Investing in Ethiopia-Frontier mentality

A new fund attests to the country’s allure—and to the value of connections

The Economist May 12th 2012

LONG benighted, Ethiopia is attracting attention for a better reason. It has become Africa’s fastest-growing non-energy economy (see chart). Investors have noticed. South Africa’s largest consumer-foods firm, Tiger Brands, expanded into Ethiopia last year with a big acquisition. Diageo and Heineken recently paid nearly $400m combined to acquire state breweries in the country.

The latest proof came on May 9th, when Schulze Global Investments, an American investment firm and family office, announced that it had launched a $100m Ethiopia fund, the first private-equity fund focused exclusively on the country. Anchored by at least $15m from Britain’s CDC, a government-owned provider of development finance, and $10m of the family’s own money, the fund will invest in sectors from agribusiness and cement to health care and natural resources.

Investing in Ethiopia is not for the faint-hearted, however. With a projected national income of $38.5 billion this year, its population of 85m still ranks among the world’s poorest. The government’s big spending carries risks, including high inflation (32.5% in March was near a nine-month low) and heavy state borrowing that has shrunk the credit available to private firms. Much more borrowing and spending is planned, and needed. The heart of the Ethiopian capital may be traversed by new concrete arteries and bridges, built by Italian and Chinese contractors with Chinese loans. But the rest of Addis Ababa is a patchwork of dirt paths lined by corrugated-tin dwellings that are the capital’s shantytowns and slums.

Poverty is pervasive, raising questions over how fast a consumer class will emerge. Agriculture is still a big source of national income, accounting for more than 40% of GDP and more than 80% of employment. Almost all private businesses are small: family-owned vendors and repair shops, the kind whose customers cannot suffer inflation for long. Credit is hard to come by for the unconnected. Only licensed exporters consistently benefit from repeated devaluations of the currency. To invest in Ethiopia is to invest in the frontier.

That suits Gabriel Schulze, who runs SGI (as the firm is known in Addis Ababa). He is the scion of an American frontier family. His great-great-grandfather, William Boyce Thompson, flirted with bankruptcy in the Old West and founded Newmont Mining, now a $23 billion company. Mr Schulze operates smoothly in Ethiopia because of connections built through his family (three of his younger siblings are adopted Ethiopians). In 2008 he established a permanent office in the capital, staffed by members of Ethiopia’s class of returning exiles, including two daughters of former officials under the late emperor, Haile Selassie.

Connections are crucial. Ethiopia’s doors are not all swung wide open to foreign investment, but rather opened selectively. The regime of Meles Zanawi, the prime minister, is ideological and authoritarian: the ruling party and its allies won 99.6% of seats in parliament in the 2010 elections. Its labyrinthine bureaucracy is the bane of the smallest of private businesses. Mr Meles is working from a neo-Chinese blueprint, long on public investment and state enterprise (banking, telecoms and retailing are off-limits to foreign investors). Outsiders wanting to do business in Addis Ababa must forge good relations with Mr Meles and his ministers. 

Similarly, the larger, existing SGI investments in Ethiopia—in a coffee-export business, a cement plant and an oil firm—are investments in the elite families who run them, with family and personal networks that extend back generations. The Bagersh brothers, owners of the coffee business in SGI’s portfolio, represent a third generation of coffee exporters. Tewodros Ashenafi, the founder of SouthWest Energy, an oil firm, is the great-grandson of a former minister of war. Shonaid Jemmett-Page, chief operating officer of CDC, says that this is the nature of investible companies in places like Addis Ababa. “One of the problems in most frontier markets is there’s generally a pretty small entrepreneurial class,” she says. 

Some critics of Mr Meles nonetheless worry that he will give away the store to foreigners—including bits of the country itself, they grumble, in the form of land farmed for export, which has become a fast-growing business. At the Sheraton Addis (a luxury hotel owned by Mohammed al-Amoudi, a Saudi-Ethiopian sheikh), a returned exile who makes introductions and brokers deals dismisses this notion with a story. A 19th-century emperor once saw off foreign visitors who had perhaps overstayed their welcome. The emperor was said to have ordered the bottoms of their shoes to be checked carefully on the way out. Not a crumb of Ethiopia’s soil was to go with them. http://www.economist.com/node/21554547

 

 

Why there is suffering in the world?

by Sushant Bhattacharyya

Image by Zoriah CC BY-NC 2.0

Intriguingly, from this question stems another question—Is there suffering in this world?  Both being perceptions, which one is more relevant in context of life?
To most of us adversities in life are perceived as suffering.  For others, though small in number, hardships offer opportunities to make a difference in this world. Jesus symbolizes the Grace in accepting suffering with prayers in his lips for the tormentors.  History is replete with heart rending episodes of patriots and martyrs who endured suffering smilingly.
Often one hears that opportunity to take care of specially—abled individual enables one to learn the joy of love, patience and compassion!  In fact there are several instances in which people, in search of purpose of life, chose to relinquish Money, Power & Status. Their subsequent life style and contribution to earthlings shall always inspire mankind!
To name a few such achievers Gautama Buddha,  Charles Dickens,  Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Stephen Hawking, APJ Abdul Kalam.

Thoughts on Suffering.  Emotional or physical disabilities are factors that disturb us all. Competitive environment creates financial insecurities—a major cause of worry.   Other aspects that disturb our comfort zone are social injustice, lack of social grace, and covetous nature of majority.   In the process intra and inter personal relationship suffer causing unhappiness all-round.  If these be the factors responsible for suffering, then we need to consider whether suffering is caused by situations or something else!

Perspectives of few quality thinkers on suffering:
a)                 Be all you Can Be by John C. Maxwell.  “Adversity is not our greatest enemy. Human spirit is capable of great resiliency and resourcefulness in the face of hardship”. Someone said, ‘cripple a man and you have Sir Walter Scott; raise him in poverty and you have Abraham Lincoln; strike him down with infantile paralysis and he becomes FD Roosevelt; deafen him and you have Beethoven; call him a slow learner, retarded and write him off as uneducable and you have Albert Einstein; call him dyslexic and you have Leonardo Da Vinci; label him as unteachable  in school you have Thomas Edison”.
b)                 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  “We don’t know all the tests God will give you…..You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems…senseless tragedies…..God tests my faith through problems, ……..A very important test is how you act.……When you understand that life is a test, you will realize that nothing is insignificant in your life…. Some tests seem overwhelming, while others you don’t even notice. But all of them have eternal implications.”
c)                  APJ Abdul Kalam.   “Problems should not become your master. You have to become the master of the problems. God gives us the opportunity to grow through problems. You have to concentrate on what can be done, not what you think cannot be done.”
d)                 Cause & Effect Phenomena.   This phenomenon is an intrinsic aspect of Creation as corroborated by maxims like ‘man is a creator of his own destiny & as you sow so shall you reap’.  Global warming is the most alarming and almost irreversible consequence of choices made by humans disregarding the perfectly designed ecological balance. On that analogy, situations faced are the consequences (effect) of one’s own choices as also reinforced by the understanding that we are products of our own choices only and not situations/environment.   To quote James Allen in his book ‘ As A Man ThinketH’— “all you achieve and all that you fail to achieve is the direct result of your own thoughts. You are the master of your own destiny.”
e)                  Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.  Renowned  Viennese psychiatrist, founder of Logotherapy. During World War II he spent three years at German concentration camps including Auschwitz & Dachau.    Endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps.  Excerpts:  “Hunger, humiliation, fear and deep anger at injustice are rendered tolerable by closely guarded images of beloved persons, by religion, by a grim sense of humour and even by glimpses of the healing beauty of nature—a tree or a sunset. ….. If there is a purpose in life at all, there must be a purpose in suffering and in dying. But no man can tell another what this purpose is. Each must find out for himself and must accept the responsibility that his answers prescribe….   He who has a why to live can bear with any how….In concentration camps every circumstance conspires to make the prisoner lose his hold. All the familiar goals in life are snatched away. What alone remains is the last of human freedoms—the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances. …… For a writer who faces fully the ubiquity of suffering and the forces of evil, he takes surprisingly hopeful view of man’s capacity to transcend his predicament and discover an adequate guiding truth”.
f)                    As A Man ThinketH by James Allen.   Published in 1904 has evolved into a classic.  Excerpt—“Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought ….It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the Law of his being…..Suffering ceases for him who is pure. There could be no object in burning gold after the dross had been removed and a perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer”.
Circumstances vis-a-vis Response.   Most people, being ‘problem NOT solution focused’, get rattled when chips are down.  Whereas one has no control over occurrence of situations, one always has the choice of response either to get swayed by circumstances or respond differently—“the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances”.
Why People Suffer?   Best illustrated by few real life episodes:-
I met a teenager who was intensely depressed consequent to rape. She was into self harm needing admission in ICU several times.  Despite despicable childhood experiences including rape, Oprah Winfrey, on the other hand, evolved into a world renowned woman of substance.
Specially—abled son and wife suffering from Parkinson’s  disease seldom deterred  Arun Shourie, Scholar, Author, Former Editor & Cabinet Minister from pursuing his purpose of life and write the 26th  book—Does He Know A Mother’s Heart ?—published  2011? .  The book is based on his research on ‘Suffering’.
Nelson Mandela & Aung San Suu Kyi rejected comfort for years of imprisonment to free South Africa of apartheid and restoration of democracy in Myanmar.
One black woman in 50s withstood public insult and suffering when she refused to leave her seat in the bus for a white in USA. Her stand against discrimination set in motion a movement for equality and justice culminating into historical election of a black as President.
Anil K Kumar, Paraplegic Home Kirkee Pune.  A road accident ended the aspirations of this young fighter pilot soon after commissioning.   Has no sensation in his body below the neck. An accomplished writer and highly skilled in computer.  I was impacted by his vibrant attitude on first meeting. He was an epitome of how to deal with adversities with a ‘disarming’ smile!
In the ultimate analysis, how one perceives suffering, depends entirely upon how one responds to situations.   I am, therefore, inclined to think that there is no suffering per se http://thedyc.org/blog/why-there-is-suffering-in-the-world/

Jennifer Lopez decide to begin legal procedures to adopt an Ethiopian boy

Update: 07-May-2012

Los Angeles, May 7: Jennifer Lopez has said it would be a "blessing" to be a mother once again and added that she was open to adopting a child.

The 42-year-old singer and actress revealed details about how she fared during her pregnancy with twins Emme and Max, who have just turned four, the physical changes she experienced, and how motherhood changed her life in a meeting with the press in Los Angeles to present her latest film, this one based on the best-seller about pregnancy "What To Expect When You're Expecting".

"I want them to be well, that is the main thing for me. The rest will come later. I'm going day by day," Lopez, who said she had "my hands full" with raising her children and was relying on the support of "a big family", said Saturday.

The artist is currently preparing a summer tour of North America with Enrique Iglesias and the duo Wisin and Yandel, and is a panel member on two television shows, "American Idol" and "Q'Viva! The Chosen, on which she works with ex-husband Marc Anthony, the father of her children, and to all of this may be added the May 18 screening of the new film.

"I'm a little tired," Lopez said.

The actress said she was happy with how things are going when she spoke in the presence of cast members Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Wendi McLendon-Covey and the author of the book, Heidi Murkoff.

"What To Expect When You're Expecting" is an ensemble film that tells the stories of several different pregnancies, as gathered in Murkoff's popular work.

In the film, Lopez is in a relationship with Brazilian Rodrigo Santoro and together they decide to begin legal procedures to adopt an Ethiopian boy.

The singer said that her role in the film opened her eyes to adoption, something that she had never thought about before.

Lopez divorced Anthony in July 2011 after seven years of marriage. She had given birth to their twins in February 2008.

http://www.ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/386055/ENTERTAINMENT/15 

Slavery syndicate bust

May 7 2012 at 07:41am 
By Yusuf Omar


 

INLSA

These six men, alleged to be members of a human-trafficking syndicate, were arrested during a sting operation in Limpopo. Photo: Handout/Supplied

• Six arrested for human trafficking

A group of 47 Ethiopian men were rescued at the weekend from being sold into slavery by a human-trafficking syndicate in Limpopo.

They were apparently snatched for ransom or, for those whose families couldn’t pay, to be sold into slavery in SA. Their countrymen allegedly assisted in their being snatched.

Police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said all 47 men were in good health and were being kept in a place of safety.

He said one Indian man and five Ethiopian men (aged between 26 and 37) were arrested during the police sting operation and rescue mission.

They had been destined to become slaves in different parts of the province,” said Mulaudzi.

An Ethiopian businessman in Joburg, who didn’t wish to be named for fear of repercussions, told The Star that such cases were not unusual. “This thing is common, especially close to the borders,” he said.

He described the problem as arising from would-be immigrants who agreed to pay networks to get them to SA, but then couldn’t pay, and said he had paid R5 000 for his own entry to SA.

“People abduct them and demand money from relatives. Generally it is because when they are being smuggled to SA, they promise to pay some of the money. Sometimes they reach here and are unwilling to pay, so for a smuggler to get his money they must hold that person and contact his family.”

The businessman said it could take anything from two weeks to several years for an Ethiopian to get from East Africa to SA. “There is no fixed periods when you come to South Africa.”

Legal Resources Centre activist Desmond D’Sa said modern slavery in SA was common.

“We are seeing more and more people being brought in through human trafficking and sold. Their families are often back home under threat, so they work and work and don’t get paid.”

D’Sa said there were a lot of cases from Pakistan.

“For too long South Africa has not been very kind to the foreign community… They come here for freedom. We should ensure people are not victimised,” he said.

“This is allowed to continue in an era when South Africa is a beacon of hope for many people.”

Mulaudzi said the Ethiopian group allegedly arrived at Musina, on the border with Zimbabwe, last week and were smuggled out of the refugee centre under mysterious circumstances and taken to safe houses in Makhado and Thohoyandou.

On Saturday, a relative of one of those abducted opened a kidnapping case.

“Police organised a sting operation after a kidnapping case was reported. The complainant told the police that 47 Ethiopians were being held against their will. He said five of his family members were there and that he had been ordered to pay R10 000 for their release,” Mulaudzi said.

The police had organized a sting operation through which the complainant met two of the suspects at a car dealership in Makhado.

“The complainant was in possession of the R10 000, which led to the arrest of two of the suspects and the rescue of the five victims,” Mulaudzi added.

He said the men were not armed and were known to the businessman.

After questioning by the police, the suspects directed them to four other syndicate members in Golgotha, Thohoyandou.

Mulaudzi said that when all six suspects had been arrested, they led the police to a house next to the University of Venda, where the other 42 victims were rescued.

“The six suspects are being investigated and we believe they may be linked to other activities of a similar nature in other countries,” said Mulaudzi. “They are ringleaders, but we believe there are more people involved.”

The six suspects were to appear on Monday at the Musina Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping.

yusuf.omar@inl.co.za

Let us struggle in unison for our dignity and freedom!

Alliance for Liberty, Equality and Justice in Ethiopia (ALEJE) has been closely monitoring the development of events in Ethiopia in the last three months. From the intensifying deterioration of human rights in Gambella to the forced eviction of ethnic Amharas, from the desecration of sacred places in Waldiba Monastery to the political manipulation of the Muslim faith and worship, and from the ever worsening economic conditions to the ever shrinking political space, Ethiopia has become a completely uninhabitable land. As a result, today, thousands die trying to reach safe havens and tens of thousands are in filthy prisons all over the world. As evidenced by national and international human rights groups, those who bravely opposed the regime often find themselves in jails or graves.

The continued pattern of land grab by foreign multinational companies combined with forcible eviction of long time Amhara inhabitants from the southern region are creating an intolerable situation that can only be described as a form of ethnic cleansing. In the sphere of religion, Meles Zenawi’s regime has displayed its disrespect and utter insensitivity to faith and faith based institutions of the nation. Thru its political cadres, the regime has infiltrated the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and has turned this holy institution into its machinery of oppression; and currently, the Zenawi regime is working hard to control the Muslim faith institutions. All in all, Zenawi’s repressive ethnic minority regime has viciously attacked Muslims, Christians, farmers, merchants, artisans, students, teachers and workers.

ALEJE believes that an attack on Muslims is an attack on Christians and an attack on the workers is an attack on farmers. Therefore, ALEJE urges all Ethiopians to stand together and defend each other’s rights and freedom by coming together to fight the common enemy of the country and the freedom of its people. It is time to critically see the inner core of the regime’s divide and rule policy and acknowledge that, Muslim or Christian, student, teacher, soldier or farmer; as citizens of Ethiopia, we all live in the context of each other. Hence, it is exceedingly important that we stand for one another because an attack on one of us is and on all of us.  ALEJE takes this opportunity to call upon   all Ethiopian Christians to join our Muslim brothers in order to enable the popular struggle to a victorious end by embracing all pockets of resistance forces in different parts of the country.

Alliance for Liberty, Equality and Justice in Ethiopia strongly believes that the territorial integrity of Ethiopia and the socio-economic & political well-being of its people have never been at a greater risk like they are now under the ever intensified destructive and divisive policies of the minority regime. The rapid development of events in Ethiopia clearly indicates that the current conditions in Ethiopia have given us the opportunity to claim our country.  ALEJE encourages Ethiopians inside and outside the country to set aside their differences and cease the moment to claim back our country, dignity and freedom from the current ruthless, reckless, and thoughtless dictators. ALEJE would like to assure to all Ethiopians that it will stand and struggle with them throughout the rugged march towards freedom, equality and national dignity for all.

Victory for the struggling people of Ethiopia!

Down with Meles Zenawi’s minority dictatorship!

http://www.ginbot7.org

ALEJE Member Organizations:

Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

Afar People’s Party (APP)

Ethiopian Unity and Justice Movement (EUJM)

Contact address: pr@timret.org

Unity of Purpose to Empower Oromian National Liberation Forces for Victory

May 6, 2012 at 12:40 pm · Gadaa.com

By Fayyis Oromia*

As I tried to describe in my last opinion, the Oromo nation is in a national liberation struggle against the Abyssinian colonizers, who are supported by their handlers from both power players of the Eastern and the Western world. This fighting for freedom from the proxy colonial forces (from the Abyssinian ruling elites) is continuing in multiple forms: diplomatically, militarily and politically. In this globe, where politics gives more value to the principle of the survival of the fittest, because of the fact that only ‘might is right,’ there is no other alternative to empowering the Oromo people, if we are really serious about getting national bilisummaa/freedom from the oppressors and achieve national walabummaa/sovereignty to determine our destiny. One of the ways to strengthen our nation is by forging the necessary unity of purpose among all Oromian liberation forces. What is this unity of purpose, how can we define it operationally?

James Wilson once defined unity of purpose as the blending of primary and derivative responsibilities into a common pursuit. Alexander Hamilton said that securing such unity of purpose, coupled with the desire to make a difference, would generate the necessary energy to assure every nation’s liberty and stability. In effect, Wilson’s unity of purpose represents a central component of the American constitutional form. In the process of showing the importance of unity of purpose, he asserts that humanity is driven forward by the tension between those, who upon viewing order, create disorder, and those, who upon viewing disorder, create order. In a conflict between these two diametrically opposite forces, unity of purpose can help those who want to create order/unity to have an essential victory over those who do the opposite. To indicate the very importance of such unity, the current president of the UNO also once told to the African leaders in certain AU leaders’ submit: “through unity of purpose, I believe there is no limit to what we can achieve.”

From these important sentences said by the above prominent personalities, we can see how relevant the national or supra-national unity of purpose is. Oromo nationalists, who are conscious about the importance of such unity, already started to describe this unity of purpose as ‘tokkummaa for bilisummaa’ = unity for national freedom. The main thing, which the Oromo freedom fighters now desperately need to be successful is such unity of purpose. We know that unity comes before victory even in a dictionary. That means, we need to have the necessary blending of primary and derivative responsibilities of our freedom fighters into a common pursuit of bilisummaa Oromo and walabummaa Oromia. This blending into a common pursuit through such unity of purpose, coupled with the desire of our people to make a difference, would generate the necessary energy to assure the stability and strength of the Oromo national liberation bloc. The strength of the Oromo national liberation movement is up to now challenged by the principle put well by Wilson that ‘humanity is driven forward by the tension between those, who upon viewing order, create disorder, and those, who upon viewing disorder, create order.’

These two forces are also present in the Oromo national liberation struggle. There are Oromo nationalists who do their best in ‘creating order/unity upon viewing disorder/disunity,’ and we do observe forces from the enemy camp trying to create disorder/division upon viewing order in the Oromo national liberation camp. The aims of the two opposing movements are, of course, antagonistic because of the fact that those, who strive to create unity upon viewing division in the Oromo national liberation camp, do try to strengthen the Oromo freedom fighters, whereas those, who attempt to create division upon viewing unity, want to weaken the struggle. If these two forces can be differentiated well at least by the Oromo polity, then Oromo nationalists can consciously work on supporting the forces of tokkummaa for bilisummaa in order to empower the Oromian national liberation camp against the Abyssinian colonization/domination camp, i.e. against the giant evil, which could develop to be such a big oppressor because of the massive support it gets from those who formed and are keeping the Ethiopian empire as an instrument designed to serve their own interest in the Horn region.

Read more: http://gadaa.com/oduu/13695/2012/05/06/unity-of-purpose-to-empower-oromian-liberation-forces-for-victory/

Another Tactic of the Colonizer: Attack on Oromummaa through Religion

May 5, 2012 at 7:46 pm · Gadaa.com

By Ibsaa Guutama*

Most Muslims in the empire are Oromo. For this reason, the raised issue concerns the Oromo more. Faith is ones own. Nobody who tried to impose faith on another by force had ever been fully successful. If not the corpse, it is impossible to control the spirit of someone. For instance, there was long ago a king of Abyssinia called Yohannis 4th. He threatened Northern Oromo people that he would cut the tongue with which they made azan (summon to prayer) unless they changed their faith to his type of Christianity. Some obeyed, some lost their tongues, and others fled the country. Yohannis got his head cut off for that sin. But, the faith is still flourishing in the same area.

It is the birthright for peoples to conduct their faith in the way they see fit. No one has the right or the ability to say one faith is better than the other. There are no world religions that are not divided into independent groups. For example, Christianity is split into Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran etc. Islam is also split into Shiite, Sunni etc. All have many independent sects. All make effort to increase their membership by all means. To reveal truth of their faith to people and attract believers is their business. It should not be the concern of the state. The role of the state is to safeguard human rights. It is not to pit one societal group against the others for its own advantage. In a multi-religious society, unless the role of state and faith are separated, there is a possibility of bringing unexpected catastrophe. That is why secularism becomes indispensable.

The Ethiopian empire had for long embraced one religion and suppressed others. The state and the religion belonged to one nation. That became the reason for several movements. Among them was the great demonstration of April 1974 that extended from Anwar Mosque in Markaatoo to the Parliament and was staged by Muslims in Finfinnee. Though many demands were made the major one was the demand for equality and to have roles in the country’s affairs. The force that came out in solidarity from other groups was no less than that of the Muslims. With that, it was realized that the support for justice and equality superseded all other differences claimed. To cool down the rage that was manifested, Islamic holidays were declared public holidays. The Imam of the Mosque was also made to sit on state occasions on equal level with the Patriarch. The remaining grievances later started to explode in different ways causing revolutionary whirlwind.

Though some advantages are given underhand for the traditional religion, there is no more officially declared ‘state religion.’ But, attack on Oromo religions had continued. Their agents were dispatched camouflaged as faith cadres to dissuade the youth not to fight against injustice. The earlier issued license for Waaqeffannaa was revoked. Next, they tried to create conflict between Christians and Muslims in Jimmaa and Gumaa areas. Now, they are threatening Muslims with terrorism, unless they embrace a sect they assigned them. Just like Yohannis 4th.

Each citizen has human rights to be respected for him/her. It is also his/her duty to uphold the constitution and laws proclaimed by their legitimate representatives. Whoever is in any religious group, he/she is individually responsible for breaking the laws, not collectively as a group. Therefore, to search for openings or to collect hearsay and interfere in others’ faith has other motives than the alleged incriminating religious issue.

Oromiyaa is a country of believers. It is the right of Oromo society to prophesy any religion in group or individually. If it wills, it should not be forbidden to choose from any Christian, Islam, Waaqeffannaa etc. sects or to believe in nothing. To try such a measure would only be taken as aiming to mess up peace of the region. So far, the Oromo people had never been accused of extremism in any form. That is their permanent character. They are peace loving people that do not invite problems, but only asks the recognition of its birth rights as a people. It prefers dialog rather than violence.

Now the government that has controlled the Habashaa power is instigating Oromo individuals and groups to be violent. However, it will not be successful. People who claim Gadaa culture cannot idly sit and clap their hands when a kin is brutalized for ones conscience. It is only the society that can discipline or pass judgment for competition within its religious groups. If a group tries to do injustice to another group or to undermine the honor, identity and unity of the nation, it knows that it cannot escape the wrath to come. It is up to individuals in religious or other groups to be careful not to transgress the laws. Oromo movements should not be judged by international ones. On this, they do not need the present government in power to lecture them.

Several campaigns were conducted against Oromiyaa since the present government came to power. Its merchants are denied equal accesses of competitions for market benefits. They have brought persons from outside and settled on its land. They have evicted farmers in mass and sold expansive tract of their fertile lands to transnational investors. They are polluting its rivers and soil with poisonous chemicals. With that, people, domestic animals and the natural environment are being destroyed. Education, health services and different benefits that could have been gained are all being crippled. The present campaign against a faith cannot be viewed separately. It is its continuation, a war taken to higher level.

The Oromo should not wait and see until this campaign on one of its religions advance to others. It has seen when yesterday they designated the vanguard of its struggle OLF as a terrorist and took the pretext to harass persons peacefully living in their homes. Though OLF is a secular organization, its members are from all regions and religions of Oromiyaa. They have one common kaayyoo, heroes and country. Its objective is to reestablish an independent Oromiyaa and a free people. The Oromo enemy knows this and has devised several schemes to sabotage the liberation struggle. This will not be its final trial, it will look what it thinks are weak links and put pressure to break it.

For this reason, all must wake up and stand guard for rights of their entire people. Some say that followers of Islam will not be less than half of the Oromo population. To aim at such a huge number should not be seen as different from aiming at the whole population. For this reason, it is essential to be vigilant and defend against the agents they have infused into the society. The blood of our nationals that spilled recently will not weaken our struggle, but rather it will strengthen it more. It is imperative to get prepared and defend against imprisonment and killings that could be carried out in all corners of Oromiyaa, be it for reasons told presently or by creating new ones. All the martyrs are Oromo heroes; with their blood, Bilisummaa shall flourish not fade.

Honor and glory for the fallen heroines and heroes; liberty equality and freedom for the living and nagaa and araaraa for the Ayyaanaa of our fore parents!

* Ibsaa Guutama is a member of the generation that drew the first Political program of the OLF

Source: Gubirmans.com

Ethiopia expels 2 Arabs amid tension with Muslims

By Kirubel Tadesse
Associated Press / May 5, 2012

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia—Ethiopia's government has expelled two Arabs who flew in from the Middle East after the pair went to a mosque and tried to incite violence, an official said Saturday.

The two men visited Addis Ababa's Grand Anwar Mosque on Friday and disseminated materials and made inflammatory statements, said Shimeles Kemal, state minister of communications.

"The Ethiopian government found them to be persona non grata and they were immediately deported," he said. The men's nationalities were not made public.

The deportations come one week after security forces arrested a Muslim religious leader in the Oromia region accused of radical statements. A group of Muslims tried to free the imam and clashed with police. Four of the demonstrators were killed and 10 police were wounded, Shimeles said.

"A number of suspects are in police custody. The elders in the community there have helped contain the situation and it remains peaceful since the incident," Shimeles added.

The country's Federal Ministry on Thursday issued a statement accusing the unnamed group of trying to declare jihad against the government and incite violence in a number of mosques across the country. The statement said a dozen suspects were recruited by the group from the country’s Oromia, Tigray and Amhara regions to carry out illegal activities are now in police custody.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on April 17 told the country's parliament that a few Salafis formed clandestine al-Qaida cells in the Arsi and Bale zones of the country's southeastern region and are trying "to erode the age-old tradition of tolerance between traditional Sufi Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia."

Ethiopia borders Somalia, where al-Shabab militants have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida.

More than half of Ethiopians are Christian. About a third are Muslim.