OMN (Oromia Media Network) Tasked to Serve the Majority Hitherto Systematically Excluded from Media in Ethiopia

By Birhanemeskel Abebe Segni*

When one looks at the media landscape in Ethiopia (both the print and the broadcasting media), for more than one century, successive Ethiopian regimes have used the public resources and government apparatus to build, educate and inform only the Amharic-speaking segment of the population (not necessarily the ethnic Amhara per se), which constitutes less than one fourth of the Ethiopian population.

The century-long segregationist government media policy has enabled this Amharic-speaking group to fortify itself in the urban areas, government civil service institutions, religious and cultural institutions of all sorts; and specifically, it has enabled this group to be the economically and politically favored and empowered. The economic, political, linguistic, social and cultural fabrics and institutions of the over 70 percent of the Ethiopian population had been forcefully and systematically dismantled; and the people were left in the dark for the silent communal extermination over a period of time.

Even today, almost all media institutions established in the name ofEthiopia by the elements of this group, both at home and in the Diaspora, serve the exclusive interests of this group. To the utter dismay of the 75% of the marginalized and segregated segment of the Ethiopian population, even foreign government media outlets, such as the United States Government funded Voice of America (VOA)’s Amharic radio program, and the German Government funded Deutsche Welle’s Amharic program are systematically made to serve the exclusive interests of this group; all in the name of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people.

The advent of the Oromia Media Network (OMN), soon to be inaugurated, on this segregationist media environment in Ethiopia is one major step forward to reach the hitherto excluded Oromo people, who constitute over 40 percent of the Ethiopian population. To further create a credible alternative media platform that reaches the more than 70% of the Ethiopian population excluded by the old segregationist media policy, continued measures need to be taken by including the excluded segment of our people in the South and make our people the beneficiary of the 21st century information driven global economic, political and cultural progresses. Congratulations to all the initiators, organizers and supporters of the Oromia Media Network.

* Birhanemeskel Abebe Segni is an Attorney & Counselor at Law, and a former Legal Affairs Advisor in the Permanent Mission of Ethiopia to the United Nations.

=>gadaa

Gaaffiin Mirgaa Ummataa fi Barattoota Oromoo Godina Jimmaan Qabsiifame Dhaamsuuf Waraanni Wayyaanee Heddumminaan Bobba’e

(Qeerroo) Gabaasaa FDG: Guraandhalaa 24/2014 Godina Jimmaa, fi Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaatti FDG haalan jabaata ta’ee Qeerroo bilisummaa Oromoo gootota baratoota Oromoo fi hawwaasa Oromoo Magaalaa Jimmaatiin bifa adda addaatiin itti fufee oole .

Dargaggoonni baratootni Oromoo Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa utuu waraannii mootummaa Wayyaanee lakkofsaan kumaan lakka’amu mooraa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa keessa qubsiifamee jiruu guyyaa har’aa ifatti nyaataa fi barnoota dhaabuun mormii sirna wayyaaneef qaban ifatti argisiisuun FDG finiinsaan. Guyyaa kaleessa Guraandhala 23/2014 Goototni sabboontotni baratootni Qeerroo bilisummaa Oromoo sababaa Oromummaa isaniin yakkamaa ta’anii hoggantoota waraana wayyaanee mooraa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa keessaa qubsiifamani jiranii fi poolisotaan karaa bulchiinsa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa seeratu isin barbada jedhamuun wamamanii dorsifamuun ittuma dargaggota Oromoo gara FDGtti jabeessuun dorsiifni diinaa, hidhaan, heddumminni waraanaa fi qawween,sochii warraaqsa bilisummaa Oromoo qeerroon gaggeessa jiru yoom iyyuu duubatti deebisuu kan hin dandeenye ta’uu, kunoo guyyaa har’aa qeerroon ifatti beeksise jira. Waamicha FDG qeerroon bilisummaa Oromoo tasiseef irraa ka’uun hawwaasni Oromoo magaalaa Jimmaa guyyaa har’aa hojii idlee isaanii illee dhaabuun mormii sirna wayyaaneef qaban ifatti argisiisaani jiru. Keessattuu daldaltootni magaalaa Jimmaa dukkana daldalaa isaanii cfattii olchuun diddaa sirna fashiistii wayyaaneef qaban argisiisaniru,kana malees hojjetootni mootummaa sabboontotni Oromoo hojii dhaabuun diddaa qeerroon gaggeessa jiru keessatti qooda fudhachuu isanii beeksifatan.

Kana malees hordoftootni amantaa Muslimaa uummannii Oromoo fi sabaafi sablammoonni mirgii amantaa isanii sarbamuu fi abba irrummaa Wayyaanee irratti dammaqanii jiran guyyaa har’aa kayyoon FDG garbummaa Qeerroon bilisummaa Oromoo godina keenyaa fi Oromiyaa keessatti gaggeessa jiru sirriidha, kayyoo kanas ni deeggarra, qeerroo cina dhaabbannee mirga amantaa keenyaa fi mirga eenyuummaa fi dimookiraasii sarbamaa jiru kabachiifachuu ni dandeenya jechuun guyyaa har’a FDG Qeerroon bilisummaa Oromoo gaggeessuu keessatti qooda fudhatan. Haala kanaan fulduraaf illee nam-tokko biyya dimookiraasiin hin jirree fi biyya mirgi namummaa sarbamaa jiru keessatti mirga amantaa isa egsifachuun waan ulfataa ta’eef FDG qeerroon gaggeessaa jiruu keessatti ga’ee keenya gumachuun mirgoota namummaa, dimookiraasii fi eenyummaa haa kabachiifannu jechuun diddaa sirna wayyaanee Qeerroon gaggeessa jiru keessatti qooda fudhachuu isani waliif beeksisan. Bifa kanaan hojii idlee isani dhaabuun mormii sirna wayyaaneef qaban argisiisaniru. Gabaaasaa humna Waarana Wayyaanee Qeerroo bilisummaa irratti bobbafame kan ilaallatu Guraandhala 22/2014 irra egaluun Mootummaan abbaa irree Wayyaanee humna waraana guddaa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa keessa qubsiisu egale. guyyaa kaleessa qofa humni waraana wayyaanee guddaan konkolaataa 30 ol kan ta’uu ganama irra egaluun magaalaa Jimmaa galee, waraannii kun irra guddaan isaa nannoo Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa Mooraa Yuunivarsiitichaa keessaa fi mooraa Yuuniversiitichaan ala qubsiifame, Waraana guraadhala 22 moora Yuunivarsiitii seenuu eegale irraatti qeerroon bilisummaa Oromoo barruu warraqsaa FDG irraatti bittineesseen sochiin qeerroon itti jiruu ulfaataa waan ta’eef humna guddaa nuf dabalaa jechuun kitillayoonnii Wayyaanee iyyatachuun humni waraana guddaan hammana ga’uu kun uummata irra qubsiifamee guyyaa har’a magaala Jimmaa fi Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa keessatti sakkata’insa da’imman umrii waggaa 8 olii irra egalee hanga manguddoo jaarsa gadamoojjiitti namuma daandii irra deemuu dhaabuun sakkataa jiraachuun ibsamera.

Wanti baay’ee nama dhibuu mootummaan Wayyaanee muddama sochii qeerrootiin qabamee dhukkubsatootaa hospitaalaa Jimmaa Mooraa Yuunivarsiitii jimmaa keessa jiru keessa ciisaa jiranii fi namotaa dhukkubsatoota dhukkubsachiisa jiran illee sakkatta’insan dararaa jiraachuun gabaafamera.

Dhabbannii Barnoota olaanoo guddaa fi Yuunivarsiitii biyyatti keessa jiran hundaaf fakkeenyummaan qaba jedhuu Yuunivarsiitiin Jimmaa heddumina waraana wayyaanee irraan kan ka’ee guyyaa har’a dirree leenjii waraana fakkatee jira, kana irraa ka’uun halli baruu fi barsiisuu illee uguramee barnoonni dhaabbatee kan olee ta’ee jira.

Konkolaatootni tajajila(service) hojjetoota fi baratootaa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa guyyaa har’a kana tajajila dhaabuun humna waraanaa Wayyaanee Fe’uun mooraa Yuunivarsiitii fi magaalaa Jimmaa keessa nanneessa kan olee ta’uun, Yuunivarsiitiin Jimmaa dirree waraanaa fi ergama waraanaa nurraatti gaggeessaa jirtii jechuun uummataan mufii guddaan irratti ka’aa jira…. gabaasaan kun itti fufa.

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Ethiopian immigrants 'walked for nine months' to Zimbabwe

Twelve Ethiopian illegal immigrants walked for nine months to Zimbabwe to escape religious tensions in the Horn of Africa nation, a court was told on Monday.

They were arrested late last year in Bulawayo but the trial delayed because of lack of an Amharic interpreter.

On Friday, they were sentenced to three months in prison, which was wholly suspended for five years on condition they do not remain in Zimbabwe without proper documentation.

“I walked for nine months to Zimbabwe because of religious tensions in my country. I was hoping to get peace and job opportunities,” one of them said.

ADMISSION OF GUILT

The group had been arrested on December 4, 2013 while hiding at a house in Bulawayo.

“My parents were killed while I watched and they burnt our farm which was our only means of survival. We came here seeking asylum because life had become difficult in Ethiopia.

The group signed an admission of guilt letter where they urged the authorities to grant them refugee status.

“This letter serves as an admission of guilt and request for refugee status. There is a social and political unrest in the region where we come from," the letter reads.

According to the magistrate Abedinico Ndebele, it would be a waste of money to fine the immigrants as they had no money.

ETHIOPIAN PLANE HIJACKED

“This court understands that there is instability in your country and that most of you are young people who entered Zimbabwe for the first time,” Mr Ndebele said.

“Therefore there is no need for us to fine you or put you in prison because you have been in remand for almost three months now. You can go but do not commit such an offence again.”

Last week, an Ethiopian pilot was arrested in Geneva after he hijacked the plane in a plot to get asylum. (READ: Ethiopian plane hijacker 'was co-pilot')

The man told police he “felt threatened in Ethiopia and wants to seek asylum in Switzerland."

=>mobile.nation

Egypt internationalizes dam dispute with Ethiopia

Laborers work on Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam in Guba Woreda, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, June 28, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri)


AUTHOR                         TRANSLATOR(S)Al-Monitor                        Walaa Hussein


The Egyptian government has begun to take serious, overt measures toward internationalizing the Renaissance Dam. It is doing so through protracted negotiations taking place behind closed doors among the Supreme Committee for the Nile Waters, which includes representatives from all parties affected by issues of concern to the Nile River Basin. It is composed of staff from the Foreign Ministry as well as the Ministries of Water Resources and Irrigation, International Assistance, Defense and Electricity, and the Egyptian intelligence services.

On Jan. 20, Al-Monitor became the first to publish a report concerning this step, revealing Egypt's intention to internationalize its case against Ethiopia concerning the Renaissance Dam. At the time, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdul Muttalib released a statement denying Al-Monitor's reporting. 

This comes at a time when, according to polls, the proportion of Egyptian public opinion that favors escalating the issue has risen to 87%. This is the percentage of people who answered "yes" when asked, "Do you support internationalizing the issue of the Renaissance Dam, following Ethiopia's rejection of initiatives to solve the crisis?" The poll was carried out by one of the most widely read news websites in Egypt.

These Egyptian moves toward international escalation are proceeding on two levels, in keeping with an agreement concluded by the Supreme Committee for the Nile Waters, according to a government source who spoke to Al-Monitor. The source stressed that, in fact, first-level steps began with the visit of Muttalib, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy, to Italy, which is believed to be Ethiopia's principal technical supporter in building the dam. The Italian contracting company Salini Corporation has already conducted several studies and begun construction at the dam site.

The source noted that the next stage will witness other visits by Muttalib to a number of countries. It was agreed that the next visit would be to Norway, one of the countries that is funding the establishment of the Renaissance Dam. All of these visits seek to clarify the harm that Egypt will incur if the dam is completed according to its current specifications, aiming to win support from these countries for Egypt's position as well as bringing pressure to bear on the Ethiopian side. Egyptian officials seek to slow construction of the dam until an agreement can be reached with Cairo concerning the mechanisms for mitigating the expected damages to the Egyptian people and the beginning of an era of thirst in Egypt.

The same government source added in remarks to Al-Monitor that the second level of Egypt's plan to escalate the issue internally, which was agreed upon by the Supreme Committee for the Nile Waters, encompasses special steps to present international complaints against Ethiopia over its intransigence and insistence upon inflicting damages to Egyptian water security. This aspect of the plan has been postponed at present until after the completion of the Egyptian government's campaign to educate other governments concerning the harm that the Renaissance Dam will inflict on Egypt. He noted that the committee had put in place a number of options, including raising complaints to the United Nations and other international organizations such as the African Union. Bringing the matter before the UN Security Council has been ruled out for the time being, since it was decided to leave it to the next president-elect to determine whether or not to pursue that route.

Muttalib stressed that his visit to Italy had achieved its goals and would be repeated in many other countries and places. The mission of this and subsequent trips is to provide greater clarity on Egypt's water position, the challenges that Egypt is confronting with regard to the scarcity of water resources and the efforts that the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is making in this area. Muttalib noted that, during the visit, he had explained the water resources situation and the reality of water scarcity in Egypt to Italian experts and officials. Those present expressed a keen interest in information concerning water resources and stressed that they were hearing it for the first time.

Muttalib stated there are a number of scenarios that the Egyptian government has agreed to implement in order to deal with the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis. Among them is an effort to raise awareness in the world regarding the truth of Egypt's position toward development of the Nile River Basin, which he insists is not opposed to development in the countries of the basin, contrary to the version of events Ethiopia propounds. He stressed that the position of the political administration and the Egyptian government is fixed concerning the waters of the Nile: namely, refusal to compromise or give in on any point concerning Egypt's share, which has averaged historically at 55.5 billion cubic meters of water per year.

For its part, the Ethiopian side believes that the Egyptian bid to internationalize the issue of the Renaissance Dam will not bring about any result so long as there is a serious intention to submit the matter to the International Criminal Court. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry's website reported that the prime minister remarked, "There is no international court responsible for investigation or arbitrating in issues of water … and that is why the Egyptian move to internationalize won't have any effect."

The Egyptian government, acting out of the belief that the Renaissance Dam threatens to leave many Egyptians without water, has already begun to internationalize the issue through a campaign to define the dangers of the Ethiopian dam in the international community, and to work to halt its foreign financing. Will the coming days witness the beginning of the next step, one of internationalization through formalized, international complaints?

=>al-monitor