Saturday, October 29, 2016

“መፍራትና መጠንቀቅ ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው ሀገር የሚያፈርሱትን ነው”

ከስራ አምስት አመት በፊት ነው ኤዴፓ በቅሎ ቤት በሚገኘው ጽ/ቤቱ  እለተ ግንቦት 20ን አስመልክቶ አንድ ፕሮግራም አዘጋጅቶ ተገኝተናል፡፡ ከተናጋሪዎቹ አንዱ የነበሩት የወቅቱ የፓርቲው ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር አድማሱ ገበየሁ ባደረጉት ንግገር ውስጥ  መፍራትና መጠንቅ ካለብን ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው እኛኑ መስለውና ተመሳስለው ሀገር የሚያፈርሱትን በመካከላችን የሚገኙትን ነው የሚለው አረፍተ ነገር  በአእምሮየ ተቀርጾ አብሮኝ ይኖራል ፡፡
ከሰፊው ኢትዮጵያዊ ማእድ ይልቅ በትንሽ ገበታ መብላት አስመኝቶአቸው ይህንኑ ያሳካልናል ባሉት መንገድ የሚደነቃቀፉትም ሆኑ ዛሬ እየሞተ ካለው ወገናቸው ሞት ይልቅ የዛሬ መቶ አመት ተፈጸመ የሚሉት በፈጠራ ድርሰት የተቀባባ በደል የሚያማቸውና  በዛን ዘመን ተፈጸመ ለሚሉት ዛሬ ማንን አንደሚበቀሉ ባይታወቅም ለበቀል ያሰፈሰፉ፣ ለመለየት የሚጣደፉ ሌሎችም ሰበብ ምክንያት እየፈጠሩ ኢትዮጵዊነትን የሚያኮስሱና ከቻሉም ሊያጠፉ የሚከጅሉ ወያኔን ጨምሮ በንግግራቸውም በተግባራቸውም ይታወቃሉና ሀገር የማፍረስ አደጋቸው አምብዛም ነው፡፡
የእነዚህ አደጋ ሊከፋም ሊሰፋም የሚችለው ኢትዮጵያን የሚለው ወገን እነዚህን ወገኖች በደንብ ለይቶ አውቆና ተጠንቅቆ ተባብሮና ተጠናክሮ ህልማቸው እንዳይሳካ መስራት ካልቻለ ብቻ ነው፡፡ ከላይ የተጠቀሱት ቅዱስ አስተሳሰብ የራቃቸው ወጎኖች በቆጥር ትንሽ፣ ራእያቸው ጠባብ፣ ፍላጎታቸው ከራስ ጥቅም መሻት ያልዘለለና አንወክለዋለን የሚሉትን የህብረተሰብ ክፍል አንኳን የማያማክል በመሆኑ ኢትዮጵያን የሚለው ወገን ካልተዘናጋና እሱም ርስ በርሱ መስማማት ተስኖት ምቹ ሁኔታ ካልፈጠራለቸው በስተቀረ በምንም መልኩ ህልማቸው ሊሳካ ቀርቶ ስጋት ሊሆኑ አይችሉም፡፡
በወያኔ አብዮት ማግስት በተፈጠረ የፖለቲካ ስካር አሁን ከምንሰማቸው የባሱ ነገሮች በመንግሥት መገናኛ ብዙኃን ሳይቀር ሲነገሩ ሰምተናል፤ተጽፎ አንብበናል፡፡ ግና ስካሩ ሲበርድ እንኳን ንግግሩ ተናጋሪዎቹ በቦታቸው አልተገኙም፡፡ እናም አንድ ነገር በተከሰተ ቁጥር ፍላጎታቸው የሚሳካ የሚመስላቸው ቅዠታሞች በየመድረኩ ቅዠታቸውን ቢናገሩና መሰሎቻቸው ቢያጨበጭቡላቸው እነርሱንም ሆነ ተከታዮቻቸውን ይበልጥ አንድናውቃቸውና ቀይ መስመር ውስጥ አንድናስቀምጣቸው ይረዳናል አንጂ ስጋት ሊሆኑን አይችሉም፡፡ እንደውም አንዲህ አይነቶቹን ሌሎቹንም ሰዎች ይበልጥ አንዲታወቁ በየመድረኩ እየጋበዙ ማናገር ነው፡፡ አበው ሆድ ያባውን ብቅል ያወጣዋል እንዲሉ የፖለቲከኛ ሆድ ያባውን የሚያወጣው ጭብጨባ ነውና   የውስጣቸውን አንድም ሳያስቀሩ አንዲናገሩ በጭብጨባ ማሰከር ነው፡፡ ከዛ በደንብ እናውቃቸዋለን ባወቅናቸው መጠንም አንጠነቀቃቸዋለን እንጠብቃቸዋለን ፡፡ ሰው የሚያስቸግረው ማንነቱና ምንነቱ እስኪታወቅ ነው ይባል የለ!
ይልቅ በንቃት መከታተል ቃል ከተግባር እየመዘንን መለየት ያለብን ዶ/ር አድማሱ ገበየሁ ከአስራ አምስት ዓመት በፊት አንደተናገሩት ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው ሀገር ለማፍረስ ወስጥ ውስጡን የሚያደቡትን፡፡ እንደዚህ አይነቶቹ ሰዎች ወገኔ ተበደለ፣ ሀገሬ ተጠቃ፣ ብለው እንባ ለማንባት የሚገዳቸው አይደሉም፡፡ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሶ ለመፎከር ወያኔን ጥንብ ርኩሱን እያወጡ ለመስደብ ወደር አይገኝላቸውም፡፡
ይህን አድራታቸውን እያየንና እየሰማን ከእነርሱ ወዲያ ሀገር ወዳድ ለአሳር ከእነርሱ በላይ ታጋይ ከየት ሊገኝ ወዘተ በማለት አድናቆታችንን እየገለጽን ከሆኑት አይደለም ፈጽሞ ሊሆኑት ከሚችሉት በላይ እያሞገስንና እያወደሰን እውነተኛ ማንነታቸውን ለመደበቅ  ከሚለብሱት ሰንደቅ ዓላማ በላይ ከፍተኛ ሽፋን አንሰጣቸዋለን፡፡እናም ሳናውቅ እየተከተልናቸው ብቻ ሳይሆን እየደገፍናቸው ሀገር ለማፍረሰ ይህም ባይሆን የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ከአገዛዝ አንዳይላቀቅ ለሚፈጽሙት ድብቅ ዓላማቸው አባሪ ተባባሪ ስንሆን ኖረናል፣ አሁንም እንደዛው ያሉ ብዙዎች ይኖራሉ፡፡
እስቲ ዛሬ በዚህ ወሳኝ ወቅት ሳንደባበቅ ደፈር ብለን ለመነጋገር እንሞክር፡፡ ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሶ የሚፎክረው፣ በወያኔ ላይ የውግዘት የቃላት ናዳ የሚያወርደው፣ ወያኔ ዜጎችን በገደለ ቁጥር ያዙኝ ልቀቁኝ የሚለው ወዘተ ሁሉ በርግጥ ለሀገር ነጻነትና ለዴሞክራሲያዊ ሥርዓት ግንባታ የሚታገል ቢሆን ኖሮ፤ ዛሬ በምንገኝበት ሁኔታና ደረጃ እንገኘ ነበር፡፡
በእውነት ሰንደቅ ኣላማ ለብሶ ኢትዮጵያዊነትን የሚዘምረው ሁሉ ሀያ አምት ዓመታት በህዝብ ላይ የተፈጸመው ይቅርና  በዚህ አንድ መት የተፈጸመው ግድያ እስራትና ማሰቃየት የሚያመው ቢሆን ኖሮ ተቀዋሚዎች አሁን በዚህ ወቅት በሚገኙበት ደረጃ ላይ መገኘት ነበረባቸው፡፡
ሰንድቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው  የምናያቸው ፖለቲከኞች በቃላት እየደለሉ በተግባር ግን  ከሚናገሩት ተቃራኒ ዓላማ የሚያራምዱ ካልሆኑ በአደባባይ ለሚናገሩት ለአንዲት ኢትዮጵያ ነጻነትና ሁሉንም በእኩልነት የሚያስተዳድር ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሥርዓት ለመመስረት ይህን ያህል ፓርቲ/ድርጅት ያስፈልግ ነበር፡፡ በአንድ ብሄር ስም ሶስት አራት ድርጅት፣ ተመሳሳይ ሀገራዊ ፕሮግራም ጽፎ በሰዎች ምክንያት ሶስት አራት ፓርቲ መመስረት ይገባ ነበረ፣ ይህን አድርገው ደግሞ  መልሰው የእኛ አንድ አለመሆን ነው የወያኔን እድሜ ያራዘመው በማለት ያደነቁሩናል፡፡ በዚህም ፕሮፓጋንዳ ራሳቸውን ተባብሮ የመስራት ፈላጊ አድርገው በሌሎች ላይ ጣት ለመቀሰር ቅድሚያውን የሚወስዱትና በድፍረት የሚናገሩት እነዚሁ በዶ/ር አድማሱ ገለጻ ሰንደቅ ኣላማ ለብሰው ሀገር የሚያፈርሱ የተባሉቱ ናቸው፡፡
ያላችሁት በዝታችኋል፣ በተናጠልም መጠናከር ተስኖአችኋል የምትነግሩን የምታምኑበትን ከሆነ ኮከባችሁ የሚገጥም እየተመራረጣችሁ ተባበሩ ተብሎ ልመናም ጫናም ተደርጎ  ህብረት ፈጠርን ቅንጅት መሰረትን ይሉና  የዚህም መሪ ተዋናይ እነርሱ አንደሆኑ አድርገው ከተግባሩ ፕሮፓጋንዳውን አግዝፈው ይነግሩንና ውለው ሳያድሩ ወደ እምነታቸው ተመልሰው የተገናኘውን ሲያላያዩ የተባበረውን ሲፈርሱ ይገኛሉ፡፡እነርሱ ያልገቡበት ህብረት ከተፈጠረም ከዳር ሆነው ውግዘታቸው ትችታቸው ሲብስም ውንጀላቸው አያድርስ ነው፡፡ ደጋፊዎቻቸውም የሚነገራቸውን ለማስማት አንጂ የሚሰራውን ለማየት አይናቸውን አይገልጡምና እገሌን ያላከተተ ህብረት አነ እገሌ የሌሉበት ቅንጅት ወዘተ በማለት መሪዎቻቸውን ተከትለው የቃላት አረራቸውን ይተኩሳሉ፡፡ ተረዳድተውም ለማደናቀፍ ይሰራሉ፡፡
በአንድ በኩል  ብዙዎችን ወደ ጥቂቶች ለመቀነስ ሲደከም በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ አንዳንዶች አንድ ፓርቲ የነበሩት  አንደ አሜባ ራሳቸውን እያባዙ አንዳንዶች ደግሞ እኛስ ከማን እናንሳለን በሚል ስሜት በሚመስል አዲስ ፓርቲ እየፈጠሩ ልዩነቱን ያሰፉታል ችግሩን ያባብሱታል፡፡ ትግሉ ወደ ፊት ከወያኔ ጋር መሆኑ ይቀርና ሰበብ ምክንያት እየተፈጠረ የጎንዮሽ ይሆናል፡፡
ወያኔ ተንገዳግዶ ላለመውደቅ የመጨረሻ አማራጭ ያለውን  የአስቸኳይ ግዜ አዋጅ ባወጀበት በዚህ ወቅት በተቃውሞ ጎራ የተሰለፉት ወገኖች ሁሉም ለሀገር ነጻነትና ለዴሞክራሲዊ ሥርዓት ከሆነ ትግላቸው  ወያኔ ከተንገዳገደበት መልሶ እንዳይቃና እነርሱም ትግላቸውን ማቀናጀት ካልሆነም የጎንዮሹን ትግል ማቆም የሚያስችል ለስድስት ወራት የሚቆይ የአስቸኳይ ግዜ አዋጅ/ስምምነት ማውጣት በቻሉ ነበር፡፡ ግን ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው ሀገር ለማፍረስ የሚሰሩ፣የነጻነት ታጋይ መስለው ለወያኔ እድሜ መርዘም የሚጥሩ፣የዴሞክራሲ ናፋቂ መስለው ከራስ በላይ የማያስቡ አሉና በሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ወገኖቻቸንን ሞት በየመድረኩ እየደሰኮሩ እነርሱ ግን ከነበሩበት አንድ ርምጃ ወደ ፊት መራመድ አልቻሉም፡፡
ኢትዮጵውያን ከወያኔ አገዛዝ እንዳንላቀቅ  የሚያደርጉን ከዚህም አልፎ እኔ ከሌለሁ ኢትዮጵያ ትበታተናለች የሚለው የወያኔ ማስፈራሪያ እውን የመሆን አጋጣሚ እንዲያገኝ የሚሰሩ፣ ኢትዮጵያ ትበታተን ብለው በአደባባይ የሚነግሩን ሳይሆኑ ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው ሳይታወቅና ሳይነቃባቸው ሀገር የማፍረስ ተግባር ላይ የተሰማሩት ናቸው፡፡ ስለሆነም ከፍሬያቸው ታውቁዋቸዋላችሁ ተብሎ አንደተጻፈው  ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው በመታየታቸው ወይንም  በማራኪ ቃላቶቻቸውና በአዞ እንባቸው ሳንታለል በተግባራቸው እንመዝናቸው አንለያቸው አንወቃቸው፡፡ ሳናውቃቸው የእኩይ ተግባራቸው ተባባሪ በመሆን ከኋላ ጸጸትና የአብሮ ተጠያቂነት ለመዳን መፍራትም መጠንቀቅም ያለብን በአደባባይ ወጥተው ቅዠታቸውን የሚነግሩንን ሳይሆን ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ለብሰው ከእነርሱ በላይ ሀገር ወዳድ ታጋይ የሚባልላቸውን ነው፡፡

Ethiopian Unrest Hits Country’s Tourism Industry

Ethiopia’s tourism sector is suffering. The impact of a year of violent protests and state of emergency has led to a decline in tourists visiting the country. Ethiopia had been showing signs of becoming a popular new tourism destination in recent years, attracting people not only for its historical sights, but also for its reputation as one of the safest African countries.
Soldiers intimidating festival participants in the town of Bishoftu.
Rock churches in the historical town of Lalibela, in northern Ethiopia, attract thousands of tourists each year. But the six-month state of emergency declared three weeks ago by the government to deal with months of protests is scaring away tourists.
Belayneh Mengesha is a Lalibela tour guide who was born and raised in the town. He says October is usually the start of the high season but not this year.
“Unfortunately, because of this problems happening in some parts of the country, some just have already cancelled their trips to Ethiopia,” said Mengesha.
Belayneh also says tourism is a source of income, directly or indirectly, for many citizens of Lalibela. Meaning that any decrease of visitors affects the entire community, even though Lalibela has not been hit by the protests and demonstrations.
Oromo and Amahar demonstrators took to the streets to protest the land disputes with the government.
Bram van Loonsbroek flies air balloons over the Oromia region and had to cancel several flights after the state of emergency was declared. He says customers are concerned about their safety and want to stay away from ares with unrest.
“We don’t have anything to do with potential land discussion. Because we land, we pack the balloon and we are back again,” said Loonsbroek. “We do give some landing fee to the farmers. And that’s what we try to do to comfort the passengers to explain simply how we work.”
Ethiopia has seen the number of tourists steadily increase in the last decade. But any development disturbing the reputation of a tourist destination takes a long time to rebuild. The ongoing protests in Ethiopia resulted in clashes with security forces and hundreds of deaths.
Stephen Richer is of Skål International, a global association promoting tourism. He says because it can be so easy for rumors and misinformation to spread, authorities need to be transparent and clearly communicate the situation so visitors can make good decisions.
“So for example, the Ebola was in West Africa and how people stopped going to South Africa, because they didn’t know the facts,” said Richer. “So there is a messaging challenge here, which is, start telling people right away what is accurate. Don’t sugarcoat it.”
Several tour operators say they have about 50 percent less business than last year and some actually welcome the state of emergency in the hope that the protests will quickly stop and tourists will return.

Monday, October 10, 2016

UN rights office calls for independent inquiry following numerous deaths at an Ethiopian festival

(UN News Centre) – Expressing concern at increasing unrest in several Ethiopian towns following deaths of a number of people in unclear circumstances in the country’s Bishoftu town, the United Nations human rights arm has called on protesters to exercise restraint and on security forces to conduct themselves in line with international human rights laws and standards.Our town of Bishoftu has been turned into a scene of blood bath.
“The protests have apparently been fuelled in part by a lack of trust in the authorities’ account of events, as well as wildly differing information about the death toll and the conduct of security forces,” Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told journalists at a regular press briefing at the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG).
“There is clearly a need for an independent investigation into what exactly transpired last Sunday and to ensure accountability for this and several other incidents since last November involving protests that have ended violently,” he added.
According to OHCHR, last Sunday, a number of people died after “falling in ditches or into the Arsede lake” while ostensibly fleeing security forces following a protest at the Irrecha religious festival in Bishoftu, located in the Oromia region, about 50 kilometres south-east of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. These incidents have caused increased unrest in several other towns in the region.
Furthermore, drawing attention to the cutting off access to mobile data services in parts of the country, including in Addis Ababa, the OHCHR spokesperson urged the Government to address the increasing tensions, including “by allowing independent observers to access the Oromia and Amhara regions to speak to all sides and assess the facts.”
He recalled that in August this year, High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had requested access to the regions to enable OHCHR to provide assistance in line with the African nation’s human rights obligations. “We again appeal to the Government to grant us access,” Mr. Colville underscored.
Also at the briefing, the OHCHR spokesperson expressed concern at reports of mass arrests in the Oromia and Amhara regions.
He further noted that two bloggers – Seyoum Teshoume and Natnael Feleke – the latter from the blogging collective Zone 9, were arrested this week, for reportedly “loudly discussing” the responsibility of the Government for the deaths at last Sunday’s festival in Oromia.
“We urge the Government to release those detained for exercising their rights to free expression and opinion,” said Mr. Colville, adding, “Silencing criticism will only deepen tensions.”

Ethiopia declares state of emergency amid protests

(BBC) — Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency following months of anti-government protests by members of the country’s two largest ethnic groups.
Hailemariam Desalegn
Hailemariam Desalegn
The Oromo and the Amhara make up about 60% of the population. They complain power is held by a tiny Tigrean elite.
Violence has intensified since last Sunday when at least 55 people were killed in clashes between police and protesters at an Oromo festival.
Hundreds have died in months of protests, human rights groups say.
Tens of thousands have also been detained, they say.
Declaring the state of emergency, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in a televised address: “We put our citizens’ safety first. Besides, we want to put an end to the damage that is being carried out against infrastructure projects, education institutions, health centres, administration and justice buildings.”
The state of emergency will last for six months.
BBC World Service Africa editor Mary Harper says the violent protests are the most serious threat to Ethiopian stability in a quarter of a century.
The protesters have been attacking foreign companies, she says, threatening Ethiopia’s reputation as a growing economy, ripe for international investment.
The details of the state of emergency remain unclear, but she adds that protesters have already shown they will not back down when faced with force.
Many roads into and out of the capital, Addis Ababa, are blocked by protesters.
The protests are for manifold reason, and include:
  • Muslims unhappy at the imposition of government-approved leaders
  • Farmers displaced to make way for commercial agriculture
  • Amharic communities opposed to their inclusion in Tigre rather than the Amhara region
  • Discontent among groups in various parts of the vast Oromia region
In the most recent unrest in Oromia, at least 55 people were killed in a stampede triggered by clashes between police and demonstrators at the annual Ireecha celebrations – a traditional Oromo seasonal festival.
Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters angered at their handling of the event, witnesses told the BBC.
Protesters say violence by the security forces led to the stampede, but the PM denied security forces had opened fire.
Correspondents say that while the ruling coalition has some solid achievements to show for its 25 years in power, it has been unable to manage the transition from being a secretive revolutionary movement to running an open, democratic government.
Amharic domination, under Ethiopia’s former military government and emperors, was replaced by Tigrean leadership following the overthrow of long-serving ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.

Monday, October 3, 2016

     





Media captionFootage shows a huge protest and a panicked stampede

Fifty-two people were killed and many more injured in Ethiopia's Oromia region during a protest at a religious festival, the government says.
Some died in a stampede after police employed tear gas, rubber bullets and baton charges, witnesses said.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said rioters had caused "pre-planned mayhem" that led people to fall to their deaths in ravines.
He denied reports that the security forces had opened fire.
In a national address on state TV, he praised their "great efforts" to protect the public and blamed "evil forces" for the deaths, vowing to bring to justice those responsible..
Thousands had gathered for the religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.
Some reports said police responded after anti-government protesters threw stones and bottles, but others said demonstrators were entirely peaceful.
An Oromo activist, Jawar Mohamed, was quoted as saying that nearly 300 people had been killed and many more injured. He said troops and a helicopter gunship had opened fire, driving people off a cliff and into a lake.

Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters during Irreecha, the thanks giving festival of the Oromo people in Bishoftu town of Oromia region, Ethiopia, October 2Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionSecurity forces said they were responding to protesters throwing bottles and stones
Demonstrators chant slogans while flashing the Oromo protest gesture during Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival of the Oromo people, in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia, 2 October 2016.Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionBut many said the demonstrators were protesting peacefully about political and economic marginalisation
Injured protesters in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia, October 2Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThe US had already expressed concern about excessive use of force against protesters before Sunday's violence

There has been a series of deadly clashes in Ethiopia in recent months.
People in the Oromia and Amhara regions have complained about political and economic marginalisation.
The US has expressed concern about what it termed the excessive use of force against protesters.

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Crowds at Sunday's Oromo festival, which AP news agency said had attracted two million people, chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", witnesses said.
Some participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo protests.
The unrest was sparked last November by a plan to expand the capital into Oromia. This led to fears that farmers from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in Ethiopia, would be displaced.
The plan was later dropped but protests continued, highlighting issues such as marginalisation and human rights.

Ethiopia: OLF Press Release on Irreecha Massacre

Press Release

Irrecha Massacre of 2016 by TPLF Regime is a day of Infamy for Oromo people

Irrecha Massacre of 2016 by TPLF Regime is a day of Infamy for Oromo people
The TPLF has committed genocide against Oromo people by murdering in a broad day light peaceful people who gathered at Bishoftu to Celebrate Irrecha, the Oromo National Thanks Giving Festival celebration on October 2, 2016. The TPLF attacked peaceful people on the ground and from the air by killing hundreds and wounding thousands. At Irrecha, Oromo from all corners of Oromiya dressing their cultural clothes and caring olive branch as sign of peace and prosperity get together to celebrate their national holiday.
The TPLF fascist regime which intoxicated with the blood of innocent Oromo people for the last 25 years, particularly for the last 11 months has ordered its army on the ground and the Helicopter from the air to attack peaceful innocent people who gathered at Hora Arsadi, Bishoftu for national Irrecha Celebration.
The Oromo Liberation Front strongly condemns this callous massacre by the TPLF Regime , and resolute that the TPLF regime will be accountable for the genocide it has committed against Oromo people who came together from all corners of Oromiya to Celebrate and thank their Almighty at Hora Arsadi , Bishoftu, Oromiya.
The murderous regime of TPLF should know that it will not control oromiya and its resources by killing its people. The glorious Oromo people will hunt the TPLF Regime down to make sure that they will pay for all crimes they have committed against Oromo people in particular and Ethiopian peoples in general.
We call upon all Oromo and other political organizations to be united to dismantle The TPLF callous & fascist regime. There remains no moral or legal justification to demand the respect of people’s rights from the regime that used machine guns on the ground and on the air against peace full people. All Ethiopian people should use all means necessary to dismantle the genocidal and murderous TPLF regime and its collaborators.
The OLF will do everything to make sure the TPLF will not get away with all crimes it has been committing against peoples in Ethiopia, and especially the mass murder it has committed against Oromo people at Irrecha National Thanks giving Holiday on October 2, 2016.
Victory to the Oromo People
Oromo Liberation Front
October 2, 2016

Ethiopia Human Rights Abuses Spark U.S. Congressional Action

U.S. Representatives push for legislation targeting Ethiopia after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch document human rights abuses.

by J. David Thompson | Lima Charlie
A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives has proposed legislation targeted at the government of Ethiopia, after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented hundreds of cases of alleged human rights abuses.House Resolution 861, titled “Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia,” was introduced by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Al Green (D-TX), Mike Coffman (R-CO), and Eliot Engel (D-NY).
Protesters chant slogans in Addis Ababa August 6, 2016.
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, 2016.
© 2016 Reuters
“It is an abomination when any country tortures its own citizens,” said Rep. Smith, at a September 13th press conference on Capitol Hill. The human rights abuses, waged primarily against the Oromo and Amhara populations, have come to light despite Ethiopian authorities efforts preventing independent screeners from conducting transparent investigations.
The Resolution condemns the killing of peaceful protesters, the arrest and detention of students, journalists, and political leaders, and the stifling of political dissent under the guise of “counterterrorism.”
Ethiopia is a strategic ally of the United States. The country headquarters the 54 nation African Union, and, critical to U.S. interests, assists in counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda aligned jihadi terrorist group based in Somalia. Ethiopia is also host to a staggering 750,000 refugees from the war torn region.
In a press statement Rep. Ellison said, “While Ethiopia is an important ally for the United States, continuing to let the Ethiopian government oppress its own people will only further destabilize the region. We must do all we can to ensure that the human rights of all Ethiopians are respected.” Rep. Smith added, “A valuable contributor to global peacekeeping missions, growing unrest in Ethiopia in reaction to human rights violations by the government threaten to destabilize a nation counted on to continue its role on the international scene”.
Resolutions, like the one proposed, tend to be more of an opinion that often do little in themselves because they lack the political leverage to prompt much action. They often fail to hold allied nations to a standard of conduct, as countries and international organizations are hesitant to regulate how other nations behave within their own borders.
The bill expressly calls on the government of Ethiopia to end the use of excessive force by security forces; hold security forces accountable after a full, credible, transparent investigation; release dissidents, activists, and journalists who have been imprisoned for exercising constitutional rights; respect freedom of assembly and freedom of the press; engage with citizens on development; allow the United Nations to conduct independent examinations; repeal certain proclamations limiting inclusive growth; and investigate shootings and a fire on September 3, that killed 23 people at a prison housing high-profile politicians.
Noteworthy, is that the bill also seeks to apply financial and other pressure towards the government, by calling for the Secretary of State to “conduct a review of security assistance to Ethiopia” and “improve transparency” with respect to such assistance, and to “improve oversight and accountability of United States assistance to Ethiopia”.

Oromo and Amhara protesters call for equitable rights, August 6, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
Oromo and Amhara protesters call for equitable rights, August 6, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Despite the good intention of the bill, critics highlight that it doesn’t go far enough. Henok Gabisa, a visiting Academic Fellow and faculty member at Washington and Lee University School of Law, stated in a personal interview:
“H.RES.861 is generally a good gesture from the United States Congress. It is very specific in a sense that it points out the consistent and constant patterns of corrosion of civil and economic liberties in the country. It also seems to give scrupulous attention to the marginalized groups who remain on the receiving end of the pain. That is really great. Nonetheless, owing to the mammoth financial aid transported to Ethiopian government by the U.S. under their bilateral security partnership, H. RES. 861 failed to deploy the political leverage of the [United States Government], and as a result it is nowhere nearer to fulfilling the goal it promises. In fact, Resolutions by merit are just declaratory statements or positions of a government. They may not be considered law in a positivist school of law. Yet again, H.RES.861 has no teeth to bite those who fail to comply the soft obligations it enumerated under the last sections 3-6.”
Experts give the bill a 32% chance of getting past the Foreign Affairs Committee and a 29% chance of being agreed to completely. Comparatively, from 2013-2015, 46% of simple resolutions made it past committee.
In a country of over 86 million, Oromos and Amharas constitute the two largest ethnic groups, combining for over 61% of the population. Yet, they are the most politically marginalized and economically disenfranchised. In 2015 Ethiopia’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, won every seat in parliament despite little ethnic diversity. The EPRDF has remained in power since the overthrow of Ethiopia’s military government in 1991.
Lima Charlie News, by J. David Thompson
J David Thompson (US Army) is a Juris Doctor candidate at Washington & Lee University School of Law focusing on International Human Rights Law. He is a Veterans in Global Leadership Fellow, and brings experience on human rights, international relations, strengthening civil society, refugee issues, interagency collaboration, and countering violent extremism. Prior to Washington & Lee, he served in the US Army as a Military Police officer and Special Operations Civil Affairs with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and one to Jordan—receiving a Bronze Star amongst other decorations. In Jordan, David worked at the US Embassy in countering violent extremism, strengthening civil society, and refugee response with other United States Government organizations, the United Nations, and various non-governmental organizations.