Ethiopia Today

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Statement from the Amhara National Movement (NAMA) on current affairs

Logo of Amhara National Movement (NAMA)

The House of Peoples' Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (EFDRE) has stated that its position on the genocide of Amhara natives in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles of Gimbi Woreda, West Welega Zone of Oromia Region is inconsistent and should be corrected.

1. Following the genocide of Amharas living in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles of Gimbi Woreda, West Welega Zone, Oromia State, on June 19, 2022, Dr. Desalegn Chane, a member of our party's leadership and House of Peoples' Representatives, condemned the genocide. It is known that the Speaker of the House, Ato Tagesse Chafo, rejected the request. The House is permitted by law to deal with emergencies other than the issues on the agenda, and it is clear that unrestricted and full-fledged jurisdictions on emergencies can be addressed with the consent of the Speaker of the House. As can be seen in the video of the interview between Dr. Desalegn Chane and Mr. Tagesse Chafo, Mr. Tagesse Chafo violated the House's bylaws and said, "We will not discuss issues that are not on the agenda."

The request made by our party leadership and Dr. Desalegn Chane, a member of the House, is an urgent matter based on the rules and regulations governing the House. Although he posted part of the law, he joked that "the council should be a forum for discussion and consultation, not a political point of view."

The Speaker of the House, His Excellency Tagesse Chafo, has rejected the request, despite the fact that he has the legal and unrestricted authority to deal with unresolved emergencies. "We have found our party to be a disgrace to the Amhara National Movement (ANM), the people of Amhara and the whole of patriotic Ethiopia.

Statement from Amhara Association of America: Call for the Resignation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

2. In a letter dated June 24, 2022, Mr. Tagesse Chafo called on the Health, Social, Culture and Sports Affairs Standing Committee to investigate the allegations that the government is taking the most urgent and timeless genocide case. The date on which the order was issued is unconstitutional and too late for the genocide; His Excellency the Speaker and the Honorable House of Representatives have called on the Oromia Regional State and Federal Government officials to investigate the massacre of Amharas in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles on June 19, 2022. it is.

The Amhara National Movement (NAMA) is committed to the ongoing genocide in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles. ፡ Searching According to several local and international media reports and credible sources, at least 600 Amharas living in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles have been killed, their mass burials unfinished, and tens of thousands displaced. Given that they were, the council should have acted in proportion to the damage so far. Therefore, Father conveys the following call to His Excellency Mr. Tagesse Chafo and the Honorable House of Peoples' Representatives:

1. Honorable Speaker, Mr. Tagesse Chafo, to accept the urgent issue raised by the Member of the House, Dr. Desalegn Chane, and to urge the House to discuss the genocide committed in Tole Kebele and neighboring kebeles and take appropriate action on the matter.

2. The Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, and his government have repeatedly asserted that they have built the capacity and security forces to ensure the security of our country and its people. To be ordered to appear before the House of Representatives and explain why they could not do so;

3. The ongoing and ongoing genocide and genocide in our country, Ethiopia, in particular, is a clear and unpredictable threat, until the root causes of the problem are solved and the legal, structural and systemic problems are solved. And before the Full-Scale Genocide can be prevented by implementing the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Genocide and other Atrocious Crimes. We call on the Honorable Council to fulfill its historic responsibility by implementing its policies and procedures, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Amhara and to all patriotic Ethiopians in the face of unbridled genocide.

Amhara National Movement (NAMA)

Addis Ababa, Shoa

June 26, 2022

More than 200 killed in attack in Ethiopia, witnesses say

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Statement from Amhara Association of America: Call for the Resignation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

Call for the Resignation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa and an Independent International Investigation into the Ongoing, State-Sanctioned Amhara Genocide

June 20, 2022

Amhara Association of America: Call for the Resignation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa and an Independent International Investigation into the Ongoing, State-Sanctioned Amhara Genocide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Amhara Association of America (AAA) strongly condemns the June 18, 2022, massacre of hundreds of Amhara civilians by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in West Wollega Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia; with complicity and reported direct involvement of government security forces. While the effort to locate and bury the bodies of victims is still ongoing, our sources confirmed at least 378 Amharas were killed and estimate the total to be more than 600 people.

Massacres against Amharas have been ongoing since the divisive ethnic federal “apartheid” system that minoritized Amharas in many regions was introduced in the early 1990’s. Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali came to power and allowed the OLA to return to Ethiopia armed with a base to recruit and train, the intensity and scale of massacres against Amharas by the OLA with the support of the Oromia Regional Government [Oromo Prosperity Party (OPP)] and security forces [Oromia Special Forces (OSF)] has increased. AAA recorded at least 1,688 killings and 62 abductions in 2021 by the OLA alone. In the same year, OSF was responsible for killing at least 37 Amharas and supporting OLA forces in some instances. Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa never acknowledged the recurrent massacres of Amharas in the region he is leading, signaling that ethnic cleansing of Amharas is a regional policy.

This recent massacre by the OLA is occurring in parallel to the massive crackdown dubbed “law enforcement operation” against Amharas by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, his OPP, and the Amhara Regional Government [Amhara Prosperity Party (APP)] where the government admitted to the arrest of over 12,000 Amharas since mid-May 2022. Those arrested include over 20 journalists, 62 opposition political party members, lawyers, university professors, and current/ex-government officials who were critical of the Abiy administration. Military officials, officers, and Fano veterans were also prime targets. In several instances, family members of targets were also abducted in order to lure out the targets. Over 30 peaceful protesters were killed by security forces in May 2022 during the crackdown.

Unfortunately, the ongoing massacres and repression of Amharas has been normalized under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration. International human rights organizations and governments across the globe have sadly remained silent on the recurrent massacres against Amharas and hence little pressure has been exerted on the Ethiopian Government to end the ongoing Amhara Genocide. In their silence and refusal to demand action, Amhara members of Prosperity Party continue to be complicit in enabling a state-sanctioned genocide against Amharas. The Ethiopian Federal Government, APP, and OPP must stop deflecting blame and accountability and fulfill the basic requirements of a government to protect civilians and hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable. The lawlessness and loss of innocent lives in the so-called “Oromia Region” should be unacceptable to all Ethiopians. Amharas can no longer sit and watch non-action by Ethiopian authorities and international organizations as their family members are slaughtered by extremist actors such as OLA who have no political stances other than eliminating Amharas from areas they claim or managed to control. Amharas also have no reason to depend on a government that refuses even to recognize the killings of Amharas let alone try to undertake its basic responsibilities of protecting Amharas and bringing justice to survivors and victims.

These attacks have persisted for several years without any meaningful action by government officials to stop the bloodshed. Failure to act by the international community and Ethiopian Government at this critical juncture is tantamount to continuing the practice of normalizing violence against Amharas. AAA, its supporters, and the broader Amhara community in the diaspora call for:

1. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa to resign and/or be removed for negligence, complicity, and/or direct involvement in the state-sanctioned Amhara Genocide in Ethiopia and allow independent investigation on the recurrent genocidal acts and ethnic cleansing in the so-called “Oromia Region” and recent war crimes committed by the TPLF.

2. Federal parliament declare a nation-wide day of mourning to denounce the recurrent massacre of Amharas in Oromia Region and other parts of Ethiopia and set up an independent commission to document and redress the injustices done to the Amhara people by the former TPLF-led EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front), the current Prosperity Party government and in the context of the ongoing civil war crimes committed by the TPLF.

3. The UN, in collaboration with relevant human rights organizations, to establish a body to investigate the massacres with a clear road map to ensure accountability and transitional justice for those affected.

4. National and international humanitarian actors to step up aid to survivors and those displaced fearing similar attacks.

5. Governments across the globe to denounce the genocidal acts against Amharas by the OLA, TPLF, and Prosperity Party and to implement targeted sanctions against its leaders and financers.

6. All Ethiopians to join Amharas in pushing for efforts to hold all actors who helped, enabled, and participated in the ongoing Amhara Genocide accountable including leaders of the APP.

“This latest genocidal massacre by the OLA in West Wollega under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Oromia Regional President Shimelis Abdisa is sickening and is an attempt to normalize the state-sanctioned genocide against Amharas” said Tewodrose Tirfe, Chairman of AAA.

“Amharas are asking for the international community to denounce this senseless violence, demand independent investigation, and stand with the Amhara people.” Tirfe continued.

Media Contact:

Amhara Association of America

info@amharaamerica.org

About AAA: The Amhara Association of America (AAA) is a nonprofit organization that coordinates the advocacy efforts of Ethiopia’s Amhara diaspora in the United States to Congress, the Executive Branch, nongovernmental organizations, and international bodies. Visit www.amharaamerica.org for more information.

Monday, June 20, 2022

More than 200 killed in attack in Ethiopia, witnesses say

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Witnesses in Ethiopia said Sunday that more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, have been killed in an attack in the country’s Oromia region and are blaming a rebel group, which denies it.

More than 200 killed in attack in Ethiopia

It is one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory as ethnic tensions continue in Africa’s second most populous country.

“I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime,” Abdul-Seid Tahir, a resident of Gimbi county, told The Associated Press after barely escaping the attack on Saturday. “We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave.”

Another witness, who gave only his first name, Shambel over fears for his safety, said the local Amhara community is now desperately seeking to be relocated somewhere else “before another round of mass killings happen.” He said ethnic Amhara that settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programs are now being “killed like chickens.”

Both witnesses blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked “after being unable to resist the operations launched by (federal) security forces.”

An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations.

“The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime’s military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive,” he said in a message to the AP. “They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place.”

Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopia’s more than 110 million population, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.