Asafa Dibaba and the Prevalence of the Oromo Moral Order

Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

February 26, 2008

In an earlier article, we identified elements of behavioural systems pertaining to Noblesse and Vulgarity; in striking contrast with the Noble Somalis, the Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians are known for the coarseness and the vulgarity of their behaviour, attitude and mentality.

Positive and negative elements of behaviour and culture are encountered among all peoples, but in general they get improved or worsened due to educational systems and the goals of the educational policy. This alone explains clearly why today Tigray-led Eritrea represents Hope, whereas Tigray-ruled Abyssinia (fallaciously re-baptized as ´Ethiopia´) stands for Despair.

Among oppressed nations, which are deprived of the basic means of national education, the oral tradition plays a major role in the prevalence of a Moral Order and the preservation of Noble Behaviour.

The Kushitic ´cousins´ of the Somalis, the Oromos, rightful heirs of the Ancient Kushitic Noblesse, are renowned for their splendid and lofty traditions. The Great Oromo Intellectual Asafa Dibaba makes a point in that the Oromo oral tradition has to become integral system of the Oromo educational system in order to help preserve and perpetuate the Oromo Moral Order among younger generations.

We will publish his lengthy and pioneering analysis in several parts, as we believe that – beyond its great sociological and philological value – it consists in an excellent proof of the persistence of the African Spiritual Originality at a time of globally attested moral degradation and decomposition.

Asafa Dibaba´s text demonstrates in and by itself how much the Mankind owes to the Oromo Nation, and what the Oromos can offer to us all.

I. Background

Be it that you ask school children where moral values come from. No doubt, one would say this: values come from one´s family, friends, community, et cetera. Later in life this same lad happens in a situation where his superior authority asks him to take an action which is legally or morally questionable. Though one should obey a legitimate authority, but the action is not moral: see the person caught in a moral dilemma? In such a case, at least our recent political experience has shown us that all too often people obey authority and do what they ordinarily know to be morally wrong. Now, questions to logically follow from the above example: How come a law-abiding citizen who knows ´right from wrong´ can act immorally in such a situation? And can we be satisfied with his simply knowing where those values come from?

Ostensibly, in our higher institution, only when things are going well, more experimentation with education is supported, more idealistic goals are pursued. It seems more in the ideological sphere that education is expected to play a leading role. Somewhere, but, out there is an unheard voice, an immense unsatisfied demand for moral education. If, a big if, there is ever an education related to moral in our higher institution, it has been that appended to the mainstream ´civic education—´ ´civic´ or ´civil,´ as it were. If there is, it needs to become much more than a word. It seems that ´civic education´ is inherently ideologically fermented. During times of rapid social change, such that we are in, the role of education in the services of morally equipping the young generation and building the nation is emphasized. It is categorically asserted that moral education serves as a major vector in society. These and other related moral issues are argued in the first section of this article: the problem stated, and theories explicated. The second section forwards this general proposal for moral education.

II. Introduction

Traditionally, among the Oromo, like other African societies, moral/social order was abiding. Children were taught to accept the responsibilities and duties assigned to them and told to obey through the family, age groups, and elders. They obeyed instructions implicitly and deviations from cultural norms were severely frowned upon. It was duties of the elders, religious and institutional leaders to contact the youth with this type of frame of mind to initiate/educate them along culturally accepted norms and predictions. Thus, social control was exercised and discipline was enacted through socialization rites and oral cultures.

The spirit of togetherness, cooperation and solidarity and a strong zeal in patriotic feeling was rooted on solid basis, they also lived in harmony with nature. The young generation has now come to disregard traditional beliefs and customs. Today, more than ever, it has become apparent that there is a general reluctance in the society related to the problem of moral values. Indigenous moral values, i.e., native values, used to maintain morality, humanity and identity are now influenced by exotic forces and have become powerless. As a result, the young generation is succumbing to antisocial antinational behaviours.

It has become imperative to turn to a critical examination of factors affecting the basic state of moral equilibrium, i.e., the moral community and the paradigm built around it, namely, a combination of social order and autonomy. While anyone would argue otherwise, the young generation must first be taught some code of behavior. If it is left "up to each person to decide", the actual result will be children who turn into immoral, wish-washy, and "unable to take a firm position on anything" type people. The notions that "there is no ultimate right and wrong", and "every choice needs to be evaluated on current feelings, beliefs, and the situation itself" may be true for mature adults with a good education, adequate analytical abilities and reasoning. This is absurd for young people who lack solid framework of knowledge and experience to draw upon and just starting out in life with no solid foundation of experience or morality.

Therefore, it will be the purpose of the present article to a) identify/categorize the problem; b) examine into the logical account of the category; and c) suggest workable recommendations.

In any literate and pre-literate societies culture had cultivated values upon which their survival rests. Such values among others include: mutual respect and honour, love, truthfulness, honesty and trust, religiosity, equity, regard, equality, work ethics, patriotism, nationalism, sex sanctity, humanity, solidarity and harmony in societies. In this competitive yet cooperative world, issues of morality and humanity are becoming crucial. There is an increasing need to provide context for public discourse on institutional policy matters related to education, development, and peace and tranquility along with the need to foster the ability of youth to make autonomous moral judgments.

Our communities are observed to be undergoing some kind of transformation into urban-oriented livelihoods. In line with the transformation, paradoxically, there is a general withdrawal of morality and irreligiosity as a natural means of expressing the hitherto existing moral order and harmony with some degree of accepted sense of decorum. This ever increasing societal moral decline calls for ´moral education´ / ´character education´. Moral education offered in religious schools had too many setbacks: first, under the umbrella of religious education, the focus was to indoctrinate, not to educate. Therefore, it was hampered by the problems inherent in the competitive indigenous and exotic values.

Second, to put in effect some partisan and ideological programme of the status quo through ´hidden–curricula´, now made explicit as ´civic education´, the need for ´moral education´ has been put under the rug. It is believed that the generation devoid of morality, humanity and identity and acculturated to irreligiosity, apathy, reluctance, indifference, treachery and social evils cannot easily be corrected late in adolescence through the mere ´civic education´. The need for civic education later in schools presupposes that indigenous moral education seems to be regaining its importance in educational institutions as early as possible. The inculcation of the ideals of moral values, namely, good behaviour, love, mutual respect and truthfulness in our young people now seems to be compulsory.

Reasons why moral education is now compelling: first, in the face of unbalanced economy and ever-increasing urban population there is this wide-ranging fear that traditions are being eroded, consequently, social order is at stake. Second, Oromo [m]oral culture used to maintain morality, humanity and identity and sustain social consensus (tolerance, peace and solidarity) now need to be critically re-examined vis-à-vis the ongoing socio-cultural and political dynamism.

Third, the Abyssinian long-standing ´hidden curricula´, now eventually made explicit in the EPRDF Educational Policy, has been ostensibly to inculcate sense of Abyssinian Patriotism and Unity in the young generation through ´civic´ and ´church education´. Against this wave of enslavement, moral education is imperative for our children to ensure a strong sense of nationalism and enduring patriotic fervor. Moreover, sustainable development and democracy in itself calls for a thorough re-consideration with sufficient attention to the historical and cultural context in which they are applied. The need for some techniques and strategies to exercise and consolidate sense of democratic and moral competence in the young generation while maintaining autonomy and order at equilibrium necessitates a thorough scrutiny.

Hence, this article is believed to be timely and will raise important issues. We will publish the next part of Asafa Dibaba´s essay in a forthcoming article.

Ethiopa's war on its own

By Ronan Farrow February 25, 2008
DADAAB, KENYA -- The bullet tore through Ibrahim Hamad's torso and lodged in his hip. The 26-year-old teacher was at home with his elderly father when government forces swept through his town in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, burning huts and killing civilians. "The young girls were the first to die. The soldiers shot them and gathered the bodies and burned them," he said. The troops demanded that surviving men join their ranks, threatening those who refused with torture, imprisonment and death. "When they came to my home, I told them, 'I am just a schoolteacher, I will not leave my family,' " said Hamad. In a bleak whisper, he recounted the ordeal that followed. "They strangled my father with a wire and hung his body in a tree. Then they shot me and left me for dead."Hamad now struggles to survive in this remote refugee camp in northern Kenya, joining thousands who have fled a reign of terror by the Ethiopian army. Little noticed by the world, Ethiopia is waging war against its own people in the Ogaden desert. Long-simmering tensions erupted last April when separatist rebels attacked a Chinese-run oil field. The Ethiopian government responded by ejecting humanitarian agencies and launching a scorched-earth campaign in the region.The targeting of the predominantly ethnic-Somali Ogaden population has led to accusations of ethnic cleansing. In October, Human Rights Watch:ABE8kZuMg2AJ:hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/03/ethiop17010.htm+human+rights+watch+ogaden+frighteningly+familiar+pattern&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us warned that events in Ogaden were following a "frighteningly familiar pattern" to those in Somalia's Darfur region, noting "ethnic overtones" to attacks and accusing Ethiopia of "displac[ing] large populations" and "deliberately attack[ing] civilians." Government forces have been implicated in escalating looting, burnings and atrocities. Recently, soldiers have begun a brutal campaign of forced conscription, often torturing or killing those who refuse to join.The Ethiopian government has suppressed most news from the region, sealing Ogaden's borders and denying access to the media. Last May, three New York Times reporters researching the crisis were held for five days and had their equipment confiscated. Ethiopian officials have been quick to dismiss mounting reports of bloodshed as propaganda. But in this camp, refugees fleeing Ogaden tell stories of rape, torture and mass murder perpetrated against civilian villages by Ethiopia's military.However, it is the U.S. government, not Ethiopia's, that elicits the most anger from Hamad and the other Ogadenis seeking shelter in Dadaab. The bullet that shattered Hamad's hip, and the gun that fired it, were likely supplied by the United States. The soldier who pulled the trigger was almost certainly compensated with U.S. military aid. The U.S. has historically provided Ethiopian forces with arms, funding and training. In recent years, the bond has deepened, with Ethiopia's military serving as a proxy for American interests in a region increasingly viewed as a crucial front in the war on terrorism. Since 9/11, military aid to Ethiopia has soared, growing at least 2 1/2 times by 2006. A close intelligence-sharing relationship between the governments has burgeoned. In the face of mounting evidence of atrocities, some U.S. officials are questioning the no-strings-attached backing of Ethiopia's army. "This is a country that is abusing its own people," said Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, accusing the Bush administration of "look[ing] the other way" as Ethiopia's abuses worsen. Last fall, the House passed the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act, sponsored by Payne, to limit military aid to Ethiopia. It awaits action by the Senate. "The United States cannot afford to allow cooperation on the war on terror," Payne said, "to prevent us from taking a principled stance on democracy and human rights issues."Ironically, unbridled support of Ethiopia's army in the interest of combating terrorism may serve as a powerful catalyst for anti-U.S. sentiment. "We hate the U.S.A. more than the Ethiopians," one Ogadeni told me. "It is guns and money from the U.S.A. that are killing our people." If Washington wants to fight the rising tide of terrorism in the Horn of Africa, it cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the abuses of its closest ally in the region. The U.S. wields unique influence over Ethiopia; how it uses that influence will determine Ogaden's future. Legislators should continue to press the Bush administration to help stop the bloodshed. Current levels of U.S. aid should be made contingent on Ethiopia halting its attacks on civilians. That might sacrifice some goodwill with Ethiopian officials -- but it could save the people of the Ogaden. Ronan Farrow, a student at Yale Law School, has worked on human rights issues for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and recently accompanied a congressional delegation to the Horn of Africa.

www.latimes.com

Somali town overrun by Islamists

Government forces have been struggling to maintain controlSomali Islamists seized control of a southern town on Sunday, killing nine government troops.
The rebels, armed with rocket launchers and machine guns, voluntarily retreated after three hours, said a police officer in Dinsoor, Mohamed Ahmadey.
He said the town had been under "no-one's control" since the incident, in which eight soldiers were wounded.
For more than a year, government forces backed by Ethiopian troops have struggled to assert control in Somalia.
The capital, Mogadishu, has often been the focus of the fighting between the government forces and the Islamists they ousted from power.
But the incident on Sunday shows the Islamists are increasing their attacks outside Mogadishu, says the BBC's Mohamed Olad Hassan in Somalia.

A spokesman for the Islamists' Shahab youth wing, Sheikh Muktar Ali Robow, told local radio that he was leading the rebel unit that seized the town.
"Our troops moved into the town to dismiss bandits under the cloak of Somalia's honourable army. We defeated those, burned three of their military vehicles and seized two others,” he said.
“We spoke to the town's residents in public and told them that we were not in a position to harm any one and ordered them to maintain their ordinary activities, and later withdrew from the town,” he said.
Residents of the town confirmed the incident, but there has been no comment yet from any senior government official.

BBC

Ethiopian Migrants Dumped Off of Country's North Coast

Garowe Online (Garowe)

23 February 2008
Posted to the web 24 February 2008

Nearly 120 Ethiopian migrants were dumped off of north Somalia's coastal town of Las Qoray and informed that they were on Yemeni shores, local sources reported Saturday.

Las Qoray residents awoke today to find the migrants near the coast, including women and children.

A local source told Garowe Online that the migrants are from Ethiopia, and most belong to that country's ethnic Oromo majority.

The migrants told Las Qoray locals that they were thrown overboard when they "saw lights" in the distance. The armed smugglers apparently told the migrants that they had reached the shores of Yemen, a destination for migrants fleeing the Horn of Africa region

The boat was loaded in a small village east of the port city of Bossaso, the commercial hub of the Puntland regional autonomy, the migrants said.

The boat stayed on the high seas for many hours and then got close to the shore during the night, when the unsuspecting migrants could be easily tricked.

"They [migrants] told us they were thrown overboard," said a local clan elder who spoke with the Ethiopians. "They looked tired and were in very bad shape.

The Bossaso-to-Yemen smuggling route kills hundreds of African migrants each year. Earlier this week, at least 37 people, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians, died in the Gulf of Aden as they attempted to reach the Yemeni coast.

Las Qoray is located in Sanaag, a region disputed for years between Puntland and the neighboring self-declared Republic of Somaliland.

But since last year, Las Qoray and much of Sanaag region has remained in the hands of local clan leaders who established the Maakhir State of Somalia, which considers itself part of federal Somalia but independent of both Somaliland and Puntland.

Oromo coffee making ceremony

NZ Fire Service celebrates diversity whilst fires burn

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AWARE OF THE RISK: Zahara Abbawaajii takes part in a regular Oromo coffee making ceremony. The Fire Service is concerned by some cultural traditions that pose a fire risk.


Cultural fires on the rise
By REBECCA PAPPRILL - Eastern Courier | Wednesday, 06 February 2008

A rise in household fires caused by cultural ceremonies has the Fire Service concerned there is a relaxed attitude to fire safety.

"There are many cultural activities that use fire or heat-related objects."
Such traditional occasions are the Pacific Island umu, Maori hangi, barbecues, braziers, the use of candles during religious events and prayers, and the African Oromo coffee making ceremony.

A common theme involves households taking down their fire alarms or putting a plastic bag over them during an occasion, then forgetting to rearrange them correctly, Mr Stephens says.

New Zealand Oromo Association chairman Abduro Witago says the coffee making ceremony has caused a few home fires.

The ceremony, which uses equipment such as a portable gas oven, heated coal and burning incense, makes it a high fire risk.

The community can perform the ceremony up to four times a week.

It is a traditional way of coming together and communicating with one another, Mr Witago says.

"As long as we aren’t told we are not allowed to make it, then it is okay," coffee maker Zahara Abbawaajii says.


Mr Stephens says the Fire Service welcomes and celebrates cultural diversity, but extra caution is required to keep the number of fires down.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4388464a6016.html

Ethiopian Gen. 'slaps Somali President'

Ethiopian Gen. 'slaps Somali President'
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:20:44

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

An Ethiopian general have slapped Somali interim President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed twice on the face, officials say.

The row between President Yusuf Ahmed and Gen. Gabre Heard started after the president accused the army general of disobeying the orders given by the Somali government, a Somali official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Press TV correspondent in Mogadishu.

Irked by the Somali President's remarks, who accused the Ethiopian troops of firing artillery at the Presidential Palace and the government bases, the army general slapped the Somali president on the face.

The angry general then swore that he would kill the president and left the room.

Following the quarrel, the president called Amison peace keeping troops for security.

There is speculation that a conflict could arise between the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amison) and Ethiopian troops.

Gen. Gabre has his supporters in the government, including Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed Omar Habeeb and head of the security agency Mohamed Warsamme Darwiish.

MRD/RE

Equal Exchange Mulls Re-naming Ethiopian Coffee

Say my Name:

Equal Exchange Mulls Re-naming Ethiopian Coffee

By Barth Anderson

Joe Riemann, Equal Exchange Coffee Co-op and Arfasse Gemeda, Youth Organizer for the Oromo Community of Minnesota

Is Organic Ethiopian coffee misnamed? Equal Exchange thinks so, and out of respect for the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, Equal Exchange Coffee Co-op is changing the name of its Organic Ethiopian coffee to Organic Oromian.

Fair Trade Organic Ethiopian Coffee is Equal Exchange's second best selling "Point of Origin" coffee (Colombian is first) and the coffee company purchased over 420,000 lbs of coffee from Ethiopia last year, for use in various blends.

Equal Exchange will test-launch this name change in Minnesota co-ops in February.

"Some customers may see it as just a new name for their coffee," said Equal Exchange's Joe Riemann, responsible for spearheading this project, "but coffee means so much to the Oromian people. This name change is powerful for them on a real personal, social, and cultural identity level."

Starting in February, co-op shoppers will see signs like this one on Equal Exchange's Organic Ethiopian

The name change from Ethiopian to "Organic Oromian" would specify for consumers where the coffee comes from, Oromia (o-ROH-mia), which is the homeland of the Oromo people.

"Oromia isn't internationally recognized," Riemann said, "and that's the problem."

Oromos constitute the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, and nearly one hundred percent of Equal Exchange's Fair Trade Organic Ethiopian coffee comes from the Oromia Coffee Cooperative Union. In fact, much of the coffee grown in Ethiopia is grown in Oromia.

The name change is being tested here because Minnesotans have a unique connection to Oromia: We are home to the largest single Oromo population outside Ethiopia. Some 20,000 Oromos live in Minnesota, according to Oromo Community in Minnesota.

"This community is right under our noses, and most shop in the same places where co-op people shop, go to the same coffee shops. It felt important to reach out to them and co-op shoppers at the same time," Riemann said.

"Bringing Oromos and co-op shoppers together over Fair Trade coffee is a very cool thing."

Say My Name

As Riemann said, it might seem a matter of semantics, but Oromos have endured stiff cultural repression for decades under various Ethiopian administrations. As explained by spokesperson from the Oromo Community of Minnesota, who asked to remain anonymous for this article, cultural identity is always at stake for Oromos.

"Nearly 100% of Ethiopian coffee comes from Oromia. But the government of Ethiopia wants to hide Oromia by not attaching [its] real name to the coffee. There are strong identity issues at play in this issue."

This is because Oromos have been subject to what can only be called "ethnic cleansing" in Ethiopia. Under several governments dating back to Emperor Selassie (who was overthrown in 1974) the Oromo language was banned, their people were resettled, unlawful internments were forced upon them, and even the name "Oromia" was replaced by a highly offensive moniker. For this reason, identifying Oromian coffee as "Ethiopian" is one more way of keeping these people invisible.

"I deserve to be called by my right name," said the spokesperson. "If someone calls me by a name I don't want, that's an infringement of one's rights. We greatly appreciate Equal Exchange for being a voice to Oromos in Oromia."

Black Gold

The need for a name change became clear after a recent showing of the movie Black Gold, a documentary about Fair Trade coffee featuring the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia. The movie was shown jointly by Equal Exchange and the Oromo Student Union, and the discussion afterwards was potent. The audience was almost all Oromos except for Riemann and Scott Patterson, coordinator of Equal Exchange's Minneapolis Office.

"Afterwards, they were asking, 'Why is this coffee called Ethiopian when it comes from Oromia?' " Riemann said. "It was totally emotional. I mean, I got emotional, too."

Dee, an Oromo American woman, was deeply moved by Black Gold, especially by images of starving children in lush green farmland.

"There was a lot of concern and emotion in the room that night. The people on my mother's side were all coffee farmers," Dee said. Dee herself is part of a generation born in diaspora here in Minnesota, people who fled cultural oppression in Ethiopia. "My generation, we're aware that coffee is part of our culture, but we don't make connections about where we're buying our coffee here."

She added, "I've only been drinking Equal Exchange coffee since that night."

Aware that Equal Exchange might act on behalf of Oromos in America as well as Ethiopia, Riemann wanted his company to consider a name change for the coffee, to honor the people who grow this coffee.

But can a company give up name recognition and "brand" allegiance so easily? "Ethiopian" is one of the most widely recognized coffee names on the market, after all.

So to weigh support for the name change, Equal Exchange posted a "friendly petition" online, and Oromos from around the planet have weighed in to voice their approval. From the petition site:

By changing the name of your "Organic Ethiopian" to "Organic Oromian", you will give an opportunity for the voices of the millions of oppressed Oromo people to be heard.

Recognition of the Oromo people will eventually improve the human rights situation in Ethiopia and improve stability in the Horn of Africa.

We families of coffee growers want our coffee should be named "Oromian organic coffee" and not Ethiopian organic coffee.

Over a thousand signatures have been gathered so far from Oromos and others in far-flung regions, from Australia, Canada, Kentucky, to Germany.

"This is their family," said Scott Patterson, coordinator of Equal Exchange's Minneapolis office, "but it's Fair trade, too. It's two white guys in a room of black folks, talking about social justice in Ethiopia. This is really what Fair Trade is all about."

Just the Beginning

Because Oromos live in the West Bank, St. Paul, and Mankato, Equal Exchange believes that Minnesotans are in a better position to understand the need for this name change than others. But it's Equal Exchange's hope that the co-op community here, in particular, will embrace this change and raise the profile of Oromos in America.

"Fair trade isn't a happy touchy feely story," Patterson said, referring to the hurt and injustice behind the need for this name change. "There are no illusions. It isn't fixed. Oromos know the reality, and it's important for us to face that with them. The story is just starting."

www.wedge.coop

Open Letter to UNHCR Concerning the massacre of Oromo refugees in Bosaso, Somalia

Open Letter to UNHCR

Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500CH-1211
Genève 2 Dépôt Switzerland

Dear Commissioner Guterres,

I am writing you this letter to express our deep concern and dismay regarding the inhuman massacre of around 100 Oromo Refugees and wounding of more than 65 in Bosaso, breakaway region of Somalia, on February 5, 2008. The basic reason Oromos flee and take refuge in neighboring countries is protection from persecution due to their national identity and their political belief in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, this is not being so for these refugees. The harassment, suffering, persecution and ill treatment of Oromos perpetrated by the Ethiopian regime is crossing international boundaries. Oromo refugees are constantly being harassed, forcefully deported by would be host governments and murdered by assassin squads of TPLF/EPRDF government or by paid agents of Ethiopian government in Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and even Yemen, where they arrive after risking their lives on the high seas where about half of those who attempt to cross perish on a regular basis.

The current regime has made its policy clear from the very beginning when it assassinated Major Jatani Ali, an Oromo refugee, a former officer in the deposed Derg regime, in Nairobi in 1991. This was followed by assassination of Mr. Adam Tukale (Mullis Abbaa Gadaa), an OLF high-ranking official in Mogadishu, in 2000. They have acquired forceful repatriation of many prominent refugees who fled to the neighboring countries, whose destinies have never been known. Last year they assassinated many Oromo former journalists in Nairobi. The current mass massacre is a culmination of this policy of physically liquidating opposition individuals wherever they go.

The universal declaration of human rights signed in 1948 and 1951, have articles that recognize the right for refugees. Any country that has signed these declarations is obliged to respect them. These neighboring countries, except those entities that were part of Somalia, are members of the United Nations, and are signatories to the universal declaration of human rights of both 1948 and 1951. When these countries are violating every letter of these declarations member countries of the UN and humanitarian organizations should not keep silent.

Dear Mr. Commissioner,
The continuation of human rights violation in Ethiopia and the generation of many refugees have been perpetrated partly because the international community had chosen to turn a blind eye. We are convinced that at this crucial moment, your leadership, and the active engagement of the International Community, could mean the difference between life and death for many Oromo Refugees as well as the troubled Horn of Africa region. We strongly believe that this horrendous and inhuman act is an augmentation of permanent policy of the Meles Zenawi regime since 1991. Several hundreds of Oromos have been killed or disappeared in neighboring countries or forced to return to Ethiopia to face injustice between 1991 and 2007.
We, therefore, appeal to the UNHCR, all UN member nations and humanitarian organizations to put necessary pressure on the governments and groups to refrain from violating the rights of refugees in their respective countries and territories under their control. We also call upon human right activists, peace and freedom -loving individuals and organizations to condemn these cowardly act and render their much needed assistance to refugees suffering without any treatment. We request urgent medical care for those wounded, since they are not getting proper treatment, provide proper burial to the dead and investigate to bring the perpetrators to justice. We specifically request the UNHCR and member nations to find a way to protect these refugees from such carnage and the unbearable death toll on the seas as they attempt to escape such fates and help those still suffering without proper medical attention. Oromos as any other peoples in the world are entitled to get refugee protection and assistance from governments and UNHCR offices.

The followings are some of the current victims on (February 5, 2008 at 2:30PM local time) massacre by two simultaneous Hand Grenade attacks in two Bosaso restaurants each owned by Oromo immigrants. There are as many wounded ones being recklessly amputated for simple treatable wounds while the others who happened not to be at the targeted places that night are being made shelter-less by burning down their houses and forcing the landlords to expel tenants lest their own houses are also burned.

1. Abdallaa Siraaj Abraahim (28) from Roobee town, Arsi Zone.
2. Adusalaam Mustafa (20) from Baroda town, Harare Zone
3. Mohamed Email Passim (18) from Machala town of Harare Zone
4. Abdujabaar Mohamed Abdo (24) from Jajuu town of Arsi Zone
5. Mohamed Said (19) from Martu Abomsa, Arsi Zone
6. Aliyyi Mohamed Aliyyii (20) from Wallo Zone
7. Abdallaa Kamala Tusee (20) from Sude, Arsi Zone
8. Ziyaad Ibraahim Hassan (30) from Galamso town of Harargee Zone
9. Abdilgafaar Abdulahi Jabran (18) from Burqaa, Walqixee Zone
10. Abdilxaaif Shubbee Mohamed (42) from Bale Zone
11. Musxafaa Saalii Abdallaa (22) from Baddano town of Harargee Zone
12. Abdullee Biluu Ahmed (19) from Shirkaa town of Arsi Zone
13. Mohamed Amiin Kadir (22) from Robe town of Arsi Zone
14. Abdulmajiid Abitii Mohamed (22) from Jajuu town of Arsi Zone
15. Daud Kadir Hussen (20) from Jaju town of Arsi Zone
16. Xaahir Husseen Abdilkariim (25) from Baale Zone
17. Umar Aadam Umar (23) from Raya town of Wallo Zone
18. Nagahuu Abdi Ali (38) from Robee town of Arsi Zone
19. Qaasim Kadir (22) from Lole town of Arsi Zone
20. Ridwaan Kadir (23) from Jaju town of Arsi Zone
21. Hassan Umar Duqaa (20) from Wallo Zone
22. Usmaail Hasso sh Aadam (47) from Machitu town of Arsi Zone
23. Abdul Fataah Sh. Abubakar (18) from Arsi Zone
24. Mohamed Hassan Alilu (20) from Wallo Zone
25. Fadluu Haajii Abdoo (20) from Arsi Zone
26. Jamaal Mohamed Ululaa (53)
27 .siraaj kadir mahamed (20) from Arsi Zone
28. Abdallaa Ahmed Maluu from Shambale Town of Wallo Zone
29. Umar Ahmed Carafaa. From Wallo Zone
30. Ahmed Mohamed Kali Wallo
31. Sulaymaan Ahmed
32. Jamaal Mohamed Saali
33. Amiin Husseen Abdulqaadir
34. Mohamed Aloo Tufaa
35. Nagayoo Abdoo Alliyyii
36. Turee Amaan Abdoo
37. Mohamed Yaasiin Ibroo
38. Ali Mohamed Bashiir
39. Amina Umar Takaa
40. Aliyyii Ahmed Musa
41. Gidanaa Muusee Daadee
42. Ahmed Bakar Birkaa
43. Obsaa Amaan Sheekoo
44. Abdoo Kaliifaa
45. Nagaash Mohamed Idris
46. Mohamed Gazaalii sh. Amaan
47. Arabuu Hussen Abdurahmaan
48. Nuuraa Abdurahmaan Sheekaa
49. MUhyadiin Kamaal Amaan
50. Mohamed Aamadee Ulumee
51. Umar Mahamud Umaree
52. Husseen Jaaraa Sulxee
53. Abama Nyalata Abit
54. Mohamed dheeree
55. Almuu Bayanaa
56. Mohamed Bile Ahmed Yuusuf
57. Wandasan Baqalaa
58. Sulaymaan Ma’alim Warsame

Sincerely,
Qotto Gufuu

CC: H. E. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
The United Nations
New York. NY 10017

Ethiopia says detains Westerners for aiding rebels

By Barry Malone

GODE, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Ethiopia has arrested a number of American and European citizens of Ethiopian descent, accusing them of aiding separatist rebels, a senior Ethiopian official said on Friday.

"I can assure you they are many," Abdullahi Hassan, president of the country's troubled Ogaden region, told journalists visiting the area at the government's invitation.

He declined to say how many people had been detained or when they had been arrested.

"Those who are waging the terrorist war against our people are coming from Europe, are coming from America. They hold American passports, they hold European passports," he said.

Hassan said the detainees were originally from Ogaden but moved to the United States and Europe where they raised money for the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

"They are buying with this money weapons, mines and explosives," he said, adding that he would not contact their embassies because they were suspected terrorists.

"We don't care whether they see (their diplomatic representatives) or not," he said, comparing the situation to the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, where nearly 300 inmates are being held without charge or access to consuls.

"In America ... al Qaeda members are in Guantanamo ... We are faced with the same problem," he said.

A spokesman for the U.S. embassy said they had received no official notification from the government. "We are following up with Ethiopian authorities as we speak," he said.

Hassan said the detainees were being held in the eastern town of Jijiga. He said they would face trial, but did not say when, or on what charges.

The barren, ethnically Somali region made headlines in April when ONLF guerrillas attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field and killed 74 people. Both the government and rebels accuse each other of committing human rights abuses.

The ONLF are fighting for autonomy for their remote region, which borders Somalia. The United Nations says nearly a million people there are in need of humanitarian assistance.

reuters

Open letter to His Excellency Kenyan President By Abdulkadir Gumi

I have the honour to address this letter to you in order to draw your attention to a very preoccupying subject, namely the increasing number of Human Rights violations that take place in Kenya, and are directed against the Boorana populations.

The Ethiopian military actions on the northern Kenyan border have devastating effects on the socioeconomic situation of Northern Kenyan populations that have unjustly been accused of hosting foreign rebels.

The Boorana-Oromo communities allover the world have taken notice of the ceaseless acts of intimidation, oppression and murder, carried out against a great number of innocent Kenyan Boorana Oromos by the Ethiopian security forces alongside the border and on Kenyan territory, in several northern Kenya towns. Similar acts have been also perpetrated in Nairobi – which sounds impossible, but is unfortunately very true.

This act of aggression against Boorana people must be condemned by all peace loving people of Kenya. It is absolutely unacceptable that foreign soldiers and security agents sent from Ethiopia enter Kenya easily and murder average Kenyan nationals.

This practice is not new; it has been perpetuated down to our days since the colonial times. Despite the establishment of International Law, Kenya has tolerated this absolutely evil and inhuman practice that targets its own people. The world needs anger, the world often continues allowing evil because it is not angry enough.....Bede Jarre.

Northern Kenya people love indeed peace and stability for themselves and for all Kenyans. Kenya is our beloved nation, the sacred land of our birth, but Northern Kenyan people still lack basic political rights. As a consequence of this situation, Boorana Oromos living in free democratic countries have the right and the moral obligation to bring to your attention the real plight of the Boorana Kenyans.

In Kenya, Boorana Oromos occupy the area called the northern Corridor;Namely Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale districts. as a matter of fact they are part of the Oromo Nation which consists in the largest national group in neighboring Ethiopia. There, they were met with unspeakable massacres that have been ceaselessly repeated until today without anyone knowing or writing about them.

The most appalling aspect of these pitilessly executed massacres is that the Kenyan Government decided to cooperate with Ethiopia, and even worse to carry out military action against its own citizens, namely the Boorana Oromos. Under the pretext of false accusations, involving cooperation and support for the Oromo Liberation Front, Kenyan authorities deliberately facilitated Ethiopian secret services´ agents to kill Kenyan citizens.

Ethiopian has become widely known for turning the entire Horn of Africa to a Hell of fire and war. The Kenyan - Ethiopian cooperation will only tarnish the fair name of Kenya, a country that has been so far considered as a democratic and peaceful realm, impartial is its judgments and supportive of the Cause of African Democracy and Progress.

The unfortunate practice and Ethiopian – Kenyan cooperation leaves me, as Kenyan citizen, with an unanswered question as regards Kenya´s future as an independent and sovereign nation.

Why does Kenya allow a foreign country to shape its own policy as regards its own citizens?

With Ethiopia known and denounced for its oppressive policies and poor record of Human Rights, Kenya should be careful and take distance from a much loathed neighbor like this.

Simple logic would drive the Kenyan authorities to the conclusion that Northern Kenya´s Boorana Oromos have practically speaking no means to help rebels and OLF fighters. Furthermore, I want to urge you to reconsider with respect to OLF, and realize that the gallant Oromo fighters are not different from any other freedom fighters struggling for the independence of their country.

OLF fighters are indeed quite similar to the SPLA of Southern Sudan and to the MAU MAU of the colonial times´ Kenya; I find this is easy to assess, and I am sure you will share my opinion that it will be very unfortunate to let people think that the Kenyan government can do nothing in respect with the country´s northern territory where Ethiopia assuredly does not want to live Kenyan citizens live in peace.

I wonder why only Northern Kenya is a place of disasters, massacres, unfair treatment of populations and absolute lawlessness. Is Northern Kenya the only place where one people lives on both sides of the borderline?

I want here to mention examples you certainly know only too well, namely the Maasais of Kenya and Tanzania, and the Somali of Kenya and Somalia. Luo live in peace in either Kenya or Uganda.

Grieved, we have to admit that under-development dating back to the colonial times has created insecurity and poverty in Northern Kenya. This situation produces a great number of refugees, and soon Kenya will be among the world´s leading refugee-producing countries. Will this be nice? Everyone in Kenya should remember the noble slogan of Peace, Love and Unity. Everyone knows that Democracy has had in Kenya a better fate than in other African countries – thus far. This must also apply to the Northern province as well.

The same concerns several social and economic sectors in Kenya, namely Health, Education, Communications, and Transport. But nobody is happy with the situation in Northern Kenya; Boorana are frustrated with the underdevelopment and the lack of security, due to the criminal and inhuman Ethiopian involvement as tolerated by the Kenyan authorities.

Your Excellency,

I call upon our patriotism; your government must stay in control in Northern Kenya, enforce the law, and protect its citizens instead of cooperating with the undemocratic and unrepresentative Ethiopian military. If anything, Kenya could launch a peace initiative between the Ethiopian government and the OLF targeting a lasting peace, which will also have a positive impact on Kenya, as it occurred in the cases of SPLA (Sudan) and Somalia.

Nobody denies that peace or war in any of Kenya´s neighboring countries has a direct impact on Kenyans´ security. That is why I urge you to cancel any anti-Boorana Oromo practice or plans, and to undergo all diplomatic efforts needed, involving negotiations with the OLF. Boosting development in the North will have a great impact on Kenya´s overall economic performance and development.

Ending, I ask you, as a plenipotentiary representative of the President of Kenya, to ensure that the Boorana Kenyan citizens will not face in the future either war or harassment from either internal or external security forces.

I therefore request from your government to attentively handle our grievance so that the Boorana of Northern Kenya community does not suffer anymore at the hands of the inhuman foreign aggressors, namely the rogue thugs of the Tigray/Amhara - led tyranny.

Thanking you for your time and attention,

Yours Faithfully,

‘Ethiopia’ in Chaos as Oromo Leaders slam Zenawi’s Abysso-Fascism

Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

December 10, 2007

The tyrannical regime of the tribal dictator Meles Zenawi crosses its last moments; total political incapacity, brutal oppression, failed intervention in Somalia, paranoid plans to divide a United Nation like the Somalis and to enforce a fake unity among the disparate elements of fake ‘Ethiopia’, and a great number of similar racist projects have brought about vast political despair, extensive economic marasm, and social chaos in the colonial relic Abyssinia – fallaciously re-baptized ‘Ethiopia’.

The drama of Ogaden finds its equivalent in the collapse of the socioeconomic conditions in Oromia and the South; the last Abyssinian tyrannical regime of dying ‘Ethiopia’ finds no other way to survive except extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate rapes, carpet bombardments of villlages, wars, massive land expropriation, and selection of renegades among the tyrannized nations that aspire to National Independence and total secession from the Neo-Nazi Abyssinian Hell.

One major Oromo political formation, the Oromo Liberation Front issued a statement in the aftermath of its Executive Committee session; the text is revelatory of the diffusion of chaos and socioeconomic disorder from Ogaden to Oromia and the South. As this text generated vast discussions among Oromos, we will publish related commentary in a forthcoming article. Here, we will publish integrally the Statement of the Executive Committee of the OLF, advising for an attentive reading as there are hints in the text about a forthcoming War between Eritrea and the vanishing Neo-Nazi regime of relic Abyssinia.

Statement of the Executive Committee of the OLF

Man Accuses Army of Torture

Ali Abdi
Nairob

The East African Standard (Nairobi)

Posted to the web 10 December 2007

Army personnel involved in a military operation in Moyale allegedly tortured a father of two and other people.

Mr Jaldesa Duba Halake, 27, has recorded a statement at the Moyale police station and is seeking compensation for alleged torture.

On Sunday, hundreds of Moyale residents held a demonstration to petition local DC, Mr Victor Okioma, and asked him to take action against the army personnel.

Halake claimed he was tortured for two weeks by the military that was hunting down Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebels in an operation that President Kibaki has since suspended.

He alleged that he was taken to the police in Moyale and the Ethiopian military was called to ascertain whether he was an OLF accomplice.

He was, however, found innocent.

"'It was after they (Kenya army) realised they had detained me wrongfully that they treated me at their clinic. I demand justice," Halake said, on the telephone.

He claimed the army used metal rods and burned his buttocks, back and legs.

Outgoing Moyale MP, Mr Wario Malla, who was among the protesters, said the operation was ill timed and the Government must investigate the torture claims.

The DC asked those who alleged to have been tortured to record statements with the police.

Kibaki halted the operation on Saturday following an appeal by PNU politicians, saying the exercise had negatively affected their campaigns in the district. Three weeks ago, the Government sent the army to the border after armed OLF members fled into Kenya. The move was, however, criticised by local leaders who alleged that Kenyans in the region had been harassed and tortured.

Open Letter to U.S Senators

Senators Biden and Lugar, Secretary Rice, and others:

I am writing to express my concern about the widespread violations of human rights which the Meles-led Ethiopian government is committing against its citizens, particularly those in the Oromia, Gambela, Ogaden and other regions. I graduated from high school in Addis Ababa and lived in Ethiopia for several years prior to that during the 1960s while my parents were there working. I know the Ethiopian people to be wonderful human beings and my heart goes out to them in their efforts to bring democracy and the rule of law to their beautiful country.

I recently learned of the Ethiopian government’s militaristic “carpet bombing” to “flush out rebels” in the Ogaden, acts which annihilate defenseless civilians while destroying their livestock, granaries, wells and shelter. Human rights advocacy organizations like the Empowerment Initiative are calling for our government to verify that our military trainers have in no way been complicit to these actions of the Ethiopian military and that the weaponry and ordinances being used against defenseless civilians are not being supplied by the United States.

The violence which the Meles-led government commits is not limited to Ethiopian citizens living within the country. Physical assaults and the assignation of Oromo refugees in Kenya have been reported in the media and documented by the Advocacy for the Fundamental Rights of Oromos and Others (AFRO-O), a human rights organization based in Maryland. These victims were living in a guarded camp in Nairobi and are believed to be registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

International human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, are unanimous in their recognition and condemnation of the Ethiopian government’s extra-judicial imprisonment and torture of citizens who are believed to support opposition political parties and their leadership. The AFRO-O recently released the names of 148 Oromos currently being detained in this effort to suppress any opposition to the tyranny of Meles and his government.

Please help bring the fate of these victims to the attention of appropriate agencies and leaders and join with efforts to change the conditions under which Oromos and other Ethiopians suffer at the hands of the Meles-led Ethiopian government. I urge you to put the principles framed in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights into practice and act now to hold the Ethiopian government accountable for these crimes against humanity and, in particular, support HR 2003 (the Ethiopian Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007), a bipartisan bill authored by Representatives Payne and Smith which is now pending in the Senate.

Donald L Fischer, PhD

Psychologist and Professor

Missouri State University

Springfield, Missouri 65804

donaldfischer@missouristate.edu

Ethiopian regime is engaged in massive preparations to invade Eritrea

Asmara, 30 November 2007 - In continuation of the seminars being conducted inside the country and abroad regarding the objective situation in the Homeland and the region, similar seminars took place in different Eritrean towns. Thousands of members of government institutions and the PFDJ attended the meetings.

The meetings took note of the fact that the aim of the TPLF regime’s war of aggression is to disintegrate and subjugate Eritrea and its people, and that as far as the TPLF is concerned, border demarcation means committing suicide. In this regard, the meeting outlined that the TPLF regime, with the encouragement and support of its collaborators, especially the US Administration, has been persistently rejecting border demarcation.

When The TPLF clique realized that its day dream of seeing “the Eritrean economy collapsing leading to political, economic and social turmoil” was nothing but a wild dream, and the ever aggravating internal crisis and popular opposition against the regime inside Ethiopia is gaining momentum, the regime is engaged in massive preparations to invade Eritrea, with the order and blessing of the US Administration.

In the meetings characterized with patriotic spirit, the participants lauded the impressive achievements Eritrea has registered in all domains amid continued external hostilities. They stressed the significance of the Eritrean people’s political resourcefulness to this end. The participants further underlined the need to keep intact and reinforce firm national unity, conviction, cherished values and principles.

---

Additional Information:

Ethiopia not prepared to engage in any dialogue with Eritrea regarding border demarcation, Special Advisor of TPLF regime’s Premier says

By Staff
Nov 28, 2007, 13:16

Asmara, 29 November 2007 – Bereket Simon, Special Advisor of the TPLF regime’s Premier, said today that Ethiopia is not prepared to engage in any dialogue with Eritrea regarding border demarcation. He made the statement in an interview with the Nairobi-based ISN Security Watch media outlet.

Commenting on remarks Meles Zenawi made yesterday to the country’s parliament stating that “we will not launch war against Eritrea,” and “we are just saying let’s hold dialogue as regards border,” as compared to the conflicting statement cited above stating that “Ethiopia is not prepared to engage in any dialogue,” an Eritrean intellectual recalled the following utterances made by the TPLF authorities:

‘TPLF means the party that at one time boasted it had secured both claimed and unclaimed territories”, and later on stated that “the Boundary Commission’s ruling is illegal;” “the war we would now launch will have no end,” and subsequently claiming “we don’t intend to launch war;” “we would withdraw from Somalia within three days” and then stay for one solid year.’

The Eritrean intellectual went on to underline that in view of the TPLF regime’s resort to lies after lies, and contradictory statements which the clique unashamedly considers an asset, nobody should be surprised at all.

Source: www.biddho.com

No Ethiopia-Eritrea border deal

BBC

A demilitarised border is thick with troops and bristling with weapons

A deadline for long-time foes Ethiopia and Eritrea to demarcate their shared border has expired without agreement.

The date was set a year ago by the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission, which was created following a bloody border war between the two countries.

The commission said it now considered the line it had drawn as the official border and its own mandate fulfilled.

Eritrea says its accepts the ruling, but Ethiopia has consistently refused to give up claims to the town of Badme.

Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea has moved its troops to away from a buffer zone.

Some 80,000 people died during the 1998-2000 war.

Click here to see a map of the border

The commission has now dissolved itself but a small United Nations peacekeeping force (UNMEE) of 1,700 troops will remain in the border area until early 2008.

A UNMEE spokesman told the BBC it would do as much as it could to prevent hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea but said it would be unable to intervene should a new war break out.

The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, says the commission can hardly be said to have succeeded.

TENSE BORDER Dec 2000: Peace agreement Apr 2002: Border ruling Mar 2003: Ethiopian complaint over Badme rejected Sep 2003: Ethiopia asks for new ruling Feb 2005: UN concern at military build-up Oct 2005: Eritrea restricts peacekeepers' activities Nov 2005: UN sanctions threat if no compliance with 2000 deal Q&A: Horn's bitter war

Its imminent disappearance leaves the two armies glaring at each other across a still unresolved border.

What was meant to be a demilitarised border is now thick with troops and bristling with weapons and representatives of the commission have not been able to get in to set up border markers, our correspondent says.

The two sides will not talk to each other and there is no obvious way to move the issue towards a more satisfactory conclusion, she says.

In the past few weeks there has been talk of UN involvement and perhaps the appointment of a facilitator to work with the two sides.

But so far no such initiative has been announced.

Ogaden denial

The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders, Meles Zenawi and Isaias Afewerki respectively, were allies until after Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

Their rebel movements had fought together to overthrow long-time Ethiopian ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam.

The 1998-2000 war was ostensibly fought over the dusty town of Badme, which was subsequently awarded to Eritrea by the border commission.

But to this day the settlement remains under Ethiopian administration.

Meanwhile, Mr Meles has denied accusations made by separatist rebels in the south-east of Ethiopia that his troops have committed massive human rights abuses against civilians.

The rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front accused government forces of executing local residents during counter-insurgency operations in the region.

Mr Meles said such violations would not take place because his government respected human rights.

He said that given his own experience as a former rebel leader he knew that harassing civilians was the gravest mistake a government fighting an insurgency could make.

Kenya arrests 12 suspected Ethiopian rebels

SIOLO, Kenya, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Kenyan police said on Friday they had arrested 12 suspected Ethiopian rebels and nine locals accused of helping them in a remote region on the border with Ethiopia.

Two of the suspected members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rounded up this week have already been deported while the others are still being interrogated, said Rono Bunei, district police commander in the Kenyan border town of Moyale.

"The operation is still going on and we shall not allow any group to use our soil to fight a friendly government," he said. The rest will be deported if confirmed as OLF members.

One of several insurgent groups fighting Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government, the OLF seeks greater autonomy for ethnically Oromo areas of south Ethiopia.

The nine Kenyans were arrested for offering shelter to the 12, police said.

Some locals said innocent youths had been arrested.

"Most of the people arrested are Kenyans," local resident Barrack Mohammed told Reuters.

"We have lived with them and they can't do anything like that. The police are just picking on them." (Reporting by Noor Ali, Editing by Joseph Sudah and Robert Woodward)

New Deal to Smoke Out Oromo

The Nation (Nairobi)
Posted to the web 13 November 2007

Nairobi
Kenya and Ethiopia have agreed to flush out Oromo Liberation Front insurgents on their common border.
The deal was hammered out during a security meeting held at Hidi Lola Town in Ethiopia.
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The rebels have been sneaking into Kenya across the porous boundary.
The Kenyan delegation was led by the Moyale district commissioner, Mr Victor Okioma, while the Ethiopian team was led by Region Four provincial commissioner Abdulkadir Abdi Nura.
Mr Okioma said that the rebels destabilised security on the border and that Kenya had resolved to smoke them out of their hideouts.
He expressed satisfaction that communities living on the border were willing to provide information on the rebels to the authorities.

Mr Okioma said the meeting also assessed achievements by border security committees.
He noted that a conflict between the Borana and Gabra communities had been contained, and highway robbery stemmed across the boundary.
Mr Nura said they had granted amnesty to insurgents who surrendered themselves to Ethiopian authorities.

Battle in Mogadishu kills 18, rebels kidnap 3 Ethiopians

MOGADISHU, Somalia Nov 8 (Garowe Online) - Heavy fighting erupted in parts of south Mogadishu late Thursday between rebels and Ethiopian-backed government troops, sources said.
The battle, concentrated in the Baar Ubah and Black Sea neighborhoods, erupted after Ethiopian troops tracking down the location of a dead comrade's corpse were attacked by masked insurgents. The dead body of the Ethiopian soldier was dragged through streets by angry mobs who shouted anti-Ethiopia slogans.
Mogadishu's faceless fightersA total of six Ethiopian soldiers were confirmed dead as the battle continued into the early evening. Ethiopian forces killed eight rebels and captured five fighters alive, reliable sources said.
Three Ethiopian soldiers were kidnapped by the insurgents. One of the captured Ethiopian soldiers was wounded when the rebels took him away, said a witness who did not want to be named in print.
At least six civilians were killed in the crossfire.
The corpse that was dragged on the streets was killed in a previous battle in north Mogadishu's livestock market earlier Thursday. Ethiopian forces lost three men and retreated back to base during that battle, bringing the total dead Ethiopian soldiers in Mogadishu today to nine.
The Ethiopian unit returned for a second showdown in the livestock market around noon and engaged the rebels. For a second time, the Ethiopian unit returned to base with casualties.
Today's battles were the deadliest in months and come during a week when more than 2,000 extra Ethiopian troops entered Mogadishu. Many locals fearing a brutal Ethiopian crackdown were said to be fleeing their homes in those areas.
Source: Garowe Online

Ogaden rebels say killing over 270 Ethiopian troops

O.N.L.F Military Communique
2st November 2007
In response to summary executions, detentions of nomads and senseless shooting of livestock in various parts of Ogaden, particularly near Fik area, the ONLF dispatched large numbers of fighters who have engaged TPLF forces in 5 separate engagements near the towns of Gashaamo, Galaalshe, Gabo-Gabo, Sanhaskule and Haboosane.
In the period 26 October through 1st November these engagements resulted in over 270 TPLF troops killed with an unconfirmed number wounded. 5 military transport vehicles were destroyed by RPG-7s. The transport vehicles were full of troops when they were struck resulting in a high number of casualties.
Military engagements between ONLF troops and TPLF forces in the Ogaden has increased significantly over the last two weeks. This increase appears to be a coordinated and deliberate escalation in armed conflict initiated by the TPLF regime despite the humanitarian crisis in the Ogaden.
The TPLF regime continues to deny free access to the Ogaden for journalists in order to hide the extent of its military casualties from the outside world.
Ogaden National Liberation Front Military Operations Command Center (MOCC) OGADEN
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

African Union Neglected Oromo People

Abdulkadir Gumi
October 31, 2007

African Union (AU), international organization established in 2002 by the nations of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU). The AU is the successor organization to the OAU, with greater powers to promote African economic, social, and political integration, and a stronger commmitment to democratic principles. The 53 nations of Africa are all members; the AU's headquarters are at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Designed somewhat along the lines of the European Union, the AU, when fully realized, will have a General Assembly, Executive Council, Pan-African Parliament, African Central Bank (and eventual common currency), African Monetary Fund, and other organs and agencies. The Constitutive Act of the AU was adopted at Lomé, Togo, in 2000, the act was ratified in 2001, and in July the OAU held its last summit as the AU came into existence. The OAU continued to function, however, during a yearlong transition period, until the first official summit of the AU was held in July, 2002. The Pan-African Parliament, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, was inaugurated in 2004, initially as a purely advisory body; the Peace and Security Council was established later the same year.
Appointment of Ethiopia As the base of AU was wrong decision upon African nation in there history. the presence of AU in Addis Ababa represents a dangerous conflict of African Policy of many African Nation as Ethiopia is already a Conflict zone and the largest producer of refugee in horn of Africa after Somalia,
Ethiopian is known to the world that they are turning all Horn of Africa people in torn of fire and war. The previous military action againist Somalia brings bad name to the long-standing democratic and pro-peace stature enjoys among its neighbors. It could leave an indelible scar between our brotherly peoples in Africa. AU should be preaching peace in Africa and should be neutral position on democracy and peace for it's and African people. Ethiopia is killing its citizens daily and likewise like other African to share the blood shade of innocent people. African should understand that. The problem of Horn of Africa indicates and confirms that Ethiopia don't like peace for whole Africa people. As they have manufactured tact's of beating one tribe against others In Northern Kenya and rest of Somalia and all horn of Africa.It is very wonderful that foreign soldiers and security agents from Ethiopia can enter into any other part of Horn of Africa easily and kill innocent African nationals. This has continued since colonial era but still AU allows this evil continues to be done against African people while it is based in that country." The world need anger, the world often continues to allow evil because it is not angry enough.....Bede Jarre.
AU should either quit its base from Addis Ababa or pressure on Addis Ababa government to implement democracy and peace in Ethiopia at first place.
As African I feel shame if the AU leaders are driven by the Ethiopian Policy and that anyone may face sack if speaks against Ethiopian government while he is in Ethiopian Territory .The AU is now driven by one Nation Policy of Ethiopia.why silence on this issue?
While AU is Ethiopia, why do we see Oromo people are millions in Ethiopian jail, Killed, and become refugees scattered allover the world just because of practicing there national right, many Oromo people lost there lives on the cause of peace and democracy.why?
I am not from Ethiopia or Ethiopian but As an admirer of Oromia a country bordering Ethiopia, I should be jubilating at Finfinne if appointed as AU headquarter and Oromia should be independent. I am not happy with the current Ethiopia because it undermines the credibility of the AU. AU headquarter is set in a wrong country. It is not correct country that serve African nation. Peace minister should be put at the head of an institution that is supposed to be a people's forum. I can see the argument of visibility, clout and personal influence that may have weighed heavily on the minds of those who orchestrated her nomination, in absentia. But it is a wrong precedence. It sends wrong signals about the readiness of the AU to embrace civil society as an independent partner.
what is happening in Somalia, a daily massacre and AU is silent and eye folded. all eye are in DARFUR where the war is motivated by voice and media but the crises is less or the same as that of Somalia and Oromo people, the AU is silent why?
We as observers and African thinkers should not keep quiet because AU is a much-loved 'one of us'.and we need it to be in right way.
For African Union to succeed there has to be increase of democracy and participation of ordinary citizens in the affairs and governance of the continent. Without this, all the regional bodies (and we have had many) simply turn in to private clubs of the ruling elites. Furthermore, these elites, because they don't get their mandate from the African people, collude with multinational companies to rip off Africa with impunity. It is hard for the same people to be serious with an African Union without input from ordinary citizens who suffer daily in the continent.
It was a good time for taking stock, and asking serious questions. What, participants asked, has the current AU Secretariat done to prepare to Africa peace? How will the AU help promote the continent's political and economic integration? Most importantly, will the Union in representing the interests of ordinary Africans, following its repeated failures on pressuring African governments and regional organizations to realize the early aspirations for peace, unity, social progress and people's participation.
What happened to AU that the third largest Ethnic group in Africa "Oromo People" are suffering in Ethiopia without recognition of AU on there plight till now? What happened to AU? While many world nation recognized the Oromo political crises, our mother Africa AU never spoke out for Oromo people, or dreamed to solve the political problem in Ethiopia. This indicates that AU is masterminded by EPRDF policies to eliminate Oromo people's voice in There AGENDA.
The country of the Oromo is called Biyya-Oromo (Oromo country) or Oromia (Oromiya). Oromia was one of the free nations in the Horn of Africa until its colonization and occupation by Abyssinia at the end of the nineteenth century. In the east it is bordered by Somalia, Afar lands and Djibouti, in the West by Sudan, in the South by Somalia, Kenya and others and in the North by Amhara and Tigre land or Abyssinia proper. The land area is about 600 000 square kilometers.
The physical geography of Oromia varies from rugged mountain ranges in the centre and north to flat grassland in most of the lowlands of the west, east and south. Similarly, there are many rivers and lakes in Oromia. Many of the rivers flow westwards into either the Blue Nile or the White Nile, and others flow eastwards to Somalia and Afar land.
The climate is as varied as the physical geography, although close to the equator (to the north of it), because of the mountain ranges, high altitudes and vegetation, the climate is very mild and favourable for habitation. Snow can be found on the mountains such as Baatu and Karra. In the medium altitudes (1800-2500 m) the climate is very mild throughout the year and one of the best. Up to 80 per cent of the population lives at this altitude and agriculture flourishes. The low altitude areas (below 1500 m) in west, south and central part are relatively warm and humid with lush tropical vegetation.

People
Population
The Oromo people are one of the most numerous in Africa. Census data are not reliable but there are probably twenty million people whose first language is Oromo and who recognise themselves as Oromo. In older literature they are often called Galla. Except for a relatively small number of arid land pastoralists who live in Kenya, all their homelands lie in Ethiopia, where they probably make up around 40 percent of the total population.

Language
The traditional Oromo language is Oromiffa, the written form of which has recently changed to use the Roman alphabet. Oromiffa was banned during the regime of Haile Selassie, and Amharic was the only language taught in schools or used in the public sphere for decades. Thus Oromos who had formal education or grew up in urban areas can speak and write Amharic, while people in the countryside who were isolated from educational campaigns have continued to speak Oromiffa. Some Oromos may also speak Tigrigna, Somali, Arabic, or Swahili, but most Oromo refugees prefer to speak Oromiffa as a matter of cultural pride. Literacy in English is limited but growing, as more people take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Religion
Traditional Oromo religious belief centers around one God, Waaqa, who is responsible for everything that happens to human beings. As Oromos adopted Islam or Christianity, they maintained the concept of Waaqa and incorporated their beliefs into the new religions. Another large percentage of Oromos are Christian. Christians are primarily Catholic or Adventist rather than Orthodox, as the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is associated with the dominant Amhara cultural group. Within the Oromo nation, Muslims and Christians have mingled peacefully. Those Oromos whose traditions still mirror the traditions of "Waaqefataa" are less organized, less visible and therefore less understood.

Culture
The Oromo enjoy a homogeneous culture and share a common language, history and descent. Prior to its colonization, the Oromo had common political, religious and legal institutions. The Oromo people have a rich folklore, oral tradition, music and art. Although much of this culture and these traditions have survived harsh suppression, much has been forgotten and lost.

Economy
Oromia has the potential to be one of the richest countries in Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of its economy and it is the means of livelihood for more than 90 per cent of the population. There are a great variety of farm animals and crop plants. The Oromo specialise in animal husbandry through their long tradition as herdsmen. Cattle rearing (pastoralism) are still the main occupation of many Oromo.
The main crops that are merchandised are coffee and chat (a stimulant shrub). Coffee is a major foreign currency earner for Ethiopia. The plant originates in the forests of Oromia and neighbouring areas. Kafa and Limmu are considered to be the cities where coffee originated. Coffee has always been the main export product, it represents more than 60 per cent of the foreign earnings of successive Ethiopian colonial regimes.
The forests of Oromia are a source of excellent timber. Although the major portion of the forests has been destroyed since its occupation, some still remain in the south and west. However, this is threatened by mismanagement, particularly through the fast the expanding state farms and resettlement programmes. In addition to timber trees, medicinal plants and trees producing different kinds of gums, grow in abundance. Myrrh, frankincense and Arabic gum are gathered from the wild trees.
Oromia also has important mineral deposits. There are gold mines at Adola and Laga Dambi in the Sidamo and around Nejjo, Asosa and Birbir river valley in Wallagga regions. Other important minerals found in Oromia are platinum, sulphur, iron-ore, silver and salt. In 1986, the Ethiopian government announced the discovery of a new deposit of natural gas in Baale.
The hundreds of hot springs scattered over Oromia are also of economic importance. Thousands of people, including foreigners, visit these springs for their medicinal and recreational value. They are a great potential source of thermal energy. Rivers, streams and springs are plentiful. The rivers have many fails that could be used to generate electric power with little effort. The extent of this electric power could easily satisfy the power needs of Oromia and several neighbouring countries.

History
Prior to colonization
Prior to its colonization, the Oromo people lived under a remarkable and relatively complex age-grade based indigenous democratic system known as a "Gada" in which political, military and other leaders including legal experts are elected for non-renewable eight-year terms.
The Gadaa system has been undergoing changes since its inception to accommodate the development of society. Gadaa is a highly developed form of democratic life. It is a system that organises Oromo society into groups or sets of about 11 that assume different responsibilities in society every eight years.
The foundations of the Gadaa system, starting around the end of the eighteenth century, were brought about mainly by events set in motion both from inside and from outside the Oromo society. In most communities the Gadaa system declined because of the protracted wars that preceded the onset of colonization. The end of the eighteenth century was marked by constant wars and skirmishes, which gave the war leaders a mandatory power. This weakened the outstanding democratic features of the Gada system. The second important factor that contributed to the weakening of the Gada system was the coming of new beliefs and religions. Islam and Christianity have significantly affected the culture of the Oromo people.
Thirdly, the changes in the mode of living of several Oromo communities, as a result of the interaction of all these factors, were probably one of the important causes that led to the decline of the Gada system. These and other related factors led to the emergence of a new social system, which had a significant impact on the original ideals of the Gada values, which provided the Oromo nation admirable strength to fight against any external aggression and later the colonial occupation.

Colonization and Resistance
The Oromo were colonized during the last quarter of the 19th century by Abyssinia with the help of the European colonial powers of the day. The colonization process that brought about the present geographical shape of Ethiopia took the Abyssinians nearly 40 years. Present day Ethiopia is an outcome of the scramble for Africa conspired in 1884/85 in Berlin.
The successive colonial regimes banned all political, social and spiritual institutions of the Oromo and those of other colonized Peoples. During Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime (1930–1974), the only organizations allowed, under a strong vigilance, were a few self-help associations. In the beginning of the 1960s, there were three Oromo self-help associations which had their offices in Addis Ababa (Finfinne) namely the Jibat and Macha, Metta Robii, and Tulama Shawa self help associations. These three associations merged in 1963 and formed the Macha-Tulama Self-help Association.
It embraced all Oromos irrespective of religion and region and other non-Oromo nationalities who accepted the objectives of the association. The formation of the Macha-Tulama Association was a basis for the subsequent centralized leadership of the Oromo struggle for liberation.
The Oromo and other peoples, which were conquered, neither accepted the colonial hegemony nor assimilated with the colonisers. The Oromo resisted Ethiopian colonial expansion and domination both militarily and culturally in localized and scattered ways during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Oppression was especially harsh and brutal under the imperial rule of Haile Selassie, of the Amhara ethnic group. During the reign of Haile Selassie the Oromo language was banned and speakers were privately and publicly ridiculed. The government did everything in its power to ensure the domination of the Abyssinian language and cultures over the Oromo people. Drought, famine, war and ill-conceived policies brought millions to the brink of starvation in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974 this helped topple Haile Selassie. A self-proclaimed Marxist junta under which thousands of opponents, many of them Oromo, were purged or killed replaced his regime. Property was confiscated and defence spending spiralled.
With the overthrow of the junta in 1991, the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated the ruling government of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic (EPRDF), and joined with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in co-authoring a democratic charter. Subsequently, the TPLF, consolidated its grip of power and further continued to deny Oromos their political autonomy. Like its predecessors, the government dominated by the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front was vicious in its brutality against the Oromo people.
On may 15th 2005, Ethiopia held its third multi-party general elections, the first official result showed that the ruling party and opposition won roughly the same number of seats. This led to fraud allegations from the opposition parties. With tensions flaring high, and demonstrations where held in the capital Addis Ababa, at least 36 people died during violent clashes in which police opened fire on protesters. Mass arrests by police locked up more than 2000 people.
On June 8 2005, Dawud Ibsa, the chairman of Ethiopia's rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) said that his group would not accept the government's rigged victory in disputed general elections that where held on May 15. He warned that the conflict will widen unless the international community comes out with a very committed stance to avert this situation.
Organizations
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is a political organization established in 1973 by Oromo nationalists to lead the national liberation struggle of the Oromo people against the Abyssinian colonial rule. The emergence of the OLF was a culmination of a century old yearns of the Oromo people to have a strong and unified national organization to lead the struggle. The fundamental objective of the Oromo liberation movement is to exercise the Oromo peoples' inalienable right to national self-determination to terminate a century of oppression and exploitation, and to form, where possible, a political union with other nations on the basis of equality, respect for mutual interests and the principle of voluntary associations. The Oromo people's quest for their right to self-determination is just and legitimate. The aspiration of the people to regain their fundamental freedom is in line with the principle enshrined in the charter of the U.N. The OLF is struggling to enable the Oromo people to realize this fundamental right and bring an end to century old oppression. OLF's commitment to this objective is based on a democratic principle, that the Oromo people are endowed with the right to decide the type of sovereignty they want to live under and the type of political union they want to form with other peoples. The change made by the Tigrean regime, that grabbed power from the Amhara rulers in 1991, is far from enabling the Oromo people and others to realize this fundamental right. It is merely a cosmetic change intended to affect the momentum of our just struggle. The OLF reiterates the struggle of the Oromo people is not directed against any people but the system of oppression. In fact the OLF and the Oromo people are committed to the noble cause of laying a foundation for union of free peoples on the basis of their freely expressed will. The Oromo Liberation Front joined UNPO on 19 December 2004.
Finally I would love to see AU base to be in peaceful country if it never changed its character to be in a country like Gambia, Gabon and Namibia where the war is so far or in developing state like Kenya ,Nigeria and South Africa.I say this because Ethiopia is undermining the peaceful policy of AU and making it as political party in its country driving its mind.
I would love to see a strong African continent, and see my fellow Africans take their rightful place within the international community! I would love it if our continent could be economically strong, able to provide the livelihoods and opportunities that its peoples deserve. But I think that an African Union is just too much too soon. Many governments are stretched just trying to keep control over all parts of their countries. I have no doubt that one day we will have an African Union, but maybe we should start by creating regional states and see how they go.