The Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) and Mederk have Successfully & Peacefully Demonstrated in Hawssa!

Kukkissa, Sidama reporter from Sidama capital, Hawassa, June 14, 2014

 

 

The Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) and Mederk (Coalition of Opposition Parties in which SLM is a part of) have successfully conducted their anti-TPLF’s government demonstration in Sidama capital Hawassa amid tremendous fear of civilians resulted from a systematic over weeks’ intimidations and terror deliberately created by the regime’s army, Security forces and police personnel of federal and regional as well as Sidama Zone’s TPLF’s messengers, all of whom remained patrolling the entire Hawassa and its outskirt for the past five days leading to the June 14, 2014 demonstration. The ultimate aim of the regime’s agents who were busying themselves with missions of intimidation, harassment, repression and suppression- literally terrorising peoples individually and at family levels going from house by house- was hindering the participants from taking part in the said demonstration although they have only partially succeeded in doing so as the expected number of over 100,000 was cut by over 80%.

 

From another angle however, symbolically the numbers of participants who have taken part in today’s Hawassa demonstration exceeded the expectations of the organisers as it has happened against odds despite the fact that TPLF’s authoritarian regime has left no stone unturned to obstruct the participants from taking part deploying various means including sending the entire Sidama civil servants (majority of whom could have added several thousand if not tens of 1000s) out of Hawassa city under the pretexts of trainings to various southern regional towns for 3-4 days since June 12, 2014.

Besides, the leadership of both SLM/Medrek have expressed their fair satisfaction with the numbers of participants, which has been estimated to be between 11, 000 and 12,500. Given regime’s heinously planned hard work put into this involving deploying its army to harass and terrorise the civilians for the last few days, the numbers were significant victory to both SLM and Medrek. Additionally, since the 13^thof June 2014, the regime has also paid the owners of public transportation vehicles in the entire Sidama districts further ordering them to remain out of work until the demonstration is over to hinder the Sidama civilians from taking part. Regardless these all hurdles, the people of Sidama nation have defiantly travelled hundreds of miles on foot to take part on today’s demonstration. The leadership of SLM and Mederk have expressed their gratitude to the people of gallant Sidama and Oromo nation and others who have taken part in today’s demonstration, inviting all to do similar in the future.

 

ETV (the only and State owned Ethiopian television) has fully satisfied the expectations of genuine minded peoples of SLM/Medrek supporters by putting the numbers of today’s Hawassa demonstrators at about 200!! No wonder if TPLF’s Media (ETV) has significantly cut the number to under 2% as it always does when it comes to success of the opposition parties such as SLM and Medrek. Thus, expecting the regime that deliberately undermines its constitution to speak the truth will by itself be utter naivety.

The slogans of the demonstrators involved:-

 

•  Unconditionally Respect the Rights of Nations and Nationalities!!
• Unconditionally Release all political prisoners!!
• The rights of peoples individually and collectively must respected as they are constitutionally guaranteed!!
• Unconditionally Stop the uprooting of the Oromo peasants from the outskirts of Finfinnee and bring those who have massacred Oromo civilians to an independent justice!
• Stop Finfinneee Master Plan! Stop uprooting Sidama from the outskirt of Hawassa!
• Bring those security forces and authorities who’ve massacred Sidama civilians on May 24, 2002 in Looqqe village to justice and unconditionally respond to the Sidama national quest to regional self-administration for which the Sidama civilians have sacrificed their lives!
• Stop harassing, intimidating and terrorising civilians of the country who have demanded their constitutional rights to be respected!!
• Stop displacing peasants under false promises of fake Development!!
• Stop selling the lands of nations and nationalities to transnational companies!!
• We need Freedom!! We need justice not bullet!! Any numerous others.

The demonstration was peacefully concluded despite the fact that the regime planned to slaughters Sidama civilians soon after the 12^th Anniversary of Looqqe massacre.  

Kukkissa, Sidama Reporter from Sidama Capital Hawassa, June 14, 2014

=>sidamanationalregionalstate

Somali Americans arrested in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa (OgadenToday Press)-  Somali American who traveled to Ethiopia for the visit of their relatives and families living in Ethiopia are arrested while some of them are unknown where they are held, a source in Addis Ababa informed OgadenToday Press.

According to report that OgadenToday Press obtained, The Somali Origin American are left from Minnesota state last month and are arrested by Ethiopian Security.

Some of them were released after 22 days in jail without charge, The US Embassy in Addis Ababa struggling the issue, The report added.

The report added that some of others traveled from Europe are also arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Capital.

Many of Somali Americans were traveling to Somali Ogaden Regional state in eastern Ethiopia, as regional government and Ethiopian government asked the diaspora for investment.

Ethiopia government worry about Somali Alshabab group linked with Al-Qaida.

US Embassy in Addis Ababa has warned to Americans of Somali Origin Traveling to Ethiopia on Thursday and  strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Ethiopia to enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). 

=>ogadentoday

One of the Secret Mass Graves of Oromo Killing Fields Is Exposed at Hammarreessaa OLF Press Release

The mass murder, arrest, torture, exploitation and oppression perpetrated by Ethiopian regimes against
the subject people, has been passing on from one regime to the next unabated. This pattern of the ruling
clique well precedes the formation of the Ethiopian empire. This is because the cliques had continually
come to power through violence, against the wish of the people, and they had to resort to sheer force of
terror to keep the people under control. Ruthless mass murder was the efficient means to terrorize,
demoralize and dehumanize the subject people. As no people willfully accept such illegitimate rule the
relation between them and the ruling clique remains one of victor and vanquished.

Since maintaining their power is the main priority for such cliques they commit all heinous crimes
against the subject people for this purpose. The case of the Ethiopian empire, created and sustained by
violence supported by the foreign powers, is no exception. As the successive regimes are bogged down
on ruthless repression of the subject people the empire is plunged in poverty and underdevelopment.
Even though many nations and nationalities in Ethiopia have been subjected to inhuman subjugations,
the Oromo have carried the brunt of the hostility and mass murder because of the potential threats they
are thought of posing to the conquerors.

The accidental revelation of a mass grave used by the former Junta and the current Tirgay People‟s
Liberation Front (TPLF) regime at Hammarreessaa in eastern Oromia on June 10, 2014 is a good
evidence for the ferocity of the regimes‟ crime and the inevitability of the full exposure of such atrocities
against the Oromo people.

Since many people are not aware of these locations and the perpetrators some explanation is in order.
Hammarreessaa has been a military garrison since the late Emperor Haileselassie regime, with much
more function than that. It harboured centres of torture and secret mass and individual murder and grave
for those the regimes consider to be threat to their power. The few known mass murders of the Junta and
the TPLF are the evidences of this. This camp was evacuated for leasing the land to a company to
„develop‟, when the farming machines inadvertently opened up part of the mass grave. There are several
other camps still used by the military serving the same purpose.

In 1991, when the situation in Somalia deteriorated and the regime they fled was about to fall, around
350 Oromo refugees decided to go back home from Hargessa. Unfortunately they were greeted not by
their kin and kith they had left behind but by the armed forces of the military junta. The regional
commanders of the time Generals Bihanu Gembere and Wubshet Dessie ordered the massacre of all these
returning elderly, women, children, sick and disabled refugees that included few of our members and
supporters. While facing the squad the few members, that included Central Committee member Baatii
Burqaa, shouted “our blood will not be shed in vain! Oromia shall be free!” Now that the atrocity that
our enemies thought will remain secret has started to be revealed it is upon the Oromo people to redouble
the effort to realize that goal.

The TPLF regime inherited this camp in 1991 with its full function. Several survivors of the horror of
this camp have given their testimonies.
 رقم تاريخ
Lakk.: 07/stm - abo/2014
No.:
 جبهۃ تحـرير اورومـى
P.O. Box 6973 Asmara, Eritrea Tel 2911 110236 Email: abo.abo976@gmail.com, www.oromoliberationfront.org
Whether the junta or the TPLF regime, the atrocities they secretly committed against the
innocent Oromo people simply because of their identity, will eventually be fully exposed like
the current one. The Oromo people have to be aware of the history of these martyrs and
provide them proper burials.

Victory to the Oromo people!
Oromo Liberation Front
June 13, 2014

=>olf