ETHIOPIA: Government urged to pledge more food
Federal German Parliament
Deutscher Bundestag
Mr. Joachim Tappe
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin.
Germany
Respected Parliamentarians,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of my party and all democratic paliamentarians, I would like to thank you for your invitation and the concern you have showed to the condition in my country.
Berlin is historical to the African continent in general and particularly to the Oromo people, for two main reasons:
1. In 1884 it was here in Berlin that the scramble for Africa was framed among European and Abyssinian colonialists. My Oromo Nation, like other African Nations, is affected from this conference held under "F�rst Otto von Bismark". Oromia was colonized by King Menelik as a result of understanding reached between European colonialists here in Berlin.
2. The fall of Berlin Wall and the unity of Germany has brought a tremendous change in world politics. The impact of this change in Germany had a major contribution to the fall of the trouble "Marxist Military regime" in the Ethiopian empire. This makes us to remember Berlin, and invest hope in Berlin for Democracy in our region.
Respected Parliamentarians;
I am sure, you know the political problem in the Ethiopian Empire. Possibly you have also discussed with authorities in Ethiopia. Between the time you visited our country and today there is a great difference.
The attempt to search for peaceful political and democratic solution for the problems in the Ethiopia Empire by working within the system as failed. In the country TPLF's state terror is raging. The following facts are only examples of daily life in the country
- Oromos who are demanding basic democratic rights are harassed and imprisoned.
- Peaceful demands of students is answered with bullets.
- Civic Oromo Organizations like " Mecha Tulama" are persecuted.
- Every Oromo is suspected of being member or supporter of the OLF, and thus being an Oromo is a simple reason for harassment.
- Elderly Oromos, children and women are moved into a trouble prison camps.
- Due to the policy of the TPLF government the economic life of the country is at its disastrous level. Manageable disease and AIDS (HIV) is destroying the very fabric of the society due to the failed policy of the government.
- Property of the people of the South is robbed and transported to North (Mainly Tigray)
- The failed settlement program of the " Derg" regime is now restarted and as a result distraction of the environment and peoples livelihood is in the making. The evil resettlement program of EPDRF is going to provoke hatred and even civil war unless otherwise stopped.
- Funds that are donated by the international donor organizations for the purpose of development are diverted using various schemes to Tigray region.
For the national ego of the less-than 6 million Tigreans, over 55 million people are duped to untold and never seen poverty and loss of personal respect in the Ethiopian Empire.
- Fear of recruitment of underage youngsters by the government to use them in the against the people's liberation struggles is another horror to every family. Once again the danger of refugee influx to neighboring countries is obvious. In 1999 -2000, thousands of Oromo youngsters were forcefully sent to the war with Eritrea and most of them were used an minesweepers and cannon fodders.
- Investment in Oromia region is intentionally blocked by the government as a means of weakening Oromia. Oromo farmers are forced to use expensive fertilizers and seeds that are forcefully sold by companies owned by TPLF, and are deliberately weakened and hampered from production. As a result Oromo farmers are suffering from hunger, disease, ecological degradation. For a genuine observer, the policy of EPRDF government in Oromia is nothing but " ethnic cleansing" . The EPRDF Government is not interested in addressing the demand of the 31 million Oromo Nation. Being so, the harassment, imprisonment, killings of the Oromo people is a daily phenomenon. The military confrontation with the Oromo people and their liberation front (OLF) is also daily increasing.
As a parliamentarian, I myself have learned that the entire Oromo people are rallying behind the OLF. The problem however is that President Meles do not want to accept this open fact, but instead work to divert the attention of the international community by creating instability in the Horn of Africa. The situation created in the Horn of Africa by Ethiopia's involvement is simply to divert the issue from the internal crisis in Ethiopia, and in fact to deliberately mislead the international community. EPRDF government prefers military solution to basic problems of the country. Oromos are forced to resist this war of terror waged against them by the TPLF government.
The EPRDF government is provoking a " civil war" than a peaceful resolution to the century old subjugation of the people of the south. To me, it is clearer than ever that without granting the Oromo and other colonized people's in Ethiopia the right for self determination, peace and development in the region is not be possible. Any one who is interested in Ethiopia or Horn of Africa politics, should first talk about the Oromo Nation and other colonial subjects in Ethiopia.
It is only through democratic means that will grant the Oromo nation's right for self determination that peace and development could be envisioned in the region. War waged on the Oromo people by the TPLF government will led to more destruction and instability in the region.
Dear friends,
This hard reality of my own Nation languishing under colonial yoke, forces me to emotionally appeal to you.
The Ethiopian regime needs a sense of understanding to today's Global reality of democratization of institutions and democratic solution to all people's problems.
G-8 Industrial Countries need to learn from the past, and listen more to the people than dictators. More than bread and butter, we need peace and democracy for our people first. I ask your involvement for justice, democracy, respect of human rights and development of this country.
Respected Parliamentarians, Honorable Mr . Tappe,
As I explained here above, the arbitrary killings and massacre of my Oromo people, does not allow me to be silent and enjoy "hypocritically" the parliamentarian privilege under the EPDRF regime.
At the expense of my people being murdered by the EPRDF's government terror and students dying daily, it would be morally hard for me to accept this atrocity and pretend to the European countries that there is democracy and respect for human right in Ethiopia.
With this conviction therefore:
Dear Mr. Tappe,
From the beginning to this very moment, I will always remember your effort, involvement and good wish to our people and the country you know very well with its thousands of problems. In fact without you, we couldn't get this opportunity to come to GERMANY from the regime that always tried to isolate Oromos from media and International Platform.
I thank your government, the generous German people and all concerned agencies interested in our cause for democracy and self determination.
Thank You very much.
Israel Gurmessa Aleku
Parliament member of ONC. ( Oromo National Congress) to the " Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia."
17.05.02 Berlin
Amnest international annual report 2002