S. Sudanese accuse Ethiopian embassy in Kenya of denying visas

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

March 29, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese who recently entered Ethiopia from Kenya have accused the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi of allegedly denying them travel visas.

The Kenya-Ethiopia border crossing sign (goseewrite)

The refugees who originally fled the current conflict to Kenya and managed to cross the borders to Ethiopia this week claimed Kenyan authorities have restricted both land and air travels for South Sudanese headed to Ethiopia.

Speaking exclusively to Sudan Tribune in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, two former South Sudan Government officials said they managed to cross borders to Ethiopia by bribing Kenyan brokers and security officials who allowed them through.

The bribes, they claimed, were mainly given to the smugglers on the Kenyan side, not Ethiopia.

They said a South Sudanese willing to travel to Ethiopia won’t find a visa from the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi unless the individual produced a recommendation letter from the South Sudanese embassy in Nairobi.

They assumed that the Ethiopian embassy took the move through the influence of the Kenyan government, further accusing the latter of providing support to the government of Juba in the ongoing battle against SPLM in opposition rebels led by former vice-president Riek Machar,.

The accusations,however, could not be independently verified.

When asked to comment on the matter, ambassador Dina mufti, the spokesperson for Ethiopia’s foreign affairs ministry told Sudan Tribune he would contact its envoy in Kenya to verify these allegations.

The strongholds of the rebels are across the Ethiopian-South Sudanese common border.

"Any South Sudanese coming to Ethiopia is suspected to join the rebels," said one of them who asked not to be named for safety reasons.

They accused Kenyan and South Sudan government of being behind the conspiracy to bloc South Sudanese from travelling to Ethiopia where tens and thousands of South Sudanese took refuge following the conflict that erupted in mid-December and killed an estimated 20,000 people.

The conflict has forced over 250,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries.

The individual further alleged that Kenya, a member of mediating regional bloc (IGAD) was providing military support to South Sudan Government.

"On 18 March, Kenya deployed 40 of its military vehicles to [the] South Sudan government through [the] Ugandan border," they said.

New round of talks between the two South Sudanese factions has resumed in Ethiopia however Uganda’s participation as an observer is being an obstacle to push the face-to-face talks from moving.

Rebel negotiators have warned they will pullout of the talks unless Uganda who is in direct combat against Machar forces along side government Army is removed from the IGAD led talks.

The rebels accuse Ugandan forces, Sudanese rebel group JEM of allegedly continuing to kill people in Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Unity states. They urged all foreign troops to immediately pull-out for the South Sudanese conflict to be resolved.

(ST)

=>sudantribune

OLF Statement on the latest violent clash between Borana and Guji Oromo

Using Bloodshed to perpetuate their Rule- a Standing Policy of Ethiopia’s Rulers.
OLF Statement on the violent clash going on in southern Oromia

Since the violent formation of the Ethiopian empire three generations ago, Oromia and Oromo have been in constant conflict, instability, poverty and ignorance. The violence is applied either directly by the regime or through agents instigating conflict between neighbouring peoples or even tribes. Oromia and Oromo, who happen to be the main base of this empire, have borne the brunt of this violence.

Oromo suffered shocking extermination and mutilation, including severing of males’ limbs and females’ breasts, for resisting the imperial conquest. They were disfranchised of their land and dehumanized by reducing them to serfs and distrusting them, along with their dispossessed lands, to serve the victor militia forming the “neft’egna” (arms-bearer’s) system. Conflict was instigated with all the neighbours projecting Oromo as threats so that they would never think of resisting any more. Thus Oromo has to pay sacrifice in lives and property simply because of the possibility of being a threat in the future.

The current Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) regime, that usurped the power in 1991, is a good mirror of the successive regimes of Ethiopia in executing this policy. Under the pretext of development it evicted tens of thousands of Oromo from their ancestral land to sell to rich companies and enrich themselves. It dismissed hundreds of Oromo youth from higher education institutes and put them in jail under flimsy excuses for constant torture, to deprive Oromo of native intellectuals. Countless Oromo have disappeared; tens of thousands have fled their country.

The regime has intensified conflict-instigation between neighbouring peoples and Oromo by arming elements from the other side and presenting itself as a mediator. The case of such elements from Somali, Gumuz, Geede’o, Burji and Afar, with the neighbouring Oromo is a vivid example. They even applied the same policy between Oromo’s own tribes. The latest of such a case is the conflict that is going on between Boran and Guji Oromo tribes in the South.

This conflict, that has been instigated by agents of the regime and is going on for days, has claimed about one hundred lives and considerable property. It is obvious that the regime can stop this immediately has it not been a party to it. There is no better evidence than this for the relation of enmity between this regime and the Oromo people.

The OLF expresses its deepest grief at this conflict and holds responsible and condemns the TPLF regime for instigating and perpetuating it. The OLF calls the Oromo elders, intellectuals and youth to be aware of this enemy schemes to weaken the Oromo unity and discharge their national traditional duty by intervening to immediately stop this conflict and reconcile those involved.

Vicroty to the Oromo people!

Oromoo Liberation Front
March 31, 2014

Read More:- 

Ibsa ABO- Walitti Bu’insa Booran-Gujii irratti- Bitootessa 31, 2014.pdf

OLF Press Release on Boren-Guji Clash- March 31, 2014 – English.pdf

OLF Press Release on Boren-Guji Clash- March 31, 2014 – Amharic.pdf

=>qeerroo

Is South Sudan Distancing Itself From Ethiopia?

A soldier with the Sudan People's Liberation Army - the army of the Republic of South Sudan - is pictured behind a South Sudan flag as he sits on the back of a pick-up truck in Bentiu, Unity State, Jan. 12, 2014. (Credit: Retuers)

Is South Sudan Distancing Itself From Ethiopia?

It seems South Sudan is attempting to distance itself from Ethiopia of late. On Sunday, 22 March, South Sudan signed bilateral military cooperation with Egypt, following a visit to Cairo by a delegation led by defense minister Kuol Manyang Juuk. The signing comes a week after state-owned News Agency of South Sudan reported Egypt condemned rebel leader Riek Machar and promised to send troops to South Sudan in support of the government.

But why is South Sudan risking its relationship with Ethiopia now? This military agreement with Egypt is certainly going test their relationship, especially with Egyptian leaders threatening military action against Ethiopia over the controversial Renaissance Dam. Perhaps Juba is suspicious Addis Ababa could be supporting Machar's insurgency?

Despite Ethiopia's public support for South Sudan, there are circumstantial evidence and rumors that suggest Ethiopia is arming and funding Machar's insurgency. Within this narrative, South Sudan's military cooperation with Egypt could be interpenetrated as a tit for tat move against Ethiopia. If these allegations are true, then this wouldn't be the first time Ethiopia supported insurgents while claiming they backed a recognized government.

Ethiopia regularly arms, trains and funds Islamist and warlord militant groups in Somalia, all while professing they support the government in Mogadishu. By supporting each side, Ethiopia seeks to permanently keep Somalia in a state of crises so it can continue to milk the international community for military and financial aid. Ethiopia also seeks to use the conflict to deflect attention from its deteriorating human rights issues by presenting itself as a loyal vassal for the West to conduct crises management in the region.

South Sudan's suspicions of Ethiopia's support for Machar is not without merit. Ethiopia is the only country that still maintains close ties with Neur rebel leaders, including Machar. In fact, Ethiopia arms, trains and supports Neur militant groups in the Gambela region against the Anuak ethnic group. Moreover, when South Sudan requested military assistance from Uganda to battle the insurgents, Ethiopia was the only African country that was adamantly opposed to it. The only rational explanation for Addis Ababa's bizarre behavior is they were attempting to favor the odds for Machar's insurgency to succeed.

But it seems Ethiopia's spoiler role in the region has finally caught up with it. South Sudan's military cooperation with Egypt could potentially provide Cairo the legal framework to intervene in Ethiopia under the guise of defending South Sudan from Ethiopian destabilization. With Egyptian troops heading to South Sudan, the Renaissance Dam also becomes within Egypt's combat radius, which is sure to sound alarm bells in Addis Ababa.

Cairo's military cooperation with Juba also gives more credibility to a report from February that alleges Egypt is seeking military defense pacts with Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. Based on the countries Egypt is attempting to sign or has signed military agreements with, it appears Egypt's goal is to isolate Ethiopia regionally, something the latter has been attempting to do with Eritrea since 1998, but to no avail.

At any rate, South Sudan's military alliance with Egypt is a pragmatic move that serves both country's national interests. For South Sudan, the military alliance gives the young country access to advanced military equipment and trained troops that can decisively tip the battle in its favor. For Egypt, it gives the legal framework to defend its lifeline, the Nile, by using its defense agreement with South Sudan as a pretext for a possible future intervention against Ethiopia that will almost certainly mean the destruction of the Renaissance Dam.


=>madote

KAANSARII FINFINNEE QABATEE OROMIYAA GUUTUTTI DARBUTTI JIRU KAN FAYYISU BILISUMMAA OROMIYAA QOFA

BY FAYISA LEMMA | Bitootessa 30, 2014

Akkuma beekkamu Finfinnee hardha hafteen nafxanyootaa fi wayyaaneen keesaa iyyitu kana waggaa 128 dura gosa Oromoo kan akka Gulallee, Galaan fi Oromoota biraa malee  osoo qorichaafuu barbaadamee habashaan tokko keesatti hin argamu ture. Finfinnees kaansariin hin qabne ture.Qabeenya uumamaanis badhaatuu kan turtee fi lafti ishees bosinaan kan uwwifamte turte. Birbirsa/piyassa bakka yeroo ammaa siidaan nafxanyicha seexana gurraachaa Minilik irra dhaabbatu kana Odaa Yaa’a Gulalleettu irra dhaabbata ture, kun hundi jijjiiramee , qilleensa bareedaa fi qabeenya uumamaa ishee dhabdee gammoojjii tahuu ishee caalaa kan nama gaddisiisu abbaa ishee Oromoota ishee kunuunsaa irra jiraachaa turan sababa kaansarii kanaa dhabuu isheeti.Oromoon akka kaansariin kuni finfinnee hin qabannee wareegama guguddaa kafalee jira,hunda caalaa lubbuu qaqqaalii isaa itti dhabee duguuggin sanyii irra gahee jira.

Erga Finfinneen dhukkuba kanan qabatamtee eegalee keessattuu waggaa 23 darbe babaldhachuu dhukkuba kanaatin Oromooti naannawa finfinnee jiraatan seeran ala Wayyaaneen lafa isaanii irraa buqqiffamanii bakka jiraatani fi waan ittiin jiraatan waan hin qabneef maatiin bittinaa’ee kun wardiyaa tahee,kun hojii humnaa qarshii baayyee gadi bu’aa taheen qacaramaa lafa irraa ari’ame irrattti hojjataa kan jiru yoo tahu kan humna hin qabne ammo kadhattuu karaa gubbaa tahee hafee jira.  Akka fakkeenyaatti bara 2012-2013 keessa maqaa “Bole Lemi Industrial Zone” jedhun maatii Oromoo abbaa warraa 800 ol kan buqqisan yoo tahu lafa kana wayyaaneen kampaanii biyya Chaynaa,Turkii, Hindii, Koriyaa fi Xaaliyaniif addaan qooddee gurgurattee jirti. Kana qofa osoo hin taane fabrikooti bakka kana irratti ijaaraman fi kan naannawa finfinnee bakka biraatti ijaaraman hundi kunuunsa fabrikkaan tokko naannawa itti ijaarameef godhuu qabu osoo hin godhin summiin xuraawaan fabrikkaa isaanii keessaa yaa’u lagoota naannawa san jirutti dabalamuu dhaan bishaan qulqulluu faalee yeroo adda addaa horiin baayyeen dhumatee jira,lubbuu namaatirras rakkinni gahee jira . Xuriin adda addaa kan mana fincaanii dabalatee kan FINFINNEE keessa yaa’u laga akka AQAAQII faaluun uummata keenya miidhaa jira, garuu kan miidhamu Oromoo waan tahef wayyaaneen furmaata laatuu hin barbaaddu. Misooma abaaboo maqaa jedhunis  akka fakkenyati Oromoota naannawa Magaalaa Mannaagashaa fi Sabbataa lafa isaanii irraa buqqifaman baayyinnaan warra isaan buqqise kanaaf  hojii humna kan hojjatan yoo tahu, bakka hojiitti akkamitti akka of eeggatuu qaban waan leenjin hin fudhatinif kemikalota  adda addaan dhukkuba gogaa fuudhanii kan du’ani jirus, kan waliin rakkatutti jirus baayyee dha.Kun hundi kan isaan irra gaheef Oromiyaan, lafti abbaa isaanii, kan akaakilee fi abaabileen isaanii, kan isaan hardha irra jiraachaa jiran badhaatuu fi barbaadamtuu waan taatef malee balleessaa tokkollee qabatanif miti.

Gidduu kana osoo rakinni olitti tarraahe hundi uummata Oromoo irra gahaa jiru furmaata kanaa kennuu dhiisanii kansaricha babaldhisuf,lafa daangaa finfinnee keessaa hunda gurguranii waan fixanif,lafa Oromiya tan gurguramtee hin dhumannetti darbuuf shira wayyaaneen lafa jala xaxxe maqaa magaalota naannawa Finfinne jiran Finfinnee waliin “ master plan”  tokko jala galchuu jedhuun baastee dhageenye jirra, ‘ Osuma beeknuu huuba waliin nyaanne jette sareen’, kan hanga hardhaatis wallaallee osoo hin tahin falmannee falmisiisaa oromoon baayyeen itti hidhamee,tumamee, hujii fi barnoota irraa itti ari’amee,biyyaa itti baqatee malee kaansarichi Finfinnee qabate salphaan hin babaldhanne.Hardha murteen kun Oromoof du’aa fi jiruu tahuu qaba,dhukkubi kaansarii kan Finfinnee qabe kun yoo babaldhate Oromiyaa ajjeesuu akka dandahu hundi keenya beekuu qabna.Oromoon kaabaa kibbatti, bahaa dhihatti tokkummaadhaan shira wayyaanee kana dura dhaabachuu qabna,’madaa quba miilaa irra jiruf mudaamuddin nama dhukubdi’, Finfinnee irraa fagaachuu keenyaa yookin rakinni Oromoota naannawa Finfinnee irra gahaa ture fi jiru waan nurra hin gahinif yoo caldhisne seenaan nu gaafata, keesattuu dhalooti qubee  “QUBEE GENERATION”  shira wayyaanee kana hatattaman uummata baldhaa Oromiyaa biraan gahuu fi fincila finiinsuu irratti akkuma asiin dura godhaa turre gahee guddattu nurraa eeggama. Hanga gaafa Oromiyaan bilisoomtutti kaansarin Finfinnee qabate akka hin babaldhanne godhuu qabna,garuu kaansarichi kan fayyu yoo Oromiyaan bilisoomte qofa.

Barreessaa qunnamuuf :  fayis2003@gmail.com

=>ayyaantuu