As recent far as the downfall of Emperor Hailessilassie’s brutal regime in February 1974 (GC), the Sidama nation didn’t have nominal representation albeit official representation was virtually unthinkable. And during emperor Hailesilassie’s feudal era, the Sidama nation was kept under slavery, therefore, Schooling their children was impossible. A very few schools opened in Sidama’s the then province such as Yirgalem and Wolyta Sodo secondary schools were mainly and on some occasions exclusively reserved for the children of colonial settlers (Nefitegnas). This was only drastically changed during the Derg regime (post February 1974 GC) when the Sidama children, like the others oppressed nations’ were able to attend schools, go to colleges and Universities. After their graduation however key employment areas where national decisions are being made remain remote for the sons and daughters of Sidama nation as is the case today.
There were only two graduates’ from the entire Sidama nation during the pre-Derg era who were able to go to School, thanks to missionaries. They were Professor Desta Hamito (former Haramaya university physicist) and Mr Betana Hotesso Hamano, both of whom have currently retired veterans; although the later fought for the rights of his people throughout his entire life and he is doing so in his 80s. Although the sons and daughters of the nation were able to go to school, during the Derg regime, besides, the leadership including Sidama regional administration, the entire Sidama districts were all were exclusively reserved to non-Sidama Abyssinian settlers; all of whom continually subjugated the nation whilst expropriating its resources such as the current Nairob’s Amhara tycoon Tefera Endale who became billionaire with the wealth of Sidama nation. He has got several buses in Nairobi in addition to others businesses.
The stark difference during Derg’s era was the fact that, there were gallant Sidama personalities who were picked up by the Derg regime to serve its interests, yet have selflessly fought for the fundamental rights of the Sidama nation as a whole. Some of such gallant and selfless Sidama personalities were imprisoned and others were blood coldly assassinated by Abyssinians’ being coordinated by Derg’s officials such as the aforementioned Tefera Endale. From few of those who have been assassinated was Mathewos Korsissa (the then Sidamo province farmer’s association chair-the noblest Sidama personality) for speaking the need to develop Sidama region and protect the rights of its people. One of the others Sidama personalities who were terrorised and unlawfully arrested for years for defending the rights of the Sidama nation was the aforementioned ‘Betana Hotesso Hamano’. He with others Sidamas’ was kept in prison for years and later on released and kept under house arrest. There were also others Sidama heroes and heroines who have publicly fought for the rights of their nation despite their being selected to serve the regime which was in power. I’m not however denying the fact that there also were Sidama renegades who conspired with the rulers during Derg’s era.
To revert back to the former; when the nation was conquered by the brutal Abyssinian army in late 1880s, they haven’t peacefully accepted the said systematic slavery; the slavery which lingers to this date in different form, albeit you (the sons and daughters of the nation are given nominal autonomy-the privileges you use to accumulate your own wealth, torture and dehumanise your own people who have done no crime, but demanded their constitutional rights to be respected). Since the Sidama as others nations and nationalities is driven to live under the said systematic slavery after it became the victims of colonial expansion, the nation made repeated attempts to liberate its people and land with no success.
Using its traditional weapons, the Sidama nation repulsed the first invading colonial Menelik II’s army during the course of its first wave. The modernity of coloniser’s weapons however were incomparable with that of the Sidamas traditional for the sole reason the nation finally become subservience. The biggest weapon the Sidama nation had during the said time was its unity, indefectibility, purpose driven determination to defend their rights; all helping the nation to refuse the invading army. The 1980s Sidama Liberation Movements (SLM’s) heroic struggle has shaken the foundation of the then regime and shown how the nation is capable of defending its rights. In response to Sidama’s resistance, Derg’s regime massacred hundreds of thousands of Sidama civilians during these periods. For instances, the Boricha Sidama massacre of over 700 non-combatant civilians on a single day incident by Derg’s brutal regime is one of the several genocides it’s committed on Sidama people. Besides, the nation didn’t keep silent since it lost its sovereignty. Instead it has sporadically fought all successive Abyssinian regimes during the entire occupation although the success remain distant.
Meanwhile, since the current Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led regime assumed power in June 1991, it has picked hundreds of Sidama individuals most of whom are unprepared to do what their predecessors’ have done for the rights of their own downtrodden nation. Before the current regime picks them up, it has to make sure that these groups of people are obedient all the times and never dare asking why for whatever injustices imposed on their nation. For the first time in Sidama history since the conquest, the Sidama nation was given nominal representation although it isn’t genuine one. However, various evidences show that, if the Cadres were brave enough, whose numbers exceed ‘830’ could reflect the interests of their nation. Sadly none of them have done so.
Paradoxically, these cadres remain working contrary to the ethos of Sidama nation’s accepted values on defending national interest of the Sidama in the following manner:-
1. They order the killings of armless and nonviolent Sidama civilians and unquestionably conspire with those who are prepared to kill.
2. Continually block the constitutional rights of the Sidama nation to regional self-determination; usually unlawfully imprison, torture, intimidate and virtually terrorise Sidama individuals raising their constitutional rights.
3. Deliberately impoverish Sidama region and conspire with those officials’ who are deliberately under developing Sidama by blocking all the necessary support the nation needs to develop and grow. For instance, ex late PM Meles Zenawi ordered all development activities supported by Irish aid to be unconditionally stopped & channelled to Tigray, The Sidama development practitioners were obliged to escape for their lives; thus currently all activities were dismantled and few of the remaining once become personal commodity for regional, zone and federal authorities.
4. The Sidama human rights defenders are often targeted with harassment, intimidation, suppression and repression, imprisonment and physical and psychological torture and terror.
5. Sidama University students are often picked on by the authorities if they raise the issues related with Sidama national rights.
6. The Sidama land in Hawassa city is sold and purchased for the benefits of federal, regional and Zone authorities whilst the Sidama civilians are obliged to become beggars during this regime for the first time in Sidama history.
7. An exorbitant income fetched by the Sidama coffee is systematically milked by the federal and regional officials, and billions of Sidama farmers’ union associations monies were taken away to be sued by TPLF’s representatives under the pretext of development banks, from which the Sidama never benefit.
8. Few individuals including, anti-Sidama cadres, who is currently assigned to be a minister at the Ministry of Education (Shiferaw Shigute) and others his accomplices become billionaires with the left over from the TPLF bosses and numerous others….
These all inhuman activities are taking place in Sidama land with agreements of the entire Sidama cadres none of them speak single word about Sidama nation’s ongoing tragedy, instead they facilitate nations’ predicament. The Sidama cadres explicit or implicit agreements is responsible for the situation the Sidama nation is obliged to live under for unknown and uncertain futurity the nation is obliged to be subjected. On most occasions, the Sidama cadres are the ones’ who pre-plan how to brutalise the Sidama nation by showing the necessary strategies to their federal and regional bosses. Some of the Sidama elders are deceived into believing that the cadres are there for the Sidama nation whilst acting against its interests.
Therefore, mothers and fathers are crying for justice. Children are continually begging for proper meal once a day. Mountains and gorges are crying for justice, liberty and freedom. The Sidama land is asking for Halaale (Sidama nation’s moral code on truth and true way of life) to do justice for the Sidama nation. The Sidama nation of all walks of life strongly advise all Sidama cadre messengers of the current TPLF led authoritarian regime, to unconditionally stop killings of the civilians, sponsoring the killings of the Sidama civilians, blocking the Sidama nations constitutional rights to regional self-determination; imprisoning, intimidating, terrorising and suppressing the nation as a whole; deliberately or otherwise implementing anti-Sidama policies of the current regime in Sidama land and entire south; expropriating its resources, looting with looters and brutalising with brutalisers.
Finally, the Sidama nation strongly advise the entire Sidama cadres to adhere to Sidama nation’s values on justices and fairness and join the Sidama nation’s genuine human rights defenders until the nation asserts its constitutional rights, liberty, justices and equality for all. Moreover, declining to respond such ongoing calls of the Sidama nation, the nation would like all the Sidama cadres to unambiguously know that when the rights time comes they all shall pay ultimate prices for their inhuman and unlawful actions; and the right time won’t be too long.
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