Massive crackdown underway on opposition stronghold of South Wollo, Ethiopia

July 29, 2013
It was a pre-dawn assault by hundreds of heavily armed federal police members backed by pro-TPLF local militia on the opposition UDJP strong hold of South Wollo province.
According to Finotenetsanet newspaper reporters, yesterday’s dawn- to- dusk raid targeted the twin towns of Haiq and Worebabu; and more heavy handed attacks are set to continue in other nearby towns and villages of the historic province.
Worebabu area UDJP leader Ato Edris Saed told Finotenetsanet that the police tried to disguise their act by telling people that they are looking for weapons.
Arage Hussein, UDJP’s financial officer in the town of Haiq said the police and the feared local militia searched the homes of all 16 members of UDJP leadership, each search lasting for up to two hours and more.
“I pleaded with the five police men and the militias who came to my home at dawn that I am a man of peace and never owned a firearm but they proceeded with the search and left empty-handed.” Ato Arage Added.
Moreover, according to South Wollo zone UDJP chairman Ato Bisrat Abi, the ruling party is on a campaign trail in the area, on a burgeoning run to discredit the UDJP leadership and its members. TPLF cadres have already organized anti UDJP meetings and demonstrations as part of the well planned crack down on dissenting voices in the region.
“Since the recent mass anti TPLF rallies organized in Dessie and Gonder cities, UDJP has been on the rise. The ruling junta’s cadres now have an implacable enemy right under their noses with the potential of bringing down the conjugal dictatorship. Therefore, I see it as normal for the authoritarian and corruption-ridden regime to wage an all-out war on the UDJP.” A respected political analyst who requested anonymity told the Horn Times from Addis Ababa.
Asked if UDJP has any chance of surviving the onslaught with no international support, with western powers still generously endowing the ruling minority junta; turning a blind eye on its undemocratic practices, the elderly analyst said it is up to the people of Ethiopia to rally around the party and its young and energetic leadership.
“Look, we all thought UDJP was hanging on life support system after the loss of its patriotic leaders in Andualem Arage and Natinael Mekonnen. Am astonished by how the current young leaders filled the leadership vacuum and make the party grow from strength to strength. I hope they will keep the momentum, keep the pressure on the junta and get serious violations and abuses such as this one in south Wollo quickly to the media. We are in better times today than yesterday.”

Ethiopia’s “religious abuse” may cause regional destabilization

Posted  by Mesfin Tadese   August 4th, 2013

A US religious freedom group has called on Ethiopian authorities to stop what it said was an emerging religious freedom violations against Muslim minorities in the Horn of Africa.( SudanTribune Report,2012)

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that if Ethiopia continues to tighten its control against the Muslims, the ongoing mass protests in the east African nation could turn more violent and might lead to a larger destabilization in the already volatile region.

Ethiopia has recently been a scene of Muslim protests who accuse government of interference in their religious affairs.

“Given Ethiopia’s strategic importance in the Horn of Africa, it is vital that the Ethiopian government ends its religious freedom abuses and allow Muslims to practice peacefully their faith as they see fit”, the Commission’s Chairwoman Katrina Lantos Swett said.

“Otherwise the government’s current policies and practices will lead to greater destabilization of an already volatile region”, she stressed, further calling on the US government to address the issue with the Ethiopia government.

According to USCIRF, escalating violations against religious communities in the name of countering extremism would lead to more extremism, greater instability, and possibly violence.

(Amnesty Report,2012)April 27, 2012- The killing of 5 Oromos and injury of many others at a religious gathering in Asasa,Arsi, Oromia could be seen as more extremism and its a worst violation of human rights. In this case, the TPLF killing squads flagrantly shot and killed innocent civilians. We, Oromos, always raised a question like ”Why Oromo are singled out when the protest is going on all over Ethiopia?”

(CNN iReport,2013)August 3, 2013 – Ethiopian government forces open fire on unarmed demonstrators throughout the country, killing 25 and injuring dozens more, according to Ethiopian activists who took part in the demonstrations. This shows as continuation of human right violation and freedoms.

In recent months Ethiopian Muslims have further intensified their opposition against government’s religious policies by staging protests every week following Friday prayers. For over a year, Ethiopian Muslims have been holding peaceful protests and mosque  sit-ins over the regime’s human rights abuses against their community and interference in their religion.

Therefore, we call upon all international community to condemn this innocent killing at Asasa, oromia, and the late killing, and work together to prevent more killing planned by the regime.