Oromo Community In Ireland
69 Woodford Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
www.oromocommunityireland.com
The Honourable Prime Minister Mr Enda Kenny
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Dear Prime Minister,
We, members of the Oromo Community in Ireland, are outraged with the Ethiopian government ongoing reckless attack on the Oromo students that are peacefully demonstrating against irresponsible expansion of Addis Ababa for the sole purpose of land grabbing.
Oromo students at various universities and high school across Oromia, Ethiopia, have been staging non-violent demonstrations against the ‘Master Plan’ that is set to expand Addis Ababa into the surrounding Oromia region. The students were concerned by the fact that the so called Master plan will inevitably displace millions of Oromo farmers and destroy many communities and their livelihood.
The plan has been facing opposition by many Oromo communities across the globe because it breaches the constitutional rights of the people of Oromia. Currently there are rallies being held all over the world. Information about the current situation of the country can be obtained from community based media out lets such as www.ayyaantuu.com, www.bilisummaa.com, www.gadaa.comm and www.opride.com.
The Oromo people have been victims of long years of continues land grabbing policies of the Ethiopian government where millions lost their land to riches from China, India and Arabs without proper compensation. Our people back home are already suffering from economic and social impact of the poor policies of the government that gives priority to the foreigners over its own people. We also feel such impact directly or indirectly has the high duty of speaking for those voiceless victims.
The Oromo people, its political organisation, civic organisation and journalists have been the prime targets of the Ethiopian government in the cover name of fighting against terrorism. The Oromo people, though the single largest ethnic group in the country, has been deliberately and systematically marginalised and made powerless so that they can be easily targeted whenever they demand their rights.
The recent crackdown is not the first time that our young children are massacred, torched, jailed and disappeared. Many university students and lecturers, many high school students and teachers, and many businesspersons have disappeared or have been in jail for many years without justice. Many of them are dying from inhuman treatment, torture, attacks, and humiliations and from deliberate deprival of medical treatments.
The Oromo people have been continually seeking their rights being respected, but the Ethiopian government’s response is cruel even for young children and students. This time the victims were the students who just gathered to air their concern of the Addis Ababa expansion plan. They were not violent, and they were not armed, yet they were violently and brutally crashed with the notorious assassin squad well trained and equipped for such purpose.
For the last two weeks a merciless killer crew has been dispatched to university campuses in Ambo, Adama, Walaga, Robe, Jima, Haramaya, Dire Dawa, Metu, Finfinne (Addis Ababa), and Mada Walabu to quell the rightfully and peacefully rallying Oromo students. We have a credible source that indicating more than 70 innocent Oromo individuals, university, and high students including a 12 years old boy were the victim of such brutality perpetuated by the Ethiopia killing machineries. These inhuman groups in power in Ethiopia even do not care rubbing salt into Oromos’ wounds. We are receiving information that in order to get the bodies of the victims their family must sign a document that reads their child was dead because of his or her own fault. Since there is no any international media allowed in the country it is not possible for such planned attacks against children be reported to the outside world.
The international community has been ignoring the cry of our people for long, but now it is at the stage they no more ignore it. There were many reports on the misuse of development aids and supports being used for military build ups for cracking down civilian. These were reported by human right groups, civic societies and international NGO have been given deaf hear.
This time the situation is now exceptionally dire. We fear that it could escalate and contribute to the already fragile security of that region. The Oromo are saying enough is enough. It is going be late for the international community to deal with the fragile political, human and security issues in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian empire has been depriving Oromo of the natural human rights, but it is impossible to control them anymore. It is a matter of time before the set time bomb is out of control of the Ethiopian rules. The tolerance of the people should not be taken for arrogance.
Your Excellency,
There are more than enough incidents and records confirming the Ethiopian authorities violation of international human rights law and has committed crime against humanity. The Ethiopian ruling elites are most likely will continue their wild act of killing, torturing and forcing millions to flee their homes to end up in refugee camps in neighbouring countries; unless your government in coordination with other similar bodies exert ultimate push on the Ethiopian to stop committing such crimes.
We understand that the Irish government and the Ethiopian government have good relations. This does not morally sound for a democratic government to have association with such a brutal and dictator regime since such relations give the aristocrats a wrong gesture. Such relation can be taken wrongly and encourage them continue killing people and never stop their government sponsored terror against civilians. We also know that Ireland has been generous in providing aids to Ethiopia. Though we are very much grateful of the support to our poor people, there are reports by international organisations that the aid has been used against the people to who you were sent for
Your Excellency,
We appeal to your government and the Irish people to stand against the brutality of the Ethiopian government. We believe the Irish people understand from its history how it feels to be suppressed, deprived of rights and humanity, and thus better understand the agonies of the Oromo people. We feel strongly that your leadership and Ireland is in a good position to use its European Union and global reputation as a defender of human rights to initiate dialogue and coordinate actions against the suppressive Ethiopian government.
We appeal your government to stand up for our people and send a warning message to the dictatorial regime in Ethiopia to stop the killing of innocent children. We call on your office to listen to the cries of Oromo people and restore justice and peace to their villages. The fact that the Oromo people are peaceful, tolerant and patient should not be taken for wrong. We appeal that those people who murdered our children and those who lead and ordered the crime be investigated and charged for the crimes they committed. We ask your esteemed office and government to tell the Ethiopian authorities to halt the implementation of the so called controversial master plan until all the stockholders discuss on its pros and cons and support its implementations.
Sincerely,
Adam Tola
Chairman, Association for Oromo Community in Ireland
www.oromocommunityireland.com
oromocommunityireland@yahoo.com
CC:
Labour party,
17 Ely Place, Dublin 2
Fianna Fáil,
65-66 Lower Mount St, Dublin 2
Sinn Féin
44 Parnell Square W, Dublin 1
Amnesty International Ireland
Sean MacBride House
48 Fleet Street,Dublin 2
United Nation,
27 Fitzwilliam Street Upper,Dublin 2
Irish Human Rights Commission,
4th Floor, Jervis House
Jervis Street, Dublin 1
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Ireland Stop Supporting the Murderer,
Ethiopian Government is the Killer
Angered Oromo community in Ireland rallied against the Ethiopian killing squad by the walking long distance from city centre to the government building. Member came from Cork, Waterford and Limerick which are more than 200km away.
Children left their school, adults left their work, and even the skills and disabled left their conform with wheelchair came together hand in hand against the murderer Ethiopian government which mercilessly massacred Oromo children in their own villages across whole Oromo. The members of the Oromo community were able attract non-Oromo justice and peace loving individuals across the way.
We submitted about immediate request for justice and peace in writing to the Irish government, to all main political parties in the country, to Amnesty International to United Nations and to Irish Human Rights Commission. We were promised that we will get responses and we post them as soon as we receive them.
Our determination to support the struggle back and to liberate our people and our land is intact as always. Killing our children and selling our land will never deter us from fighting dictatorship, and injustice.
Justice for the oppressed people
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