Reports are coming in from Salalee, North Shewa Zone of Oromia National Regional State that the the Chinese owned cement factory known as Eastern Industrial Zone has deployed heavily armed police force to attack the Oromo people. The reports we are receiving from the Oromo people under attack indicates that TPLF/EPRDF security forces are removing the people from their ancestral lands to facilitate land grab for the Chinese and China owned Eastern Industrial Zone Cement Factor in Salalee.
This Chinese owned colonial style company does not contribute anything to the local economy except exploiting the limestone and other natural resources of the region. This practice of the Chinese is destroying the ecology and farm lands of the people. ALL Chinese owned companies in Oromia only pay taxes to the Federal Government. None whatsoever goes to the Oromia Regional government. The Chinese are reportedly discriminating the Oromo people following the federal government model of excluding and marginalizing the Oromo people in economic interactions including refusing to form partnerships and recruiting Oromo employees. Almost all the employees of these Chinese owned companies in Oromia are non-Oromos.
Similar to all Chinese owned companies and factories, the Chinese owned Cement Factory in North Shewa is the major cause of health and security risk for the Oromo people, their livestock, wild animals, lakes, rivers and springs and underground waters of the region.
Since the Chinese secure licenses and permits for their companies and businesses by corrupting TPLF/EPRDF top officials in Addis Ababa, none of the Chinese companies and businesses follow any health standard, environmental standards, and labor and safety standards.
As the result of these unregulated and uncontrollable poisoning of the environment by Chinese owned companies in Oromia, Oromia rivers, springs, lakes, farms and grazing lands are destroyed. People in Galaan, Adda’a, Salalee, Becho, Mogor and many other Oromo localities are dying in their thousands because of hitherto unknown diseases like cancer, tuberculosis and cholera.
The Chinese are destroying of the Eco-system, the fauna and the flora, and the environment at the fastest rate than any groups presently involved in Ethiopia in the name of economic development. Forest areas are destroyed. Farm lands, crops, grazing lands within hundred kilometers of any Chinese companies are covered with dusts and poisoned with chemicals unknown to the Oromo people. Oromo people’s livestocks are dying due to lack of grazing lands and poisoning of the animal feeds and rivers.
People are reporting that in areas within 100 kilometer radius of Chinese Cement Factory in Salale, the Oromo people are unable to even sleep in their homes. The dusts coming from the Chinese cement factory reportedly filled each home with dust both during the day and the night. New born babies are born sick. In some places they could not even hold markets as the result of the dust coming from Chinese owned cement factory and trucks they deploy in the community. People are unable to wear dust free clothes. They cannot sit under tree sheds and rest. Everywhere, the Chinese are becoming a menace to the society.
All the reports the Oromo people made to the local authorities fail on deaf ears. The Chinese will pay hefty bribes to the TPLF/EPRDF top officials who will silence the local authorities. The Chinese managers and employees don’t even want to deal and speak with the Oromo officials in Oromia at any level. They are reportedly working with the TPLF top officials and some within the EPRDF to get away with every illegal and criminal things they do to the Oromo people.
It is high time to put a check on the Chinese in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian people is not their colony. The Ethiopian land and natural resources are NOT free for their exploitation. The Oromo people, without any division along political or religious line, should resist this colonial style advances of the Chinese. It must be stopped now.
All the terms and conditions of the Chinese business in Oromia and Ethiopia should be renegotiated. The Chinese should compensate the Oromo people for the damages they caused to our people and our land, and our environment. Until new health, environment, tax, safety and labor and management standards are negotiated all Chinese operated factories causing serious damages should be stopped.
At present all companies operating in Oromia are not reporting to the Oromia region. They are all reporting to the Federal government. This practice must change and change now.
All Oromia based companies including cement factories, large scale farms, Chemical manufacturing firms, leather factories, beer factories and the like should be 1) under the direct supervision of Oromia regional government, 2) pay tax to the Oromia Region, 3) adopt Afaan Oromo as their working language, 4) hire Oromo professionals in the management of the company, 5) all medium to low level employees should be Oromo speaking residents of Oromia, and 6) all the companies should pay a certain percentage of their profit for the community development such as building schools, hospitals, community centers, transferring knowledge and skills to the local community in their field of operations.
If they don’t want to do this, they should be allowed to go elsewhere. The Oromo people can incorporate their own companies, and run their own businesses by the local entrepreneurs, other Ethiopians or other western companies.
In the meantime, we call upon the TPLF/EPRDF officials who are attacking their own people by siding with the Chinese to stop their criminal acts. The Chinese should also know that working with the Oromia Regional Government and the Oromo people is their best bet instead of trying to intimidate and attack the Oromo people using the TPLF/EPRDF top officials and security forces. I hope our Chines friends know that the route they so far followed is unsustainable.
It is also unwise for the Chinese to build large military base in Djibouti to control Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people.
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