EPRDF regime's self image of ethnically Balkanized Ethiopia, established by late Dictator Melese Zenawie. Freedom of Press is Dead in ethnocracy based irridentism. Fertile land is grabbed by foreign speculators, over 5 million are starving. 500'000 kids are on the streets. Millions are displaced by force. The regime is arming proxy warriors. Dams are built wantonly risking the existence of millions of indigenous people. Eritreans Moles are Ruling even after seceding in 1991.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Ethiopia protests: What's behind the trouble in Gondar? - BBC News
Ethiopia protests: What's behind the trouble in Gondar? - BBC News: "Ethiopia protests: What's behind the trouble in Gondar?
1 August 2016
From the section Africa
Share
Sunday's protest in Ethiopia involving thousands of people in Gondar, a city in Amhara region, is a rare example of an anti-government demonstration in the country.
It was organised on social media but no group has taken responsibility for it. The demonstration comes two weeks after another protests in the city in which 15 people died, including members of the security forces and civilians.
What's behind the protests?
At the root of the recent demonstrations is a request by representatives from the Welkait community - known as the Welkait Amhara Identity Committee - that their land, which is currently administered by the Tigray regional state, be moved into neighbouring Amhara region.
The Welkait committee says community members identify themselves as ethnic Amharas and say they no longer want to be ruled by Tigrayans.
Demonstrations began a fortnight ago but leaders of the Welkait community have been asking for the move for a year.
Amharas used to form the country's elite and the language remains the most widely spoken in the country.
Is that the only issue?
Observers say that Ethiopia's governing coalition is dominated by the party from the small Tigray region (TPLF), and some see the protests as a way of criticising the country's government.
When Sunday's demonstration was organised on social media, no mention was made of other issues, but during the protest banners could be seen expressing solidarity with people from the Oromia region.
Since November last year, the government has been dealing with a wave of protests in Oromia as people complain about alleged marginalisation. Those demonstrations began over a plan to expand the federal capital, Addis Ababa, into Oromia. That plan has been dropped, but the issue highlighted grievances with the government which have not gone away.
The Oromos are Ethiopia's most populous ethnic group.
People on Sunday were also calling for the release of a group of 18 Muslims who were imprisoned last year under controversial anti-terror legislation.
Ethiopia's ethnic make-up
Oromo - 34.4%
Amhara - 27%
Somali - 6.2%
Tigray - 6.1%
Sidama - 4%
Gurage - 2.5%
Others - 19.8%
Source: CIA World Factbook estimates from 2007
Why are regional boundaries so important?
When the current government came to power in 1991 after overthrowing the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam it introduced a federal constitution aimed at decentralising power.
The regional states that were created were based on ethnicity and language.
That has meant that ethnic identity has come to the fore in disputes over where regional boundaries should lie. These tensions have been witnessed in other parts of the country, not only in Amhara and Oromia.
Is there a connection with other protests in the country?
There is no formal connection between the protesters in Amhara and those in Oromia, but it does appear to represent a growing boldness amongst some people to challenge the government.
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Human Rights Watch estimated that more than 400 people died in the protests in Oromia
Ethiopia's government has been criticised by rights groups for cracking down on protests and dissident voices and using anti-terror laws to silence people.
In Amhara, the demonstration two weeks ago was sparked by the imprisonment of members of the Welkait Amhara Identity Committee.
In the face of this apparent repression any anti-government demonstration can be seen as significant.
How serious is this for the government?
Two weeks ago, Ethiopia's federal government accused neighbouring Eritrea of being behind the unrest and strongly warned the country to refrain from its "evil actions".
But so far there has been no word from the authorities in Addis Ababa about Sunday's protest.
They may prefer for this to be handled at a regional level, and the Amhara government has commented.
It said that the problems the protesters raised on Sunday were to do with good governance and it will try to address these.
This echoed the response of the Oromia regional government earlier this year when it said it would address the grievances of the people there.
For some observers, the Amhara protests appear to be part of a growing anti-government feeling, which the authorities are trying to contain.
But with no opposition parties represented in parliament, this feeling is manifested in sporadic bursts of activity rather than a concerted campaign."
'via Blog this'
1 August 2016
From the section Africa
Share
Sunday's protest in Ethiopia involving thousands of people in Gondar, a city in Amhara region, is a rare example of an anti-government demonstration in the country.
It was organised on social media but no group has taken responsibility for it. The demonstration comes two weeks after another protests in the city in which 15 people died, including members of the security forces and civilians.
What's behind the protests?
At the root of the recent demonstrations is a request by representatives from the Welkait community - known as the Welkait Amhara Identity Committee - that their land, which is currently administered by the Tigray regional state, be moved into neighbouring Amhara region.
The Welkait committee says community members identify themselves as ethnic Amharas and say they no longer want to be ruled by Tigrayans.
Demonstrations began a fortnight ago but leaders of the Welkait community have been asking for the move for a year.
Amharas used to form the country's elite and the language remains the most widely spoken in the country.
Is that the only issue?
Observers say that Ethiopia's governing coalition is dominated by the party from the small Tigray region (TPLF), and some see the protests as a way of criticising the country's government.
When Sunday's demonstration was organised on social media, no mention was made of other issues, but during the protest banners could be seen expressing solidarity with people from the Oromia region.
Since November last year, the government has been dealing with a wave of protests in Oromia as people complain about alleged marginalisation. Those demonstrations began over a plan to expand the federal capital, Addis Ababa, into Oromia. That plan has been dropped, but the issue highlighted grievances with the government which have not gone away.
The Oromos are Ethiopia's most populous ethnic group.
People on Sunday were also calling for the release of a group of 18 Muslims who were imprisoned last year under controversial anti-terror legislation.
Ethiopia's ethnic make-up
Oromo - 34.4%
Amhara - 27%
Somali - 6.2%
Tigray - 6.1%
Sidama - 4%
Gurage - 2.5%
Others - 19.8%
Source: CIA World Factbook estimates from 2007
Why are regional boundaries so important?
When the current government came to power in 1991 after overthrowing the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam it introduced a federal constitution aimed at decentralising power.
The regional states that were created were based on ethnicity and language.
That has meant that ethnic identity has come to the fore in disputes over where regional boundaries should lie. These tensions have been witnessed in other parts of the country, not only in Amhara and Oromia.
Is there a connection with other protests in the country?
There is no formal connection between the protesters in Amhara and those in Oromia, but it does appear to represent a growing boldness amongst some people to challenge the government.
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Human Rights Watch estimated that more than 400 people died in the protests in Oromia
Ethiopia's government has been criticised by rights groups for cracking down on protests and dissident voices and using anti-terror laws to silence people.
In Amhara, the demonstration two weeks ago was sparked by the imprisonment of members of the Welkait Amhara Identity Committee.
In the face of this apparent repression any anti-government demonstration can be seen as significant.
How serious is this for the government?
Two weeks ago, Ethiopia's federal government accused neighbouring Eritrea of being behind the unrest and strongly warned the country to refrain from its "evil actions".
But so far there has been no word from the authorities in Addis Ababa about Sunday's protest.
They may prefer for this to be handled at a regional level, and the Amhara government has commented.
It said that the problems the protesters raised on Sunday were to do with good governance and it will try to address these.
This echoed the response of the Oromia regional government earlier this year when it said it would address the grievances of the people there.
For some observers, the Amhara protests appear to be part of a growing anti-government feeling, which the authorities are trying to contain.
But with no opposition parties represented in parliament, this feeling is manifested in sporadic bursts of activity rather than a concerted campaign."
'via Blog this'
Monday, August 1, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
Two Ethiopians reportedly set themselves on fire in Egypt -
Two Ethiopian asylum seekers allegedly set themselves on fire Tuesday in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office located in 6th October City.
While information surrounding the situation remains unclear, the incidents reportedly took place as part of a protest led by Ethiopia’s Oromo community that sought to demand the right to seek asylum with the UNHCR.
The UNHCR released a statement on Wednesday expressing condolences to an Ethiopian Oromo woman who died during the protest, although the statement did not clarify whether the woman’s death was the result of her setting herself ablaze, only attributing her death to a “violent incident”.
According to the statement, the woman had two young children.
“UNHCR is mindful of the frustrations and anxieties that asylum seekers and refugees may feel because of lengthy procedures, due to the high number of applicants in Egypt,” read the statement. “As UNHCR is committed to ensure fair, consistent and transparent processes for asylum-seekers and refugees of all nationalities, it calls for the cooperation by all refugee communities and appeals for their understanding and non-violence.”
A video being circulated online by the Oromo refugee community in Cairo shows two Ethiopian Oromo asylum seekers, purportedly including the female mentioned in the UNHCR statement, who reportedly set themselves on fire during the protest.
This protest was part of continued attempts by the refugee community in Egypt to demand that the UNHCR recognise their communities, among other demands for fair treatment.
The Oromos are an ethnic group primarily in Ethiopia but also in other neighbouring countries. Although the group is considered the ethnic majority, they are largely politically marginalised and forced to assimilate, which has led to many Oromos choosing to flee Ethiopia and seek asylum elsewhere.
According to a source, who asked to remain anonymous, the UNHCR is currently denying asylum-seeker status to the Oromos, which means they cannot seek support from the UNHCR or any of its partners. The source explained that as Oromos are considered the majority population in Ethiopia, it is disputed as to whether or not they can be considered refugees.
Asylum seekers in Egypt are often made to wait months, but often years, by the UNHCR in order to for their paperwork to be processed, for either resettlement or to stay in Egypt.
The Egyptian government signed a memorandum of understanding in 1953 that makes the UNHCR solely responsible for registering and determining the status of refugees in the country.
According the UNHCR’s website, as of December 2015 Egypt was host to over 180,000 refugees from around the region, predominantly from Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Iraq.
Daily News Egypt contacted the Interior Ministry and Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo for comment. Both said they had not received any news about the incident. UNHCR was also contacted for a statement, but no one was available for comment.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Political Appointments On Ethnic And Tribal Line: A Subliminal Meta-Dehumanization "Ethiopia"
Political Appointments On Ethnic And Tribal Line: A Subliminal Meta-Dehumanization
In their scholarly journal article published in the prestigious journal of personality and social psychology, Kteily, N., Hodson. G and Bruneau, E (2016), asserted that dehumanizing an out-group is a pervasive and potent intergroup process that spark-off discrimination and conflict. The researchers therefore defined meta-dehumanization as robotizing or dehumanizing out-group. The purpose of this article is to adumbrate the significance of regional and tribal integration relative to political and national appointments and thereby decreasing a covert meta-dehumanization which is a recipe for conflict, using Ethiopia as a case study.
Just as the Austrian diplomat, Clemens von Metternich (1773-1859), described Italy in the first half of the 19th century as a mere geographical expression due to that country’s dis-unification, the same could be said about the Horn of Africa’s landlocked country of Ethiopia. In his brilliant documentary, “Ethiopia failed state” circulating on youtube.com, the writer, Miller Hansen, described the current government of Ethiopia as ethnocratic, plutocratic and totalitarian. This is because the Tigris people liberation front (TPLF) continue to carryout intimidation, torture, abduction, imprisonment, massacres, ethnic cleansing, assassination and genocide. The press freedom in Ethiopia is now fizzled in a thin air. The arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of journalists have been very rife.
According to the recent World Bank group latest poverty assessment, poverty in Ethiopia fell from 44% in 2000 to 30% in 2011. In spite of economic strides in poverty reduction, about 37 million of Ethiopians continue to wallow in poverty, and from the recent World Bank data, the poorest in Ethiopia have become even poorer in the sense that the high food prices that improves lives of many farmers also make buying of food more challenging for the poorest especially those in the rural areas. Illiteracy is another major reason why Ethiopia wallows in poverty. The government of Ethiopia formed on Tigris ethnic group is heading Ethiopia towards disintegration.
The framers of the 1992 constitution of Ghana envisaged the danger of forming government based on one ethnic group. This partly explains why regional integration and regional balance were captured in the constitution. However, the makers of the constitution forgot about the real danger associated with it and what I call “the tyrant of executive president.” This is because the excessive powers wielded by the executive president could easily sink the idea of regional balance into oblivion. When political appointments are excessively based on ethnic lines like Ethiopia today, the likelihood of corruption, mismanagement, administrative ineptitude is obvious.
Conflicts do not happen by chance. Underneath every conflict in society is a remote factor. In his book: Europe since Napoleon, page 4, David Thomson intimated that revolution may begin, as wars often begin, not because people positively want them. They happen because people want other things that, in a set of circumstances, implicate them in revolution or in War. Leaders must refrain from pursuing politics that could lead into disintegration such meta-dehumanization and ethnocracy.
The former United States Supreme court judge, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr, said that, “If there is any principle of the constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought, not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.” As a country we cannot swallow our dangerous cough for the fear of hurting others. Looking at the recent political appointments in all the sensitive positions in Ghana, any objective analyst including NDC stalwarts and aficionados will be surprised and assert: “ebei, Mr. President, the Akan, the Ga-Adangbe and Ewe lives matter.” For example, the governor of the central bank is from the north: Dr. Abdul-Nashiru Issahaku, National Insurance commissioner, Miss Lydia Larriba Bawa, National petroleum authority (NPA), Mr. Moses Asaga all from the north.
Far from doubting the educational qualification of the aforementioned personalities, the concentration of the northern people only could not help the country to develop. They are all highly qualified for the job. However, for the safety of the nation and the welfare of the regional balance and integration, I succinctly suggest to Mr. President to conduct self-introspection on his appointments relative to regional balance and integration. Such self-appraisal will enhance the electoral fortunes of himself as a president and NDC as a party. “The mode by which the inevitable comes to pass is effort” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr). There are other qualified people from other parts of the country. I respect people of northern Ghana for their hard work and honesty, even so a right thing must be done.
In his book, the history of Ghana, page 8, Roger Gocking, asserted that about 44% of Ghana’s population are Akans, who live primarily in the forest regions of the country. The Akans can be further subdivided into 11subgroup, the largest of which are the Asante, Bono, the Fante, the Akyem, the Akwamu, the Akuapem and the Nzimas. Tribalism, nepotism are all forms of corruption. .” In his book entitled: “The Africans, A triple heritages” page 11, Professor, Ali. A. Mazrui, opined that the ancestors of Africa are angry, for those who believe in the powers of the ancestors, the proof of their anger is obvious. For those who do not believe in ancestors, the proof of their anger is given another name. What are they angry about? Things are not just working in Africa. My own adaptation of Professor Mazrui’s statement is that the people and ancestors of Ghana are angry. Things are not properly working in Ghana and it is imperative we change our changeability. For example, I struggle to catch the drift of Ghana’s economics when it comes to import duties. Why must a country put high taxes on goods they don’t produce such as cars while people travel in a moving coffin from Odorkor to Kwame Nkrumah circle via Kaneshie?
In sum, covert meta-dehumanization inherent and pervasively revealed by political appointments base on tribal line is a recipe for conflict. Just as the Eastern African country of Ethiopia is now poverty-stricken frightened economy as a result of forming government on Trigris ethnic stock, the leaders of Ghana must not shelve the idea of regional, ethnic and religious balance in the composition of government. This will bring peace and development into our beloved country. Fellow countrymen, this article is not motivated by political campaign.
I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing (Socrates). I humbly stand for Corrections.
Nana Yaw Osei (Padigo), PhD Candidate, Psychology
College of Doctoral Studies
Grand Canyon University, Arizona, USA
Nana.osei@mail.alfredadler.edu
Padigogoma77@yahoo.co.uk
College of Doctoral Studies
Grand Canyon University, Arizona, USA
Nana.osei@mail.alfredadler.edu
Padigogoma77@yahoo.co.uk
More From Author: (6 Articles)
15-07-2016 Political Appointments On Ethnic And Tribal Line: A Subliminal Meta-dehumanization14-07-2016 Moving Towards A Peaceful And Violence-free Election 201613-07-2016 A Curse Of Subjective Journalism09-09-2013 Oh Ebibifo!! Why Do We Continue To Sell Our Souls For Pittance?? By Nana Yaw Ossei19-07-2008 Nana Akufo-addo For Ghana: Imagine The Possibilities.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)