(Wayane) Ethiopia land lease risks displacement: report

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's leasing of vast swathes of arable land to foreign and state-owned firms risks adding to the millions of people already requiring food aid in the drought-struck region, a US based think-tank warned on Friday.

Some 200,000 people are at risk of being displaced from land-grabbing, with at least 350,000 hectares of land leased since 2008 in south-west Ethiopia alone, according to the Oakland Institute.

"The impact is going to be terrible, because we can't expect this kind of development to benefit the local population," said Oakland's policy director Frederic Mousseau.

An additional 90,000 hectares are marketed as "available" in the federal land bank, Mousseau said.

"They will be losing their livelihood, and just join the millions of people that are relying on food aid in Ethiopia," he said....READ MORE

Oromo and Greek based Democracies/Demokrasota Oromoo fi Greekii irratt bu’uurfaman

Some cardinal points of Gadaa system

1. Gadaa is equal: There should be no one to be denied passing through Gadaa process, elect and be elected when ones turn comes. There should not be partiality or discrimination in services and protections Gadaa provides. Every member has the right to directly or through elected representative be heard in all affairs that affect people’s life; to be equally treated in matters of administration of justice. No one is above the law. No one may be prohibited to attend Gadaa deliberations.
2. Odaa is equal: Odaa is a national symbol for people’s government, demokratia. It represents freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly, equality of all participants that meet there, freedom of worship, peace and araaraa (reconciliation) and liberty to rest for persons and animals under its shade without worry of being disturbed.
3. Malkaa is equal: Ford or river crossing (confluence) is open to all for crossing; perform rituals; using water for drinking, washing etc for humans and animals. No one for any one reason can bar any one from using it. Malkaa is a symbol of transiting from status quo to something new.
4. Market is equal: every one has equal rights to take ones produce to the market and exchange with goods and services that it provides. Every one is free to participate in such exchanges and any trade of ones liking that the market provides
5. Road is equal: every one is entitled to the right of way; no one can be denied an access from his home to outer world or restricted from using of existing roads like all others; there will not be restriction to the right of travel; no one has the right to close an existing road for own use...read more

Demokrasota Oromoo fi Greekii irratt bu’uurfaman

Barruun kun kanneen akkatt demokrasiin hawaasa ilmaan namaa keessatt misaa dufe baruufi carraa hin arganneef. Demookraasiin akaakuu mootummootaa keessa tokkicha fedha ummatoota irratt hundawe jedhama. Mootummooti akaakuu bira akka, “monarchy yk aristocracy, dictatorship yk autocracy fi totalitarian” jedhamanis jiru. Tokkoo kan biraa waliin miira walitt galu qabachuu ni danda’a. Waa’ee isa kamiiyyuu haa dubbannu tokkoo keessatt eegaleen kan bira argamuu dandaha...read more

OLF, ONLF and Ginbot 7, not a Terrorists

internationalextraditionblog.com

The US embassy spokesperson Mrs. Brandt says Ginbot 7, OLF and ONLF are not considered terrorists in the US’ eyes.

The United States and Ethiopia have long enjoyed close cooperation in fighting violent terrorist activities in Africa areas particularly Somali based groups such as Al-Shabaab which together with the infamous al-Qa’ida were designated as terrorist groups in an Ethiopian parliament resolution that came on June 14.

A first of its kind, under the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism law endorsed in 2009, three domestic groups were similarly designated terrorists by the resolution. Unlike many countries’ laws that empower executives to designate associations as terrorist, the law mandates parliament conduct such measures. Other than Ginbot 7, Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) were also named terrorists....read more

Starvation returns to the Horn of Africa

The Independent
Getinet Ameha, a WFP aid worker, visited two camps last week in Dolo Ado on the Somalia, Kenyan and Ethiopian border. Last week the government opened a third camp, Kobe, to deal with the 1200 new arrivals each day. He said: "The majority of people in ...read more