Sunday, January 10, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
140 drepne i Etiopia etter protestar mot regimet
Etiopiske styresmakter sine planar om å bygge fabrikkar utanfor hovudstaden har ført til store protestar frå folket som bur i området. Fredfulle demonstrasjonar har blitt valdelege, og så langt er 140 drepne.
Ein livlaus student ligg i gata, medan andre livredde studentar flyktar frå dei etiopiske tryggingsstyrkene. Det som starta som eit fredfullt studentopprør har blitt ein blodig konflikt.
– Dei tek landet vårt
Det er studentar og andre personar frå Oromo-folket som dei siste vekene har protestert mot styresmaktene i Etiopia. Oromo-folket er den største etniske gruppa i Etiopia, men har lenge blitt neglisjert av styresmaktene.
Årsaka til uroa den siste tida er styresmaktene i Etiopia sine planar om å ta meir kontroll over landområde utanfor hovudstaden Addis Abeba.
Men i dei aktuelle områda bur folk frå Oromo-folket, og dei fryktar no at landbruksjorda deira vil bli gjort om til fabrikktomter.
– Dei tek landet vårt, dei drep barna våre. Kvifor drep dei berre ikkje oss alle med ei gong, ropte ein mann til ein journalist frå AFP som var i området før jul.
Og etter den tid har det berre blitt verre.
Tortur og arrestasjonar
I tillegg er arbeidsløysa stor blant Oromo-folket, og mange meiner styresmaktene hindrar dei frå å få jobbar. Difor trur mange at dei heller ikkje vil få ta del i den eventuelle økonomiske utviklinga som fabrikkane kan gje.
Protestane mot styresmaktene sine ferske planar starta fredeleg, men har enda i valdelege opptøyar. Så langt skal minst 140 vere drepne, opplyser menneskerettsorganisasjonen Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Det kjem også rapportar om tortur, massearrestasjonar og at folk forsvinn sporlaust. Nestleiaren for det politiske partiet Oromo Federalist Congress er blant dei som har blitt borte.
– Han vart først frakta til Maekalawi-fengselet, der tortur og anna overgrep er vanleg rutine. Den 54 år gamle språkprofessoren vart lagt inn på sjukehus kort tid etter arrestasjonen, men det er ikkje kjent kor han er no, og det er gryande uro for at han har blitt tvungen til å forsvinne, skriv HRW i ein rapport.
Også uroleg aust i Etiopia
Også oromoar som bur utanfor Etiopia har protestert mot utviklinga den siste tida, mellom anna under Afrika-EU-toppmøtet på Malta i november.
Det er ikkje vanleg med store demonstrasjonar i Etiopia, men det har altså i det siste blussa opp ein del uro. Dette har bakgrunn i ei langvarig neglisjering av Oromo-folket som føler at dei står utanfor det etiopiske samfunnet både politisk og økonomisk.
Også aust i Etiopia, i Ogaden-regionen, er det grupper som er sterkt kritiske til det etiopiske regimet. I denne regionen er det knapt mogleg for journalistar å få innreiseløyve, og det vert stadig rapportert om menneskerettsbrot også her.
JANUARY 7, 2016 Dispatches Dispatches: Arrest of Respected Politician Escalating Crisis in Ethiopia
Over the past eight weeks, Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromia, has been hit by a wave of mass protests over the expansion of the municipal boundary of the capital, Addis Ababa. The generally peaceful protests were sparked by fears the expansion will displace ethnic Oromo farmers from their land, the latest in a long list of Oromo grievances against the government.
Bekele Gerba in Washington DC, August 2015.
© 2015 Bonnie Holcomb
Security forces have killed at least 140 protesters and injured many more, according to activists, in what may be the biggest crisis to hit Ethiopia since the 2005 election violence.
The crisis has taken another worrying turn: on December 23, the authorities arrested Bekele Gerba, deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Oromia’s largest legally registered political party. There had been fears he would be re-arrested as the government targets prominent Oromo intellectuals who they feel have influence over the population. He was first taken to thenotorious Maekalawi prison, where torture and other ill-treatment are routine. The 54-year-old foreign language professor was reportedly hospitalized shortly after his arrest but his whereabouts are now unknown, raising concerns of an enforced disappearance. Other senior OFC leaders have been arbitrarily arrested in recent weeks or are said to be under virtual house arrest.
This is not the first time Bekele has been arrested. In 2011, he was convicted under Ethiopia’s draconian counterterrorism law of being a member of the banned Oromo Liberation Front – a charge often used to silence politically engaged ethnic Oromos who oppose the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). He spent four years in prison and was only released shortly before the elections last May. The OFC ran candidates but the EPRDF coalition won all 547 parliamentary seats, a stark reflection of the unfair electoral playing field.
Bekele is deeply committed to nonviolence and has consistently advocated that the OFC participate in future elections, despite the EPRDF’s stranglehold on the political landscape.
By treating both opposition politicians and peaceful protesters with an iron fist, the government is closing off ways for Ethiopians to nonviolently express legitimate grievances. This is a dangerous trajectory that could put Ethiopia’s long-term stability at risk.
The Ethiopian government should release unjustly detained opposition figures including Bekele and rein in the excessive use of lethal force by the security forces. They should also allow people to peacefully protest and to express dissent and ensure that farmers and pastoralists are protected from arbitrary or forced displacement without consultation and adequate compensation.
These steps would be an important way to show Oromo protesters that the government is changing tack and is genuinely committed to respecting rights. Without this kind of policy shift, desperate citizens will widen their search for other options for addressing grievances.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Ammaan Booda Jiraa Oromoo Dhiisitii Du’aan Oromoollee Harqoota Gabrummaa Hin Baatu
Taammanaa Bitimaa irraa*
Kunoo, amma bara moofaa keessaa gara bara haaraatti dabarree jirra. Barri dabre kun, barri 2015 bara Oromooti jechuu dandeenya. Kan bara san bara Oromoo taasese immoo Qabsoo Oromoo isa Dhaloota Qubeetiin dachee Oromiyaa sochoosee, diina Oromoo ollachiise sani. Jarri qawwee baaddhatee, harree ooffatee, barabaasoon Oromiyaa seenee qabeenya uummata Oromoo saammatee, abbootii kitilaa (abbootii miliyoonaa) tahe kun, kunoo waggaalee 24 guutuu qawween gateettii isaa irraa hin bune. Takkaa qawwee boraafatee rafuu hin dhiifne. Amma qawween lafee fi dhiiga isaa keessa tuulamuun sammuu isaayyuu weerare jira. Eeyyee, jarri qawwee bakka amantii ofii buufate kun kan durii caala, bara dabre kana keessa dhiiga ijoollee Oromoo akka galaana Adoolessaatti dhangalaasee jira. Haadholii fi ijoollee bira kutee akkoowwanillee galaafatee argama. Shamarran Oromoo, ililliiwwan teenya humna qawweetiin gudeeduun nu jalaa salphiseeti jira. Guddattuu waggaa torbaallee otoo hin hambisin galaafatee argama.
Kana hundaa oggaa godhu, uummanni addunyaa teeknolojii bara ammayyaa isa ijoolleen Oromoo irra geesseen daawwachaa ture. Ammallee ittuma jira. Mee eenyutu, xiinxalaa seenaa fi taliigaa (siyaasaa) isa kamtu Oromiyaa guutuu irraa, gandeeni fi magaalattiiwwan takkallee otoo hin hafin, Oromoon akkanatti ka’uun sochowee dachee sochoosa jedhee himee ture? Maarree, sabni akkasitti hudhamee waanjoo gabrummaa jala jiru, hudhaatiin sun hafuura tokkollee baafachuu isa dhoowwinaan akkasitti olka’e. Ammas jarri sammuun isaanii gara qawweetti geeddarame kun, qaawa tokkollee waan nuuf hin dhiifneef irra-caalaa akka waltaanee kaanu, akka waltaanee fincillu nu dhiibaa jiru. Ammas kan bara dabree caalaa akka alaa-manaa waltaanee sochoonu nu gochaa jiru. Ammaan booda jiraa Oromoo dhiisitii du’aan Oromoollee diina biyya keenya qabateen dhiddhiitamee buluu akka hin qabne, uummanni Oromoos beekee jira, Waaqnis isaaf beekee jira! Tokkummaan isaa, seexaan isaa, tooftaa fi malli isaa kana caalaa jabaatee itti-fufuu qaba! Uummanni Oromoo abbaan nagaa fi nageenyaa kun, inni nagaa ilmoo namaa dhiisitii kan bineeyyii fi biqiltuuwwanillee eegee bulu kun, daangaa namaa hin dabarre, nagaa ollaa fi namoota biyya isaa keessa nagaan jiraatanii hin booressine. Ammoo, warra jibbii fi qawween sammuu fi onnee isaa dhuunfate kanaan qeyeedhuma isaa keessatti, araddaadhuma isaa irratti dararamaa, ijoolleen isaa akka baala mukaatti jalaa harcawaa jirti. Warri Wayyaanee kun sadarkaa ilmoo namaa irraa gara sadarkaa bineensaatti ofumaan of gadibuusanii argamu. Kanaaf, uummannii fi sabni Oromoo qabsoo bilisummaa fi walabummaa isaa daran cimsee itti-fufuu malee, filmaata biraa tokkollee hin qabu!
Qabsoon ammaan tana Oromiyaa guutuu irratti adeemaa jiru kun qabsoo nagaati. Qabsoon kun akkanumatti, kana caalayyuu cimee of-cimsuun, irra-caalayyuu malaa fi tooftaa isaa babaldhifachuun itti-fufuu qaba! Kannneen keessaa qabsoon dinagdee warra Wayyaanee irratti oofamu karaa fi daangaa isaa babaldhifachuun jabaatee itti-fufamuun kan hardhaa-boru hin jedhamne. Uummanni Oromoo seenaa isaa keessa deebiyuun irraa baratee isa ammaa kanaaf oolchuutu isa baasa. Jecha dubbii Oromoo keessa: “uummanni sitti jiguu mannaa, Waaqni sitti jiguu wayya“, kan jedhamutu jira. “Yoo Waaqni sitti jige, uummatatu kadhatee, booyee Waaqa kadhachuun jalaa si oolcha. Yoo uummanni sitti jige garuu kan isa jalaa si baasu hin jiru.“, jedha uummanni beekaan kun. Oromoon alagaa dhiisitii dhala Oromooyyuu, isa seera fi aadaa isaa jeeqe, isa waan dhalli namaa hin hojjanne hojjate tokko karaa itti isa adabu qaba. Nama akkanaa kanatti akka namuu hin dubbanne, yoo balaan irra gaye akka isaaf hin birmanne, yoo innii fi miseensi maatii isaa tokko boqote akka bayee hin awwaalle faa waliigaluun adaba. Ammas nuti Oromoonni, warra dhiiga kichuuwwan keenyaa akka galaanaatti dhangalaase kana: waa irraa hin binnu; waas isatti hin gurgurru. Hoteela isaa seennee hin bullu; restoraantii isaa seennee waa hin nyaannu. Konkolaataa isaatiin hin deemnu. Huccuu faabrikaa isaa keessaa baye binnee hin uffannu. Eekaa, meeqaa meeqa lakkoofnee tarreessa ollaa mitii dubbiin kun karaa maraan cimee, cimsee itti-fufamuutu kan Oromoo fi Oromiyaa baasu taha.
Kana malees, siyachi nuti Oromoonni baadiyaas, kanneen magaalaawwanis gibira lafaa fi manaa mootummaa Wayyaanee kanaaf galchuu hin qabnu. Mootummaan Wayyaanee, mootummaa otoo hin taane, garee fi tuuta gaadduu fi saamtuu-ti. Shiftaa fi gaadduunillee safuu fi safeeffata xiqqoo wayii waan qabaniif, daa’immanii fi haayyolee hin tuqani. Sadarkaan warri Wayyaanee amma irratti argaman sadarkaa: gaadduu, saamtuu, shiftaa fi addaggee gandeen keessaa-ti. Warra akkanaa kanaaf, gibira galchuun, qaraxa baasuun, manneen seeraa isaanii walgeessuu dhaabu qabna. Kanaafuu, qabsoon karaa nagaa inni ijoolleen teenya jalqabdee, uummanni keenya ishii cinaa dhaabachuun itti-cimse kun karaa maraan baldhatee, ititee, walqabachuun itti-fufuutu kan nus, biyya keenyas baasu taha. Kakuu dhaa; laguu dhaa; hoodaa kun itti-fufamuu qaba! Ennaa kana goonu hunda, namoota alagaa warra nagaan biyya keenya keessa jiratanii, nagaa fi nageenya isaanii tikfachuu qabna. Nuti kana kan goonu, nama wayii sodaannee yookaan: “maal nuun jedhuuf” otoo hin taane, aadaa fi duudhaa uummata Oromoo raajeffatamaa kanaa irraa barachuuni. Dhaloonni Qubee raajeffatamaan kun karaa kanaanis akka addunyaan isa raajeffatu taasifatee jira.
Qabsoon keenya kun Gaafa Afrikaa guutuu irraa tumsaa fi mararfannoo daran cimaa horatee muldhata. Uummatoonni fi jaarmoleen warra: Ogaadeen, Afaar, Sidaamaa, Benshaangul, Gambeellaa fi warri kaan nu bira dhaabatanii argamu. Dhiigni ijoollee teenyaa fi lafeen isanii isaanis akkuma keenya aarsee, akkuma keenya ilkaan ciniinnachiisee nu maddii dhaabee jira. Biyyoota alaa kanatti dhiigni fi foon keenya warri Ogaadeen hiriira goonu cufa irratti takkaa nu biraa hin hafne. Nuti dhalawwan Oromoo warri bineensummaa mootummaa Habashaa kanneen durii fi isa ammaa kana jalaa baqachuun biyyalafaa guutuu keessa faffacaanee jirru, kan ammaa caalaa jabaannee firoottan qabsoo keenyaaf horachuu qabna. Keessumaa akka uummanni Afrikaa fi Afro-Ameerikaanonni waayee keenya sirriitti qalbeeffataniif guyyuu irratti hojjachuutu, dubbii nu baasu taha! “Abbaan iyyatu malee, ollaan namaaf hin birmatu“, jedha Oromoon keenya.
Nuti Oromoonni biyyoota ambaa keessatti argamnu, kunoo torbanoota saddeet guutuu boowaa, hiriira bahaa, halkanillee cabbii Oroppaa fi Ameerikaa keessa bulaa, addunyaatti iyyachaa jirra. Otoo imimmaan nu keessaa gadi yaa’aa jiru kan waraabamu tahee, Laga Waabee guutuu dandaya. Garuu, kan ammaa caalaa cimnee karaa maraan uummata keenya, isa biyyaa dararamaa jiru bira dhaabachuutu dirqama seenaa fi dirqama dhalootaa nutti taha. Isa guyyaatti al-sadii nyaannu keessaa isa al-tokkoo qabsoof oolchuun keenya dirqama. Isa sa’aa saddeet rafnu keessaa sa’aa sadii waayee qabsoo keenyaa irratti hojjachuutu sirrii dha. Jaarmoleen Oromoo isaan garagaraa kan ammaa caalaa walitti dhufuun tokkummaa isaanii jabeeffachuu qabu. Kana biraa kutuun namoonni Oromoo warri seera baratan waltayanii dureewwan warra Wayyaanee isaan biyyoota alaa keessa deddeeman seera addunyaatti, mana murtii UNO-tti dhiyeessuu qabu! Oromoonni biroo immoo karaa hundaan isaan gargaruun waanuma jiru. Abadan ammaan booda dureewwan warra Wayyaanee dhiiga ijoollee fi uummata keenyaa akkanatti lolaasanii olii-gadi deddeemuun dhaabachuu qaba!
Nuti Oromoonni alaa-manaa kan ammaa caalaa warra OPDO kana irratti hojjachuu qabna. Oggaan kana jedhu Muktaar Kadirii fi Abbaa Duulaa faa jechuu kiyyaa miti. Isaan kana hamma feene irratti hojjannullee, ashkarummaa fi jala-kaattummaa jalaa isaan baasuu hin dandeenyu. Miseensota OPDO kanneen kumaan lakkaawaman, miseensota foolisii Oromiyaa fi waraana Toopphiyaa irratti karaa addaddaatiin iyya harmee Oromiyaa dabarsuufii qabna. Ilmaan Oromoo warri qawwee qabachuun diina jala jiran, qawwee san qabatanii uummata ofiitti dabalamuu qabu. Kun hojii salphaa wayii waan hin taneef, laaffifneetoo bira dabruu hin qabnu.
Qabsoon keenya inni amma finiina jiru kun, qabsoo isa karaa nagaati jedheen ture. Garuu, jarri karaa nagaa kana callaan nu lafa irraa duguuguu kana irraa akka duubatti hin deebne ganamumaan beekuutu sirrii dha. Warri sammuun isaanii gara qawweetti jijjirame kun, akka harki keenya qawwee qabatuuf nu dhiibaa jiru. Kun akka laayyootti ilaalamuu akka hin qabne, hundi keenya beekuun qajeelaa dha. “Qawween eessaayyi dhufa?“, naan hin jedhinaa, qawween Oromiyaa keessa ciisaa jiraa! Uummata bilisummaa ofiitii ijaaramee, tokkoomee ka’eef: qottoon, dongoraan, doomaan, cakiin, halbeen, haamtuun, maarashaan, cuubeen, eebboon, shootalli, shimalli, gajaraan, manshiin, jaafgaan, hordaan faayyuu qawwee dha. Gabrichi abbaa-gabraa irraa hidhannoo isaa hiikkatee of-bilisoomsuun namaanis, Waaqaanis eebbifamaa dha!
Uummanni Oromoo bilisummaa uumaan qabu kanaaf karaa maraan sochowuutu isa baasa. Tokkummaan Oromoo akka kana irra cimuuf, Oromummaan akka kana irra itituuf jabaannee irratti hojjachuu qabna! Dureewwan amantii fi manneen amantii marti: kan Waaqeffataa, kan Islaamaa fi kan Kiristaanaa iyya harmee Oromiyaa dhaggeeffachuun Waaqa kadhachuufii qabu! Ammaan booda laftii fi namni, gaarranii fi laggeen Oromiyaa marti diina qawween nu irra taa’ee dhiiga ijoollee teenyaa dhangalaasu kanatti ni ka’u. Laggeen Oromiyaa diinni waraabbatee irraa dhugu dhiiga itti-tahu. Margii fi furri inni irra deemu qoree laaftoo itti-tahuun isa waraanu. Biyyee fi cirrachi inni irra ijjatu barbadaa tahuun isa waxalu. Qilleensi Oromiyaa inni fuunfatu summii isatti taha! Nama Oromoo dhiisitii horii fi bineeyyiin Oromiyaatuu tokko tahuun isa diru! Ammaan booda namaa fi lafa Oromiyaatu, Ayyaanaa fi Waaqa Oromootu ijoollee Oromootiif iyyee iyya dabarsa! Erga Waaqni fi Lafti nuuf iyyee iyya dabarsee, guyyaan bilisummaa fi walabummaa keenyaa dhiyaachaa jira jechaa dha!
Human Rights Watch: Arrest of Respected Politician Escalating Crisis in Ethiopia
The following is a post from the Human Rights Watch …
—–
Dispatches: Arrest of Respected Politician Escalating Crisis in Ethiopia
By Felix Horne
Over the past eight weeks, Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromia, has been hit by a wave of mass protests over the expansion of the municipal boundary of the capital, Addis Ababa. The generally peaceful protests were sparked by fears the expansion will displace ethnic Oromo farmers from their land, the latest in a long list of Oromo grievances against the government.
Security forces have killed at least 140 protesters and injured many more, according to activists, in what may be the biggest crisis to hit Ethiopia since the 2005 election violence.
The crisis has taken another worrying turn: on December 23, the authorities arrested Bekele Gerba, deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Oromia’s largest legally registered political party. There had been fears he would be re-arrested as the government targets prominent Oromo intellectuals who they feel have influence over the population. He was first taken to the notorious Maekalawi prison, where torture and other ill-treatment are routine. The 54-year-old foreign language professor was reportedly hospitalized shortly after his arrest but his whereabouts are now unknown, raising concerns of an enforced disappearance. Other senior OFC leaders have been arbitrarily arrested in recent weeks or are said to be under virtual house arrest.
This is not the first time Bekele has been arrested. In 2011, he was convicted under Ethiopia’s draconian counterterrorism law of being a member of the banned Oromo Liberation Front – a charge often used to silence politically engaged ethnic Oromos who oppose the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). He spent four years in prison and was only released shortly before the elections last May. The OFC ran candidates but the EPRDF coalition won all 547 parliamentary seats, a stark reflection of the unfair electoral playing field.
Bekele is deeply committed to nonviolence and has consistently advocated that the OFC participate in future elections, despite the EPRDF’s stranglehold on the political landscape.
By treating both opposition politicians and peaceful protesters with an iron fist, the government is closing off ways for Ethiopians to nonviolently express legitimate grievances. This is a dangerous trajectory that could put Ethiopia’s long-term stability at risk.
The Ethiopian government should release unjustly detained opposition figures including Bekele and rein in the excessive use of lethal force by the security forces. They should also allow people to peacefully protest and to express dissent and ensure that farmers and pastoralists are protected from arbitrary or forced displacement without consultation and adequate compensation.
These steps would be an important way to show Oromo protesters that the government is changing tack and is genuinely committed to respecting rights. Without this kind of policy shift, desperate citizens will widen their search for other options for addressing grievances.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)