A year after their Gada leaders’ brutal execution Karrayyu community get “neither justice nor peace”

JUSTICE FOR KARRAYYU ABA GEDA'S

 On 31 November around 41 members of Gada leaders of the pastoralist Karrayyu community were rounded up by government security forces at a place called Motoma, in Fentalle District of East Shoa Zone, Oromia region, while they were on a prayer ritual. 14 out of those arrested including the leader, Abba Gadaa Kadir Hawas Boru were brutally executed on 01 December while the rest were taken to prison. Council of Oromo Gada Leaders later said one of those arrested was tortured and died in prison. 

The Oromia regional government had initially said the members of Karrayyu Gada leaders were killed by armed group Oromo Liberation Army but later, officials exposed that the perpetrators were government security forces. MP Hangassa Ibrahim took it to Facebook accusing regional police commissioner Ararsa Mardasa to have played a role in the killings, while State minister for Peace ministry Taye Dendea said the topmost leaders of the regional government were to bear responsibility for the killing of the Gada leaders.

The Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC) conducted an investigation and subsequently released a report in February in which it said there’s “reasonable ground to believe” that the killing of 14 members of the Gadaa leaders constitutes “extrajudicial killing” by security forces. EHRC also urged that members of the security forces who committed the crime should be brought to justice and that the victims and families of the victims should be redressed.

Residents say attacks by Amhara militants have been intensified since the killings of the Abba Gadaas. A member of the Karrayyu community who spoke to Addis Standard said the community neither got justice nor peace after their leaders were killed. “We haven’t been successful in uncovering the truth about the killing of our Gada leader. Because the killing involves government officials and is carried out by government security forces, they have continued to conceal the truth saying that “Shane” did it” he said.

Gobana Hola, Abba Gadaa himself and secretary of the Oromo Gada leaders council witnessed that the council had publicly implicated the government for the killings despite contrasting reports. He added that the council had sent elders to the Oromia regional president’s office and to the prime minister’s office demanding an explanation over the killings of the Karrayyu Gadaa leaders.

“Oromia regional president’s office has admitted that the Gada leaders were killed by mistake. Mistakes are inevitable for someone who is working. During that time Karrayyu was under command post and the Gada leaders were conducting rituals. They were arrested and killed by mistake,” Abba Gada Gobana said.

However, Gada Hawas, a brother of the deceased Abba Gada Kadir Hawas strongly feels otherwise. He told  that, “the Gada Leaders were deliberately killed after their names and respective roles in Gada were identified” adding that the killing intended to weaken the Karrayyu community and its Gada rule.

Both Gada Hawas and the member of the Karrayyu community said the compensation was done as an attempt to obstruct justice, and the process was incognizant moral damage done to the community.

“The process of compensation carried out by the council of Gada leaders was an attempt to informally pay few people in the community so that they go on the media and declare that reconciliations were made. But it failed because those few people refused to do so until the perpetrators were held accountable,” the member of Karrayyu community said.

Gada Hawas on his behalf accuses the council of Gada leaders of aligning with the government. “Karrayyu has its own customs of performing reconciliation and redress. There was no option to pursue that way. The council wanted to pay money and silence the community,” he added.

“There is money paid, but that doesn’t fulfill the customs of redress. The way it was decided and paid isn’t right. As the family of the deceased Abba Gadaa, what we know is that there has been no redress. There should have been someone admitting guilt and absolution should have happened accordingly,” he said

He added that due to attempts by different interest groups to pit the Karrayyu community against its neighbors and also against government security forces for the sake of political gains, the community has lived in instability for long .

“Currently, the Karrayyu community is in a concerning security situation. Several killings have been committed even after the massacre of our Gada leaders. We reached a point where we don’t even know who is killed and who is alive. It is difficult to put into words the misery of our community,” a member of the Karrayyu community said.

Horrifying escalation of violence in Oromia region.

 Last week we are witnessing the horrifying escalation of violence in Oromia region.

Evil Act Of Fano captured

Footage is being released of people being burned alive by soldiers and human heads being paraded on pikes by Fano militants. Every few days brings news of another massacre. The government is using drones and jets to dominate its own people. The region is becoming a human slaughterhouse.

What we are witnessing is not new. The Ethiopian empire was built on this gruesome violence in Oromia and other regions of Ethiopia. Today, this hellish destruction of life is either the empire desperately grasping to complete itself or its death fever.

This much is clear: Until this imperial past is confronted, there will be no peace in Ethiopia. What the world fails to understand is that this past *is* the present and perhaps also the future for millions of Ethiopians. For some, it is seen as their historic right and divine destiny. For others, it is seen as their historic trauma and deadly oppression.

All people of good will must denounce this unburied imperial past and cry out for ceasefire, dialogue, and a political solution. Millions of innocent lives are at stake, especially women, children, and the elderly.

2. Ethiopia’s Undead Imperial Past

The respected historian Harold Marcus documented how the Ethiopian state was built by this imperial violence in his authoritative 1975 book “The Life and Times of Emperor Menelik II.” Reading this dry academic book about Ethiopia 130 years ago is so painful because it is so much like Oromia, Tigray, and elsewhere in Ethiopia today. As Faulkner said, “The past isn’t dead; it isn’t even past.”

Read Marcus’s description of how the Fano militia served as the forerunner of the imperial army. It seems little has changed besides the destructive force of modern weapons. Marcus writes:

“An ad hoc group of fighters, the Fano lived entirely off of the land and by their wits. Armed with lances, swords, and shields, they preceded the main [imperial] force, provided intelligence reports, and kept the enemy off balance with surprise attacks. All these fighters augmented the king’s standing army… Once in enemy territory, the Fano moved one or two days’ march ahead of the main force, devastating the deserted countryside… Those who refused to disclose the enemy’s whereabouts and where the cattle were concealed were shot immediately” (65-66).

This is exactly what we saw in the Tigray war and what we are seeing in the Oromia war.

Marcus is clear about how Menelik’s Shoan military would then follow Fano’s terror:

“[Soldiers would] return to camp with women and children; captive able-bodied males and the elderly were killed. The severity of the zemecha [campaign] was aimed at the eradication of all resistance…

Whenever the army surged forward, there was the utmost devastation; houses were burned, crops destroyed, and people executed. Two or three violent attacks occurred during any one campaign until the camp overflowed with booty and prisoners. Only when the remaining enemy authorities decided to surrender did the commanders-in-chief halt the assaults.

After a formal act of submission, looting and burning were forbidden over a people now Menelik’s subjects. The king, or his surrogate, then assigned a Shoan nobleman with his retinue and some colonists to reorganize and administer the ravaged land, while the main force returned home. Once in safe territory, the booty was divided, and the king received one-half to two-thirds of the total… Despite Menelik’s wish to divert as much of this lucrative trade as possible into Shoa, the violence of his expansion served to frighten traders away” (67).

This is the pattern we see today: (1) Fano and other identitarian militias violently attacking across borders; (2) the federal government exploiting this carnage for its advantage; and (3) the catastrophic destruction of human life and the devastation of local economies. There is no denying these painful realities.

One of the burning questions for peace in Ethiopia today is this: can “Ethiopia” and “Ethiopianism” be decoupled from the Ethiopian *empire*?

Many people, especially in groups like Fano, see that empire as their legacy and inheritance. Thus, they see doing what Fano did as their right and unfinished destiny — not merely as an anomaly of conflict. This is why I don’t believe these atrocious massacres are accidental. The difference is that we now have smart phones and social media to watch it happening.

This has been dramatically escalated by PM Abiy militarizing the entire civilian population in his war campaign against Tigray in which Fano was a crucial force. Abiy has knowingly re-activated that total war mentality of the imperial state-building project from 130 years ago.

And this is why millions of Ethiopians want nothing to do with “Ethiopia.” If being “Ethiopian” means being part of the Ethiopian *empire*, they know what that looks like and where it goes. They understandably do not want a repeat of that nightmarish past.

This is the crossroads the country faces: undead empire or unborn multiethnic democracy?

A crucial task for Ethiopian leaders today is to articulate a future for Ethiopia that is not a rerun of the imperial past marked by (1) terroristic identitarian militias, (2) imperial/federal domination, and (3) the mass-production of poverty via the looting of regional economies for the federal government’s enrichment. What many refuse to admit is that the discourse of “unity” and “Ethiopianism” evokes these painful memories for millions of historically othered *Ethiopians.*

What does a non-imperial, genuinely democratic Ethiopia look like?

Leaders who can imagine and advocate for *that* vision have the best chance of preventing the country from shattering itself like the former Russian empire. A foreign expert who has worked in the country for decades recently told that, “Ethiopia is like a dead whale that is being torn apart by sharks.” Sadly, he sees the country moving in the direction of Somalia — a country on paper that is really a collection of warring clicks.

By contrast, Jawar and some others have been repeatedly calling for the end of militarized conflict, a national dialogue, and a just peace through political negotiation. Ironically, Jawar has begun to seem extremely moderate and one of the few prominent political voices insisting that more war can only destroy Ethiopia.

Bittersweetly, Jawar has been more vocally committed to peace than many others who claim to follow the Prince of Peace who proclaimed, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Thank God, we Christians have much to learn from our nonChristian neighbors. Doing so begins with humility and repentance.

One way or another, the Ethiopian empire is dying. Suicide or surrender are the two options. It will either die by killing itself. Or it will die by facing the past, letting go of it, and giving birth to a new democratic future.

There is no other way forward for Ethiopia. And “Ethiopia” means Ethiopian PEOPLE — the ones who are being burned alive and paraded on pikes, NOT a nostalgic fantasy or abstract idea. People, not power. People, not profit. People, not popularity. People, our precious neighbors made in God’s holy image!

May the empire be surrendered. May a democratic, multiethnic democracy be born. May peace prevail among people.

When they couldn't face the TRUTH, Abiy Ahmed supporters trying to silence me.

 Abiy's regime cadre's and his supporters trying their best to silence me from being the voice to voiceless Oromo Community. This are the Proof from one of many attempts. The screen shot picture showing below is my Facebook Account that was suspended for a month because of many complaints about the post in it. The fact is completely different from the reason of suspension . One thing they don't understand is that NO ONE CAN STOP me from being the VOICE til i die. I will continue advocating JUSTICE , FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY . I will continue exposing liesof Abiy's regime and showing the fact on the ground .

THE TRUTH ALWAYS WINS!

#JUSTICE

#FREEDOM

#DEMOCRACY 

#StopKillingPeople

Ashenafi Tessema

𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐚 𝐟𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐚 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐀𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐰𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐮𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐡𝐚. / በኦሮሚያ ዜጎች ላይ እልቂት እንዲፈጸም ጥሪ በማቅረብ ላይ የሚገኙ ቡድኖችና ኣካላት ተጠያቂዎች ናቸው

 በኦሮሚያ ዜጎች ላይ እልቂት እንዲፈጸም ጥሪ በማቅረብ ላይ የሚገኙ ቡድኖችና ኣካላት ተጠያቂዎች ናቸው

የኦነግ ርዕሰ-ኣንቀጽ -ህዳር 26 ቀን 2022ዓም

“ዓሣን ለማስፋፋት ባሕሩን ማድረቅ” በሚል ስም በሰላማዊ ዜጎች ላይ የሚደረገው ውጊያና እልቂት እንዲቀጥል የብልጽግና ባለሥልጣን ኣቶ ፍቃዱ ተሰማ ያቀረበው ጥሪ፣ ሰኔ 28ቀን 2022ዓም “ሽምቅ ተዋጊ ኃይሎችን በጋራ ማስወገድ” በሚል ስም የኦሮሚያ ክልል ፕሬዝዳንት ኣቶ ሽመልስ ኣብዲሳና የኣማራ ክልል ፕሬዝዳንት ኣቶ ይልቃል ከፋለ በመገናኛ ብዙሃን ወጥተው የዘር ማጥፋት ጥሪ አወጁ።

በዚህም በብልጽግና ፓርቲ መንግስት ኣቀናጅነት በሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ሰላማዊ ዜጎች ህይወታቸውን አጥተዋል፣ ቤትና ንብረት ወድሟል፣ በመቶ ሺዎች የሚቆጠሩት በቀዬአቸው ተፈናቅለዋል።

ለዘመናት የኦሮሞን ህዝብ ፍላጎት ለመስበርና የኦሮሞን የነጻነት ትግል ጎራ መናድ እንደስትራተጂ ይዘው ሲንቀሳቀሱ የቆዩ አካላት፡ ኦሮሚያ ዜጎች ላይ ላወጁት የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል ጥሪ ከወንጀሉ ፈጻሚዎች ጋር ሃላፊነቱን ሊወስዱ ይገባል።

የኣምባገነኑን የብልጽግና መንግስት ጋዳ ተሸሽጎ፣ ከስርዓቱ የተሰጠውን ስልጣን በመጠቀም፣ ለዘመናት የኦሮሞን ህዝብ ፍላጎት በመጻረር ሲሰራ የቆየውና “ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል ስላሰጋኝ ነው ወደ ትግል የገባሁት” የሚለው የኢዜማ ፓርቲው መሪ ፕሮፌሰር ብርሃኑ ነጋና ተከታዮቹ በተለያዩ መገናኛ ብዙሃንና ህዝባዊ መድረኮች ላይ “ሸኔን ማጥፋት” በሚል ስም በኦሮሚያ ዜጎች ላይ የዘር-ማጥፋት ዘመቻ በማወጅ ላይ እንደሚገኙ በግልጽ ይታያል።

ኦሮሞን ከደመኛ ጠላቱ በመቁጠር ከኦሮሞ ህዝብ ፍላጎት በተጻራሪ የሚሰራው ይህ በፖለቲካ ድርጅት ስም እየተንቀሳቀሰ ያለው ባለስልጣን ከድርጊቱ እንዲቆጠብ እንጠይቃለን።

ከዚህ ቀደም ከኦሮሞ ህዝብ የነጻነት ትግልና ከኦሮሞ ታጋዮች ያለውን ስጋት በተለያዩ ጽሁፎች በማቅረብና የስም ማጥፋት ድርጊቶችን ሲፈጽም እንደነበር ይታወሳል።

ዛሬ ላገኙት ስልጣን በሩን የከፈተው የኦሮሞ ትግል መሆኑ መዘንጋት የለበትም።

የኦሮሞ ህዝብ የዘመናት ፍላጎትና ምኞቱ ለሆነው ለነጻነቱና ለሃገሩ ሉዓላዊነት መሳካት ለዝመናት ትግል እያካሄደ ይገኛል። የኦሮሞ ወጣቶች(ቄሮ) እና በአጠቃላይ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ በመላው ኦሮሚያ ውስጥ ደሙን ኣፍስሶ ኣምባገነኑን የወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ መንግስት ቢያስወግድም፡ የቄሮ ድል በመጠለፉ የኦሮሞ ወጣቶች(ቄሮም) የኦሮሞ ህዝብም የነጻነት ትግሉን ቀጥለዋል።

የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግሉን ኣጠናክሮ መቀጠል፡ የሌሎችን ህዝቦች እጣ ፈንታ ለማፈን እንዳልሆነ ለዓመታት ባካሄደውና እያካሄደም ባለው ትግል በመሬት ላይ በተግባር አስመስክሯል።

ትናንትም ሆነ ዛሬ የራስን ዕድል በራስ የመወሰን መብቱንና ነጻነቱን እውን ለማድረግ ካለው ፍላጎት እንጂ፡ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ የነጻነት ትግል ጥላቶች እንደሚሉት አለመሆኑን የኦሮሞ ነጻነት ግንባር አጥብቆ ያሳስባል።

በመጨረሻም በኦሮሚያ ውስጥ እየተካሄደ ላለው የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል ተጨማሪ የእልቂት ጥሪ በማቅረብ ላይ የሚገኑት የብልጽግና መንግስትም ሆነ ድርጅትና ግለሰቦች በሃገሪቷና በኣለምአቀፍ ህጎች መሰረት ባለፉት ዓመታት ለደረሰውና እየደረሰ ላለው እልቂት ተጠያቂነት እንዳለባቸው የኦሮሞ ነጻነት ግንባር(ኦነግ) ያሳስባል። የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ጥላቻና ጦርነትን በማባባስ ላይ የሚገኑኙትን ሁሉ ለመከላከል ክንዱን ኣጠናክሮ ለነጻነትና ለዲሞክራሲ እያካሄደ ባለው ትግል ላይ እንዲያተኩርም ባሳሰብ እንወዳለን።የኦሮሞ ነጻነት ግንባር በተለያዩ ጊዜያት በተደጋጋሚ ሲያቀርብ እንደነበረው ግድያን፣ ጦርነትን ለማስፋትና ሰላምን ለማደናቀፍ እየተፈጸመ ያለውን ድርጊት ለማስቆም ሁሉም ዜጋ የበኩሉን ሚና እንዲጫወት በድጋሚ ጥሪ እያቀረብን፣ ለኢትዮጵያ ኢምፓየር የፖለቲካ ችግሮች ሁሉን-አቀፍ የፖለቲካ ውይይት እውን ለማድረግ ሁሉም መስራት አለበት እንላለን።

ድል ለሰፊው ህዝብ!

የኦሮሞ ነጻነት ግንባር

ሕዳር 26 ቀን 2022ዓም

ፊንፊኔ፡ ኦሮሚያ

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𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐚 𝐟𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐚 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐀𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐰𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐮𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐆𝐚𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐡𝐚.

Waamicha lolaa itti fufuu fi fixiinsa  lammiileef maqaa “ qurxummii bal’eessuuf galaana gogsuu” jedhuun qondaalli PP Obbo Fiqaaduu Tasammaa godhe, Waxabajjii 28/2022 “Maqaa humna riphee lolaa waloon dhabamsiisuu” jedhuun piresidaantiin naannoo Oromiyaa Obbo Shimallis Abdiisaa fi Piresidaantiin naannoo Amaaraa Dr. Yiliqaal Kaffaalee karaa sabaa himaaleen gadi bahuun waamicha duguggaa sanyii labsan. Kunis qindeessummaa mootummaa Partii Biltsiginnaan lubbuun lammiilee nagaa kumootaan darbee, qe’ee fi qabeenyi mancaa’ee, kuma dhibbootaan kan lakkaawaman qe’ee ofii irraa buqqaafamanii jiru.

Hawwii barootaaf ummata Oromoo cabsuu fi mooraa qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo xiqqeessuu jedhu tarsiimoo godhatanii kanneen socha’an waamicha duguuggaa sanyii lammiilee Oromiyaa irratti raawwataniif, qaama duguuggaa kana rawwataa jiru waliin itti gaafatamummaa fudhatuu qabu.

Gola mootummaa abbaa irree PP maadheffatuun, aangoo waahilummaa PP kan argate, fedhii ummata Oromoo dura dhaabbatuuf barootaaf kan hojjetaa ture, “qabsoo Oromootu na sodaachisnaanan Qabsoo seene” kan jedhu hogganni jaarmiyaa siyaasaa EZEMA Prof. Birhaanu Naggaa fi hordoftootni isaa  waamicha duguuggaa sanyii maqaa “shanee bal’eessuu” jedhuun, lammiilee Oromiyaa irratti karaa sabaa himaalee fi waltajjii ummataa adda addaa irratti godhaa jiraachuun ifatti mul’ata. Hogganni maqaa jaarmayaa siyaasaan sossohuu fi Oromoo diinomsatuun faallaa Oromoo hojjetu kun gocha isaa kana irraa akka dhabbatu gaafanna. 

Armaan dura yaaddoo qabsoo fi qabsaawaa Oromoo irraa qabu karaa barruu adda addaa waggootaaf barreessaa fi maqa-bal’eessii adda addaa rawwaata turuun ni yaadatamaa.

Aangoo har’a argatan kanaaf karra kan bane qabsoo Oromoo ta’uun dagatamuu hin qabu. Ummatni Oromoo fedhii fi hawwii isaa kan ta’e Bilisummaa fi Walabummaa biyya isaa argachuuf barootaaf qabsootti jira. Qeerroon Bilisummaa Oromoo fi waliigalatti ummatni Oromoo guutuu Oromiyaa keessatti dhiiga isaa dhangalaasee mootummaa abbaa irree wayyaanee/EPRDF karaa irraa maqsus, injifannoon Qeerroo waan butameef, Qeerroonis ummatni Oromoos qabsoo bilisummaa itti fufan.

Ummatni Oromoo qabsoo isaa itti fufuun hiree ummatoota kaanii ukkaamsuuf akka hin taane qabsoo isaa waggaata dheeraan mirkaneessee jira lafa irratti. Kaleessas har’as fedhii hiree ofii ofiin murteeffachuuf qabuu fi walabummaa isaa  mirkaneessuuf qabsoo itti fufe malee, akka jal’ootni itti qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo ibsaa jiran akka hin taane Addi Bilisummaa Oromoo gadi jabeessuun hubachisa.

Dhuma irratti mootummaa Biltsiginnaas ta’e, jaarmiyaan namoota dhuunfaan  duguuggaa sanyii Oromiyaa keessatti rawwatamaa jiruuf waamicha dabalataa godhan akka seeraa biyya fi idil-aduunyaatti dhumaatii waggoota darban kana rawwatamee fi raawwatamaa jiruuf itti gaafatamummaa akka qaban Addi Bilisummaa Oromoo, ABOn ni hubachiisa. Ummatni Oromoo jibbiinsaa fi lola kanneen babal’isan kana of irraa ittisuuf gurmuu isaa akka jabeeffatee qabsoo bilisummaa fi demokraasiif godhu irratti akka fuulleffatu hubachiifna.

Addi Bilisummaa Oromoo, yeroo adda addaa akkuma irra deddeebi’ee waamicha godhaa ture, ajjeechaa, lola babal’isuu fi nagaaf gufuu tahuu deemaa jiru dhaabsisuuf, lammiileen hundi qooda isaanii akka ba’atan ammas irra deebinee waamicha gochaa, rakkoo siyaasaa impaayara Itoophiyaaf marii siyaasaa hunda galeessaaf hundi hojjachuu qaba jenna.

Injifannoo Ummata Bal’aaf!