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.
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Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of 'kidnapping' protests | Daily Mail Online
Ethiopia accused arch-rival Eritrea on Thursday of being behind anti-government protests in the Oromia region last year which led to a violent clampdown by the government in Addis Ababa.
The two countries fought a bloody conflict from 1998-2000, but tensions are never far from the surface and were fuelled by protests which erupted last November.
“We have concrete evidence that some of the people... involved and instigating violence in these particular localities... have their origins from Asmara," the capital of Eritrea, said government spokesman Getachew Reda.
A burnt out truck, assumed to be set fire by protesters, lies outside the village of Wolenkomi, in the western region of Ethiopia on December 17, 2015 ©Zacharias Abubeker (AFP/File)
Home to some 27 million people, Oromia encircles Addis Ababa and stretches over large parts of the rest of the country. It has its own language, Oromo, distinct from Amharic, the language of Ethiopia's government.
Demonstrations erupted last November in Oromia to protest against a government plan to expand the Ethiopian capital.
The so-called Master Plan, which was eventually abandoned in January, fuelled land-grab fears among Oromo farmers, from the country's biggest ethnic group.
Reda accused Eritrea of working in concert with two Ethiopian movements, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebel group and the Ginbot 7 opposition group exiled in the United States and categorised as terrorists by Addis Ababa.
"The Eritrean government is not only working with OLF’s leftovers in Asmara but also with Ginbot 7, and they want to infiltrate all troublemakers into Ethiopia," Reda said.
He added: "The protests that were being expressed by the people were based on legitimate concerns. But at a certain point, there were political elements involved in hijacking the process.
"What transpired... is an absolutely despicable case of criminal gangs roaming village after village and causing innumerable loss in lives."
There was a brutal crackdown on the protests, which left over 140 people dead and thousands arrested, according to figures released in January by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a report published Monday, HRW said the crackdown is still ongoing, asserting that killings and arbitrary arrests were still being reported almost daily.
Eritrea separated from Ethiopia in 1991 after a 20-year independence war. The two countries have remained on a war footing since the open conflict around the turn of the Millennium, notably over their 1,000 km-long (620- mile) common border.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Ethiopian Prime Minister Accuses Eritrea of Supporting Armed Groups Seeking Secession of Oromia
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Wednesday accused Eritrea of supporting armed groups seeking the secession of Oromia, the largest region in the country.
According to the BBC, Hailemariam blamed the destabilization of Oromia on “destructive forces” that have launched attacks targeting security forces and government facilities.
“The people have understood that these destructive forces are on a mission to subvert the system and change the government,” Hailemariam said.
The Prime Minister added that the issues in Oromia require a swift response and the government will address the situation as the law dictates. He warned that the government would prevent the growth of any secessionist campaign in Oromia.
“The government has realized that there is need to take a decisive action based on law,” he said.
On Monday, Ethiopia dismissed a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report that student protests against a government plan to extend the capital Addis Ababa into Oromia continues.
Communications Minister Getachew Reda debunked claims that the government is violently suppressing the protests, which began in November 2015.
According to a HRW report published on Sunday, Ethiopian security forces have continued to violently crack-down on protesters. Up to 200 people have reportedly been killed in the clashes, the report said.
The report also dismissed claims that the protests against the ‘Addis Ababa Integrated Development Mater Plan’ stopped after the controversial plan was cancelled.
The international rights group said although the Master Plan was cancelled in January, thousands have been arrested arbitrarily without charge.
However, Getachew described the HRW report as “an absolute lie.” He questioned the authenticity of the reports since HWR is not present in Ethiopia.
Although Getachew questioned the authenticity of the HRW report, he acknowledged that the region was still unsettled. He said rather than continued student protests, the government is faced with attacks by armed groups targeting public buildings.
Although the minister did not identify the name of the armed groups behind the recent attacks, he said they were “trying to stir up the emotions in the public.”
Photo: Reuters
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