U.K., Canada Urge Talks to Resolve Ethiopian Political Crisis

 The U.K., Canada and 12 other nations urged Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to convene a broad-based national dialog to help end the nation’s political crisis.

The call came days after Ethiopia held its first elections since Abiy came to power three years ago. Preliminary results could be released as early as Saturday, with Abiy likely to retain his role.

“Elections alone cannot bring democratic transition or resolve the political challenges being faced,” the 14 foreign governments said in a statement Friday. “We call on the government and all stakeholders in Ethiopian society to ensure that a meaningful broad-based national dialog process takes place and to commit to peaceful solutions.”

While there have been “important improvements” to make elections more credible, the country is still suffering from a “restricted political environment,” with some members of the opposition in detention, they said. Other signatories to the statement include Japan, New Zealand and Germany.

Ethiopia has been beset by unrest since the unbanning of opposition and rebel groups by Abiy stoked political fragmentation and long-suppressed ethnic rivalries. Hundreds of people have died in inter-communal fighting in the Amhara, Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz regions.

By far, the biggest threat to the government’s legitimacy on the world stage is a raging civil war in the northern Tigray region. Fighting erupted there in November after Abiy ordered an incursion in response to an attack by troops loyal to Tigray’s dissident ruling party on a federal army base. Thousands of civilians have died and more than 2 million people have been displaced.

Ethiopia's sham election does not constitute a new beginning

 There is simply no conceivable universe in which a sham election that proceeds by excluding critical stakeholders could be considered a 'new beginning' or a 'step in the right direction'. This election is a shambolic exercise designed to manufacture legitimacy for the incumbent and will do nothing to address Ethiopia's ominous challenges. If anything, it exacerbates existing contradictions and hastens the disintegration of Ethiopia as we know it.

A key part of Abiy's systematic and calculated campaign of repression in Oromia is the elimination of popular politicians who represented a formidable electoral threat to his childhood dream of becoming a King. Without locking up people like Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Borena and others, his coronation as a PP leader would not become a reality.

The Prosperity Party & its reactionary Ethiopia-First ideology have no support in much of the country. With the exception of the Amhara region and Addis Ababa, there is no appetite for Abiy's delusional Make Ethiopia Great Again ideology. However, the Prosperity Party has already rolled back the limited progress made thus far in the areas of self-government, pluralism, & respect for diversity, leading to civil war & massive unrest.

In 2018, Abiy inherited a shambolic mandate from Hailemariam Desalegn but he ruled Ethiopia as though he had an overwhelming democratic mandate and continued support for his policies. Abiy took drastic measures that effectively changed the constitutional fabric of the country. After his expected coronation, he will continue to rule in the same way and ultimately impose his totalitarian idea of 'unity' by any means.

Free All Political Prisoners

After Abiy's coronation, the political demands and proposals for change will change. Opposition groups are likely to demand gov't of national unity and insist that a genuine national dialogue that will sort out the country's ominous troubles cannot be held under Abiy's direction.

Abiy is unlikely to accept those demands. If he could not accept domestic and international pleas for dialogue and a peaceful end to the crisis facing Ethiopia over the last three years, one could not reasonably expect a newly crowned Abiy to accept any conditions to end Ethiopia's woes?

I predict the election will end without a significant episode. The parties running in the election are ideologically homogenous and they see those excluded from the process as bigger threats to their long term vision than the ruling party. But one thing is clear: this election will not end Ethiopia's menacing crisis. It will complicated and exacerbate it.

The country will likely plunge deeper and deeper into the abyss, gradually. Ethiopia will revert to its authoritarian self to repress those it excluded and this will further harden and entrench feelings of marginalization. The government will produce new governing narratives to obscure and gaslight people - they will do the same thing all over again. But this time, Ethiopia may not survive & the Empire could fall under the weight of its contradiction.

Ethiopia is a country of many contradictions and contestations.

Justice/Freedom/Democracy

Ethiopia is a country of many contradictions and contestations. Currently, Ethiopia is facing multidimensional and intersectional crises of geo-political, security, and socio-economic characteristics. Gross violations of human rights are perpetrated by government forces and persistent demands for accountability have fallen on deaf ears. Impunity is so rampant that it has become the rule of the Ethiopian state. These crises are rooted in the political history of the country and are reflections of contradictory visions for the future of the country. The country is facing a heightened contradiction on state structure. The prospect of the country’s continuity hinges on whether and how this contradiction gets settled. The question is whether they will be settled in a way that rectifies historical injustices and usher in the prospect of peaceful co-existence, or will they culminate in disintegration of the country? The alliance of forces and the continued struggle for justice, freedom, and democracy is informed by the critical situation of the country. The situation calls for unprecedented determination to end these crises devastating the country and greatly endangering the stability of the Horn of Africa. In this paper, we attempt to address the current situation in Ethiopia, with a focus on the prevailing contradictions on state structure and associated crises. We will take a brief retrospective look into the past and reimagine the prospect of the Oromo struggle in the context that is unfolding. 

The deep-seated contradiction on Ethiopia’s state formation and state structure inform and underlay the current political divide between political parties.  The incumbent Prosperity Party and some other unitarist political parties that are in control of the economy, bureaucracy, and military power are exploiting their leverage that went to an extent of pushing out widely accepted federalist political parties such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC). This is evident from the data on electoral candidates recently published by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) in which – 2432 are from the Prosperity Party, 1385 candidates from Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (also known as EZEMA) and 491 candidates from NAMA and the less known Enat Party prepares 573 candidates while Oromia – the populous and largest region – appears to be represented by one barely known opposition political party Oromo Liberation Movement, which is represented only by 4 candidates.

This squarely points to the problem of election without representation, which has a considerable potential of resulting in pre-and post-election crises. Furthermore, as its multiple procedural and substantive practices suggest, the institutional integrity and independence of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) itself is questionable. 

While a detailed and comprehensive way forward must be set based on the consensus of all stakeholders, issues for the dialogue should include the nature of the state structure going forward and a collective agreement on how to seek solutions for the crises engulfing the country. The international community should put pressure on all parties, especially the government, as a matter of urgency. There are many preconditions to be undertaken for a meaningful dialogue. These include:

• The release of all political prisoners
• The cessation of hostilities and war in various parts of the country
• Revoking the recent designation of political parties and groups as terrorist organizations 
• Reopening of the political and media spaces
• Unconditional withdrawal of Eritrean army from Oromia regions and
• Removal of military and intelligence surveillance from civilian life. 

New Large-Scale Deployment of Eritrean Soldiers in Oromia and Benishangul-Gumz Regions is Proving a Devastating level of Conflict and State Failure.

 New Large-Scale Deployment of Eritrean Soldiers in Oromia and Benishangul-Gumz Regions is Proving a Devastating level of Conflict and State Failure.

The OLF and other concerned national and international bodies had been repeatedly warning the danger of foreign involvements in the internal affairs of Ethiopian. Despite the continuous diplomatic engagements of the international community and serious concerns of genuine political parties and fear Ethiopian peoples, Eritrean regime has continued deploying its troops in various parts of the country. Since the beginning of April 2021, heavily armed Battalions of Eritrean soldiers together with Amhara militias and ENDF had been deployed to Oromia zones of Borana, Gujii, Wollo, Horo Guduru, Qellam Wallaga, West Wallaga, Shashamane and Metekel Zones for military operation in various parts of Oromia and Benishangul Gumuz regions. Also, their involvement in the Ethiopian security and intelligence apparatus is beyond imagination. This is not only compromising national sovereignty but also undermines international and regional norms.

Both the Ethiopian ruling group and the Eritrean regime are in clear violation of Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty General Assembly resolution 2131 (XX) signed in New York, on 21 December 1965. In their conducts of the various military operations in the regions, the Ethiopian ruling group and the Eritrean regime appears to have violated the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions that prohibit warring parties from using certain means and methods of warfare. Irrespective of these laws rape as weapon of war had been evidenced in Oromia (though behind Media attention until today) and Tigray regions; Hunger as a weapon of war was proved in Tigray. The ruling group is in violation of the Geneva Convention of 1864 and subsequent Geneva Conventions, notably the four 1949 Geneva Conventions and the two Additional Protocols issued in 1977 that protect persons not or no longer taking part in hostilities. Also, these warring forces violated Article 13(2) Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) that prohibit civilian population as such, and individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack and acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population. In addition, these soldiers have repeatedly violated medical neutrality, aid distribution a principle of non-interference with medical services in times of armed conflict and civil unrest.

Evidence from people in conflict zones show that since their deployment, these foreign Eritrean soldiers were undertaking brutal atrocities on local civilians in a behaviors and manners that violets international treaties, covenants and protocols that govern the discipline of soldiers in armed conflicts. This includes indiscriminate beating, rape, killing, looting private properties, and slaughtering individual cattle and destabilizing the communities in different ways. Typical examples are the persecution of civilians in Central Oromia; the persecution of civilians in Horro Guduru Zone, Abay Chomen, Fincha Sugar Factory (29 May 2021); terrorizing and brutally persecuting civilians in Liban district and surrounding areas of Borena and Gujii zones of Oromia (4 June 2021). Also, these soldiers are ruthlessly maltreating civilians in different parts of Oromia and Benishangul regions where access to communications.

It is with great remorse that we voice the new large-scale deployment of Eritrean soldiers into Oromia and Benishangul-Gumz regions. Our information from tangible sources shows that more than two divisions of Eritrean armies estimated to 30,000 soldiers had been recently deployed to Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz via different directions. Starting on June 5, 2021, these forces are deployed for wide range of operations in the Oromia and Benishangul- Gumuz zones. Also, our sources confirm that these newly arriving Eritrean armies are not only those who had been fighting in Tigray, but they include newly deployed soldiers departed from Eritrea. These clearly indicate that Eritrea regime is building its military base throughout the country.

As we repeatedly did, we would like to inform the Ethiopian peoples once more that the country has lost its national sovereignty as the ruling group is expanding External Interventions intensely and conceding national sovereignty. Abiy Government and Eritrean regime have violated both national and international laws and fueling and escalating conflicts among Ethiopian peoples and neighboring countries. This prove that not only Ethiopia has failed as a state but also Ethiopia exports conflicts to the neighboring countries and destabilize the whole region and distort international relations. These two warrying countries have taken many steps to destabilize the region. Similar involvement in border conflict issues is also part of destabilization activities in the region.

Therefore, we would like to alert and inform Oromia citizens, Benishangul- Gumuz people and oppressed nations and nationalities in Ethiopia, that the act of Eritrean involvement in Ethiopia is a foreign invasion that destabilize your nation, your territory and destroy your day-to-day living. You must stand up in unison and defend yourself. We would like to make clear that Ethiopian national sovereignty is already damaged, and you must establish your territorial sovereignty by establishing your own interim government to restore peace and security and defend yourself from foreign invasion. To this effect we would like to reiterate that Oromia citizens finalize the implementation of the formation of Oromia Regional National Transitional Government (ORNTG) sooner than later to defend yourself as an institution. Particularly, we invite the Oromia and Benishangul – Gumuz regional special forces and the police forces to stand by your people. It is daunting to see civilian people you supposed to protect is slaughtered by foreign forces in front of your eyes. It is not only the responsibility you bear to keep peace and security in your region but also a moral obligation to protect innocent civilians from foreign aggression.

We would like to advise the Eritrean people that, as far as the people of Oromia is concerned, we do not have any historical animosity with Eritrean people. The people of Oromia are peace loving and do not want its citizens to be threatened and do not want to invade and threaten its neighbors. The Eritrean people should understand that the people of Oromia and Benishangul Gumuz in FDRE constitutes the larger portion of your neighborhood. The brutalizing actions taken by current Eritrean regime will create lasting conflict that damage good relationship between Eritrean and Oromia citizens. So, we would like to advise the Eritrean people to pressure its government to refrain from historical mistake of instigating conflicts and developing hatred between the Eritrean people and the Oromia and Benishangul- Gumuz citizens

We also would like to give honest advice to the members of Unitary Party (the Prosperity Party) and Ethiopian Majestic campaigners that it is unimaginable to rule the country of more than 80 ethnic background under the camouflage of Ethiopian unity and false democracy. The type of unity the Ethiopian peoples seek is the unity based on equality; based on the will of peoples concerned. The Ethiopian peoples need genuine representation in FDRE through peaceful genuine democratic process. The campaign of one language, one religion and once country works diametrically opposite to what the prosperity party and unitary elites are dreaming of. The prove is that there is no time in history where Ethiopian people are divided and fragmented as they did under the rule of prosperity party. There is no time in history where national sovereignty had been compromised like this time. The only way forward is regional autonomy, self -determination and inclusive political dialogue and common road map to democracy.

We call up on the US Government, UN, EU, AU, UNSC, UK, partner governments and the international community to press immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Oromia and Benishangul- Gumuz regions to avoid further catastrophic human right violations and destabilization. Particularly, we call up on the UNSC to take appropriate measures in accordance with its obligations stated in Article 39 and 41 of the UN constitutive act as the threats to peace and security is repeatedly evidenced in Ethiopia. Also, we call up on the AU to intervene into the crises in Ethiopia based on its constitutive right stated in article 4(h) and other supporting articles of the Union to pressure Eritrean regime to leave Oromia and Benishangul- Gumuz. We also appeal to UNHRC to act accordingly to address gross human rights violations in Ethiopia.

We would like to highlight that the International Community and all other stakeholders should act immediately and avoid serious upheavals in Ethiopia as the more culprits of war crime and crime against humanity continue unrestricted more suffering of civilians, loss of lives, destabilization and human catastrophe transpires in the country.

Finally, we want to reiterate that OLF is always willing to work with all stakeholders to restore peace and stability in the country and engage in inclusive political dialogue and setting road map to peaceful resolution of outstanding political problems.

Victory to the masses!

OLF CLAIMS CIVILIAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY ERITREAN SOLDIERS IN OROMIA, BENISHANGUL GUMUZ REGIONS; NO COMMENTS FROM OFFICIALS IN BOTH REGIONS

 

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) released a statement  alleging the involvement of Eritrean troops in various parts of the Oromia and Benishangul – Gumuz regional regions.

The OLF spoke of a secret agreement made between Ethiopian ruling group and the Eritrean regime to deploy Eritrea forces to Oromia and Benishangul- Gumuz regions. The statement said it has ‘tangible evidence’ that many battalions of Eritrean soldiers were deployed to Horro Guduru, Kellem Wollega, West Wollega, Guji, and Borana Zones of Oromia region as well as the Metekel zone in Benishangul Gumuz region. According to the statement, the Eritrean troops committed beating, killing, looting properties, raping women and children and arbitrarily detaining civilians. 

The statement from the OLF detailed the brutalizing of civilians based on information the party said it received from local residents. The Eritrean Soldiers are stationed in the military base known as the 4th Camp in Horro Guduru Zone, Abay Chomen, specific location of Finchaa Sugar Factory, according to the statement. A couple, Namoomsaa Hatahuu and his wife Yashii Dassalee who were beaten and taken to detention for further torture alongside their one-year-old baby were mentioned in the statement. It was also indicated that the Eritrean soldiers were said to indiscriminately beat and arrest people because of the language barrier. “Eritrean soldiers do not understand the languages spoken in the country, they indiscriminately beat and arrest people without proper communication.” the statement read.

OLF

The OLF pressed the AU and UN bodies to push for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Oromia and called on the international community to pay due attention to the suffering of civilians in the region.