Saturday 13 December 2014
Friday 12 December 2014
Friday 28 November 2014
እስረኞችን ለመጠየቅ ቃሊቲ የሄዱ ሰዎች በቁጥጥር ሥር ከዋሉ በኋላ ተለቀቁ
በአንድነት ፓርቲ በቃሊቲ እና ቂሊንጦ የሚገኙ የህሊና እስረኞችን ለመየጠቅ ወደስፍራው ያመሩ ወደ 30 የሚገመቱ ሰዎች ቀትር ላይ በቃሊቲ በቁጥጥር ስር ከዋሉ በኋላ መለቀቃቸው ታወቀ፡፡
የአንድነት ለዴሞክራሲ እና ለፍትህ ፓርቲ የህዝብ ግንኙነት ኃላፊ የሆኑት አቶ አስራት አብርሃ ከ30 ደቂቃዎች በፊት በስልክ እንደነገሩኝ ከሆነ ‹‹እነእስክንድርንና አንዷለምን መጠየቅ አትችሉም፡፡ ተባልን ከዚያም ‹‹ለምን?›› ብለን ስንጠይቅ በዋናው በር በኩል ኃላፊውን አነጋግሩ የሚል መልስ ተሠጠን፡፡ እኛም ይህንን አምነን ሄድን፡፡ ስንደርስ በቁጥጥር ሥር ውላችኋል ብለውን ወደ 30 የምንገመት ሰዎችን መታወቂያችንን ከመዘገቡ በኋላ በአንድ ክፍል ውስጥ ለጊዜው እንገኛለን›› ብለውኝ ነበር፡፡ አሁን ባገኘሁት መረጃ መሰረት ደግሞ በኮንቴይነር ውስጥ ታግተው የነበሩት እስረኛ ጠያቂዎች ከበድ ያለ ፍተሻ ተደርጎላቸው ከቃሊቲ ግቢ እንዲወጡ ተደርጓል፡፡
የአንድነት ለዴሞክራሲ እና ለፍትህ ፓርቲ የህዝብ ግንኙነት ኃላፊ የሆኑት አቶ አስራት አብርሃ ከ30 ደቂቃዎች በፊት በስልክ እንደነገሩኝ ከሆነ ‹‹እነእስክንድርንና አንዷለምን መጠየቅ አትችሉም፡፡ ተባልን ከዚያም ‹‹ለምን?›› ብለን ስንጠይቅ በዋናው በር በኩል ኃላፊውን አነጋግሩ የሚል መልስ ተሠጠን፡፡ እኛም ይህንን አምነን ሄድን፡፡ ስንደርስ በቁጥጥር ሥር ውላችኋል ብለውን ወደ 30 የምንገመት ሰዎችን መታወቂያችንን ከመዘገቡ በኋላ በአንድ ክፍል ውስጥ ለጊዜው እንገኛለን›› ብለውኝ ነበር፡፡ አሁን ባገኘሁት መረጃ መሰረት ደግሞ በኮንቴይነር ውስጥ ታግተው የነበሩት እስረኛ ጠያቂዎች ከበድ ያለ ፍተሻ ተደርጎላቸው ከቃሊቲ ግቢ እንዲወጡ ተደርጓል፡፡
“ምስጢር ካወጣህ ቤተሰቦችህን እንፈጃቸዋለን” “ብዙ አይነት የድብደባና የስቃይ መአት ደርሶብኛል”
“የደረሰብኝን ስቃይ ለማንም ብናገር ቤተሰቦቼን በሙሉ እንደሚፈጁ አስጠንቅቀውኛል”
ወጣት ተስፋዬ ተካልኝ በዝዋይ እስር ቤት ለወራት ስቃይ የተፈፀመበት
ወጣት ተስፋዬ ተካልኝ በዝዋይ እስር ቤት ለወራት ስቃይ የተፈፀመበት
ወጣት ተስፋዬ ተካልኝ መኮንን ይባላል፤ አርሲ አርባ ጉጉ ተወልዶ አዳማ/ናዝሬት አድጎ፣ በ1998 ዓ.ም ከአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ በሶሲዮሎጂ ተመርቋል፡፡ በ2000 ዓ.ም በባህልና ቱሪዝም ሚ/ር በሲኒየር ካልቸራል ኤክስፐርትነት የስራ መደብ እስከ ሚያዝያ 2003 ሰርቷል፡፡ ሚያዝያ 12 ቀን 2003 ዓ.ም በግልፅ ባልተረዳው ምክንያት የመንግስት ደህንነት ሀይሎች ተያዞ ለ23 ወር በዝዋይ እስር ቤት ከፍተኛ ስቃይ እየተፈፀመበት መቆየቱን ይናገራል፡፡ መጋቢት 26 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም ከእስራት ሲለቀቅም አንድ ጊዜም እንኳን ፍርድ ቤት እንዳልቀረበ ለፍኖተ ነፃነት አስረድቷል፡፡ ከወጣት ተስፋዬ ተካልኝ መኮንን ጋር ያደረግነውን ቆይታ ተከታተሉን፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- ማን ነበር ያሰረህ?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- ሚያዝያ 12 ቀን 2003 ዓ.ም በማለዳ ቤቴ ተንኳኳ፤ ተነስቼ ከፈትኩኝ፡፡ የማላውቃቸው ሰዎች ናቸው፡፡ “ና ውጣ፤ ልብስህን ለብሰህ ውጣ” አሉኝ፡፡ እኔ እናቴ ሞታ ሊያረዱኝ የመጡ መስሎኝ “ምነው ቤተሰብ ደህና አደለም? የተፈጠረ ችግር አለ?” አልኳቸው “ዝም ብለህ ናውጣ” አሉኝ፡፡ ልብሴን ለበስኩኝና ወጣሁ፤ አንቀው መኪና ውስጥ ከተው ወደ ማዕከላዊ ወሰዱኝና 3 ወር አሰሩኝ ከዛም አንድ አመት ከ8 ወር ዝዋይ ማረሚያ ቤት፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- መታሰርህን ለቤተሰብ ተናግረሀል?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- ለማንም ሰው እንድናገር አልፈቀዱልኝም፤ መስሪያ ቤቴ አልጠየቀኝም፣ ደሃዋ እናቴ ያለችው ናዝሬት ነው እሷም የምታውቀው ነገር አልነበረም፡፡ አባቴ አቶ ተካልኝ አስተማሪ ነበር አርባ ጉጉ ላይ ነው በ1985 ዓ.ም በነበረው ግጭት ነው የተገደለው፡፡ ማንም ሳይጠይቀኝ፣ፍ/ቤት ሳልቀርብ 23 ወር ታሰርኩ ልብስ ምግብም የሚያመጣልኝ ሰው አልነበረም፡፡ እናቴም መታሰሬን እንኳ አታውቅም መስሪያ ቤቴም ስኮላርሽፕ አግኝቷል፤ ወደ ውጪ ሃገር ሊማር ሊሄድ ነው የሚባል ነገር ስለነበረ አልጠየቁኝም፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- የት ነበር ስኮላርሺፕ ያገኘኸው?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- የዛሬ 2 ዓመት አካባቢ የራስመስ ሙንደስን ስኮላርሽፕ አግኝቼ ነበር፡፡ ከዩኒቨርስቲ ኦፍ ካሊፎርኒያና ከዩኒቨርስቲ ኦፍ ቶክዮ ባሉ ምሁራን ሪኮመንድ ተደርጌ በጣሊያኑ ፌራሪ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ለመማር ተዘጋጅቼ ነበር፡፡ እንደተፈታሁ ሄጄ ስጠይቃቸው ብዙዎቹ ጓደኞቼ በጣም ደነገጡ፡፡ በማላውቀው ነገር 23 ወር ሙሉ ቅማል ተወርሬ … ባካችሁ ተውኝ … ምንም የሌለ ነገር የለም በጣም ተጎድቻለሁ፡፡ ከማረሚያ ቤት እንደወጣሁ እናቴ ጋ ስሄድ በጣም ደነገጠች፣ በሕይወት ያለሁ አልመሰላትም 23 ወር ሙሉ ከቤተሰብ ስለተለየሁ ግራተጋባች፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- በእስር ወቅት የደረሰብህ ድብደባና ማሰቃየት ነበር?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- ከፍተኛ ጉዳት ደርሶብኛል፡፡ በኤሌክትሪክ ጀርባዬ ላይ አቃጥለውኛል፣ በብልቴ ላይና በኩላሊቴ ላይ ከፍተኛ ጉዳት ስላደረሱብኝ ሽንት ችዬ አልሸናም፣ ሽንቴን መቆጣጠርም አልችልም፡፡ ኩላሊቴንም በጣም ያመኛል፡፡ ውሃ ውስጥ እየነከሩ በጣም ደብድበውኛል፡፡ አሁን ስናገር ያመኛል ብዙ አይነት የድብደባና የስቃይ መአት ደርሶብኛል፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- እንደው ስታስበው ለእስር ያበቃህ ወይም ከመንግስት ጋር ያጋጨህ አጋጣሚ ነበር?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- መስሪያ ቤቴ ውስጥ የኢህአዴግ አባላት ነበሩ፤ በጣም ይከታተሉኛል፡፡ በቢ.ፒ.አር ላይ ስብሰባ በተደጋጋሚ ይጠራ ነበር፡፡ እኔም ሠራተኛ ላይ ተፅእኖ የሚያደርሱ ነገሮች ሲመጡ እኔ አልቀበልም በግልፅ እናገር ነበር፤ ሠራተኛውም እኔን ይደግፋል፡፡ ከመታሰሬ ጥቂት ጊዜ በፊት ገነት ሆቴል ስብሰባ ነበረን፡፡ በዛ ስብሰባ ላይ በጣም ተከራከርኩ፤ ከሲቪል ሰርቪስ ሚኒስቴር አቶ ፀጋዬ ማሞ የሚባሉ አሰልጣኝ፣ ከውጭ ጉዳይ አምባሳደር ዲና ሙፍቲና ከንግድና ኢንዱስትሪም የመጡ ነበሩ ስማቸውን የማላስታውሳቸው ባለስልጣን ነበሩ፤ እዛ ላይ ሀሳብ አንስቼ ተከራክሬ ነበር፡፡ “የሠራተኛን ሀሳብ ዳይቨርት ያደርጋል” ይሉኝ ነበር፡፡ መቼም ግን ሀሳቤን በመናገሬ ይህን የመሰለ ስቃይ ይደርስብኛል ብዬ አስቤ አላውቅም ነበር፡፡ “አሸባሪ፣ ግንቦት ሰባት” እያሉ እኔ በማላውቀው ነገር 23 ወር ሙሉ ፍርድ ቤት ሳልቀርብ ያለምንም ፍርድ በርሜል ውስጥ ውሃ ጨምረው እያስተኙ አሰቃዩኝ፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- እንደዚህ ያሰቃዩህ ምን አይነት ምንም አይነት መረጃ ሳያገኙ ነው?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- እኔን ጥፋተኛ የሚያስደርግ ምንም መረጃ አላገኙም፣ እኔን አስረው ወደ መስሪያ ቤት በተደጋጋሚ ይደውሉ እንደነበር ይነግሩኝ ነበር፡፡ የኢሜይል አድሬሴንም ተቀብለው በርብረዋል ግን ምንም አላገኙም፡፡ እኔ ከማንም ጋር ሊንክ የለኝም ኢሜሌ ላይ የስኮላርሺፕ መልዕክት ካልሆነ በስተቀር ምንም የለውም፡፡ በመስሪያ ቤቴ ሪሰርቸር ነበርኩ፣ በሶሲዮሎጂ ነው የተመረኩት፡፡ ሉሲ የተገኘችበት ሣይት ላይ አፋር፣ ጋምቤላ ብዙ ሳይቶች ሰርቻለሁ፡፡ ከአለቆቼ ጋር ያለኝ ግንኙነት ሰላማዊ ነው እነሱ ናቸው ስኮላርሽፕ ሪኮመንድ ያደረጉኝ፡፡ አንደኛው ፕሮፌሰር 25 ዓመት ሙሉ እዚህ አገር ሰርቷል፣ አርዲን ያገኘው እሱ ነው፡፡ ሄነሪ ጊልበርት ይባላል፤ እሱም ሪኮመንድ አድርጎኛል፡፡ እኔ በጣም የሚቆጨኝ ደሃዋ እናቴ አረቄና ጠላ ሸጣ ነው ያስተማረችኝ ምን ብዬ ልንገራት እንደዚህ አትጠብቀኝም ከበደኝ፣ አሁን እሷ የምትሰጠኝ ምግብ ራሱ ደምደም አለኝ… (ረጅም ለቅሶ)፡፡ ልጄ በደህናው አይደለም የጠፋው ሞቷል ወይም መኪና ገጭቶታል ብላ ነበር የምታስበው፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- የከመታሰርህ በፊት ፖለቲካ ተሳትፎ ነበረህ?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- 1997 ዓ.ም የቅንጅት ደጋፊ ነበርኩ፡፡ የአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪ ነበርኩ በ97 የነበረው ሁኔታ ስንት ሰው አለቀ በጣም ተስፋ አስቆራጭ ነበር ታውቃላችሁ ምንም የምናደርገው ነገር አልነበረም ፡፡ በምርጫ አሸንፎ ሥልጣን መያዝ እንደማይቻል ተረዳሁኝ፡፡ ከ1997 ዓ.ም በኋላ የማንም የፖለቲካ ፓርቲ አባል አልሆንኩም፡፡ ከዚህ በኋላ ከምንም ነገር የተገለልኩ ሆኛለሁ፡፡ አንድ ብርጭቆ ሳትሰብር አሸባሪ ስትባል አስብ እንግዲህ አንድ ብርጭቆ እንኳን ሰብሬ አላውቅም ባለኝ እውቀት እንደውም ለእውቀት ነው የምጓጓው እውቀቴን አሳድጌ አገሬን ለመለወጥ ነው የማስበው እኔን ምንም የሚመለከተኝ ነገር የለም አሸባሪም ግንቦት ሰባትም አይደለሁም፡፡ስትደበደብ፣ ስትሰቃይ ያላደረከውን አድርጌያለሁ ትላለህ፤ በርሜል ውሃ ሞልተው ይከቱሃል ያሰቃዩሃል፡፡ አያሳዝንም ይሄ? እንዴት አድርጎ እዚህ አገር ይኖራል? 23 ወር ሙሉ አስረው ማሰቃየታቸው ሳያንስ የደረሰብኝን ስቃይ ለማንም ብናገር ቤተሰቦቼን በሙሉ እንደሚፈጁ አስጠንቅቀውኛል፡፡ እኔ ግን ከዚህ በላይ ሞት የለም ብዬ ነው የነገርኳችሁ፡፡
ፍኖተ ነፃነት፡- አሁን የት ነው የምትኖረው?
ወጣት ተስፋዬ:- መኖሪያ የለኝም … (ረጅም ለቅሶ)
ወጣት ተስፋዬ ተካልኝን ለመርዳት የምትፈልጉ አንባብያን ከፍኖተ ነፃነት መረጃ ማግኘት ትችላላችሁ፡፡ (ምንጭ ፍኖተ ነጻነት)
የዲሞክራሲያዊ ለውጥ በኢትዮጵያ ድጋፍ ድርጅት በኖርዌ የወጣቶች ክፍል አዘጋጅነት ታላቅ ሰላማዊሰልፍ በኖርዌይ ኦስሎ ተካሄደ!!!
የዲሞክራሲያዊ ለውጥ በኢትዮጵያ ድጋፍ ድርጅት በኖርዌ የወጣቶች ክፍል አዘጋጅነት በዛሬው እለት ሀሙስ (November 27,2014) በኖርዌ ኦስሎ በእንግሊዝ ኢንባሲ ፊት በኖርዌይ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያን ከሩቅም ከቅርብም በአንድነት በመሰባሰብ ከቀኑ 13፡30 እስከ 15፡00 ስዓት ታላቅ የተቃውሞ ሰላማዊ ሰልፍ አካሄዱ።
የሰልፉ ዋና አላማ የግንቦት 7 የፍትህ የነፃነትና የዲሞክራሲ ንቅናቄ ዋና ፀሃፊና የሰባዊ መብት ተቆርቋሪ የሆኑት አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ በአንምባ ገነኑ የወያኔ ቡድን በህገ ወጥ መንገድ ታፍነውና ፍትህ ተነፍገው በእስር ቤት መታሰራቸውን ለመቃወም ሲሆን በሰልፉ ስፍራ የተገኙ ሰዎች ሁሉ አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ለዲሞክራሲ እና ሰብአዊ መብት መከበር ከወጣትነት ጀምሮ የታገለ ታላቅ የሰላም ምሳሌ፣ የፍትህ ተምሳሌት፣ የነጻነት በር ከፋች እንዲሁም አገራዊ ስሜት የተላበሰ አርበኛ እንጂ እስር፣ ድብደባና መሰቃየት የሚገባው ሰው አልነበረም በማለት ለእንግሊዝ መንግስት በኢንባሲው አማካኝነት ዜጋዋን ከአረመኔና ጨካኝ መዳፍ እንድትታደግና ፍትህ እንዲያገኝ በከፍተኛ ድምጽ አሳስበዋል።
ወጣቶች እጃቸውን በሰንሰለት በማሰር እኛም እንደ አርበኛው አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌና በእስር ቤት የሚሰቃዩ ኢትዮጵያውን የቁም እስረኞች ነን የሚል ጥልቅ መልእክት አስተላልፈዋል። ብዙ መስራትና መጻፍ የሚችሉ እጆች፣ መናገር የሚችል አንደበት፣ የእውቀት ባለቤት የሆነ አእምሮ ታስረዋልና እኛም ወጣቶች እስረኞች ነን በሚል ውስጣዊ ስሜት ለስዓታት የኖርዌ ብርድና ቁር ሳይበግራቸው እጃቸውን በሰንሰለት በማሰር ድምጻቸውን ከፍ አድርገው አሰምተዋል።
እንዲሁም ሰልፈኞቹ የተለያዩ መፈክሮችን በመያዝ በታላቅ ድምጽና ስሜት ለኢንባሲው አሰምተዋል። ከአሰሟቸው መፈክሮች መካከል ለአብነት “ UK, were is your citizen, Free Andrgachew Tsige, Andargachew is our icon of democracy, where is your action , stop discrimination among citizens, Yes, we are all Andrgachew Tsige, Brtain dont support terrirost regim in Ethiopia” የሚሉት ይገኙበታል::
ሰልፎኞችም የኢንግሊዝ መንግሥት የነጻነት ታጋዩን አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌን ከወያኔ እጅ እስካላወጡ ድረስ ተቃውሞው በቀጣይ እስከ መጨረሻው ድረስ ከዚህ በበለጠ ቁጣና እልህ በተሞላበት ድምጻቸውን እንደሚያሰሙ ተናግረዋል። በተመሳሳይም ለአንዳርጋቸው ያላችውን ፍቅርና ክብር በአደባባይ አስመሰክረዋል።
በመጨረሻም በድርጅቱ የተዘጋጀውን ደብዳቤ በድርጅቱ ሊቀመንበር በአቶ ዮሃንስ ዓለሙ አማካኝነት ለእንግሊዝ ኢምባሲ ተወካይ ጉዳዩ ትኩረት የሚሻና ጊዜ የማይሰጠው መሆኑን ለማሳሰብ ቢፈለጉም ተወካይ ሊመጣ ባለመቻሉ ደብዳቤው በበር ጠባቂው አማካኝነት እንዲደርሳቸው ተደርጓል። በተጨማሪም ደብዳቤውን በኢሜይል በድጋሚ እንደሚላክ ለሰልፈኞች አሳውቀዋል። ወደፊት በሚደረገው ተቃዉሞ ላይ ተወካይ መጥቶ እስካልተቀበለንና አቶ አንዳርጋቸው የደረሱበትን እስካላወቅን ድረስ ከኢንባሲው በር የማንቀሳቀስ መሆኑን ሁሉም በከፍተኛ ድምጽ አሰምተው ዝግጅቱ በተሳካ ሁኔታ ከቀኑ 15፡00 ተጠናቋል።
ዛሬም ነገም ሁላችንም አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ ነን!!!
ድል ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ!!!
የዲሞክራሲያዊ ለውጥ በኢትዮጵያ ድጋፍ ድርጅት በኖርዌ
Sunday 2 November 2014
የኢትዮጵያ መምህራን ማህበር “የተከበርከው የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ እራስህን ከወያኔ አሽከርነት(መጠቀሚያነት) ልታርቅ ይገባል” አለ
በህዝብ ላይ የሚደርሰው ጭቆናና እርዛት እስከመቼ?
ከኢትዮጵያ መምህራን ድምፅ ይሰማ የተሠጠ መግለጫየገዢው ፓርቲ ባለስልጣናት ዘወትር ስልጣናቸውን ለማራዘም ካላቸው ነቢራዊ ፍላጎት የተነሳ በህዝብ ላይ ግድያ እና እስር ከመፈፀም አልፈው ሐገራችን ኢትዮጵያን ከማትወጣበት ማጥ ውስጥ ለመክተት ደፋ ቀና እያሉ ነው፡፡ በቅርቡ እንኳን በአሶሳ ከተማ ንፁሀን የትግራይ ወጣቶች ማንነታቸው እስካሁን ባልታወቁ ታጣቂዎች ተገድለዋል ይኸውም መንግስትእየተከተለው ብልሹ የዘውግ አስተዳደር ዋጋ እያስከፈለ መሆኑ እየታየ ነው በሌላ በኩል ይህ ግድያ መንግስት እራሱ የትግራይ ህዝብን ከጎኑ ለማሠለፍ በማሠብ እንደገደላቸው ግምታቸውን አስቀምጠዋል እንደምክንያት የጠቀሱት ምርጫ 97ን ተከትሎ በተነሳው ተቃውሞ መንግስት ተቃውሞውን ለማባባስ ፈረንሳይ ለጋሲዮን ከቀድሞዋ የትምህርት ሚኒስቴር ወ/ሮ ገነት ዘውዴ ግቢ ወደውጭ ቦንብ በመወርወር 6 ፖሊሶችን በመግደል ፖሊሶችን ለማነሳሳት እና ህዝቡን ለማሳሳት ቢሞክርም በመጨረሻ ጉዳዩን የአሜሪካ ኤምባሲ ይፋ ሲያወጣው የመንግስት ሴራ እንደነበር ለማወቅ ተችሏል፡፡ የአሶሳው፣ የአምቦው፣ የጎንደሩ እና የወለጋው ግድያም ከዚህ የተለየ አይሆንም፡፡
የኢትዮጵያ መምህራን ድምፅ ይሰማ ጊዜያዊ ኮሚቴም ለመንግስት እና ለህዝቡ የሚከተለውን መልዕክት ማስተላለፍ ይወዳል፡፡
የመምህራኑ መልዕክት ለመንግስት
ማንኛውም መንግስት ህዝቡን ማዳመጥ ይኖርበታል መንግሥት ሕዝብን የሚያዳምጠው በሕገ መንግሥቱ ስለሚገደድ ብቻ መሆን የለበትም፡፡ የሕዝብ ወገን ነኝ የሚል ሥልጣን የያዘ ፓርቲና መንግሥት፣ ሕዝብን ምረጠኝ የሚል ፓርቲና መንግሥት፣ የሕዝብ ከበሬታና አመኔታ ሊያገኝና ዓላማውን በተግባር ላይ ሊያውል የሚችለው ሕዝብን ሲያዳምጥ ብቻ ነው፡፡ ሥልጣን ላይ የሚቆየው ሕዝብን ሲያዳምጥ ብቻ ነው፡፡ ሕዝብን ማዳመጥ ለራስ ተብሎም መደረግ ያለበት ነው፡፡ የማያዳምጥ መንግሥት የማይደመጥ መንግሥት ይሆናልና፡፡
የመምህራኑ መልዕክት ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ
የተከበርከው የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ለሐይማኖትህ፣ ለሐገርህ እና ለቀጣይ ትውልድ አስበህ እራስህን ከወያኔ አሽከርነት(መጠቀሚያነት) ልታርቅ ይገባል፡፡ መንግስት ህዝቡ ፊቱን ካዞረበት እና ካልተገዛለት ማንንም ሊገዛ እንደማይችል የቅርባችን የጋዳፊ አገዛዝ ምስክር ነው፡፡ ስለሆነም ሁላችንም ኢትዮጵያውያን ከኢህአዴግ ጋር ምንም አይነት ግንኙነት መመስረት የለብንም ከዚያም አልፎ ከወያኔ ጋር ተለጥፈው ህዝባቸውን የሚያስወጉ ጎረቤቶቻችንን ጭምር ከማንኛውም ማህበራዊ ህይወት በማግለል ትምህርት ልንሠጣቸው ይገባል፡፡
ኢትዮጵያ ለዘላለም ትኑር!!!!!!!!!!!!!
የኢትዮጵያ መምህራን ድምፅ ይሰማ ጊዜያዊ ኮሚቴ
አዲስ አበባ ኢትዮጵያ
http://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/35873
Eight pilots of the Ethiopian Air Force defected
Asmara ( DIPLOMAT.SO) – According to news websites of Eritrea, a total of eight Ethiopian Air Force pilots have defected this month, according to a senior Eritrean official.
Eritrean official who declined to be named didn't specify if the pilots defected to Eritrea, or if they managed to flee the country with their aircraft though it is highly likely they did in both cases.
The defections come as reports indicate the Ethiopian Air Force is in shambles, and that the TPLF oligarchs are “disgusted” by their poor performances.
Ethiopia is no stranger to high-profile air force defections. Last year, four Ethiopian helicopter pilots and a MiG-23 pilot defected to Eritrea.
The names of the helicopter pilots are Cap. Aklilu Mezene, Cap. Tilahun Tufa, Cap. Getu Worku and Cap. Biniam Gizaw, while the name of the MiG-23 pilot is Daniel Yeshewas.
Diplomat News Network does not confirm the credibility of the Eritrean official statement because of lack of photos and videos which explain this matter, and also did not find independent sources verifying this issue .
http://ecadforum.com/News/eight-pilots-of-the-ethiopian-air-force-defected/
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Obang Metho condemns ‘Life Grabs’ and the Second Scramble for Africa
Speaking at MRG’s London office as part of a nationwide tour, Executive Director of theSolidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia,Obang Metho, sheds light on the systematic violation of indigenous land rights by Ethiopia’s autocratic regime, resulting in the alleged torture and imprisonment of those who resist. And although this is happening in a land far, far away, says Obang, these atrocities are funded by UK aid.
‘We live in a country where the minorities are not only denied their rights, but where their rights do not exist,’ deplored Mr Metho, painting a picture of Ethiopia as a land without rule of law, accountability, or even respect for the basic liberal principle that all people are equal. As a member of a minority tribe called Anuak, which comprises less than 0.1% of Ethiopia’s population, based primarily in the south-west region of Gambella, Obang claims to have had first-hand experience of being treated as a second-class citizen.
The problem in Gambella, however, is not one of poverty. ‘People usually know Ethiopia for the starvation, dead cows, skinny children, people not having enough food to eat,’ explains Obang, ‘but Gambella is one of the most fertile areas in Ethiopia.’
According to Mr Metho, the indigenous inhabitants of Gambella live off their land and the rivers; they breed their own cattle and grow their own crops. But the activist explains that while Gambella’s indigenous communities are self-sufficient, they receive no support from the government in terms of education, healthcare and the provision of clean water. On the contrary, he says, they are deprived of their only means of survival by a state policy of land grabbing.
Obang describes the process of land grabbing as a brutal one. He claims that the government uses armed force to turn entire communities out of their homes, transporting them miles away from the land their families have owned for centuries before leasing the land to foreign firms, which turn it intocommercial farms or sugar plantations in order to attract investment. Obang claims that millions of acres of Ethiopian land have been seized in this way since the global food shortage in 2008.
‘In China, their population is skyrocketing,’ explains Obang, ‘their population needs food. But where do they find it? From somewhere where people have no voice, like Ethiopia.’
Obang explains that those who refuse to vacate their land and burn down their huts are generally arrested by Ethiopian authorities, tortured or forced into exile – allegations which have been echoed in NGO reports. Mr Metho claims that those who comply with the demands generally do so because they are promised the alternative of ‘villagization.’ While this term summons images of comfort, community and urban development, the reality isreportedly quite different:
‘The government’s action plan was to give these people access to services… But since the people have been displaced, which is up to three years ago for some of them, there’s nothing. There’s no school built, there’s no health centre… the local people had to build the school with wood, and the kids sit on the rocks. So some of these villages are abandoned, no one’s living there anymore.’
‘These are people who are used to feeding themselves, but now the government gives them food aid with ‘USA’ written all over it, while they sit there and do nothing all day. Making the people inactive… there are no words to describe that kind of injustice,’ he adds. ‘They’re taking them somewhere where the food will be given to them! The irony is just ridiculous. And no one is saying anything about it.’
According to Obang, Western aid perpetuates Ethiopia’s land grabbing policy; he claims that the donations, which constitute 40% of the country’s GDP, ultimately pay the wages of the Ethiopian soldiers commanded to seize indigenous property, while UK and US-supplied food packages are channelled to communities which have been ‘villagized’ against their will.
‘[Donor countries] don’t want to hear the words “accountability, transparency, corruption, good governing, human rights” because they carry responsibility,’ says Obang. ‘So they have turned a blind eye. Ethiopia is getting almost 3.1 billion dollars from the West. But rule of law..? The simple rights that the donor countries are founded on are being violated right in front of them, and they’re not doing anything about it.’
British press coverage of one particular lawsuit against the UK Department of International Development by an Ethiopian victim of land grabs reflects this neglect. The plaintiff, “Mr O,” claims that UK aid, intended to supply starving Ethiopians with food and clean water, was misused by the State to pay the military who forcibly seized his land and tortured him. One particular leading British newspaper saw no reason for the UK to exercise due diligence on its aid exports, opting instead fora particularly inflammatory headline.
Obang believes that the Western media’s silence on the plight of Africa’s indigenous populations is tactical: ‘The donor countries of the West are turning a blind eye because Ethiopia claims to protect its national interests through the war on terror, fighting al-Shabab,’ says Obang, who agrees that while national interests are important, greater attention needs to be paid to the needs of individual citizens. ‘We need to have a society where we see the humanity before anything else, before religion, language, dialect,’ insists Obang.
‘For me it’s not a land grab. It’s life grabs. It’s grabbing the life and the future of these people,’ explains the activist. ‘These are not people who have grown up on food that’s been bought by income from the office. These are people who survive on the land… They are agriculturalists. So for them the land is who they are. So the land is their identity. They are the land, the land is them. And so when the government is coming to give this land to the foreigners without consultation, without compensation, it’s really scary.’
However, Obang reminds us that this is not the first time that foreigners have exploited poor governance in Africa in order to reap the continent’s resources. ‘This is what I call “the second scramble for Africa,”’ says Obang. But this time, he claims, Africans are taking a leading role.
‘An Ethiopian making the decision to lease 360,000 acres of land for 99 years for 99 cents without consulting the people is almost equivalent to the Berlin Conference in 1884. The Europeans made the decision to divide up Africa. Africans were not at the table. The decision was made, and even today, Africans are paying the price for that because they were not consulted,’ explains Obang. ‘And the same thing [is happening] now, these African dictators, autocratic leaders which are not elected by the people are doing exactly the same thing in terms of land grabs, in terms of natural resources .’
For Obang, the solution is unlikely to be a peaceful one. ‘Ethiopia is a ticking bomb’, he warns, ‘if it is not handled properly, it could be worse than Rwanda, because you have a tiny minority controlling everything: the Tigrayan people… The ethnic volcano will erupt in Ethiopia and when it does, everyone will say, “Oh, we didn’t know about this”.’
For Obang, therefore, the answer is to raise global awareness to the neglect of indigenous rights in Ethiopia and the unethical nature of trade relations between African countries and wealthier countries. His organisation, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, aims to sensitise indigenous communities in Ethiopia to their rights – a difficult task given that many NGOs and political opponents are either imprisoned in Ethiopia or banned.
‘We try to mobilise more people in the Diaspora and get the message back to the people,’ he says. ‘We have to be more tactical… we have what we call a “tree-mail.” If we want to send an idea, we write an article, send it to a person, and then that person prints it out, goes out late at night and nails them on the trees. So there is a way,’ insists Obang, ‘you cannot deny human freedom completely.’
But Mr. Metho insists that his cause requires long-term, international pressure to be placed on African despots. This, according to Obang, can only be achieved by encouraging world leaders to set aside trade concerns and Ethiopia’s elusive “national interests” and focus instead on the sufferings of individuals. Instead of seeking further Western aid, therefore, Obang merely asks that existing aid – which comprises 40% of Ethiopia’s GDP – be attached with the same transparency and accountability that is so valued in the Western world. ‘We are not asking the Western countries to free Africa,’ he explains, ‘but we’re asking them not to be the road-block for Africa.’
Isabelle Younane, MRG Communications Intern
Photos: (Top) Obang Metho, Executive Director of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia. Credit: Deutsche Welle/CC (Middle) Agriculturalists tend to their livestock in Gambella, Ethiopia. Credit: Julio Garcia/CC (Bottom) Protests in front of IMF/World Bank headquarters. Credit: Joe Athialy/CC
ለመላው የዲሞክራሲያዊ ለውጥ በኢትዮጵያየድጋፍ ድርጅት በኖርዌይ አባላት እንዲሁም ለመላው ኢትዮጵያውያን በኖርዌይ በሙሉ!!
ኢንቨስትመንት በኢትዮጵያ /“INVEST IN ETHIOPIA”/ በሚል ርእስ በኦክቶበር 16/2014 ኦስሎ ላይ ሴሚናር ይካሀዳል፥፥ ዝግጅቱቱን ያዘጋጀው Norwegian-African Business Association /NABA/ ሲሆን በዝግጅቱ ላይ የአምባገነኑ የወያኔው የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር አቶ ቴዎድሮስ አድሃኖም ገብረየስ፥ እንዲሁም የኖርዌይ አምባሳደር በኢትዮጵያ ሚ/ር አንድሪያስ ጋርደር እና አምባሳደር ወይንሸት ታደሰ የተለያዩ የኖርዌጂያን የንግድ ድርጅቶች ጋር ተገናኝተው ለመወያየትና ፓሮግራም ተይዟል፥፥
ዝግጅቱ የሚደረገው በሃሙስ ኦክቶበር 16/2014 ከ 09:00-11:30 ሲሆን ከ11፥30—12፥30 የምሳ ፕሮግራም ይኖራቸዋል፥ በመሆኑም ውድ ኢትዮጵያውያን በኖርዌይ በሙሉ እንድታውቁትና በንቃትእንድትከታተሉ እናሳስባለን፥፥
አድራሻው Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) ማለትም Næringslivets Hus
Middelthuns gate 27
Majorstuen, Oslo ሲሆን ተጨማሪ መረጃ በቅርብ ቀን
Middelthuns gate 27
Majorstuen, Oslo ሲሆን ተጨማሪ መረጃ በቅርብ ቀን
ለበለጠ መረጃ፥ http://norwegianafrican.no/news/16th-of-october-invest-in-ethiopia-seminar-in-oslo
ኢትዮጵያ በክብር ለዘላለም ትኑር!
ወያኔ ሲያስር አሜን….ሲገድልም አሜን – በኤፍሬም ማዴቦ
ወያኔ ሲያስር አሜን….ሲገድልም አሜን
በኤፍሬም ማዴቦ
ብዕር የያዘ ማንም ሰዉ በዘመናችን ደግሞ የኮምፒተር መክተቢያ ፊቱ ላይ የደቀነ ሁሉ ከሱ ዉጭ ያለዉን ማንንም ሰዉ “ሌባ”፤ “ባንዳ” ወይም “ከሃዲ” እያለ እንዳሰኘዉ መጻፍ ይችላል። በተለይ በእንደኛ አይነቱ ሀላፊነትም ተጠያቂነትም በሌለበት ህብረተሰብ ዉስጥ ደግሞ የጓደኛዉ ሀሳብ ያልተስማማዉ ሁሉ እየተነሳ የገዛ ጓደኛዉን ባንዳና ከሃዲ አድርጎ ስለሚስለዉ የላይ የላዩን ብቻ ለሚመለከት ሰዉ አገራችን በባንዳና በአገር ወዳድ መሳ ለመሳ ለሁለት የተከፈለች ትመስላለች። እግዝአብሄር ይመሰገን እዉነቱ ግን ከዚህ እጅግ በጣም የተለየ ነዉ። ርዕሴን የጀመርኩት አሜን ብዬ ነዉና እስኪ አንባቢዉ አንተም አሜን በል። ባንዳነትና ከሃዲነት ኃብታምና በእድገት ወደፊት የገፉ አገሮችን እየዘለለ ደሃና ኋላ ቀር አገሮችን ብቻ የሚጠናወት ተራ በሽታ አይደለም። ብዙዎቻችን አምባገነን መሪዎቻችንን ሸሽተን የተጠለልንባት አገር አሜሪካ እነ ሄንሪ ቤስትንና ጆን ብራዉንን የመሳሰሉ ከሃዲዎችን እንዳበቀለች ሁሉ ኢትዮጵያችንም ትናንት እነ ኃ/ሥላሤ ጉግሳን ዛሬ ደግሞ የኃ/ሥላሤ ጉግሳ የልጅ ልጆች የሆኑትን እነ መለስ ዜናዊን፤ አባይ ፀሐዬንና ሰብሃት ነጋን የመሳሰሉ የለየላቸዉ ከሀዲዎችን አፍርታለች። በነገራችን ላይ ሙስሊሙ በዱአዉ፤ ክርስቲያኑ በፀሎት፤ ጠቢብ በጥበቡ ፤ፀሐፊ በምናቡ የባንዳዉንና የከሃዲዉን ብዛት ለመቀነስ ካልተባበሩ በቀር “ወላድ በድባብ ትሂድ” ብለን ባንመርቃቸዉም የባንዳ አባትና አናት አስካሉ ድረስ ባንዳም መወለዱ አይቀርም።
ደጅአዝማች ኃ/ሥላሤ ጉግሳ ማንም ሳያስገድደዉ ወድዶና ፈቅዶ ለወራሪዉ የጣሊያን ጦር ካደረ በኋላ ከጄኔራል ደቦኖ ጋር ሆኖ እናት አገሩን ኢትዮጵያን ወግቷል። ጣሊያኖች ኃ/ሥላሤ ጉግሳ ከነተከታዮቹ ከጎናቸዉ ተሰልፎ አገሩን ሲወጋ ያደረጉት የመጀመሪያዉ ነገር ይህ ከሃዲ ሰዉ ከጎናቸዉ መሰለፉን የሚያሳዩ ፎቶግራፎች ለዓለም ህዝብ ማሰራጨት ነበር። ታሪክ እራሱን ይደግማል ሲባል አይኑ አላይ እያለዉ በጆሮዉ ብቻ ለሰማ ሰዉ ዛሬ ማረጋገጫዉ እነሆ በግልጽ ቀርቦለታል። ትናንት ማክሰኞ መሰከረም 27 ቀን የወያኔ ቴሌቭዥንና ሬድዮ ኢትዮጵያ ዉስጥ በጋዜጠኞች ላይ የሚፈፀመዉን እስርና ስደት፤ ወያኔ በወገኖቻቸን ላይ የሚፈጽመዉን የዕለት ከዕለት ሰቆቃና እንዲሁም በቅርቡ አምቦና ኦጋዴን ዉስጥ የተካሄዱትን የጅምላ ግድያዎች የሚደግፉ የዚህ ዘመን ኃ/ሥላሤ ጉግሳዎች ዋሺንግተን ዲሲ ዉስጥ ያካሄዱትን የክህደት ሰለማዊ ሠልፍ በተደጋጋሚ ለህዝብ አቅርበዋል። እነዚህ ትናንት ክቡር ባንዲራችን በአለባሌ ሰዉ አንደበት “ጨርቅ” ተብላ ስትሰደብ ከተሳዳቢዉ ሰዉ ጎን ቆመዉ የሳቁና የተሳለቁ ከሃዲ ሆድ አምላኪዎች ዛሬ “ባንዲራችን ተደፈረ” ብለዉ የአዞ እምባ ያነቡብናል። የትኛዉ ባንዲራ? ለመሆኑ እነዚህ “እናቴን ያገባ ሁሉ አባቴ ነዉ” ባዮች ጀግናዉ ዘርዐይ ደረስ ጣሊያኖችን በራሳቸዉ አደባባዮች አንገታቸዉን በጎራዴ የቀላዉ ለዬትኛዉ ባንዲራ እንደሆነ ያዉቃሉ? እነ አብዲሳ አጋ፤ በላይ ዘለቀ፤ ባልቻ አባ ነብሶና እልፍ አዕላፋት የኢትዮጵያ ልጆች ምትክ የሌላትን ህይወታቸዉን የሰጡት ለዬትኛዉ ባንዲራ አንደሆነ ያዉቃሉ?
እነዚህ ወያኔ አዲስ አበባ ዉስጥ የገዛ ወገኖቻዉን ሲያስርና ሲገድል አሜን ብለዉ ዋሺንግተን ዲሲ ዉስጥ ሠላማዊ ሠልፍ የሚወጡ የለየላቸዉ ከሃዲዎች ባንዲራ አዲስ መንግስት በመጣ ቁጥር እንደ ፖሊሲና እንደ ካቢኔ ሚኒስቴር የማይቀያየር ቋሚ የአገር ማንነትና የትዉልድ ትስስር መታወቂያ መሆኑን ሊገነዙ ይገባል። ባንዲራ ምክንያታዊ በሆነ መልኩ ሊቀየር ይችላል ብለን ብናስብ እንኳን ምን አይነት ሰዎች ብንሆን ነዉ ባንዲራን የመሰለ ህዝብና አገር ማስተሳሰሪያ ማተብ ኢትዮጵያንና ታሪኳን ከልቡ ለሚጠላዉ መለስ ዜናዊና የትግራይ ሪፓብሊክ ካላቋቋምኩ ብሎ ይታገል ለነበረዉ ለከሃዲዉ ስብሀት ነጋ የምንተዉላቸዉ? ደግሞም እነዚህ ምናምንቴዎች አንደሚሉት ባንዲራችን ላይ ባዕድ አካል ሆኖ የተለጠፈዉና የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ በተለምዶ “ባላ አምባሻዉ” እያለ የሚጠራዉ የወያኔ ጨርቅ እዉነትም ኢትዮጵያ ዉስጥ የብሄር ብሄረሰቦችን እኩልነት አረጋግጦ ቢሆን ኖሮ ዛሬ አገራችን በየቀኑ ብሄር ብሄረሰቦች ዉጣልኝ አልወጣም እየተባባሉ የሚተላለቁባት አገር አትሆንም ነበር። አባቶቻችን የሞቱት ለአረንጓዴ፤ ብጫና ቀይ ባንዲራ ነዉ፤ እኛም ዛሬ በየተሰደድንበት አገር አገሬን እያሰኘ የሚያስጮኸን ይሄዉ አረንጓዴ፤ ብጫ ቀይ ባንዲራችን ነዉ። አገር ቤት ያለዉ ኢትዮጵያዊም አንዱን “ባላአምባሻዉ” ሌላዉን ደግሞ ባንድራዬ እያለ የሚጠራዉ ይህንኑ አረንጓዴ፤ ብጫና ቀይ ባንዲራዉን ነዉ። በአንዲት አገራችን ኢትዮጵያ ዉስጥ እነሱም እኛም ለየቅላችን የኛ የምንለዉ ባንዲራ ሊኖር በፍጹም አይችልም። ይልቅ ወያኔዎች ሲጠፉ እነሱ ይዘዉብን የመጡት ኮተቶ ሁሉ አብሯቸዉ መጥፋቱ አይቀርምና ዛሬ “ባንዲራችን ተደፈረ” ብላችሁ የምታቅራሩ እዉሮች ነገ ከወያኔ በጸዳችዉ ኢትዮጵያ ዉስጥ ጭራሽ ባንዲራ ላይኖራችሁ ይችላልና መጀመሪያ ከራሳችሁ ጋር ቀጥሎም ከአገራችሁ ከኢትዮጵያ ጋር እንድትታረቁ አጥብቄ እማጸናችኋለሁ።
የወያኔን ቂልነትና ባዶነት በሰብኩ ቁጥር ትዝ የምትለኝ አንዲት ቀልድ ብጤ አለችና እስኪ ለፈገግታ ትሆናለችና አዳምጡኝ። ሁለት አመት የፈጀዉ የኤርትራና የኢትዮጵያ አላስፈላጊ ጦርነት እንዳለቀ በጦርነቱ ወቅት ስንቅና ትጥቅ በማመላለስ ትልቅ ዉለታ የዋለች ኣንዲት አህያ ጦርነቱ አብቅቶ የድል በዐል ሲከበር መስቀል አደባባይ ተጋብዛ መለስ ዜናዊ ፊት ትቀርባለች፤ በቋንቋ ይግባቡ ነበርና መለስ ጎንበስ ብሎ በጆሮዋ አንድ ነገር ሹክ ሲላት አህይት በደስታ እየፈነጠዘች አደባባዩን መዞር ጀመረች። በልማታዊ አህይት ዝላይና ፍንጠዛ ግራ የተጋቡት የወያኔ ጋዜጠኞች ዜና ያገኙ መስሏቸዉ “ታላቁ መሪ” ምን አለሽ ብለዉ አህይትን ጠየቋት። የዕድሜ ልክ የህወሓት አባል ሆነሻል ተብያለሁ ብላ አህይት ዝላይዋንና ፍንጠዛዋን ቀጠለች።
ትናንት እዚህ ዋሺንግተን ዲሲ ዉስጥ የወያኔን ጭፍጨፋ፤ እስርና በዘር መድሎ የተጨማለቀ ስርዐት አበጀህ ቀጥልበት ብለዉ አደባባይ የወጡ ጥቂት ህሊና ቢሶችና እነሱን አመስግኖ የነጻነት አርበኞችን “ዱሪዬዎች” ብሎ የዘለፈዉ የአድር ባዮች ሁሉ አድርባይ የሆነዉ ግርማ ብሩ ከዚያች ባድመ ላይ ብዙ ስንቅና ትጥቅ ካመላለሰችዉ ጎበዝ አህያ የሚለዩበት መንገድ ቢኖር አህያዋ ማሰብ ስለማትችል አለማሰቧ እነሱ ግን ማሰብ እየቻሉ አለማሰባቸዉ ብቻ ነዉ። በተረፈ እነሱም አህያዋም የወያኔ አባልነታቸዉ ያስደስታቸዋል፤ ምክንያቱም ሁለቱም አያስቡም። መቼም የገዛ ወንድሙና እህቱ ሲታሰሩ፤ ሲደበደቡና ሲገደሉ አሜን ብሎ ተቀብሎ ነብሰ ገዳዮችን ደግፎ ሰላማዊ ሠልፍ የሚሰለፍ የሰዉ ዘር ያለዉ ኢትዮጵያ ዉስጥ ብቻ መሆን አለበት። ለዚያዉም በወያኔ ዘመን ብቻ!
እነዚህን ሆዳሞች ደግሜ ደጋግሜ እዉሮች እያልኩ የምጠራቸዉ አለምክንያት አይደለም። በእርግጥም ስለማያዩ ነዉ። ባለፈዉ ወር አዚህ አሜሪካ ሚዙሪ ግዛት ፈርግሰን የሚባል ከተማ ዉስጥ ከባድ መሳሪያ የታጠቁ ፖሊሶች መሳሪያቸዉን ሰላማዊ ሰልፈኛዉ ላይ ስላዞሩ (ልብ በሉ ስላዞሩ ነዉ ያልኩት እንጂ ስለተኮሱ አላለኩም እነሱም አላደረጉትም) የአሜሪካ ህዝብ፤ መሪዎችና የህዝብ ተወካዮች ምን ያህል እንደተንጫጩ ሁላችንም ተመልክተናል። እነዚያ እዉሮች ያልኳቸዉ ወንድሞቻችንም እኛ የተመለከትነዉን ተመልክተዉት ይሆናል፤ ግን እነሱ የአዕምሮ እዉራን ናቸዉና ስዕሉን ብቻ ነዉ እንጂ ቁም ነገሩን አላዩትም። ስለዚህም ነዉ የነሱ ድፕሎማት ተብዬዉ ድንጋይ ራስ (ርዕስ እምኒ) አዲስ አበባ ዉስጥ ያለ መስሎት ሠላማዊ ሠልፈኛ ለመግደል ደጋግሞ ሲተኩስ አበጀህ ብለዉ ሠላማዊ ሠልፍ የወጡለት። እግዚአብሄር ከዚህ አይነቱ የአዕምሮ እዉርነት ያድነን! እባካችሁ አሁንም አሜን በሉ። እኔ እያረረ የሚስቅ ማሽላ ብቻ ይመስለኝ ነበር . . . . ለካስ የገዛ ወገኖቹ ሲገደሉ ደስ ብሎት የሚስቅ ሰዉም አለ። አቤት እግዚኦ!!!!
ሌላዉ የገረመኝ ነገር ቢኖር እነዚህ የአዕምሮ እዉራን ትናንት ረፋዱ ላይ ለአሜሪካዉ ዉጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር ጆን ኬሪ በጻፉት ደብዳቤ ግንቦት 7 ያ እንቅልፋም ፓርላማቸዉ “ሽብርተኛ” ብሎ የፈረጀዉ ድርጀት ነዉና ምነዉ ዝም ብላችሁ ታያላችሁ ብለዉ ኬሪን መወትወታቸዉ ነዉ። ኬሪ እንደነሱ ጨካኝና አምባገነን መሪዎች የማይወደዉንና የሚጠላዉን ሁሉ አይንህ አላማረኝም እያለ ማሰር የሚችል መስሏቸዋል። እነዚህ ሆዳቸዉ ልባቸዉን የሸፈነ ከሃዲዎች አይገባቸዉም አንጂ የነሱን “ግንቦት ሰባቶችን” እሰሩልን ብሎ ጥያቄ እንኳን ኬሪ የአለማችን ሀይለኛዉ መሪ አባማም ማስተናገድ አይችልም። እኛስ ብንሆን የምንታገላቸዉ ለዚሁ ነዉኮ – ኢትዮጵያን የሚመራ ሁሉ ሀሳባችን ከሀሳቡ በተጋጨ ቁጥር አንዳያስረንና እንዳይደገድለን። እኔኮ ምን ይሻለኛል . . . . በአንድ በኩል ኢትዮጵያዉያን የወገኖቻቸዉን መገደል ተቃዉመዉ ሠላማዊ ሠልፍ ሲወጡ የወያኔዉ ተላላኪ ግርማ ብሩ የኤርትራን መንግስት ይከስሳል፤ የአይጥ ምስክር ድንቢጥ እንዲሉ የግርማ ብሩ ተላላኪዎች ደግሞ (የተላላኪ ተላላኪ ማለት ነዉ) ግንቦት ሰባት የሚረዳዉ በኤርትራ መንግስት ነዉና ስጋታችንን እዩልን እያሉ ኬሪን ይለማመጡታል። መቼም አዉቆ የተኛን ቢቀሰቅሱት አይነቃም ነዉና የወያኔ ደጋፊዎች አይገባቸዉም አንጂ ለሻዕቢያ ጎንበስ ቀና እያሉና የሻዕቢያን መሪዎች እንደ ታቦት እየተሳለሙ ለዚህ ዛሬ ላሉበት ደረጃ የበቁት የወያኔ መሪዎች ናቸዉኮ። ዛሬ በባነኑ ቁጥር አንዴ ግንቦት ሰባት አንዴ ሻዕቢያ እያሉ ዛር እንደያዘዉ ሰዉ የሚያጓሩትም ተደምስሰዉ ከታሪክ ምዕራፍ የሚፋቁት በዚሁ እንደ ህጻን ልጅ እጃቸዉን ይዞ ለታሪክ ባበቃቸዉ በሻዕቢያ በኩል መሆኑን በሚገባ ስለሚያዉቁት ብቻ ነዉ። ምድረ የወያኔ አጎብጋቢዎች ዛሬ እቅጩን ልንገራችሁ፤ ወደዳችሁም ጠላችሁ ይህ “ልማታዊ” ብላችሁ የምትጠሩት ነብሰ ገዳይ አገዛዝ ይደመሰሳል- ስጋታችሁ ትክክለኛ ስጋት ነዉ። ግን ከዚህ ስጋት የሚያድናችሁ ኬሪ ሳይሆን የራሳችሁ ሂሊና ብቻ ነዉና ሳይዉል ሳያድር ዛሬዉኑ ኑና ከህዝብ ጎን ተሰለፉ፤ አለዚያ ዕድላችሁ ከኑግ የተገኘህ ሰሊጥ አብረህ ተወቀጥ ይሆናል። መቼም እንደኔዉ የዚያች ምስኪን አገር ልጆች ናችሁና በተረት ብነግራችሁ ይገባችኋል ብዬ ነዉ እንጂ በእናንተና መወቀጥ በሚገባዉ ኑግ መካከል ምንም ልዩነት የለም።
የዘረኞቹ የወያኔ መሪዎችና እንደ ችግኝ ኮትኩተዉ ያሳደጓቸዉ ቡችሎቻቸዉ አስቂኝ ታሪክ በዚህ ብቻ አያበቃም፤ እነዚህ ጣምራ ጉደኞች ብዙ ተነግሮ የማያልቅ ጉድ አላቸዉ። ወያኔዎች ጋዜጠኛ እያሰሩና ከአገር እንዲሰደድ እያደረጉ ተዉ ያላቸዉን ፀረ አገርና ፀረ ልማት ይሉታል፤ በየሰላማዊ ሠልፉ ላይ ንጹህ ዜጎችን በጅምላ ሲጨፈጭፉ ምነዉ ያላቸዉን ደግሞ ሽብርተኛ ብለዉ ያስሩታል። እነዚህ አረመኔዎች ይህንን የመሰለ ለጆሮ የሚቀፍ ወንጀል በህዝብና በአገር ላይ ፈጽመዉ ሰዎች በነጻነት ወደሚኖሩበት አገር ሰዉ መስለዉ ሲመጡና ስንቃወማቸዉ ደግሞ እዚህ ዉጭ አገር ያስቀመጧቸዉ ተናካሽ ዉሾቻቸዉ “ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት” የጎደላቸዉ ብለዉ ይዘልፉናል። ለመሆኑ ለእነዚህ እንደ ዉሻ ቁራሽ ስጋ በተወረወረላቸዉ ቁጥር ለሚያላዝኑ ምናምንቴዎች ማነዉ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት እንደነሱ ነዉርን አሜን ብሎ መቀበል ብሎ የነገራቸዉ? ዜጎችን አንደ እንስሳ አየጎተቱ ገድለዉ አስከሬኑን በሟቹ ወንድም እያስጎቱና ይህንን ነዉር በቪድዮ እየቀረጹ መሳቅና መሳለቅ ነዉ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት ወይስ ይህንን ኔሮና ሂትለር ምን አደረጉ የሚያሰኝ ጭካኔና አረመኔነት መቃወም ነዉ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት? አዲስ አበባ ዉስጥና እዚህ ዋሺንግተን ዲሲ ዉስጥ ተቃዋሚ ኃይሎችን “ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት” የጎደላቸዉ ብለዉ የዘለፉት ሬድዋን ሁሴንና ግርማ ብሩ የዉኃ ጠብታን ያክል ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት በደማቸዉ ዉስጥ ቢኖር ኖሮ “ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት” የኢትዮጵያዉያንን ህይወት በየአደባባዩ መቀማት አይደለምና እናከብራቸዉ ነበር እንጂ በወጡና በገቡ ቁጥር ስማቸዉን እየጠራን ሌባና ከሃዲ እያልን አናሸማቅቃቸዉም ነበር። ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት ስንታሰርና ስንዋረድ እልል፤ ስንገደል ደግሞ አሜን ብለን እንደ በሬ አንገታችንን ለቢለዋ መስጠት ማለት አይደለም። ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት ለወገን ማዘን ነዉ፤ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት ወገን ሲጎዳና ሲጠቃ ከለላ መሆን ነዉ። ከሁሉም በላይ ደግሞ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨዋነት ዜጎች ሰቆቃ ሲፈጸምባቸዉና ሲገደሉ ቆሞ ከመመልከት ይልቅ ወይም የገዳዮች ጠበቃ ከመሆን ባጭር ታጥቆ ነብሰ ገዳዮችንና የጭካኔ ምልክቶችን ከአገር አናትና ከህዝብ ጀርባ ላይ ማስወገድ ነዉ – ወላድ በድባብ ትሂድ – ይህንን የሚያደርጉ የቁርጥ ቀን ልጆች እናት ኢትዮጵያ ትናንንት ነበሯት፤ ዛሬ አሏት ነገም ይኖሯታል።
ebini23@yahoo.com
http://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/35198
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Statement from Ginbot 7 Regarding the Horrific Video of Murdered Civilians in the Ogaden Region
Ginbot 7, Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy is deeply saddened and outraged by the recent leaked video of barbaric killings of civilians suspected of supporting the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). Anyone with a conscience should be disturbed by the brutal scenes and sounds of hundreds of civilians whom the regime’s security forces have raped, tortured and killed.
Once again this video is a stark reminder to all Ethiopians, irrespective of their ethnic background and religious affiliation, that Ethiopia is ruled by a savage, blood-thirsty regime carrying out a reign of terror in all parts of Ethiopia.
There are no words of condolence that can adequately convey our sorrow, our sympathy for the victims and their families. The unfathomable brutality of the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) security forces dragging the dead corpses of alleged ONLF supporters in an act of coward savagery is an insult to the moral values of the Ethiopian people, and humanity in general
We affirm our just revulsion over these heinous crimes and call on those responsible for such a heinous crime to be held accountable.
There is no question that in the last 23 years the brutal TPLF regime has committed thousands of grave human rights violations against civilians in the Ogaden region and other parts of Ethiopia. Many of its most gruesome acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There is no question that in the last 23 years the brutal TPLF regime has committed thousands of grave human rights violations against civilians in the Ogaden region and other parts of Ethiopia. Many of its most gruesome acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The TPLF brutal and merciless regime has stubbornly continued its unabated threats to annihilate any group that does not embrace its bankrupt ideology of ethnic politics which it zealously promotes to stay in power.
The people of Ethiopia want to live together in peace with their rights, dignity and freedom protected and respected like the rest of humanity. More than ever, it is high time and in their long term interest in the region for Western democratic nations that support the TPLF by financing, arming and training its security forces to take a very hard look at the moral and political hazards of forming an alliance with a barbaric regime that engages in wanton violence (mass executions, torture, war crimes, ethnic cleansing) against its perceived political enemies.
Donor countries need to stop burying their head in the sand and acknowledge the basic fact that the TPLF regime is a threat to the people of Ethiopia and the stability of the Horn of Africa. Where there is no justice, there will never be peace.
Let it be clear to all concerned that the status quo in Ethiopia is not sustainable. The Ethiopian people will prevail over the inhumane and brutal dictatorship of the fascist minority dictatorship of the TPLF.
Freedom and Justice for the People of Ethiopia!
Monday 29 September 2014
Shame On Me For Being Proud of President Obama!
I used to be proud of President Barrack Obama
First, I am never proud of politicians. Second, I am never ashamed of politicians. I am often dismayed and even angry over things they did (said) or did not do (say). Mostly, I am critical of politicians on some issue of accountability or lack of transparency. I often rage against their corruption, hypocrisy, duplicity, cynicism, amorality and immorality. Perhaps I should not let them get my goat that way. After all, politicians and members of the world’s oldest profession share one thing in common. They are shameless. I can’t help shaming shameless politicians. The question for me is not whether to shame or not to shame a politician but whether I should be ashamed of myself for being proud of a shameless politician.
I made an exception to my hard and fast rule against shameless politicians. The year was 2007. The politician was a young, charismatically magnetic and silver tongued politician named Barrack Obama running for the presidency of the United States. I liked the man for his values and achievements. I was proud of him, but my pride in the man had little to do with the fact that he could be the “first Black President.” I do not believe in classifying human beings created in the image of God by race, colour, nationality, gender, religion and so on. My creed is humanity before ethnicity, nationality and racialist. Anyway, to my way of thinking, the Barrack Obama I proudly supported in 2007 and help get elected president was a statesman and not a politician.
A point of clarification: I express my views in this commentary only to the extent of President Barrack Obama’s record on civil liberties and Africa policy. I do not seek or aim to critique his entire presidency
I was proud of President Barrack Obama because I believed that he believed in the rule of law as the bulwark of liberty. I have this wacky and dogmatic conviction that government officials, leaders, institutions and anyone exercising power should be constrained by a “supreme law” of the land and held strictly accountable for their actions and omissions while in office. That supreme law protects citizens from arbitrary deprivation of life, liberty and property by those in power. To explain it in my own metaphor, the constitution (or the supreme rule of law of the land) is fundamentally the people’s iron chain leash on the “government dog”. The shorter the leash, the better and safer it is for the dog’s masters.
John Adams, the second president of the United States, observed, “There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” To me, the rule of law is that insurance policy against men who endanger the public liberty. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The clearest way to show what the rule of law means to us in everyday life is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law.” (Could he have been talking prophetically about Ethiopia today when he said that?) On July 28, 2014, President Obama told a town hall meeting of Young African Leaders, “Regardless of the resources a country possesses, regardless of how talented the people are, if you do not have a basic system of rule of law, of respect for civil rights and human rights, if you do not give people a credible, legitimate way to work through the political process to express their aspirations, if you don’t respect basic freedom of speech and freedom of assembly … it is very rare for a country to succeed.” On August 5-6, 2014, he assembled the most flagitious violators of the rule of law and destroyers of democratic freedoms from Africa under the rubric of “U.S.-Africa Leadership Summit” and wined and dined them at the White House.
I was proud of Barrack Obama, President of the United States, who took an oath “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. I was proud to hear him speak on December 15, 2013, Bill of Rights Day, proclaiming the Bill of Rights as “the foundation of American liberty, securing our most fundamental rights — from the freedom to speak, assemble and practice our faith as we please to the protections that ensure justice under the law.” My pride in President Obama took a big hit when U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon in the District of Columbia on December 16, 2013 described President Obama’s national security surveillance (indiscriminate collection of telephone metadata) policies in a 68-page ruling as “almost Orwellian”. I remembered presidential candidate Obama’s famous declaration at a fundraiser on March 30, 2007: “I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution.” An “almost Orwellian” constitutional law professor?
I was proud of Senator Barrack Obama who wrote in his book, The Audacity of Hope, “We hang on to our values, even if they seem at times tarnished and worn; even if, as a nation and in our own lives, we have betrayed them more often that we care to remember. What else is there to guide us? … If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all.” President Obama was not willing to pay the price for the priceless liberties of free expression, free press, freedom of religion, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures and so on in Africa by simply telling African dictators that the U.S. will not give them their annual handouts unless they respect the basic human rights of their citizens and do right by their people. So I dedicate to all Africans yearning to breathe free under the boots of African dictators William Cowper’s verse on liberty:
‘This liberty alone that gives the flower
Of fleeting life its lustre and perfume;
And we are weeds without it.
…
Then liberty, like day,
Breaks on the soul, and by a flash from Heaven
Fires all the faculties with glorious joy.
Of fleeting life its lustre and perfume;
And we are weeds without it.
…
Then liberty, like day,
Breaks on the soul, and by a flash from Heaven
Fires all the faculties with glorious joy.
I was proud of Barrack Obama the constitutional and civil rights lawyer who toiled “to make sure that everybody’s vote counted,” as he liked to describe it. Barrack Obama filed a lawsuit in 1995 forcing the State of Illinois to enforce the 1993 federal Motor Voter law making it easier for people to register to vote. In his book, Dreams From My Father, young Barrack Obama wrote, “In my legal practice, I work mostly with churches and community groups, men and women who quietly build grocery stores and health clinics in the inner city, and housing for the poor.” He chose to do community work spurning the potentially big rewards a Harvard law sheepskin could bring.
I was proud of Professor Barrack Obama who taught challenging law courses on civil rights, the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment and institutional racism in the law. I like professors who teach what they preach and preach what they teach.
I am proud of college and law student Barrack Obama. Obama distinguished himself at Harvard Law by becoming the “first African American president” of the law review (a student-run scholarly journal publishing legal articles by distinguished legal academics and others). I am most proud of 19 year-old Barrack Obama at Occidental College in Los Angeles who in 1980 got baptised in political activism by participating in an anti-apartheid South Africa divestment protest Sophomore. In his very first speech as a student political activist Barrack Obama said,
There’s a struggle going on. It is happening an ocean away, but it is a struggle that touches each and every one of us. Whether we know it or not. Whether we want it or not. A struggle that demands we choose sides. Not between black and white. Not between rich and poor. A harder choice than that. It is a choice between dignity and servitude. Between fairness and injustice. Between commitment and indifference. A choice between right and wrong.
In December 2013, President Obama told Nelson Mandela at a White House reception, “I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings.”
I was very proud of Senator Barrack Obama who single handedly managed to enact S.B. 2125, (Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006). At the time, I was one of the Ethiopian-American activists pushing for passage of H.R. 5680 “Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006” (introduced by Christopher Smith, R- New Jersey; renumbered in 2007 as H.R. 2003 and introduced by Donald Paine, D-New Jersey and passed in the House in 2007). What is there not to be proud about a statesman who managed to pass a law promoting democracy in Africa?
I was proud of President Barrack Obama for a very personal reason. I identified with his heritage in East Africa. Barrack Obama, Sr. was the among the first generation of young Africans in post-independence Africa to come to the U.S. for higher education. The great Harry Belmont and his friends arranged for 81 young Kenyan students, including Barrack Obama, Sr. to come to the U.S. I was part of the early second wave of young Africans to come to the U.S. for higher education in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Young U.S.-educated Africans in the 1960s were role models for me and millions of other young Africans. Obama Sr.’s situation deteriorated after he returned to Kenya. He had serious policy and ideological disagreements with founding President Jomo Kenyatta. In Dreams from My Father, son Obama described how his father’s career and livelihood ended at the hands of an old school African dictator: “After Kenyatta fired my father he was blacklisted in Kenya, found it impossible to get work, and his life deteriorated into drinking and poverty.” I believe Obama Sr., was a victim of human rights violations. Kenyatta blacklisted Obama Sr., because of his political beliefs and drove him into poverty where he could find comfort only in the bottle. Today, millions of highly educated Africans choose to live outside Africa to avoid facing the fate of Barrack Obama Sr. I thought President Obama, just for the fact of his father’s persecution, would have a heightened interest in human rights in Africa. I thought his father persecution at the hands of an old school dictator would impel him to deal more firmly with the new breed of African dictators swarming the continent. I was wrong!
“Shame on me for being proud of President Barrack of Obama!”
In 2014, I hold my head in shame and say, “Shame on me for being proud of President Barrack of Obama!” It is excruciatingly painful feeling to say that in public. For years, I defended and extolled the presidential candidate and president in my weekly commentaries, even when my defence was not objectively justifiable. I even signed up to defend certain policies he has pursued in campus and town hall debates and in the media. I waxed eloquent on his eloquent speeches. I argued to my readers that we must be with him through thick and thin as he comes under withering ideological attack from the old guards. All of the evidence now suggest he is the “old guard” when it comes to civil liberties and Africa.
It is unlikely that I will ever be able to share my views in person with President Obama. I doubt I will be able to convince him on the need to pay the price of our values in Africa. But I would be thrilled if President Barrack Obama would talk to Barrack Obama, the sophomore at Occidental College, who spoke prophetically and stirring rhetoric about the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. I’d love to be the fly on the wall as the two carry on with their conversation:
College Student Barrack Obama:
There’s a struggle going on. It is happening an ocean away, but it is a struggle that touches each and every one of us. Whether we know it or not. Whether we want it or not. A struggle that demands we choose sides.
President Barrack Obama
…Make no mistake: history is on the side of these brave Africans, and not with those who use coups or change Constitutions to stay in power. Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions… Governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, more stable, and more successful…
College Student Barrack Obama:
[The choice is] Not between black and white. Not between rich and poor. A harder choice than that. It is a choice between dignity and servitude. Between fairness and injustice. Between commitment and indifference. A choice between right and wrong.”
President Barrack Obama:
Regardless of the resources a country possesses, regardless of how talented the people are, if you do not have a basic system of rule of law, of respect for civil rights and human rights, if you do not give people a credible, legitimate way to work through the political process to express their aspirations, if you don’t respect basic freedom of speech and freedom of assembly … it is very rare for a country to succeed.”
The fly on the wall would suddenly drop into the conversation.
The struggle is still going on in Africa in 2014. True, it is not a struggle about a minority white government oppressing a majority African population. It is a struggle against ruthless and greedy black dictators who grab and cling to power by force and oppress their people. It is not a struggle against minority white supremacists but minority ethnic supremacists who oppress other black Africans because of their ethnicity, religion, language, gender and so on. Neither the nature of the struggle nor the intensity of oppression has changed in Africa since the days of apartheid South Africa. Only the faces have changed; it is now black faces committing the atrocities, corruption and human rights violations.
In 1980, black South Africans fought against a system of Bantustans (so-called black homelands). In 2014, Ethiopians suffer under a modernized Bantustan system euphemistically called “ethnic federalism” (“kill” or ethnic homelands), a political concept and doctrine which perfectly mirrors apartheid’s “Bantustans.” Today, Ethiopians are corralled into “kills” like cattle and prodded to fight each other by stoking the fires of ethnic grievances that burned out long ago. In 2014, ruthless black African dictators and agitators are oppressing black Africans. President Obama wake up and open your eyes. You “must choose sides” in Africa. Between Africa’s strongmen and the defenceless ordinary African people. In your Africa policy, your “choice is between dignity and servitude. Between fairness and injustice. Between commitment and indifference. A choice between right and wrong.”
Has President Obama chosen the side of Africa’s strongmen?
On September 25, 2014, President Obama met with a “delegation” of the ruling regime in Ethiopia in N.Y. City for a bilateral meeting. What he said at that meeting dam near caused me emeses (a more polite medical term I prefer to use to describe the urgency I felt to expel the contents of my stomach after listening to that clip). He said,
…[S]some of the bright spots and progress that we’re seeing in Africa, I think there’s no better example than what has been happening in Ethiopia — one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
We have seen enormous progress in a country that once had great difficulty feeding itself. It’s now not only leading the pack in terms of agricultural production in the region, but will soon be an exporter potentially not just of agriculture, but also power because of the development that’s been taking place there.
We’re strong trading partners. And most recently, Boeing has done a deal with Ethiopia, which will result in jobs here in the United States. And in discussions with Ban Ki-moon yesterday, we discussed how critical it is for us to improve our effectiveness when it comes to peacekeeping and conflict resolution. And it turns out that Ethiopia may be one of the best in the world — one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping; one of the most effective fighting forces when it comes to being placed in some very difficult situations and helping to resolve conflicts… So Ethiopia has been not only a leader economically in the continent, but also when it comes to security and trying to resolve some of the long-standing conflicts there. We are very appreciative of those efforts,… [in] … some hotspot areas like South Sudan, where Ethiopia has been working very hard trying to bring the parties together, …
As an afterthought, President Obama added,
Two last points I want to make. … terrorism… That’s an area where the cooperation and leadership on the part of Ethiopia is making a difference as we speak…. So our counter-terrorism cooperation and the partnerships that we have formed with countries like Ethiopia are going to be critical to our overall efforts to defeat terrorism.
And also, the Prime Minister and the government is going to be organizing elections in Ethiopia this year. I know something about that… And so we’ll have an opportunity to talk about civil society and governance and how we can make sure that Ethiopia’s progress and example can extend to civil society as well, and making sure that throughout the continent of Africa we continue to widen and broaden our efforts at democracy, all of which isn't just good for politics but ends up being good for economics as well — as we discussed at the Africa Summit.
Fact-checking President Obama
Does Ethiopia “lead the pack in terms of agricultural production in the region” and “will soon be an exporter” of agricultural commodities? The 2014 World Food Programme (the branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security) completely contradicts him:
Despite these positive advances, Ethiopia remains one of the world’s most food-insecure countries, where approximately one in three people live below the poverty line. The 2014 Humanitarian Requirement Document (HRD) released in January by the Government of Ethiopia and the humanitarian community, estimates that 2.7 million Ethiopians will need food assistance in 2014 due to droughts and other short-term shocks… In 2014, WFP Ethiopia plans to assist nearly 6.5 million vulnerable people with food and special nutritional assistance, including school children, farmers, people living with HIV/AIDS, mothers and infants, refugees and many others.
Does President Obama know that the “export” he is talking about could come about only because millions of hectares of fertile land in Ethiopia have been sold to so-called foreign investors at fire sale prices by the regime in Ethiopia displacing hundreds of thousands of indigenous people? Is it even fair to export food to the Middle East while Ethiopians starve and the regime goes out pan handling for food aid throughout the world?
President Obama said Ethiopia is “one of the fastest-growing economies in the world… [and is] … a leader economically in the continent”. Is this supported in fact?
The 2014, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHDI) Multidimensional Poverty Index (formerly annual U.N.D.P. Human Poverty Index) reported for the fourth successive year that Ethiopia is ranked as the second poorest country on the planet. In 2010, OPHDI reported that the percentage of the Ethiopian population in “severe poverty” (living on less than USD$1 a day) was 72.3%. In 2014, 82 % of the rural population in Ethiopia struggles “in severe poverty” compared to 18% in the urban areas. Does it even make sense to talk about “one of the fastest-growing economies” amidst such abject poverty?
The fact of the matter is that the hyperbolic claims of economic growth in Ethiopia are based on fabricated and massaged GDP (gross domestic product) numbers. No one has been able to disprove my evidence and claims challenging the official statistics of economic growth presented in my commentary “The Voodoo Economics of Meles Zenawi”.
President Obama said, “… it turns out that Ethiopia may be one of the best in the world — one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping… [and have] … one of the most effective fighting forces” in conflict regions. Is one’s “effective fighting force” another’s “war criminals”? In its December 2008 report on Somalia, Human Rights Watch stated:
… Ethiopia is a party to the conflict, but has done nothing to ensure accountability for abuses by its soldiers. The United States, treating Somalia primarily as a battlefield in the ‘global war on terror,’ has pursued a policy of uncritical support for transitional government and Ethiopian actions, and the resulting lack of accountability has fuelled the worst abuses. The European Commission has advocated direct support for the transitional government’s police force without insisting on any meaningful action to improve the force and combat abuses.
Unlike beauty, the ugliness of war crimes is not in the eyes of the beholder!
In his very “last point”, as an afterthought, President Obama said, “… the Prime Minister [Hailemariam Desalegn] and the government is going to be organizing elections in Ethiopia this year. I know something about that… And so we’ll have an opportunity to talk about civil society and governance and how we can make sure that Ethiopia’s progress and example can extend to civil society as well…” How much does President Obama really know about Ethiopian elections? Does he know that the ruling regime stole the 2005 elections in broad daylight and jailed virtually all opposition party leaders, critical independent journalists, human rights advocates and civic society leaders? Does President Obama know that in the 2010 election, the ruling regime won 99.6 percent of the seats in parliament?
I am really intrigued when President Obama says, “I know something about that”. Does he know that just in the past few weeks, young men and women barely in their 20s have been arrested and jailed for “terrorism” merely for blogging on Facebook and speaking their minds on other social media? Does he know that in the past few weeks six popular independent publications including Afro Times, Addis Guday, Enku, Fact, Jano, and Lomi were shuttered and dozens of journalists jailed or exiled as a consequence? Does he know Ethiopia’s best and brightest journalists have been languishing in subhuman prisons throughout the country for years?Does he know that no one in Ethiopia could write about the corrupt dictators there in the way I can write about him in America fully protected by the First Amendment? Does he know opposition parties are harassed, intimidated, jailed, persecuted and prosecuted for peacefully opposing the regime? How can there be an election worth the name where the press, opposition parties and civil society organizations are suppressed and persecuted? Does President Obama know that in 2010 as a result of the so-called “Proclamation on Charities and Society”, “the number of civil society organizations in Ethiopia was reduced from about 4600 to about 1400 in a period of three months in early 2010. Staff members were reduced by 90% or more among many of those organizations that survive”? Does President Obama know that he is the one subsidizing Africa’s ruthless and corrupt dictators with hard-earned American tax dollars?
Verdict of history on President Obama
I was proud of President Barrack Obama because I believed that he believed in liberty and human rights not only for Americans but also Africans. I believe the vast majority of Africans were also proud of him because they believed his message of, “Yes, we can”. When Barrack Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008, there was not a pair of eyes in Africa that did not shed tears of joy. In 2014, there are many pairs of African eyes shedding tears of sorrow at the very sight of President Obama hugging and embracing the worst African dictators, wining and dining them in the White House and showering them with undeserved praise without a hint of criticism of their abominable human rights records. President Obama has become a not-so-strange bedfellow of African dictators.
The verdict of history shall be that President Obama gave the people of Africa empty words of hope in their time of despair. But he gave corrupt African dictators not only billions of dollars in aid but also moral legitimacy by lionising them in the court of world public opinion. President Obama has been a sore disappointment to millions in Africa who believed in his promise of “hope and change” and followed his clarion call to go “Forward”. His “audacity of hope” proved to be an audacity of indifference and a source of disillusionment for millions of Africans. Obama offered “change we can believe in.” The verdict of history is, “We can’t believe nothing changed in Africa during the presidency of Barrack Obama!” No one in Africa believes in President Obama any more, except the palm-rubbing, pan-handling dictators and agitators. President Obama’s “Yes, We can” slogan in Africa turned out to be, “No, we cannot do anything to improve human right conditions in Africa.”
I don’t want my readers to get the impression that I do not like Barrack Obama as a person. I like him. I have enormous respect for him as a highly accomplished human being. I honour him as a dutiful father and husband and as a role model for all of us. I admire him as a gutsy constitutional and civil rights lawyer. I believe him to be a decent and an honourable man. I have also no doubts that he is well-intentioned and well-meaning person. I do not believe he is a malicious man, but I do not doubt he is a victim of malicious political circumstances. He has done many good things in office. History will remember his “Affordable Health Care Act” as a practical demonstration that “Obama Cares”. Obama, the man.
All I am saying is that I am no longer proud of President Barrack Obama. All I am saying is that I am ashamed of what President Obama is doing with corrupt and ruthless African dictators who trample on the human rights of their citizens. All I am saying is that I am ashamed of President Obama for authorizing the National Security Agency to collect and store information about the phone call of ordinary law-abiding Americans. My heart is shattered when I make this declaration to a candid world.
President Obama will be remembered for generations to come as Africa’s most illustrious and renowned prodigal grandson. For Africans in Africa and in America who are no longer proud of President Obama, I commend them to heed the steely words of Frederick Douglass, a great American who escaped slavery to become a champion of freedom. “ The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Perhaps there is a bit of poetic justice for me in all of this. The man who has been dishing out his version of the truth to power and those who abuse power for so many years must now take his own medicine and ‘fess up to his readers. “Yes, I messed up!” How do I feel? Like Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello: “O fool! fool! fool!” But hold on! I gather inspiration from George W. Bush as I move forward: “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” Whatever! You know what I mean.
Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino and is a practicing defense lawyer.
http://ecadforum.com/2014/09/29/shame-on-me-for-being-proud-of-president-obama/
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