Ethiopia protest: Ambo students killed in Oromia state

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At least nine students have died during days of protests in Ethiopia's Oromia state, the government has said.

However, a witness told the BBC that 47 were killed by the security forces.

She said the protests in Ambo, 125km (80 miles) west of Addis Ababa began last Friday over plans to expand the capital into Oromia state.

The government did not say how most of the deaths had been caused but the Ambo resident said she had seen the army firing live ammunition.

"I saw more than 20 bodies on the streets," she said.

"I am hiding in my house because I am scared."

'Teaching suspended'

The Ambo resident said that four students had been killed on Monday and another 43 in a huge security crackdown on Tuesday, after a huge demonstration including many non-students.

Since then, the town's streets have been deserted, she said, with banks and shops closed and no transport.

She said teaching had been suspended at Ambo University, where the protests began, and students prevented from leaving.

In a statement, the government said eight people had died during violent protests led by "anti-peace forces" in the towns of Ambo and Tokeekutayu, as well as Meda Welabu University, also in Oromia state.

It said one person had been killed "in a related development" when a hand grenade was thrown at students watching a football match.

The statement blamed the protests on "baseless rumours" being spread about the "integrated development master plan" for the capital.

BBC Ethiopia analyst Hewete Haileselassie says some ethnic Oromos feel the government is dominated by members of the Tigre and Amhara communities and they would be loath to see the size of "their" territory diminish with the expansion of Addis Ababa, which is claimed by both Oromos and Amharas.

=>bbc

ODF Statement | Ibsa ADO: Killing and Arresting Peaceful Oromo Protesters Will not Resolve Ethiopia’s Political Predicament

The following is a statement from the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF). Please read theAmharic version here.

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Killing and Arresting Peaceful Oromo Protesters Will not Resolve Ethiopia’s Political Predicaments

Ever since the TPLF/EPRDF came to power 23 years ago, the number of Oromos detained, tortured and killed merely for demanding their legitimate rights runs into tens of thousands. This now decades-old persecution of the Oromo people has attained new heights this week with our people staging another round of peaceful demonstrations throughout Oromia demanding freedom, democracy and the right to own and manage their resources. The heavy crack downs of the past have proven futile in settling the enduring political conflict between the Oromo people and the incumbent Ethiopian government. The current round of violence against peaceful demonstrators is certainly doomed to fail even more spectacularly.

The enduring political conflict in Ethiopia is not restricted to the Oromo people alone; as other peoples in Ethiopia have also similar democratic demands. At the heart of the conflict is the disjuncture between what the ruling party preaches and its actual practice of governance. While the Constitution guarantees the right of all nations and nationalities to self-administration, in practice, exercising this right is negated by the ruling party’s strict central control. The Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) believes that the only way forward out of the current political impasse in Ethiopia is working toward the realization of the next breakthrough in instituting the self-government of nations and nationalities primarily by upholding individual freedoms. Sustainable peace and stability can only be achieved by respecting citizen’s democratic rights and not through orchestrating persecution and violence.

The Oromo are presently raising a question that is legitimate as it concerns the Oromo people’s entitlement to use and manage their own resources like any other people. As Finfinne (Addis Ababa) constitutes part and parcel of Oromia, the Oromo people thus have a legitimate right of ownership and of having a say in determining its use and management. This right is enshrined in Article 49 of the current Ethiopian constitution, which clearly stipulates that the Oromo people have a special interest in and relations with Finfinne. The focus of the ongoing peaceful demonstrations throughout Oromia is legally and peacefully demanding that this constitutional right be respected. Instead of heeding the peaceful demonstrators’ legitimate demands, the ruling party is presently unleashing its security forces against our people. The Oromo Democratic Front condemns the killing and detention of our people in the strongest terms possible and urges the regime to immediately halt its anti-people policies and practices. We stand by our people and are ready to render our support in all available manners.

At this tough time of agony, once again, we call upon all Oromos to set aside political and other petty differences and stand in union in solidarity with our people marching for freedom and democracy.
We also call upon other Ethiopian communities not to quietly watch from the corner while the Oromo people are subjected to myriads of persecution as similar abuse can also befall them in the future. We would also like to caution our people to vigilantly guard against acts and behaviors that could detract from your aim of achieving freedom and democracy. In particular, we call upon you to foil the wishes of anti-people elements whose purpose is pitting you and members of other nationalities against each other.

We also would like to remind the government that its attempts to suppress the peoples’ yearning for freedom and democracy by resorting to naked force has proven futile now for close to a quarter century and will continue to fail. Furthermore, the TPLF/EPRDF should realize that the ongoing confrontation could easily veer out of control. And we are convinced that the ruling party cannot single-handedly resolve the intricate political challenges presently prevailing throughout Ethiopia. Consequently, we call upon the government to reach out to all stakeholders in the country with the aim of involving them in charting a course toward more open political space for all and a level playing field. In order to have the immediate effect of defusing the current political tension, we suggest the government take the following measures:

• Respect the Oromo people’s constitutionally guaranteed right to and special interests over Finfinne (Addis Ababa);
• Immediately release all those languishing in prison merely for expressing their political positions and views;
• Call for an all-inclusive political and community conference to deliberate on outstanding political issues and chart a win-win and lasting political solution for the country.

Oromo Democratic Front (ODF)
May 1, 2014

Ajjeechaan fi Hidhaan Furmaata Hin Ta’u

Eega TPLF/EPRDF ganna 23ii dura aangoo dhuunfate irraa kaasee, Oromootni mootummichaan ajjeefaman kuma kudhanootaan lakkaawamu. Lakkoobsi namoota hidhaa fi dararama adda addaa dhandhamanis kuma dhibbatti tilmaamama. Hidhaan fi ajjeechaan kun torban kana sadarkaa haaraatti tarkaanfachaa jira. Iyyannaa ummatichi hiriira nagaa bahuudhaan kaabaa hanga kibbaatti, bahaa hanga dhihaatti dhiheeffachaa jiruuf deebiin kennamaa jiru ammas hidhuu fi ajjeesuu ta’aa jira. Waldhabbii mootummichaa fi saba Oromoo gidduu jiruuf ajjeechaan fi hidhaan hanga ammaa raaw’atame furmaata hin fidne. Kan ammaas furmaata hin ta’u.

Waldhabbiin deemaa jiru saba Oromoo fi mootummicha gidduutti qofa osoo hin taane saboota hafanis ni dabalata. Maddi waldhabbichaas ifaa dha. Sunis, mootummichi afaaniin waan tokko lallabaa, hojiidhaan ammoo imaammata faallaa ta’e raaw’achuu isaa ti. Sabootni hundi mirga of bulchuu akka qaban afaaniin ni lallabama. Sana bira dabree, mirgi kun Higga Mangist biyyichaatiinis kabajamee jira. Hojiidhaan kan mul’atu garuu faallaa dha. Kun dhama’insa yeroo irraa yerootti guddachaa jiru maddisiisee, waldhabbii mootummichaa fi saboota gidduu deemaa jiru belbelchaa jira. Furmaatni dhugaa kan argamu mirgoota namootni fi sabootni dhaalootaan qaban kabajuudhaan malee ajjeechaa fi hidhaa finiinsuudhaan miti.

Gaaffiin saba Oromoo gaaffii mirgaa fi lafaa ti. Sabni kamuu biyya isaa irratti mirga of bulchuu fi murtii barbaachisu biraas dabarsuu ni qaba. Kanaaf, Finfinneen qaama Oromiyaa waan taateef Oromoon dantaa ifaa fi haqa ta’e irraa qaba. Kunis, Uunkaa 49ffaa Higga Mangist irratti kabajamee jira. Oromoonni hiriira nagaa bahaa jiranis “seerri kun hakabajamu!” qofa jechaa jiru malee yakki isaan raaw’atan tokkolleen hin jiru. Waan ta’eef, deebii ajjeechaa fi hidhaa mootumichi gaaffi haqaa kanaaf kennaa jiru Addi Demokraatawaa Oromoo (ADOn) gadi jabeessee balaaleffata. Ummata hiriira bahaa jiraniifis karaa danda’u hunda deggersa kennuudhaaf qophii ta’uu isaa beeksisa. Oromoonni cufti, ejjennaa politikaa, amantii fi qaxbii biraatiin osoo adda hin baane, tokkummaadhaan Oromoota qabsaawaa jiraniif akka dirmannu yaamicha dabarsa.

Sabootni Itophiyaa hafanis callisanii ajjeeffamuu fi hidhamuu Oromoo ilaaluu hin qaban. Haalli fakkaataan bor isaanis mudachuu akka malu beekanii Oromootaaf dirmachuu qaban. Oromoonni qabsaawaa jiranis mirga isaaniitiif falmuu bira dabranii dhala saba biraa kamiinuu gaaga’uun balaa malee faayidaa tokkollee akka hin qabne hubachuu qaban. Kana irrattis of-eeggannoo guddaa akka godhaan dhaamnaaf.
Mootummaanis ganna diigdamii shanitti yeroo dhihaatuuf, gaaffi Oromoo fi saboota biraatiif deebii ajjeechaa fi hidhaa kennuun furmaata fiduu irra dhibdee hammeessaa akka jiru hubachuu qaba. Har’a sadarkaa TPLF/EPRDF qophaa isaa furmaata argamsiisuu hin dandeenye gahaa jira. ADOn mootummaa kanaa fi humnoota dantaa qaban hunda wajjin hojjachuudhaan furmaata argamsiisuudhaaf qophii dha. Warra dhubbichi ilaalu hundaafis yaamicha dabarsa. Mootummichi haala amma jiru qabbaneessuudhaaf tarkaanfiile itti aanan akka fudhatu yaamicha goonaaf:

• Finfinnee ilaalchise mirga Oromoon seeraan qabu kabajuudhaaf qophii ta’uu ibsuu;
• Hidhamootaa politikaa hunda yeroo dhihoo keessatti hiikuu;
• Walgahii idda bu’oota saboota hundaa yaamuudhaan dhibdee babal’achaa jiruuf furmaata barbaaduu.

Adda Demokraatwaa Oromo (ODF)
May 1, 2014

=>gadaa

Enough Is Enough, The Blood And Life of Our Kids, Youngsters And People Should Never Be Lost In Vain

May 2, 2014

Dear compatriots!

It is time for action, it is time to rise up and put a stop to the 24 years of suppression, murder, torture, dispossession, displacement, annexation, and historical shame inflicted on our people by the minority TPLF regime.

Our heroic Oromo young generation beginning from 6 year old kids are standing for their God given human rights unarmed, fighting with fully armed TPLF murderers and tugs. We have seen and heard that kids are murdered in broad day light, parents and relatives are fired up on when they were trying to pick up dead bodies of their kids and relatives. This is an unmatchable cruelty and hate crime committed against the Oromo people by the TPLF junta. This crime may only be paralleled by the crimes committed by fascists and the Nazis.

We need to do all what we can to support our people struggling for their rights, justice and freedom. The flame that is lit by the blood of our people should never be allowed to be extinguished anymore until we get rid of the TPLF tugs. The struggle needs to be multifaceted and sustainable until the major goal to get rid of these tugs is achieved.

What are the things that our expatriates, especially those living in the western world, can do to support this struggle in various ways? What else can be done to get rid of these tugs? The following are serious options to consider:

Inform the world about what is currently happening:

• Compile evidence of the atrocities committed against our people in different parts of Oromia and write letters of appeal to local representatives, human rights agencies, relevant ministries, offices of heads of states and opposition political parties individually and collectively.
• Compile picture and video evidence if possible of the atrocities committed against our people and submit to different media outlets individually or collectively wherever possible.
• Submit these appeals to Red Cross, Amnesty International, UN, European Union and other relevant human rights international organizations.
• Submit the evidence of these atrocities to ICC in the Hague, Netherland.
• All Oromo media outlets abroad have been doing an excellent job to expose what is going on at home and that good job has to continue in a sustainable way to support the struggle of our people.
• Collective organizations and associations of the Oromo have been doing excellent job in letting the world know about the plight of our people. This needs to continue even in a much more sophisticated way.
• Use various social media to post these atrocities and actively participate in discussions to expose what is happening at this time.
• Maintain sustainable and continuous link with our people to inform them that they are not alone in their struggle and that the world knows about what is happening.
• Organize peaceful protest marches in different western cities showing pictures of our heroic kids gunned down by TPLF murderers.

Supporting the struggle of our people to defend themselves:

• We need to find means to financially support all Oromo forces that are genuinely struggling to liberate our people from the yoke of TPLF’s oppression; these forces include our Qeerroos that are showing the way forward.
• In this struggle, we need to understand that the decisive factor is the people. No advanced weaponry, no number of soldiers can stop a people determined to be free. It is this aspect that we have to pay a lot of attention to, to create a sustainable unity and determination of the Oromo people.
• This aspect has to be supported with good and sophisticated communication and unity of purpose of our people, from East to West, from North to South and to Center.
• Along this line, it is important to consider preparedness of every Oromo citizen to defend himself or herself.
• The TPLF junta currently relies on its trained soldiers, commandoes and police force that it thinks will sustain its power for ever. But one thing they have to keep in mind is that there is also a way of struggle that the united Oromo people can do: that is to take the arms and weaponry away from them and turn them against them. It would seem that one option left for the Oromo people is this- to take away their arms and weaponry that they are so proud of and think that they will keep ruling us forever using them. By this, they will be reminded of the heroism of the Oromo people that they have looked down upon and denigrated for the last 24 years.
• We need to support the creation of unity of purpose amongst all Oromo forces at this crucial historic juncture.

The creation of alliance with all forces that are struggling for justice, equality and democracy in Ethiopia:

• TPLF is the master of divide and rule. One of the main reasons they have sustained their minority dictatorship and inhumane rule over the last 24 years is by dividing the people of Ethiopia including the Oromo people
• We need to let the rest of the people of Ethiopia know that it is not in the culture of the Oromo people to do injustice to others and that our struggle is not directed against any nation and nationality of the country, but against tyranny and injustice and for freedom and God given rights.
• We need to let people know that we have no issues and hatred for the poor and innocent people of Amhara, Tigray, the Southern people, the people of Ogaden and all the people of the country. Where ever possible, we need to create fair alliances or at least convince those forces not to stand against us when we are struggling against the TPLF fascist regime. In essence, our struggle must be inclusive and magnanimous where possible not to multiply our enemies and to reduce the sacrifice that our people have to pay. As you all know, one of TPLF’s play book is to incite the rest of the Ethiopian people against the Oromo by pretending that they are the only guarantor of peace and protection.

The pursuit of international alliances and support:

• Understanding that the key to freedom is the people and that no force is able to stop a determined people, we will also need alliances to hasten the time and also reduce the sacrifice to be paid. This is by acquiring multifaceted support for the struggle. All fair and justifiable options should be on the table to get rid of these murderers.

Other aspects of the struggle at home:

• The Oromo people and the rest of the Ethiopian people have a decisive buying power.
• As everybody knows, the TPLF controls critical infrastructures and economic sectors of the country. We know that they are highly trumpeting the so called millennium development goals. What is development when they are working on dispossessing, displacing the people by subjecting them to beggary, homelessness on their own ancestral land, and murdering the very same citizens of the country?
• All the activities they pursue indicate that they are working on perpetuating their hegemony over the rest of the Ethiopian people. Hence the people must use their buying power to cripple TPLF’s companies and economy to speed up the process of freedom from the yoke of their tyranny. It would be a matter of not buying products and services from TPLF companies.

The blood and lives of our young people should not be lost in vain. The flame they lit should engulf the tyrannical TPLF regime and should lead to their demise.

Time for unity and action is now. 24 years of shame is enough. The great Oromo nation should take back its place in history together with the rest of the oppressed people of Ethiopia.

Rise up and end tyranny! No power, no cunning tactics and strategy, no divide and rule will stop a determined people from achieving their rights and freedom.

=>ayyaantuu

Massacre of Peaceful Demonstrators- Perpetual Habit of TPLF Regime/OLF Press Release

Massacre of Peaceful Demonstrators- Perpetual Habit of TPLF Regime
OLF Press Release

The level of repression and exploitation exacted by the successive regimes of Ethiopia on the subject peoples under their rule in general and the Oromo people in particular has been so unbearable that the people are in constant revolt. It has also been the case that, instead of providing peaceful resolution to a demand peacefully raised, the successive regimes have opted to violently suppress by daylight massacre, detention and torture, looting, evicting and forcing them to leave the country. Hundreds of students have been dismissed from their learning institutions. This revolt, spearheaded by the Oromo youth in general and the students in particular, has currently transformed into an Oromia wide total popular uprising.

The response of the regime has, however, remained the same except this time adding the fashionable camouflage pretext of terrorism and heightened intensity of the repression. This has been the case in Ambo, Madda Walabou, Dambi Doolloo, Naqamte, Geedoo, Horroo Guduruu, Baalee and Ciroo in Oromia; and Maqalee in Tigray as well Gojjam in Amhara region, by the direct order from the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) leaders in the last 22 years.
Tens of peaceful demonstrators, including children under the age of 10, have been massacred in Ambo, Madda Walabou yesterday April 30, 2014. Hand grenades have been deliberately thrown on student demonstrators in Ambo and Haramaya Universities causing several death and serious wounds. More have been detained. Indiscriminate severe beating, including elderly, women and children by Federal Police and militia, is widespread.

The OLF condemns the perpetration of these atrocities and holds, the Prime Minister of the regime, the army, federal police and security chiefs, directly responsible for these crimes selectively targeting the Oromo, who peacefully presented their legitimate demands. The OLF renews its call on the Oromo nationals who are serving in the armed forces of this regime not only to refrain from partaking in this crime against their parents, siblings and children; but also to resist and stand in defense of their kin and kith and other civilians.

We call upon the Oromo people both inside and outside the country, to realize that we have been pushed to the limit. The only way out of this and to redeem the agony visited upon us for the past is to fight back in unison. We specially call upon you in the Diaspora to act on behalf of your brethren, who are under siege, and urge the nations who host you to discharge their responsibility as government and a community of human beings towards the long suffering Oromo and other peoples under the criminal
TPLF regime.

We urge again and again that the international community, human rights and organizations and governments for democracy to use their influence and do all they can to stop the ongoing atrocity against the Oromo people. Failure to act immediately will be tantamount to condoning.

Victory to the Oromo People!
Oromo Liberation Front
May 01, 2014

Ibsa Fincila Barattootaa Irratti.pdf

OLF Press release on FDG 01-05-2014.pdf

በኦሮሞ ተማሪዎች እንቅስቃሴ ላይ ከኦነግ የተሰጠ መግ ለጫ – 01-05-2014.pdf

=>qeerroo

IN CHOOSING SECURITY OVER DEMOCRACY IN ETHIOPIA, U.S. WILL GET NEITHER

Kerry misses chance to press Addis Ababa on political liberalization

by Hassen Hussein 

Oromo student injured by police during a peaceful rally held at Wollega University, Ethiopia on April 27. 

qeerroo.org

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Thursday in the first leg of his three-nation trip to Africa “to encourage democratic development.” He came to a country rocked by mounting student protestsagainst the government and vicious military crackdowns that left scores dead and wounded, as well as the troubling imprisonment of dissident journalists and bloggers.

To his credit, Kerry raised concerns about the tightening of press freedom in Ethiopia. “I made clear to Ethiopian officials that they need to create greater opportunities for citizens to be able to engage with their fellow citizens and with their government by opening up more space for civil society,” Kerry told reporters in Addis Ababa.

However, his discussions with Ethiopia’s leaders were overshadowed by South Sudan’s implosion — with continuing fragility in next-door Somalia, and souring Egypt-Ethiopia relations stirred by Ethiopia’s construction of the Great Renaissance Dam over the Nile, in the background.

This focus was unfortunate but hardly surprising. For over two decades, despite fleeting statements expressing “concern,” Washington has shied away from seriously engaging Ethiopian authorities on the need for genuine democratization. Without the latter, the country’s extended prosperity is in danger. “To support economic growth for the long term, the free marketplace of ideas matters just as much as free markets,” Kerry noted in his remarks. But he failed to underscore how rising instability could erode Ethiopia’s standing as a linchpin to the otherwise volatile Horn of Africa region’s stability and damage its newly minted image as an emerging economic powerhouse.

Growing dissent

Reports of the number of dead vary, but in clashes with security forces over the last few days, locals say at least 20 protesters have been killed and many others wounded in Ambo and Robe towns. The government acknowledged 11 deaths, adding at least 70 students were wounded in a bomb blast atHaramaya University in Eastern Oromia. Swedish and U.K. embassies in Addis Ababa updated travel warnings for their nationals urging those in Ethiopia to avoid visiting the area.

Ethnic Oromo students are protesting against a new urban development plan unveiled in April by the Addis Ababa city administration. Protesters say the city’s master plan, devised by ruling party functionaries without public input, would allow the sprawling metropolis to swallow up surrounding Oromo towns and rural villages. 

Protesters fear the new plan would facilitate the eviction of thousands of farmers from their ancestral lands without proper compensation — an unjust process that has been happening since the city’s founding a century ago. Their land would be sold at dirt-cheap prices to foreign and domestic investors, exacerbating the country’s growing income inequality and diluting the Oromo national identity. In addition, the plan would condemn the Oromo, Ethiopia’s single largest ethnic group, to being an agrarian population in a fast-urbanizing country and balkanize their homeland into an eastern and western half — in a manner reminiscent of occupied Palestinian territories — leaving the state of Oromia with only nominal control.

The ongoing protests and crackdown on freedom of expression are the latest signs of growing discontent and Addis Ababa’s increasing authoritarianism. The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report, released by Kerry on Feb. 27, details Ethiopia’s worsening human rights situation. In recent years, the country’s adoption of a spate of draconian laws, including its Charities and Societies Proclamation and Anti-Terrorism Law, has given security and intelligence forces and the vengeful judiciary carte blanche to criminalize all forms of dissent and to arrest opposition leaders.

While the student protests have so far been confined to college campuses, they echo a long-simmering popular grievance. The Oromo make up close to 40 percent of Ethiopia’s population of 94 million, but are conspicuously marginalized in that country’s political, economic and social life. The government’s refusal to address their complaints is a major bottleneck on the country’s democratization.    

The limits on free speech, the violent suppression of protesters and imprisonment of political leaders and bloggers portend ill for the future of Washington’s ally Ethiopia. 

The Oromo student protests are not new. Since 2001, sporadic student-led riots have rattled the state — the most potent being in 2006 following botched 2005 elections. The ire of past protests has been mainly against the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), the junior partner in the ruling Ethiopian Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF). This time around, the rank and file of the OPDO seems to have resigned itself to the inevitability of protests by going public with its disapproval of the master plan. This has forced the party’s top echelon to scramble, mostly in vain, to downplay the plan’s shortcomings and tout its envisaged benefits. Far from reassuring, their comments fueled more protests and emboldened those agitating for an outright rejection of the ruling party’s 22-year-old rule.

The state-run media have also shown some murmur of dissent. In a rare sign of independence, the regional TV Oromiya aired comments critical of the plan in April. Unlike protesters of years past, who universally rejected the legitimacy of the Ethiopian state, today’s students are calling for perfecting the union — by designating Oromo as one of Ethiopia’s official federal languages; judiciously implementing the country’s 1994 constitution, which crafted nine states on the basis of linguistic criteria; and releasing all political prisoners. The students’ moderation notwithstanding, security forces have characteristically responded by using disproportionate force.  

Since the death in 2012 of the country’s mercurial Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who ruled with an iron fist, the EPRDF has been struggling to maintain its hallmark of internal cohesion. Party discipline was severely strained during the murky transition as well as the two-year-long sit-ins by the country’s restive Muslim population. The ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters — who include rank-and-file members of the OPDO, which constitutes 5 million out of the ruling party’s 7 million members — is bound to test the EPRDF’s unholy alliance.

Ethiopia’s current political dispensation as a nominal ethnic federation overseen by the overlordship of the powerful Tigrean ethnic elite is severely contested. While the Oromo are pressing for making the federation more meaningful, ethnic Amhara elites, Ethiopia’s traditional rulers, are calling for the dismantling of the country’s ethnic federalism — likening it to a ticking time bomb threatening Ethiopia’s unity and territorial integrity.

Untenable status quo

The limits on free speech, the violent suppression of protesters and imprisonment of political leaders and bloggers portend ill for the future of Washington’s loyal ally. Kerry’s restrained nudging did not appear to have swayed Addis Ababa toward political liberalization. Although U.S. leverage has clearly waned in recent years, Kerry should have used his visit’s huge moral weight. As a high-ranking member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, he was a fierce advocate for democracy and human rights. His strong support for Ukrainian protesters in their recent standoff with former President Viktor Yakunovych, however, contrasts with his decision to side with the military in hijacking the Egyptian revolution, which had briefly stoked high hopes for regional democratic transformation.

Security forces may temporarily silence the current student uprisings in Oromia and contain rising indications of potentially catastrophic urban disturbances ahead of the 2015 elections. But the status quo is untenable. Unless held in a free, fair and inclusive manner, in a marked departure from previous elections in which the ruling party claimed hollow victory thanks to its tight grip on all state institutions, the upcoming elections will no doubt mark a watershed moment for Ethiopia’s democratic transformation or its irreversible derailment.

To encourage democratic development, the professed aim of his trip, Kerry should have insisted that Addis Ababa embrace the growing chorus for liberalization. This includes a firm statement calling for an end to the repression of peaceful protesters in Oromia and the opening of the political and press environment, both of which are now monopolized by the ruling party. Instead, the U.S. ultimately missed another opportunity to push for a peaceful and gradual transition to democracy in a region marked by tyranny and volatility.

Hassen Hussein is an assistant professor at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, a longtime democracy activist and a leader of Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo.

=>aljazeera

Gootota Oromoo Bara 2014 “Dhiigaan Qabsoo FDG Daran Finiinsan”

Barataa Oromoo Taddasee Gashee

Ummata Oromoo waliin ta’uun Qeerroon Bilisummaa Oromoo har’a magaala Amboo keessatti gootota Oromoo kabajaan gaggeefata. 

Ebla 30,2014  Gaffii Mirgaa Abbaa Biyyuummaa Oromoo fi Dimookiraasii gaafachuun goototni barattootni Oromoo mana barumsaa Sadarkaa 2ffaa Liibaan Maccaa hiriira guddaa Uummataa Oromoo Amboo waliigala hirmachise kan baay’inni uummataa 45,000 ol irratti argamee keessatti, Qeerroon Oromoo Wareegama boonsaa saba isaa Oromoof kaffaluun Ijifannoo Uummata dhiiga isaan qabsoo daran magarsee magaalaa Amboo fi Oromiyaa guutuuttu guci qabsoo akka itti fuftu taasise.

Wareegamuun gooticha barataa Oromoo maqaan armaan gadiikanaan Ummaanni qabsoo gitaa gaggeessutti seene.

Barataa Oromoo Taddasee Gashee Barataa kutaa 9ffaa Mana barumsaa sadarkaa 2ffaa Liibaan Machaa Ambooti. Gandi Dhalootaa isaa
Waddeessaa lafa jedhamutti dhalatee guddatee.

Gooti Oromoo Taddasee Gashee sirnni awwalchi isaa har’a Caamsaa 2/2014 gaggeeffama uummata 80.000 olitu irratti argama jedhamee eegamaa jira. Guyyaa inni rasaasa Wayyaaneen rukutametti ummanni Oromoo alaabaa Oromoo(ABO) reeffa isaatti uffisuun faajjii isaa kaasuuf dhaadachaa oolan.

Du’a barataa Taaddasee Gaasheetti kana are uumanni Oromoo fi barattooti Oromoo qabsoo FDG itti jabeesuu keessatti yeroo lammaffaaf gootichi barataan Oromoo Indalee Dassaleenyi Barataa Yuuniverstii ABO ummata isaa Oromoof wareega ulfaataa dabarsee of kenne.

Kana malees guyyaa kaleessaa FDG Gudar irratti ta’een barataa Kumalaa Guddisaa fi kanneen biroo wareega lubbuu kafalanii jiru.Wareegamuun bakkoota hundatti ni jira.List gootota keenyaaf gara fuula duraatti qondoominaan ni baafna. Qabsaawaan ni kufa,Qabsoon itti fufa!!!

Gadaan Gadaa Bilisummaati!

Injfannoon Uumata Oromoof!!

=>qeerroo

ETHIOPIA: Region-Wide, Heavy-Handed Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters

HRLHA Urgent Action

May 1, 2014

The human rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) would like to express its deepest concern over the widespread brutalities of the Ethiopian Government in handling protests in different parts of the regional state of Oromia by peaceful demonstrators. In a heavy-handed crackdown being carried out by the federal armed squad called Agazi, which is infamously known for its cruelty against innocent civilians particularly during such public protests, 16 (sixteen) Oromo students have so far been shot dead in the town of Ambo alone and scores of others have been wounded, according to HRLHA correspondents in the area. The victims of the brutal attacks were not only from Federal Police brutality in Ambo town among those who were out protesting in the streets, but also among those who stayed behind on university campuses. Hundreds of others have also been arrested, loaded on police trucks, and taken to unknown destinations.

Although the brutalities of the armed squad and the resultant fatalities happened to be
very high in Ambo Town, the peaceful protests by Oromo students of different universities and faculties have been taking place in the past couple of days in various towns and cities of Oromia including Diredawa and Adama in eatern Oromia, as well as Jimma, Mettu, Naqamte, Gimbi, and Dambidollo in western Oromia.

The Oromo students in all those and other universities took to the streets for peaceful
demonstrations in protest to the recently made decision by the Federal EPRDF/TPLF- led Government to expand the city of Finfinnee/Addis Ababa by uprooting and displacing hundreds of thousands of Oromos from all sorts of livelihoods, and annexing about 36 surrounding towns of Oromia, the ultimate goal of which is claimed to be re- drawing the map of the Oromia Region. The federal annexation plan, which was termed as “The Integrated Development Master Plan”, is said to be covering the towns of Dukem, Gelan, Legetafo, Sendafa, Sululta, Burayu, Holeta, Sebeta, and others, stretching the boundary of Finfinne/Addis Ababa to about 1.1million hectares – an area of 20 times its current size.

The Oromo protesters claim that the decision was in violation of both the regional and
federal constitutions that guarantee the ownership, special interests and benefits of the Oromo Nation over Finfinne/Addis Ababa. Similar unlawful and unconstitutional action taken at different times in the past fifteen and twenty years have already resulted in the dispossessions of lands and displacements of hundreds of thousands of Oromos farmers and business owners from around the city of Finfinne, forcing them into unemployment and day labourer.

The HRLHA has been able to obtain the names of the following students from among
those who have been shot dead, wounded, and/or arrested and taken away:

No       Name                                               Gender      University & Department

1         Falmata Bayecha                               M              Jimma, Medicine 5th year
2         Galana Ababa                                    M              Jimma, Governance 3rd year
3         Zabana Barasa                                   M              Jimma, Oromo Folklore 3rd year
4         Getacho Darajje                                 M              Jimma, Governance 3rd year
5         Isra’el Habtamu                                 M              Jimma
6         Husen Umar                                      M              Jimma
7         Ababa Kumsa                                    M              Wallagga
8         Abdisa Nagasa                                  M              Wallagga
9         Tashome Dawit                                 M              Wallagga
10        Gexe Tafari                                        F                Wallagga

By so doing, the Ethiopian Government violates the property rights of peoples, which is clearly described both in local and international agreements including the Ethiopia constitution of 1995 article 40(3). While strongly condemning the brutality of the Ethiopian Government against its own people, specifically the youth, HRLHA would like to once again express its deep concerns regarding the whereabouts as well as safety of the students who have been taken into custody in relation to this protest.

HRLHA calls up on the Ethiopian Government to immediately stop shooting at and killed unarmed peaceful protestors who are attempting to exercise some of their fundamental rights and freedom of expression; and unconditionally release the detained students. We also request that the Ethiopian Government bring to justice the security agents who have committed criminal offences against own citizens by violating domestic and international human rights norms. HRLHA also calls up on regional and international diplomatic, democratic, and human rights agencies to challenge the Ethiopian TPLF/EPRDF government on its persistent brutal, dictatorial, and suppressive actions against innocent and unarmed civilians.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to the Ethiopian Government and its concerned officials as swiftly as possible, in English, Ahmaric, or your own language expressing:

 Your concerns over at the apprehension hundreds of students, and fear of torture of the citizens who are being held in Ma’ikelawi Central Investigation Office and other detention centers since February, 2011 to present at different times, and calling for their immediate and unconditional release;

 Urging the authorities of Ethiopia to ensure that these detainees are treated in accordance with regional and international standards on the treatment of prisoners,

 Urging the Ethiopian Government to disclose whereabouts of the detainees and,

 Your concerns to diplomatic representatives of Ethiopia accredited to your respective countries,

Send Your Concerns to

 His Excellency: Mr. Haila Mariam Dessalegn – Prime Minister of Ethiopia
P.O.Box – 1031 Addis Ababa
Telephone – +251 155 20 44; +251 111 32 41
Fax – +251 155 20 30 , +251 15520

   Office of Oromiya National Regional State President Office
Telephone – 0115510455

• Office of the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia
PO Box 1370, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 11 5517775;
+251 11 5520874
Email: ministry- 
justice@telecom.net.et

   UNESCO Headquarters Paris. 
7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France
1, rue Miollis 75732 Paris Cedex 15 France
General phone:
+33 (0)1 45 68 10 00
www.unesco.org

 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)- Africa 
Department 
7 place Fontenoy,75352
Paris 07 SP
France
General phone:
+33 (0)1 45 68 10 00
Website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/africa-department/

 UNESCO AFRICA RIGIONAL OFFICE 
MR.JOSEPH NGU
Director

 UNESCO Office in Abuja
Mail: j.ngu(at)unesco.org
Tel: +251 11 5445284 Fax: +251 11 5514936

 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 
United Nations Office at Geneva 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9022 (particularly for urgent matters) E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org this e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Office of the UNHCR 
Telephone: 41 22 739 8111
Fax: 41 22 739 7377
Po Box: 2500
Geneva, Switzerland

 African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) 
48 Kairaba Avenue, P.O.Box 673, Banjul, The Gambia.
Tel: (220) 4392 962 , 4372070, 4377721 – 23 Fax: (220) 4390 764
E-mail: achpr@achpr.org

Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

 Council of Europe 
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, FRANCE
+ 33 (0)3 88 41 34 21 + 33 (0)3 90 21 50 53
Contact us by email

 U.S. Department of State 
Laura Hruby

Ethiopia Desk Officer U.S. State Department
HrubyLP@state.gov Tel: (202) 647-6473

   Amnesty International – London 
Claire Beston
Claire Beston” <Claire.Beston@amnesty.org>,

   Human Rights Watch 
Felix Hor
“Felix Horne” <hornef@hrw.org>, 

=>ayyaantuu

Deadly Protests in Ethiopia Over Plans to Expand Capital

Witnesses say Ethiopian police have killed at least 17 protesters during demonstrations in Ethiopia's Oromia region against plans to annex territory to expand the capital, Addis Ababa.

Authorities put the protest-related death toll at 11 and have not said how the demonstrators were killed. The main opposition party says 17 people were killed while witnesses and residents say the death toll is much higher.

Residents say that an elite government security force opened fire on protesters at three university campuses.

The demonstrations erupted last week against plans by the Ethiopian government to incorporate part of Oromia into the capital.  Oromia is Ethiopia's largest region and Oromos are the country's largest ethnic group.

Oromos say the government wants to weaken their political power. They say expanding the capital threatens the local language, which is not taught in Addis Ababa schools.

Ethiopian officials say the master plan for expansion was publicized long ago and would bring city services to remote areas.

They accuse those they call "anti-peace forces" of trying to destroy Ethiopia's ethnic harmony.


=>voanews