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Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Government's Acts of Genocide

BY IMRU ZELLEKE

14 AUGUST 2013

DOCUMENT

An open letter to the US Secretary of State

Ethiopia is a major US ally in the Horn of Africa, yet America does not seem to be concerned about the blatant violations of human rights, lawless governance and unmitigated corruption by the regime in Addis Ababa (read more)

Ethiopia Bans More NGOs Over 'Illegal Acts'
By Sudan Tribune
20 February 2013

Addis Ababa — Ethiopian authorities have banned three civic organisations, accusing the NGOs of engaging in activities that break 2009's Charities and Societies Proclamation law.

The Ethiopian government alleged that the three NGOs were banned as a result of conducting "illegal religious activities" contrary to the law.

The groups who had their licences revoked were One Euro, the Islamic Cultural and Research Centre and the Gohe Child, Youth and Women Development organisation. (read more) 


Ethiopians receive humanitarian aid, Photo: Jason McLure/IRIN
Suri boys at the entrance of the Koka Malaysian plantation, Omo valley. Photograph: Alamy

Ethiopia dam project is devastating the lives of remote indigenous groups
By John Vidal, The Guardian
7 February 2013

Human rights abuses in Ethiopia's Lower Omo valley are said to be rampant, with tribal leaders imprisoned, dozens of people killed and troops cracking down on dissent ahead of the building of a massive dam, which is forcing the relocation of some of the most remote tribes in Africa.

The valley, a Unesco world heritage site renowned for its isolated cultures and ethnic groups, is home to 200,000 pastoralist farmers including the Kwegu, Bodi, Mutsi and Nyangatom tribes. These groups all depend on the Omo river, which flows through their traditional land on its way to Lake Turkana in Kenya. (read more)


FBI foils TPLF assassination plot against Ethiopian journalist in Boston

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Addis Voice—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has foiled a plot to shoot and kill Ethiopian journalist Abebe Gellaw in Boston, Massachusetts.

The plot was allegedly orchestrated by a man named Guesh Abera, a Boston resident and parking lot attendant in hismid-thirties. Guesh and his three accomplices, who are suspected of being spies and fanatic members of the tyrannical regime in Ethiopia, were determined to “eliminate” the journalist and press freedom activist, sources say. (read more)


Ethiopia: Government continues to target peaceful Muslim protest movement
Amnesty International
2 November 2012

The Ethiopian authorities are committing human rights violations in response to the ongoing Muslim protest movement in the country. Large numbers of protestors have been arrested, many of whom remain in detention. There are also numerous reports of police using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators. Key figures within the movement have been charged with terrorism offences. Most of those arrested and charged appear to have been targeted solely because of their participation in a peaceful protest movement.

Tens of thousands of Muslims have participated in regular peaceful protests throughout 2012, opposing alleged government interference in Islamic affairs. Protestors accuse the government of attempting to impose the teachings of the Al Ahbash sect of Islam on the Muslim community and of interference in elections for the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs. (read more)

Ethiopia charges 29 Muslims under anti-terror law
AFP
29 October 2012

ADDIS ABABA — Twenty-nine Ethiopian Muslims were charged Monday with plotting acts of "terrorism", the majority arrested after protests accusing the government of interference in religious affairs.

According to court documents, the group is accused of "intending to advance a political, religious or ideological cause" by force and the "planning, preparation, conspiracy, incitement and attempt of terrorist acts."

The 29 accused -- including nine prominent Muslim leaders -- were jailed following protests in July staged by Muslims against the government. (read more)

South Sudan plans mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea
Aaron Maasho
Reuters
October 24, 2012

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Newly independent South Sudan plans to help resolve the long-running border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a senior official said on Wednesday.

South Sudan's minister for cabinet affairs, Deng Alor, said Addis Ababa and Asmara had given the green light for mediation talks on the border, which could start as early as November.

"We have close ties with both countries so we are planning to mediate and solve the problems that they have between them," Deng Alor, South Sudan's minister for cabinet affairs, told Reuters. (read more)

Ethiopia surprises itself with peaceful transition after Meles
MinnPost
18 October 2012

When Ethiopia's leader of 21 years Meles Zenawi died in August, citizens were on edge with memories of violent transfers of power.

"A lot of people expected conflict after his death was announced," says a top young civil servant about Prime Minister Meles's secrecy-shrouded death. His mother asked him to remain at home to stay safe as "the head of government had died, and this was Africa– and particularly Ethiopia, which has no history of peaceful transitions."

Yet the appointment of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn by parliament last month was conducted without arms, marking a democratic milestone and relative stability for a key partner of the West in the volatile Horn of Africa. (read more)

Ethiopia frees Eritrean PoWs
Tesfa-Alem Tekle
Sudan Tribune
10 October 2012

(ADDIS ABABA) - Ethiopia has released a total of 75 Eritrean prisoners of war who were captured by the Ethiopian army during cross border attacks it carried out in March 2011.

However Ethiopia said that the move does not necessarily imply a restoration of relation between the two rival neighbours whose relation remain at odds following the 1998-2000 border conflict which left an estimated 70,000 dead.

Ethiopian military attacked an army base inside Eritrea, where Addis Ababa said rebels were training; an allegation Asmara rejects.

In mid-January, gunmen alleged to be members of the Eritrea-based Ethiopian Afar separatists group (ARDUF) attacked a group of western tourists in Ethiopia’s remote Afar region near the Eritrean border and killed five people from German, Hungary and Austria. ARDUF also denied Eritrea’s involvement in the attacks. (read more)

ETHIOPIA: A wave of atrocities against villages in Ogaden
Johan Ripås
Somaliland Press
September 26, 2012

Refugee women and children in Somaliland who fled their homes in Ethiopia as a result of a "Liyu police" operation, April 2012.

ADDIS ABABA – “No proper evidence has reached the world until now” The task force that arrested and wounded the Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson in Ethiopia are now accused of widespread abuses in the Ogaden province.

Swedish Television’s Africa correspondent Johan Ripås has become privy to further documentation, smuggled out of Ethiopia. The video evidence shows that whole villages have been emptied of inhabitants through executions and mass flight from terror. (read more)


Ethiopia to swear in new prime minister, a hand-picked successor to Meles Zenawi, on Friday

The Washington Post, Associated Press
18 September, 2012

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s new prime minister is to be sworn into office on Friday.

Hailemariam Desalegn is the hand-picked successor of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died Aug. 20 after ruling Ethiopia for more than two decades. Hailemariam is a former deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister under Meles.

Hailemariam’s ascension to prime minister has been delayed for at least a month after an emergency meeting of parliament was canceled last month.

Shimeles Kemal, communications state minister, said Tuesday that Hailemariam will take the oath Friday morning.

The extraordinary parliament session follows a meeting by the leadership of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front, which on Saturday named Hailemariam its leader. The party controls 545 of the country’s 547 parliament seats, ensuring Hailemariam will be approved Friday.

Copyright The Washington Post, The Associated Press, 2012

ESAT Insight Interview: Dr Gregory Stanton on the legacies of Meles Zenawi for Ethiopia
ESAT News: Meles Zenawi humiliated in G8 meeting, May 18 2012 (Ethiopia)
Ethiopia: Meles, Speechless! The Man Who Cried “Freedom!”

Alemayehu G Mariam2
8 May, 2012 

On May 18, 2012, dictator Meles Zenawi learned a lesson he will not easily forget. In the land of free speech, he was rendered speechless. Abebe Gellaw, a young Washington-based Ethiopian journalist, stood up in the gallery at the Food Security 2012  G8 Summit in Washington, D.C. and slammed Zenawi:

Meles Zenawi is a dictator! Meles Zenawi is a dictator! Free Eskinder Nega! Free Political Prisoners! You are a dictator. You are committing crimes against humanity. Food is nothing without freedom! Meles has committed crimes against humanity! We Need Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
(read more)

Ethiopia: A tale of David and Goliath

Martha Solomon
17 May, 2012 
             
The epic encounter between heroic Ethiopian journalist Abebe Gellaw (David) and Meles Zenawi (Goliath) will surely go  down in Ethiopian history as one of the most shinning stories of our time. The story is neither a fairy tale nor a fictional movie script. It is a true story whose impact is still felt with the fall of Ethiopia’s Goliath.

The showdown happened in one fateful morning of May 18th, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building, coincidentally located at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC. Thanks to ESAT, Ethiopians across the world also witnessed the golden moment when the voice of tyranny was disrupted and interrupted while Ethiopia’s demand for freedom thunderously filled the air, chocked and humiliated Meles Zenawi in front of world leaders. The more I watch the video, the more I realize the historic nature and significance of our own story of David and Goliath. (read more)

                                       
Ethiopia After Meles

Policy Briefing By International Crisis Group
Africa Briefing N°89
Nairobi/Brussels, 22 August 2012


I. OVERVIEW
The death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who had not
been seen in public for several months, was announced on
20 August 2012 by Ethiopian state television. The passing
of the man who has been Ethiopia’s epicentre for 21 years
will have profound national and regional consequences. (Read More)

Ethiopian Dictator Meles Zenawi Dies

20 August 2012
Meles Zenawi Asres (Ge'ez: Mäläs Zenawi Äsräs; 8 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was the Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his death on 20 August 2012. Since 1985, he was the chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), and the head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). He was President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and became the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in 1995 following the general elections that year. While his government was credited with reforms such as those that lead a multi-party political system in Ethiopia, introduction of private press in Ethiopia and decreased child mortality rates, his government was also accused of political repression and brutal human rights abuses. Known as one of Africa's strongmen, he was a key ally of the United States in the war on terror. (Read More)



The Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) interviews with Dr. Gregory Stanton, the president of Genocide Watch

Dr. Gregory Stanton tells ESAT how Genocide Watch was established and how important genocide prevention is.
Click here to see Dr. Gregory Stanton speak on November 9, 2010 about Ethiopia.
(Brought to you by Ethiopian Review)

Ethiopia’s Country Profile: 

Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, with a population of over 80 million; it is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa.  More than eighty five percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas.  It is one of the world’s poorest countries with a per capita income of only $1,000 (2010 est.) per year.  Ethiopia has a turbulent history of famine, drought, civil conflict and war.  Despite its volatile history, Ethiopia has long been a symbol of independence in Africa.  Geographically, Ethiopia is located in a strategic geopolitical region.  It plays an important role as a key U.S. ally in the so-called “war on terrorism.”  It has sent troops to Somalia to combat the Al Queda connected Al Shabaab Islamist organization that controls large swaths of Somalia north of Mogadishu.  It was a founder member of the United Nations and is home to many international organizations such as the African Union.
 
 Although Ethiopia appears to be a stable country, it is actually plagued by decades of oppression, corruption, human rights violations and sustained repression of opposition to its governments.  Today,  executive power resides with Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and his Tigrayan ethnic compatriots, who have held power since 1995. While Ethiopia claims to be an electoral democracy, in practice, Ethiopia is an authoritarian state. All land has been owned by the State since the communist Mengistu regime of the 1970’s.  The Meles Zenawi regime has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and leased their land to Chinese, Indian, Saudi, and Malaysian agricultural corporations. Authoritarian government and the exploitative economic system negate the principles of a democracy. 

Politics in Ethiopia is often defined by a power struggle between the Amharic and Tigrayan ethnic groups. The two largest ethnic groups are the Oromo and the Amhara.  The largest group, the Oromo have never held power in modern times. There are more than 60 legally recognized political parties in Ethiopia.  However, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is led by Tigrayans, completely dominates politics. Political repression is rampant and currently the government is using development aid as a means to suppress political opposition and to oppress neglected minorities.

In  2008 the government passed new laws to restrict the use of media and civil societies.   Of the many laws that were passed in 2008, two of the most significant laws were the Charities and Societies Proclamation and the Anti-terrorism proclamation.  The Charities and Societies Proclamation restricts Ethiopian nongovernmental organizations from doing any work that involves human rights, if they receive more than 10 percent of their funding from foreign sources.  The Anti-Terrorism proclamations, have been used to prosecute human rights activists and journalists. The law is vague and has a broad definition of terrorism.

During the period leading up to the 2010 parliamentary elections the government used a policy of intimidation to suppress political dissidents.  The government arbitrarily arrested individuals opposing the EPRDF, conducted house to houses searches, and forced individuals to vote for the EPRDF. Often voters were pressured to join or support the ruling party through systematic harassment. The government also used discriminatory penalties for those supporting opposing parties; these penalties included the denial of access to public sector jobs, denial of loans, educational opportunities and food assistance.  The EPRDF overwhelming won the 2010 parliamentary elections because opposition candidates were ruled off the ballot.    

 


Ethiopia Genocide Emergency Update:  The Gambella Massacres

Genocide Watch first declared a Genocide Emergency in 2003 after massacres of Anuak people in Ethiopia’s far southwestern region of Gambella. EPRDF forces and Highlander militias initiated a systematic genocidal campaign targeting the indigenous Anuak people of Gambella province. Genocide Watch and Survivors Rights International (SRI) sent a fact-finding mission to Gambella, interviewed eyewitnesses, and thoroughly documented the massacres in a joint report released in January 2004 titled ‘Today is the Day of Killing Anuaks’.  It was followed a year later by a report by Human Rights Watch.

Dr. Gregory Stanton, founder and director of Genocide Watch, sent a letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi urging him to prevent the massacres from becoming a full-scale genocide. Rather than taking the necessary measures to protect the people of Gambella, the government instead continued the killings and Genocide Watch sent another fact-finding team to Gambella that produced documents proving that the Gambella massacres were planned at the highest levels of the Ethiopian government, and even given the code name “Operation Sunny Mountain,” the title of Genocide Watch’s resulting 1994 report.

Since 2004, Ethiopia has repeatedly targeted the Anuak community and has even sent EPRDF troops into Sudan to force refugees to return to Gambella, an action prevented by the US Ambassador to Ethiopia after rapid response by Genocide Watch.  Genocide Watch sent an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asking her to investigate genocide and crimes against humanity in Gambella, the Ogaden, and other provinces of Ethiopia.

The Anuak are the predominant landowners in the Gambella region.  Dark –skinned African tribes such as the Anuak are shunned as racially inferior by Highlanders and the central government.   In 1991 the Ethiopian government implemented a system known as “ethnic federalism”. This system enabled the government to implement discriminatory practices that fostered tribalism and racial division.

The Gambella region has rich resources and fertile land. Nevertheless, the province lacks roads, electricity, and other basic economic infrastructure. The Gambella region also suffers from long-term political, social, and economic marginalization.

Gambella’s oil reserves are now being tapped by Chinese oil companies. The Ethiopian government’s appetite for large-scale agricultural development is causing catastrophic damage to the social structure and land of the people of Gambella. The people have been forcibly driven off their land, and the land is being leased to Chinese, Saudi, and Indian multi-national agro-corporations at rock-bottom prices. None of the money for the leased land is being used to benefit the people of Gambella.  Over the past decade, the Anuak have pressed the government for income from their resources.  In response, the government has initiated a genocidal campaign aimed at deporting, persecuting and killing the Anuak people.

 

•Genocide Watch considers Ethiopia to have already reached Stage 7, genocidal massacres, against many of its peoples, including the Anuak, Ogadeni, Oromo, and Omo tribes.

•Genocide Watch recommends that the United States government immediately cease all military assistance to the Ethiopian Peoples Defense Forces. We recommend strong diplomatic protests to the Meles Zenawi regime against massive violations of human rights in Ethiopia.

•Ethiopia is currently fighting a proxy war with US support in Somalia.  We strongly advise diverting all US aid for Ethiopia in that war to the African Union Forces in Somalia.

•Genocide Watch calls upon the government of Ethiopia to cease attacks on the Anuak and Ogadeni.

•Genocide Watch demands the immediate release of Anuak and Ogadeni prisoners.

•Genocide Watch calls on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the Gambella and Ogaden provinces, and other areas in Ethiopia threatened by famine.

•Genocide Watch urges the Ethiopian government to adhere to its own constitution and allow its provinces the legal autonomy they are guaranteed.

•Genocide Watch calls upon the government to hold free and fair elections that allow the opposition to participate fully in the electoral process.

  • Genocide Watch calls upon the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Ethiopia to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of Ethiopia’s crimes against humanity.

Genocide Emergency: Ethiopia - The Ogaden Massacres

The Ogaden region is predominantly inhabited by an ethnic Somali, Muslim agro-pastoralist clan, the Ogadeni.  The Ogaden is endowed with rich oil and gas resources, but its population lives in extreme poverty while Chinese oil companies pump the oil and gas from under their land.  Without the knowledge and consent of the Ogadeni, the Ethiopian government signed contracts and gave concessions to foreign oil companies to explore and extract oil and natural gas from the Ogaden.

Immediately after oil and gas was discovered in the Ogaden, Ethiopian government forces evicted large numbers of Ogadenis from their ancestral grazing lands, and herded them into Internally Displaced Persons camps, causing a humanitarian disaster.  Thousands of once self-sufficient Ogadenis have starved to death.

The Ogaden region has been a battlefield between Ethiopia and Somalia.  In 1960 when Somalia gained independence, it sought to unite all ethnic Somalis.  Somalia invaded the Ogaden under Siad Barre, but were repulsed when the Soviet Union switched sides and backed the Mengistu communist government of Ethiopia and sent Cuban troops to drive Somalia out of the Ogaden.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), founded in 1984, has been fighting a long-running insurgency against the Ethiopian government, seeking more autonomy for the underdeveloped, ethnically Somali region. In 2007, the Ethiopian army launched a counterinsurgency campaign in the Ogaden region, after the ONLF rebels launched an attack on a Chinese oil field.

The Ethiopian government has initiated a genocidal campaign against the Ogadeni civilian population.  The Ethiopian Peoples Defense Forces are using a systematic policy of intimidation, rape, assault and detention and deportation against Ogadeni civilians. Ten of thousands of people have fled to refugee camps in Kenya and Somalia.

The Ethiopian Army’s counter –insurgency campaign in Ogaden has included numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Ethiopian government’s policy in Ogaden is to suppress all demands for autonomy from Ogadenis.  It has included gradual starvation of the population in IDP camps – a policy Genocide Watch calls Genocide By Attrition.

It has cut off the IDP camps from humanitarian aid, and barred and arrested all journalists who could report on its crimes.  Two Swedish journalists are still serving eleven-year sentences in Ethiopian prisons for reporting on the Ogaden massacres.  Ethiopia even arrested the renowned New York Times reporter Jeffrey Gettleman and held him for a week in an Ogaden jail, until the US government demanded his release.

The army has imposed an economic blockade on many towns and villages in the Ogaden. The government has restricted access to water, food and other necessities.  Food is being used as a weapon of war.  Massacres, torture, rape and disappearances are prevalent in the Ogaden region. Women and children are the most vulnerable groups to suffer abuse and violence.  They are accused of being relatives of ONLF members.  Thousands of people have been arrested without any charges and held in desolate desert prisons.

Ethiopian security forces are given blanket impunity to kill whomever they want under the pretext of suspected support and sympathy for the ONLF. In mid-2007, aid agencies were expelled from the Ogaden, despite a humanitarian crisis there.  Only a small number of aid agencies are now allowed to operate in Ogaden, and their activities are restricted by the army.  The army also continues to impose severe restrictions on the media.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) whole Ogadeni communities have been forcibly relocated to areas controlled by the army.  Villagers and nomads were given a few days’ notice to vacate their land. The Ethiopian Peoples Defense forces adopted a “scorched earth campaign,” destroying their property, confiscating livestock and burning their harvests.  The Ogaden has been transformed into a vast military occupied area, with thousands of Ogadenis in IDP camps. 

  • The Ethiopian government has ratified many international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.  Genocide Watch calls upon the Ethiopian government to abide by these treaties.

 

  • Genocide Watch urges the Ethiopian government to allow all humanitarian and relief organizations and journalists to operate freely in the Ogaden, and everywhere in Ethiopia.

 

  • Genocide Watch demands that the Ethiopian government close all Internally Displaced Persons camps in Ethiopia, to allow Ogadenis and Anuak to return to their homes in safety with humanitarian assistance.

 

  • Genocide Watch is alarmed by the massive number of rape victims.  Ogadeni women are being held in the Ethiopian military barracks as sex slaves.

 

  • Genocide Watch condemns these crimes, and has publicly written to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate.
  • The situation in Ethiopia should be referred by the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of these crimes against humanity.

 


Genocide Warning

In the remote western region of Gambella, tens of thousands of people have been forcibly relocated from their land. In 2010, the Ethiopian government initiated a villagisation program. The program intended to group scattered farming communities into small villages, with the aim of changing their lifestyles, and providing better access to food, education and health. However, the government’s plans are far from reaching these goals; the Ethiopian government has forcibly relocated approximately 70,000 people from their land with the intention to lease the land for foreign and domestic investment. There have been numerous reports of human rights violations. Many of the new villages where people are being relocated have inadequate food and lack healthcare and educational facilities. The Ethiopian government’s villagisation program has been extremely detrimental to the livelihoods of the people of Gambella. The government's failure to provide food assistance has caused endemic hunger and cases of starvation. In addition, those who have resisted relocating are repeatedly assaulted and arbitrarily arrested. Through this program, the Ethiopian government is planning on relocating 1.5 million people by 2013 from the following regions: Gambella, Afar, Somali, and Benishangul Ghumuz

 

“My father was beaten for refusing to go along with some other elders,” one former villager told HRW. “He said, ‘I was born here – my children were born here – I am too old to move so I will stay.’ He was beaten by the army with sticks and the butt of a gun. He had to be taken to hospital. He died because of the beating – he just became weaker and weaker.”

Read More


In light of the recent report issued by Human Rights Watch, Genocide Watch is deeply concerned with the rising number of human rights violations in Ethiopia; as a result Genocide Watch is classifying the situation as a Genocide Alert.

The early signs which indicate, the occurrence of genocide in the near future are the following:

  • Forcibly relocating approximately 70,000 people from the western region of Gambella
  • The use of force and coercion
  • The deprivation of resources & the denial of rights
  • The targeting & exclusion of indigenous groups
  • The restriction on NGOs such as the Human Rights Council (HRCO )& the Ethiopian Women’s Lawyer Association
  • The absence of free media and lack of tolerance on dissents

Genocide Watch calls upon the international community to take action to prevent Genocide from happening. Please help us sign this petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/stop-forced-relocations-ethiopia/

Report by Cultural survival : Gambella Land Grab alert

Click here to read more on this topic

ABN: 234 63841103
Anuak Australian Community (AAC)
59 Gilba Road, Girraween, NSW 2145
Ph: 61 2 9631 3629
 
Date: 25th March 2012
Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President of Genocide Watch
 
 Repatriating Anuak refugees in Alari refugee Camp -SOUTH SUDAN 
Dear Sir,
 
Our office has been informed that Ethiopia government offcials left for Alari refugee camp in Pochala County; South Sudan to repatriate Anuak refugees by force (against their will) on 24 March, 2012. These refugees fled Gambella Regional State due to Genocide committed against Anuak community in 2003, and the Ethiopian government’s current land grabbing and forced Villagisation program.

The decision to repatriate Anuak refugees was made last week in a cross border meeting held in Gambella Regional State-Pinyudo town between Mr. Omot Obang Olum governor of Gambela Regional State of Ethiopia and Mr. Joseph Okello governor of Pochala County of South Sudan. In addition an agreement has been reached to hand over 12 Anuak refugees to Gambella Regional State.

The 1951 Convention on Refugees has clearly defined who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligation of States-Parties to the Convention, which includes Ethiopia. The 1967 Protocol removed geographical and temporal restrictions from the Convention. One of the main obligations of States-Parties is called “non-refoulement” – no forced repatriation.

In view of the increasing recognition of the fundamental significance of the Convention and Protocol, the agreement reached between Gambella Regional State and Pochala County to repatriate Anuak refugees will endanger the lives of refugees and it contradicts the Convention of Refugees, article 33 which states that: “No Contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territory where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”

 Moreover this action is violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declares in article 14 that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. The Anuak refugees in Sudan have a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reason of race and political opinion by the Ethiopian Government. 

Therefore, on behalf of the Anuak refugees and Anuak-Australian community; I request your kindly intervention to urge international organizations and governments to stop South Sudan and the Ethiopian government from repatriating Anuak refugees against their will in violation of the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to hearing from you. 
Yours Sincerely,
 
Ojulu C Odola
Chairperson
Anuak-Australian Community 
 
Copy:
The Secretary-General of the United Nations
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Genocide Watch, Inc.
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International

 

 



Genocide
Warning

In September 2008, Genocide Watch declared a Genocide Warning regarding the war that was being waged against small ethnic minority called Burji in a town of Hagre Mariam by an ethnic Oromo group called Guji. Since then the Guji Oromo have continued to wage protracted war against Burji in various localities, especially in towns and villages surrounding the city of Soyama,  which is 60 Km west of the city of Hagremariam.  Over the course of the last several months there have been heavy loss of lives and damage to Guji properties including destruction of crops and farm equipment. 

In January 2009, there were reports of heavy fighting on three different fronts, namely Nadale/ Chuluse front and Gara and Tisho vicinities. News from Hagremariam stated that Guji Oromo warriers were advancing towards Soyama in great numbers.   According to Genocide Watch sources, Guji/Oromo attacks on Buji began on January 22, 2009.  The situation is and continues to be dire, and urgent action must be taken to avert further attacks. 




Updates

6 November 2012 Ethiopia: Government continues to target peaceful Muslim protest movement by Amnesty International

31 October 2012 Ethiopia charges 29 Muslims under anti-terror law By AFP

25 October 2012 South Sudan plans mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea By Reuters

19 October 2012 Ethiopia surprises itself with peaceful transition after Meles By MinnPost

15 October 2012  Ethiopia frees Eritrean PoWs By Sudan Tribune

27 September 2012  ETHIOPIA: A wave of atrocities against villages in Ogaden By Somaliland Press

18 September 2012 "Ethiopia to Swear in New Prime Minister, a Hand-Picked Successor to Meles Zanawi, on Friday" By The Washington Post, Associated Press

20 September 2012 "
ESAT Insight Interview: Dr Gregory Stanton on the legacies of Meles Zenawi for Ethiopia " By ESAT

18 May 2012 "Meles Zenawi humiliated in G8 meeting" By ESAT

28 May 2012 "
Ethiopia: Meles, Speechless! The Man Who Cried “Freedom!”' By Alemayehu G Mariam

17 May 2012 "
Ethiopia: A tale of David and Goliath" By Martha Solomon

26 August 2012 "A farewell to Meles Zenawi" By Salon Media Group

05 August 2012 "Has Meles gone AWOL" By Alemayehu G Mariam

01 August 2012 "Ethiopia leader getting better" By Ghana MMA

31 July 2012 "Ethiopia erups in deadly ethnic violence" By AlJazeera

30 July 2012 "3000 enter Kenta to escape Ethiopia ethnic clashes" By Voice of America

25 July 2012 "Ethiopias Muslims protest against being treated like terrorists" By Les Observateurs

25 July 2012 "Ethiopia blacks publication of newspaper covering PM health scare" By Sudan Tribune

24 July 2012 "Muslim protests raise fears of radical Islam" By The Washington Times

22 July 2012 "Protests in Addis Ababa continue" By Garowe Online

22 July 2012 "Police arrest Muslim protesters as clashes continue" By Sudan Tribune

21 July 2012 "Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is in intensive care unit in Brussels hospital" By Agence France Presse

19 July 2012 "Rising tensions amid new opportunities for engagement" By Chatham House

19 July 2012 "Ethiopian Muslims and their struggle for rights" By Pambazuka News

16 July 2012 "Ethiopia's Meles Misses AU Meetings" By Voice of America

13 July 2012 "Bloggers jailed for trying to topple the government" By AFP

13 juillet 2012 " 
Ethiopie: un journaliste et des militants condamnés à de lourdes peines" Par AFP

12 July 2012 "Meles Zenawi is terminally ill with cancer" By Durame

28 June 2012 "
Blow to press freedom as Ethiopia convicts 24 of plotting rebellion" By The Guardian 

27 June 2012 "Conviction of journalist Eskinder Nega sparks international condemnation" By The Christian Science Monitor

27 June 2012 "Ethiopia's terror conviction of journalist raises doubts on free speech" By The Christian Science Monitor

4 May 2012 "Reeyot Alemu: Young Heroine of Ethiopian Press Freedom" by Al Mariam, Salon Media Group

3 April 2012 "Press Release Amharic version : TPLF/EPRF "Supends its Land Allocation Program!,"  by SMNE

26 March 2012 "Ethiopian troops seize main rebel town in central Somalia," by AFP

23 March 2012 " TPLF/EPRF "Suspends" its Land Allocation Program!" by SMNE

21 March 2012 "Are Ethiopia & Eritrea heading back to war?" By Martin Plaut, BBC news

16 March 2012 "Eritrea calls Ethiopia raid ' deceitful ploy' " by Al Jazeera news

15 March 2012 "Ethiopia Army attacks Eritrean military post in retaliation for rebel violence" by William Davison, The Christian
Science Monitor

23 February 2012 "Ethiopia dam project rides roughshod over hertiage of local tribe's people" by John Vidal, The Guardian

15 February 2012
"Ethiopia : Ogaden Somali's seek Ethiopia abuse inquiry" by Al Jazeera

26 January 2012
" Ethiopia slaps prison terms on three journalists" by Aaron  Maasho, Reuters

5 January 2012 "Scramble for Ethiopia's Land" by Gilles Van Kote, Le Monde  

19 January 2012 " Ethiopia threatens actions against Eritrea after Afar Attack" by Sudan Tribune

12 December 2011
" Sweden calls for Ethiopia to free two reporters found guilty of 'supporting terrorism'   "by Telegraph

3 November 2011 "Government Crackdown in Omo Region Intensifies," by Survival International

1 November 2011 "Ethiopia: Field Dispatch - Refugees from Blue Nile Recount Atrocities, Government's Targeting of Civilians," by
Amanda Hsiao and Omer Ismail, AllAfrica

22 January 2011 "Will Ethiopians Join in the People's Movement for Change as it Blows from North Africa?" by Solidarity
Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

3 November 2010 "SMNE UK Conference on Land Grabs Rallies Support from Diverse Ethiopians," by Solidarity Movement for a
New Ethiopia (SMNE)

3 November 2010
"SMNE UK Conference on Land Grabs Rallies Support from Diverse Ethiopians - AMHARIC," by Solidarity
Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

6 October 2010 "Senior Opposition Leader in Ethiopia is Released From Prison," by The Associated Press

20 June 2010 "An open letter to Prime Minister of Canada..." by Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

15 June 2010 "Protects targets Italian government over Ethiopian dam disaster," by Survival International

14 June 2010 "Letter to all Ethiopian stakeholders," by Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia

26 May 2010 "Ethiopia's 'one-party democracy' is spreading," by Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

25 May 2010 "Premier's Party Sweeps Ethiopian Vote," by The New York Times

21 May 2010 "Repression is alleged before vote in Ethiopia," by Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times

28 April 2010 "An Open Letter to the UDJ Leaders, Particularly Professor Mesfin Woldemariam and Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw,
and Leaders of Medrek," by Obang Metho, Executive Director, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

10 April 2010 "
Embracing Truth: A means to end a culture of impunity in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa," by Obang Metho, The
Anuak Justice Council; Executive Director, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

16 March 2010 "Human Rights and Security in Ogaden: European Parliament," by Unrepresented Nations and Peoples
Organizations

21 February 2010 "The Anuak are being pushed off their land," by Obang Metho, Founder, The Anuak Justice Council;
Executive Director, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

16 February 2010 "Somaliland Authorities handed Ms. Bisharo Wa'di to Ethiopian security services," by African Rights Monitor

15 February 2010 "Farm Land Grab," by Ethiopia Archive

15 February 2010 "What would you do if you were prime minister of Ethiopia?" by Obang Metho, Executive Directory, Solidarity
Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

23 January 2010 "Notice to Ethiopians: You are Being Evicted from Ethiopia-- You are Unwanted," by Solidarity Movement for a
New Ethioia (SMNE)

5 January 2010 "An Open Letter to my Fellow Ethiopians for the New Year- Reflection Brings Questions," by Obang Metho,
Executive Director, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)




13 December 2009 "Do Not Rest Until Justice Comes to Ethiopia," by Anuak Justice Council

7 December, 2009 "Ethiopian editors close paper and flee," The Guardian

30 November 2009 "An Open Letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi," by SMNE Executive Leaders

23 October 2009 "A Message to the International Criminal Court: "It's Time to Hold Meles Zenawi Accountable for His Crimes!"," by Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)

17 September 2009 "Ethiopia PM: ethnic violence claim is contemptible," by Barry Malone, Reuters

10 September 2009 "Ethiopia opposition says its members being jailed," by Barry Malone, Reuters

4 September 2009 "Ethnic Federalism and Its Discontents," by International Crisis Group

3 September 2009 "Human rights violations and conflicts continue to cause displacement," by International Displacement Monitoring Centre

29 August 2009 "Ethiopia 'seizes' town in Somalia," by Will Ross, BBC News

29 August 2009 "Ethiopian troops enter Somali town," by Al Jazeera

19 August 2009 "Mob disrupts political meeting in Adama," by Negasso Gidada

19 August 2009 "Ethiopia and Eritrea Settle Dispute," by The Associated Press

19 August 2009 "Mob disrupts political meeting in Adama," by Negasso Gidada

1 August 2009 "Tracking Africa's people smugglers" by Brian Hungwe, BBC News

August 2009 "The international community must act before the beast" by Aie Zi Guo

July-August 2009 "The Next Darfur" by Yannick Demoustier, The American Interest

1 July 2009 "Why I took up arms against Ethiopia" by Yannick Demoustier and Jonathan Alpeyrie, BBC Focus on Africa Magazine

18 June 2009 "A Minority Domination and Ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia" by Bernhanu G. Balcha

15 June 2009 "Relatives say Ethiopia's regime tortured coup suspects" by Barry Malone

15 June 2009 "Today's Ethiopia kangaroo courtroom drama" by Ethiopian Review

26 April 2009 "Ethiopia's Regional governor blasts ICC's decision as "madness"" by Sudan Tribune

1 October 2008 "Account for Missing Rendition Victims" by Human Rights Watch

1 July 2008 "Government Prepares Assault on Civil Society" by Human Rights Watch

17 June 2008 "Beyond the Fragile Peace Between Ethiopia and Eritrea: Averting New War" by International Crisis Group

17 June 2008 "History Can Be Cruel for Eritrea, Ethiopia" by Mark L. Schneider, allAfrica.com

13 June 2008 "Group Says Satellite Images Prove Rights Abuses in Ethiopia" by Andrew C. Revkin, The New York Times

12 June 2008 "Army Commits Executions, Torture, and Rape in Ogaden" by Human Rights Watch

7 June 2008 "Unelected Governor of Gambella, Accused of Deep Involvement inCrimes Against Humanity, has been Denied a Visa to Enter Canada" by Anuak Justice Council

5 June 2008 "Gambellan Governor's Visit Brings International Publicity to Genocide Despite Attempts to Evict Press" by Anuak Justice Council

30 May 2008 "Un-elected Gambella Governor: The Choice is Yours--Exploitation or Apology?" Anuak Justice Council

27 May 2008 "Ex-Dictator Sentenced to Death" by Reuters

6 May 2008 "Ethiopian Troops Reportedly Commit War Crimes in Somalia" by M. Brandon Maggiore, Impunity Watch

5 May 2008 "EPRDF Attempt to use Ethnic Isolation With "Incentives" to Silence Gambellans Fails" by Anuak Justice Council

15 April 2008 "The Movement for New Ethiopia Begins with a Worldwide Peaceful March for Freedom and Justice on May 15, 2008" by Anuak Justice Council

24 March 2008 "The Ogaden: a forgotten war draining a forgotten people" by Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

17 March 2008 "ONLF, the African Fighters for Ogaden's Liberation and Democracy" by Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis, American Chronicle

14 January 2007 "Why Mugabe Rejects an Appeal for Extradition of Mengistu" by Fred Bridgland

12 March 2008 "Mr. Obang Metho Addresses Law Students and Faculty at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan" by Obang Metho, Anuak Justice Council

11 March 2008 "Centering Human Rights in U.S. Policy on Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea" by Lynn Fredriksson, Amnesty International

11 January 2007 "Speech by Obang Metho, Director of International Advocacy, for the Anuak Justice Council (AJC)" Martin Luther King, Jr. 4th Annual Human Rights Symposium

1 January 2007 "Somali, Ethiopian Troops Take Islamist Stronghold" by The Associated Press

1 January 2007 "Somali Islamic Force Flees Last Stronghold" by Stephanie McCrummen

31 December 2006 "Somalia Says Islamists Protecting al Qaeda Suspects" by The Associated Press

31 December 2006 "Further Combat Looms in Somalia" by Stephanie McCrummen

30 December 2006 "Somali Prime Minister Promises Peace Soon" by Stephanie McCrummen

29 December 2006 "Somali Prime Minister Arrives to Cheers in Mogadishu" by The Associated Press

28 December 2006 "Somalia OKs Humanitarian Flights" by The Associated Press

28 December 2006 "Ethiopian Troops Take Key Town In Somalia" by Stephanie McCrummen

28 December 2006 "Mogadishu Falls to Ethiopian-Backed Government Troops" by Reuters

28 December 2006 "Islamic Movement Troops Abandon Mogadishu" by Craig Timberg

27 December 2006 "Somali Clan Leaders May Help Fight Islamists" by The Associated Press

26 December 2006 "Islamic Forces Retreat in Somalia" by The Associated Press

27 December 2006 "Ethiopians Closing In On Capital of Somalia: Islamic Militias Vow Stiff Defense As War Intensifies" by Stephanie McCrummen

26 December 2006 "Ethiopia Steps Up Attacks on Somalia: Planes Strike Airport; Refugees Flee to Kenya" by Stephanie McCrummen and William Branigin

25 December 2006 "Ethiopia Attacks Somalian Airports" by Reuters

24 December 2006 "Ethiopian Jets Bomb Somalia Areas" by Reuters

22 December 2006 "Ethiopia Warns It's Losing Patience as Somalis Clash" by Hassan Yare

20 December 2006 "Many in Ethiopia See Premier's Talk of War As Ploy to Tighten Grip" by Stephanie McCrummen

19 December 2006 "Gambella, Ethiopia Update" by Genocide Watch

14 December 2006 "Regional War May Loom in Africa: Strife Between Ethiopia, Islamic Group in Somalia Intensifies" by Stephanie McCrummen

12 December 2006 "Ethiopian Ex-Dictator Mengistu Convicted of Genocide" by Alexander Joe

6 December 2006 "Verdict Due Next Week in Marathon Genocide Trial of Ethiopian Ex-Dictator" by Agence France-Press

4 August 2006 "Ethiopia Attacking Ogaden Rebels" by BBC News

July 2006 "Massacres in Southern Ethiopia" by Genocide Watch

1 July 2006 "Ethiopia's Anywaa Say Regular Army, Militias Commit Massacre" by Anywaa Survival Organisation

21 June 2006 "Ethiopian Army Steps-Up Operations Against Anuak Civilians" by Genocide Watch

7 June 2006 "Ethiopian Government Plans Forced Repatriation of Anuak Refugees" by Genocide Watch

26 April 2006 "Ethiopia's Human Rights Conditions Remain Harsh, says UN" by Reuters

12 April 2006 "Ethiopian army moving against Anuak in South Sudan" by Sudan Tribune

27 March 2006 "Testimony of Mr. Obang Metho. Anuak Justice Council" to the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, Washington, D.C.

24 March 2006 "Almost Two Million Need Assistance in Drought-Stricken Region" by UN News Service

23 March 2006 "Court Drops Charges Against Five Voice of America Journalists" by the Committee to Protect Journalists

22 March 2006 "Ethiopia Drops Treason, Genocide Charges Against VOA Journalists, 13 Others" by VOA News

February 2006 "Livelihoods and Vulnerabilities Study, Gambella Region of Ethiopia" by UNICEF

18 December 2005 "A Dream Defiled: The Betrayal of Ethiopia's Democracy" by Micha Odenheimer

13 December 2005 "Anniversary of the Genocide of teh Anuak: Two Years Later and Still No Justice" by the Anuak Justice Council

14 November 2005 "Ethiopia's Capital, Once Promising, Finds Itself in Crisis" by Marc Lacey

4 November 2005 "Armed Group Attacks Gambella Town Police Station" Anuak Justice Council Press Release

3 November 2005 "Ethiopian Protesters Killed as East African Clashes Spread" by Marc Lacey

2 November 2005 "Ethiopia Clashes Kill 23, Special Forces in Capital" by Reuters

4 October 2005 "Master Planner of the Anuak Genocide is the New Governor of Gambella: Omot Obang Olom Is Rewarded for His Loyalty to the EPRDF" Anuak Justice Council

13 June 2005 "Complaint of Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Ethiopian Government against the Anuak people" by Obang Metho Letter to ICC

29 April 2005 "Ethiopia: Human Rights should be on the Election Agenda" An Amnesty International Report

April 2005 "Ethiopia Elections" An Amnesty International Report

24 March 2005 "Minnesota Churches Rally Behind Anuak Victims in Ethiopia -- and Here" by Doug McGill on the McGill Report

24 March 2005 "Ethiopia - Crimes Against Humanity in Gambella" a Human Rights Watch Report

26 January 2005 "Chief Government Collaborator in Anuak Massacre Nominated for Governor of Gambella State" by Genocide Watch

29 October 2004 "Ethiopians Go to Congress to Fight Autocratic Regime" by Donal Brown

17 December 2004 "Amnesty International Appeal: Omot Ojullu Abella, Gambella, Ethiopia" by Amnesty International

16 December 2004 "Anuak to Sue Ethiopia for Human Rights Crimes" by Doug McGill

13 December 2004 "Operation Sunny Mountain: State Terror Against Anuak" by Genocide Watch / Survivors Rights International report

2 August 2004 "Anuak in Minnesota fear for homeland" By Doug McGill on the McGill Report

4 July 2004 "U.S. Pledges More Food Aid" by Reuters

1 July 2004 "NPR Story on Anuak people & Gambella, Ethiopia" by Keith Harmon Snow

15 June 2004 "A River Washes Away Ethiopia's Tensions, for a Moment" by Marc Lacey

20 March 2004 "Parliament Votes for Independent Probe Into Violence in Gambella" by UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

3 March 2004 "Ethiopia to Shift a Million People from Drought-hit Areas" by Jeevan Vasagar

28 February 2004 "Immediate Steps to Stop Massacres in Southwestern Ethiopia" by Genocide Watch and Survivors Rights International

25 February 2004 "Today is the Day of Killing Anuaks: Crimes against Humanity, Acts of Genocide and Ongoing Atrocities Against the Anuak People of Southwestern Ethiopia" by Genocide Watch and Survivors’ Rights International

23 February 2004 "US Government Wants Gambella Violence Investigated" by UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

18 February 2004 "Survivor's Rights International & Genocide Watch Call for Immediate Steps to Stop Massacres in Southwestern Ethiopia" by Genocide Watch & Survivor's Rights International

18 February 2004 "Call for Immediate Steps to Stop Massacres in Southwestern Ethiopia" by Survivors Rights International and Genocide Watch

12 February 2004 "Nearly 200 Killed In Clashes" by Reuters

28 January 2004 "How an African Genocide First Came to Light in Minnesota" by Doug McGill,The McGill Report

23 January 2004 "The Anuak of Ethiopia" by Genocide Watch

8 January 2004 "GENOCIDE WATCH: THE ANUAK OF ETHIOPIA" by Genocide Watch

5 January 2004 "A Ferocious Attack Committed In Gambella Region" by the Ethiopian Human Rights Council

1 January 2004 "On a Bloody Saturday, Ethiopia Chose Genocide" by Doug McGill,The McGill Report

22 December 2003 "U.S. Anuak Refugees Fear 400 Dead in Ethiopian Massacre" by Doug McGill,The McGill Report

16 June 2003 "U.N. Officials Draw Attention to Starvation in Ethiopia" by Reuters

6 May 2003 "Ethiopia's Genocide of the Anuak Tribe Broadens After December 13 Massacre" by Doug McGill

14 January 2003 "A Lost African Tribe of the Midwest" by Douglas McGill

1 January 2003 "On Bloody Saturday, Ethiopia Chose Genocide" by Doug McGill

31 October 2001 "Oil Development In Ethiopia: A Threat to the Anuak of Gambela" by Nyikaw Ochalla

31 December 1988 "Anuak Displacement and Ethiopian Resettlement" by Cultural Survival Quarterly

31 December 1987 "Resettlement and Villagization - Tools of Militarization in SW Ethiopia" by Steingraber, Sandra

30 September 1986 "Ethiopia's Policy of Genocide Against the Anuak of Gambella" by Sandra Steingraber

30 June 1984 "The Anuak - A Threatened Culture" by Cultural Survival Quarterly

31 July 1981 "Anuak Decimated by Ethiopian Government" by Cultural Survival Quarterly



Other Resources

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Genocide Watch is the Coordinator of the International Alliance to End Genocide
P.O. Box 809, Washington, D.C. 20044 USA. Phone: 1-202-643-1405
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