#OromoProtests

Ethiopia protesters: No, we don’t have self-rule in Oromia state

By Ludovica Iaccino

Oromo people protesting against planned expansion of capital Addis Ababa in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest stateEtana Habte)

UK (IBTimes) — Protesters and activists in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest state, have denied they have self-rule in the region, contrary to a governement’ statement given to IBTimes UK. Abiy Berhane, minister counsellor at the Ethiopian Embassy in London said earlier in March people already rule themselves in Oromia, they use Oromo as the official language, they have their own budget and a regional parliament that rules on all political, economic and social aspects.

Who are the Oromo people?

The Oromo people are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group and their population amounts to more than 25 million (around 35% of Ethiopia’s total population).

Oromo people speak Afaan Oromoo, as well as Amharic, Tigrinya, Gurange and Omotic languages. They are mainly Christian and Muslim, while only 3% still follow the traditional religion based on the worshipping of the god, Waaq.

In 1973, Ethiopian Oromo created the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which stemmed from the discontent over a perceived marginalisation by the government and to fight the hegemony of the Amhara people, another large ethnic group in Ethiopia.

OLF – still active today – also calls for the self-determination of the Oromo people. It has been deemed as a terror organisation that carried out violent acts against people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The group has always denied such allegations, claiming its mission is to terminate “a century of oppression” against the Oromos.

Read more about Oromo people

However, some Oromo people denied the claims made by the official. Activist, author and PhD candidate at London’s Soas University, Etana Habte, told IBTimes UK there is no self-rule in Oromia, where people do not trust the region’s ruling party coalition, Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organization (OPDO).

“Opdo is an organisation of ex-war captives established by the TigrayanPeople’s Liberation Front (TPLF) inTigray in 1990, when the latter failed to co-opt the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF),” he alleged.

“Oromia’s regional council, Caffee Oromiyaa, has never had any history of independent decisions, it has been approving what is put on the table byTPLF. If Oromia has no self-rule, no regional council of itself, talking about budget and independent decisions is only a mere waste of time.”

Opdo has not responded to a request for comments on the allegations.

Climate of fear

Oromia has been rocked by the deadly protests that erupted in November 2015 against a government draft plan − later scrapped − that aimed to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa.

Activists claimed some 400 people, at least 200 according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), have been allegedly killed by security forces. The government denied the allegations of violence and claimed legitimate protestshave been infiltrated by people who aim to destabilise the country.

Although the government scrapped the plan, demonstrations are continuing, with peoplecalling 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.

This happened yesterday in Dire,close to Bishoftu town Addis, Detention camp reportedly set ablaze during

“The regime is using new strategies to punish Oromia. Amenities have been cut in most urban centres, the regime has brought down all independent TVs and radio broadcasts from overseas, closed selected websites and social media websites. It is doing this in an attempt to breakdown the nerve centre of the protests,” Habte alleged.

#OromoProtests Oromo Youth (not TPLF) can ensure the freedom of Bekele Gerba & other political prisoners in Ethiopia

“There is a serious climate of fear in the public and there is no guarantee that any person would come back home safely once they leave. This situation has convinced people that the state targets you simply because you are Oromo. Amnesty International’s report published in October 2014 titled, Because I am Oromo: Sweeping Repression In The Oromia Region Of Ethiopia, is an absolute representation of unfolding realities.”

Habte also denied protesters are seeking secession, although it is a right guaranteed by the constitution. He denied that the government started public consultations, contrary to what Berhane told IBTimes UK.

“People are heard time and again saying: ‘We don’t want to be ruled by a government who has killed our loved and respected ones’. It seems too late, but if the regime wants to solve the current crisis, it has to address it at a national level and with national representation.”

#OromoProtests

Ethiopia's Oromo people demand equal rights in protests

Largest ethnic group in Ethiopia continues to rally against the government despite crackdown.

Charles Stratford | 26 Mar 2016 11:55 GMT | Africa, Ethiopia, Human Rights, Politics

Wolonkomi, Ethiopia - Six-year-old Abi Turi and her nine-year-old brother Dereje have not been attending classes in Wolonkomi.

Their school was closed in January as the Ethiopian government began what its critics call a crackdown on protests by the Oromo, the country's largest ethnic group.

It is uncertain how many people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters since November, when a series of demonstrations began.

Local estimates put the figure at between 80 and above 200. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has said that more than 200 people may have died in about six months, a figure the government denies.

"With regards to allegations from human rights groups or self-styled human rights protectors, the numbers they come with, the stories they often paint, are mostly plucked out thin air," Getachew Reda, the information minister, told Al Jazeera.

Abi and Dereje's mother was among those shot in January. She was hit by a bullet in the neck. Despite receiving medical treatment, she died of her wounds in March.

"The little girl cries and keeps asking where her mother is. We feel her pain," said the children's grandfather Kena Turi, a farmer. "The older one cried when his mother was shot and died, but now it seems he understands she's gone."

Oromo students began rallying to protest against a government plan they said was intended to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa, the capital, into Oromia's farmland.

Protests continue

Oromia is the country's largest region, and many there believe the government did not want to redevelop services and roads, but that it was engaged in a landgrab.

Though the government shelved its "Integrated Development Master Plan" due to the tension, protests continued as the Oromo called for equal rights.

In February, another anti-government rally turned violent. Nagase Arasa, 15, and her eight-year-old brother Elias say they were shot in their legs while a demonstration happened near their home.

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READ MORE: Oromo protests continue amid harsh crackdown

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"I was in the back yard walking to the house when I was shot," Nagase told Al Jazeera.

"My brother was in the house. I couldn't walk I was bleeding. Then I was hit again when I was on the ground I felt the pain then my brother came to help me and he was shot too."

Ethiopia has an ethnically-based federal system that gives a degree of self-rule to the Oromo people.

But the Oromo opposition, some of whose members have been detained, says the system has been corrupted by the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.

A 'marginalised' community

Merera Gudina, an Oromo politician, said that members of his community feel marginalised — excluded from cultural activities, discriminated against because of their different language, and not consulted in political or economic decisions.

With double-digit growth over the last decade, Ethiopia has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but the majority of the Oromo remain poor.

"Until the Oromo's get their proper place in this country I don't think it [dissent] is going to go. The government wants to rule in the old way; people are resisting being ruled in the old way," Gudina said.

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READ MORE: Ethiopia accused on bloody crackdown

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Reporting and recording human rights abuses is also risky, activists told Al Jazeera. Local and foreign journalists said attempts were made to intimidate them, with some detained.

Al Jazeera spoke with local reporters who said they were too afraid to even try and cover the issue.

"It's very dangerous. Everybody is living in fear. They imprison people every day. People have disappeared. Doing this work is like selling my life," a human rights activist told Al Jazeera, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Government rejects claims

Kumlachew Dagne, a human rights lawyer, said there was a need for "public forums and consultation for debates on public policy issues" to allow for different views to be heard. He added that the protesters who were injured or killed had not been armed.

"Many of those people were killed after the protests took place many of the people were shot in the back some were shot in the head, which shows that these people were not armed," he said.

"They were peaceful demonstrators. That is consistent with reports we had from victims' families."

The government rejects such claims as exaggerated or fabricated.

"People, whether they are civilians or security officials who have been involved in an excessive use of force, will be held responsible," Reda said.

He said the government would consult with the Oromo people and "address the underlying problems".

#OromoProtests

The Rotten Foundation of Ethiopia’s Economic Boom

Published: Mar 23, 2016 Filed under: Ethiopian News Politics - 2,007 Views

Brutal repression was the secret to the country's rapid rise. It could also bring it crashing down again. For those who would speak frankly about politics in this landlocked East African country, the first challenge is to find a safe space.

But on a recent evening in Adama, a city in the heart of a region reeling from the largest protest movement Ethiopia has faced in decades, most people seemed at ease. University students poured out of the city’s main campus, spilling into claustrophobic bars and pool halls. Others crowded around a cluster of aging taxis, jostling for a quick ride home.

Though it is one of the largest cities in Oromia — where members of Ethiopia’s Oromo ethnic group have taken to the streets in recent months in unprecedented numbers to protest their political and economic marginalization — Adama has remained mostly quiet.
Hidden beneath the casual veneer of daily life, however, lurks a deep-seated suspicion of the government, which has built a massive surveillance apparatus and cracked down violently on its opponents. Citizens feel they have to watch what they say, and where they say it. At the hangouts where crowds have gathered, a political statement might be overheard. Out on the sidewalks, government spies could be on patrol. Inside the university campus, security officials are on the lookout for suspicious behavior.

In a way, the recent unrest is rooted in Ethiopia’s rapid economic rise. The federal government claims to have notched double-digit GDP growth rates over the past decade, but its rigid, top-down approach to developing industry, and attracting foreign investment, has resulted in mass displacement and disrupted millions of lives. This, in turn, has heightened ethnic tensions that today threaten Ethiopia’s reputation for stability.
Read More Here

Image:Families of those who killed in the Oromia Protest morns to their relatives. 

#OromoProtests

The U.S.A., UK, Germany, France, Italia, Canada, Australia and others: Tell the Ethiopian government that you are not financing the killing of Oromo women & children.

The U.S.A., UK, Germany, France, Italia, Canada, Australia and others: Tell the Ethiopian government that you are not financing the killing of Oromo women & children.

This petition is awaiting approval by the Avaaz Community

10,000

945

945 signers. Let's reach 10,000

Why this is important

Dear Global Citizens,
We are writing on behalf of Oromo women and children who are dying and suffering in the hands of the Ethiopian government security forces. The Ethiopian government led by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), a former guerrilla army, only represents six percent of the Ethiopian population. However, Oromo people who are the single largest ethnic/national group and represent 45 to 50 percent of the people in Ethiopia are denied the right to freely determine their social, economic, political, cultural and environmental affairs. In the absence of Oromo leadership, the TPLF government implemented policies that evicted millions of Oromo farmers from their farms and left millions of women, and children in poverty and famine.

Oromo people are an egalitarian society. Before the incorporation of Oromia into the Ethiopian empire, the Oromo people were ruled by democratically elected leaders known as Gada and Siiqee system. Siiqee is an Oromo women’s institution, organized to bring checks and balances in gender relations. Therefore, the Oromo people believe that under consecutive Ethiopian rulers, they have made backward social changes. Moving back from freely electing their leader (governed by democratically elected groups) and flourishing Siiqee institution (fostering gender equity) to languishing under dictatorial regimes that have no agenda for women’s rights. When the Oromos demand for self-rule, they are demanding to freely develop their institutions i.e. Gadaa and Siiqee and using these institutions in solving their problems.

The consecutive Ethiopian minority rulers denied the Oromo people the right to freely determine their social, economic, political, cultural and environmental rights. Violation of such rights is responsible for the famine, poverty, child and maternal mortality, higher illiteracy, and lack of clean water in Oromia. At present, over 18 million Ethiopians, mainly Oromos, are facing starvation and dependence on food aid. Oromo women and children are dying prematurely from starvation and preventable diseases. Oromo women who witness this are determined to change the political system that is putting them at risk and they are actively participating in peaceful demonstrations.

More potent than the hunger, malnutrition and disease is the brutality of the TPLF government of Ethiopia. Since November 2015 the Ethiopian government security forces have been indiscriminately killing peaceful demonstrators. The Ethiopian government is stifling any news on its own brutality in the killing of peaceful Oromo demonstrators, women and children indiscriminately.

Although, the European Union, USA, Canada and many other humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns and condemned these acts of killing the Ethiopian government has upgraded its attack against the Oromo, taking it to the proportion to genocide. As of today, about 400 Oromos have been killed, including many children and pregnant women. Many thousands have been maimed and over 12, 000 are imprisoned and tortured. Women and children are among the maimed, imprisoned and tortured. In the meantime, the Ethiopian government is still benefiting from the financial and political supports provided to it by Western governments. Their tax payers’ money is used to support the government that kills women, children, elderly people, and peaceful Oromo citizens.

We are writing to ask you join us to stop the Ethiopian government from killing, imprisoning and torturing women, children and other sectors of the Oromo society. We ask you join us in signing this petition to make sure that the tax payers’ money sent to the Ethiopian government is not used to kill children and women. We are asking you to do so and further influence your respective governments on behalf of the defenseless Oromo children, women and elderly.

Sincerely


See for more details

Sirnee was shot dead merely for shielding her child from the shooting Ethiopian soldiers. She was an Oromo mother who died along with her child. Oromo women are taking the brunt of the brutal military repression against peaceful Oromo protestors demanding the respect of their constitutional rights. The Ethiopian totalitarian regime has turned its defense forces against its own citizens.

Soldiers are shooting indiscriminately, killing, maiming, imprisoning and torturing unarmed protestors. Since Oromo protests started in November 2015, over 400 peaceful protestors have been murdered, including many children and pregnant women. Oromia is a bloodbath. Four months into the protests, the brutal bestiality shows no sign of relenting.

Soldiers are breaking into homes and university dormitories, terrorizing and savagely raping women and students. They are gang raping girls as young as 12. Women are particularly targeted for rape to emasculate men and break the spirit of Oromo protestors. But you won’t hear much of this because the brutal regime has effectively stifled all voices of dissent. It is now muzzling journalists to shut down any news of its atrocity that could come out of that country.

We call on all global citizens with a passion for human rights and fundamental freedoms to help us stop this bestiality against Oromo women. Will you join us?

For more Information:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/15/un-human-rights-council-general-debate-under-item-4

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/group-ethiopia-forces-kill-rape-clashes-protesters-376....

hhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/15/un-human-rights-council-general-debate-under-item-4ttp://www.ohc....

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/missionrape
..
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rape+as+a+tool+of+war&&view=detail&mid=517CBE7D6B3E8A8D9A59517C....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4078677.stm

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/03/20133168949374179.html

#OromoProtest

#OromoProtest

Part-5 | Video Chronicle of the Oromia-Wide Oromo Protests (from Dec. 9,...

Part-1 | Video Chronicle of the Oromia-Wide Oromo Protests (from Nov. 29...

Part-1 | Video Chronicle of the Oromia-Wide Oromo Protests (from Nov. 29...

Oromo protesters: ‘We are still on the streets because we want self-rule’

(IBTimes-UK) Hundreds of people from Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest state, are still protesting on the streets calling for self-rule. An activist who spoke to IBTimes UK on condition of anonymity explained that Oromo people, Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group, were also protesting against the alleged violence carried out by security forces against demonstrators.

Protesters in Oromia first took to the streets in November 2015 to voice their dissent against a government draft plan that aimed to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa. They argued the so-called “Addis Ababa master plan” would lead to forced evictions of Oromo farmers who will lose their land and would undermine the survival of the Oromo culture and language.

UN Human Rights Council: General Debate under Item 4

UN Human Rights Council: General Debate under Item 4

What do Oromo protests mean for Ethiopian unity?

• 9 March 2016
 
• From the sectionAfrica

Image copyrightAFP

As protests in Ethiopia over the rights of the country's Oromo people continue, Addis Ababa-based journalist James Jeffrey considers if they are threatening the country's unity.

The latest round of bloody protests over Oromo rights had a tragically surreal beginning.

A bus filled with a wedding party taking the bride to the groom's home was stopped at a routine checkpoint on 12 February near the southern Ethiopian town of Shashamane.

Local police told revellers to turn off the nationalistic Oromo music playing. They refused and the bus drove off.

The situation then rapidly escalated and reports indicate at least one person died and three others were injured after police fired shots.

The exact details of the incident are hard to verify, but what is clear is that days of protest followed, including armed local militia clashing with federal police, leaving seven policemen dead, the government says.

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Oromia at a glance:

• Oromia is Ethiopia's largest region, surrounding the capital, Addis Ababa
• Oromo are Ethiopia's biggest ethnic group - making up about a third of Ethiopia's 95 million people
• The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) is Oromia's largest legally registered political party, but holds no seats in parliament

Why Ethiopia is making a historic ‘master plan’ U-turn

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Since last November, Ethiopia has seen a third phase of the recent unrest in the Oromia region which has been unprecedented in its longevity and geographical spread.

The region is the largest in Ethiopia and the Oromos, who make up a third of the population, are the biggest of the country's more than 80 ethnic groups.

Initially the protests were in reaction to a plan to expand the administrative border of the capital, Addis Ababa, which is encircled by Oromia.

But even after the region's governing party, the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, which is part of Ethiopia's governing coalition, shelved the plan in January, protests have continued.

Historical scars

"There is a strong sense of victimhood, extending back 150 years," says Daniel Berhane, a prominent Addis Ababa-based political blogger, covering Ethiopia for the website Horn Affairs.

"People remember the history. The scars are still alive, such as how the Oromo language was suppressed until 20 years ago."

Despite there being an ethnic basis to these protests, observers say that the deeper issues behind them, frustrations over land ownership, corruption, political and economic marginalisation, are familiar to many disenchanted Ethiopians.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe government has disputed the numbers given for those killed in the protests by rights groups

The numbers killed since November following clashes between protesters and security forces given by international rights organisations, activists and observers range from 80 to 250.

The government has dismissed various death tolls as exaggerations, and said that a recent report on the situation by the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) was an "absolute lie".

'Organised gangs'

Ethiopian citizens had a right to question the plan to expand Addis Ababa, but the protests were hijacked by people looking to incite violence, according to government spokesman Getachew Reda.

He says the security forces have faced "organised armed gangs burning down buildings belonging to private citizens, along with government installations".

A security analyst who closely watches Ethiopia says "there could be radical elements and factions taking advantage, but you cannot define a movement by isolated events".

Despite violent incidents, the protests have been described as "largely peaceful" by HRW and observers in Ethiopia.

"There is a perception of lack of competence in governance on the ground," Mr Daniel says.

"There were easy remedies to appease initial protests, it was not hard science, but the right actions were not taken."

In its defence, the government says it heeded the call of the people when it came to concerns over the Addis Ababa plan, and observers say the government deserves credit for withdrawing it.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionOromos in the diaspora have taken part in protests in solidarity

But the same political observers add that the government must allow Ethiopians to exercise their constitutional right to protest, and handle events in a way that does not escalate violence.

The government has said that the protests and information about them have been manipulated by foreign-based opposition groups who are using social media to exaggerate what is going on for their own ends.

"The diaspora magnifies news of what is happening, yes, but no matter how much it agitates, it cannot direct [what's happening] at village level in Ethiopia," says Jawar Mohammed, executive director of one of those accused of fomenting conflict, US-based broadcaster Oromia Media Network (OMN).

"This is about dissatisfaction."

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe ruling coalition and its allies won every single seat at the 2015 election

Mr Jawar says the imprisonment of leaders of the Oromo Federalist Congress party, Oromia's largest legally registered opposition political party, along with thousands of other Oromo political prisoners, makes it difficult to negotiate a lasting solution.

"Also what is the UK and US doing? As major donors to Ethiopia they should be taking the lead to get the government to work out an agreement."

This is a long way from the heady days of Ethiopia's new federal constitution after the overthrow of the military dictatorship in 1991.

That introduced a decentralised system of ethnic federalism, but this jars with the dominance of the governing Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which, along with its allies, holds every seat in parliament.

Federal tensions

"The ruling government is a victim of its own success," the security analyst says.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe Oromo make up Ethiopia's largest ethnic group

"The constitution it developed made promises and people trusted the EPRDF. Now people are demanding those rights and the government is responding with bullets and violence."

He adds that the government has expanded basic services and infrastructure, and appears to respect different cultural and ethnic identities, but it cannot reconcile this with its more authoritarian decision-making process.

The government's hitherto successful job of holding together this particularly heterogeneous federation is not about to crumble, according to observers here.

But things may get worse before they get better, unless underlying sources of friction and frustration are addressed.