A Response to Dr. Fikre Tolossa (Tolassa)

By Dr. Beyan H. Asoba | May 30, 2013

Dear Dr. Fikre Tolossa/Tolassa,   Xalayaa Dr. Asobaaf katabame

This is from the end of Fikre’s letter. Is Fikre in this century? Click Xalayaa Dr. Asobaaf katabame 

I was travelling when the open letter your addressed to me appeared on a number of websites and was thus not in the position to respond sooner. In this response, I will address only those aspects of your open letter that personally concern me. The Oromo Democratic Front will have to respond on the general content of your writing.

Dear Dr. Fikre,

Let me start my comment by making a brief observation on how you spell your last name. I checked as many of your published works as possible and they are all signed by Fikre Tolossa. That is how your name appears on your University of Bremen dissertation of 1983 and numerous subsequent publications.  And it is also how you spell your name on your Facebook. To my knowledge, it is only in the open letter addressed to me that you not only spelled your name as Fikre Tolassa but also added apparently your grandfather’s name, Jigsa.

Let us leave Jigsa alone and allow him to continue lurking in the shadows, where you usually place him, and focus on Tolossa/Tolassa that more commonly appears after your first name. Tolossa could ostensibly be construed as a derivative of the Amharic word “tolo.”  And I know for sure that Tolassa is a derivative of the Oromo word “tola.” Consequently, by spelling your name in two different ways, you appear to evince two contrasting identities. If by doing so you wish to sit on the Amhara/Oromo identity fence, all I can say is “suit yourself!” I fully respect your right to call yourself whatever you want and to proclaim any identity you choose.

My question is: Why could you not accord me the same right? My name is not Bayyanaa Suba. I have never spelled my name in any other way than Beyan Asoba. I would not have recognized that this new name actually refers to me if it were not used in context of commenting on the Oromo Democratic Front, of which I am a member. Obviously, you took the liberty to attribute another name to me in order to serve your political objective.

Only creators have the right to name the object of their creation. For example, auto-makers give specific names to their various brands just as parents name their children. Unfortunately, for us, the sons and daughters of the Oromo nation, suffering the indignity of being re-named by Chauvinists has been a very common and bitter experience. Our very national name (Oromo) was erased from public records and replaced by another one along with a bundle of pejorative connotations associated with it. Even pupils used to be coerced by their teachers to dump the names originally given to them by their parents and to assume a new in order to start the process of qualifying as an Ethiopian.

It is this practice of demanding that individuals need to first die as Oromos, Sidamas, Walayitas, Kambatas, Hadiyas, etc. in order to be reborn as Ethiopians that sits at the heart of the political contestation in that country. And so long as being an Oromo and an Ethiopian are made incompatible, we have no choice but to either reject your Itophiyawinnet or suffer the imposed self-abnegation.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you and your likes. The days when Oromos had to endure self-abnegation are over and shall never return. We have rejected the Itophiyawinnet that is the antithesis of being an Oromo and shall continue to do so as long as this antithetical relationship is maintained. The choice is yours and your likes’. You either accept us with our identity and other rights fully respected or you kiss goodbye to your much vaunted Itophiyawinnet and Ethiopian unity. Can you not see that there is something immoral in trying to build Ethiopian unity on graves of Oromos, Sidamas, Walayitas, Kambatas, Hadiyas, etc .? Why do you refuse to recognize that this aspiration is ultimately counterproductive?  I only hope that this irrational, immoral and ultimately destructive aspiration would give way to a more sober and fair articulation of an Ethiopian identity that is as an amalgam of the identities of the various nations inhabiting its territorial space.

Finally, I would like you to know that this is the last time I will comment on this very painful issue.

Beyan H. Asoba

5/29/13

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Egypt Rejects Any Project That Risks Its Water Safety - Minister

Egypt's stance towards Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam is clear and did not change, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Bahaa Eddin said on Tuesday in an official statement.

He explained that Ethiopia's decision to start diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River's two major tributaries, for building its dam does not mean that Egypt approves its construction.

The in-construction Renaissance Dam would supply Ethiopia with more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity. A move described by Ethiopian officials as a historic achievement.

On the other hand, this move raises concern in Egypt about how it could seriously reduce the downstream water flow of the Nile River.

The power-generating dam is predicted to reduce Egypt's and Sudan's share of Nile River water by 18 billion cubic meters annually.

"We are still waiting for the report of tripartite technical committee (made up of experts from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia) on the effects of the dam on Egypt's water safety," the Water Resources Minister said.

"Our initial position is not to accept any project that would negatively affect Egypt's water resources," Bahaa Eddin said, stressing that the government would tackle the situation based on confirmed information.

The minister added that Egypt's current crisis of water management and distribution confirms that the government cannot compromise "a single drop of water from the Nile."

He explained that Egypt does not oppose any development project in any of the Nile Basin countries, provided that these projects do not harm the downstream countries.

allafrica

The 50th shame years of Africa Union celebration in Ireland

Oromo Community Ireland | May 29, 2013

This week African Union (AU) celebrated its Golden Jubilee of what it calls the 50th years of achievement celebration under the headline of strengthening Pan-Africanism and African renaissance. But for the Oromo community in Ireland the story was different. On the day of the African Day Celebration the Oromo’s stall tells a different story, a story that questions the very importance of the existence of the AU; the story that tells the inability of the AU to deal with the issues of its people; the story of Oromo’s years to years true life, the story of slavery in the country the AU celebrate what it says the past good days.

We were opposing the existence of AU, though we know that many intellectuals, analysts and media outlets question the need for AU’s existence itself. We hope AU, one day may become a better organization that stands for African people. But so far AU has failed do any meaningful thing for Africans. To raise just some of them, first what did AU do about the question of Oromo for self determination, what did it say the killing, disappearances and torture of Oromo students, intellectuals, farmers and businessmen? What did AU with decades’ long conflict in Darfur? Why it can not solve it. What did AU say about the mass killing in Kenya? Did it say anything the conflict in Congo? What did the AU say about the human rights crisis in Zimbabwe? Most the pressing African problems were dealt with by AU but by the governments and communities outside Africa whether there is a calculated benefit or not, the problems of Libya, the genocide of Rwanda, the crisis in Somalia, are only few where AU show little or no role to sole African problems.

AU even seems do not care about the people when they sit in the AU meeting with those notorious dictators such as the late Meles, Bashir of Sudan, Mugabe of Zimbabwe, etc. These people are isolated from international community, and some of them are indicted by international criminal court because of the multiple genocide the have committed to their people. That may be the reason why many people say AU is a bunch of corrupt leaders who try to defend each other against mass movement and public upraising. We Oromos still do not give up on AU. We believe AU can do better to solve the problems of Oromo and other peace loving African people. That is why we were telling them that we are still in colony by the time AU celebrates its Golden jubilee. The shame is that AU had to know and oppose to the colonizers. AU may have done well when choosing Finfinne (Addis Ababa) as its centre because Finfinne is the centre of the country of Oromo people who used the Gadaa system for generations. Gadaa system can be said the first democratic public institution used by us until we fall under colony. But, AU did not know, or fail to acknowledge that it has been holding meeting in the empire that is anti peace, anti freedom and anti human rights. AU must have known that Ethiopia is a prison of human race, a prison of freedom, a prison of democracy. This has a devastative effect on the image of AU and needs to be considered.

We Oromos in Ireland spoke very clearly and loudly while celebrating the African Day in Dublin. Whatever achievement AU celebrates, we Oromos are African who are still in slavery. We told this to the African and international community implicitly that AU fall short of its responsibility of standing for its people. We told to the media to the big and to the small, to the young and to the adult, to the friends and to the enemies that we are still fighting slavery, injustice and state of colonization. We will continue doing same until we get free. On the day we created a scene that posse and a point that people discuss. Everyone came to the celebration understood that our question is beyond political question. We are asking for our freedom, our dignity and the right to our own country and resources. We have the right to be free, the right to our own resources, and the right to nature given human rights. AU and the international community have the obligation, under the international law and under their own stands, to support Oromos, the fight against the colony. Whether AU comes to its mind or not, we will continue our journey to freedom. We will fight ‘terror with terror’, as someone said, until we set ourselves free.

Oromia Shall Be Free!

Oromo Community Ireland

www.oromocommunityireland.com

oromocommunityireland@yahoo.ie

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Dr. Trevor Trueman’s visit to Cairo

Posted by: bilisummaa May 27, 2013 Leave a comment

Dr. Trevor Trueman, a human right advocate and a well known activist for his devoteing long years on writing articles and lobbying human rights concerns and abuses in Ethiopia against the Oromo people has visited the Oromo Community in cairo (OCRA-Egypt) on Saturday 25 May 2013. He has discussed with members of our community about the problems the Oromo people are facing in Ethiopia, the problems oromo refugees and asylum seekers are facing on their way to Egypt and about the challenging life situation the Oromo refugees are facing in the host country-Egypt.

It was a very good opportunity for members of the Oromo Community Refugee Association (OCRA-Egypt)  to expalin to Dr. Trueman about the problems all Oromo refugees and asylum seekers are facing in Egypt by sharing with him their grievances regarding their security concers and life challenges happening to Unaccompanied Children, Single mothers, Large families, Single Men and Women and all sorts of problems refugees are facing in this country includinjg the human trafficking and abuses happening against Oromos and other nationalities in Sinai are discussed with Dr. Trevor Trueman.

Availing this opportunity, leaders of the Oromo Community in Cairo would like to thank Dr. Trevor Truman for his visit to our community center to hear about the problems the Oromo people are facing in Ethiopia, to observe the hardships Oromo refugees and asylum seekers are facing on their way to Egypt and to witness the challenges they are encountering in Cairo- Egypt.

Waldaya Baqattoota Oromoo Biyya Masrii

25 May 2013

Madda; http://osra-egypt.webs.com

bilisummaa

Response to Dr. Fiqre’s Letter to ODF Leadership – Response from an Oromo Activist

gadaa

50 years of OAU (AU) in Finfinnee (Addis ababa), what is in it for Oromos

By Adugna Dinka

The organization of African unity was established on May 25, 1963 in Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) and on 9 July, 2002 it was disbanded and replaced by African Union. One of the reasons for the formation of OAU was the complete eradication of all forms of colonization. Other important aims of the organization were the respect of human right of all Africans and the raise of the living standard of all citizens.

If this is the case, the existence of OAU (AU) head quarter in Ethiopia might have mean much for the people of the country. It was supposed to have much influence on the leadership of Ethiopia to play a great role in relation with the respect of the right of the people and the economic development of the country. As the host of the office of such big organization, Ethiopia is supposed to be an example and a leader in every aspect.

The Irony is, things happen to the opposite of these. Ethiopia itself is an empire built by colonizing nations and nationalities. The northern Abyssinians colonized the southern nations and nationalities by force and enforce the name Ethiopia on them. The Oromos, Sidamas, Welaitas, Gedios, Gamos, Gambelas, Ogadenians, Afars etc are those who were brought under the Ethiopian empire by force.

In relation with human right, the government of Ethiopia was and is one of unfriendly governments to its people in the world and in Africa. Under king Haile Selassie, it was the time when the country was supposed to be put on track of development, to the contrary the people ended up in hunger which actually led to the revolution of 1974. Derg, which is the next Government, was a government that declares red terror on its own citizens and thousands lost their life. Many disappeared without trace. The TPLF led weyane government of Ethiopia is also doing the same. Thousands of Oromos are killed and disappeared since weyane came to power. Tens of thousands are still languishing in Qality and Ziway prisons.

Under TPLF led government of Ethiopia, US department of state human right report, amnesty International, and human right watch they all reported how serious the human right condition of Ethiopia is. The government is unfriendly to opposition parties, journalists, political activists and any person opposing the government. In addition to these, the government is displacing people from their homeland and leases their land in a very cheap price for foreign and Tigrean based investors. This actually is done in the name of development; it is actually the transfer of land and resource from the owners (indigenous people) to another party (foreigners or ‘national investors’).

The people who are displaced from their land in the name of development are all from the region of Oromia, Southern nations and nationalities, and the Gambela regions. These are those regions brought to Ethiopian empires by force. During the colonization era, the people lost their land to the northern landlords and the colonizing army and they were reduced to tenants on their own land. That is going on until today, the local people, the owner of the land are still displaced from their land.

But, the office of the African Union, the organization that was established to fight all forms of colonization and to ensure the respect of the right of all people is stationed at the heart of Oromo land for 50 years. During the last 50 years the people in Ethiopian empire were killed, tortured, displaced, and starved by successive governments. Is there a time when the OAU (AU) denounces these successive Ethiopian governments for their abusing their own citizens? Is there a time when OAU (AU) threatens to move the head quarter to a democratic and citizen’s friendly countries, to a country where government respects the right of its people?

OAU (AU) in Finfinnee (Addis Abeba) as a head quarter didn’t benefit Oromos in particular and Ethiopians in general. To the contrary, it just helped the dictatorial leaders to mislead other African leaders. The office just helped the dictators to assert power. The Abyssinian dominated governments never respected the right of the people they claim as their citizens. They have never been a good example for other countries as the host of AU office.

And the Oromos are people who are still colonized, but host OAU (AU) for 50 years on their land. 

Adugna Dinka (re_appear1@yahoo.co.uk)

The Sidama Nation Globally Commemorates the 11th Anniversary of its Fallen Heroes of May 24, 2002!

Sidama Community United Kingdom, May 25, 2013
London,

On a very bright morning in Sidama land, on May 24, 2002, between 10:30 and 11:00am local time; the Sidama people of all walks of life staged on a peaceful and non-violent Demonstration after fully exhausting the constitutional requirements that is needed to undertake such an activity. Carrying the leaves of trees and Ethiopian flags, the demonstrators peacefully started to march towards their capital city, Hawassa which is located at the distance of about 3 km from where they have been planning to hold the said peaceful demonstration when they were encountered with deliberately targeted barbaric acts after they have nearly travelled about a kilometre from the point they were gathering.

The objectives of the demonstration was in protest of the government’s decision to remove the administrative right of their capital (Hawassa)- from Sidama to the federal government in addition to the issues related with regional self administration quest, the Sidama nation is constitutionally guaranteed, yet denied. Whilst the Sidamas were peacefully demonstrating, suddenly, they were met with several armoured vehicles with machine guns and others hundreds of army personnel all of whom live shot into the upcoming crowds without warning-instantly killing over hundred Sidama civilians and wounding about 250-300.

With Sidama civilian demonstrators about three Sidama police officers were also summarily executed by the army for demanding them and police officers to stop the killing of Sidama’s peaceful and unarmed civilians. For being humane and genuine the said Sidama police officers also paid ultimate sacrifices for the causes of justices with others Sidama civilians. The dead bodies of hundreds of Sidama civilians were left on the street for the entire day whereas others seriously wounded unfortunately died in the middle of highly grown up corn plantation; most of whose dead bodies eventually devoured by hyenas. Others several seriously wounded civilians were also left to loss their blood and die in an agonising pain as health professionals weren’t allowed to help them until after 6 hours, after the shootings. After 6 hours of the shootings, the dead bodies of the Sidama people were dragged and some of them thrown to the pickup cars and an ISUZU lorry to be eventually dumped in Hawassa health centre. The families of the dead Sidama civilians weren’t allowed to collect the bodies of their beloved ones up until 3^rd or 4^th days.

Strict curfew was imposed throughout Sidama region for weeks and the Sidama was fully militarised from corner to corner. Those culprits who have ordered, stage-managed and monitored the massacre of the Sidama civilians are widely circulating in Sidamaland to date until now, and most of them are promoted to higher authority statuses.

As we commemorate the 11^th anniversary of such tragic acts of the regime sponsored terrorism against law abiding Sidama civilians with our brothers and sisters [the sons and daughters of others subjugated nations of Ethiopia], our thought goes to the families and relatives of Sidama victims of Loqqe massacre of May 24, 2002.  We also salute their courage, determination and indefatigable decisions whilst they took to the streets of Sidamaland demanding their fundamental rights defying the mightiness of the regime’s live ammunitions to pay ultimate sacrifices. We also believe that this is the kind of crime taking places in Oromia, Ogadenia, Gambella, Shakicho Kaficho and others regions of subjugated nations with varying degrees. We salute the strengths of all civilians whose ultimate contributions in the end will make the dreams of their respective nation’s reality.

We’re commemorating Sidama victims of atrocity of May 24, 2002, in conjunction with psychological thought of those all Ethiopians who have lost their precious lives for simple reasons of seeking justice, liberty, human dignity and respect for fundamental rights; the essential elements all are denied by the successive Ethiopian regimes including the incumbent one.

As we all gathered here in London on May 25, 2013, in a free land where the rule of law is part and parcel of the whole society, our hearts and minds travel thousands of miles, dissecting clouds and ocean alike to share the sufferings of those who are unfortunately left back in Ethiopia, under the rule of jungle where democracy and democratic values remain meaningless.

Therefore, 
The Sidama nation wholeheartedly reaffirms its oaths on its determination until it asserts the rights of Sidama nation for which cause its fallen Sidama heroes paid ultimate sacrifices!

The Sidamas in Sidamaland and in Diaspora remember this Day, as the day of Sidama Martyrs and salute them all for their precious sacrifices of life. We all Sidamas, young and old, female and male alike never forget the ultimate sacrifices those heroes paid on behalf of our nation.

We the Sidamas wholeheartedly thank the representatives of Oromia, Ogadenia, Shakacho Kaficho and others subjugated nations’ brothers and sisters for showing us their usual solidarity by taking part in whatever we do on behalf of our systematically subjugated and deliberately brutalised nation.

Finally, we demand the support of the international community and strongly suggest to hold the Ethiopian current regime into account for its inhuman treatment of civilians and bring those who’re responsible for Loqqee massacre of Sidama civilians and others similar massacres and genocides committed by this very regime all over the country. We also demand the current Ethiopian regime to stop the acts of barbarism towards civilians, intelligentsia, journalists, opposition members and the wider societies at large.

May the Souls of Sidama Victims of atrocity and others Ethiopian nation’s peoples who have paid similar sacrifices Rest in Peace!!

Sidama Community UK, May 25, 2013, London

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