia, as well as an attempt to crush resistance to damaging policies from the governing body in Addis Ababa, such as the Addis Ababa Master Plan. The protests in Oromia and the authorities’ violent repression attracted some international attention in the past few months and led, among others, to a European Parliament Resolution.
The 20 Oromo students of Addis Ababa University who were arrested for protesting in front of the US embassy last march were brought to court today. The court having been summoned to hear recorded testimonies of witnesses against the students was required to delay proceedings because of the clerk responsible for transcribing the recorded material is on vacation.
Dozens of Oromo students protested in front of the US Embassy in March denouncing the brutal actions of the Ethiopian government against the Oromo protesters who are demanding greater constitutional rights (self-rule, control over resources & democracy) for the last for months.
The students made the demonstrations to bring the situation in Oromia to the attention of the US government, the leading donor to the Ethiopian government. The students were, however, attacked by the security forces, and the demonstration was dispersed. In connection with the demonstrations, 11 Oromo students have been detained and their whereabouts are still not known.
The Oromo people in Ethiopia have long complained of being marginalized. Addis Ababa expansion plans which sparked fresh protests have been scrapped but the conflict continues to simmer.
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken condemned the lethal violence used by the government of Ethiopia against hundreds of Oromo protesters. #OromoProtests
HRW: Foreign Policy In Focus: Deafening Silence from Ethiopia:The Ethiopian government is cracking down on journalists and NGOs. Where’s the outrage from the international community?
Why Have Oromo People Been Clashing With The Ethiopian Government For So Long? http://www.afrizap.com/en/why-have-oromo-people-been-clashing-with-the-ethiopian-government-for-so-long
France 24: Focus: Anger among Ethiopia’s Oromo boils over.
The Oromo people in Ethiopia have long complained of being marginalized. Addis Ababa expansion plans which sparked fresh protests have been scrapped but the conflict continues to simmer, as DW’s Merga Yonas explains.
Dispatches: Using Courts to Crush Dissent in Ethiopia
(HRW) — For the past six months, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromia, to protest alleged abuses by their government. The protests, unprecedented in recent years, have seen Ethiopia’s security forces use lethal force against largely peaceful protesters, killing hundreds and arresting tens of thousands more.
The government is inexorably closing off ways for Ethiopians to peacefully express their grievances, not just with bullets but also through the courts. In recent weeks, the Ethiopian authorities have lodged new, politically motivated charges against prominent opposition politicians and others, accusing them of crimes under Ethiopia’s draconian counterterrorism law.
Just last week, Yonatan Tesfaye Regassa, the head of public relations for the opposition Semayawi Party (the Blue Party), was charged with “planning, preparation, conspiracy, incitement and attempt” of a terrorist act. The authorities citied Yonatan’s Facebook posts about the protests as evidence; he faces 15 years to life in prison, if convicted.
In April, Bekele Gerba, deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Oromia’s largest registered political party, and 21 others, including many senior OFC members, were charged under the counterterrorism law, four months after their arrest on December 23, 2015. Bekele is accused of having links with the banned Oromo Liberation Front, a charge frequently used by the government to target ethnic Oromo dissidents and others. Deeply committed to nonviolence, Bekele has consistently urged the OFC to participate in elections despite the ruling party’s iron grip on the polls. Bekele and the others have described horrible conditions during their detention, including at thenotorious Maekalawi prison, where torture and other ill-treatment are routine.
The authorities also charged 20 university students under the criminal code for protesting in front of the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa in March, 2016. The “evidence” against them included a video of their protest and a list of demands, which included the immediate release of opposition leaders and others arrested for peaceful protests, and the establishment of an independent body to investigate and prosecute those who killed and injured peaceful protesters. They face three years in prison if convicted.
The Ethiopian government is sending a clear message when it charges peaceful protesters and opposition politicians like Bekele Gerba with terrorism. The message is that no dissent is tolerated, whether through social media, the electoral system, or peaceful assembly.
Ethiopia: Endless Injustices against Oromo Nation in the Name of Law Enforcement
HRLHA Press Release
May 3, 2016
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) strongly condemns the TPLF/EPRDF Government’s endless manipulations of the justice system to its own political ends, which was once again manifested in the fully fabricated allegations and charges filed against 22 (twenty-two) Oromo nationals. It surprised no one that the TPLF/EPRDF Government, as usual, used the infamous legal tool of the Anti-Terrorism Law, as a result of which thousands of innocent Oromos and other nationals have been victimized, to arrest, detain and take to court another batch of Oromo activists. These newest allegations and attempts of abusing the justice system are taking place following the months-long and region-wide public protests in Oromia; and are, undoubtedly, parts of the heavy-handed crackdown, which included the imposition of martial law in the Regional State in an effort to suppress the public anger and demands for change.
As described by some international legal analysts, the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism Law “… criminalizes basic human rights, especially freedom of speech and assembly. The law defines terrorism in an extremely broad and vague way so as to give the government enormous leeway to punish words and acts that would be perfectly legal in a democracy”. This is the reality that came into play in the case of these newly made allegations against 22 Oromo nationals.
According to documents obtained by HRLHA, the 22 Oromo nationals, including top political leaders of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress party, such as Mr. Bekele Gerba (Deputy Chairman) and Mr. DejeneTafa (Deputy Secretary General), Addisu Bulala and others have been charged with allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government by means of instigating a public revolt and protests as well as collaborating with other political organization called Oromo Liberation Front. The new creation in this case is that attempts were made to associate the officially registered and legally operating political parties like the OFC with opposition political organizations that were deemed outlaw by the Ethiopian Government in order to criminalize their legitimate existence and activities.
From left to right, Bekele Gerba, Djene Tafa, Addisu Bulala & others
It is so unfortunate that Mr. Bekele Gerba is being subjected to such politically and racially motivated injustice and the resultant sufferings in Ethiopian substandard jails for the second time in a matter of two years.
The HRLHA has ample documents that hundreds of thousands of innocent Oromos and members of other nationalities have already fallen victims of such injustices and dictatorship committed particularly using this Anti-Terrorism Law, described by some as “a tool to stifle dissent”, as a legal weapon.
Local, regional and international communities have repeatedly witnessed over the past twenty-five years that the TPLF/EPRDF Government of Ethiopia misuses the political power, the justice system, and other public resources to silence and/or eliminate all forms of oppositions and political descents, despite the constitutionally declared democracy, in order to ensure monopoly and lasting partisan political goals. But, no tangible and effective actions are taken so far to make the Ethiopian Government refrain from punishing its own citizens just for exercising or attempting to exercise some of their basic and constitutionally provided democratic rights.
The HRLHA, first of all, calls upon the Ethiopian Government to unconditionally release these Oromo nationals detained and charges for allegedly committing acts of terrorism; as their words and/or acts are undoubtedly legal and, above all, constitutional. HRLHA also calls upon the international community’s so that they condemn the Ethiopian Government, acts of injustices against innocent citizens, and request that these unjustly detained and falsely charged Oromos are freed unconditionally.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to the Ethiopian Government and its concerned officials as swiftly as possible, in English, Amharic, or your own language expressing:
For the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners illegally detained
Urging the Ethiopian authorities to ensure that these detainees would be treated in accordance with the regional and international standards on the treatment of prisoners,
Copied To:
TheUS Department of State Secretary
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The UN Human Rights Commissioner
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U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken condemned the lethal violence used by the government of Ethiopia against hundreds of Oromo protesters. #OromoProtests
HRW: Foreign Policy In Focus: Deafening Silence from Ethiopia:The Ethiopian government is cracking down on journalists and NGOs. Where’s the outrage from the international community?
Why Have Oromo People Been Clashing With The Ethiopian Government For So Long? http://www.afrizap.com/en/why-have-oromo-people-been-clashing-with-the-ethiopian-government-for-so-long
France 24: Focus: Anger among Ethiopia’s Oromo boils over.
Growing public dissatisfaction with ‘rent seeking’ and corruption in the ruling party and government culminated recently in the unprecedented Oromo protests.
Oromia & Ethiopia: #OromoProtests: With whom are the European Union, the United States, and the African Union Officials meeting to discuss and end the exclusion and marginalization of the Oromo people in Ethiopia? April 8, 2016
This is a hand written defense statement of Okello Ukuay, former president of Gambella region who was recently sentenced to 9 years imprisonment. In this defense statement he explains that he left his presidency in 2004 because Meles Zenawi and his regime pressured him to lie saying the massacre of over 400 people in the region was caused by enter-ethnic conflict between Agnuak and Nuer groups.Instead he asserts that the massacre was planned by TPLF leaders and carried out by the army. Okello also claims that the Ehtiopian regime was able to capture him in Juba ( South Sudan) by paying 23 million dollars to buy him and 6 Oromo refugees. This is an interesting read which gives us some insight about the ongoing conflict and mass killing in Gambella region. Source: Social Media and Jawar Mohammed
(SBO Bitootessa 19 Bara 2016) Koongirasiin Amarikaa Dhimma Dhiitamiinsa Mirga Dhala Namaa Oromiyaa keessatti geggeeffama jiru irratti bakka ummatin oromoo BiyyaAmarikaa Kutaa Bulchiinsa gara garaa, Biyya Kanadaa kutaa Ontaarihoo Magaalaa Ottawaa fi Torontoo argamanitti rakkoo Saba oromoo irra mootummaa TPLFn gahaa jiru dhaggeeffachuun mootummaan Amarikaa dhimma kana kan yeroo kamii caalaa xiyyeeffanaa itti kennuun akka faana bu’anu Kongiras Tom Lantos dubbatan.ummatin kumaatamaan waltti dhufe kun Daandiiwwan Washington DC gurgguddoo cufsiisuun Hiriira Nagaa guddaas geggeeffataniiru.
“There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. The Oromo’s time has come. What the Oromo did yesterday in Washington honored the sacrifices of the #OromoProtests in Oromia.”
Bonnie Holcomb
https://www.oromiamedia.org/2016/04/07/omn-oduu-ebla-7-2016/https://youtu.be/uwHhhlkGwBg#OromoProtests in Limmuu Saqaa, Jimmaa, Oromia, 7 April 2016#OromoProtests, 8 April 2016The administrative harassment of Oromo university students continues. Here is a notice in Amharic to a number of Jimma University Oromo students. Intimidating students into submission by threatening to dismiss them on political grounds is an old tactic used by authorities.
And yet THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES. Source: Tsegaye Ararsa, on social media
Qeerroon biyaa ambaa Bosaaso jiran mormii sanii dhageessisan. #OromoProtests 7 April 2016#OromoProtests, 7 April 2016 in Hirna, West Hararge, 3 people including Beyan Abas were shot and wounded. The people protested and disrupted celebration of OPDO’s 26th founding anniversary. Similar protest have been taking place all across the province in towns and rural areas of Xullo, Dobba, Daro Labu, Miesso and Burqa Tinitu districts.
Mormii Ebla 7 bara 2016 aanaa xuulloo magaalaa Hirnaatti godhamerrati namooni hedduun miidhamani akka jiranii fi kanis hidhamani akka jiran beekamee jira. Warra rasaasaan rukutame keessaa tokko Bayaan Abbaa kan jedhamu yoo ta’u yeroo ammaa kana hospitaal Ciroo keessatti waldhaanamaa jira. Mormiin kun ayyaana OPDO kan 26 hin feenu jechuun kan ka’e yoo ta’u aanaalee godinachaa hedduu keessatti godhamaa jira. Jiraattonni anaanalee Xuulloo, Mi’eessoo, Daaro Labuu, Doobbaafi Burqaa Tindhitu keessatti mormiin akka jiru gabaasni nu gahe ni garsiisa.
Qabsoon Ummanni Oromoo mirga abbaa biyyummaa, Bilisummaa fi Walabummaa isaatiif gaggeessaa jiru gulantaa murteessaa irra gahuu, haalli Oromiyaa keessaa sirriitti agarsiisa. Sochiin warraaqsaa ummanni Oromoo gaggeessaa jiru gootummaa, bilchina jaarmayaa fi tooftaan akkasumas Impaayerattii keessattis tahe naannawa Gaanfa Afrikaatti fakkeenya murteessaa tahuu ummata Oromoo dirreetti baasee agarsiiseera. Keessumaa dhaloonni haaraan Gabrummaan Nu irratti Xumura Argachuu Qaba jechuun gootummaa fi murannoon bilisummaa Oromoo mirkaneessuuf muxannoo qabsoo fi jaarmayaa hunda sochoosaa agarsiisaa jiran lammiif abdii, mootummaa gabroomfataaf ammoo naasuu akka malee itti ta’e.Wayta ammaa kana goleen Oromiyaa fincilaa fi mormii hin keessummeessine hin jiru jechuun ni danda’ama. Magaalotaa fi baadiyyaalee Oromiyaa keessaa sagalee fedhii bilisummaa fi mormii gabrummaatu dhaga’ama. Alaabaa ABO waggoottan kudhanoota dabran goototni kumaatamni hedduun irratti wareegamanii asiin gahan tan faajjii bilisummaa taate qabatanii hiriira bahuu fi bakkoota addaa addaatti fannisanii balaliisuun, alaabaa Impaayerattii mallattoo gabrummaa taate irra ol kaasanii aduun gabroomsaa dhihuu, bilisummaan Oromoo dhiyaatuu labsaa jiru. Walumaagalatti warraaqsa gabrummaatti xumura gochuu akeekkatetu wareegama ilmaan oromoo qaqqaaliidhaan guutuu Oromiyaatti gaggeeffamaa jira.
Oromian Economist 
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