ABYSSINIA TO ETHIOPIA: FROM OBFUSCATION TO CONFUSION

By Tuji Jidda, Washington, D.C

For more than a century, scholars have been wallowing in big confusion regarding the name Abyssinia which later on became Ethiopia. In recent years, the name Abyssinia seems to be enjoying a revival of one form or another. For example coming across with businesses or political organizations named after Abyssinia names like Abyssinia Bank, Abyssinia Radio, Abyssinia Church, Abyssinia Airlines, Abyssinia Cement Factory, Abyssinia Band, Abyssinia/Habesha Restaurant, Habesha Supermarket, etc., has become very common.

Recently, I read an article dated October, 2009 on seemingly pro-EPRDF government website regarding a lawsuit over the alleged invention and use of the old name of ‘Abyssinia’ as trade mark. As explained below, practically the parties seem to be fighting on politically motivated discriminatory and racist name.

This clearly shows the renaissance of old name of Ethiopia that rekindles a new round of discussion and clarification of what is behind the nomenclature “Abyssinia.” In my view, misunderstandings arising from the use of these two very “historical” names often lead to fundamentally wrong analysis and interpretation of political problems.  It is this century old confusion that lie beneath the two names that forced me to deal with this sensitive issue.

Abyssinia in English, Habesha in Amharic and Habesh in Arabic- is a well-known “historical” country recognized by the neighboring countries, Arabs and Europeans. According to credible sources, the name Abyssinia is derived from the Arabic word ‘Habesh’, which means ‘mongrel’. I’m not sure if it has pejorative meaning at present time but it was something common to hear the expression “Habesh-Rabesh, Habesh-Hanish” in Arabic which means “Habesh-Garbage, Habesh-Snake”.

The newly created Federal arrangement in Ethiopia didn’t explicitly recognize the name and state of Abyssinia though the name Abyssinia and Abyssinian nationalism is reviving under disguise after EPRDF government’s administrative division of different ethnic groups of Abyssinia and non-Abyssinian Ethiopians under federal arrangement. Accordingly, the State of Abyssinia- includes ethnic Tigre and Amhara,   State of Oromia-includes the 12 mega regions of the Oromo, State of Somali, State of Afar, State Southern Nations and Nationalities people’s Region- SNNPR- I prefer to collectively call them Omonia named after people’s living alongside river Omo, State of Gambella, State of Benishangul-Gumuz, and the very tiny city State Harar with a population of 9,000 powerful Harari’s.

The “historical” Abyssinia country is located in present day North Ethiopia and Southern Eritrea-Hamasien, Akaleguzai & Sera’e. The highland Eritreans are typical Abyssinians though the used the Italian Latin phrase ‘Mare Erythraeum’ -Red See.Abyssinians are Semitic in origin and its major tribal regions comprise Tigre, Gondare and Gojjame, though there is some Cushitic’s like Lasta of Agaw. They have very complicated myths, weird culture and their own version of Christianity that can be characterized by backward superstition and miracles of local tribal saints. They refer their country as “Abyssinia: A Christian Island surrounded by enemy Islam and pagans”. It is Abyssinia that was a Christian Island. Ethiopia, however, never was a Christian Island. It is rather a country inhibited by large number of Muslims and traditional believers.

Abyssinia never had a unified government till late 19th century except one or more brigand like tribal chieftains in every tribes or king of Ambas or tribal regions. The people unfortunate exposure to continuous drought and famine due to shortage of rainfall, mountainous rocky landscape, endless war on tribal line and others, compels them to struggle for survival.

It is Kassa latter Tewodros of Gondare tribe who, for the first time in the history of Abyssinia, attempted to subjugate the other chiefs of Abyssinia -but never the present Ethiopia, under the banner of eliminating the neighboring Wello Islam Oromo from Christian Island, Abyssinia. He became ‘brigand Chief of Chiefs or King of Kings’ in 1855 assisted by British advisors and their modern weaponry. Up on his death, first the tribal chief of Tigre another Kassa- later Yohannes-(1875) in the name ‘crusader Christianizing the whole Abyssinia’ and then the isolated small tribal brigand chief of Shoa -Menelik (1889) became chief of chiefs of plunder under same banner of exterminating Oromo and Islam.

The following Famous Letter of Tewodros to Queen Victoria of England, if read between lines, ascertains what the name and politics of Abyssinia country looked like.

In the name of the father, of the son, and of the wholly ghost, one god in trinity, chosen by god, king of kings, Theodore of Abyssinia.

To her Majesty Victoria, Queen of England,

“I hope your majesty is in good health. By the power of god I am well. My fathers, the emperors, having forgotten the creator, he handed over their kingdom to the Gallas and the Turks. But god created me, lifted me out of the dust, and restored this empire to my rule. He endowed me with power and enabled me to stand in the place of my fathers. By this power I drove away the Gallas. As for the Turks I have told them to leave the land of my ancestors. They refuse. I am now going to wrestle with them.

“Mr. Plowden and my late Grand chamberlain, the Englishman bell, used to tell me that there is a great Christian Queen, who loves all Christians. When they said to me this: “we are able to make you known to her and to establish friendship between you,” then in those times I was very glad. I gave them my love, thinking that I had found your majesty’s goodwill.

“All men are subject to death, and my enemies, thinking to injure me, killed these friends. But by the power of god I have exterminated those enemies, not leaving one alive, though they were of my own family, that I may get, by the power of god, your friendship. I was prevented by Turks occupying the sea-coast from sending you an embassy when I was in difficulty. Consul Cameron arrived with a letter and presents of friendship. By the power of god I was very glad hearing of your welfare and being assured of you amity. I have received your presents and thank you much.

“I fear that if I send ambassadors with presents of amity by Consul Cameron, they may be arrested by the Turks. And now I wish that you may arrange for the safe passage of my ambassadors everywhere on the road. I wish to have an answer to this letter by Consul Cameron, and that he may conduct my embassy to England. See how Islam oppresses the Christian.”

The history of Abyssinia started taking another shape following Menelik’s devastating holocaust (conquest) of unrelated vast territories of Cushitic, Omotic and Nilotic people of the Horn region. By doing that, Menelik controlled fertile territories of, at least, five times larger than the size of Abyssinian proper. The massive booty gained, the unprecedented total enslavement and confiscation of the country relatively emboldened and somehow unified the Amhara Abyssinians, except the Tigrean. It is said that the already invented Abyssinian myths are consolidated during this time. After conquering what makes up at least 70 percent of the land mass of the present-day empire- areas primarily lying to the south of Abyssinia- Menelik signed boundary treaties with European colonial powers to form the present day Ethiopia and tried to adopt the name Ethiopia to give cohesion to the bogus history of the country.

Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, Menelik ??, elect of God, king of kings of Ethiopia

To our friend Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India.

Greetings!

We ask most especially for news of your precious health.

I wrote a letter to your Majesty dated 25 Meskerem 1883; but I do not know if it reached you.

The great English power being up to this day the friend of the Ethiopian empire and in recognition of your goodwill to her, we express to you our gratitude.

Seeing that we wish to acquaint the friendly powers of Europe in writing with the boundaries of Ethiopia, we hereby write to your Majesty in the same sense, and we are hopeful that you may bestow your benevolent consideration upon what follows:

Boundaries of Ethiopia:

In pointing out the exact boundaries of my empire as they exist today I signify my intention, if god graciously grants me life and strength, to re-establish the ancient frontiers of Ethiopia as far as Khartoum and Lake Nyanza (Lake Victoria), with all the Galla territories.

I have not the least intention of remaining a disinterested onlooker if powers from a distance come with the notion of dividing Africa between themselves, Ethiopia having been, during the course of quite fourteen centuries, an island inhabited by Christians in a see of pagans.

Just as almighty god has protected Ethiopia up to the present time, so also I am confident that he be her guardian today and will also add to her territory in the future, and I have no reason to contemplate that he will divide up Ethiopia amongst other powers.

Formerly the boundary of Ethiopia was the see. Because of lack of strength on our own part and because of the failure of other Christians to come to our aid, our frontier on the seaward side fell into the hands of the Muslims. Today we make no pretence of seeking to recover our seaward frontier by force; but we hope that the Christian powers, guided by our lord Jesus Christ, may yield us our frontiers on the sea, or that at least they may give us some points on the coast.

Done at Addis Ababa 14 Miazia 1883 (April 1891)

The legacy of Menelik’s military conquests, which took place a century ago, and the structure of the state built to incorporate the survivors of conquered peoples are the major underlying cause of many of Ethiopia’s problems today, including famines. Abyssinians assert that Menelik is a unifier, though he is short of the dream territories mentioned in him letter. The boundaries created as a result of Abyssinian military victories were no less arbitrary divisive than those created by competing European colonial powers in the rest of Africa; in the west, Anuak, Nuer, Berta and Komo were split between Ethiopia and present day Sudan; in the south, Oromo were split between Ethiopia and present day Kenya; in the east and southeast, Somali were split between Ethiopia, Kenya and present day Somalia and Djibouti; and in the northeast, Afars were split between Ethiopia and present day Djibouti; A number of other smaller groups were divided in the north, west and south. Also in the north Abyssinia itself were to be divided between present day Ethiopia and Eritrea. It should be noted that Abyssinian kings rule over Ethiopia but without either acceptance or recognition by non-Abyssinians.

One of the most interesting but confusing tactics Abyssinian devised to obfuscate the atrocities committed while at the same time getting legitimacy over the newly confiscated country and people was fabricating history, presenting their myths as history, using diplomatic verbiage and changing their name of Semitic Abyssinia to Cushitic Ethiopia. With political developments in subsequent years they grossly denied the history, culture, language, identity etc of vast enslaved survivors of Menelik’s Holocaust.

The most important myths Abyssinians used as ideological weapon to subjugate the overwhelmingly majority non-Abyssinians and confuse local as well as foreign historians are the following:

• That it is only 500 years since Oromo migrated and settled in the fertile Abyssinia/Ethiopia lands and that they are some how granted permanent residence status or citizenship. So people who don’t have rich history of 3000 years like that of Abyssinian they can’t claim equal right.
• Abyssinians are related to Jesus Christ by blood through Solomonic dynasty and that the blessing given to holly land Israel was transferred to Abyssinia-‘Ethiopia’ after the former crucified Jesus Christ. As a result, Abyssinian are ‘chosen race’ that they should be the master of conquered Oromo and other tribes of the present Ethiopia.
• The myth that the true Arc of Covenant is hidden in Abyssinia.
• Abay River is equivalent to Blue Nile: that even though Dhedhessa and other great rivers of the south are much bigger than Abay, they all should be considered as tributary Rivers as Tana (Gion) is wholly water.

Accordingly, the superficially convincing and yet more confusing name they wanted to   adopt was the historical Christian Cushitic Nubian Ethiopia- present day Sudan- located from 1st cataract-South of Aswan to 6th cataract-Khartoum along side the Blue Nile River. Dubious enough, this name changes was harmonized with the corrupt Abyssinian version of Christianity. For e.g. they claimed as if one of the smaller tributaries of River Dedessa, River Abay, is same as the historical Blue Nile. In addition, the collapse of Nubian empire, the conversion of Christian Nubian Ethiopia to Islam and their eventual disclaim of both names of Nubian and Ethiopia in favor of The Sudan paved the way for smooth takeover by Abyssinia of the unrelated people’s name with their history.

Based on the objective and tactics mentioned, subsequent Abyssinian governments, in collaboration with the highly politicized Abyssinian church, pushed to change the Abyssinia name to Biblical Ethiopia. It should be noted that the Hebrew bible call Nubian as Cush while the Greece bible refers Nubians as ethiope. The land of Cush—the son of Biblical Ham—is generally considered to be in the vicinity of the Ancient cities of Meroë and Napata, located in present-day Sudan. Back to pre-Christian era, the Biblical verse that Ethiopia will stretch its hands to God refers to today’s Sudan territory of Cushitic Nubians, not Semites- Abyssinia. It is interesting if one Google and see the difference between Abyssinia Ethiopia and Nubian Ethiopia in Roman Catholic website www.newadvent.org.

After initially imposing Abyssinia name on non-Abyssinians, special diplomatic effort was made by Teferi Mekonen- later Emperor H. Sillasie- to abandon both Abyssinian and Southern country’s names at all in favor of Ethiopia. Then minority Abyssinian rulers denied the existence of other dehumanized people including their history, culture, etc and promoted the policy of ‘swallowing majority non-Abyssinians’. For e.g. the first paragraph the Official Property Decree promulgated by the so called Ethiopian brigand government of Naftagna-Melkegna dated October 24th, 1928 explicitly states that “the right of freedom from confiscation has existed in the Christian Abyssinian provinces of the North-namely the provinces of Tigre, Gondar, Gojjam and proper Shoa.” The whole situation can be characterized as a ‘dragon stuck while swallowing a buffalo!’

Most importantly, the following all inclusive Memorandum of Department of State regarding the official name of Ethiopia explains the whole situation of the historical genocide committed. Source: Documents on Ethiopian Politics, Volume 2- The consolidation of Power of Haile Selassie, 1920-1929, page 32-33.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS

October 18, 1926.

Index Bureau

Received OCT 27, 1926

A-C:

“The following information with reference to the names Abyssinia and Ethiopia is given in response to your telephone request last Saturday:

Ethiopia is the name which is preferred by the Government and people of the country. Mr. R. P. Skinner, in his Paris dispatch No. 766 of September 23, 1925 (123 SK3 /246) wrote as follows:

“In this connection, I respectfully suggest that it would be more strictly correct to abandon the use of the word Abyssinia in favor of Ethiopia. The government of the country considers Ethiopia to be its proper name. And it is under this name that our treaty appears in the official volume of Treaties, Conventions and International Acts. And in the body of the treaty Ethiopia alone is mentioned from time to time. I believe that it would be gratifying to the existing government of Ethiopia if the use of the word Abyssinia could be dropped.”

The suggestion that the name Ethiopia be adopted for official use by the Government was approved by Mr. Dulles of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs and was adopted by the United States Geographic Board February 3, 1926.

Ethiopia is the term employed not only in the two Treaties of 1903 and 1914, between the United States and that country, but also in the treaties between great Britain and Ethiopia and it is so listed in the “Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Year Book, great Britain”, 1924, page 48. it also appear asEthiopia in the ratifications of the Universal Postal Convention signed at Madrid November 30, 1920 (British State Papers, 116, 1922, page 776) as also in the “Dictionaire des Bureau de poste, publi?e par le Bureau International de l?union postale universalle (1909)”.

The name of the country in the language of the country, Amharic, is, translated Ityopya.

The objection of the people of the country to the term “Abyssinia” arises from the fact that the Arabic word “Habesha”, from which it is derived means “confusion”, and that it has come to connote, as the Arabs use it with reference to “Abyssinia”, “mongrel” (strange mixture).

Admittedly the term Abyssinia is much more widely used. It is used in Hertslet’s Commercial Treaties, volume 30, 1924. it is also used by the League of Nations in the documents referring to the admission of  “Abyssinia” to the League of Nations, although the texts refers to “Queen of the kings of Ethiopia” and to the “Crown Prince of Ethiopia”.

“Abyssinia” (officially Ethiopia” appears in the Encyclopedia Britannica and Encyclopedia Americana.”

DP:SWB:EAB:SS

Despite the rigorous efforts exerted by Teferi, official quest to change the name of the newly formed country from Abyssinia to Ethiopia didn’t get international recognition up until the establishment of the United Nation in 1948.  The League of Nations admitted the controversial Ethiopian membership to the League not as Ethiopia but as Abyssinia. The Italian abandoned both names during their five years occupation, let alone accepting the name change to Ethiopia instead of Abyssinia. They simply called it Italian East Africa.

Evidences and facts show that, by any means of imagination, the biblical name Cushitic Ethiopia has no relation with Semitic state of Abyssinia except being neighbors. Strictly speaking, Ethiopia belongs to the direct geographical descendent of ancient countryNubians or the Sudan both historically and Biblically, but not to Abyssinia or even the present day Ethiopia. The fact that the Sudan preferred the Arabic name Al-Sudan over Ethiopia, means the black people, for what ever reasons, resulted in the confusion of the two countries people with their history. This link provides additional clear picture regarding the cause and effect of the confusion.

The arguments presented and other facts lead one to the following clear understanding regarding the confusion over the names of Abyssinia and Ethiopia:-

• First of all, it is absolutely unacceptable, historically false, and politically malignant for the state of Abyssinia to abandon its name and insist on using the bogus-name of ‘Ethiopia’. Abyssinia is just one state of Ethiopia.
• It is also historical crime to present Abyssinia as synonymous old name of Ethiopia. No more use of obfuscation diplomatic verbiage. They should use the only to refer Abyssinian- Northern Ethiopia, but no whole Ethiopia.
• The Semitic Tigre and the Amharas of Gondar, Gojjam and Shoa of Ankobar are real Abyssinian by race and Ethiopian by Nationality. Highland Eritreans are also Abyssinian by race but Eritrean by Nationality.
• Unofficial use of such a controversial political name, in one way or other- as if it is interchangeable with Ethiopia- have negative connotation as it promotes hidden racism and discriminatory nationalism.
• Oromo, Somali, Afar, Kambata, Hadiya, Sidama, Walayta, Kaffa Anuak, Nuer, and others are Ethiopians but can’t be Abyssinians. Therefore, calling and these people as Abyssinia inheriting their history, culture, and the like is not only improper, but also implies exercising the double meaning of slave-master bullying tactics.
• The name Cushitic Ethiopia is more related to Cushitic Oromo, Somali, Afar, Kambata, Hadiya, Sidama, Agaw etc than to Semitic Abyssinians.
• If Abyssinians want to reclaim and revive the old name, it would be appropriate if used overtly.
• If one couldn’t agree on such simple and yet basic framework issues, it would be practically impossible to negotiate on the major political problems of the country.

To sum it up, it is becoming clearer from time to time that the century old tactics of obfuscating the names Abyssinia and Ethiopia is not working. The days of superficially mentioning non-Abyssinians in the introductory pages of everything and systematically excluding them from the main body of history should come to an end without any negotiation or precondition.  In other words, the old political tactic of promoting only Abyssinia under the disguise of bogus Ethiopia is no longer tolerable.  Systematically changing the ‘Christian Island Abyssinia’ to ‘Christian Island Ethiopia” simply transforms the issue from obfuscation to confusion.

The writer can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./" mce_href="http://www%2Eoceonia@yahoo.com/">www.oceonia@yahoo.com

=>Opride

UNESCO: Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo

Subject: Regarding Sending to you a petition by the Oromo people for the inscription of the Gada System on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The people of Oromo have a n extensive and very rich culture and tradition wh ich have been accumulated for centuries and have been h anded down from generation to generation as a source of pride of the people. The culture of the people is deeply rooted in the Gada system which is a democratic political, economic and social system. The Gada system is a democratic system th at has been shaping and guiding the lives, mode of governance, socio-economic conditions, philosophical outlooks, etc., and which has enabled to ensure unity and solidarity of among the people as well as the practice of peaceful conflict resolution strategies.

The Gada system has been governing the direction and day-to-day lives of the people since the time when the people of Oromo were governing themselves independently. Presently too, the Gada system plays considerable role in guiding the political and socio-economic functions of the people. The system is structured in such a way that power is shared among different bodies to ensure check and balance. This confirms that the system is based upon the principles of equality among mankind (respecting the rights of women and children as well as outsiders. During the period when a party stays on power, it is bound by the principle of rule of law. Moreover, transfer of power is made smoothly and peacefully among parties.

The culture of the Oromo people with regard to equality and democracy remains an exemplary one to the remaining world. Thus, we hereby express that the signatures for the petition are attached here in and that Oromo people ardently upholds the inscription of the Gada system on the Representative List as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity which would demonstrate to the rest of the world that our country Ethiopia is not only the cradle of mankind but also the mother of an age-old democratic system.

With regards,
Signed and sealed
Geetuu Wayyeessaa Tolaa
Head of Oromiya Regional State Culture and Tourism Bureau

For detail proposal document download PDF

Related

Mr. Obama’s visit to Ethiopia sends the wrong message on democracy

National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) Chairman Prof. Merga Bekana announces preliminary results to the media in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (Mulugeta Ayene/AP)

By Editorial Board June 24 at 7:41 PM

“AFRICA DOESN’T need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” Those were President Obama’s words when he addressed Ghana’s parliament in July 2009, during his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president. The historic speech, watched around the globe, was an optimistic clarion call to the leaders on the continent from the son of a Kenyan. “First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments,” Mr. Obama said.

The president seems to have forgotten that speech. Last week, the White House announced that, while traveling to Kenya next month, Mr. Obama also will stop in Ethiopia, the first such visit by a sitting U.S. president to the country of 94 million. It’s almost unfathomable that he would make time for an entrenched human rights abuser such as Ethi­o­pia while cold-shouldering the nation that just witnessed a historic, peaceful, democratic change of power: Nigeria.

Administration officials justify the trip by citing the United States’ long-standing cooperation with Ethi­o­pia on issues of regional security and the country’s accelerating economic growth. Ethi­o­pia is a major recipient of U.S. development assistance, and the African Union has its headquarters there. But it also stands out in Africa for its increasingly harsh repression and its escalating chokehold on independent media and political dissent. Since June 2014, 34 journalists have been forced to flee the country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ethi­o­pia is also one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists.

The administration already undermined Ethiopia’s struggling journalists and democracy advocates in April, when Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman said Ethi­o­pia has “moved forward in strengthening its democracy. Every time there is an election, it gets better and better.” Shortly after her statement, the ruling party held an election in which it secured 100 percent of the parliamentary seats. That was indeed an improvement upon its 2010 performance, when it won 99.6 percent of seats. In the months ahead of the May 24 polls, opposition party members and leaders were harassed and arrested. The Ethiopian government refused to allow independent election observers, except from the African Union. Since the election, two opposition members and one candidate have been murdered. The government hasdenied any responsibility for the killings.

Meanwhile, Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation and the one with the largest economy, overcame risks of electoral violence and Boko Haram’s terrorism to manage a peaceful transfer of power for the first time since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. With numerous African countries facing elections in the next two years, a visit to Nigeria would have signaled U.S. commitment to partnering with governments that respect freedom, the rule of law and the will of their people. Snubbing Nigeria for a trip to Ethi­o­pia sends the opposite message, in essence validat ing Ethiopia’s sham elections and rewarding a regime that has shown no intent to reform. Six years after his idealistic speech in Ghana, Mr. Obama is sending a message to Africa that democracy isn’t all that important after all.

=>washingtonpost

Amnesty International Asks Ethiopia to Investigate Suspicious Murders and Human Rights Violations

The suspicious murder of opposition leaders and wide-spread human rights violations against opposition party members over the past few weeks raises questions about Ethiopia’s elections, said Amnesty International as the parliamentary poll results were announced yesterday.

The organization has also expressed concerns about the failure of the Africa Union Elections Observer Mission (AUEOM) and the National Elections Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to properly monitor and report on allegations of widespread abuses before, during and after the election.

“Amnesty International has received a number of reports concerning the deaths of political opposition figures in suspicious circumstances, as well as of a pattern of human rights violations against political opposition parties throughout the election period. These reports must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Eastern, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

“It is unacceptable that these violations barely warranted a mention in reports released by official observers, including the Africa Union Elections Observer Mission and the National Elections Board of Ethiopia.”

In the run-up to the elections, more than 500 members of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (EFDUF)/ Medrek - a coalition of opposition parties, including the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) were arrested at polling stations in Oromia region. Forty-six people were beaten and injured by security officers while six people sustained gunshot injuries and two were shot and killed. Gidila Chemeda of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC/Medrek) was shot and killed by police in Western Shewa zone, Dima Kege Woreda, Gelam Gunge Kebele of the Oromia region.

On June 15, 2015, the body of 27-year-old Samuel Aweke, a candidate with the Samayawi (Blue) party was found in one of the main streets of Dembre-Markos at around 7 p.m. Blue party officials believe his murder was politically motivated. A few days before his murder, Aweke published an article in his political party’s newspaper Negere Ethiopia criticizing the behavior of local authorities, the police and other security officials. His political party claims he received threats from security officers after the article was published. Witnesses at the scene where his body was found said his body had visible stab wounds and appeared to have been beaten with a blunt object.

A member of the Arena/Medrek political opposition party reported that its leader for Western Tigrai zone, Tadesse Abraha, 48, was accosted while on his way home on June 16, 2015 by three unknown people who attempted to strangle him. Abraha managed to escape, but collapsed and died shortly after reaching his home. According to his political party, Abraha had reported being threatened by local security officials shortly before his death.

On June 19, 2015, another member of Medrek was found dead 24 hours after he was arrested at his home by two police officers. Berhanu Erabu’s battered body was found near a river in Hadiya Zone, Soro Woreda (district) of Southern Ethiopia.

Amnesty International has documented these killings and is now calling on the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice, Federal Police Commission and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to investigate these apparent targeted killings of opposition political party leaders and ensure those responsible are brought to justice

Background:

Amnesty International sent a letter with preliminary recommendations to the AUEOM on May 21, 2015.

Amnesty International expressed its concerns about the state of human rights in Ethiopia and the impact the human rights context was having on the ability of Ethiopians to participate in the electoral process. The organization urged the AUEOM to monitor and report on human rights violations throughout the election period in its assessment of the conduct of the elections.

The ruling political party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been declared the winner of the elections.

=>amnesty

TPLF’s Sham, Fake and Scandalous Election Results

By Alemu Hurissa*

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), led by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), has stolen democracy, money, votes and liberty from the Oromo people as they had done many times in the previous elections and they have done in the 2015 General Elections. As the Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Dr. Merera Gudina said, this “is not an election; it is an organized armed robbery.”

I also asked myself many times: why TPLF leaders, while they know 100% that there is no free and fair election, spend a huge sum of taxpayers’ money to hold fake and sham elections? Why not they give that taxpayers’ money back to the people who look for food at garbage dumps for daily subsistence? Or does their evil behavior not even allow this?!

Many people live by gathering food from garbage dumps while TPLF officials claim an economic growth of 11%

The Oromo people have been the most affected people by TPLF election results because they refuse to accept the fake results, and Oromo mothers have lost many brave and strong children. The Oromo youth refuses to accept the election results, not without reasons, because everything in connection with the electoral process – before, during and after the voting day – has been accompanied by fraud and violence. The Oromo people are thoroughly tired of getting their democracy, their money, their natural resources, their choices and their liberty stolen by a tyrannical government like EPRDF and its satellite party, OPDO.

The dictatorial regime of EPRDF has clearly and openly lied again for the fifth time as if they had carried out a free and fair election in Ethiopia on the 24th of May 2015, but everything that has happened in relation to the 2015 election is opposite to what EPRDF is claiming. This is not something new; it has been carried out many times before in order to use it as a means to beg money from Western countries – the money, which they usually use to crack down on the opposition’s members and supporters as well as to suppress other citizens. The ruling party lies again as if it has won the election in a democratic process while the fact is that it has snatched people’s votes by bullets. Harassment of the opposition’s observers, members and supporters before, during and after the election is evidence that the election has been accompanied by violence. Before, during and after the election, human rights activists, journalists, and the opposition’s members and supporters have been prosecuted. They have been subjected to raids, and they have been deprived of their properties, and eventually, arrested and imprisoned – and even some of them had been killed based on false accusations. They have been harassed, intimidated, imprisoned and killed for legally exercising their freedom of speech, and demanding for a free and fair election. The anti-terrorism law makes this easy. The authorities have used a variety of methods to intimidate activists and silence critics – from using fictional criminal charges to implementing repressive laws and bureaucratic rules in order to suppress the opposition’s members and supporters. Persecuting the opposition’s election observers, members and activists reinforces the impression that the government is prepared to ignore human rights and the opposition’s demand for a free and fair election to achieve its goals. The EPRDF government has severely curtailed Oromo activists’ freedom and freedom of expression, and its harassment and threats directed at civil societies stand as a grotesque contrast with the government’s claims that there is democracy in Ethiopia. TPLF has also continued killing and dismissing Oromo students from universities as a revenge after Oromo students had refused to vote for TPLF’s candidates in the fake and sham election in Ethiopia.

The EPRDF government, led by the minority group called TPLF, has been using coercive means and manipulations of election results to stay in power. Despite the killings of Oromo university students by TPLF security forces and the sufferings of Oromo farmers – who have been evicted from their indigenous land by the EPRDF regime, TPLF says the economy is growing faster than any other country in Africa. If the development that has been claimed by TPLF is sustainable, why is it then BBC’s Lerato Mbel recently reported about the economic status in Ethiopia – putting it in this way on April 16, 2015: “They show an economy growing in near double-digits, but about 40% live below the poverty line.”

In fact, expecting a free and fair election from the TPLF-led government is the same as expecting a hyena to lay an egg. As EU’s Member of Parliament Ana Gomes also concluded about the election in this way: “Ethiopian election cannot be free and fair under current regime,” I would also say that Ethiopia won’t develop and be stable as long as the repressive TPLF regime is in power, and the Western powers continue to support it.

Therefore, the time has come to support the Oromo national movement morally, financially and diplomatically, and to put a concerted and united front with all oppressed peoples to send back this evil group of TPLF to where it has come from before it is too late as TPLF and its partners have not stopped their intimidation, arrests and killings of unarmed Oromo people who have refused to elect them.

Oromia shall be free!

* Alemu Hurissa: ejeru412@hotmail.com

=>gadaa

Ethiopia election: EPRDF wins every seat in parliament

Ethiopia's electoral commission says there was a high voter turnout

Ethiopia's ruling party, the EPRDF, and its allies have won every single parliamentary seat in May's elections, according to official results.

This includes the one seat held by an opposition politician following the 2010 poll.

Election commission chairman Merga Bekana made the announcement saying the elections were credible and free and fair.

Opposition parties have said that the process was rigged.

African Union observers described the 24 May vote as "calm, peaceful and credible" and that "it provided an opportunity for the Ethiopian people to express their choices at the polls".

The opposition have complained the poll was rigged but the AU says the process was credible

Beyane Petros, the leader of Medrek, one of the main opposition coalitions, said last month that there was no election to speak of as it was not conducted in a fair way, according to the Horn Affairs website.

Medrek has said that hundreds of its members and supporters have been arrested and beaten in recent months, according to an opposition website.

The EPRDF has been in power since the overthrow of the military government in 1991.

In 2005 official results said the opposition won more than 150 seats, but the opposition claimed the figure was much higher.

More than 190 people were killed as protesters clashed with police in the wake of the announcement of those results, an independent report found.

The government says the number was much lower.

In the two elections since then the EPRDF has dominated the parliament.

=>bbc

The “Uyghur-ization” of Oromia

By Diida Borbor

The Eastern Industry Zone in Dukem, about 37 km from Addis Ababa, is home to about 20 Chinese-invested manufacturing companies employing thousands of local workers. Photos by Chen Weihua / China Daily

Geographically speaking, Uyghur live in the Xinjiang region, which is located on the north western rim of China. They are overwhelmingly Muslim (Sunni). Relatively speaking, like Oromia, Xinjiang is a resource-rich region.

Just to give some historical context, Xinjiang was conquered by China in 1750s and since then the relationship between Uyghur and Han (ethnic Chinese) was in conflict. Ever since, there have been various uprisings against Han expansions, repressions, and massacres.

Although during the “Five-Peoples Republic” (Mongol, Manchu, Muslim, Han, and Tibetans) era (1911 to 49), China officially recognized over 50 ethnic minorities of which 10 were Muslim nationalities, Muslims continued to be targeted as enemies of socialism (especially, this was the case during the so-called “Cultural Revolution”).

Fast forward to 1949 – China took total control of Xinjiang and what followed was the resettlement of large military personnel, Han farmers and businessmen as well as their relatives. With the support of the Chinese government, the settlers have been able to quickly dominate Xinjiang’s economic sectors — from ma-and-pa business to farming to mining industries. As a result, this large influx of Han has radically reshaped Uyghur’s homeland – Xinjiang. Furthermore, the Chinese put in place draconian measures such as:

• Uyghur language status was downgraded, declaring it unfit for the 21st century.
• State-approved Koran is forced on Muslims.
• Mosques are managed by the government.
• Uyghur men who want government jobs have been forced to shave their beards.
• Women are forbidden to wear hijab.

So it comes as no surprise that there were several open protests that were followed by bloody suppression by Chinese government. One such recent conflict was the July 5, 2009, in which hundreds of Uyghur were killed, arrested, and jailed by the Chinese government. Since then, from time to time, Uyghur were in the news and the official news coming from China refers tocampaign against “extremism”, “separatism” and “terrorism”. These are exactly the same terms the Ethiopian government uses to justify its barbaric actions against Oromo. Just like Uyghur, Oromo nationals have been detained, arrested, sentenced, and even executed for alleged “separatist” or “terrorist” activities. Furthermore, just like Uyghur, Oromo who were exiled in neighboring countries have been arrested and deported back. Just like in Xinjiang, Oromo land continues to be distributed to settlers / investors.

According to the1953 census Uyghur were about 75 percent of the total population of Xinjiang, while Han were 6 percent (the rest are Huis, Kazakhs and Mongols). But today, thanks to large-scale resettlements, Han have tilted the scale, in a big way. In this way, between 1949 and 2012, Han population in Xinjiang went from 6 to over 50 percent. In certain areas, Han population has risen to over 80 percent. That is exactly what TPLF is trying to replicate in Oromia and they have succeeded in certain cities and regions (just look at Iluu Abbabooraa). Simply put, just like Uyghur, Oromos are becoming minority in their own ancestral land, unless some drastic measures are taken to reverse the trend. It’s is a swim or sink proposition for Oromos.

To accomplish such draconian measures, the TPLF junta is trained and supported by the Chinese ruling party. So, TPLF is getting firsthand experience on how the peoples of Tibet and Uyghur were robbed of their land. The designation of certain cities as federal entities, evictions in the name of development, arming and helping ethnic minorities to drive away Oromos from their ancestral land (in Harar, Baale, Booran), the Master Plan for Shaggar and the recent attempt to indoctrinate Oromo artists and students are part and parcel of the grand design – the Uyghur-ization of Oromia.

So, for all its intent and purposes, Oromia is a resource colony of TPLF and TPLF controls all regions of Oromia. Even the bogus federal arrangement could not camouflage this reality. That is why Oromo and others are evicted from their land in the name of industrialization and development. The question is who benefits from such scheme? Who are getting filthy rich in Oromia? The result speaks for itself. We all know that the Ethiopian government doesn’t care much about economic development in Oromia region. As a matter of fact, the Ethiopian government has done everything to deprive Oromo of any element of power – economic and political. The government cares only about total control over Oromia.

Similarly, just like Uyghur in China, Oromos also have no access to the Ethiopian state economy, which includes state corporations such as Effort and other commercial businesses and service industries. Culturally speaking, as most Oromos do not speak Amharic, it’s hard for them to even get a job in this Amhara-Tigre confederacy dominated economy and polity. While Tigre, non-Oromo and foreign investors are lured by the Ethiopian government to come to Oromia with the promise of land owned by Ethiopian government, Oromos are becoming landless and fleeing from their ancestral land. This is not about Menilik times; it’s still going on at accelerated speed.

It is really ironic to see that while Amhara, Tigre, Harari and Gurage come to Oromia for land grab to get rich, Oromos are becoming refugees in the West to make a living (at least those who survive the Red Sea and Mediterranean death trap).  With the exception of the likes of Minaase Wolde Giorgis, who serve as a kind of colonial overseers for the privilege to scavenge over the crumbs that fall from the Tigrean table, all Oromo get is environmental degradation, systematic economic marginalization, victimization, humiliation, repression, large scale eviction, imprisonment, torture, extrajudicial killings, exile and untold misery and suffering.

However, in sharp contrast to Uyghur, Oromo represent over 50% of Ethiopia’s population, which is estimated to be 98 million. As well, most of the arable land, coffee plantation, mining and livestock industry are mainly from Oromia region. On the other hand, Han represent about 90% of China’s1.4 billion people, while Uyghur population is estimated to be about 14 million.

Hence, in relative and absolute terms, Oromo and Ethiopia and Uyghur and China are totally different.

Given these differences, although the younger Oromo generation is injecting life into Oromo national struggle, the organized resistance against Amhara -Tigre confederacy has been unsatisfactory and substandard to say the least. Therefore, the recent sham election and its associated repression, savagery, imprisonment, thrashing of Oromo candidates and their supporters in every part of Oromia was alarming and revealing.

On one hand, it was revealing because it proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that Imperial Ethiopia cannot be democratized and that freedom, democracy, and the rule of law cannot be expected to take root there (I’m not taking a jab at any one, this is my gut feeling). In this regard, I give credit to OFC for clearly exposing and showing us the true colour of the TPLF and their surrogates. Moreover, it proved to us that we are dealing with an authoritarian regime that won’t even have the appearance or facade of democracy.

On the other hand, what was equally alarming and revealing was also the absence of any spontaneous and spur-of-the moment reaction on the part of Oromos towards such heinous and atrocious crimes committed against them. Just one such example was when Baqqalaa Garbaa was physically attacked, on two occasions, by certain thugs, in front of Oromo onlookers, not a sole instinctively or impulsively reacted in his defence. And, such barbaric acts continue unabated even after the fraudulent election in which they claimed to have won 100%.

Sadly, in their own God given land, Oromos are insulted, thrashed, imprisoned and killed 24/7/365 and no consequences for such evil crimes. Consequently, the absence of any reaction on the part of Oromo continues to embolden and brazen our enemies and their lapdogs – OPDOs. That’s why TPLF and their lackeys continue to antagonize and thrash Oromo at every turn.

Given the gallantry, bravery and heroism of our forefathers, such humiliation at the hands of our enemies is unacceptable and deplorable. I cannot comprehend the psychology of waiting cowardly, sheepishly, coyly and timidly for the turn to be blustered, bullied, evicted, thrashed, humiliated, imprisoned and killed. For how long are we going to be dishonoured, disgraced, shamed and humiliated like this and for how long are we going to be at the receiving end of suchegregious human rights violations. When are we going to fight back saying enough is enough?

Oromia Shall Be Free!

Diida Borbor

=>ayyaantuu