The main opposition Party is calling for peacefull power transition

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 

#AbiyAhmedMustGo

 https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2020/10/03/ethiopian-court-asks-attorney-general-to-explain-comment-after-jawar-and-bekele-accuse-him-of-presuming-their-guilt/?fbclid=IwAR2hnmHOv9_WgdCpagnQwOSqpbLJPJvruJ-_UQpFhgP4LOVfxLJhSq2Dvi8

Ittiiqaa Tafarii – Galma Dhugaa New Oromo Music 2020 (Official Video)

#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

 

Ethiopian Forces Should Show Restraint at Upcoming Festival

Laetitia Bader

Director, Horn of Africa

Oromo Holiday Has Been a Flashpoint for Violence

Each year, massive crowds gather in the town of Bishoftu in Ethiopia’s Oromia region for the Oromo harvest festival of Irreecha. It’s one of the year’s most important cultural and religious events for millions of ethnic Oromos.

But this year’s festival, on October 3 and 4, occurs against the backdrop of escalating tensions and unrest in Oromia. On June 29, the assassination of popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa triggered violence, leaving hundreds killed, some by security forces, others by civilian perpetrators, and massive property destruction and displacement.

In response, the government detained thousands, including prominent politicians it accuses of involvement in the violence. The security force presence in many towns in Oromia has increased, and recent protests have been met with a heavy-handed response.

Irreecha has already been a political flashpoint. In 2016, following a year of anti-government protests, security forces shot tear gas and discharged firearms as crowds gathered for the festival, sparking a stampede that left possibly hundreds dead.

Since March, the Ethiopian government has limited mass gatherings to slow the spread of Covid-19. With infection rates in Ethiopia remaining high, the authorities have recently further limited participation in large assemblies, most recently with the Orthodox Christian festival of Meskel, and now for this year’s Irreecha. An Oromia regional official has warned against manipulating the festival for political purposes. Federal security officials have also stated they will not tolerate any violence.

But many Oromos view the government’s attempts to limit participation in Irreecha with fear and suspicion. One 27-year-old man from West Arsi zone, Oromia, recently said: “The officials are selecting who will go, who will not, but they are not discussing with communities. You remember 2016? I fear that this year’s Irreecha festival will also face similar incidents.”

Amid a pandemic, reasonable restrictions on public gatherings may be justified. But with tensions already high, expressions of dissent and resistance to government directives may be expected. The government should show it has learned lessons from its recent responses to demonstrations and the events of 2016 by ensuring security forces exercise restraint and allowing gatherers to celebrate safely.

#AbiyMustGo#OromoProtests

 The Politics in the Political Trial of Jawar M and 23 Others

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I have now read the 336 pages of the indictment in full and here are my further reflections and observations.

Two preliminary points:

First: For those to whom it is intended, the indictment reads like a shocking thriller, conjuring an image of dangerous individuals who represent a mortal threat to the Ethiopian state and its PM, who is working hard to Make Ethiopia Great Again, and must be locked up and expunged from the political scene. Take for example the scene where the script writer imagines Jawar recruiting former OLF fighters and sends them to Egypt via Kenya, for training … the amount of cynicism here … basically praying on the prejudices, fears and apprehensions of the Addis Ababa elite ... A muslim Oromo, recruiting 'oneg' fighters, and sent them to Arab/Muslim Egypt, who is at a diplomatic war with Ethiopia ( note that the PM has been desperately trying to find some ways of using the enthusiasm over the GERD for internal politics, and of course his statement after Haacaaluu's assassination)

Second: For those against whom the script is written, it is likely to be perceived as a concatenation of provable falsehoods and outright lies designed to advance an oppressive political objective.

I have followed EPRDF era political trials and I have written on them extensively. I have also written on political trials elsewhere extensively. This indictment is perhaps the most blatant and egregious abuse of the legal system and the judicial space for political ends I have ever encountered.

The Trial

This trial is not a run-of-the-mill criminal trial. It is a political trial carefully choreographed and staged to put Oromo nationalism, which ushered the PM onto power, in the dock. The indictment reads as a prosecution of the aspiration of the Oromo public for a dignified and peaceful co-existence with the nations and nationalities of Ethiopia.

Indeed, some of the ridiculous evidence presented here and the sequence of events described and narrative makes it clear that this is part of a broader strategic manoeuvre by the government to depict an unpatriotic and violent image of Oromo nationalism to prepare the discursive environment for the PM's ultimate objective of dismantling multinational federation. Jawar and the 23 accused are convenient scapegoats on which to hang the stories the government wanted to filter into the court of public opinion.

At its core, this trial represents a collision of two radically contrasting visions of the future for Ethiopia: Jawar's ethnonational vision of a democratic multinational federal order, and the PM's "Make Ethiopia Great Again" vision of a highly centralised state in which he reigns supreme. And there is no symmetry between these two visions.

The established order is deploying the devices of law and justice to eliminate critical Oromo voices from the political space – a practice that is in keeping with Ethiopia's imperial origin and its anti-Oromo foundation. After all, this is a multi-ethnic empire that rendered significant parts of its population "a part of no part." The only reason people like Jawar, Eskinder, Lidetu, Bekele, Hamza and so many others are on trial is because Abiy and his neo-neftegna regime can. Abiy sees Jawar as a potent electoral threat in the short term & a mortal threat to his "Ethiopia First" vision in the long term. He is, quite simply, using the law 2 protect his personal interest.

Eskinder Nega and Others

People like Eskinder Nega and Lidetu Ayalew (both could represent a potential threat to Abiy’s electoral fortunes in Addis Ababa), are on trial because it allows the state to deny political motivation in the crackdown. They can say, look, we have arrested and detained individuals from other political formations too, not just Oromos, this is merely a matter of routine law and order operation.

What I find deeply tragic about Eskinder is how his metropolitan constituency seemed totally willing to sacrifice him. In their transactional worldview, if Abiy goes after Oromo nationalism and Oromo nationalists - forces they consider a threat to the established structure of privilege that gives them symbolic and material sustenance - Eskinder can be sacrificed.

By Awol Kasim

OMN: English News (Sept 23, 2020)

OMN: ENGLISH NEWS (Sept 27, 2020)

OMN: English News

OMN: Mil'uu Tibbanaa (Fulb 23, 2020)

Irreecha 2020 Ilaalchisee Ibsa Qeerroo

#AbiyAhmedMustGo#Ethiopia#OromoProtests

 

#AbiyMustGo#OromoProtests#Ethiopia

Yaadadhaa! Jawaar, Baqqalaa fi namootni isaan waliin turan marti Waxabajjii 30, 2020 gaafa qabaman ‘reeffa Hacaaluu Amboo geeffamaa ture humnaan Finfinneetti deebistan’ kan jedhuun hadheeffaman ture. Gidduu qabaman sana himannaan diinota irraa dhaga’ame tokko kana ture. Kun qofti jara qabanii tursuuf ga’aa akka hintaane gaafa hubatan poolisii Oromiyaa guyyaa gaafasii mooraa Giddugala Aadaa Oromoo keessatti lubbuun darbe kan ajjeese eegdota Jawaari kan jedhu itti eda’an. Gidduutti ragaan qorannoo yakkaa ajjeechaa poolisii Oromiyaa gaafas du’een walqabatee miliqee ba’e poolisichi kan du’e rasaasa dogongoraan harka isaa keessaa dhuka’een akka ta’e ibsee eegdonni Jawaar bilisa akka ta’an agarsiise (maxxansa Afaan Amaaraa Tsegaye R Ararssa  kan Hagayya 6 ilaali; Afaan Oromoof kan koo ilaali). 

Amma akkuma agartan himannaan Jawaar, Baqqalaa fi namoota isaan waliin jiran hunda irratti baname dirribii 10 ta’us mata-dureen himannichaa shororkeessummaa kan jedhu ta’ee jira. Waa’ee reeffa Hacaaluu fi du’a poolisichaa maqaaf qabiyyee himannaa keessa jiraatus hirraanfatamee jira. Himannaa Jawaar, Baqqalaa fi namoota isaan waliin jiran irratti har’a baname keessatti dhimmoonni kun lamaan maqaaf kaafaman malee akka dura dhiyaatanitti mata-duree himannaa ta’anii akka hindhiyaanne dookumantiin himannichaa har’a banamee ni addeessa. Himannaan jalqabaa kun lamaan maaliif hafe? 

Akka namootni akka kiyyaa jedhanitti osoo hintaane akkaataa diinni Oromoo Abiy Ahmed yaadutti durumaa rakkoon jiru isaan kana waliin hidhata hinqabu jechuudha. Kana jechuun Jawaarii fi Baqqalaan osoo gaafa Waxabajjii 30, 2020 bakka reeffa Hacaaluutti argamuu baataniillee bakkuma jiranitti qabamuun isaanii hinafu ture jechuudha. Akkuma beekamu jara kana irratti himata banuun guyyaa 80 fudhate; erga jara hidhanii waan ittiin himatan irratti barbaadaa turan. Inni gaafa Waxabajjii 30 balleessitan jedhame sun sababa jechuudha. Baqqalaa fi Jawaar himannaa sana lamaan irraa walaba ta’uun ifa ta’us akkuma ‘standard’ dubbii jaraattan dubbataa jira 

Duraa-duuba adeemsa kanaa yoo ilaaltan Haceen kan wareegame balaa tasaan osoo hintaane karooraan akka ta’e ‘suggest’ godha. Akkaatuma adeemsa sirni Nefxenyaa Abiy kun wareegamuu Haceen booda adeemaa jiru yoo ilaaltan Haceen kan wareegame karoora jarri Nefxenyaa baafattee lafaa qabuun akka ta’e ragaa kenna. Kun hiikkoo ani ofii kennaa jiru miti, duraa-duuba adeemsa dubbiitu akkas dubbata.  Ajjeechaan Hacaaluu irratti raawwatame ajjeechaa siyaasaa ti. Kana jechuun himannaan ‘reeffa Hacaaluu Amboo geeffamaa ture humnaan Finfinneetti deebistan’ jedhu Jawaar, Baqqalaa qabuuf sababa uumame jechuudha. Waan wareegamuu Hacee booda Oromiyaa fi Oromoo irratti raawwatame mara ilaalaa. Haceen dhimmuma kanaaf karooraan ajjeefame jechuudha. Ragaan biraan osoo hinbarbaachifne, wantootuma kana ilaaluudhaan Jawaarii fi Baqqalaa hidhuuf wareegamuu Hacaaluu dursee qophiin taasifamaa akka ture beekuun ni danda’ama. Kun ragaa al-kallattii diinonni keenya deemsa isaaniitiin of irratti ba’aa jiranidha. Yoo maal goone Jawaarii fi Baqqalaa yakkinee akka hidhaa galchinuuf karaa nuuf bana jedhanii qoratanii qophaa’aa turan jechuudha. Gocha akkamii yoo raawwanne hooggantoota Oromoo hafanis jumlaan hidhuu dandeenya kan jedhutu adeemaa ture. Kana hinbeektan jedheen dubbataa jira miti, ragaa jarri of irratti baate ilaalaa, yaadadhaa jechuufi. #AbiyMustGo

By Itana Habte