Jaarmayootni siyaasaa Oromoo sochii “Oromo First” jedhutti fayyadamuu danda’uu?

Abdii Boruutiin*

Akkuma beekamu, bu’aalee qabsoon bilisummaa Oromoo (QBOn) argamsiise keessaa inni tokko fi guddaan Oromummaa badiirraa dandamachiisee cimsuu fi Sabboonummaa Oromoo guddisuu dha. Gabaabumatti ibsuuf, Sabboonummaan Oromoo Oromummaadhaan bilchaachuu dha. Oromummaan guddachuu fi dagaaguun isaa ammoo deebisee qabsoo kana cimsee galii hawwamutti geessa. Kanaaf, Oromummaa fi QBOn harka lamaan qaama tokkoo ti jechuun ni danda’ama. Dhibdeeleen mooraa QBO keessatti uumamani fi sababa kanaan heddoomuun jaarmayoota keenyaa, keessumaayuu ABOrraa fottoqanii gareelee adda addaa ijaaruun, hawaasota Oromoo keessattillee walqoqqooduu fi walitti gaarrefachuun akka uumaman taasise. Kun dhugaa lafarra jiruu dha. Haalli akkanatti uumame kun ammoo tokkummaa Oromoo laaffisee; akka alagaa fi diinni nu tuffatan taasise jechuu dha.

Alagaa fi diinni maaliif akka nu tuffatan irra deddeebi’amee waan ibsameef, waayee kana asitti kaasuu hin barbaadu. Haa ta’u malee, tuffiin isaan nuuf qaban kun akka hirribarraa dammaqnu fi maaliif tuffatamne jennee akka of gaafannu nu taasise ykn taasisa. “Oromummaa keessan dhiisaatii Itoophiyummaaf dursa kennaa…” nuun jechuun isaanii xiiqii nu qabsiisa. Maaliif eenyummaa keessan ibsitan jedhanii nurratti duuluun isaanii yoomiyyuu caalaa nu kakaasa. Isa kanatu sochii “Oromoo First” jedhu dhalche. Sochiin kun ammoo akka dubbii “Dhagaa tokkoon simbira lama…” jedhuu ti. Maal jechuu kooti? Sochiin kun karaa tokkoon duula alagaa fi diinaan nurratti godhamaa ture fi jiru ofirraa qolachuuf yoo ta’u; karaa biraatiin ammoo hawaasota Oromoo kan sababoota adda addaatiin gargar faca’anii, tokkummaa dhaban deebisee cimsuudhaaf akka tokkummaan ilmaan Oromoo jabaatu taasisa. Walumaagalatti, akka Oromummaan dursa argatu godha.

Oromummaan dursa argachuun ammoo, Oromoon gandaan, naanoo fi amantiidhaan akka wal hin qoqqoodne gargaara. Oromootni hunduu akka fedhii uummata ykn saba isaaniitiif waliin dhaabbatan taasisa. Akka dhimma waloo hubatan godha. Kun hunduu hojiiraa yoo oolan tokkummaan ilmaan Oromoo jabachuu fi cimuu danda’a. Tokkummaan keenya cimuun isaa ammoo akka diinaaf/diinaan hin gowwoomne; akka isaan jala hin kaanne; akka isaaniif meeshaa hin taane; akka olola isaaniitiin mooraan keenya hin laafne; sababa kanaan akka qabsoon bilisummaa keenyaa hin dadhabne taasisa. Kana birallee dabree, tokkummaan keenya cimuun humni mooraa keenyaa akka jabaatu taasisa. Humna cimaa fi abdachiisaa qabaachuun ammoo injjifannootti nama geessa. Injifannoon galii barbaadan ykn hawwan sana akka gahan nama taasisa. Kanaaf, Oromummaan dursa argachuun; ani ykn nuyi dura Oromoo dha jedhanii ofitti amanuun, bu’ura tokkummaa keenyaa ti. Tokkummaan keenya humna keenya. Humni diina sodaachisu fi injifachuus danda’u tokkummaa qofaarraa madda jechuu dha.

Gara mata-duree barruu kanaatti deebi’uudhaaf, jaarmayootni siyaasaa Oromoo, kan walaba ta’anii socha’an; kan diina jala kaatanii isaaniif meeshaa hin taane; kan kaayyoon isaanii bilisummaa fi abbaabiyummaa Oromoo mirkaneessuu ta’e; sochii “Oromo First” jedhurraa bu’aa maal argachuu danda’u? Yookaanis ammoo akkamitti sochii kanatti fayyadamuu danda’u jennee yoo gaafii kaasne, waa baay’ee tilmaamuun ni danda’ama. Tokkoffaa fi inni hangafti ykn guddaan, hawaasota Oromoo keessatti, kan walitti mufatee ture deebi’ee walitti araaramuu fi waljaalchuun; afuura gaarii waliif qabaachuun; fedhii saba ofiitiif waliin dhaabbachuun; eenyummaa ofii “Oromummaa” yoomiyyuu caalaa cimsuu fi diina waloo dura dhaabbachuun; walirratti duuluu dhiisanii diinatti garagaluun… kun hunduu akka nagaa fi tasgabbiin mooraa keenya keessatti uumaman taasisu. Nagaa fi tasgabbiin yoo jiraate ammoo, hawaasota keenya kan dur caalaa ijaaruu fi cimsuun ni danda’ama. Howaasota ciminaan ijaaraman keessatti, jaarmayootni siyaasaas waliin cimanii qabsoo kana sadarkaa biraatti ceesisuu danda’u. Tokkoomuun hawaasota keenyaa, tokkummaan qabsaa’otaa fi jaarmayoota keenyaas akka uumamu hundee ta’uu danda’a. Hundee ta’uu qofaa otuu hin taane, jaarmayootni keenya, kan kaayyoo tokko ykn walfakkaata qaban, akka tokkooman dhiibbaa isaanirratti godhuu danda’a. Karaa kanaan jaarmayootni keenya sochii kanarraa bu’aa guddaa argatu jechuu dha.

Lammaffaa, sababa fedheenuu haa ta’u, kana booda, jaarmayaan Oromoo kan fedhii diinaa fi alagaa guutuudhaaf dhaabbate ykn dhaabbatu, kan isaaniif meeshaa ta’u, “Oromoo First” waan faallessuuf, afaanfaajjii uumuudhaan mooraa keenya keessatti, uummata keenyarraa gargaarsa takkallee argachuu hin danda’u. Beekumsi, dandeettii fi qabeenyi jaarmayaa akkanaarra oolu dhaabbatee; gara jaarmayaa fedhii Oromoo guutuutti waan deebi’uuf ykn deebi’uu danda’uuf, jaarmayootni Oromummaarratti hundaa’an qabeenya (resource) kanatti fayyadamuu danda’u. Jaarmayaan ykn jaarmayootni Oromoo beekaniis ta’ee otuu hin beekin; tooftaafis ta’ee fedhii dhuunfaa guuttachuuf jedhanii; Oromummaa faallessaa jiranis akka deebi’anii ofxiinxalan isaan godhuu danda’a. Sochiin Oromummaarratti hin hundoofne fi kaayyoon Oromummaa faallessu eessayuu gayuu akka hin dandeenye hubachuu danda’u jechuu dha. Yoo kana hin goone xumurri isaanii kisaaraa akka ta’u waan nama mamsiisuu miti.

Sadaffaa, akkuma sochii “Oromo first” jedhu kanarratti ibsamaa jiru fi dhugaa waliigalaas ta’e, Oromoon bilisummaa fi abbaabiyyummaa isaa goonfachuu kan danda’u yoo humna cimaa, keessumaayuu humna waraanaa abdachiisaa qabaate qofaa dha. Yoo hawaasotni Oromoo dhugaa kanatti amananii fi yaada kana deeggaran, jaarmayaan ykn jaarmayootni siyaasaa Oromoo kan qabsoo hidhannootti amananii fi isa kanas gaggeessaa jiran hawaasota Oromoorraa deeggarsa fi gargaarsa guddaa argachuu danda’u.

Afraffaa, akkuma beekamu, Addi Bilisummaa Oromoo (ABOn) yeroo ijaaramu fi qabsoo kana hogganee geggeessu miidiyaa gahaa ta’e otuu hin qabaatin garuu uummata keenya dammaqsee, barsiisee fi kakaasee; injifannoolee hamma kana hin jedhamne argamsiise. Akka sochiin “Oromo First” kun karoorfatetti (akka ibsamaa jirutti) miidiyaa Oromoo guddaa, kan uummata keenya biyya jiranillee bira gahuu danda’u ijaaruuf natti fakkaata. Yoo karoorri kun hojiirra oole fi milkiidhaan xumurame, karaa kanaan uummata keenya dhimma isaatiif (dhimma Oromummaatiif) caalaatti kakaasuun ni danda’ama. Yoo uummatni keenya hunduu dhimma isaa fi kaayyoo qabsoo isaa hubatee ka’e, jaarmayaa ykn jaarmayoota fedhii uummata Oromootiif dhaabbatan deeggaruu fi gargaarsa barbaachisaa kennuufii danda’a. Jaarmayootni Oromummaarratti hundaa’an, karaa kanaanis sochii “Oromo First” jedhutti fayyadamuu danda’u jechuu dha.

Egaa, faayidaan jaarmayootni Oromoo sochii “Oromo First” jedhurraa argachuu danda’an kan asitti tuqaman kana qofaa miti. Bu’aalee baay’eetu sochii kanarraa argamuu danda’u. Murteessaan garuu sochii fi carraa kanatti fayyadamuu danda’uu dha. Akkamitti fayyadamuu danda’u? Gabaabumatti ibsuuf, jaarmayootni keenya kan kaayyoos ta’ee galii booddee tokko ykn walfakkaataa qaban, kan bilisummaa Oromoo fi abbaabiyyummaa isaa mirkaneessuuf qabsaa’an hunduu, yeroo afuurri tokkummaa hawaasota Oromoo jidduutti mula’chaa jiru kanatti, garaagarummaa isaanii dhiphisanii gara tokkummaa ykn tumsa qabsaa’otaa fi jaarmayoota Oromootti dhufuu qabu. Keessumayuu gareeleen maqaa ABO qabatanii bakka bakkatti hiramanii jiran walitti deebi’anii ABO cimaa tokko uumuu qabu. Warri walhubannoo labsanii jiranis, waayee kana yeroo dheeraaf lafarra harkisuu dhiisanii daddaffiidhaan tokkummaa dhugaa ijaaruu qabu. Yoo tokkummaan kun karaa lamaan (karaa hawaasota Oromoo fi karaa jaarmayoota keenyaatiin) walbukkee uumamaa deeme, humna cimaa fi abdachiisaatu mooraa keenya keessatti uumamuu danda’a.

Dhumarratti, akkuman yeroo tokko barruu mata-duree “Qubeen Afaan Oromoo mallattoo bilisummaa ti, dhalootni qubee ammoo abdii egeree ti” jedhu keessattihttp://gadaa.com/oduu/11224/2011/10/15/qubeen-afaan-oromoo-mallattoo-bilisummaa-ti-dhalootni-qubee-ammoo-abdii-egeree-ti/  ibsuu yaale, sochi “Oromo First” jedhu keessatti kunoo dhalootni qubee abdii egeree saba keenyaa akka ta’an firattis diinattis agarsiisaa waan jiraniif, sochiin isaanii kun Oromoota hundaanuu deeggaramuu fi gargaarsa barbaachisaas argachuu akka qabu carraa kanaan, akka ilma Oromoo tokkootti, dhaamsa koo dabarsuun barbaada. Dargaggoota fi shamarran keenyaanis jabaadhaa Waaqni/Rabbi Ayyaanni Oromoo ija hamtuu isinirraa qabee; fedhiin keessanis akka guutamu isin haa gargaaru. Nuti har’as, borus, yoomiyyuu “Dura Oromoo” dha. Oromoo taanee dhalanne, Oromoo taanee jiraanna, Oromoo taanee duuna.

Galatoomaa!

* Abdii Boruu: aboruu@gmail.com

=>gadaa

Mayyuu fii Qumbii Keeysattii Wayyaanee Gochaan isii Saaxil bahuun hedduu aarse

Sh. Xaliileysaa Qumbii irraa | Onkololessa 23, 2013 

Duula shanyii duguugisa farra ilma namaa kan Qumbii fii Mayyu  keeysatti  geggeessaa turte kan saaxilamu hin seene. maaliif ? Naannoon tun Magaalota gurguddaa fii karaalee gurguddaa makiinaa irraa fagoo waan taateef oduun Oromoota biyya alaa jiraniifii warra addunyallee ni geessi ja’anii hin yaadan.Kun ammoo tahuun: Gochaa faashistummaa kan isiin guyyaa guyyatti  ummata naannoo tanaatiifii qabeenya isaa irratti raawwataa turte,media gara garaa irratti dabruunii fii haala san laalchisee ibsi ammaa amma kennamuun hedduu rifachiise,ni aarseesi.

Kan biraa Ummanni keenya  gootichi qawwee  fii rasaasa hin qabne, qawwee takka takkaa qabutti firii bitatee humna  Diinaa ka waa hundaan qophii guuttate, jeeynummaa daangaa hin qabneen yeroo dheeraaf dura dhaabbatee ifirraa ittisuun,Wayyaanee baayyee ajaa’ibsiise. Kanarraa kan ka’e humana isii cimaa-Ittisa Biyyaa jettuun fiddee achitti kad nayxe.Humni kun eega achi dhufee maal godhe? wanni godhe akka armaa gadii kana:

1. Liyuu Police fii waraana Killilii shanii (5) tiin asii badaa je’eenii ifii bakka sun bu’e. osoo oolee hin bulin, ummataan qawwee hiikkaadhaa nagayaan jiraadha je’eeni. Ummanni kun gurra nu-n seenu je’eenii jalaa callise. Xiqqo bubulee Hayyoota,Manguddootaa fii Dargaggoota walumaa galatti namoota 37 hidhatti guure. Namoota garii mataa matatti Birrii Et 15000. irraa guurratee gad-dhiise. warri hin kenninin hidhatti hafan.
2. Maallaqa ummanni naannoo Magaalaa Huusee walitti buusii buufatee kaayyate, Birri ET 100,000 dirqiin irraa fudhate.
3. Amma-ammo nama oduu  teenya alatti erguudhaan  nu saaxilee nu qaaneyse ( salphise) fidaa je’ee (jedhee) Ummata hiraarsaa  jira. Halkaniifii Guyyaa ganda keeysa deemee, nama Abalu (ibalu) jedhamu fidaa  yookaa bakka inni jiru himaa, isaatuu saaxil nu baasee  je’ee namoota fira isaa uleen tumee hidhatti guuraa jira
4. Karaa biraatiin warri bulchinsaa, bulchaa Ona Mayyuu nama Soomaliiti godhaniifi.Namni kun Gosa Hawwiyyaa tan amma Mayyu keeysatti ummata keenya, liyuu policefii Waraana Killilii Shanii (5) wajjiin Gorra’aa, Ibiddaan gubaa Ona (Biyya) isarraa buqqiftee Mayyu qabatuu barbaaddurraahi.Gosa tana maqaan isii waraarjeelle je’ama.

Oduu  nama gaddisiisuufii nama aarsu.

Dargaggoo  Umriin isaa bara 28tii  Ali Nuur  Abdullaa Gajaa ja’amu  baatii july 12-15,2013  GOBEELLE keeysatti dhabame.  Gurbaa kana Ellaan(edaan) Liyuu Police fii warana killilii shanii (naannoo Soomalii)tuu yeroo  Mayyu Weeraraa jiran san Gobeelle ooyruu isaa keessaa ukkaamsanii fuudhanii  Jijjiga geeysanii hidhan. Amma-ammoo  MANNI  Murtii Killilii shanii  hidhaa bara torbaa (7) itti murteeysee  jira. Yaa dhiiroo Muchaa kana Yakki saa maali? maal balleeyse? Muchaan kun Biyya isaa Oromiyaa,Lafa isaa fii  Ooyruu Saa , Abbaa saa, Akaakilee fii  Abaabilee   isaa keessa jira. Daangaa biyya takkallee Seera cabsee hin seenne. Ka silaa murtiin haqaa itti muramuu qabdu, warra  Daangaa Oromiyaa caphsee Yakka gurguddaa Ummata Oromoo fii qabeenya isarratti raawwataa turerratti muramuu qabdi.

–Sh.Xaliileysaa Qumbii

=>ayyaantuu

The Untold Story of “Raggaatuu”- The Famous OLA Commander

Originally written by: Afendi Muteki

Translated by : Hambisaa Soolee

In the history of OLA (Oromo Liberation Army), Juukii Barentoo is the most revered female martyr. Her martyrdom was so different in that she gave her life to save many Oromo fighters while she was one of the leaders of the organization. This was happened in 1984 when the special force of the Dergue army ambushed the OLF central command post at Daro-Billiqa in sounthern Daro-Labu district, Hararge province (Near Hararge-Bale border). Juukii, the first female to be elected to the Central Committee of OLF, fought bravely with the Dergue forces for three consecutive days and saved the life of many leaders and fighters of the organization including Obbo Galaasaa Dilboo, the then chairperson of OLF. When she knew that the OLF leaders and others safely crossed to Bale province, because she was wounded, she took her own life, instead of surrender.

The Dergue junta thought that the martyrdom of Juukii would cause a big morale disaster on OLF fighters and many would leave the struggle and come back to home. But the matter was so different. The death of the famous Oromo heroine created a high spirit of fighting for the independence of Oromia among the youth. As a result, there was an exodus of Oromos who sought to join OLA in the mid 1980s. Especially it was a time where many young Oromo females joined OLA en mass. Asli Oromo, Caaltuu, Waarituu, Ibsitu, Kulani, Dursitu, Obsitu and many more female fighters went to the jungles of Oromia and started to show their bravery in their own rites. Among all Oromo heroines who joined OLA at that time, the one that became the foremost topic of discussion for many people was “Raggaatuu”, an OLA commander for whom a popular saying “Raggaatuu! Dheysitee jalaa hinbaatuu!” ( meaning “Raggaatuu, the one whom you can’t escape”) was created.

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 Raggaatuu was a daughter of an Oromo peasant. She was born in Daro-Labu district of Hararge province. Her name at birth is still unclear to the writer of this article. In OLA and among the Oromos in eastern Oromia, she is known by her nom-de-guerre “Raggaatuu”; it is an Oromo word meaning “the one that is loyal to what she believed in” or “the one that stayed on what she said”.

As it is described at the beginning, Raggaatuu was among the female fighters that joined OLA immediately after the death of Juukii Bareentoo in 1984. It was said that Raggaatuu was younger  than 20 years when she went out for the struggle. She had got a military training at OLA base in southern Hararge. She attended also a para-commando training in Somalia.

Raggaatuu fought the Dergue army in different fronts in Hararge and Bale in late 1980s. When OLF joined the transitional government established by EPRDF in 1991, she worked as a trainer and a political cadre. She already assumed the “Abbaa Buttaa” (commander of a battalion) rank at that time.  However, she was doing her work silently at the period. Her glorious days were yet to come.

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In June 1992, OLF left the EPRDF led transitional government. OLA, its armed wing, assumed the military action against EPRDF forces. The two forces fought bloody battles in Hararge, Bale and Wallaga. But after some period, leadership crises happened in different regional commands of OLA. Analysts say that the main cause of the crisis was EPRDF’s targeting of highly combatant and efficient commanders of OLA. After some period, however, some astonishing commanders rose in OLA and started to fill the leadership gaps. And indeed that was the time when Raggatuu started to show her bravery in action.

The rise of Raggaatuu in Hararge attracted the attention of thousands at once. Her military might became a spirit of OLA existence in the struggle. Her true appearance was known only by few people, but the effect of her operations was felt by the mass. Some believed that Raggaatuu was indeed the same woman as the legendary Juukii Barentoo whom they thought she had restarted the struggle after long years of disappearance in the forests of Oromia. Some even went on arguing that that it was “Ayalensh” of EPRP who came to Hararge under different name and opened a war on EPRDF (“Ayalnesh” was a famous commander of EPRP in Gondar and Gojjam who was captured by EPRDF forces in 1991; she is now living in Europe). All of these assumptions were happened out of the people’s astonishment at extra-ordinary skills and military art of Raggaatuu.

Raggaatuu was a military artist indeed. She won in all of the battles she fought in five years. She was able to open fire in ten different places in a month and disturb her enemy. She was a queen of the vast Carcar plateau in those years.  When she attacked the town of Hardim in one day, she would travel for 100 kms in the eastern direction and open fire at Kurfaa Roqaa on another day before the enemy recovered from the former damage. While the enemies were searching for her around Machara town, she would go further to the north and attack Ciroo town. An interesting thing was that the administrators of the towns and villages of West Harerghe Zone who were assigned by the EPRDF government also recognized Raggaatuu as their leader secretly. They work for the EPRDF government during the daylight, but they work with Raggaatuu in the night.

The vehicles that were traveling permanently in Raggaatuu’s area of influence should fulfill her demand. They should transport the food items and medicines that would be used by the OLA fighters under the command of Raggaatuu. Any owner of a vehicle’s that doesn’t obey her order should leave her realm. And if such owner of a vehicle was found of transporting military personnel, he would get a severe punishment. This may include destroying of the vehicle.

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Raggaatuu is vividly remembered for two famous operations. One was her kidnapping of Mick Wood, and the other was her saving of three top leaders of OLF. This writer still has fresh memory of the two operations. And here he describes them in short.

It was in 1994. OLA was in its full strength then. But Meles Zenawi, the President of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, was repeatedly saying “There is no war of any kind now. OLF cease to exist in the country. Its armed wing has already perished”. The leaders of OLF wanted to disprove the claim of President Meles Zenawi and show the existence of their army to the world. To this ends, they wanted to undertake some kind of operation and attract the attention of the world media outlet. They thought over all possible situations and concluded that Raggaatuu would accomplish the task. And finally, they told her what they planned. Raggaatuu gladly respond to the leaders of OLF and told them that she would fulfill their demand very easily.

Few days later, a British man called Mick Wood, who was working for an American relief agency called “CARE International” was kidnapped from Galamso town. The staff members of his organization searched him for the whole day in the villages around the town and returned back with no result. After a day, Britain announced the kidnapping of one of her citizens in Hararge. Britain and USA started a joint search for the disappearing man in East Oromia. And after a week, BBC and VOA disclosed that Mick Wood was taken hostage by the armed wing of OLF.

The British Embassy in Addis Ababa negotiated with the kidnappers and Mick Wood was released around the city of Harar. After his release, he told BBC “I was kidnapped by a female OLF commander called Raggaatuu”.

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Raggaatuu’s other operation was accomplished in late 1993. As I said earlier, three top leaders of OLF were trapped in certain village and went out of the chain of command. The organization faced a difficulty to untrap the three leaders and take them to a safer area (some sources say that Obboo Galaasaa Dilboo was among the three people. But this doesn’t seem true). The thing caused a high tension among OLF leadership when it was learned that two of the three people were affected by malaria. Unless they got necessary treatment on time, their life would be at risk. However, nobody would come up with a good solution.

Raggaatuu heard about the situation and took a full responsibility to solve the crisis. She contemplated deeply and tried to see the matter from different angles. She learned that tacking a military action was the least efficient and a very risky scenario. Through some investigations on the socio- cultural conditions of the residents, she came to know that the people of the area had a strong tradition of celebrating “Mawlid” (the birth day of prophet Muhammad). Learning that, she concluded an arrangement of a Mawlid celebration could be the easiest way to take away the three leaders of OLF from the area.  That means, it was possible to transfer three leaders easily when the crowd was gathered to celebrate the feast in that area.

The celebration of “Mawlid” started on the planned day. Oxen and goats were slaughtered.. A huge crowd of people was assembled in the area for the feast. Accordingly, Raggaatuu took away the three OLF leaders and transferred them to a very safe area.

Only few people knew about the plan at the time. But when the government security forces got the information after two years, they took a savage action on the people of the area.

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Raggaatuu, the famous OLA commander, became sick in 1998. Accordingly, she lost all powers of leading her army unit. Further, a very high strife occurred in the central body of the organization and caused the army to divide. This trouble caused some of the fighters under her leadership to surrender to the EPRDF government; some crossed the boundary and went to Kenya and Somalia. Raggaatuu felt lonely. She was so confused about what happened.

Meanwhile, some of her family members heard about her sickness and rushed out to save her life. They asked her to surrender and get a medical treatment. At first, she fiercely opposed their plan. But when her relatives learned that she was about die, they hurriedly took her to Machara town and admitted her to a hospital. The doctors saved her life after some treatment and they told her to take a long time rest. This became a reason for her relatives to convince her to surrender and stay with them. Accordingly, she accepted their proposal and remained in Machara town.

Since her surrender in 1998, Raggaatuu has been a resident of Machara. She was married about ten years ago and became a mother of children. However, her courage and pride is still with her. She doesn’t welcome any kind of attack on her life and others. Especially she doesn’t tolerate the mistreatment of the weak people and women.

=>oromiaaffairs

Egypt may join Ethiopia in Nile Dam project

By: Ayah Aman for Al-Monitor Egypt Pulse


Cairo and Addis Ababa may soon reach a truce to calm their dispute over the construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. Both countries have recently shown good faith and agreed to negotiate about the project. Egypt has even agreed to take part in building the dam, though without declaring its conditions for doing so.

At a news conference Oct. 7, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced that his country welcomes the participation of Egypt and Sudan in the construction of the dam and stressed that his government considers the dam to be jointly owned by Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt. Cairo viewed his statement as a positive step toward reaching a consensus on the project, despite its earlier sharp criticism of it.

In a telephone conversation Oct. 17, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdul Muttalib told Al-Monitor: “Egypt doesn’t mind joining the Ethiopian government in building the dam for the service and development of the Ethiopian people. But we must agree on a number of items in a clear way to prevent any damage to Egypt as a result of the dam construction. The Egyptian government always opts for cooperation and participation. … During the coming negotiations with Ethiopia over the dam, we will clarify our position regarding the policy and method of operating the dam, the size of the storage lake attached to it, and how to fill it with water in times of flood and drought.” He stressed, “Egypt will definitely not participate in the construction unless these policies are agreed upon and agreements regarding them are signed.”

On Oct. 8, Ethiopian Minister of Water Alemayehu Tegenu had tweeted, “Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam never be slowed down for a second[.]  We can pay any cost for it ... [sic].” 

Egypt gets 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water annually in accordance with the 1959 agreement signed between Egypt and Sudan. About 85% of that share comes from the Ethiopian plateau, in particular from the Blue Nile tributary, on which Ethiopia intends to build the Renaissance Dam to store 63 billion cubic meters of water in and generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The Ethiopian, Sudanese and Egyptian water ministers are expected to meet Oct. 20-23 in Khartoum to discuss the May report of the Tripartite Commission on the repercussions of the dam and how to implement the report’s recommendations for avoiding harm to any of the Nile states.

On Oct. 8, Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi met with the Supreme Committee for the Nile Water to agree on negotiating mechanisms for dealing with Ethiopia. The gathering ended with approval for Egypt taking part in the dam's construction.

An official Egyptian source following the Nile issue who asked to remain anonymous, told Al-Monitor on Oct. 16, “The government has prepared a new paper to negotiate with Ethiopia regarding the Renaissance Dam. Technical and legal teams have been tasked with studying the Egyptian [negotiating] items, which are expected to be presented to the Ethiopian side at the next meeting. … The Egyptian offer includes full participation in the construction, management and operation of the dam, by dispatching Egyptian engineers who specialize in the field of dam construction; the signing of an agreement with the Ethiopian side on sending [to Ethiopia] a permanent Egyptian water mission [that will be stationed] at the dam; and [Egypt’s] participation in the funding and working as an intermediary to obtain aid and international loans and grants to finance dam construction.”

The final report of the Tripartite Commission contained several technical remarks regarding how the dam might harm Egypt. Some experts therefore have reservations about the Egyptian government's sudden decision to participate in the project, especially if it is without considering the full consequences of such a decision. 

Al-Monitor obtained a copy of the report prepared by the Egyptian government on the Tripartite Commission’s final report. The Egyptian document states that building and operating the Renaissance Dam according to the current specifications is not in the interest of downstream countries — Egypt and Sudan — and will enable Ethiopia to fully control the flow of the Blue Nile. Moreover, the time required to initially fill the dam reservoir, three years, will negatively affect Egypt.

The report pointed out that the study of existing designs showed a defect in the safety features concerning the secondary Saddle Dam. This, in turn, has the potential to affect the safety of the High Dam in Egypt. Most studies submitted by Ethiopia are preliminary and not meant for implementation purposes. In addition, no  environmental and social impact assessments on downstream countries have been conducted.

A diplomatic source involved in the negotiations among Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa  told Al-Monitor, “The sudden announcement of Egypt’s participation in the dam construction is linked to a number of factors that govern its relationship with Ethiopia. Egypt’s decision doesn’t mean compromising its water rights, but Egypt needs special capabilities in the next phase to negotiate and to hold on to its cards for pressure to not accept the dam if it harms [Egypt]. … The political administration in Egypt is aware of the serious [threat] the dam poses to Egypt’s water security. So first, we must agree on the construction and operation policies before signing any agreement to participate in the dam. [We must also] complete the technical and environmental studies to make sure that there is no harm to Egypt or Sudan. … The situation Cairo is now faced with is very complex, and the negotiating options are limited. Our position is the weakest because we are the most in need of water and because of our weak position on the African Horn after the freezing of Egyptian activity in the African Union. We have no choice but to accept the establishment of the dam.”

On the other side of the equation, the Ethiopian government announced in September that it had completed 30% of the engineering and technical preparations at the dam site and is ready to start building the main body of the dam. Sudan expressed its satisfaction with the project and asserted that the dam would protect Sudan from the floods it faces every year.

Egypt is still trying to make the best of the situation and to secure its share of annual water from the Nile as it awaits the negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan. Egypt fears that its demands will not be met at a time when the country is experiencing internal unrest, ongoing since the July ouster of President Mohammed Morsi and affecting Egypt’s relations with neighboring African countries.

Ayah Aman is an Egyptian journalist for Al-Shorouk, specializing in Africa and the Nile Basin, Turkey and Iran and internal Egyptian social issues. On Twitter: @ayahaman

=>al-monitor