ነፃ የወጣው የኦሮሞ ነፃ አውጪ

ቀስ በቀስ ደረጃ በደረጃ የሰከነ የሃሳብ እድገት፣ ብስለትና መረዳት ከዘመናት ለውጥ ጋር መሻሻልን መፍጠሩ እውነት ነው። ኢትዮጵያን እንደ ሀገር ለማኖር፣ ይልቁንም ደግሞ በነፃነት ለመኖር ከወራሪዎች ጋር በተደረገ ትግል ሁሉ ኢትዮጵያውያን ከጫፍ እስከ ጫፍ ተንቀሳቅሰዋል። ለዚህ ታሪክ ሥሪት የኦሮሞ ልጆች ያልከፈሉት መስዋዕትነት አልነበረም። ኢትዮጵያን ግብርና መራሽ ኢኮኖሚ እስከዛሬ ካቆያት ደግሞ ያለ ኦሮሞ ኢትዮጵያ የለችም። የዚያኑ ያህል ኢትዮጵያ ምሉዕ የምትሆነው ከየትኛውም ዘር ይፈጠር ሁሉም ኢትዮጵያዊ እኩል ክብር፣ እኩል መብትና ነፃነት ሲኖረው ነው።

በአንድ የዘመን ቅንፍ ውስጥ የተፈጠሩ የስህተት መንገድን እውነት ብለው የተቀበሉ የኩረጃ ትውልዶች ስለነጻነት ያነበቡትና ስለመገንጠል ተገነዘብን ያሉትን አምጥተው የሀገራቸውን አመሰራረትና ታሪክ ሳይሆን የአውሮፓ ታሪክን ባዩበት ዐይን እንደ ሰው ያስከበራቸውን ኢትዮጵያዊነት ኮንነዋል።

Indian, Ethipian activists against land grabbing meet in New Delhi

Lagos, Nigeria – The Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) and the Oakland Institute in the US will convene a day-long

 summit on 6 February at the India International Centre, New Delhi, bringing together activists resisting land grabs across India and Ethiopia.

In a press statement, received here Thursday by PANA, organizers said the meeting will be a ground-breaking opportunity for dialogue between Ethiopian small farmers and land rights activists and their Indian counterparts, providing space for those directly affected by land grabs to share their experiences, suffering, and collectively strategise to challenge institutional and corporate land grabbers.

“የመበስበሱ በሽታ ሁሉም ዘንድ ነው”

ሻዕቢያው በረከት ህወሃትን ሊነዱት ይሆን?

የአቶ በረከት ስምዖንና የአቶ ስብሃት ነጋ የደፈጣ ውጊያ ገሃድ መውጣቱን የሚያመላክት መረጃ ይፋ መሆኑን ተከትሎ በህወሃት መንደር ውስጥ ከፍተኛ መደናገጥ ተፈጥሯል። ጉዳዩን የሚከታተሉ እንደሚሉት ልዩነቱን ለማርገብ በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ጥረት ቢደረግም ሊሳካ አልቻለም።

East Africa stagnates near bottom of the index, Ethiopia 137th

By Reporters Without Borders; January 30, 2013

In Somalia (175th, -11) 18 journalists were killed, caught up in bomb attacks or the direct targets of murder, making 2012 the deadliest in history for the country’s media. The Horn of Africa state was the second most dangerous country in the world for those working in news and information, behind Syria. In Eritrea (in last place in the index for the sixth successive year), no journalists were killed but some were left to die, which amounts to the same thing. With at least 30 behind bars, it is Africa’s biggest prison for journalists. Of 11 incarcerated since 2001, seven have died as a result of prison conditions or have killed themselves. Since the independent media were abolished more than 10 years ago, there are no independent Eritrean news outlets, other than outside the country, and terror prevails.

Muslim Students of Bahirdar University opposed the new religious directive

Over 95% of  Muslim students of Bahardar University left the campus  following the  new directive of the University which bans women students from  wearing  Niqab and Hijab. The new directive prohibits students from conducting prayer services in the campus according to some students who spoke to ESAT.

The students left the University after the administration informed them that it was beyond its power to make any amendments.

Ethiopian Muslims have been protesting the government’s interference in  religious affairs since last year.

Why should Ethiopians support ESAT? Mr. Tamagne’s Europe campaign tour

ESAT Europe Support Committee

Background information and Statement of the problem

In spite of Ethiopia’s long history and the fact that the nation is one of the ancient civilizations, the country is being ruled by absolute dictatorship which evolved to ethnic based totalitarianism under TPLF/EPRDF administration.

Internet in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the second lowest Internet 

penetration  rate in sub-Saharan Africa (only Sierra Leone’s is lower) and is currently attempting a broad expansion of access throughout the country.

አስገድዶ መድፈርን ያጋለጡ የጎንደር ዩኒቨርሲቲ ሰራተኛ ጉዳይ

አንዲት የጎንደር ዩኒቨርሲቲ ተማሪ በተማሪዎች አገልግሎት ዲን ተደፈረች ስለተባለበት ወንጀል ለዶይቸ ቬለ መረጃ የሰጡት የዩኒቨርሲቲው ሰራተኛ አቶ ደማስ ካሳ በዩኒቨርሲቲው ፕሬዚደንት ትዕዛዝ ከስራቸው እና ከደሞዝ ታገዱ።

ግለሰቡ በአንፃራቸው የተወሰደው ርምጃ ትክክለኛ አይደለም በሚል ለተለያዩ ፌዴራል አካላት አቤቱታ አቅርበዋል። ወኪላችን ዮሐንስ ገብረ እግዚአብሔር እንደዘገበው፡ በዩኒቨርሲቲው በመልካም አስተዳደር ጉድለት ችግር ላይ እንደሚገኝ በዩኒቨርሲቲው የተበተኑ፡ እንዲሁም፡ ለትምህርት እና ለኮምዩኒኬሽን ሚንስትሮች የተላኩ ደብዳቤዎች አሳይተዋል።

Ethiopia: Call on Congressman Chris Smith to save life of the most revered young political prisoner

CPJ: Eritrea, Ethiopia rank Africa’s worst jailer of the press

(Dec 13, 2012 (PARIS, Sudan Tribune)–Eritrea and Ethiopia have respectively become Africa’s leading jailers of journalists, according to the jailed Journalists List of 2012 released by the US-based, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

በዳውሮ ዞን የህዝቡን ተቃውሞ መርተዋል የተባሉ ሰዎች ታሰሩ

በዳውሮ ዞን የህዝቡን ተቃውሞ መርተዋል የተባሉ ሰዎች ታሰሩ

ኢሳት ዜና:-በዳውሮ ዞን በማረቃ ወረዳ ከወረዳ እና ከሌሎች ማህበራዊና ፖለቲካዊ ጥያቄዎች ጋር በተያያዘ የተፈጠረውን ግጭት መርተዋል ከተባሉት መካከል አቶ ዱባለ ገበየሁ፣ አቶ ጎሳሁን ዶሳ ዶሻና አቶ ግዛቸው ታደሰ ከበደ በትናትናው እለት በቁጥጥር ስር መዋላቸው ታውቋል።

በዞኑ የሚታየው አለመረጋጋት ያሳሰበው መንግስት ግለሰቦቹ በአካባቢው የሚደረገውን ተቃዎሞ በማደራጀት በኩል እጃቸው አለበት በሚል እንዳሰራቸው፣ ቤቱ ለፍተሻ በሄደበት ወቅት ያነጋገርነው በአሁኑ ጊዜ በእስር ላይ የሚገኘው፣ የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሀይሎች ድርጅት የደቡብ ክልል ዋና አደራጅ አቶ ዱባለ ገበየሁ ገልጸዋል።

አቶ ዱባለ በክልሉ ያለውን የመልካም አስተዳደር ችግር እርሳቸው የኢህአዴግ አባል በነበሩበት ጊዜ በተለይም የክልሉ ምክትል ፕሬዚዳንት የደኢህዴግ የፖለቲካ ጉዳይ ሀላፊ የሆኑት አቶ አለማየሁ አሰፋ ቤተሰቦቹን እያሾመ ነው በማለት ገምግመዋቸው እንደነበርና አሁን የሚደርስባቸው ነገርም የዚያ በቀል መሆኑን ገልጸዋል

በአሁኑ ጊዜ ከአቶ ዱባለ ጋር በእስር ላይ የሚገኙት የማረቃ ወረዳ አቃቢ ህጎች መሆናቸውን አቶ ዱባለ ገልጸዋል

በማረቃ ወረዳ በማሪ አካባቢ ሰሞኑን በተነሳው የሕዝብ አመጽ ሕዝቡ በፖሊስ ላይ እርምጃ መውሰዱ ይታወሳል።  ሻለቃ በዛብህ ገዝሙ የተባሉ የዞኑ ፖሊስ ከፍተኛ አመራርና አንድ ወታደር በድንጋይ ተደብድበዋል።  አንድ የመንግሥት መኪና ተሰባብሮ ከጥቅም ውጪ መሆኑና የመኪና መንገድ በመቆፈር ግንኙነት እንዲቋረጥ መደረጉ ይታወሳል።

የፌዴራል ፖሊስ ከትናንትና ጥዋት ጀምሮ አካባቢውን መቆጣጠሩ ታውቋል።

ለአሁኑ ግጭት መነሻ የሆነው የአካባቢው ካድሬዎች መንግስት ነው የማሪና የዋካ ከተማ ህዝብ እንዲጋጭ እያደረገ ያለው በማለት በመናገራቸው መሆኑ ታውቋል። ካድሬዎቹ ከዚህ ቀደም ለማሪ ነዋሪዎች ዋካ ወረዳ አይገባውም ብላችሁ ተቃወሙ በማለት ሲቀሰቅሱ እንደነበር መዘገባችን ይታወሳል።  መንግስት የወረዳ ማእከልነቱ ለዋካ እንዲሰጥ መወሰኑን ተከትሎ፣ ካድሬዎች ዳግም ወደ ሕዝቡ በመንቀሳቀስ እኛ አይደለንም መንግሥት ነው እናንተን ከዋካ ሕዝብ ጋራ ያጣላው፤ እኛ በሉ የተባልነውን ነው ያልነው  በሚል በመናገራቸው ተቃውሞው ሊነሳ መቻሉ ታውቋል። በአሁኑ ጊዜ የፌደራል ፖሊሶች በኣካባቢው በብዛት እንደሚገኙ ታውቋል። የወረዳውን ባለስልጣናት አስተያየት ለማወቅ ያደረግነው ጥረት አልተሳካም።

ከአሜሪካ የህወሓት ሰላዮች ዛቻ

አሜሪካ የመሸጉ የሕወሐት ሰላዮች ዛቻና ማስፈራሪያ መሰንዘር ጀምረዋል። አልፈው ተርፈው «ክስ» እንመሰርታለን ብለዋል።
ለማስፈራሪያቸው የሚበረግግ ባይኖርም - ነገር ግን ነፃነት ባለበት አሜሪካ ያሉ የፍትህ አካላት በብርሃነ፣ ስብሃት፣ በረከት፣ አዜብ አሊያም ሽመልስ….የሚሽከረከሩ መስሎዋቸው ያለሃፍረት አንደበታቸውን ሞልተው ሲደነፉና ለማሸማቀቅ ሲሞክሩ መታየታቸው …ምን ያክል የሞራል ድቀት እንደተጠናወታቸው ያሳያል። ባለፉት ወራት ከተሰነዘሩ ተራ ስድቦችና ዛቻዎች የትላንቱ ለየት የሚያደርገው ነጥብ ስላለ ነው፥ ይህችን መልክት ለመፃፍ የተገደድኩት። እነዚህ ሰዎች አሜሪካ ዋሽንግተን ዲሲ የመሸጉ የሕወሐት ሰላዮች እንደሆኑ ላሰምርበትእወዳለሁ። ከጀርባቸው ብርሃነ እንዳለ በግልፅ በአንደበታቸው አረጋግጠውልኛል። ዋናው አላማቸው ደግሞ « ሳንጋለጥ..ቀድመን እናሸማቅ፤..» ከሚል ከንቱ አስተሳሰባቸው የመነጨ ነው።

Ethiopian Maid Committed Suicide in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 24:An Ethiopian housemaid committed suicide by hanging herself with a rope from the ceiling of her room inside the house of her sponsor in Taima.

The Body Of The Maid Hanging From The Rope Tied To The Ceiling.

Reportedly, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about an Ethiopian housemaid hanging from the ceiling of her room in Taima, securitymen rushed to the location. They discovered that the housemaid had tied one end of the rope to the ceiling of her room and wrapped the other end around her neck.

The corpse was referred to the Forensics Department. A suicide case was registered and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the suicide.

By: Munaif Nayef Special to the Arab Times

Endemic corruption ending the EPRDF rule?

Emulating the Pakistani uprising against corruption 

This piece is prompted by the recent development of crisis in Pakistan where “Pakistan‘s Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of the country’s prime minister on corruption charges, heightening the already extreme political uncertainty and fears the country’s fragile democracy could be derailed.”

Pakistan is a conservative Islamic state where one would have expected least corruption but, lo and behold, endemic greed is surprisingly becoming the foremost issue threatening to plunge the fragile country already beset with severe politico-economic problems into a more catastrophic situation.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, has been arrested in connection with a scandal involving contracts for power stations. The news broke on television stations as a “Muslim cleric, Islamic scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri, addressed tens of thousands of protesters who have massed on the capital city for an extended sit-in to protest against corruption and electoral malpractice by Pakistan’s politicians.”

Qadri declared to his supporters that the “false mandate of the rulers is over” and ordered President Asif Ali Zardar to dissolve parliament immediately. He told the crowd that the power of the President is over adding: “There are only two institutions in Pakistan that are functioning and doing their duties of the people. One is the judiciary of Pakistan and one is the armed forces of Pakistan and nothing else.” Qadri declared: “Victory, victory, victory by the grace of God!” Source: Google

Rampant corruption is increasing at an alarming rate in Ethiopia as admitted by the inactive EPRDF government waiting for its own downfall by popular uprising because the courts in the country are mere stooges of the ruling party. The determined public display of Pakistanis against corruption is one that impoverished Ethiopians should emulate knowing that the kind of support the judiciary and the military enjoyed by the former may not be available to the latter although it is worth soliciting through persuasion.  Nevertheless, the Ethiopian people have the all the justification to stage a series of debilitating and massive protests publicly to hold their incompetent and greedy leaders to account for, among other things, have failed miserably to bring corruption under control. Only an all-inclusive uprising comprising all stakeholders can effectively deal with the draconian and multiple problems created by the EPRDF over the last 21 years.

Lesson for Ethiopian opposition in fighting the corrupt EPRDF regime

Pervasive corruption is increasingly engulfing our global village threatening to topple governments in some countries. It is triggering popular wrath and fury at the scourge wrought by greed ushering in widening gap between the rich and the poor even in countries that had chosen scientific socialism as a model of growth for many years. Some interesting examples are provided below:-

1. China: In my article titled “Reform in China vs. crisis within EPRDF” dated 15 November 2012 I wrote: “The GS in his speech to leading officials underlined the unprecedented stride in economic growth achieved in the last decade but asking them “to exercise strict self-discipline and strengthen supervision over their families and staff.” He said “Leading officials at all levels, especially high-ranking officials, must readily observe the code of conduct on clean governance and report all important matters” adding that “If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the Party, and even cause the collapse of the Party and the fall of the state”. He made a passionate plea that “the CPC must make unremitting efforts to combat corruption, promote integrity and stay vigilant against degeneration.” He singled out corruption as a major problem in his closing speech also. And the incoming General Secretary (GS) Xi Japing strongly underscored the same thing in condemning the rampant corruption.” Emphasis added

The CPC and its government made a phenomenal progress in amassing wealth in the last decade but with poor distribution of that wealth going to members of the CPC top echelons not to mention flagrant abuse to human rights over the period.

One has to watch the CCTV the progress China is making in fighting corruption, openness to the outside world and transparency at home.

The lesson from China’s experience for Ethiopians is logically to take into account equitable wealth distribution, respect for human rights, social justice, and economic development together – respect for human rights taking precedence at all times.

2. Uganda: President Museveni has realized the danger that rampant corruption is posing to the stability of his government. So he is leading a concerted effort to fight the pervasive corruption in Uganda under the slogan: “Zero tolerance for corruption”. He is in part driven by the pressure of donors withholding funding for development projects and direct budgetary support plus the public cry demanding accountability for corruption. The opposition FDC led by its newly elected Party President is also promising to play a constructive role leaving behind the blame game of the past eight years. The recently formed group, which has christened itself: “Black Monday Activists” is also seen on the streets envy Monday wearing black dresses and sensitizing passers-by on the severity of corruption in the country and distributing brochures to that effect. The free print and broadcast media in Uganda and the East Africa region report profusely on the pervasive corrupt practices.

The Uganda example is something opposition activists and civil entities back home in Ethiopia may consider to intensify civil disobedience against the inactive government. I hope that the broadcast from the CCTV station to Africa will not be used in fostering the “vision of the dead man” Meles Zenawi, the former friend of Communist Party of China (CPC) China should act in its long term interest to side with the vast majority of the Ethiopian people by rethinking its policy of underpinning a minority TPLF party trading in the good names of the valiant people of Tigray.

3.  Ethiopia: The late Zenawi openly and in full view of the public complained about pervasive corruption in his government and the business sector. The mother of corruption Azeb Mesfin, the former TPLF ideologue and Chief Executive Officer of Endowment FundforRehabilitation of Tigray(EFFORT) Sebhat Nega (the enemy of Amhara and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christian Church) and others in the den of thieves should face justice soonest by popular demand. No audit report of this mammoth business monopoly has been made public. Azeb Mesfin, the widow of Meles Zenawi, replaced Nega as CEO while her husband was alive.

The do-as-told Prime Minister Hailemariam is the flag bearer of the nauseating legacy of his predecessor.  He is not expected to address the colossal corruption problem for he has already proved himself timid, habitual liar and incompetent leader. He cannot be relied on to follow the example of President Museveni in leading the fight against corruption.

President Obama’s Inauguration Address (21/01/2013)

President Obama alluded to the Declaration of the United States of America on July 4, 1776 in which the immortal words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are enshrined.

The part of his address that attracted my attention most is captured in the words: “Today we continue a never ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing. That while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by his people here on earth.”

Yes, indeed! As the old adage goes God helps only those who help themselves. We Ethiopians must rise up in unison to secure our rights, which are not “self-executing” unless we actively move to claim them.  This we must do by ourselves at any cost; it would however be a bonus if the President would keep his pledge this time around to support our quest for democracy and be on the side of the overwhelming majority of the Ethiopian in the best long-term interest of the United States of America. Extremists and terrorist are better fought and defeated by siding with the majority seeking peace, stability, democracy, prosperity and harmony in earnest.

Conclusion

The TPLF is a terrorist organization identified as such by Genocide Watch, the Global coalition to end genocide and mass atrocities. Genocide Watch has been vindicated by the recent plot of assassination on the renowned journalist and human rights Abebe Gelaw in the United States. We Ethiopians everywhere should relentlessly plead with the Obama Administration to rethink its policy of working with a terrorist organization perceived as such by the international community and verified by the heinous plot of assassination intended to be carried out on the homeland of the US citizens.

Pervasive corruption in Ethiopia is certainly one of the top crimes of the EPRDF leading to the collapse of the regime. Opposition forces and civic organization at home and in the diaspora should seize corruption as a weapon to expedite the downfall of the EPRDF repressive government.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has realized the grave danger that rampant corruption is posing to his government and has taken the lead in fighting the scourge. The same cannot be expected of Desalegn Hailemariam, the puppet Prime Minister of the EPRDF regime. So the best choice for us Ethiopians is emulating the Pakistani uprising against pandemic corruptionin Ethiopia of which the massively unemployed young persons are the main victims.

In closing I would like to renew my solidarity with the 33 opposition parties in Ethiopia vying to initiate popular protest to assert their right to participate in the forthcoming local elections.

My mantra: “The Almighty God has done His part leaving to us what we in the opposition and the Ethiopian people can do together. It is critical to act in unison to save Ethiopia. 
It is high time to boost the morale of renowned main opposition political entities and civic movements at home!!!

Release all political prisoners including Andualem Aragie, Eskinder Nega, Bekele Gerba, Reeyot Alemu, Leaders of the Ethiopian Muslims et al!

LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!!!

Ethiopia: Discussing ethnic nationalism and ethnic conflicts 

Over the last couple of weeks, particularly following news that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) foiled an assassination plot against Ato Abebe Gelaw, a journalist and political activist who heckled Meles Zenawi at a heads of states meeting in Washington DC last year, a completely misguided and unhelpful ethnic politicking is raging on the internet, Ethiopian social media and community radio stations. While I was nursing a terrible flue last weekend, I had some time to surf through several Ethiopian pal-talk rooms and internet sites. By and large, the discussions, if you can call them that, are ugly , savage and most importantly unhelpful . It is sad that such a wonderful technology that can bring people from different corners of the world on a spot and can be used for meaningful discussions and problem solving actions is being abused so flagrantly.
My objective here is not making accusations but to point out how dangerous and counterproductive the prevailing discussions and views that I observed are. I am in no way trying to discourage discussion on the subject of ethnic politics in Ethiopia. On the contrary, the reason I am writing this is because I favor even more reasoned and civilized discussions on the subject of ethnic nationalism and conflicting ethnic interests that I believe are growing dangerously in our country. We have to discuss this issue even if some parts of it can make us uncomfortable. We can cover the fire with the ash and convince ourselves that there is no fire in there but some wind someday is bound to blow it on our faces. We are compounding the problem by not putting it to reasoned discussion and articulate with evidence and data along with the solutions and with a level of dispassionateness.
Followers of ethicized politics often get their history education from the worst writers of history, ethnocentric politicians. I have once met some nice Ethiopian who told me that Menilik killed 5 million Oromos while expanding to South and East Ethiopia and referred me to an article written by someone as evidence. I was stunned to find out that he believes the story. I asked this person if he was willing to sit with me for less than half an hour so that I can use a mathematical model from the science of demography to show him that there were no 5 million Oromos in Ethiopia at the time and that even the total population of Ethiopia at the time hovered only around 10 million people. It did not take him a minute after I showed him to understand that the person who educated him wanted to make maximum impact in his mind than convey the truth. The narrative of our ethnic political discourse is replete with these kinds of fabrications and lies made by politicians who masquerade as historians. They have a mission of making maximum impact for their cause.
I am not raising this example to diminish the fact that there has always been ethnic marginalization, injustice and inequality in Ethiopia. I am simply trying to show how some people want to convert a legitimate cause into some form of a sickness. It is hard to argue that this maximum impact seeking historiographers have not succeeded in many cases. Consider, for example, the case of what I came across in an Ethiopian pal talk room ironically named “Room for Political Civility”. I had a chance to listen to one individual nicknamed “Dejena”, who said he logged on to the room from Addis Ababa. The guy, an ethnic Tigrean, was so furious about the accusations of TPLF involvement in the Abebe Gelaw assassination plot (which he magically translated as accusation against all Tigreans) told the audience that he knows the origin of ethnic hatred in Ethiopia very well with an air of authority on the subject. He said the origin of ethnic hatred in Ethiopia is what he called “Ankoberism”. I am quoting him verbatim. As evidence, he quoted some writer who lived over a hundred years ago during the time of Emperor Menilik and who wrote pejorative phrases about ethnic Tigreans as his proof. He then went on raging against the Amhara using the usual code words like “Timkihegnoch”, “neftegnoch” etc. His hate mongering made me wonder if these are the kind of people that are capable of committing the kind of savagery we witnessed in Rwanda. Mind you, like the people who committed the savage carnage in Rwanda, this man is on the side of a powerful government that is being led by the TPLF and he is still raging as a victim. Then came an eloquent, self declared Oromo under a nickname “True Democracy” responding to “Dejena” and others who were repeating the fabricated “Tigrean cause”. He said that the enemies of his people today are no more the Ankoberites but the “Neftegna from Adwa”. He said it is the Tigrean elite led by the TPLF who are persecuting and looting his people bare. He quoted researches made by Ginbot 7 to show how, what he referred to as “the Tigrean elite”, is taking over the country in an apartheid system. His limited attempt to make a distinction between the people of Tigrai and the TPLF could not help stop the rants of the speakers that came after him. None of what was presented and the tone with which it was presented was helpful to stimulate any reasoned discussion or educate anybody. Nor were there any mature people that showed up in the room to strike some middle ground or balance. There were over four hundred people logged on to the site. It looks like everybody was speaking and writing to make the other side angry. It was like the Wild West. The whole thing was so disgusting that I turned it off. In most other Ethiopian pal talk rooms that I stopped by, individuals accuse the TPLF of sending assassins to the US to kill its critics and opponents starting with Abebe Gelaw. Nearly all of them play victim and call for a vigilant response. Yet the ongoing investigation on the assassination plot against Abebe Gelaw has not so far made any definitive conclusion.
For the record let me once again make this clear. I am not one of those who want to dismiss or wish away questions and discussions related to ethnic nationalism from Ethiopia’s political discourse. I believe those who do are not dealing with reality. Ethnic nationalist questions with serious potentials for ugly and totally destabilizing conflicts exist in Ethiopia and are growing faster than many of us may want to admit. We cannot blame anybody for the existence of ethnic nationalist politics in Ethiopia. We can’t accuse the TPLF of creating ethnic identity politics in Ethiopia. It existed in Ethiopia before TPLF. We can debate whether the TPLF had made it worse or better. I believe it has made it worse. But believe it or not, it is not going to go away even if the TPLF goes away. The Ethiopian political landscape has changed irreversibly with regard to identity politics. The best we can do now is to think hard through the problem and come up with ideas that are acceptable to all sides in the contention. This may even mean going to the left of the TPLF and Meles Zenawi if we can find solutions. There are useless suggestions that I hear coming even from very educated Ethiopians. They say substituting individual rights for group rights would solve the problem. This in my view is a false distinction. Group rights and individual rights can coexist without a problem. Individual rights also include the rights of individuals to form groups if they so choose to help themselves as individuals. But neither group rights nor individual rights are guaranteed in Ethiopia today and whatever rights written in the constitution are fast eroding. In any case, the ethnic question will not go away even if we hate it. These days, I see that even some Amharas are trying to create a non-existent Amhara nationalism from the scratch.
The authorities ruling Ethiopia are not trying to solve the ethnic or national question, whichever you want to call it. They are trying to use it for a short term political end. Accusations that the TPLF has disproportionate representation in decisive positions of government particularly the army, the security forces and key government positions is a public secret and many including many ethnic Tigreans are resenting it. Even the choice of a Prime Minister from Wolayta has not helped diminish the question. It probably made it worse. The officials are neither justifying nor denying or addressing the accusations that are mounting by the day in any form. But the backlash is very palpable. The Ethiopian authorities should stop that patronizing ethnic groups and ethnic elites is a substitute for addressing the serious question of inequality in the country. Look at what happened at Addis Ababa University only two weeks after that huge, wasteful and useless patronizing farce held at Baher Dar - the so called “Nations and Nationalities and Peoples Day”. There was an ugly ethnic war between Oromo and Tigrean students where many were hurt, and many are still in prison. I am told such conflicts have become perennial and frequent in nearly all schools of higher education in the country. How can sane people expect to have a better, more united, stable and prosperous country while we watch the future leaders already at war? Ethnic groups dancing their cultural dances and showing their traditional garbs and parading together doesn’t move us an inch closer to equality or solve our problems. The officials know this. If that were the case senior officials including Ato Hailemariam Desalegn who addressed the crowd would have come to the celebration in their ethnic dresses instead of their western suits.
Conclusion:
Ethiopia is a very poor country inhabited by people who suffer abject poverty. Alleviating this poverty requires a level of stability and hopeful future where every citizen believes that they have equal shot at accessing opportunities. There is also a serious need for a political environment that encourages all of us to believe in our country and participate in helping solve this problem. Many of us outside of Ethiopia have a lot to give given this environment. I for one consider myself as someone marginalized by the regime from helping my country. For example, whatever the motive for the initiation, I believe the building of the dam on the Abbay is a good idea that must not fail. I am denied the opportunity to make contributions. I know many who are in my situation.
Ethiopia’s various ethnic groups or call them nations, nationalities and peoples, will be appreciating their equality only when they have equal access to everything the country offers and feel that they are not treated as second class citizens, and when the historically disadvantaged, particularly the small ethnic groups in the peripheral areas of Ethiopia, are given a little extra help.
The predominance of Ethnic Tigreans in key decision making positions is a central issue of discussion among Ethiopians. In my view this dominance could be reasonably explained perhaps up until about 15 years ago. If there are good explanations justifying this dominance today from the side of the TPLF, I haven’t heard one yet. Some are already calling it TPLF apartheid and this in my view is a serious accusation. I have even heard some non Ethiopian Ethiopia observers use the term. The government cannot dismiss these accusations which are increasingly being shown with the support of figures and objects by its opponents. Attacking the people who raise the issue does not answer the question. Certainly the kinds of discussions we are having about it currently are not helping.
Ethiopian authorities should let students at higher education centers exercise and experience multiethnic student governments by collectively and freely electing their leaders. They should be allowed to discuss everything under the Ethiopian sky. That was how we did it when I and Meles Zenawi and a lot of the current leaders were students at Hailessilassie University. The Ethiopian authorities should be ashamed that the way they handle academic freedom in universities and colleges is far inferior from the one we enjoyed under Emperor Hailesilassie’s Ethiopia. This is not to mention the disastrous quality of education they are providing at all levels. I had hard time believing news that there are students in colleges who have a hard time reading and writing until I heard it from the mouths of respected educationists such as Professors Habtamu Wondimu and Baye Yimam on the Voice of America a few weeks ago from.
The freakish obsession with control by the authorities from small local “idir” to every civic and religious institution is not only unsustainable but also dangerously counterproductive. It can only give you an illusion of control until it explodes on your face.
Both supporters and opponents of the government should not play with this issue as a political football and use it to bully one another. Knowledgeable Ethiopians, professional historians and responsible political leaders should not leave the discussion of this subject to narrow and single minded people who approach the issue only from hatred, anger or sheer ignorance. It is much better to discuss these things in public civilly and confront the reality than trying to push it under the rug and let it simmer. Debating it with an open mind will not kill anybody; shoving it under the rug and denying the reality will. We will all lose finally if it goes wrong.

Ethiopia’s resettlement scheme leaves lives shattered and UK facing questions

January 23, 2013 03:52 am By Editor Leave a Comment

Mr O twists his beaded keyring between his long fingers as he explains why hestarted legal action against Britain’s international development department over its aid funding to Ethiopia. Three other refugees from the Gambella region listen as he speaks in a stifling room in north-eastern Kenya. All have a story to tell.

The accounts are broadly similar, but the details reveal the individual tragedies that have shattered their lives: they say they were forced to leave their villages, beaten by soldiers, and sent to remote areas lacking all basic services under acontroversial “villagisation” programme.

FBI aware of TPLF’s terrorist activities: Genocide Watch

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 @ 05:01 PM ed

By Abebe Gellaw

(ESAT News)–Genocide Watch, the Global coalition to end genocide and mass atrocities, says that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is well aware of the fact that the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) is a terrorist organization that the United States should label as such.
In an exclusive interview with ESAT, President of Genocide Watch, Prof. Gregory Stanton, said any specific threats from TPLF agents and operatives in the United States should be reported to the FBI right away.  “The FBI has got the TPLF already in its sights. It knows very well that the TPLF is a terrorist organization,” he said.
He also pointed out that the U.S. should declare the TPLF a terrorist organization and made clear that efforts would be exerted to bring that to the attention of the concerned authorities. TPLF is already registered in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), kept by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, a center of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

IN ANY HISTORY TAIL CAN’T GUIDE HEAD

(By-Mesfin Habtemariam)
09-10-2014

Since 1991 Wayne Regime terrorized the whole of Ethiopia. The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) comes to power with support of the United State of America and United Kingdom. Ever since weyanes come to power, they never behaved as government. They became terrorist group who kill and murder civilians. The killing of this mafia group extends to neighboring countries like Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti. All along its main targets are those Oromo’s not puppets of weaned and other Ethiopian ethnics also. We come to conclusion of ruling about 21 years this barbaric regime and to give up suffering of our people .Now, top leaders of this minority ethnic groups the so called Wayne, The Oromo People Democratic Organization (OPDO) and others Wayne mafia arrested and given to INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (I.C.J.) for war crimes, genocide and crime against humanity. 

The Oromo of Harerghe: On their Settlement Pattern and their Dialect

The Oromo of Harerghe belong to the Barentuma/Barento confederation, one of the two main branchs of the Oromo people. They are bounded by the Arsi Oromo in the west and south, the Karayyu and Jille Oromo in the north west, the Afar people in the north and the Somali people in the east and south east. They call their natural homeland “Fugug”. They are basically regrouped to three major tribes; the Ittu, Afran Qallo and Anniya.

DIGGING FOR TRUTH ONE NATION AND ONE COUNTRY ETHIOPIA: Why should Ethiopians support ESAT ?Mr. Tamagne’s ...

DIGGING FOR TRUTH ONE NATION AND ONE COUNTRY ETHIOPIA: Why should Ethiopians support ESAT ?Mr. Tamagne’s ...: ESAT Europe Support Committee Background information and Statement of the problem In spite of Ethiopia’s long history and the fac...

Quest for a Genuine Multiparty Democracy in Ethiopia! : EPRDF is a cover name for TPLF

Quest for a Genuine Multiparty Democracy in Ethiopia! : EPRDF is a cover name for TPLF: By Samson Seifu: 30 December 2012 The truth about the so-called EPRDF (Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front) in today's Ethiop...

አሥርቱ እኩይ የወያኔ መንግስት እስትራቴጂዎች.

የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንግድ ቦይንግ 787 አውሮፕላን አገልግሎት እንዲያቆም አዘዘ

ኢሳት ዜና:- እንደ ቢቢሲ ዘገባ በቴክኒክ ችግር ምክንያት  አዲሱ ቦይንግ ድሪምላይነር ለጊዜው  አገልግሎት እንዳይሸጥ በአሜሪካ አቪየሺን ባለስልጣን ታግዷል።ጥር ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን ፳፻፭ ዓ/ም

በመላው ዓለም ላይ 50 የሚሆኑ ቦይንግ ድሪም ላይነር እንዳሉ ያመለከተው የዜና አውታሩ ዘገባ፤የቴክኒክ ፍተሻ እስኪደረግ ድረስ የሁሉም አገራት ቦይንግ ድሪምላይነር ፍላግሺፖች አገልግሎታቸውን እንዲያቆሙ የዩ.ኤስ ፌዴራል አቪየሺን አሳስቧል።

አዲሱ ድሪም ላይነር ነዳጅ የመትፋት፣ የኮክ ፒት መስኮት መሰንጠቅ፣ የፍሬን እና የኤሌክትሪክ ብልጭታ የመፍጠርችግር እንደተስተዋለበትም ተገልጿል።

የአውሮፕላኑ <<ሊትየም አዮን ባትሪ>> የፍተሻው ዋነኛ ትኩረት መሆኑም ተመልክቷል።

ትናትን ረቡዕ በጃፓን  ቦይንግ ድሪም ላይነር ላይ የባትሪ ችግር አጋጥሞ አውሮፕላኑ ባስቸኳይ እንዲያርፍ መደረጉን <<ኦል ኒፖን ኤር ዎይስ>>የተሰኘው የጃፓን አየር መንገድ ሪፖርት አድርጓል።

በዓለም ላይ ቦይንግ ድሪም ላይነርን የሚጠቀሙ ስምንቱም አየር መንገዶች በዩ.ኤስ አቪየሺን ማሰሰቢያ መሰረት አገልግሎቱን ማቆማቸውን የቢቢሲ ዘገባ ያመለክታል።

እነሱም የጃፓን፣የአሜሪካ፣የቺሊ፣ የህንድ፣የኩዋታር፣የፖላንድና የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገዶች ናቸው።

በብድር 10 ቦይንግ ድሪም ላይነር የገዛችው ኢትዮጵያ፤ ከአፍሪካ ብቸኛዋ የድሪም ላይነር ባለቤት ነች።

አውሮፕላኖቹ አዲስ አበባ ሲገቡ ልዩ አቀባበል ተደርጎላቸው እንደነበር ይታወሳል።

የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ  የጃፓን ቦይንግ 787 ድሪም ላይነር አውሮፕላኖች ላይ ያጋጠመው የቴክኒክ ችግር በኢትዮጵያዎቹ ላይ አውሮፕላኖች ላይ አለመከሰቱን ገልጾ፣ ለጥንቃቄና ለደህንነት ሲባል ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ በረራ ማቋረጡን ዘግይቶ ባወጣው መግለጫ አስታውቋል።

በኢትዮጵያ የሚገኘው ሲኖዶስ ያወጣው መግለጫ ህዝብን እያነጋገረ ነው

ኢሳት ዜና:-የኢሳት አዲስ አበባ ዘጋቢ እንደገለጠው አዲስ አበባ የሚገኘው ሲኖዶስ ያወጣው መግለጫ የኦርቶዶክስ ሀይማኖት ተከታይ የሆኑትን ምእመናንን እያነጋገረ ነው።ጥር ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን ፳፻፭ ዓ/ም

ሲኖዶሱ ትናንት ባወጣው መግለጫ በውጭ ከሚገኘው ሲኖዶስ ጋር ሲደረግ የነበረው የእርቅ ድርድር ያለውጤት በመጠናቀቁ 6ኛ ፓትሪያሪክ ለማሾም መወሰኑን አስታውቋል።

መግለጫው 4ኛው ፓትሪያርክ ወደ ሀገራቸው ተመልሰው ክብራቸውና ደረጃቸው ተጠብቆ በጸሎት ተወስነው እንዲኖሩ ቢሞከረም እንዲሁም ውግዘት ባስከተለው ሹመት የተሾሙ ኤጲስ ቆጶሳት ሲኖዶሱን ተቀላቅለው በተመደቡበት ቦታ ሆነው እንዲሰሩ ጥረት ቢደረግም አልተሳካም ብሎአል።

4ኛው ፓትሪያርክ በሙሉ የፓትሪያርክ ስልጣን ቤተክርስቲያን መምራት ያለባቸው እሳቸው ናቸው በማለት በውጭ የሚገኘው ሲኖዶስ አቋም በመያዙ ሽምግልናው ሊሳካ እንዳልቻለ ገልጾ፣ 4ኛውን ፓትሪያርክ ወደ ሀላፊነት መመለስ 20 አመት ሙሉ የተሰራውን ስራ መዘንጋት በመሆኑ አቓም ሊቀበል አለመቻሉን ገልጿል። መግለጫው በመጨረሻም ከእንግዲህ ቤተክርስቲያኒቱን ያለመሪ ማቆየት ለተጨማሪ ክፍተት የሚዳርግ በመሆኑም የ6ኛው ፓትሪያርክ ምርጫ ሂደት በአስመራጭ ኮሚቴው በኩል እንዲቀጥል ውስኗል። የአዲስ አበባው ሲኖዶስ መግለጫውን ካወጣው በሁዋላ ምእመናንና ሀይማኖት ሀባቶች የተለያዩ አስተያየቶችን እያቀረቡ ነው።

ወልደ አረጋይ የተባሉ ጸሀፊ ” አንድ ክርስቶስ! አንድ ሲኖዶስ! አንድ መንጋ! በሚል ርእስ በደጀ ሰላም ላይ ባሰፈሩት ጽሁፍ  ”አባቶቻችን ፈረዱብን! እንዲያ ከአጽናፍ እስከ አጽናፍ ያስተጋባውን የመንጋው የተማኅጽኖ ጥሪ አልገደዳቸውም ነበር እና “ቅድሚያ ለምርጫ” ማለትን ወደዱ፡፡ እጅግ መራራ ነው፡፡ ይህን መስማትም ሆነ ማሰብ እጅግ ይመራል፡፡ በመለያየት ውስጥም መኖር ከሁሉም በላይ አብዝቶ ይመራል፡፡አባቶቻችን ግን በእኛ በክርስቶስ የአደራ ልጆቻቸው በምንሆን ላይ እጅግ አብዝቶ በሚመረው “የመለያየት ክርስትና” ውስጥ እንድንኖር ዛሬ በድጋሚ ፈረዱብን፡፡ አባቶቻችን አንድ እንዳንሆን በድጋሚ ፈረዱብን!” ብሎአል።

ተቀማጭነታቸው አዲስ አበባ የሆኑትና በ1983 ዓም በጎንደር አደባባይ እየሱስ የመንግስት የጸጥታ ሀይሎች በወሰዱት እርምጃ በርካታ ሰዎች ማለቃቸውን ተከትሎ ህዝቡን ለአመጽ አነሳስተዋል ተብለው ለ 12 ዓመታት በእስር የቆዩት አባ አመሀ እየሱስ ከኢሳት ጋር ባደረጉት ሰፊ ቃለምልልስ ፣ በአዲስ አበባ ያለው እርቅ ያልተሳካው የሀይማኖት አባቶቹ የመንግስት ቅጥረኞች በመሆናቸው ነው፣ ብለዋል።

ሲኖዶሱ እርቁን ካፈረሰባቸው ምክንያቶች አንዱ ” ባለፉት 20 አመታት በአቡነ ጳውሎስ ዘመን የተሰራው ን ታሪክ ላለመዘንጋት ነው” የሚል መሆኑን ገልጿል፣ እርስዎ ይህን ምክንያት እንዴት ያዩታል ለተባሉት አባ አምሀ እየሱስ “ታሪክ የሚበላሸው በዚህ ሲቀጥሉ ነው የሚል መልስ ሰጥተዋል።

በአዲስ አበባ ግቢ ገብርኤል በሚካሄዱ ጉባኤዎች ላይ መምህር የሆነው ዳንኤል ሞገስ በበኩሉ ሲኖዶሱ ያወጣው መግለጫ አሳዛኝ መሆኑንና እረቁ መቅደም እንደነበረት ገልጿል።ዳንኤል ሞገስ ከጸሎት በተጨማሪ በአባቶች ላይ ጫና በመፍጠር የእርቁ ጉዳይ ተመልሶ እንዲጀመር መደረግ አለበት በማለት አስተያየቱን ገልጿል።

ወለደ አረጋይ የተባሉ ጸሀፊም በበኩላቸው ” በዚህ የሰላም ኮሚቴ አማካኝነት እዚህ በስደት ያለው ምዕመን የአንድነትና የሰላም መንፈስ ወ  ደ አገር ቤት የሚደርስበትንና እዛም ያለው ምዕመን ለቤተ ክርስቲያን ሰላምና ለአንድነቱ ተግቶ የሚታገልበትን ሁኔታ ማመቻቸት ይገባል፡፡” በማለት መወሰድ ስላለበት እርምጃ ገልጿል።

ESAT Daliy News-Amsterdam Jan. 17 2013 Ethiopia

The Zenawi legacy: Let's make it a thing of the past

The foiled plot to assassinate activist/journalist Abebe Gelaw is an issue all freedom-loving people abhor and condemn. The plot, foiled by FBI, was an act of terrorism designed to take place in the United States – in the land of the brave and free and bastion of democracy where the rule of law reigns supreme. There is no doubt that the TPLF thugs will pay for their lawlessness.