OPDO’s Leader Aster Mamo Caught Speaking out of Both Sides of Her Mouth: She Supports the Addis Ababa Master Plan, and the Ongoing Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement Against the Addis Ababa Master Plan at the Same Time

This report is based on the report by Somalilandpress.com.

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OPDO’s leader Aster Mamo was caught today in double-speak. She spoke out of both sides of her mouth on the ongoing fight about the Addis Ababa Master Plan between the TPLF tyrannical regime and the Oromo people (represented by the brave Oromo students protesting in university campuses across Oromia).

Oromo analysts have stated that the Addis Ababa Master Plan is a plan to cleanse the Oromo ethnic group from the districts of Oromia surrounding Finfinnee – in the same way that Finfinnee is devoid of its Oromo identity, and also, if implemented, the Addis Ababa Master Plan will divide Oromia into “West Oromia” and “East Oromia.”

In the above report by Somalilandpress.com, OPDO’s Aster Mamo first stated that she and her organization supported the ongoing Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement against the Addis Ababa Master Plan to evict and dispossess Oromo farmers from their ancestral lands around Finfinnee (also called Addis Ababa).

The report said,

“Mrs Aster Mamo, the Deputy Chairwoman of the regional ruling party Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO) said her party is pleased with the Oromo student protests happening in universities throughout Oromia. This week, thousands of Oromo students have demonstrated in several universities to express their concerns about the government’s investment plan around the capital Addis Ababa.”

Then, she dropped the bomb – she stated the following – which supported and justified the Addis Ababa Master Plan as a “job creator,” basically negating her own stance about supporting the ongoing Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement against the Addis Ababa Master Plan.

“Mamo said the development plans surrounding Addis Ababa are meant to create more jobs and gain capital and industrial know-how from corporations and investors.”

Such deceiving public statements to misinform the Oromo people, and being sales-agents when Habesha rulers are stealing land from millions of defenseless and voiceless Oromo farmers is not what the Oromo nation expects from OPDO.

The Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement Against the Addis Ababa Master Plan will continue.

Ethiopia: Multiple arrests in major crackdown on government critics

26 April 2014

The Ethiopian government is tightening its suffocating grip on freedom of expression in a major crackdown which has seen the arrest of numerous independent, critical and opposition voices over the last two days, said Amnesty International.

Six members of an independent blogger and activist group and a freelance journalist were arrested yesterday 25 April. Another journalist was arrested this morning. Meanwhile 20 members of the political opposition Semayawi (Blue) party have been arrested since Thursday.

"These arrests appear to be yet another alarming round up of opposition or independent voices" said Claire Beston, Ethiopia researcher at Amnesty International.

"This is part of a long trend of arrests and harassment of human rights defenders, activists, journalists and political opponents in Ethiopia."

Six members of the independent blogger and activist group ‘Zone 9’ were arrested on 25 April in Addis Ababa. Group members Befeqadu Hailu, Atnaf Berahane, Mahlet Fantahun, Zelalem Kiberet, Natnael Feleke and Abel Wabela were arrested from their offices or in the street on Friday afternoon. All six were first taken to their homes, which were searched, and then taken to the infamous Federal Police Crime Investigation Sector ‘Maikelawi’, where political prisoners are held in pre-trial, and sometimes arbitrary, detention.

At around the same time on Friday afternoon freelance journalist Tesfalem Waldyes was also arrested. His home was also searched before he was taken to Maikelawi. Another freelance journalist and friend of the Zone 9 group, Edom Kasaye, was arrested on the morning of Saturday 26 April. She was accompanied by police to her home, which was searched, and then taken to Maikelawi.

"The detainees must be immediately released unless they are charged with a recognisable criminal offence" said Claire Beston.

"They must also be given immediate access to their families and lawyers."

The detainees are being held incommunicado. Family members of those arrested reportedly went to Maikelawi on the morning of Saturday 26 April, and were told they could leave food for the detainees, but they were not permitted to see them.

The Zone 9 group had temporarily suspended their activities over the last six months after what they say was a significant increase in surveillance and harassment of their members. On 23 April the group announced via social media that they were returning to their blogging and activism. The arrests came two days later.

It is not known what prompted Waldyes’ arrest, but he is well known as a journalist writing independent commentary on political issues. 

In further arrests, the political opposition party, the Semayawi (Blue) Party, says that during 24 and 25 April more than 20 of its members were arrested. The party was arranging to hold a demonstration on Sunday 27 April. They had provided the requisite notification to Addis Ababa administration, and had reportedly received permission.

The arrested party members, which include the Vice Chairman of the party, are reported to be in detention in a number of police stations around the city, including Kazanchis 6th, Gulele and Yeka police stations.

The Chairman of the party, Yilkil Getnet, was also reportedly arrested, but was released late on Friday night.

Over the last year, the Semayawi party has staged several demonstrations, which have witnessed the arrests and temporary detention of organisers and demonstrators on a number of occasions.

In March, seven female members of the Semayawi Party were arrested during a run to mark International Women’s Day in Addis Ababa, after chanting slogans including “We need freedom! Free political prisoners! We need justice! Freedom! Don’t divide us!” The women were released without charge after ten days in detention. 

“With still a year to go before the general elections, the Ethiopian government is closing any remaining holes in its iron grip on freedom of speech, opinion and thought in the country” said Claire Beston. 

Bloggers and activists are arrested in Ethiopia

Friday, April 25, 2014

Six members of Zone Nine, group of bloggers and activists are arrested today late in the afternoon at 5:20 pm by Ethiopian security forces. Team members Befeqadu Hailu, Atnaf Berahane, Mahlet Fantahun, Zelalem Kiberet, Natnael Feleke and Abel Wabela are all under custody on arrest warrant.

The arrest comes immediately after the bloggers and activists notified their return to their usual activism on April 23, 2014 after their inactivity for the past seven months. On their return note the group has indicated that they have sustained a considerable amount of surveillance and harassment. They have indicated that one of their reasons for their disappearance from activism is the harassment they have been receiving from government security agents.

We believe members and friends of Zone Nine have nothing to do with illegal activities and we request the government to release them immediately.

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ዛሬ አርብ ሚያዝያ 17 ቀን 2006 አመሻሹ ላይ 11፡20 ገደማ ስድስት የዞን ዘጠኝ ጦማርያን አባላት የሆኑት ጓደኞቻችን በመንግስት የጸጥታ ሀይሎች ከያሉበት ተይዘዋል፡፡ እነርሱም ናትናኤል ፈለቀ፣ በፍቃዱ ሀይሉ፣ አጥናፍ ብረሀነ፣ ማህሌት ፋንታሁን፣ ዘላለም ክብረት እና አቤል ዋበላ ናቸው፡፡ ጦማርያኑን ጓደኞቻችን ለማሰር የመጡት አካላት የማሰሪያና የመፈተሻ የፍርድ ቤት ፈቃድ የያዙ መሆናቸውን ሰምተናልአ መደበኛ የሆነው “ዞን 9” የጦማርያን ስብስብ አባላት ሚያዚያ 15፣2006 በዋጣነው መግለጫ ላለፉት ሰባት ወራት የዞኑ አባላት ከፍተኛ የሆነ ክትትል ሲደረግባቸው እንደነበር በጠቅላላው የተጠቆመ ሲሆን ክትትሉ የተወሰኑ የቡድኑን አባላትና የቅርብ ወዳጆችን ጭምር ያካተተ ነበር፡፡ አሁን በመንግስት የተወሰደው እርምጃ የዞኑን ተመልሶ ወደ ስራ መግባት ተከትሎ ሊሆን እንደሚችል ይገመታል ሆኖም የዞን 9 አባላትና ወዳጆች በምንም አይነት ህገ ወጥ ተግባር ላይ ተሰማርተው እነዳልነበር ለማረጋገጥ እንወዳለ፡፡ በመሆኑም የታሰሩ የዞኑ አባላትና ወዳጆች በአስቸኳይ እንዲለቀቁ እንጠይቃለን::

BREAKING NEWS – #OromoFDG2014 – PHOTOS – April 26, 2014: Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement at Wallaggaa University Against Eviction of Oromo Farmers from Finfinnee Surrounding and Expansion of Addis Ababa

Saturday, April 26, 2014

(April 26, 2014) – Oromo students’ nonviolent protests are underway at Wallaggaa University against the plan (called the Addis Ababa Master Plan) to evict millions of Oromo farmers and dispossess them of their land in Oromian districts surrounding Finfinnee under the pretext of the “urban development of Addis Ababa.”

According to published data, under the current TPLF regime, Addis Ababa has expanded by ~400% since 1991 (from ~13,763.3-ha in 1991 to ~52,706.2-ha in 2014 – see data here); even though the Oromiyaa Region is a federally constituted state, it continues to be annexed by the Habesha government of Addis Ababa.

Political analysts have stated recently that the current Addis Ababa Master Plan will potentially divide the Oromiyaa Region into two by the proposed plan’s annexation of Central Oromiyaa by Addis Ababa, and the subsequent eviction of the Oromo farming communities in Central Oromiyaa under the pretext of “industrial zones.” There are at least 8 industrial zones all over Oromiyaa, such as the Malka Jebdu area under the Dire Dawa Industrial Zone, the Ambo Industrial Zone, the Chinese-owned Bishoftu Eastern Industrial Zone – which is slated to extend all the way to Asella in Arsi Zone of Oromiyaa in the coming few years.

 

“It gives scary pictures for the most Oromos”

By Leggese Alemu Gurmu

(From Social media via Advocacy for Oromia, 24 April 2014) Ato Mathewos Asfaw, the General Manager of AA/Oromia Special Zone Master Plan Project, is not clear yet on the most important and sensitive public matter. During interview on ETV he said one of the demands for the new Master Plan is the ever growing population. He said currently Addis Ababa has about 3 million people and it is going to be doubled in the coming 10 years i.e it can go up to 6 million. With the Oromian towns, which have been already spatially and functionally integrated in to Addis, the city will have about 8 million people in coming ten years.

According to him, there are huge surges in population and therefore it is very critical to be prepared to welcome these population pressures (giving them the required housing, space, the required services, transportation and other social and other municipal services). There are also huge demands for investment that comes both from local and abroad. He said, when the plan begin to be implemented, there will be huge investment than we never saw before.

During this interview, he was neither asked nor took a proactive role to explain how all these demands can be met without displacing the surrounding indigenous population (Oromo peasants) from their lands and homes. Nor he said about any long and short term strategies that are going to be put in place to deal with these displacements. He was not asked or he did not address these critical issues b/c the main target of this plan is not benefiting the indigenous people from these development activities.

As he rightly said, the main target is responding to the ever growing of population pressure and needs for investment in the City of Addis. This is very clear and almost unambiguous. This mind set up also fits the very historical development of that “garrison”, (Amharic Katama). It has been pushing out the indigenous people from their lands, while they have been diminished and made extinct, Addis has been growing. The current plan is simply the continuum of past policies and practices. That is why evicting Oromo peasants from their home and lands have been considered as almost normal way of development for City of Addis.

The most amazing thing is that when Ato Mathewos Asfaw asked by Ethiopian Reporter, the Amharic vision, that who he thinks going to be the most beneficiaries from this master plan, his answer was this one “የበለጠ ተጠቃሚ ይሆናሉ ከተባለ የሚጠቀሙት ከዚህ በፊት ተጎጂ የነበሩት አካባቢዎች ናቸው፡፡ በዚህ ማስተር ፕላን ሁለቱም ተጠቃሚ ናቸው፡፡ የበለጠ ግን ሲጎዱ የነበሩ አካባቢዎች ተጠቃሚ ይሆናሉ፡፡” To be honest, I do not know to whom he is referring to as “ከዚህ በፊት ተጎጂ የነበሩት አካባቢዎች”. However, most people definitely know who these areas /አካባቢዎች/ are. They are indigenous people:the Oromos. It is Oromo peasants who have been the victims of the development of City of Addis so far. So, are these the people who are going to be the most beneficiaries from the plan that has been designed to respond to the demands of City of Addis or are there any other people / area he is referring to? The fate of the indigenous people has never been even the subject of his interviews so far and how all of the sudden they turned to be the most beneficiaries of this this plan? He thinks he smart or what?

During ETV interviews he said administrative takeover of Oromian Towns and Woradas is not the part of the plan. He is right and most people know this and I do not know why he repeats the most obvious. This is not even the main part of the concerns for now. The main issue is that: First, for the coming 30 years or so the plan significantly changes the demographic structure of the Oromian towns and Woradas which are included in the Master plan.

This is very inevitable if the master plan get implemented properly. Then, it is very clear that it is going to be presented to internal secession according to Article 47 of FDRE constitution, if it stays as it is now. This is also very clear b/c there is no any legal or moral reason why majorly non Oromo population want to be administered under Oromia regional state while they can establish their own autonomous region. The argument in this regard is, thus, this plan is the first of the beginning of breaking down of Oromia National Regional State into so many parts. Is this not very clear and visible?

Anyways, there are many things to be said on this matter. The bottom line is, however, the public and major stakeholders are not getting the information they need most at this critical junction. (The plan begins to be implemented on May 2014). The information available, including the one we get from the General Manager, does not make sense or does not add up. If it adds up, it gives scary pictures for the most Oromos.

Here are the links for whatever purpose:

http://www.diretube.com/meet-etv/mathewos-asfaw-gm-aaoromia-special-zone-master-plan-project-video_9cfa5a03c.html

http://gadaa.com/GadaaTube/10350/2014/04/15/orotv-oslo-yaadannoo-guyyaa-gootota-oromoo-oslo-norway-ebla-15-2014/

Hyenas got more attention than indigenous Oromo population around Finfinnee (Addis Ababa)

By Meseret Wondafrash Leta | April 18, 2014

The prime reason for my comment is that two conflicting articles from two different writers are reported concerning urban hyenas. Both writers’ comment focused on and argued about the urban animals that either could be dangerous to rough sleepers on the street or that are existing urban fabrics and friendly co-resident as being one of the diverse cohabitant of the city.

First, a BBC journalist Martin Fletcher, on February 23, 2014 under the article titled “Urban hyenas are becoming a dangerous problem in the Ethiopian capital, where they attack rough sleepers” commented about the infestation of the city by dangerous creature. He further noted about the growing number of incidents of hyenas attacking people and domestic animals in Addis Ababa. Martin Fletcher in order to show the dangerousness of these hyenas has quoted Stephen Brend, a zoologist with the Born Free Foundation, who said that ” Hyenas have jaws as powerful as those of great white sharks, …They can crush an elephant’s leg. They devour every last morsel of their prey – bones included.”

On the opposing side Yves Maria Stranger, a reporter to “www.thegurdina.com” on March 5, 2014 under the article heading “Addis Ababa and its hyenas have a long and peaceful history: Reports of attacks on humans are creating an unfair image of these ‘beasts’, says a long-term resident of the Ethiopian capital” argued that hyenas in the city of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) and Ethiopia has long history of living side by side peacefully with people. Yves Maria Stranger further argued by saying“…..the story of Addis Ababa and Ethiopia’s long coexistence with hyenas is a more nuanced affair. I would argue there are fewer hyenas in the city itself, and more of the beasts on the periphery. Fewer in the city because ringroads, fast cars and a blanket of cement and urbanisation have erased a lot of the “wild” urban areas. More in the periphery because Addis Ababa has grown so tremendously in the last few years.”

It is clear that both of the commentators seemed to give more attention to the wildlife of the city while they have no clue about the indigenous Oromo culture that are on the verge of distinction (ethnically to be cleansed). The recently declared Master plan of the city of Finfinne (Addis Ababa) by the city government has indicated that there is a government plan to incorporate vast amount of land to urban development and the outlying existing Oromo occupied land along with agricultural land to be annexed. There will be a gravely outcome if the city expands out as planned by the government and it has to be the concern of not only Oromo people but all mankind has to give due support for the voiceless.

My point of view is that the advocacy and environmental protectionist concern that are rendered to hyenas of Oromo land in and around the Addis Ababa should also at least be given to the Oromo people, clan, sub-clan, culture, andscape, environment, and sense of place that are going to be destroyed when the master plan will come to tsfullest effect. The government of TPLF has a hidden plan to expand large cities in the state of Oromia in order to take control over the prime land of our people. This is evidenced by its long term annexed large cities such as Jimma, Harar, Dire Dawa, and Awasa which are already under the control of the TPLF government for more than 23 years. All of these cities are controlled and its sources are sucked by the TPLF government while different revenues that are collected by all municipalities including incomes from land sell and land related incomes.

Additionally, the government of TPLF has continued evicting people from their ancestral homeland to gain and grab more land with clear or hidden reasons. On the other hand, a protest and peoples refusal to give their land has continued where arbitrary detention and mass arrest is widely used to stop by the TPLF led government.

Finally, I would like to argue that the environmentally sensitive places, cultural hubs, clans, sub-clans, unique social orders, and the Oromo people deserve all due attention to save their identity and lives. Also, I would like to ask all civilized people to consider the underlying situations and conditions of the impoverished people that are going to be a victim of unfair planning practice and governmental power. Also, I ask for your help and advocacy that you did for the urban hyenas to also give it to the Oromo people. Historically, most European, American governments, and experts helped only dictators while turning deaf and blind toward the people of Oromia. May god bless you for your future comprehensive and inclusive report !!!

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The OLF Condemns the Acts of Ethnic Cleansing Perpetrated against the Oromo People by the TPLF-led Regime in Finfinnee (Addis Ababa)

oromoliberationfront.info | April 17, 2014

We are gravely concerned that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front-led (TPLF) regime has, once again, intensified its policy of cleansing the Oromo people from Finfinnee, the capital city of Oromia, and the surrounding districts.

The regime first created the so-called Oromia Special Zone in 2008 and since pursued a relentless systematic removal of the indigenous Oromo people from their ancestral land in the name of “land for investors”, with the sole purpose of forcefully usurping and controlling Oromo land and resource.

The Oromo towns including Akaki, Bonsa, Burayu, Chaffe, Chancho, Dukam, Galan, Holata, Mojo, Mulo, Sabata, Sandafa, Sululta, and Walamara, which the regime has brought under the administration of the “Special Zone”, are scattered along the four main gates to and from the capital in the range of 25Km to 50Km from the capital city.

The regime has launched its most recent atrocity under the guise of “Addis Ababa and the Surrounding Oromia Integrated Development Plan Project” and annexed the aforementioned towns from Oromia. The regimes’ long-term sinister strategic plan is to surgically remove Finfinnee and the surrounding from Oromia and annex it to the neighboring Amhara state and deprive Oromia of its vital economic and political capital when Oromia eventually becomes an independent country.

Having compulsorily and illegally evicted the Oromo people from areas surrounding their capital city, and now removing a huge landmass and vital strategic towns away from Oromia, the regime has—as it did in 2004 when it imprisoned, killed and exiled over 350 Oromo students for opposing the eviction of Oromo institutions from their capital city—provoked the Oromo youth to rise up and protest. Now it will use this as pretext to dismiss Oromo students from universities, imprison them, and send them into exile en masse.

EU Holds Discussion on Ethiopian Human Rights Crisis in Ogaden and Kality Prison

By Ahmed Abdi

EU House of Parliament opened a hearing on the worsening Humanitarian and Human Rights crisis in the Ogaden region by the Ethiopian government

April 8, 2014 (Tesfa News) —  EUROPEAN Parliament opened hearing about the Ogaden Human Rights violations and the Ethiopian prisons in Addis Ababa. The hearing, which was invited to participate in the Ogaden whistle-blower, Abdullahi Hussein, and Swedish Journalist, Martin Schibbye, was held on April 2nd by the group the progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats in European Parliament and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

“Ethiopia is one of the largest humanitarian and development aid receiver yet these donations are used incorrectly and corruptly. Western governmental Organizations and Western Embassies to Addis Ababa ignored the stolen donations and humanitarian aid that are being used as a political tool by the Ethiopian regime, which is contrary to EU rules on the funding”, said Anna Gomes, MEP Head of international Unit party Socialist democrat.

Ahmed Abdi Marita Ulvskog, MEP, in her part first thanked Abdullahi Hussein and Swedish Journalist, Martin Schibbye speaking about the steps needed to be taken in order to stop the human rights abuses that is being committed against Ethiopian and Ogaden civilians, she said that the EU could use sanctions or words against Ethiopia or follow up documents and information like the one provided by Abdullahi Hussein to show the reality in the ground.

Abdullahi Hussein, who is the former regional Presidential adviser and head of the media in Ogaden presented a shocking footage that changed the EU’s view towards Ethiopia. Abdullahi Hussein, who gained the title of “brave man” and nominated for the prize of Sweden’s civil courage of the year 2014, “Antigone Award”, after he had put himself at risk for smuggling out over 100 hours of footage from the Ogaden Province requested the EU to put their words into action as the killings, gang-raping and extrajudicial arresting still continues.

Speaking with Ogaden diaspora owned TV service of Ilays Tv, Martin Schibbye stated that in conjunction with Abdullahi Hussein their purpose to reset was to tell the World what they had seen which is to fulfill a promise that he made to many people from Ogaden region, but also their co-prisoners in Kality Prison of Addis Ababa.

Members of European Parliament, CPJ’s Jean Paul Marthoz and Human Rights’s Leslie Lefkow have also explained the human rights situation in Ethiopia in details to the EU Parliament. Anna Lindy, Chair of the hearing, presented the human rights situation in Ogaden and Ethiopia at the opening time of the session.

Source: Tesfa News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fQCpbTpESRk

ETHIOPIA’S BORDERLESS CYBERESPIONAGE

by Felix Horne

Chinese- and European-made spyware is enabling Addis Ababa to silence dissent

April 8, 2014 (Al Jazeera) — I met Abdi (not his real name), a 32-year-old primary school teacher from Ethiopia’s Oromia region, last July while in Nairobi. Abdi had been arrested a year earlier in his hometown for organizing a protest against local government corruption. He was already under the eye of Ethiopian security officials because he refused to provide information on the activities of his students to local authorities.

Over the course of two weeks in detention, Abdi was repeatedly beaten and accused of belonging to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which originated in nationalist movements fighting for increased autonomy in the 1960s. The Ethiopian government considers the OLF a terrorist organization and uses the threat of an armed struggle to justify repression of ordinary Oromos, who constitute Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.

The harassment continued after Abdi was released. Eventually, like thousands of other Ethiopians, he felt compelled to flee to Kenya, leaving behind his wife and two children. After some time in Kenya he called home and spoke to his wife, who told him that security officials had been harassing her since he left. That was the last time he spoke to her.

Abdi later learned from neighbors that security officials came to their house hours after his call, demanding to know who was calling her from Kenya and accusing her of being in contact with rebel operatives there. He no longer calls Ethiopia and does not know the whereabouts of his family.

Abdi’s story is not unique. In the last two decades, tens of thousands of Ethiopians have fled their country because of government repression or limited economic opportunities. Most of these migrants, especially those living in neighboring African countries, fear that if they communicate with their families back home, their calls will be traced and their relatives will face repercussions. As new research by Human Rights Watch shows, their fears are well founded. The fear that permeates the lives of many inside Ethiopia has been successfully exported to other countries.

Ethiopian expats, including those living in the United States, have become targets of Addis Ababa’s global espionage.

The state-run Ethio Telecom is the sole provider of phone and Internet services in Ethiopia. The Chinese telecom equipment and systems company ZTE is helping Ethiopia modernize its telecommunications infrastructure. The Ethiopian government uses a Chinese-developed telecom system to monitor and control the communications of its citizens and to silence dissenters both in Ethiopia and abroad. Security officials have unlimited access to the phone records of everyone in the country who owns a phone. During abusive interrogations, security officials often play back recorded phone calls to people in their custody. Those calling or receiving calls from foreign numbers are particularly at risk of reprisals by a government keen to punish those it considers a threat.

But Ethiopia goes even further to monitor dissenting voices outside its borders. The government has acquired and is using commercially available European-made spyware — namely the U.K.- and Germany-based Gamma International’s FinFisher and the Italy-based Hacking Team’s Remote Control System — to monitor dissenters in other countries, effectively extending its surveillance capabilities far beyond its borders. These tools provide security and intelligence agencies with full access to files and activity on an infected target’s computer. They can log keystrokes and passwords and switch on a device’s webcam and microphone, turning a computer anywhere in the world into a listening device. Ethiopian expats, including those living in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland, have become targets of this global espionage.

In late 2012, security officials detained the wife of Yohannes Alemu, a Norwegian citizen and member of a banned opposition group, as she was visiting family in Addis Ababa. They questioned her about her husband’s political connections. Then the security officials demanded information from Yohannes via phone and email about his opposition party colleagues. He refused; after 20 days his wife was finally released and returned to Norway.

But the incident did not end there.

One of the emails he received contained an attachment infected with FinFisher spyware. Once he had downloaded this spyware, the Ethiopian security agencies had unfettered access to all the information on his computer.

While people around the world are right to be shocked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations of mass surveillance by the U.S. government, they should also be concerned that repressive governments such as Ethiopia’s are purchasing and using advanced technologies to target independent voices beyond their borders. The export and use of these European-made commercial products remains virtually unregulated. This is particularly worrying given that evidence exists that similar technologies may be in the hands of authoritarian regimes throughout the world.

These technologies enable repressive governments to monitor dissenting voices in other countries — even in countries where privacy rights are stronger and legal protections are in place to limit state-sponsored surveillance.

The United States, European Union and other donors that together provide an estimated $4 billion in annual aid to Ethiopia should take concerted steps to stop this abuse. They should support global efforts to regulate the export and use of such technologies to governments with poor human rights records. African governments should also speak out and make it clear to Ethiopia that it is an infringement on basic rights to use these technologies to spy on citizens outside of Ethiopia’s borders — people who are all too often seeking protection from repression back home.

Felix Horne is an Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of a new report, “‘They Know Everything We Do’: Telecom and Internet Surveillance in Ethiopia.”

Source: Aljazeera

Saving Oromia from the TPLF Gluttons

By HGoche | April 6, 2014

There are many Oromo Scholars, past and present who advocated the urgency of coordinating our multi-faceted struggle for liberation of Oromia before the TPLF gluttons consume Oromia’s resources. By resources, I mean Oromia’s natural and human resources.

TPLF is doing what is humanly possible to win the next election to continue pillaging what is left of Oromia and selling what they cannot gluttonize to anyone who can pay them the highest bid to fatten their overseas bank account, because deep-down TPLF leaders know very well their days in Oromia and the South will end one day. That day depends on how, we, the Oromos will over-come our petty differences and mobilize as one people. The TPLF gluttons also know that they can continue their destruction of Oromia as long they can disfranchise the Oromo Liberation movements Organization’s, as they did for the last twenty odd years, and it is up to each and every one of us to arrest their evil agendas and save our nation, Oromia.

Had the TPLFities cared about the democratization of the empire, they should not have aborted the 1991 genuine attempt made to democratize the empire by the Oromos, the Sidamas, and the Walaitas, the Somalis, the Afar and many others.

IF the TPLF gluttons and gangs may expect us not to see and hear, or we will forgive them the glaring environmental and human genocide they are committing against the Oromos and the Southern Nations since 1991, we tell and remind them they are dead wrong. The TPLF gang has been committing extra-judicial killings, torturing, displacing Oromo farmers from their ancestral land at will and selling their land to the highest bidder , expelling Oromo students from Universities and Colleges for only being Oromo, and throwing over 40,000 innocent Oromos in its torture chambers cannot expect us to forget or forgive these grave human and environmental violations. While terrorising Oromos and the Southern Nations in their own back-yard, the TPLF juntas attempt to label us terrorist for demanding our All Almighty given rights is like vomiting on us and insulting our intelligence. Remember, these shameless and immoral bunches are vomiting their venom on our face by invading our own hamlet, villages and towns.

Why and How TPLF aborted the 1991 genuine attempt to change the empire for good?

Being given the green light by the West and by the reckless OLF representatives at the London Conference of 1991, and the huge military support of the Eritreans, the uncivilized and savage TPLF army moved into the heart of Oromia with Oromo Prisoners of Wars POWs), whom they later named OPDOs. After conquering Finfine and realizing there was no meaningful force that can challenge them apart from the OLF, the TPLF leaders started conspiring on how to wipe-out the OLF so that they can gluttonise Oromia’s resources unchallenged. With the help of POW’s and the enemy within, TPLFities achieved their first stage of conspiracy of wiping out OLF by encamping OLF soldiers. Once they achieved their goal of encamping the armed OLF soldiers with much pressure from EPLF and the so-called OLF representatives, they started terrorizing the Oromo mass and detaining them in harsh prison camps, where many innocent Oromos perished due to exposure to tropical diseases such as malaria and the in-humane treatments at the hands of savage TPLF and Eritrean soldiers. There is no actual figure on how many innocent Oromos had perished in TPLF’s torture camps, but according to some estimates, the figure is in the hundreds of thousands.

WHY Abyssinian Political Culture is NOT compatible with Democracy and the Rule of Law

1) It is not hard to understand why Abyssinians political culture is not compatible with democracy and the rule of law, we do not need to go far to but refer to the history written by Abyssinians church historians. According to these historians King Tewodros assumed the Abyssinian throne by killing and committing genocide on all his rival kings. King Yohannes of Tigre did the same thing to claim Kings of Kings title. Here we should note that both Tewodros and Yohannes committed genocide on Oromos who did not want accept the Orthodox Christianity at the time. King Minilk waged a bitter war on his opponents before he declared himself as King of Kings of Abyssinia. The cutting of Women’s breast and the men’s hands at the battle of Calanqo and Anole during the imperial expansion of Abyssinia to Oromia and the South by Minilk and its foot-soldiers clearly demonstrate how savage, backward and evil Abyssinian political culture and mind-set was.

King of Kings Haile Selassie came to power by disposing Lij Eyasy and his mother, who were in-line to assume power after the death of Minilk II. After the defeat of the Italian Colonial army by local fighters with the help of Western powers (Britain, the USA), Haile Selassie, who returned to his throne by the help of the Western powers jailed and killed all local heroes he thought could be a threat to his power.

Haile Selassie not only destroyed those who fought Italian colonization while he fled to exile, he incorporated the Italian Somaliland, currently known as the Ogaden and Eritrea. After the UN, the USA and the UK agreed to support the cession to Ethiopian Empire of the Italian Somaliland and Eritrea in 1952. In the case of Eritrea, the UN in its September, 1952 passed a resolution called for Eritrea and Ethiopia to be linked through a loose federal structure under the sovereignty of the Emperor against the will of the Eritrean people’s wish for independence. Eritrea was to have its own administrative and judicial structure, its own flag, and control over its domestic affairs, including police, local administration, and taxation, while the Ethiopian Empire was to have a control over foreign affairs, defence, finance and transportation. As a result of a long history of rule under the Italian and British colonizers, and the introduction of modern democracy into Eritrea by the British before their departure in 1952, gave Eritreans a desire for political freedoms which is alien to Ethiopian political tradition. Due to the incompatibility and the absence of democratic political culture in Abyssinia, Shortly after ratifying and accepting Eritrean federal status, Haile selassie started violating the UN approved agreement, and finally pressured Eritrean Assembly to abolish the federation and join the Ethiopian Empire. The violation of the UN agreed Federation of Eritrea to Ethiopia, and its subsequent abolishment by Haile Selassie gave birth to different Eritrean Liberation Organizations. Both Haile Selassie and the Military Junta after him, never understood or own the intellectual, cultural capacity to comprehend the Eritrean People’s demand for freedom and independence. They even have not attempted it to restore the federal structure, under which Eritrea was linked to the Ethiopian Empire by UN. We all know the consequences of the Eritrean war of independence, where Abyssinians forcefully conscripted thousands of young Oromos from schools and market places to fight and die in the hills and valleys of Eritrea. Only History will tell how many innocent Oromos fought and died in Eritrea for an evil empire Ethiopia.

Abyssinian Political Prostitution and the Ethiopian Empire State

Despite all the evidences showing Abyssinians psychological make-up is not compatible with democracy and the rule of law, there are some Oromos who advocate salvaging the dying empire in the name of democratization of the empire. Nowhere in human history, where an empire is democratized but, instead, empires were dismantled by sheer force and her subjects freed. In the case of Ethiopian Empire, many gallant and brilliant Oromos such as Tadese Biru, Mamo Mezemer, Senay Leke, Haile Fida were sent to the gallows for only demanding let Ethiopian Empire represent the whole of nations and nationalities within her border. Abyssinians top-down and authoritarian system of governance, where words and decrees uttered by the Prime Minster, King, President ( whatever title past and present Abyssinian rulers had) , was equated with words given by the all Almighty God, and violating or breaking them was like breaking the words of the all Almighty God. Those who tried to break these authoritarian systems were sent to the gallows.

All Abyssinian rulers, past and present are clever in embracing any dominant political ideology of the day to maintain the status quo of the empire’s grip on their subjects nations such as the Oromos, the Sidamas, the Walitas, the Somalis, the Afars and others, so that they can kill, harass, humiliate, exploit these subjects nations at will. After the brief occupation of the empire during the Second World War by the Italians, the subjects’ people of the South were allowed to use their language and culture, but this freedom was short lived. Immediately after King Haile Selassie was restored onto power, he banned the limited freedom these subjects’ nations have enjoyed under the Italian occupation. Despite Abyssinian way of governance is alien to any world political system, they are very canny to embrace and pay lip-service to any given world political system of the day to hide the injustices and colonization they commit on the colonized nations of the Oromo, the Somali, the Sidama, the Walaita, etc.

For example, King Haile Selassie embraced parliamentary democracy to gain political and diplomatic support from the West, despite his reign was backward authoritarian Feudal system. By embracing fake parliamentary democracy, Haile Selassie not only managed to hold his grip on the South, but, also given Eritrea and Italian Somaliland by the West.

The military Junta of Mengistu jumped on the band-wagon of International Socialism and maimed millions and fought un-just wars in Eritrea and the South in the name of defending the mother land. The current TPLF gang, once rested power from the Amhara ruling class, abandoned its Communist ideology and embraced the name democracy, and continued the Abyssinian tradition of killing, torturing, and gluttonise the resources of the South at its will.

There was no democratic culture in the history of the Abyssinians, and there shall never be any in the future, and attempting or even thinking the democratization of the Ethiopian Empire with Abyssinians is like expecting a dove from the eggs of the snake.

IN PICTURES: The Unveiling of the Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument in Hetosa, Oromiyaa | Gadaa.com Oduu – News

Sunday, April 6, 2014

IN PICTURES: The Unveiling of the Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument in Hetosa, Oromiyaa

Posted: Ebla/April 6, 2014 · 

The Aannolee Oromo Martyrs’ Memorial Monument was unveiled in Hetosa, Arsi, Oromiyaa, on April 6, 2014 – also inaugurated was the Aannolee Cultural/Historical Museum. The Monument commemorates the Oromo martyrs whose limbs and breasts were cut off atrociously by the invading Abyssinian/Shoan Amhara army of Menelik II in 1886. Known as the harmaf harka muraa Aannolee, the Menelik’s Abyssinian/Shoan Amhara army mutilated an unknown number of Oromo men’s right hands and Oromo women’s breasts for resisting Abyssinia’s conquest of the Oromo land.

According to the recently published book by Prof. Abbas H. Gnamo, “Conquest and Resistance in the Ethiopian Empire, 1880-1974 – The Case of the Arsi Oromo,” the Aannolee Oromo Martyrdom has “become the symbol of Oromo resistance.”

Prof. Gnamo continues:

“Of all the brutalities committed by the Shoan army and its leaders against the Oromo, the worst was the Anole mutilation known as harmaf harka muraa Anole (the mutilation of hands and breasts at Anole) – a tragedy on which Ethiopian sources are silent …

… Anole is located about 25km north of Asella, an area where most battles took place and where the Arsi inflicted heavy losses on the Shoan army. Anole seemed to have been chosen to avenge Shoan losses and to teach a lesson to the Arsi who still resisted after their shattering defeat at Azule on September 6, 1886. Arsi strong men and women were assembled under the pretext of concluding peace. All the men and women present, whose exact number was unknown perhaps more than thousand people, were mutilated; their right hands and right breasts were cut off. As a further form of humiliation, fear and terror, the mutilated breasts and hands were tied around the necks of the victims who were then sent back home.”

- Source: Conquest and Resistance in the Ethiopian Empire, 1880-1974 – The Case of the Arsi Oromo

Ethiopia`s New Strategy towards Somalia a Moral Story of Divide to Rule Policy

Somali Defense Minister after signing the dubious treaty with Ethiopia

The Somali Defense Minister had signed a treaty with the Ethiopian government that indicates the Ethiopian Security agents can freely operate inside Somalia and can kill or abduct any person that is suspected of being an ONLF-Sympathizer.

By Ahmed Abdi,

SOMALIA was one of the best powerful nations of the African continent ever since it gained its full-Independence from European Colonialists and right after its independence, many African countries gained their independence with the help of Somalia.

During the Cold War Somalia and Ethiopia went a war over Ogaden territory and Somali National Army defeated the largest Army of Africa at the time, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces or (ENDF) that forced the former Ethiopian Derge Regime of Mengistu HaileMerriam to seek assistance from the Soviet Union and Cuban troops including South Yemen, but unfortunately when the warlords toppled the former Somalia dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre regime, they did not come up in an advance a plan with them to form a government and control the entire country and that led a naked foreign interference from Somalia’s big, bad neighbor of Ethiopia, which has been meddling in Somalia’s domestic affairs over the last two decades to create chaos. And Somali people that was known for pride and victory loving had been failed by their politicians who are bowing down in front of their former arch-enemy of Abyssinia’s face.

Ethiopia which is more divided than ever is controlling Somalia politics directly and indirectly at will. Somali Federal government sent its former minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunication, Abdullahi Elmoge Hersi, to participate in Ethiopia’s Nations-Nationalities and People day. That time, as the international protocols dictate, his presence as a foreign dignitary has to be mentioned by the Ethiopian media, but he gained neither attention nor respect from Ethiopian government that behaved as if he was a delegation from one of the Ethiopian Kilil. The same were the Somaliland and Puntland delegation. The best presentation of them was made by the well known Somali cartoonist Mr. Amin Amir who depicted them as new members of the so-called Ethiopian National Kilils.

The scenario is the same of what happened for the Somali Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Sheikh Hassan that hails from Mirifle tribe who were openly expressing their opposition towards the Jubbe Administration. The Defense Minister had signed a treaty with the Ethiopian government that indicates the Ethiopian Security agents can freely operate inside Somalia and can kill or abduct any person that is suspected of being an ONLF Sympathizer.

Nobody could say now at what capacity did he signed that treaty, which made people of Somalis so upset, as is indicated by the many Somali Websites. Moreover the minister signed the treaty with the absence of the Somalia flag while Ethiopian flags were every corner of the Somali defense minister. This is a deliberate political gesture of the Ethiopians. If this action is connected with what happened to the Somali Minister of Information and the other P/S/Land delegations, the picture Ethiopia wants to show the outside World is clear – There is no Somali Sovereign State in East Africa. That is the true message of Ethiopia. But the Somalis did not understand. What kind of diplomacy do you call this?

Since ONLF is limited beyond its borders, what is behind this decision is understandably clear. Both Ethiopia and Somali Federal government want to play the card of ONLF in order to fight against Ahmed Madobes administration and the Ogadeni tribes in Jubaland.