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Why Oromo left their country and seek for refugees?
Appeal of Oromo
from Somaliland
First
of all, I am sorry to delay my report about Oromo situation in
Somaliland. This report is delayed because of lack of
availability of computer to type and internet to send and lack of
resource and safe place limited me to report on time. I moved to
Somaliland after Tigray people liberation front (TPF)
dismissed me from my job, at federal government and education,
master in sociology at Addis Ababa university accused me having
relation with Oromo liberation front on April 22nd,2011.
I walk 480kilo meter on foot to save my life and faced several
problems during my stay in Somaliland.
It’s difficult to find a glass of water in
Somaliland
for Oromo. I have been lived in Somaliland
for 3 month. I send this report to concerned international
organization. My initiation to prepare this report is not only to
accuse government but protect human right today and future in
Ethiopia. I worried about Oromo
situation in Somali region of Ethiopia
and Somaliland not only because of
I am oromo but because of I am critical observer also. Currently
oromo have no right to live even in Somali region of
Ethiopia. During my stay in
Somaliland, I observed how somalilanders undervalue
oromo. I interviewed somalilanders why they hate and insult Oromo?
They said that it’s settled (TPLF) security force work for TPLF
mission taught them to under value and ignore Oromo. we can
understand from this TPLF regime follow footsteps Oromo to torture
them especially in horn of Africa.
Before I started the main point I wanted to say about myself. I was
born in Gibe peasant Association Alle didu district of western
oromia. I attended my primary and junior school at Gera school and finally I completed at Bedelle
high school. I scored good point and got chance to join university.
I graduated on July 2007. I was prisoned two times when I was
university student for political Reason. Most of my friends were
died from torture and some are still in jail. I have been fully
participated in the Oromo affairs. I raise questions to Tigray
people liberation front openly. I know Tigray people liberation
front (TPLF) regime well. They know me also. After my
graduation from the university I moved to work in ILubabora, western
Oromia.After two years I spent there and then I moved to Addis Ababa, ancient village Oromo and still
Oromo heritage lives on. I got job at Ministry of Culture and
Tourism, Authority for Research and Conservation of cultural
Heritage of Ethiopia, federal government office. I worked at this
office three years before TPLF regime dismissed me from my work.
On the last April 2011 TPLF regime worried that the people
revolution that forced the Tunisian and Egyptian dictatorial
regimes to depart from power coming to
Ethiopia.
They driven by fear, the TPLF security force without single events
shot and wounded over nine hundred Oromo students and imprisoning
Oromo men and women throughout oromia. I report this because I am
critical observer and I am very worried about such ram page
shooting, wide spread imprisoning and the crime with which TPLF
regime is charging these innocent Oromo men and women. I was first
year’s students of master in sociology at
Addis Ababa University
and senior expert of public and international relation at Ministry
of Culture and Tourism Authority for Research and Conservation of
cultural Heritage of Ethiopia, Federal government level. I was one
of the wounded oromo youth on 22nd
April, 2011, the TPLF regime ordered federal police and his security
force accused me having relation with Oromo liberation front and
then dismissed me from my job and education.
Let me, I tell you the detail on April month (2011), at that time I
left Addis Ababa
for field work around afar region north east part of the country.
The first things they did were divert my mobile phone to security
force and then closed it. Next went to my home found my younger
brother his name is Itefa Tekalign asked him where is he? Imagine
TPLF regime sent the joint force of federal police and security
force to my home. But my brother is refused to tell them where I go.
They entered my home without any legal paper from the court office.
They entered my home found documents and books. Most of my books
deals with oromo politics and culture and oppose TPLF regime. My
brother his name is Itefa Tekalign was 17 years old and grade 12
students. He has strong interest in education. He wishes to join
medicine department at the university but his wish was aborted by
TPLF regime. He was prisoned because he refused to tell them where I
was. They release him after he spent in a jail 21 days. Where he has
been lived? I did not know after I was accused by TPLF having
relation oromo liberation from (OLF) I have no relation with my
family, friends and classmates because it’s very harsh for them. If
they have relation with me, they may be harvest my fates.
I strongly believe that, the Ethiopia legal
system is racist and decision of the so called Federal courts made
is politically and racially motivated. Its well documented and
established fact that Ethiopian courts at all levels are neither
impartial nor independent. They are all under complete control of
the Tigray people liberation front (TPLF). They only crime of the
Oromo have been being an Oromo and alleged association with the
OLF.Most Oromo believe that the Oromo
liberation front (OLF) is genuine political organization
which struggles to empower and free the Oromo people from repression
perpetrated by the TPLF court. Indeed from the perspective of the
Oromo people, the TPLF has no legal or moral authority to tell the
Oromo people which political party they should support or
association with. The notion of TPLF attempting to tell the oromo
people which political party they should supports coming from their
racist mindset. To legalize their illegal power relation and further
incapacitate and impoverish the Oromo people they killing people
indiscriminaly
What was happened on April 2011?
The successive Ethiopia regimes used Christianity
to link themselves to western world to consolidate their powers
against the colonize people mainly the oromo. In addition between
1974 and 1991 the mengistu regime utilized socialist discourses to
ally itself with the Former soviet bloc and to consolidate its state
power. Currently the meles government uses a, democratic discourses
to make its rule acceptable in the world and also to obtain
financial and military assistance from the west while engaging in
state terrorism.
As may be know, the true meaning of democracy is action and
respecting human right. In the last 20 years TPLF has engaged in
terrorism and wide speared imprisoning and cripple the educational
achievement of Oromo students, thus depriving the Oromo people
skilled manpower in the future at the same time developing Tigray
primary at the cost of Oromo. In human history education has been
the corner stone in capacity building of nation or country. In a
society or in a country where one groups oppressed another groups
oppressed have always has been denied the opportunities of
education. That why TPLF regime dismissed Oromo students from their
education. This strategy is intended to creating a generation void
in the Oromo. For Oromo educational is more important than work.
Oromo’s in Somaliland
The self declared state of Somaliland
is much better known as a refugee producing territory than a refuge
destination. Yet in recent years the territory has witnessed growing
non Somali immigrate from the oromia. In the wake of
marginalization, the vast majority of torture and oppression in
Ethiopia, these Oromo went to exile
to find a precarious refugee in Somaliland, demonstrating the
challenges of in region protection and integration in the horn of
Africa.
Somaliland, the de facto sate on the northern periphery of the horn
of Africa. It is best known as the
site of mass emigrants as result of political oppression and civil
war. In recent years, however, the territory has witnessed growing
immigrant. A significant proportion of Somaliland migrant population
originates not from war torn southern
Somalia, but rather from various
parts of oromia. While an oromo presence is not new phenomenon it
has been increasingly noticeable in recent years. Some of these
immigrants work in hargesa, for the TPLF mission ,some fled to
Somaliland since 1993 after withdrawal of oromo liberation front
from transitional government ( during which mass of oromo people
massacred), some after the fraudulent may election and most of us
(including me) during the people revolution in northern Africa and
Arab state since 2011
This report, however, focuses on oromo exploring the fortunes of
oromo origin living in Somaliland.
The oromo people constitutes the single largest national groups in
the Ethiopia empire and the horn of Africa with the total of over 50 million people. The
number of the oromo people and the geographical location of their
country oromia make the oromo country ( oromia) the heart of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian empire
mainly survives on the economic oromo resources of oromia. Although
the oromo people are one of the most impoverished and terrorized
indigenous people .Recognizing that oromia is the richest and
largest populous state, the Tigrayan led
Ethiopia
government has been using collective violence to dominate, control
and exploit oromia which the key in controlling the Ethiopia government has been using
political economy. Understanding the situation in the oromia helps
in generalizing what is going through Ethiopia.
Political and economic oppression, physical and psychological
torture and victims in the oromia following the withdrawal of the
OLF from transitional government of Ethiopia in 1993 have forced unknown
numbers to leave their country ( oromia). The ony oppression of
these seeking refuges in an unrecognized sate has been being an
oromo and alleged association with the oromo liberation from (olf).
Nowadays every thing changed in front of their eye but physical and
psychological torture going with this people .As I am an oromo and
balanced man I wish equal dignity for world people. I need solution
for the problems of oromo. if not I feel the pain.
Most of the research in the last twenty years on Oromo refuges has
focused on large refugee camp population in Djibouti Sudan and
Kenya
and the major resettled population in North America and
Europe. There is dearth of information on the situation
of the many Oromo’s living in the Somaliland.
Indeed for outsiders, it is hard to believe that anyone would seek
refuge is the in the Somaliland, which the last two decades have
been much better known for producing than hosting refuges .The Oromo
presence in Somaliland has not been brought to international
organization.
Why oromo left their country and seek for refugees
Despite initial high hopes, in the context of the political climate
that the events of 1991 created,oromo nationalist and supporters of
oromo liberation front came to viewed as a treat to the Ethiopian
Empire.OLF established for freedom and self determination of Oromo
people. According to Oromo their problems in fact escalated
following the 1991 revolution .Imagine when TPLF controlled oromia
that is since 1991 I was six years old. My father was died from
torture in 1996 by TPLF security forces. This shows us the readiness
of TPLF regime to avoid oromo generation because I tasted
their torture methods. As oromos in Somaliland they described a
climate of fear and repression claiming that the clandestine Marxist
structure of organization known as gooti and garee at grassroots
levels, the federal and regional authorities used accusation of
links to the OLF to justify ranges of repressive measures including
extra judicial killing, detentions without trial, burry a live,
whipping with electric cable, the rape of women, castration and not
limited to have been. My Mother told me that Jarratin Abba kee
Ajjeste translation (they were killed your father) I was 6 years old
when they killed my father. I heard the full history how they killed
him from my mother and relatives.
Various factors triggered the departure of oromo. Most had left in
the run –up to the 2005 election and since when there was a surge in
oromo arrivals in Somaliland. Many
cited example of close relative who, has been killed or imprisoned.
Many had been imprisoned themselves, and subjected to torture and in
human treatment. Significant proportions had been high school and
university students had been caught up in the waves of surveillance
expulsions and arrest that followed various students’
demonstrations.
The general pattern was that they lad left alon, secretly and often
precipitously following detention, a traumatic event or treat from
official with primary aim of getting out of Ethiopia.
Present oromo situation is Somaliland
I reported what I have been observed and collected from different
Oromo groups who, went to exile in Somaliland
for political and economic oppressions. The purpose of report is not
to accuse government or building a case for a political vendetta
against rulers as I have been critical observer, and I am activist
Oromo youth I aim to call attention to the atrocities of the past in
order to promote and respect for human right today and in the
future. I demonstrate that the Oromo aspiration for freedom and self
determination is neither a recent phenomenon with which Oromo’s
suddenly became obsessed, nor the propaganda of a power hungry Oromo
elite. I show that this is not yet a thing of the past.
Using public source I documents in excruciating detail the abysmal
symbol conditions in which Oromo’s lived under successive Ethiopia
Colonial regimes.
In Ethiopia, some world people believed
that governance and administration of justice came to rest on
linguistic and ethnic affiliation as nation and nationalities of the
country were permitted to cultivate their language and ethic
identities. This completely wrong. If above state is true it is
possible to rewrite the history of oromo from perspective. Studding
and presenting, the oromo history and culture from an Oromo
perspective was still treasonable crime. Today the oromo are
portrayed as terrorist by TPLF, the TPLF justify to prison Oromo
.The world people are fully aware of that democracy is the oromo
heritage that the world people share from them.
After control of oromia by TPLF regime, very many of oromos
concerning their living conditions used to sing some inspiring
sorrowful songs. The oromos who seeking refuges is
Kenya, sudden, and
Somaliland can narrate different such songs like
Honey and milk were brought from all direction.
Granaries were full of crops.
There is no famine or hunger.
We were pleasant and happy
With all we had in our country.
Now we are forced to be in poverty.
Forced to leave our paradise country.
Time made us live in miserable.
We left our land to the enemy.
We left our people to enemy.
We live miserable life.
Where we cannot be set free.
Our heart suffers uncomfortable life
It bleeds our sorrowful pain.
We will never see it again.
We will never forget now and forever.
As we understand from the songs, the successive
Ethiopia
ruling class mainly survives on the economic and natural resources
of oromia. Although the Oromo people are the most improvised and
terrorized people of the world. This state of fact makes Oromo
people left their richest natural resource for Tigray and live in
very harsh condition in Somaliland.
Significant numbers of Oromo who went to exile in
Somaliland
have experienced detention, beating, torture and rape. Frequently
they are associated episodes of buses committed against family
members for no apparent reason, other them being related to a
suspected supporter of Oromo liberation front (OLF). The Oromo in
Somaliland effectively restricted to the worst paid jobs, jobs which
Somaliland find demeaning such as rubbish collection, toilet digging
and emptying, clothes washing ,and other casual work.
They are criticized for begging with their children, something seen
by local as alien and shameful. Some are able find work as wash men
but generally on lower pay than locals. Stories of abusive employers
abound, most commonly my informants reported problems with getting
paid for work they had done, some saying that their employer
threatened to report them to the Ethiopia mission, who
settled TPLF security force to follow the oromo movement and the
Somaliland
criminal investigation department to make them give up for fear of
deportation.
At the moment in Somaliland
especially in hargessa the oromo condition reached at the very harsh
condition. Because of meles zenawi regime has established a
political marriage of convenience with the government of east Africa
in order to deny support and sanctuary to the oromo refuges, to the
Oromo national movement and to extend its terrorist activities in
the horn of Africa. For this reason
I Tesfaye Tekalign denied refuges in Somaliland.
I want to exile 4 month ago after TPLF regime accuse me having
relation with Oromo liberation front (OLF) and I have being an Oromo
self awarded. Imagine here I lost two thing they dismissed me from
my job from ministry of culture and tourism, Authority for research
and conservation of cultural heritage of Ethiopia and the second
from ay educational at Addis Ababa university master program in
sociology.
An asylum system in Somaliland has been established, administered by
a refuge eligibility committee under the ministry of the interior,
working in cooperation with UNHCR this show us how much refuge in
Somaliland is not independent. The UNHCR office in Somaliland
attached with Somaliland government. This is rather remarkable progress
given the precarious political and economic situation in
Somaliland. However, corruption and lack of capacity led
unfit standard of UNHCR.The corruption exhibited by the
Somaliland
register non Oromo oromo language speaker as refuge seeker. These
people who, register as refuge seeker registered at the cost of
Oromo who, political and economically ignore in Ethiopian empire.
They have been take money from refuge seeker to be register as
political refuge. Some Somali are Afan Oromo speaker and learn Oromo
language to be registered instead of marginalized oromo in Ethiopia. it is
very hard for Oromo in Somaliland
to be register as political asylum. The asylum system in hargessa,
Somaliland
dominated by Somalilanders.
Nevertheless, legally speaking insofar as it governs the population
in the areas where it has been effective control, the Somaliland government is bound by customary international
human right law. Moreover under the article 10 of its constitution,
Somaliland has committed to international obligation entered in to
by the republic of Smalia, including1951 and 1969 refugee
convention. especially article 35(1) of the Somaliland constitution
grants foreign citizen the right to seek political asylum.In 2010,
Somaliland
had some 10 thousand registered asylum seekers and well over one
thousand recognized refugee seekers.
Some have been resettled in third countries but oromos in Somaliland
are not registered as asylum seekers.Because of ignorance and
political marriage between TPLF and Somaliland government. Meles zenawi regime do not
like anything good doer for Oromo and going to invest on horn of Africa to destroy Oromo refuge and national movement.
According to international convention which Somaliland has committed to honour asylum seekers and
refuge should be protected from return to a country where their life
or freedom may be threatened. However, failed to respect
international conventions.
Some Oromo, who able to communication with them got legal refuge in
Somaliland but last three month on ward handed them to TPLF security
force to torture them in
Addis Ababa. Many more registered as asylum
seekers were not Oromo but they registered them instead of oromo.
Those registered people came from different nations in
Ethiopia. Many of them were from
Somali people, who speak Oromo language and lived with Oromo many
years. Those people, who registered at the cost of Oromo, were
simply expected to settle in North America and
Europe. From my point view, Oromo were left their
country because of political oppression and marginalization by TPLF
regime. Oromo’s in Somaliland
so determined that they would rather die or leave their country than
became servant of the tigrayan people liberation front (TPLF).
Oromo, who once had legal refuge in Somaliland and carried UNHCR ID, lived hargessa for number
of years. About three month ago on ward, they were abducted by joint
Somaliland and
Ethiopia
security forces from their camp and residences and detained.
Somaliland Authorities handed these individuals over to
Ethiopia
authorities, who transported the victims to Addis Ababa and tortured them.
Nowadays it is very hard for Oromo’s in Somaliland to access any kind of assistance from
international organization such as UNHC. Before Oromo were straggle
survive them selves. At the moment their problems reached at climax.
what I am report to concerned body is what I have been observed in
hargessa,Somaliland.As I have been stated above the joint force of
somlilanders and Ethiopia mission destroyed and killed refuge camp
in Hargessa, Somaliland .There is always torture in Somaliland on
Oromo. Even in Ethiopia Somali region. Three month ago onward TPLF
regime Somaliland authority decided to detention and torture Oromo
in Somaliland. They derive out some Oromo and handed over
to TPLF regime to Addis Ababa and tortured
them. They destroyed Oromo house in hargessa,
Somaliland
and killed them then throw their dead body (corpse) to toilet. As my
observation throw their dead body of Oromo early in the morning to
hide or silent their bad work and denied to burry. some of them were
prisoned.
Oromo women are abused by Somalilanders. They took Oromo women away
from their husband them subjected to jail and abused in detention
house (jail). Who know this? Let me I inform world people, Oromo
women died from very bad torture. Her name is teyiba Abafog, as I
heard from her family, relatives, and friends; she was fled to
Somaliland
3years ago. Three month ago, Somalilanders took her from her husband
abuse by 15 men turn by turn then put two volt battery in her
vagina.She was died from this kind of torture I think this was hide
from international organization. Time is come; I was exposed to
concerned body. Real this is the newly introduced torture system.
This torture system is what Tigrayan people liberation front (TPLF)
taught Somalilanders to torture Oromo. After her husband heard the
rumor about somebody, he followed in search of his wife. He found
only her hand and legs. My informants say that, the Somalilanders
continue to take Oromo women and murder them. He said that, besides
my wife, I found many human bones on the ground. He said they are
many Oromo missing in Somaliland
and whose loved ones are hoping that they are in detention. they
continue to murder Oromo. In addition to this Somalilanders abused
oromo women in front of their husband in order to show how much
Somalilanders powerful over oromo.
Somaliland government is unrecognized state but signed international
convention, which Somaliland
has committed to honour asylum seekers to avoid detention. Failed to
protect citizens in her territory. I advise the UNHCR to follow up
the activity of human right department in
Somaliland. UNHCR was established for and by world
people. I feel the pain for the oromo, who tortured by TPLF.UNHCR
department in Somaliland is
controlled by Somalilanders.
It’s fair to investigate any refuge seekers who are who? Given
priority for asylum seekers. World is continue to exist only with
truth ad facts and caring for each other.
The Oromo are not only tortured by Tigrayan and Somalilanders.But
also by Ethiopia Somali. Before I was dismissed from my work at
federal government, I round different area of Ethiopia for work purpose. I
collected many data at that
time. As my point of view somewhat for Oromo it’s better to live in
Tigray region than in Ethiopian Somali region. Historical facts
recorded that oromo and Somali have been connected people for many
years ago. Nowadays this was changed. Tigray people liberation front
(TPLF)regime has mobilized ethinonational minority groups such as
Somali, Afar, Konso, Sidama and to kill and terrorized the oromo for
instance in the last three month, the Somali militia terrorized the
oromo by murdering and prison oromo in jijiga and togochale .Many
oromo were in jail in jijiga underground jail, together with ogaden
liberation front The prisoner speak Afan oromo in jijiga prison like
kalif prison (one of the must detention and torture prison) in
Ethiopia .
Among the prisoner in Jijiga, oromo students at jijiga university,
oromo business men and Oromo who were born and grew up in jijiga
city were prisoned and denied to participate in any business
activities and public life.
I have always respected and served people to the best of my
knowledge and capacity. I have been gone out my way and provided my
time and energy to expose the social, political, and economic crimes
in oromia and
Ethiopia. At this historical moment
regardless of confusing people and international organization. I
will accomplish any assignment that is given to me by any persons or
organization. I struggle for social justice, mutual solidarity, and
popular democracy
Finally with problems in Ethiopia ongoing and many Oromo’s lacking funds
to move any further than Somaliland, the Oromo presence in
Somaliland
is likely to continue. They are children born in dire poverty to
Oromo parents, who are unlikely to return to
Ethiopia.
Oromo are deserve to live in dignity
Tesfaye Tekalign was 25 years old and had earned his first degree in
sociology from one Ethiopia University.
Starting from April 22nd
2011, he was dismissed from his work by TPLF regime for political
case. Now he has been mobile Oromo, stateless oromo. He was looking
for help from international organization such as UNHCR to settle him
safe country.
Reference
1. Journal of Oromo studies Association
2. Report on international crisis groups (Nairobi and
Brussels)
3. Human right watch, hostage to peace threats to human right and
democracy in Somaliland
4. The struggle of the Oromo to preserve an indigenous democracy,
professor Assefa Jalata, university of Tennessee, USA
This letter is sent to:
1. United nation high commissioner for refuges
Case postale 2500
infoDesk@ohchr.org
2. Human right watch
New York
Hrwnyc@hrw.org
3. Un represented nation and people organization
UNPO secretariat
unpo@unpo.org
4. Amnesty international
amnestyusa.org
5. Refuge council of Australia
Admin@ refugeecouncil. org or info@ refugeecouncil.org
6. Amnesty international Australia,
Victorian activist resource center
vicintern@amnesty.org
7. Human right watch
Connecticut Avenue
Washington
hrwdc@hrw.org
8. Genocide watch
Washington
Dc
Genocide watch@ aol.com
Oromia support group
Oromia@waitrose.com
9. oromia support group
oromiasg@waitrose.com
10. human right watch
New York
hrwpress@hrw.org
11. Amnesty international UK
The human right action center
London
sct@amnesty.org.uk
12. human right league of the horn of Africa
Toronto, Canada
Hrldirector@mail.org
13. US citizenship and immigration
services
Uscis.web master@dhs.gov
14. Ministry of citizenship, immigration and multi culturalism
Canada
minister@cic.gc.ca
15. Norwegian directorate of immigration
ots@udi.no
16. Immigration New eland
Ipg. contac@dol.gov.nz
17. Development assistant group (DAG)secretariat c/o program
coordinator, Victoria
chisala Victoria
chisala@undp.org
18. Oromia support group Australia
humrightosga@yahoo.com
19
international Red Cross and Red crescent societies
Switzerland
info@redcrross.ch
20
horn@voanews.com
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Oromo Parliamentarians Council (OPC)