A license to torture: Ethiopia – Torture and other ill-treatment

March 30, 2017 | Amnesty International | By Seyoum Teshome

Seyoum Teshome is a professor at a university in Ethiopia and writes to fight the spread of fear that has engulfed his country as a result of an increasingly repressive administration. In September 2016, Seyoum was arrested and charged with incitement to violence against the state. In this blog, he describes the treatment of prisoners in one of Ethiopia’s rehabilitation centres, where he was detained further to his arrest. Thousands of Ethiopians like Seyoum have been arrested and tortured in rehabilitation centres since the state of emergency was imposed in October 2016.

Adwa and Abyssinia’s Participation in the Scramble for Africa: Has that Relevance to the Ongoing Oromo protests?

March 30, 2017 | Mekuria Bulcha, PhD, Professor

Whenever an Oromo scholar or politician mentions Menelik or his conquest of Oromia, the scathing criticism that meets him or her is that history is irrelevant for the current crisis.  They are often advised to stop looking backwards and to focus on the future.  Meanwhile, the irony is that in the lead up to and weeks after the 121^st anniversary of the Battle of Adwa, many Ethiopian scholars and politicians have been engaged in intense debate about this event. In fact, I am all for a debate about Ethiopian history; however, I was surprised when I read an article written by Teshome Borago entitled “Adwa: When Oromos fought Italy as Abyssinians” published on the Ethiomedia webpage on March 3, 2017. Borago wrote the article to commemorate the anniversary of Ethiopia’s victory over Italian forces at Adwa in 1896.  By and large, he talks about the victory of Adwa as an example of unity among the peoples of Ethiopia and calls on the peoples of Ethiopia to keep up that spirit of unity. But, the problem is that he did not stop there; he used the Oromo contribution to the victory at Adwa obliquely as a pretext to question the validity of Oromo grievances voiced by the ongoing protests. He laments the “new generation” Oromos’ failure to appreciate their forefathers’ contributions to the Adwa victory, and for not respecting the spirit of Adwa which was Ethiopian unity. He refers to their protests as an effort made in defense of “tribalism”. My criticism is that, using the victory of Adwa as a point of departure, Borago distorts not only Oromo and Ethiopian history, but also misrepresents the motives of the ongoing Oromo protests. Borago is not the only writer who has been labelling the Oromo struggle for freedom as a manifestation of “tribalism”, or to criticize Oromo views about Menelik and the creation of the Ethiopian state. There are dozens of commentators who, like him, have been distorting Oromo history and demonizing Oromo politics and scholarship. Haile Larebo has been one of the most vocal representatives of this group.

Abbaa seeraa Haayiluu Kiflee Eenuyutu Ajjeese?

21, 2017 | VOA Afaan Oromoo

Haailuu Kiflee

WAASHINGITAN, DIISII —  Godina Ilubabor Algee aanaa suphee Sooddoo keessatti abbaa seeraa ta’uun hojjetaa kan turan obbo Haayiluu Kiflee Muddee 7 bara 2009 Mattuu deemuuf Algee irraa ka’anii utuu hin deebi’in hafuu maatiin, manni murtii fi poolisiin Godinaa Ilbubaaboor nuuf ibsanii jiru.

Reeffi isaaniis bosona naannoo Gambeelaa Maashaa jedhamu keessatti kan argame baatii sadii booda ta’uu pooliisiin nuuf ibsee jira. Du’uu abbaa seeraa Haailuu ilaalchisee maatii fi angawaa mana murtii Godinichaa akkasumas poolisiin nuuf ibsaniiru. Haati Haailuu Aadde Alamanash Fufaas mucaan isaanii ka biroon Boontuu jedhamtu duraa duutee ishee awwaaluuf karaa bu’ee karaatti na duraa hafe jedhu.

Akkaataan du’uu isaa, eenyu akka ajjeese qoratamaa ka jiru ta’uu isaaf namoonni shakkaman to’annaa poolisii jala jiraachuu isaaniif qorannaan irratti geggeessamaa ka jiru ta’uun ibsamee jira.

Kan Sodaatan Du’aa kan hin Oolles Du’aa

Namichatuu baayyee sodaata jedhan.Namoota baayyee wajjin utuu karaa deemuu galgalli dhufnaan ,” maaloo nan sodaa dha jidduu keessan na rafisaa”, jedhee gaafate. Tolee jedhanii jidduu rafisan. Halkan sagalee wayyii dhaga’anii maalinni ? yaroo jedhan  “calluma jedhaa anaani dha bocoqsaa jiraa”, jedhee jedhan.

Sodaachuun isaa nama marara. Namni hunduu wal qixxa onnee ykn gootumaa qaba jechuun hin danda’amu. Garuu jecha kana irraa baayyee kan  nama gadisiisuu,”  maaloo naaf dirmadhaa, naaf qaqqabaa, na qabatee jira”,  jedhee iyyuu irraa warra fayyaa qabaniin, “calluma jedhaa “, jedhee ofii du’uuf  filachuun isaa akka jiraatti sodaan ajjeessee jiru agrsiisa. Warri isa wajjin jiran sodaa waan hin qabanneef isa iyyuu lubbuu olshuu danda’u turan. Inni garuu waan sodaaf aboomamee jiruuf  gargaarsa tokko utuu hin gaafatiinii fi utuu hin argatiin lubbuun isaa akka bilaashatti darbu godhe.


Injifannoon Qabsoon Bilisummaa  Saba Oromoo bara darbe gonfate keessa inni duraa sodaa moo’achuu dha.  Injifannoon kun kan argame qeerroo fi qarreen Oromoo murannoo guutuun harka duwwaa diina meeshaa waraanaa baraa amma funyaan isaa gahutti hidhatee jiru dura dhaabbachuudhaan dhiiga isaanii  akka lolaa gannaa dhangalaasudhaan. Biyyaa lafaa kana irratti bilisummaa tola argame hin beeku Sabni bilisummaa lolate hunduu wareegama qaallii baasee jira. Garbummaa jalaa umurii guutuu jiraachuu irra aduu bilisummaa guyyaa tokko arganii du’uun waan guddaa dha. Warri bilisummaa kaayyoo godhatee bilisummaaf wareegame lubbuun isaanii bara baraan bilisummaan jiraata. Seenaa qabsoo bilisummaa saba isaaniis dhiigan barreessanii waan darbanii sabni isaanii dhala dhalaan isaan yaadata hafa.

OROMO: General Tadesse Biru, a father of Oromo Nationalism. by Samirawit Girma

Tadesse Birru (circa 1920 – March 19, 1975) was a Colonel General of the Ethiopian Imperial Army and an Oromo nationalist. Initially a strong proponent of Ethiopian unity, Tadesse eventually became an activist for the empowerment of the Oromo people in the 1960s. His advocacy turned into repeated attempts to overthrow the government through a coup and later through a military rebellion. He was eventually captured and executed by the Derg regime. He is considered to be the father of modern Oromo nationalism.

There are no shortcuts to freedom

March 20, 2017 | Rundassa Asheetee Hundee Irraa

Throughout my student years at the university, and for a considerable time thereafter, I blamed those in power for not giving us the freedom we deserve not fully understanding that everyone represents own interest.

For example, the Tigreans fought very hard and came to power and now they have what they wanted. The question is, should the Tigreans give away everything they worked for? Do the rest of us deserve to have something we never worked for?

We hear the Tigre rulers talking about“Democracy” but they don’t seem to understand that democracy means is to change the way we think and progress. But the question is, can progression possible without understanding others rights?