The Human Rights Situation in Ethiopia Deteriorated Rapidly After the New PM Came to Power
HRLHA Statement
Ethiopians and the friends of Ethiopia have recently witnessed two major changes taking place in the country particularly in relation to honoring and protecting human rights. One is the replacement of Mr. Meles Zenawi, whose government tightly restricted fundamental human rights and severely punished those who attempted to exercise some of their basic freedoms, by another prime minister. The other change is Ethiopia's election to the United Nations' Human Rights Council.
Following those changes, again Ethiopians and their friends expected some kinds of improvements in terms of human rights situations in the country. There have been reasons why improvements were expected in both cases. Firstly, the new prime minster, Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, was believed to be much more and well educated person than Mr. Meles Zenawi, who was just a rebel leader and a first-year university drop-out before coming to power. Besides, contrary to Mr. Meles' underlying political principles of racism and regionalism, Mr. Hailemariam was expected to be far from racial partiality, discrimination and political biases. Secondly, membership to the UN Human Rights Council comes with such obligations as holding the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe (UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251). Unfortunately, the expected improvements haven't happened. Instead, we are witnessing the worsening of the human rights situations in the country. Good most recent cases in point are the Suri massacre in the Omo Valley, south-western Ethiopia, and racially motivated brutal crackdown against the students of Addis Ababa, Arat Kilo University, almost all of whom were Oromo nationals. --Full Document Click Here
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) regime has chosen to ridicule and intimidate the peaceful demand of the Muslim community for their legitimate right for over a year now. The recent documentary dramaon ETV titled "Jihadawi Harakat" concocted by the regime is part of this tactic of intimidation and suppression by the regime. Concocting such vilifying video propaganda against the Muslim community by this regime is not the first of its kind. Ever since their advent to power the TPLF has tried instigating conflict between the Muslims in Anwar , Harar, Jimma and other mosques in major cities to silence them. The current one is unique in that all this drama is staged just to suppress the legitimate question of the Muslim community to elect their own leaders by themselves without interference from the regime.
It has been a whole mark of this regime to concoct such false drama to suppress any popular demand. The case of OLF, where the regime has been doing all it can to mislead the peoples in Ethiopia and the international community to label this organization as a terrorist one, is a case in point. It has systematically massacred, incarcerated, burned down their properties, imprisoned thousands of Oromo nationalists or forced them to flee the country. However, none of these machinations succeeded in extinguishing the struggle but deepened it further instead. Neither will the current ad nauseam false drama against the Muslim community bring this regime the intended goal but its further isolation and exposure. Full Statement--English Full Statement--Afaan Oromoo Full Statement--Amharic
In the military actions the Oromo Liberation Army's Special Force (OLA-SF) has taken against the Wayyanee - Ethiopian government forces during the months of December 2012 and January 2013, it has put of out action a total of 58 members of the enemy's force. Out of these, 37 were killed 21 were injured. OLA Special Forces have also destroyed over 5 military vehicles and other types of military properties.
An OLA-SF unit, on December 24, has completely destroyed the property of a cadre of the Ethiopian government who has long been conducting robbery on public properties under the cover of investment in Eastern Wallaga zone, at a locality known as Guutoo Waayyuu. The cadre, Tesfaye Debretsion, who settled in Ganda Lalii had brought a lot of harm on the local population in general. In particular, had evicted Oromo farmers from their lands and turned the confiscated lands into own personal property. The OLA, an action taken against this individual's property, hundreds of quintals of corn and sesame oil seeds, which were prepared for foreign markets, were destroyed in addition to the two trucks on which they were loaded. The plate numbers of the FSR vehicles were 04397 and 01396. --Read More --Afaan Oromoo
Special Force Units of the Oromo Liberation Army, operating in different parts of Oromia, have continued their attacks on enemy troops. Accordingly, the following is a brief summary of OLA activities in 2012. The activities will intensify in 2013.
December 9, 2012: OLA special unit killed 3 higher security officers of the dictatorial regime in Eastern Wollagga.
Petros Negga, Elias Teklay and Bayyane Axsum were killed in Digga Sasiga sub-district in Balo area.
December 4, 2012: A security officer of Wayyaane called Tulu Negash was killed in Shashamanne. A former police officer who was disguised as a merchant and spying the people of this area could not escape being punished by OLF unit. --Read More
Oromo students at Killo 4 and Killo 5 Campuses of Fifnfinnee (Addis Ababa) University have been protesting since January 2, 2013. This is a continuation Oromia wide protest that has been going on outside the campuses, albeit in different form and higher intensity. This protest, ignited by the persistent anti Oromo posters by Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) agents in Killo 4 campus, is expanding into other educational institutions.
Oromo students who staged this protest against the denigration of the reputation of their nation are paying heavy sacrifice. So far more than 100 Oromo students have been arrested just for protesting the efamation of the Oromo nation. Some of them have been severely beaten and physically hurt. Some have isappeared. It is the Oromo that is insulted, the victim, who is arrested and beaten as well. --Read More
Last week most of one hundred plus refugees, who were crossing the Indian Ocean from the town of Bossaso in the administrative region of Somalia's Puntland to Yemen in two boats, were massacred by shooting on the ocean. This is not the first incident of its kind. Hundreds have faced such ordeals and fed upon by marine scavengers in the past. Most of these refugees who face such fate have been from the Oromo people.
Oromo refugees are forced to flee the oppressive Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) regime to the neighbouring countries. They have to flee across the Ocean to a second country to escape the assassination and kidnap the TPLF extends on them here in collaboration with some of these neighbouring countries. All these atrocity is visited upon the Oromo at home and abroad because they have no state to look after their interest.
The duty to protect such people is clearly that of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is sad to see such ordeals befell repeatedly upon the Oromo refugees in countries where the UNHCR has its branch offices. It is our belief that, had the UNHCR extended its due protection to these refugees who plead for it, such atrocities could not have happened to them.
Therefore we plead the UNHCR to provide due protection to the refugees who are still waiting in the neighbouring Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland, Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya and Yemen to grant appropriate protection for these refugees before further atrocities are committed on them.
10 December, 1948 was the day on which United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has become a universal standard to defend and promote human rights. It is observed every year around the globe as a special day among the peoples of the world. Because it was the day on which the fact that all human beings are born with equal dignity and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms was recognized thorough the Universal declaration of Human Rights, and spread to the world nations.
A theme is chosen every year for the Human Rights' Day. This year's theme of observance of the Human Rights' Day is "inclusion and the right to participate in public life". It was taken from Articles 19, 20, and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that elaborate on the right to freedom of expression and opinion, the right to freedom of assembly and association and the right to take part in government, either directly or through freely chosen representatives. --Full Document Click Here
(The major external factor challenging national libration struggle of peoples of Oromia and southern Ethiopia)
Malkamuu Jaatee and Zakaariyaas Mulataa
Oromia, Ethiopia
December 2012
Abstract
Land is a foundation of natural resource of a country. Management of land affects political stability, socioeconomic prosperity, and cultural identity of a nation. Land grabbing policies of successive regimes of Ethiopia are generally reviewed to understand their impacts on social stability, economic prosperity, cultural identity, human rights, and political power of peoples living under colonialism. The current land grabbing policy of Ethiopia is critically analyzed to understand whether it is progressively architected development plan to improve livelihood assets of all peoples of Ethiopia or it is systematically articulated political strategy of Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) regime to destabilize subsistence livelihood assets of rural communities of South Ethiopia in general and Oromia in particular to sustain 123 years old colonialism. Land ownership right is not only a customary or a legal right to access a plot of land to produce sufficient amount of crop and animal to secure supply of food for demand of a family, a community, and a nation at all time. It is directly linked to sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country and its citizens. The right to access land in Oromia and Southern Ethiopia before colonization was governed by customary law based on traditional principles. However traditional land ownership rights of indigenous peoples were dismissed by military power of successive Abyssinian regimes basically rooted in technical, material, and financial aids of foreign organizations since 1880s, the era of scramble for colonization of Africa. Land tenure policy of Ethiopia is politically grouped into two levels, customary and colonial land use policies, respectively in North and South Ethiopia. It is coded as (1) Rist and Gebar,(2) state, and (3) public & investment land tenures during imperial (1889 - 1974), military (1974 - 1991), and the TPLF (1991 - current) regimes, respectively. Very dangerous land grabbing policy is intentionally designed by the TPLF regime to destabilize livelihood assets of peoples of Oromia and southern Ethiopia through aggravation of poverty, expansion of food insecurity borders, intensification of conflict, degradation of ecosystem, and advancement of human rights violation. The regime is systematically maintained insecurity through synergistic interconnection of effects of poverty, food insecurity, conflict, human right violations, and violence in order to sustain its military, economic, and political dominances over its colonial territories. These vicious cycles of violence & insecurity negatively affect legitimate national libration struggle of oppressed peoples of Ethiopia.
Your Excellency President Ahmed M. Mohamoud Silanyo
Somaliland1991@gmail.com
TEL/FAX: 252-225-3871 .
Your Excellency,
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) is highly concerned about the safety and whereabouts of Mrs. Riyan Abdurahman Yusuf, an Oromo national refuge from Ethiopian who was kidnapped from her residence in Hargiesa, Somaliland on the 23rd of November, 2012 at around 6:00 PM. --Full Document Click Here
It is known that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was formed in 1973 to struggle for the liberation of the Oromo people from a century old colonial domination and to establish an independent republic of Oromia. Regrettably, a split was created in 2001 in the organization negatively affecting the national struggle.
We the representatives of the OLF Transitional Authority and OLF Shanee Gumii have met from 14 - 20 November 2012 to finalize the talks which have been ongoing for many years and discussed problems which have led to the split of the OLF in 2001; being aware of the importance of unity for the liberation of the Oromo people and the gravity of the situation in which the Oromo nation finds itself, and reaffirming the ideals of the OLF and the objective of Oromo national struggle, we have reached the following solutions and agreements:
The oppressed people of Ethiopia have spent years of painful struggle against alien's domination and dictatorship. To this end the struggle of the Sidama and Oromo people have already costed countless life and a great deal of material destruction.
Based on this foundation and fact, we the Youth Representative of Oromo and Sidama people, have meet from 24 - 26 October 2012 and discussed on wide range of matters concerning our people and the need for a common struggle against common enemy. We have noted the current TPLF government's deliberate impoverishment, looting, exiling, confiscation of land and unlawful imprisonment being unleashed against the Oromo and Sidama people. After long deliberation, we have agreed on the need to keep the struggle inherited from our struggle's hero and the need to realise them.
To: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Palais Wilson, 52 rue des Pâquis CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Oromia Support Group Australia (OSGA) expresses its deep concern, and appeal to your office for your urgent intervention in relation to the arbitrary arrest of Oromo civilians on 30th September 2012, by Ethiopian armed forces, during celebration of 'Irrechaa' Festival - Thanks Giving Day - in Oromia region.
So far, OSGA has confirmed that Fifty two (52) civilians were unjustly imprisoned because the government authorities charged them with wearing unapproved clothing, including the wrong colour of clothes. --Full Document Click Here
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) is highly concerned about the safety and wellbeing of hundreds of Oromo Nationals who were arrested by the Ethiopian Security forces on the annual Irrecha Festival (Oromo Traditional Thanksgiving) Holiday in central Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia.
According to the information obtained by HRLHA through its correspondents in central Ethiopian, over two hundred Oromo nationals, almost all of whom were the youth, were arrested in a surprise crackdown by armed government forces around the end of the Irrecha Holiday ceremony at Hora (Lake) Arsadi in the Central Oromia City of Bishoftu/Dabra-Zayit on the 30th of September 2012, and taken away to Maikelawi Investigation prison and to unknown destinations. The allegations were that the holiday celebrants chanted some kinds of political slogans along with Irrecha Festival songs.
HRLHA's informants from Western and Southern Showa also reported that many Oromos who were on traveling to attend the Irrecha Festival Celebration at Bishoftu were pulled out their Buses on September 29, 2012 by the Security forces in towns of Guder, Ambo, Ginchi, Shashemene, Sebata, Dukem and other towns and taken to unknown destinations. --Full Document Click Here
Oromos have been annually celebrating Irreecha festival, one of the pillars of Oromo cultural identity, at Harsadee in Bishoftu Central Oromia in millions for past years. Even spectators from Europe and America have observed this celebration as the only one of its kind in Africa involving such a huge participant. This has been going on despite sustained attempt of regimes to suppress and erase it.
However, this event is never recognized as a national event in Ethiopia. The consecutive regimes in Ethiopia and some aspirants of the ancient regime, who have been doing their best to erase the Oromo identity and forcefully assimilateinto the Ethiopian one, have worked hard to suppress this event. The perpetuation of this policy sharply contradicts with the declared policy of the current regime that boasts of accepting the identity and cultural rights of all the nations and nationalities in Ethiopia.This policy has glaringly manifested itself during the current year festivity on September 30, 2012.
Invitation: The Union of Oromo Student in Germany (UOSG) cordially invite members of branches of UOSG, members of Oromo communities in Germany, and friends of Oromo Liberation Struggle (OLS) to participate on conference organized by its executive committee (EC). Time and place: At 10: 00 - 18:00 on 6th of October 2012 in Frankfurt, Wolfgang Univertät (Merton str. 26 -28) Topics: 1. Analytical evaluation of scenarios of political transformation in Ethiopia after death of prime minister of Tigray People Libration Front (TPLF) 2. Analysis of ideologies of political organizations of Oromo Liberation Struggle 3. Impacts of Oromo student movements on past & current political achievements of Oromia 4. Evaluation of annual report & election of new EC 5. Approving resolution of the 37th general assembly Contact for further information: tboj.uosg@gmail.com Executive committee of the UOSG 14th of September 2012
The OLF Executive Committee (OLF-EC) has successfully concluded its regular meeting held from 4-9 September, 2012 in a time when the opportunities for and challenges to the struggle is heightened and the situation of the region of the Horn of Africa is farther from stability. The executive committee has intensively deliberated on the relevant issues in Oromia, the Empire of Ethiopia and the region in general and concluded by passing the following relevant resolutions.
The situation of the Oromo people at home has been progressively deteriorating. The widespread criminal eviction of farmers, high unemployment of the urban dwellers accompanied by hyper inflation has reduced our people to life style of beggars. The reckless policy of illegal enrichment of the regime's cronies has caused unprecedented pollution of the environment to the detriment of high human and animal lives and natural vegetation. Consistent with the regime's categorization of the Oromo people as its enemy, the killings, maiming, imprisonment and torture of the Oromo individuals has been intensified. The OLF-EC therefore calls upon the Oromo people to intensify the ongoing resistance and uprising as the only way out of this predicament and renews the organization's commitment of full engagement in this effort.
The Oromian Youth Movement (Qeerroo) which was formed a little over a year ago is intensifying the struggle of the Oromo people for freedom, democracy and justice in a scale never seen before.
This report covers widely intensified movement of Qeerroo over the month prior to the death of the Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi: July 22 through August 22, 2012. The report is directly taken from the archives of Qeerroo website.
August 20, 2012, Ayira Gulliso, West Wollega: TPLF Forces Killed Gamule Tasgara, and arrested several others.
In west Wollegga zone, several protesting Oromo youth were rounded up and arrested on August 20, 2012 and many of them were beaten severely in prison. Among those who suffered an unbearable torture, a young man named Gamule Tasgara lost his life in prison.
Mr. MellesZenawi and his party EPRDF took over power by military force 21 years ago backed by external forces. For the peoples in Ethiopia, thelast 21 years were continuation of war, conflict, gross human rights violation, imprisonment, disappearances,killings and starvation.
The death of Mr. Zenawi may be a big relief for the majority of the peoples in Ethiopia whose human rights have been continuously and grossly violated for the last 21 years by this dictator and his henchmen. He was one of the worst and wicked dictators that the Empire has ever experiencedby the majority of the Empire's subjects. His departure may create the opportunity for a democratic atmosphere to emerge that could help to peacefully settle the more than a century old conflicts.
You are kindly invited to a conference that takes place on September 22, 2012 in London, UK. This conference will address the current political situations & human rights crisis in the Ethiopian empire, particularly in Oromia. Oromo politicians and human rights activists will provide expert presentations on various topics. Also there will be ample time for discussion in which you will have an opportunity to express your views and feelings.
Place: The Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA Date: 22 September 2012 Time: 10:00 am-6:00 pm
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa is highly concerned about the safety and whereabouts of two Oromo nationals who were kidnapped and taken away by government security agents.
According to reports obtained by the HRLHA through its local correspondents, Mr. Biranu Nagari Calchisa, a father of six, was kidnapped from his home in the Ayyana Town of Gidda Ayyana District in Eastern Wollega Province in the middle of the night on the 20th of July, 2012. Mr. Calchisa's family and friends have never heard from him ever since he was taken away by armed security forces; and his whereabouts is not known. Sources added that this is the second time for Mr. Calschisa to be a victim of extrajudicial actions under the same TPLF/EPRDF Regime.
In 2000, he was arrested in his hometown and taken to the Capital Addis Ababa/Finfinne where he was detained at the Kalitti and Ma'ikelawi prisons. --To View Full Document Click Here
A group calling itself 'Oromo Dialogue Forum' has for the last two months been spreading isinformation to undermine the Oromo people's confidence and trust in the struggle and on this organization. It is to be recalled as well that we have been patiently watching and periodically informing our people egarding series of movements under the cover of Oromo Liberation Struggle targeting emasculation of the OLF activities. As the current group's activity is also a continuation of the past we are compelled to bring it to the attention of our people again.
It is clear that this group is escalating its anti OLF campaign to international media. The choice of the VOA Amharic program to air what it used to hitherto pose as an internal Oromo affair has forced pectators to question the real motive of this group. One of the leaders of the group on July 28, 2012 explained the identity of the members and the objectives of the group not to the purportedly beneficiary Oromo people in afaan Oromo but on the VOA Amharic program. The Oromo mass back at home, who was not a party to the petty bickering in the Diaspora, was greeted with such news on international media for the first time. This shows that the objective of this group is not to find a solution to the Oromo roblem but to please other parties that strive to extinguish the Oromo struggle.
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) would like to express its deep concern regarding how the TPLF/EPRDF Government of Ethiopia is handling the country-wide peaceful protests by Ethiopian Muslims that have been going on for months, both prior to and following the allegedly hijacked elections of the Supreme Counsel of the Islamic Affairs of Ethiopia. Religious freedoms were among the fundamental rights enshrined in the current Ethiopian Constitution, Chapter three (fundamental rights and freedoms, Article 27(1) Freedom of Religion, Belief and Opinion), which states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include the freedom to hold or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and the freedom, either individually or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifests his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching".
As well in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is stated in Article 18 that,"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance". --Full Document in PDF
The aforementioned peoples' alliances of Ogaden Somalis, Oromo, Sidama and the new candidates of AFD:
After deliberating on the current situation in Ethiopia and carefully observing the level of struggle against the current regime and the apparent confusion created by the sudden disappearance of Meles Zenawi, the "strong man" ruling Ethiopia for the past twenty one years;
Being apprehensive of the current regimes attempts to delude the peoples in Ethiopia regarding Zenawi's fate and their attempt to maintain the status quo in order to continue their ruthless suppression of all peoples in Ethiopia;
After considering, the current disarray and lack of political will of some opposition groups to embrace the political and social changes that Ethiopia has undergone in the last forty years and their archaic adherence to political precepts that are no longer tenable in the 21 century such as negating the rights of nations in Ethiopia to self-determination;
Calls for Reversal of Politically Motivated Sentences
The Ethiopian TPLF/EPRDF Government has given the local and international community another huge shock by imposing long term imprisonments on 24 human rights activists, journalists, and opposition members including the prominent press freedom advocate Iskinder Nega.
An Ethiopian court on Friday 13th of July, 2012 jailed journalist Iskinder Nega for 18 years for "terrorism" while five other exiled journalists and a blogger were sentenced in absentia to between 15 years and life in prison simply because of attempting to exercise some of the fundamental rights such as that of freedom of expression and association granted by the Constitution of the country; and the court was said to have referred to the recently legislated and controversial "anti-terrorism" law to hand down the penalties. HRLHA strongly condemns this very harsh and politically motivated punishment, and would like to express its deep concern over the ever frustrating human rights situations in the country. Mr. Iskinder Nega is a typical example of independent journalists in Ethiopia who work in a very unfriendly environment and are subjected to repeated arrests, detentions, politically motivated charges and punishments, and repeated long term imprisonments, etc., as a result of which many journalists fled the country and a lot of free press disappeared. --Full Document in PDF
The Oromo and Sidama Peoples' Historical and Neighbourly Relation Cannot Be Dented by the TPLF Plots
OLF and SLF Joint Statement
June 29, 2012
The Tigrian Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) regime has relentlessly pursued the 'divide and rule' policy to prolong its grip on power. The regime has initiated conflict between different nations, nationalities and peoples at different times and places, since it came to power, causing destruction of thousands of lives and millions of dollars worth properties.
This anti peace and brutal regime, pursuant to its standing policy, has been engaged in overtly and covertly instigating conflict between the Oromo and the Sidama peoples. Accordingly it has managed to instigate conflict in the district of Riimaa Dhaadessaabetween the Oromo people in Ajje sub-zone of Arsi Zone and the Sidama people in Hawasa subzone of Sidama Zone. Loss of lives and property has been reported due to this conflict initiated by the agents of the regime on both sides
A Special Force Unit of the Oromo Liberation Army operating in different parts of Oromia has continued its attack on enemy troops. Accordingly a Special OLA Unit killed 7 Woyane-Ethiopian troops and wounded 4 in Northern Shoa zone Kuyyu County [Woreda] on June 4, 2012 by putting the enemy troops in a trap. The attacked enemy troop was said to have been dispatched to the area for the so called "search operation" of OLA. The Oromo population of the area have played a key role in the success of this attack operation.
Meanwhile, another Special Force Unit of the OLA operating in the capital Finfinne (Addis Ababa) killed 2 Woyane troops and wounded 1 in Gullalle area of the capital, County 8, Kebele 03 on June 05, 2012 around 7:30 PM local time when the enemy troops were recreating.
Apart from displacements and dispossessions without consents and compensations, more and more negative consequences of land grab in the name of development are surfacing from time to time in different parts of Ethiopia; all outcries, criticisms and demands for corrective measures falling on deaf ears.
According to information obtained by HRLHA from Wixate locality in Yayyo District of Ilubabbor Zone in western Oromia, a teenager called Zerihun Girma has died after being buried alive in a man-made landslide created from a mountain of soil dumped along a small river in a residential area. The soil was coming from the digging into the ground for a coal mine project underway in the area. Zerihun, a grade eight student of age 14, was playing with his fellow Teenagers when this happened to him without any awareness and doubt about the deadly nature of the dump. Not only that the soil and other excavations from the digging were being dumped in a residential neighborhood, but also there were no signs of warning posted to keeping people and animals away from the area. The teenager's body could not have been located had it not been for his mates who were playing with him at the moment.
The local people told HRLHA's agent that the operators of bulldozers, who were at work on the site when Zerihun's body was retrieved, were not even cooperative to remove the hill of soil to reach the teenager's remains. --Full Document in PDF
Peaceful Demonstration Needs Democratic Solution Not Violence
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) is highly concerned about the Ethiopian Government-sponsored violence against its citizens in worship places and workplaces in general and in the academic institutions in particular. A very recent case is the Ethiopian security forces stormed dormitories at Haromaya University in Eatern Hararge, Oromia, to break up a peaceful demonstration and arresting many Water Engineering Faculty students from their dormitories. In this violence which occurred on June 1, 2012, up on the demand of students for the improvement of academic condition in their Faculty, all students of 2-5 years courses of Water Engineering Faculty were taken out of their dormitories by force and kept in open air for two days in the campus without food and shelter surrounded by the security forces. Among them many students were severely beaten and some were taken by the security forces to unknown destination. In solidarity with the demand of their fellow friends, all the students of the other faculties at the Haromaya University quitted to enter into classrooms on Monday June 4, 2012, and teaching - learning process was interrupted since the incidence until this urgent action was compiled. --Full Document in PDF
The Advocates for Human Rights is deeply disturbed that Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi will on Friday be a guest of the United States at the G8 Summit to discuss food security issues. While food insecurity in the Horn of Africa clearly is among the most dire global crises, it must be recognized that this crisis has resulted not from falling market prices or from unavoidable weather catastrophes. Instead, the Government of Ethiopia, led by President Zenawi, has used food as a tool of political repression, particularly against disadvantaged ethnic groups perceived as political opponents. The Advocates for Human Rights is concerned about the continued human rights violations against disadvantaged ethnic groups committed by the Government of Ethiopia, as reported by human rights organizations monitoring conditions in Ethiopia, by the news media, and by members of the Ethiopian diaspora living in the United States. We urge you to raise with President Zenawi questions about his government's calculated policies, targeting disadvantaged ethnic groups and political opponents, which exacerbate food insecurity in the region. --Full Letter in PDF
Oromia Human Rights and Justice Council | May 9, 2012
On April 6, 2012, hundreds of Oromo nationals and others have been detained in Western Arsi Zone, Gadab Asaasaa district, in connections with the current movement for the right of religious freedom by followers of Muslim religion, and are waiting to appear in court. The following are among those detained. --Full Document in PDF
Refugees from Ethiopia and officials of NGOs and governments were interviewed in Somaliland and Djibouti in November and December 2011. Formal interviews with 43 refugees, including 26 in Djibouti, confirmed other reports that a high proportion of refugees from Ethiopia have been tortured.
Twenty one of the 43 interviewees (49%), including eight of the 26 interviewed in Djibouti, had been tortured. Every male former detainee (17) and four out of six female former detainees had been tortured - 91% of 23 former detainees.
At least four of the six female former detainees were serially and multiply raped. Three more, two when aged 11-14, were raped by Ethiopian security forces in or near their homes.
Interviewees reported 34 killings of close relatives and friends by Ethiopian security forces and the deaths of 94 in horrific circumstances in detention. One gave an eye-witness account of the Weter massacre, where he reported 1000 were shot dead in 1992.
There are several hundred registered asylum-seekers in Djibouti city and several thousand undocumented immigrants from Ethiopia. --Full Document in PDF
According to news dispatch received from OLA Eastern Oromia Command, on April 28, 2012, a special unit of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) operating in Eastern Oromia entered Dire Dawa, 02 Kebele (Division of the town) at a place called Konel and eliminated a notorious Woyane intelligence agent, Mohammed Sheik Jemal. This enemy agent had been spying on the local population for some time and was repeatedly warned to stop his wicked activities but refused to comply.
The report further indicated that the local population was joyous at the removal of this notorious individual who was the right hand person of the TPLF army - regarded as an invading army by the Oromo people.
The Muslim community have been demonstrating for sometimes now demanding respect for their religious democratic rights for several consecutive Fridays. Their demand is part of the right of faith guaranteed for anybody. The TPLF/EPRDF regime has been trying to force the Muslims to adopt, against their will, a recent version of a negligible minority interpretation taught by followers of Abdallah el Habashi. The regime is doing this through an imposed Islamic Supreme Council (Majlisul A'alaa). The regime is harassing the majority believers who demand that the government should not interfere in religious affairs and that they directly elect their representatives in the Supreme Council.
The repressive regime is applying to the religious institutions the same strategy it uses to control the political organizations of the nations and nationalities in Ethiopia, namely infiltrating its agents/cadres and helping them take control of the activities of the organizations as a whole. Subsequently these institutions are transformed to the tool of the regime to misrule. The Muslims resist the so called Islamic Supreme Council that has been so transformed from a body that should guide the Islamic religious affairs to a government agent that is bent on curtailing their rights and directly executing the regime's detrimental policies. The Muslims insist that since these current Council Leaders are there as government cadres they want to elect their own representatives democratically instead.
(OLF News: April 24, 2012) A Special Force Unit of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) operating in the Ethiopian capital Finfinne killed an intelligence officer of the Woyane-Ethiopian regime. Another OLA unit operating in Eastern Shoa has also killed another intelligence officer in Adama town, a report we received from the Central Oromian Command of OLA revealed.
The head of intelligence of part of the Finfinne city traditionally known as Aware, Mehari Amaha, was killed on April 16, 2012 in 02 Kebele of the area and another intelligence officer named Shiferaw Kifle was killed in Adama town Eastern Shoa zone on April 04, 2012.
The two intelligence officers were notoriously kown for harassing the innocent Oromo nationals under the allegation of supporting the OLA.
(OLF News, April 24, 2012) The hope and shield of the Oromo people, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) continued its attack on enemy troops which was dispatched to carry a search operation of OLA in Southern Oromia on April 21, 2012 around Bokkola near Suuree river at a place called Dido Gode killing 2 and wounding at least 6, a report from the OLA Southern Oromian command revealed.
In this intense fighting which lasted several hours the OLA fought with heroism and frustrated the enemy troops. The Woyane troops eventually decided to flee from the area leaving their dead and wounded.
Bokkolo is found around Suuree river between Moyale and Tuqa.
It is to be recalled that OLF News has reported yesterday, April 23, 2012, that OLA Special Force units have killed 2 enemy intelligence officers in Finfinne and Adama towns.
One of the major campaigns of the TPLF/EPRDF regime against the Oromo people is arming members of some nations and nationalities and initiate attack from all the directions. The TPLF deliberately arms and instigates attack by members of peoples and nationalities in and around Oromia on the Oromo people. Accordingly to date Somali (Issa), Afar, Gedeo, Sidama, Amhara, Burji, Gumuz, and the like peoples have been armed and pitted against each other as well as against the Oromo people resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and destruction of millions of dollars worth properties.
Especially recently they deliberately organized and armed elements of the Gumuz nationality and directed them to attack the Oromo people in eastern Wallaga, western Oromia. In this intermittent fighting that has been going on for the last two years hundreds of lives of the nationals and a large sum worth of property has been lost. It is also going on right now. The motive behind pitting these two peoples, who peacefully lived together in the Nile valley for a long time, against each other is clear. It is to create as many diversions as possible for the Oromo people's struggle for freedom which is an ever present threat to the regime.
That purpose is clear from the regime's choice of this time to instigate the attack anew on the Oromo people, when the popular resistance from all corners of Oromia is disparaging it. It is the time when Oromo youth from all the corners of Oromia have intensified their resistance that the regime resorted to this desperate act. As these Oromo youth movement became more threatening to the regime resorting to creating a nonexistent conflict between the Oromo people and their numerous neighbours, who never had any enmity, arming and mobilising them against the Oromo people has been taken as the way out. It is meant to divert the attention of the people from the struggle against the regime's misrule to the intra peoples' conflict.
Press Release | April 18, 2012 Today, in Gambella, there is little to no accountability for TPLF/EPRDF Defense Forces who are committing rising numbers of human rights crimes against the people of the region. It used to be that murders, beatings and torture were carried out secretly in the bush or in therural areas, but now there is no security even in the middle of Gambella town for any but those carrying the guns. As these criminal acts against the unarmed civilians in Gambella are being so easily dismissed by authorities, it is increasingly clear they are actually being condoned or promoted by higher ranking officers and government officials-all the way up to Meles.
As of Saturday, April 7, 2012, Mr. Tedo Kul Oman, an eighteen-year-old 12th grader from Gambella High School, was shot and killed by an Ethiopian Defense troop, accompanied by six other soldiers. Reportedly, a business owner from town had notified military authorities that this young Anuak boy might be "a rebel from the bush" because he looked "suspicious." According to local sources, the reporter's only evidence was his opinion that the boy had "a bad attitude."
In response, an attachment of seven soldiers went to a gathering where the boy's family and friends were holding a traditional Anuak babynaming celebration. The TPLF/EPRDF Defense Forces called him away from the others to question him, asking for his identification. He refused, saying he had done nothing wrong, lived in Gambella and was in 12th grade at the local high school. He turned and started to walk back to the party when one of the soldiers shot him-execution style-in the back of the head and through his back. The young man died there in front of everyone.
(OLF News, April 15, 2012)The hope and shield of the Oromo people, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has continued its attack on the Woyane led Ethiopian troops and killed or wounded more than 50 on April 13, 2012 in Illuababor zone in a forest known as Laga Mahya, a report we received from the Western Oromian command of OLA revealed.
In this operation OLA has confiscated several different military equipments and made the property of the Oromo people's struggle led by the OLF.
In a related and in a news we received late, the OLA Western Oromian command reported that on April 02, 2012, an OLA Special Force unit has attacked enemy troops in the same Illuababor zone Bure zone in a village called Obo Miriga at a place called Gomaxa on a high way taking to the Mattu town by putting the enemy soldiers in a trap, killing 3 of them and wounding several others.
In this operation also, OLA unit has confiscated several rifles and ammunitions and made the property of the struggle of the Oromo people led by the OLF.
It is to be recalled that an OLA Special Force Unit has killed two Woyane intelligence officers in the same Illuababor zone in recent week.
OLF News
Opinions published on News and Views section of this site are those of the authors and not necessarily that of OLF.
Guyyaan WBO Amajjiin 1, bara 2013 Miseensootaa fi Caayaan ABO magaalaa Toronto fi hamiltan, Bakka bu'oota fi miseensoonni, QC ABO, Gurmu qabsaawota ABO fi ULFO, Deeggartootaa fi hawaasni Oromoo magaalaa Toronto bakka tokkotti kabajatan injifannoon xumurame. Sirni kabajaa ayyaana WBO kun Haasawa gabaabaa MSHG ABO J/Tamaam godhee fi faaruu Alaabaa Hawwisoon Toronto dhiheesiteen baname.
Ayyaana kana irraatti Hogganni ABO MSHG J/A/caalaa bilbilaan Guyyaa WBO fi haala QBO kan waliigalaa irratti ummataaf ibsa bal'aa godhe.Bakka bu'oonni QC ABO, Gurmuu Qabsaawoota ABO fi ULFO tiis waltajjii kana irratti ibsa WBO jajjabeesu fi tokkummaan qabsaawootaa shaffisaan akka xumuramu akeeku ummataaf dhiheessanii jiru.
Ibsa kenname kanatti aanee Keeka Alaabaa oromoo kan hawwisoon Toronto tolchitee fidde Bakka bu'oonni Shanee gumii ABO,QC ABO,Gurmuu Qabsaawoota ABO fi ULFO waliin dhaabbatanii muruudhaan kana booda tokko ta'anii qabsaa'uuf waadaa walii seenan.
Korri Gamtaa Kutaalee ABO Australia fi New Zealand Mudde (Dec) 28 - 30 bara 2012 gaggeessame milkiin xumuramee jira. Korri kun qabxiilee fardii tattahan, haala qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo fi sochii itti jiramu kan gabbisan yaadotni marii ijaaroo tattahan, bal'inaan mariyatamaniiru. Xumura kora gamtaa kana irrattis ibsi ejjannoo armaan gadii miseensota hirmaattota korichaan baasamee jira.
Ibsaa fi qajeelfama H. D. ABO, jaal Dawud Ibsa kora gamtaa kanaaf teleconferencen Mudde (Dec) 29 bara 2012 kennan bu'ura fi irraa ka'umsa godhachuudhaan:
To read and listen to this gruesome story click here
February 17, 2013.
OLF Statement
December 10, 2012.
(The major external factor challenging national libration struggle of peoples of Oromia and southern Ethiopia)
HRLHA Appeal and Urgent Action
OSG URGENT ACTION
May 16, 2012
Oromia Human Rights and Justice Council | May 9, 2012
Oromia Support Group, Report 48 | May 2012
(OLF News: April 24, 2012) A Special Force Unit of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) operating in the Ethiopian capital Finfinne killed an intelligence officer of the Woyane-Ethiopian regime. Another OLA unit operating in Eastern Shoa has also killed another intelligence officer in Adama town, a report we received from the Central Oromian Command of OLA revealed.
(OLF News, April 24, 2012) The hope and shield of the Oromo people, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) continued its attack on enemy troops which was dispatched to carry a search operation of OLA in Southern Oromia on April 21, 2012 around Bokkola near Suuree river at a place called Dido Gode killing 2 and wounding at least 6, a report from the OLA Southern Oromian command revealed.
(Madda Oduu ABO/MOA/ Gurraandhala 23, 2013)
Amajjii 31, 2013
Amajjii 28, 2013
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