Press release from Mr. Hunde Dhugassa
OromiaTimes - November 12, 2007

Mr. Hunde Dhugassa Ex-President of Jimma University Students' and Ethiopian Higher Learning Institutions Students' Union

In my stay in Jimma University for the past five years studying law and serving the students union in different levels for two years in extracurricular activity, I have been through the horrible human right abuse in Ethiopia in general and Oromiya in particular.

The trauma of the TPLF (Tigray Peoples Liberation Front) led EPRDF government cruel and inhuman treatment of citizens dates back to its inception to power when they killed, torched, imprisoned and dismantled families under the guise of OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) supporters.

Then after the past 15 years TPLF followed the shot-to-hit and different methods of torching strategy to civilians raising the question of the right to self determination of Oromo people.

I remember the yearly students protest on this government just after it come to the power until this time but it is always boasting on its monopolised media about the extra judicial killings to families every time promising some more shot for more protest; accordingly TPLF led EPRDF government is responsible for the death ,causality and imprisonment of thousands of Oromo students and other nations in Ethiopia. To this end the TPLF house made party OPDO is serving as supporting hand to this cruel government act of murder and other inhuman acts for the past 15 years in Oromiya.

Almost all schools in Oromiya at all levels have experienced the bloody hand of TPLF government at different times and at some places every year.

On the protest of the decision to transfer the Oromiya capital from finfinne {Addis Ababa} to Adama alone; they have killed, imprisoned and dismantled thousands; a decision by which they regretted latter for a political benefit of getting the favour of the Oromo people in the post 2005 election. From Addis Ababa University alone more than 350 Oromo students were fired from school; letting other socio-economic, political and human crisis aside including the banning of Macha and Tulema Oromo self-help association ...

The Uncertain Future of Abijata Lake
Addis Fortune, Ethiopia - November 12, 2007
Lake Abijata was once home to as many as 436 species of birds, including pelicans and flamingos, which used to flock in mass to and from the nearby wetlands in Shala National Park.
However, under pressure from industrial use, encroachment of farms and demand for drinking water, the wetlands are gone, and even the lake may be at risk of disappearing.
As Abijata Lake rapidly drys up, the birds, particularly the pelicans and flamingos, are shifting their migratory patterns, which stretch as far as Europe, to Langano and Ziway lakes. Some of the species formerly occupying the wetlands have been observed seeking sanctuary in man-made ponds in close proximity of Abijata Soda Ash Enterprise.
The formerly state-owned enterprise, now jointly managed by the National Mining Corporation (NMC) and the Privatisation and Public Enterprises Supervising Agency (PPESA), may be responsible for the desertification of the area, some 4.5Km away from Bulbula, a township on the way to Shashemene in the Oromia Regional State.
The Soda Ash Factory is situated close to the salty lake and uses the water source to extract trona, a material used for production of soda ash, which is found in the seabed or underneath huge volumes of water. This material is used to manufacture glass, ceramics and soap.
Abijata is the only salty lake in the country that is used for extracting trona. When Abijata is at peak level, 17 ponds could be filled by pumping Abijata to extract and process trona ...

TPLF Army ready for war
Biddho, Eritrea - November 9, 2007

Directives have been given to the TPLF regime’s Army to prepare for war, say defecting Ethiopian soldiers. Asmara, 8 November 2007 - Ethiopian soldiers abandoning the TPLF regime who recently arrived here said that directives have been given to the TPLF regime’s Army to prepare for war.

They also explained that the acute sufferings and oppression committed by the regime against the Army is gaining momentum and that those fleeing to their respective villages in opposition of the TPLF’s racist and war-mongering policies are being rounded up.

The defecting soldiers are Tesfai Gerezghier from the Tigray ethnic group, Teages Esayas Mamo from the Walaita ethnic group, and Mamush Teklewold Tufa from the Oromo ethnic group ...

Wami collects half-million prize but wanted NYC marathon win
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - November 5, 2007

Gete Wami collected her $500,000 prize as winner of the World Marathon Majors women's title on Monday but the Ethiopian was still dissatisfied with her second place in the New York City Marathon at the weekend.

Wami, competing 35 days after winning in Berlin, lost her race-long duel with Paula Radcliffe over the last few hundred metres on Sunday although she did enough to clinch the big payday with the most points from major marathons over a two-year period.

"It was such a tough race, it was a bit harder than normal," Wami told Reuters through an interpreter. "I would normally have more preparation time and recovery time.

"It was only five weeks after Berlin. If not, the result would have been different," said Wami, who finished 23 seconds behind Briton Radcliffe.

The diminutive Wami foiled twice New York champion Jelena Prokopcuka's bid to win the majors crown with her gutsy run.

Had Wami not competed, Latvia's Prokopcuka could have taken the jackpot with her third-place finish.

"I ran not only to beat Jelena but I ran to win the race," Wami said. "I beat Jelena, but came in second."

Asked about her winnings, Wami, 32, said: "Initially I plan to help my family. From there on I hope to help orphans, educate them and see them to a better future."

Two new regional parties in Ethiopia
OromiaTimes - Nov 4, 2007

Two opposition political leaders have created regional political parties which have just been legally authorised by the Ethiopian Electoral Board. Merera Gudina has obtained official authorisation for his Oromo People’s Congress (OPC), a party only allowed to participate in elections in the Oromia Regional State. Merera Gudina is the former leader of the Oromo National Congress (ONC, opposition) but had been ousted from his post by members of the party better placed than he in the eyes of the Ethiopian government. For his part, the former President of the Tigray Regional State and dissident of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF, hard core of the coalition in power in Addis Ababa), Gebru Asrat has obtained the legalisation of the Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty Party (ATDSP). However, this party will only be allowed to field candidates in elections in the Tigray region. In fact, these formations will be obliged to form alliances if they are to offer a political alternative to the electorate at a national level ...

A brittle Western ally in the Horn of Africa
Economist, UK - Nov 1, 2007
AS AMERICA surveys the map of eastern Africa, it finds little to take comfort from. Somalia is in anarchy, riven by competing warlords and a haven for Islamist militants. Sudan is involved in the bloody suppression of blacks in its western region, Darfur. Both countries are deaf to outside complaints and seem chronically unstable. America is thinking of putting Eritrea, briefly a beacon of hope after it split from Ethiopia in 1993, on its list of countries that sponsor terrorism. But between that grim trio stands Ethiopia, America's hope.
This ancient country has become an essential ally of America in the “war on terror”. Last year Ethiopia invaded Somalia in support of a UN-backed transitional federal government, which had been threatened with jihad by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) that had taken over Mogadishu, the capital. The Americans joined in, giving vital intelligence, to catch al-Qaeda people whom the UIC was sheltering. These men, it believed, were responsible for the bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing more than 220 people ..

Birtukan-Mania is spreading fast in Ethiopia (Blog)
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - October 31, 2007

Ms. Birtukan Medeksa

Even before she comes back to Ethiopia people all over were talking about Birtukan Medeksa, the CUD vice-President. She has certainly overshadowed the Chairman Hailu Shawel. I am sure the corruption inside Hailu’s camp has been one of the reasons for her success. Rumors of corruption as crazy as Hailu buying houses in America and wasting the money of innocent supporters of CUD party are spreading around. If these rumors are false, it is a saddening indication that Ethiopians have not stopped using character assassination as a political tool yet. If these rumors are true, how much worst can Hailu’s camp get??

Anyway, Birtukan is capturing the hearts of many people. Those who used to say Birtukan Medeksa is Oromo only in her name are now praising her because of her plans for an all-inclusiveness of her CUD party. Until now, some Oromo and other southern people were supporting her CUD party just because they hate the ruling party. But if Birtukan manages to change the one-ethnic face of CUD, her party will unquestionably win any election in Ethiopia. Her party’s Amharic name "Kinijit" meaning Unity has been seen as a unity between Amhara and Gurage ethnicities, but now it can become a unity among all ethnicities. At least that is what most people hope ...

Police harassment rampant at border
Daily Nation, Kenya - Nov 15, 2007
My recent trip to the Moyale border town from Marsabit by a lorry exposed me to police misconduct and lack of professionalism.
The trip took me through four police checks that operated like toll stations.
Vehicles and passengers were searched for reasons other than security concerns or roadworthiness.
Of the four check points, Wolda, Turbi, and Marsabit Town KBC transmission station were the worst.
Drivers and their passengers were not allowed to go past the metallic barriers before paying bribes.
I and a local councillor aboard the same lorry had rough time trying to speak for the innocent passengers harassed by the police.
The officers have apparently introduced a new system to identify travellers. Proficiency in Kiswahili language and vaccination marks have apparently become the basis for identification, instead of national identity cards.
At Marsabit KBC station, a woman with a baby strapped to her chest was ordered to alight from the lorry for not being fluent in Kiswahili.
The civic leader and I, had to intervene and save the woman from being taken to an extortion corner to negotiate for her freedom.
It was a shame and embarrassing to note that the professionals from Kiganjo were using smallpox and chickenpox vaccine scars to identify Kenyans, not knowing that the vaccines are part of a global campaign against the highly contagious diseases and are freely administered to individuals, irrespective of their nationality.
At Turbi, a travellers resting centre, the experience was the same. Here, all the passengers were ordered to alight from the vehicle and lined for identification parade.
Those who ‘‘failed’’ were rounded and taken to nearby building, which the passengers later identified as a “slaughter house”.
Many transporters operating on this road conceded that they were making losses due to rough roads and constant breakages coupled with exorbitant police cost. Is the police commissioner aware of this deplorable situation?
JIRMO SAPANZA, Marsabit.

Wide spread arrest in all corners of Oromia continues unabated
AFRO-O - October 29, 2007
The Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of Oromos & Others (AFRO-O) would like to inform Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch about the ongoing mass arrests and torture of hundreds of Oromos in Ethiopia at the present time. Last week, when pressed by Oromo opposition parliament members the Ethiopian prime minister admitted that his government is arresting some Oromos because they were Oromo Liberation Front members and supporters. He went even further by accusing senior opposition MPs, including the honorable Bulcha Demeksa and the honorable Dr.Marara Gudina, of being OLF leaders themselves. He further threatened them by saying that “once the government had enough evidence the culprits would be arrested and put on trial.” This in itself is a clear breach of principle of any democratic governance, for the leader of the ruling party to threaten members of parliament with arrest.
The Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of Oromos & Others has just received a list of a list of 148 Oromo men, women, students and farmers and their places of residences and locations of their detentions. We notice the fact that many individuals are brought to the famous Makelawi detention center in the capital, Addis Ababa, known to Oromos as Finfine. We strongly suspect that the reason for transporting these individuals to the Makelawi is to torture them. The Makelawi in Ethiopia is synonymous with torture to the people of Ethiopia. All the listed Oromo individuals are suspected of involvement with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). We believe that the list is a “tip of the Iceberg,” since the arrests are in the thousands according to news reaching us and are ongoing.
We appeal to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to follow up and investigate this new arrests and their plight to all peace loving people around the globe. We suspect that the real reason for these new arrests is to intimidate the electorate into supporting the ruling party of Prime Minister Zenawi ...

Clan discards tradition to endorse female candidate
Standard, Kenya - October 28, 2007

Mrs. Mumina Konso

A borana clan has gone ‘out of tradition’ to endorse the candidature of a woman parliamentary aspirant in Isiolo District.

Elders from the Dambenono clan ‘cleared’ Mrs Mumina Konso to vie for the Isiolo South Constituency parliamentary seat, whose immediate former MP was Mr Abdul Bahari Ali (Kanu).

The elders, drawn from all the locations of Isiolo South, met at the residence of Mr Haji Kadubo Billa and deliberated on the issue for five days.

It was a relief for Mrs Konso as the same elders had ‘barred’ her from running in 2002, saying Borana women were traditionally ‘not allowed’ to lead.

She defied the elders then and contested against Bahari on a Narc ticket, but lost.

Billa said it had dawned on the elders that women too could seek leadership positions and own or inherit property, contrary to their earlier beliefs.

"Lessons learnt from civic awareness campaigns from NGOs have led to the change in belief and attitude towards women," he said.

He added that the elders from Sericho location had also contributed to the change of attitude ...

Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of plotting to invade
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - October 27, 2007
Eritrea accused arch-foe Ethiopia on Saturday of plotting to invade the Red Sea state ahead of a late-November deadline to mark their disputed border on maps.
Analysts and diplomats fear heightened tensions on the Horn of Africa rivals' frontier could erupt into a new conflict seven years after they fought a war that killed some 70,000 people.
In an online statement on Saturday, the Asmara government said its security agents had uncovered a plot by Addis Ababa.
"Intelligence agencies ... say that (Ethiopia) is intending to launch an invasion against Eritrea in the first week of November 2007 with the blessing of the U.S. Administration," the statement said.
It did not provide any evidence, but it said Ethiopia would prepare by withdrawing troops it has deployed in neighbouring Somalia to avoid "getting engaged along two fronts".
Ethiopian tanks and warplanes helped Somalia's weak interim government oust a hardline Somali Islamist movement -- a group seen by many as supported by Asmara -- in a war late last year.
Ethiopian government officials were not immediately available to comment on the latest allegation ...

Oromia-Ethiopia: weakness in the Oromo struggle (Blog)
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - October 26, 2007

This week on TV, Meles Zenawi blamed OFDM/ONC opposition parties for allegedly acting like OLF. Sadly, Meles even threatened legal measures. Legal measures against Bulcha Demeksa, the most angry but the most peaceful man in Ethiopia history? Really? What a BIG setback for the peaceful Oromo struggle!!

It seems like most people I know here care about the Oromo struggle part-time. Even talking about it has become a part-time event, a couple of hours at best. Most of these hours are after rumors from OLF’s increasingly “jammed” memorandum arrives via word of mouth. Why is this happening? Has the Oromo struggle lost its mojo? According to our Amara friends, there was never a mojo, there was never consensus and the popularity of the Oromo struggle was a myth in the first place. According to them, all peoples were negatively affected by repressive governments and an all-inclusive all-Ethiopian solution is needed. According to the Tegres, things are perfect right now, we are living in “heaven on earth” and Oromos have “never had it better.” But according to ME, well, OLF is becoming awful!!

Currently, OLF is divided into two places. Maybe three (according to Zenawi’s Trojan horse model for OFDM, which has become OLF itself) But I am sorry to say this, but it is an insult on OFDM to say it is like OLF. Unlike OLF, OFDM has one voice, one ideology, one goal. As for OLF, it changes its ideology more than shirts wore by the average Joe in Oromia. (that # might not be a big number, but you get the idea) One time OLF was seeking full separation, no less! Another time, it was becoming like OFDM by seeking Oromia self-governance under Ethiopia umbrella. About one year ago, people here were saying that OLF has become Neftenga itself, working with CUD to bring back old form of federalism. When OLF allied itself with neftenga, OPDO was celebrating, having party every week. Now, OLF seems to be undecided and clueless. Even if it finally decides its policy, OLF is already cut apart into 2 places – one of them working with Eritrea. Even worse, the two OLF groups are throwing lawsuits against each other. Wow! ...

Related News:

Oromo MPs under Heightened Threat
American Chronicle, CA - October 26, 2007

Ethiopia: “Oromos are being imprisoned daily”– MP Bulcha Demeksa
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - October 27, 2007

From the blogsphere:

Insight into the Oromo Unity: an Inherited ConstructIbsaa Guutama - Gubirmans Publishing - August 2007

Celebrating - the Dallas Oromo Evangelical ChurchDallasNews Religion - Aug 26, 2007

An Intellectual for/of the Oromo Part 1 Part 2Steven Thomas @ Booga Face - Aug 2007

The Oromoo StruggleIbsaa Guutama - Gubirmans Publishing - July 2007

The Asmara Group of OLF takes TA-OLF to a Minnesota CourtBlog: Oromo Affairs - July 23, 2007

Few words on Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 (H. R. 2003)
Gubirmans Publishing - October 2007

Ibsaa Guutama, the writer, is a member of the generation that drew the first Political Program of the OLF.

If one is talking about Human rights on the bases of UN charter and the conventions and covenants, neither democracy nor accountability is to be expected from Ethiopia. Individual rights and liberties are violated not only targeting the individual but also the people to whom the individual belongs. The empire is composed of nations and nationalities in which majority were colonized. The mother country, Habashaa had never had democratic governance. Power is always captured not bestowed through democratic process.

The American legislature is trying to impose a strange practice from the outside. In this paper the writer is trying to follow the process of HR 2003, what it addresses and what it overlooks. The Bill that was sent from the House to the Senate on October 2, 2007 has 8 sections.

The Process

To pass or block a Bill requires great effort from those who are for and against. To initiate and push it through requires courage and perseverance. Even assuming that there are no external pressures obtaining a large enough majority in the House that agrees on the objective of the proposed Bill would be a painstaking endeavor. In the case of HR 2003 Ethiopia, first there are members who believe the theory that each people get a government it deserves. So there is no need to interfere under any pretext. Second, there are those who idolize imperial Ethiopia where the Amaara were politically and socially dominant. That is the Ethiopia they claim to love and so support. They believe that the regime is suppressing supporters of that ideal.

The third know Ethiopia through the present regime alone. They include those who identify themselves with the struggle that brought TPLF to power and those impressed with the approach of Mallas to democracy. The later are easily deceived by the canning Tigrian cadres. What is now tabled in the House is an entirely different picture for them. Fourth and final group include those keen observers for whom it did not take time to understand the deceptive character of the regime and the atrocities being committed by it. Majority of members with different outlook and experience indicated above have to be convinced to pass a Bill. Such presentation has to appeal to the conscience of each and every individual, despite their varied understanding of the Ethiopian human right situation ...

There are no people called “Sidamo”: stop the use of “Sidamo” misnomer
The Sidama Concern - October 2007

Gadaa.com supports the Worldwide Campaign to Stamp out the "Sidamo" Misnomer.

Time and again the Sidama people have rejected the use of the derogatory term “Sidamo”. The term was a deliberate fabrication by the invading Abyssinian soldiers of King Minelik as part of the campaign to humiliate, undermine and subjugate the newly conquered territories in the South of the country.

This article is motivated by the outrageous statements made by Eremias Woldemikael during his email conversations with Kambata Xola of Sidama National Liberation Organization (SNLO) regarding the Abyssinian occupation, subjugation and exploitation of the Sidama land. Eremias writes:

“When I was referring to Sidama and Oromo relationship, I was using the term ‘Sidama’ in a historical sense. Historians use the term ‘Sidama’ to refer to peoples that lived South of and including some part of Shewa. The term "Sidamo" is used to one of the ethnic groups of those peoples. As you may know the region was conquered by the Oromo during their expansion in the 16th c. For further information on the distinction between Sidama and Sidamo, see J.S. Trirmingham's Islam in Ethiopia pp. 179-185 and Mordechai Abir's Ethiopia: The Era of the Princes pp.73. By making this distinction, I hope you do not feel like I am trying to lecture you about your culture or ethnicity. I am simply trying to explain the context of my discussion."

I am shocked to read the above statements in the 21st century. I agree with Eremias, on one point, however. Abyssinians do not know anything and do not want to know anything about non-Abyssinian peoples such as Sidama. They must be taught not only about democracy, respect to human dignity and the rule of law but also the fact that there are other proud nations in Ethiopia who have their own history, who know their history very well and who can articulate these at least as much as the Abyssinians do regarding their peoples ...

For Wami, road to Beijing via the streets of New York
IAAF, Monaco - October 25, 2007

More than 20 years ago when Ethiopia’s Gete Wami first joined her first professional running club, she was “out of this world with happiness” after receiving a meagre ETB 127 (USD 14) as a first month’s salary with the Omedla Police sports club.

Now more than two decades later and after a world 10,000m title, one silver and two bronze medals from the Olympic Games, and various World cross country titles, the 32-year-old is in line to win USD 500,000 for finishing atop of the 2006/07 World Marathon Majors (WMM) series which links top Marathons in New York, Berlin, Chicago, London, and Boston and marathons in the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

Difficult double looms

It is therefore easy for her to get carried away at the thought of winning one of athletics’ top cash prizes, but Wami is surprisingly calm about the prospects of collecting her biggest payday.

“Of course 500,000 dollars is a big motivation,” she says with less than two weeks to go before she runs in the ING New York City Marathon. “But I try not to think about the money a lot. I am just concentrating on preparation.”

Given the high stakes involved, Wami does need to put her feet on the ground. Only 35 days after winning the 2007 Real Berlin Marathon in another fast time of 2:23.17, the fourth sub 2:24 of her career, she is 10 points ahead of her closest challenger, Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, in the WMM current standings. While Wami is in her ‘recovery period’ after her exhaustion in Berlin, Prokopcuka travels to the Big Apple with fresh legs after running her last marathon in April ...

Ethiopia PM in opposition warning
BBC News, UK - October 23, 2007
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has accused the official opposition of collaborating with armed insurgents.
His comments came after an opposition leader complained in parliament about harassment in the Oromia region.
Mr Meles also mocked foreign press coverage of events in the south-east Ogaden region where rebels claim to have battled the army over the weekend.
Some groups have taken up arms in the Oromia and Somali-speaking Ogaden regions in pursuit of greater autonomy.
Arrests threat
In the parliamentary session, broadcast live on Ethiopian television, the prime minister said the opposition were acting as a Trojan horse for armed insurgent movements.
The accusations came after opposition leader Bulcha Demeksa complained about widespread arrests and harassment in the Oromia region in the southern central part of the country.
Mr Meles said the government was aware that some senior leaders of opposition organisations were members of the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
He said once the government had enough evidence the culprits would be arrested and put on trial ...