During the recent weeks, the Ethiopian government is perpetrating a
crime against humanity against the Somali-Issa people living in the
following towns: Gadmaytu, Undufo and Cadaytu, located near the Awash
River. More than 300,000 people were asked to clear an area the size
of Belgium (30 000 square kilometers), to pave the way for a program
designed few years ago, with the prime purpose of leasing or selling
lands to foreign investors.
International institutions such as the
World Bank or the African Bank for Development are repeating these
past few years that Ethiopia has an annual growth between 8 to 10%;
but on the ground, in spite of the few foreign investments in the
hospitality industry, or infrastructure projects like the “grand
renaissance dam” which damaged the environment, 70% of the 80
million Ethiopians are still living with less than 1 dollar a day.
Ethiopia is also well-known with having a very poor record regarding
Human rights. Political opponents and journalists are routinely
jailed, if not killed.
According to Reporters Without Borders, a
leading NGO in the field, the government has created a climate of
fear within the press ahead of the parliamentarian elections in May
next year “At least six publications had to close in recent months;
and around 30 journalists have fled abroad since the start of the
year, as a result of the biggest crackdown on the privately-owned
press since 2005”. Prominent journalists like Mr. Temesgen
Desalegn, the editor of “Fact” magazine, are jailed with vague
charge of “terrorism”. According to another press watchdog, the
Committee to Protect Journalists: “Ethiopia has one of the most
restricted media in the world and the highest number of journalists
living in exile”.
The general elections in May 2005 were marred
with frauds and violence, leaving more than three hundred deaths and
thousands wounded. Several well-known opponents including blogger
Eskinder Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage paid a huge price
for their search of freedom: Mr. Nega was jailed for 18 years while
Mr. Arage was sentenced for life. As a result, the current Parliament
elected in 2010 comprised only 1 opponent out of 547
Parliamentarians!!!
During the last five years, the authoritarian
Ethiopian government has put in place an ambitious GTP (Growth and
Transformation Plan) aimed at attracting international investments.
Unfortunately, this Plan is based on the forced eviction of 1.5
million people in the Gambela, Afar, Somali and Benishangul-Gumuz
regions. In the Regional Somali State alone, 500,000 people have to
be deported. This process is well-known as “land-grabbing”,
consisting of selling or leasing large pieces of land in developing
countries to international firms, governments (Brazil, India, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, etc.) or wealthy individuals.
According to activists monitoring the issue worldwide, who published
their findings in “Farmlandgrab.org” and
“Survivalinternational.org”; or works undertaken by researchers
like Jon Abbink, an anthropologist specializing in the Horn of
Africa, Ethiopia is deeply engaged in this process in a very bad way:
« In Africa, Ethiopia is at the forefront of handing out land ».
Of
course the amount paid by foreigners to acquire land is never
released and it is very unlikely that this money will ever reach the
poor Ethiopians. Several NGO working in the field of Human Rights
have reported and documented how the Ethiopian government has removed
at gunpoint thousands of indigenous people from their ancestor lands
in the OMO River and the Gambela region since 2010. Killing, rapes,
extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and beating have been
used during the deportation process, according to Human Right Watch,
Survivalinternational and the Oakland Institute.
Those last weeks,
the Ethiopian government sent its military forces into the Regional
Somali State, besieging the towns and villages of Cadaytu, Undufo,
Gadmaytu, and the surrounding area inhabited by Somali-Issa
pastoralists and farmers. The violence deployed against the
indigenous tribes living in Gambela and around the OMO River is again
underway there. Demonstrations have been staged by the Somali-Issa
inhabitants. The response was a fierce repression with the army
firing indiscriminately. Dozens of people lost their lives, while
hundreds have been wounded. All this happened in silence as not one
single media – be it national or international- is reporting this
slow onslaught on Somali-Issa pastoralists in Ethiopia.
read more here
Ethiopia:
Large scale killing and deportation of Somali-Issa people in the Awash
River
by Galan Waddour
During the recent weeks, the Ethiopian government is perpetrating a
crime against humanity against the Somali-Issa people living in the
following towns: Gadmaytu, Undufo and Cadaytu, located near the Awash
River. More than 300,000 people were asked to clear an area the size of
Belgium (30 000 square kilometers), to pave the way for a program
designed few years ago, with the prime purpose of leasing or selling
lands to foreign investors.
International institutions such as the World Bank or the African Bank
for Development are repeating these past few years that Ethiopia has an
annual growth between 8 to 10%; but on the ground, in spite of the few
foreign investments in the hospitality industry, or infrastructure
projects like the “grand renaissance dam” which damaged the environment,
70% of the 80 million Ethiopians are still living with less than 1
dollar a day.
Ethiopia is also well-known with having a very poor record regarding
Human rights. Political opponents and journalists are routinely jailed,
if not killed. According to Reporters Without Borders, a leading NGO in
the field, the government has created a climate of fear within the press
ahead of the parliamentarian elections in May next year “At least six
publications had to close in recent months; and around 30 journalists
have fled abroad since the start of the year, as a result of the biggest
crackdown on the privately-owned press since 2005”. Prominent
journalists like Mr. Temesgen Desalegn, the editor of “Fact” magazine,
are jailed with vague charge of “terrorism”. According to another press
watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists: “Ethiopia has one of the
most restricted media in the world and the highest number of
journalists living in exile”.
The general elections in May 2005 were marred with frauds and violence,
leaving more than three hundred deaths and thousands wounded. Several
well-known opponents including blogger Eskinder Nega and opposition
leader Andualem Arage paid a huge price for their search of freedom: Mr.
Nega was jailed for 18 years while Mr. Arage was sentenced for life. As
a result, the current Parliament elected in 2010 comprised only 1
opponent out of 547 Parliamentarians!!!
During the last five years, the authoritarian Ethiopian government has
put in place an ambitious GTP (Growth and Transformation Plan) aimed at
attracting international investments. Unfortunately, this Plan is based
on the forced eviction of 1.5 million people in the Gambela, Afar,
Somali and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. In the Regional Somali State
alone, 500,000 people have to be deported. This process is well-known as
“land-grabbing”, consisting of selling or leasing large pieces of land
in developing countries to international firms, governments (Brazil,
India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, etc.) or wealthy
individuals. According to activists monitoring the issue worldwide, who
published their findings in “Farmlandgrab.org” and
“Survivalinternational.org”; or works undertaken by researchers like Jon
Abbink, an anthropologist specializing in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia
is deeply engaged in this process in a very bad way: « In Africa,
Ethiopia is at the forefront of handing out land ». Of course the amount
paid by foreigners to acquire land is never released and it is very
unlikely that this money will ever reach the poor Ethiopians.
Several NGO working in the field of Human Rights have reported and
documented how the Ethiopian government has removed at gunpoint
thousands of indigenous people from their ancestor lands in the OMO
River and the Gambela region since 2010. Killing, rapes, extrajudicial
executions, arbitrary detentions and beating have been used during the
deportation process, according to Human Right Watch,
Survivalinternational and the Oakland Institute.
Those last weeks, the Ethiopian government sent its military forces into
the Regional Somali State, besieging the towns and villages of Cadaytu,
Undufo, Gadmaytu, and the surrounding area inhabited by Somali-Issa
pastoralists and farmers.
The violence deployed against the indigenous tribes living in Gambela
and around the OMO River is again underway there. Demonstrations have
been staged by the Somali-Issa inhabitants. The response was a fierce
repression with the army firing indiscriminately. Dozens of people lost
their lives, while hundreds have been wounded. All this happened in
silenced as not one single media – be it national or international- is
reporting this slow onslaught on Somali-Issa pastoralists in Ethiopia.
- See more at:
http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/24339#sthash.r2TpUpjr.dpuf