Toltuu Tufaa, Porojeektii Afaanii fi Eennummaa Oromoo Addunyaatti Guddisuuf Jalqabde, ‘Afan Publications’ Eebbisiisuutti Jirti

Note: Find below  Book Launch Scheduled dates

Soraa Halakee

Toltuun Afaan Oromoo addunyaa keessatti beessisuuf hujiitti jirti

December 30, 2014, WASHINGTON, DC (VOA Afaan Oromoo) — Gaafa tokkoo manii barumsaa tokko ijoollee cufaan afaan keessaniin suuraa kaasaa,wa barreessaa kootta jedhe,jennaan daahimii tokko dadhabe maaliif akka dadhabe gale maatii isaa gaafate.

Waggaa Haaraa ilaalchisuun dhaamsa ABO

Amajjii 2015

• Miseensota ABO QBO Dirqama Duraa Godhatuun Qabsootti Dhaabbataa Jirtan;
• Waraana Bilisummaa Oromoo Bilisummaa Oromoo Dhugoomsuuf Wareega Qaalii Baasaa Jirtu;
• Dargaggootaa Oromoo, Sirnaa fi Diina Farra Oromoo fi Bilisummaa Oromoo Irratti Finciluun Mirga Ummata Keessaniif Falmaa Hadhawaa garuu Boonsaa Irratti Cichitanii Argamtan;
• Ummata Oromoo, Sirna Gabrummaa Haalaan Hadhaawaa fi Umurii Dheeraa Of Irraa Darbatuuf Qbsoo Haqaa of Irratti Irkannoo Qofaan Gaggeessaa Jirtu;

Akkasumas Firoottan QBO

Baga waggaa haaraa 2015 geessan. Waggaan haaraa kunis waggaa ummatni Oromoo bittaa alagaa of irraa kuffisee bilisummaa fi walabummaa biyyaa isaa qabsoo isaatiin itti gonfatu akka tahu, akkasumas diinni ummatoota cunqurfamoo irratti roorrisaa jiru itti jilbeenfachiisamee, hawwii fi fedhiin ummatootaa itti guutamu akka tahu ABOn hawwa.

Mission Journal: Ethiopian journalists must choose between being locked up or locked out

December 30, 204 (CPJ) — A sharp increase in the number of Ethiopian journalists fleeing into exile has been recorded by the Committee to Protect Journalists in the past 12 months. More than 30–twice the number of exiles CPJ documented in 2012 and 2013 combined–were forced to leave after the government began a campaign of arrests. In October, Nicole Schilit of CPJ’s Journalist Assistance program and Martial Tourneur of partner group Reporters Without Borders traveled to Nairobi in Kenya to meet some of those forced to flee.

The group of reporters, photographers, and editors we met had all been forced to make a tough decision that has affected them and their families–a life in exile or prison. All of the journalists spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, out of concern for their safety. During meetings to discuss their cases, one of them told us: “I hope one day I can bring my family. Maybe in the future. I want to secure myself first. Now is not secure.”

Outcome of persecution in Ethiopia: 3,000 to 5,000 Oromo Homeless Kids in Hargeisa

ARE DESPISED AND ABUSED BY JUST ABOUT EVERYONE THEY MEET

Reposted to remember our destitute children in Hargeisa

By Sean Williams

Mukhtar stands outside the Ethiopian café where he shines shoes every day

January 14, 2014 (Vice) — On an ordinary night, after the sun sets over Hargeisa, Somaliland, Mohamed packs up his shoe-shine kit and heads to the storm drain where he lives when he’s not working. All things considered, it’s a good spot for the 12-year-old to sleep—the discarded snack wrappers and plastic bottles help keep him warm, and when the sun creeps in each morning the shadow of a nearby skyscraper shields him from the heat.

“The University didn’t pay my salary since June while other employees were paid,” said Gudina

December 28, 2014, ADDIS ABABA (Sudan Tribune) – An Ethiopian opposition leader on Sunday dismissed reports alleging he has been fired from his job at the government-run Addis Ababa University.

Local media outlets reported that the leader of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, Merara Gudina, who chairs also the coalition of opposition parties MEDREK was fired from his academic professorial position.

The reports indicated that Gudina, an associate professor of political science at Addis Ababa University, was fired for his political views and due to the growing popularity he gained among university students in the build-up of the upcoming general elections.

“I haven’t received any letter of dismissal from the University,” Gudina told Sudan Tribune.

OMN: Amharic Interview, Legesse Deti – Torture survivor (14 years political prisoner)

Professor Merrara Gudina an Oromo intellectual has been sacked from his post at AAU

December 27, 2014 (siitube) –Professor Merrara Gudina, an Oromo/Ethiopian Political Science Lecturer has been sacked by Ethiopian government from his post at Addis Ababa University (AAU) for his political view. He is known for his staunch support for human rights of the peoples of this entire region in general, for his ethnic national, the Oromo (40% of the entire Ethiopians) in particular.

Regardless of its barbarism to the citizens, the Ethiopian government receives from the UK tax payers about 340million annually, despite its abhorring records of human rights. About 6 month ago (June 2014), the UK citizen with Ethiopian origin known as Andargachew Tsige (one of prominent Diaspora Opposition leaders) has been kidnaped by Ethiopian security forces from Yemen Capital Sana’a and taken to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa where he has been allegedly tortured and deprived access to consular support and kept out public sight. His wife and children in London are left in darkness. The UK government is doing little or nothing about their citizen.

OROMIA AT FEDERATION SQUARE MELBOURNE 2014

British Tourist Shot to Death in Bahir Dar, Northern Ethiopia

December 24, 2014 (East Afro) — The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reports that a British tourist was shot and killed in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, on Wednesday afternoon, December 24, 2014. It is reported that the suspect, who is said to be a Federal Police trooper, has been caught.

OMN: Marii Artiistoota Oromoo (Qophii Addaa) Mudde 22, 2014

Ethiopian pilot defects to Eritrea in helicopter

Russian built M-35 fighter helicopter

December 23, 2014 (Reuters) — Eritrea and Ethiopia have been locked in a border dispute for years and routinely accuse each other of backing rebels trying to destabilise and topple the other’s government

An Ethiopian air force pilot has defected to Eritrea, flying a helicopter across the border with his co-pilot and a technician, Ethiopian state-run media said on Tuesday.

The three men had been missing since Friday morning soon after leaving their base on a routine training session, Ethiopian Television reported.

Eritrea and Ethiopia have been locked in a border dispute for years and routinely accuse each other of backing rebels trying to destabilise and topple the other’s government – a legacy from the two-year war they fought in the late 1990s.

Artistoonni Oromoo Gootota keenya, haa jajjabeefannu!

Mudde 22, 2014, Bakkaanga’aa Margaa oromummaan@yahoo.com

Artistoonni Oromoo Aadaa naannoolee Oromiyaa kaabaa hanga kibbaa tti, bahaa hanga lixaa tti, wal-simachiisanii dagaagsan, walaleessanii weellisan, geerrarsaan kan rafe dadammaqsanii sabboonummaa dagaagsan, faarsanii maqaa goototaa ol-kaasan, Qabsoo Oromoo daangaa hanga daangaa tti  sosochoosanii harka duwwaa rasaasa dura dhaabbatan. Oromummaaf jecha mana hidhaa tti dararaman, kaan lubbuun wareegaman, kaanis lubbuu oolfachuuf biyyaa baqatan. Waggoottan 23 darbaniif dararaan Artistoota Oromoo’rra gahaa jiru hagana jedhamee waan akka laayyoo tti ibsamu miti. Artsitoota Oromoo Eebbisaa Addunyaa, Usmaayyoo Muusaa, Yooseef Gammachuu, Maaramee Harqaasaa fi kabiroo miidhaa diinaa tiin hardha lubbuun uf cinaa isaan dhabnu’llee dalagaan isaanii Utubaa seenaa ta’ee ilmaan Oromoo waliin jiraata. Dararamnii fi miidhaan heddummatu’llee Artistoonni Oromoo kaleessas, hardhas gocha diinaa tiif hin jilbeeffanne, borus hin jilbeefatan!

Dhumaatii Barattoota Oromoof Itti Gaafatmaa Ka ta’e Dabballeen Wayyaanee Zalaalam Jamaneh USA, Naannoo Maryland maadheffatee akka Jiru saaxilame.

Waggoota dheeraadhaaf sabboontota fi lammii Oromoo mana hidhaatti guursisaa fi ajjeessisaa ka turee fi ammas jabeeysee gochaa diiinummaa ummata Oromoo irratti ka raawwataa jiru Zalaalam Jamaaneh USA Steeta Maryland keeysa dhokatee bashannanaa akka jiru saaxilame.

Kitilayyoo TPLF kan tahe Zalaalam, murtii mootummaan bicuu fi abbaa irree TPLF/Tigree maqaa ‘Addis Ababa Master Plan’ jedhuun qotee bulaa Oromoo mirga abbaa biyyummaa molquudhaan lafaa f qe’ee isaa irraa buqqisuudhaan labsa sanyii duguuggaa labsanii fi sabab kanaan wal-qabatee mormii karaa nagaa gochaa fi tarkaanfii Wayyaanee kana balaaleffachuudhaan barattooti, dargaggootii fi uummati Oromoo ji’a Eblaa bara 2014 irraa eegalee kaasaniif deebiin isaa ijoollee Oromoo hidhata maleeyyii rasaasa Wayyaaneen akka dhuman nama murteessee murteessise keeyssa akka ture kan beekamu yoo ta’u, nama haala akkasiin mirga dhala Oromoo mulqee fi juumlaan barattoota Oromoo maaddii barmootaa isaanii irraa akka bineensaatti adamfamanii akka ajjeefaman gochaa turee ammas itti jiru kun kara seera qabeessa taheen biyya dimokiraatwaa tahe kana keeysatti himati itti banamee gara mana murtii addunyaatti akka dhiyaatuuf hogeessonni seeraa fi falmitoonni mirga dhala namaa hatattamaan akka irratti hojjetan dhaamsi dabree jira.

Oromia at Federation Square has continued to attracts huge crowd

December 20, 2014

Oromia @ Federation Square is one of the biggest Oromo Community festivals held every year in Melbourne, Australia. Every year since 2008, members of the Oromo community and friends of the Oromo people across Australia have congregated on one summer day in December at Melbourne’s Federation Square to celebrate and commemorate the beauty of the Oromo culture. This year’s Oromia @ Federation Square will be held on Sunday, December 21, 2004.

Diddaan Barattoota Oromoo Yuuniversitii Madda Walaabuu Daran Hammaachuu Irraan Barattooti Oromoo Waggaa 2ffaa Psychology fi waggaa 3ffaa Engineering ta’an Hidhaman

Mudde 17,2014 Gabaasa Yuuniversitii Madda Walaabuu

(Qeerroo) — Diddaan baratoota Oromoo Yuuniversitii Madda Walaabuu haalaan jabaachuu irraan barattooti hedduun hidhamanii jiru,addatti ammo isintu FDG qindeessa sababaa jedhuun Bultoo Dinquu barataa waggaa 2ffaa Psychology fi Habtaamuu Kabbadaa barataa waggaa 3ffaa Engineering mana hidhaa hin beekamnetti geessamanii jiru.

FDG Oromiyaa guutuu keessatti qabatee deemaa jiru daranuu bifa isaa jijjirrachaa mootummaa Wayyaanee afuura dhorkaa jira. FDG addatti dhaabbilee barnoota ol’aanoon yeroo garaagaraa murannoon diina dura dhaabbachuun diddaa isaanii mul’isaa jiru. Haala kanaan guyyoota calqaba Muddee irraa dhaabbilee barnootaa kan akka Yuuniversiity Finfinnee nyaata lagachuun eegale Yuuniversiity Bulee Horaa,Jimmaa fi Mattuu itti ce’uun nyaata lagachuu irra darbee diddaa isaanii mootummaa gabroonfataatti mul’isaa kan turan yoo tahu; mootummaan abbaa hirree aadeffate diddaa uummataa humna waraanaan dhaamsuuf yaalu illee diddaan kun har’as itti fufuun dallaa Yuunversiity Madda Walaabuu keessatti  Mudde 15 bara 2014 irraa diddaan jabaa gaggeeffamuu eegale har’a Mudde 17 itti fufuun mormiin jabaa gaggeeffamaa jira.  Mootummaan abbaa hirree Wayyaanee diddaa barattoota kanaa dhaamsuuf humna waraanaa dallaa Yuuniversiitichaatti heddumminaan ol naquus gootonni barattoota Oromoo meeshaa waraanaa kanaaf otoo hin jilbeeffanne diddaa isaanii gaggeessuu daran itti fufanii jiru.

Four Swedish tourists shot in Ethiopia

December 15, 2014 (Expressen) — Four Swedish tourists were shot in southern Ethiopia on 12 December 2014. The Embassy was in contact with them and they feel under the circumstances, says Ulla Jacobson at the Ministry’s press office to SVT News.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Swedish tourists were at an animal sanctuary when they came under fire. None of them were injured in the incident.

According expressen.se, which spoke with the wife of one of the shot, put the Swedes in a jeep. The husband saw other jeeps run to catch up, saw that they were getting ready to open fire and he threw himself down on the floor.

TVOMT: Waanan Oromoo Taheef! Gaafiifi Deebii J/Gammachiis Naadoo Waliin Goone! Tolawaaq Eelias: Jaarsi Biyyaa

Eebbisaa Malkaa: Waamicha Qabsoo Qeerroo Oromiyaa Irraa

Ethiopia: Release protestors, stop crushing political opposition

December 11, 2014 (Amnesty International) — On 5 and 6 December, security services in Addis Ababa arrested an estimated 90 people during attempts to stage a demonstration by a coalition of nine opposition political parties. The arrests are the latest manifestation of the authorities’ hostility towards the political opposition ahead of the general election scheduled for May 2015. The Ethiopian authorities must ensure the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested for peaceful participation in, or the organization of, the demonstration, and all others imprisoned in Ethiopia for the peaceful expression of their political opinion.

Amnesty International is concerned that in the period ahead of next year’s poll such instances of the authorities cracking down on political opposition will intensify.

ETHIOPIA: Outbreak of Deadly Disease in Jail, Denial of Graduation of University Students

HRLHA – URGENT ACTION

December 10, 2014

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) would like to express its deep concern over the outbreak of a deadly disease at Gimbi Jail in Western Wollega, as a result of which one inmate has already died and sixty (60) others infected. HRLHA strongly believes that the very poor sanitation in the jail, absence of basic necessities, and denial of treatment after catching the illness have contributed to Mr. Yaikob Nigaru’s death. HRLHA fears that those who have already caught the disease might be facing the same fate. It is well documented that particularly inmates deemed “political prisoners” are deliberately subjected to unfriendly and unhealthy environments and, after getting sick as a result, are not allowed access to treatment until they approach or reach the stage of coma, which is when recoveries are very unlikely. HRLHA considers it one way of the systematic eliminations of alleged and/or perceived political dissidents.

Sabboonaan Oromoo Barsiisaa Dirribii Nagaasaa Mootummaan Wayyaanee Waggaa Sadiif Manneen Hidhaa Ma’ikalawwii fi Qaallittii Keessatti Hidhee Dararaa Cimaa Irraan Gahaa Ture Irraa Dandamachuu Dadhabuun Har’a Wareegame

Gabaasa Oduu Gaddaa Mudde 9,2014 Sabboonaan Oromoo Barsiisaa Dirribii Nagaasaa daraaraa(torture)  guddaa mootummaan EPRDF/TPLF/n  irratti rawwataniin waggaa Sadii (3)oliif Mana hidhaa Wayyaanee Ma’ikalawwii fi Qaallittitti hidhamee dararama kan ture, darara ulfaataa irratti rawwatamaa tureen hakan Edaa hospital Geedootti lubbuun isaa Wareegame.

Sabboonaan Oromoo  Barsiisaa Dirriibii Nagaasaa barsiisaa M/B Geedoo Sadarkaa 2ffaa fi Qopha’inatti muummee barnoota Information Technology barsiisaa kan ture, Sochii warraqsaa dargaggootni Oromoo mirga abbaa biyyummaa Uummata Oromoo kabachisuuf gaggeessan keessatti ga’ee guddaa taphachaa kan turee fi sabboonaa Oromoo mirgii namummaa fi dimookiraasii uummata Oromoof kabajamuu qaba jechuun soda tokko malee gaaffii mirga abbaa biyyummaa finiinsa turedha.

Oromia at Federation Square, December 21, 2014

Oromia @ Federation Square is one of the biggest Oromo Community festivals held every year. Since the beginning, Oromo people from across Australia congregated at Federation Square to celebrate and commemorate the beauty of Oromo culture.

BECAUSE I AM OROMO THOUSANDS OF OROMO PEOPLE BECOME THE VICTIMS OF TORTURE AND LONG IMPRISON IN ETHIOPIA

By Alemin Kelifa

BEACUSE I AM OROMO according to resent Amnesty International released a 166 page report between 2011 and 2014 around 5000 innocent Oromo people have been arrested by accusing them being an Oromo Liberation Front Members and supporters by Ethiopian dictatorial regime or by TPLF regime. These sweeping repressions against the Oromo people in Oromia region and elsewhere in Ethiopia was going on since a long time ago by Ethiopian dictators. The number of those who has claimed to be arrested is the small number just reported by amnesty International there are another many thousands who has been taken by Ethiopian security forces to unknown places nobody knows where they are. If we want to account the number of Oromo prisoner in Ethiopian it will be more than you expected. Ninety percent of prisoner in Ethiopia are Oromo people. We do not have to be surprise by resent Amnesty International report or maybe we should the number will make it difference because like Amnesty International and other Human Right Organization they have been releasing report many times about Oromo people situation in Ethiopia but the resent Amnesty International report attracted several international media like BBC, VOA and other similar media. The main and the only people that are targeted first are Oromo people by Ethiopian Regime before they do or before the done something they threaten them and through them in prison and unknown places.

Audio Reveals the TPLF Ethiopian Regime Plans to Increase Attacks on Waaqeffannaa, One of the Religions in Oromia, Under Pretext of Connection with OLF

Audio evidence acquired by FinfinneTribune/Gadaa.com reveals the TPLF Ethiopian Regime planning to increase attacks on Wakefena (Waaqeffannaa), the indigenous Oromo religion and one of the religions in Oromia, under the pretext of connection with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)

Source: Gadaa

Is H&M Turning a Blind Eye to Land Grabs in Ethiopia? A TV4 Investigation

Hamma Yoom Oromoon Lafa isaa tirraa arihama? Gaafif Deebii Keessummaa keenyan waliin goone hordofaa

Guyyaan Yaadannoo FDG Melbourne, Australia keessatti sirna ho’aan kabajame

Sadaasa 24, 2014

Guyyaan yaadannoo FDG naannoo Australia, magaalaa Melbourne keessatti bakka Hoogganootni ABO, miseensonnii fi hawaasti Oromoo hedduminaan irratti argamanitti guyyaa Sadaasa 23, 2014 sirna ho’aan kabajamee ooleera. Qindoomina ABO Konyaa Victoriatin sagantaa qophaa’e kun kan eegalame eebba maanguddoo, wareegamtoota yaadachuu fi faaruu alaabaan yeroo ta’u wareegamtoota walii galatti fincila Oromoo keessatti wareegama kaffalan ittiin yaadachuu fi muldhata ifa fuulduree QBO akeeku dungoon dhaloota haaraan qabsiifamee jira.

Haalaa fi sababa kabaja ayyaana guyyaa kanaa ibsuun sagantaan ayyaanichaa dura taa’aa ABO konyaa Victoria J/ Abdataa Homaatin eega banamee booda uummata ayyaana kana irratti argaman baga nagaan dhuftan jedhiiru.

Oromo studies scholars bring important issues to the table at ASA meeting in Indianapolis

Fifteen fellow Oromo studies scholars from around the world presented papers on a wide range of topics under six panels, making this the largest presence of any panels from the Horn of Africa in the program as well as actually in the conference rooms of JW Marriot hotel in the beautiful and cold city of November Indianapolis.

A few scholars were new entrants into the field of Oromo Studies with brand new focuses such as gender issues, nagaa, Oromo ecotheology, the state of religions in Oromia and Ethiopia, genocide and land grabbing, among others . Well established topics in social sciences such as the conquest and domination of Oromia by Abyssinian northerners were part of the panels. Veteran Oromo studies scholars reinforced their previous work and introduced some newer developments in their fields.

Six men gang-raped me and walked free, narrates woman

November 21, 2014, Nairobi (Standard Digital News) — I came to Kenya as a refugee in October 2010. I had escaped from Ethiopia since I am an Oromo and my family members had been accused of being members of the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

I knew the government was going to arrest me next so I crossed the border and came to Nairobi, I didn’t know anybody but I made my way to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees who gave me refugee identification status, and then housed me. I came with my little boy, then two years old.

I live in Dagoretti, Wanyee and life hasn’t been easy. This year, on February 10, at about six in the evening, I left my house to go buy a packet of milk. The shop is about half a kilometer from my house. On my way to the shops, I saw two men, standing next to a Nissan Van; the type used for matatus, though this one wasn’t a matatu. It didn’t have the yellow lines painted across its body. I stayed at the shop for five minutes then started walking back to my house.

Ethiopia: The Endless Violence against Oromo Nationals Must be Halted

                 Fear of Torture, HRLHA Press Release

__________________________________________________

           November 16, 2014

Harassments and intimidations through arbitrary arrests, indefinite detentions without trial, kidnappings and disappearances have continued unabated in Ambo and the surrounding areas against peaceful protestors since the crackdowns of April, 2014, in which more than 36 Oromos were killed by members of the federal security force.

Intensifying Mass Arrest, Torture, and Killing will Only Inflame Struggle of for Freedom

Statement of Qeerroo Bilisummaa on Continued Arrest and Conviction of Oromo Students from Various Zones of Oromia

November 17, 2014 (qeerroo) — It is to be recalled that tens of thousands of Oromo nationals in general and Oromo students in particular have been arrested and severely tortured by the TPLF-led Ethiopian regime over the last few months in connection to a series of Oromo student protests which broke out in large scale and spread out throughout Oromia beginning the month of April, 2014. These protests, organized and led by the National Youth Movement for Freedom and Democracy (aka Qeerroo Bilisummaa), are just one incident in a series of continued struggle of the Oromo nation for freedom, democracy, and justice over the last 23 or so years. Hundreds have been gunned down by live bullets by the so called Agazi troops of the regime in the months of April and May, 2014. In addition to those who have been shot and killed during the protests, many have lost their lives in prison cells unable to stand the brutal torture. Many others have simply disappeared. Qeerroo Bilisummaa believes that those who disappeared have been killed and their bodies hidden – a practice repeatedly perpetrated on the Oromo prisoners by this regime.

Sydney, Australia – G20: Oromo Community Protests against killings of Oromo in Ethiopia

November 16, 2014, Brisbane, Australia

The Oromo community protests against Ethiopian killings which are happening within Oromia region.

They call for freedom, human rights, against the Ethiopian regime killing Oromo, only because of that they are Oromo.

Claire Beston’s Washington Public Speech on “Because I am Oromo” Report

Part I	Part II

Claire Beston, Amnesty International’s Ethiopia and Eritrea Researcher, visited Washington DC and gave a public speech on the groundbreaking report “Because I am Oromo”, a 166-pages report which documents that  Oromo people are targeted with ‘sweeping” repressions in Oromia region and elsewhere in Ethiopia.

Because I am Oromo Rally, Phoenix, Arizona milkiin xumurame

Sadaasa 14, 204

Jaarmiyaan Hawaasa Oromoo Sadaasa 13, 2014 hiriira ba’uun gabaasa dhaabbatni mirga namoomaa Amnesty Interrnational Onkoloolessa 28, 2014, dalagaa faashistummaa ummata Oromoo irratti mootummaan Wayyaanee raawwatu saxiluun dhiheesuu isaatiif degerssa qabu agarsiise.

In Defense of the Latest Amnesty International (AI) report Repression in the Oromia

Begna Dugassa, Ph.D | November 14, 2014

Dear the Secretary General & the Minsters of the Ethiopian Federal Government:

I am writing this letter to defend the latest Amnesty International (AI) report BECAUSE I AM OROMO’ Sweeping Repression in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia1 from the attacks and mischaracterizations of the Ethiopian government presented on BBC Radio and other media outlets. I believe I am entitled to do this for four reasons.

The first reason is, I was born and raised in Oromia among the followers of the Oromo indigenous religion– Waqefaata. I have witnessed human violations perpetuated by consecutive Ethiopian regimes. During the Haile Selassie regime, I witnessed my family members giving a quarter of their harvests to the Abyssinians and paying taxation without representation in the government. I witnessed many Oromo family members tried not to allow baptizing their children in the Abyssinian Orthodox Church. In the belief that if someone first goes through the Waqefaata ceremony known as Amachisa, the person will remain Waqefaata, my community members developed strategy to take their children through the indigenous ceremony first. Accordingly, in the Amachisa ceremony I got the name Tolera = things are good. After that, they had me baptized because the Oromo people were forced to baptize their children in the Orthodox Church. In the ceremony of baptism they gave me a name Gebre Giyorgis = the slave of George. I leave it to the readers to compare the differences in meaning between the two names.

Conference on Land Policy in Ethiopia and a statement of oakland Institute

November 13, 2014 (Human Rights Horn of Afrique) —  The Conference on Land Policy in Africa starts today, November 12, 2014, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Government officials, representatives from international institutions, aid agencies, and civil society organizations have gathered around the theme “ensuring agricultural development and inclusive growth.”

Given the recent explosion of land grabs across the African continent, this international conference seems pertinent and timely, especially for the millions of smallholder farmers and citizens across the continent. But let’s not allow some key facts to be drowned by the enthusiasm expressed from those attending.

We need to consider the venue and the host country, Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government is not only offering a facility for the conference, but has also played a key role as a member of the Steering Committee for the gathering. The same country is arguably one of the worst offenders when it comes to forced displacement resulting from land grabs.

Cooperation with the Regime Hostile to the Peoples’ of Ethiopia is Against the Principles of International Law

A Statment by Oromo Liberation Front in Support of Report of Amnesty Intrnational on Human Rights Violation Against the Oromo People

Afaan Oromoo version - PDF

November 10, 2014 (Oromoliberationfront.org) –In the history of shocking tortures of dictatorial regimes against the peoples ruled under thier iron fist the Ethiopian government cruelity is unparalleled. Since its ascension to power by force in 1991, the Ethiopian government’s records of human rights violation through extraordinary killings, forced disapearance, massive imprisonment, displacement and other means of suppresion against the Oromo people is incalculable. The world has repeatedly witnessed that the incumbent regime of Ethiopia is a government that adopted a policy of ruling by violence and commit harsh and cruel actions flagrantly.

Land Wars: Ethiopia Accused of Massacring Civilians to Clear Way for Foreign Farms

WARNING: This article contains disturbing images

By Lara Whyte 

An image said to show corpses piled up following the alleged market massacre

November 10, 2014 (Vice News) — Ethiopia, one of the world’s hungriest countries, is selling off vast chunks of its land to foreign investors who are growing food products for export — and those who get in the government’s way are being killed or silenced, according to a new investigation.

Under the country’s controversial “villagization” scheme, huge populations of farming communities are being moved out of their homes on land eyed for development and into new settlements built by the government. Residents not lured out by promises of better infrastructure and services are often forced to go against their will, and resistance often brings violence or intimidation into acquiescence or exile, US-based rights group the Oakland Institute says in a report due for release on Monday.

Now, for the first time, pictures obtained exclusively by VICE News appear to show evidence of the widespread atrocities and abuses being reported by farming communities and minority groups across the country.

The pictures were sent to the Institute in April 2012, and are said to depict a massacre carried out by government officials and members of the ethnic Dizi group on behalf of the Ethiopian state against the Suri, one of Ethiopia’s many ethnic indigenous farming groups, in the market town of Maji in February that year.

Gootota Baratoota Oromoon, Jalabultiin Yaadatnoo FDG Sadaasi 9 Mooraa Yuuniversitii Jimmaa Keessatti Bifa Howwaa Taheen Kabajamaa Bule

Guyyaan Yaadannoo FDG Sadasni 9 marsaan 9ffaa gootota Qeerroo barattoota Oromoo Yuunibarsiitii Jimmaan jalbultii isaa irraa eegaluun haala ho’aa ta’een kabajamaa jira.

Goototni Qeerroon dargaggootni baratootni Oromoo Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa mooraa arfan main Campus, Agriculture, Sayinsii fi Teekinooloojii, Economics and Bussiness fi Kolleejjii barsiisota Jimmaan haala ajaa’ibsiisaa ta’een kanbajamuu egalee jira. Goototni Qeerroon barattootni Oromoo sagalee faaruu goototaa dhageesisuun gootota ilmaan Oromoo bilisummaa saba isaaniif jecha wareegama lubbuu baasan farfachuun namoota dhuunfaa, akka walitti dhufeenyaa fi caasaa ijaarsaa fi miseensotni Qeerroo barattoota Oromoo addaatti bifa qinda’een Sadaasa 9 yaadannoo FDG marsaa 9ffaan bifa adda ta’een kabajamuu eegalee jira.

Sadaasa 9 Guyyaa FDG Ilaalchisee Faaruu Hawwisoo Qeerroon

Minnesota: Because I am Oromo Discussion Nov 8 2104

Oromo Community of Minnesota: Call for Public Forum to Discuss the #BecauseIAmOromo Report by Amnesty International

#BecauseIAmOromo Announcement: Meeting in DC with Amnesty International’s Claire Beston (Friday – Nov. 7, 2014)

#BecauseIamOromo Announcement: Claire Beston of Amnesty International will be speaking in Washington DC this coming Friday about the recent Amnesty International’s report on the sweeping repression against the Oromo people in Ethiopian.

Place: Oromo Center, 811 Upshur Street, NW Washington DC 20011
Time: 7 PM

If you are in the DMV metro area, you should not miss this event.

Building Momentum in Geneva with the Oromo Diaspora

H.E. Mr. Minelik Alemu Getahun (left), Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations Office in Geneva

November 6, 2014 (The Advocates Post) — This fall was a busy time for advocacy at the United Nations on human rights in Ethiopia. It was also a great time to see The Advocates for Human Rights’ new toolkit, Paving Pathways for Justice and Accountability: Human Rights Tools for Diaspora Communities, in action.

Universal Periodic Review Concludes with Some Fireworks
In a one-hour session on September 19, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the outcome of its second Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia. You can watch the video of the session here.

I’ve blogged about the UPR of Ethiopia before, and the adoption of the outcome is the last step in the process. The adoption of the outcome is also the only opportunity civil society organizations have to speak during the UPR process.

Human rights campaigner says African Union should move headquarters out of Ethiopia

Human rights abuse in Ethiopia

November 6, 2014, JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The African Union should move its headquarters out of Ethiopia because of concerns about freedom of expression there, an Angolan journalist and human rights campaigner said.

Journalist Rafael Marques de Morais, who has been jailed and faces numerous legal challenges for his investigative work in Angola, said in Johannesburg on Tuesday night that the African Union is hypocritical for keeping its base in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. The union represents 53 countries on the continent and says it is committed to transparency and human rights.

Marques cited the ongoing Ethiopian trial on terrorism-related charges of bloggers from Zone 9, a collective that publishes critical news and commentary. He also mentioned the three-year prison sentence handed last week to Temesgen Desalegn, the former editor of the now-defunct newspaper Feteh who was convicted of charges including incitement.

COMMEMORATION OF OROMO STUDENTS RESISTANCE AGAINST SUBJUGATION IN OSLO NORWAY

COMMEMORATION OF OROMO STUDENTS RESISTANCE AGAINST SUBJUGATION IN OSLO NORWAY NOVEMBER 1 2014	New Oromo Oromia music 2014 Baratooni kaate qabsoo finiisite Hirphaa Gaanfuree

Ibsa ABO Guyyaa Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa Ilaalchisee

Sadaasa 3, 2014 (Oromo Liberation Front) — Qabsoo Bilisummaa Oromoo hirmaatnaa ummataan caalaatti utubuu fi sirna gabrummaatti xumura gochuuf bara 2005 ABOn ummata bal’aa Oromoof alagaan bitamuun nu haa gahu! Jedhee akka diina irratti finciluuf waamicha dabarse. Ummatni Oromoos waamicha Dhaaba isaa ABO irraa dabreef gammachuun ofitti fudhatee Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa (FDG) guutuu Oromiyaa keessatti adeemsisuun tarkaanfii boonsaa yoomiyyuu yaadatamaa jiraatu fudhate.

Fincilli bara 2005 itti fufame bifa adda addaa fi sadarkaa adda addaatti adeemsifamaa har’a gahuunis haqa qabatamaa fi mul’ataa dha. Itti fufi Fincilli Diddaa Gabrummaa bara 2005ni kunis baatii Eblaa Bara 2011 irraa eegalee muratoo ilmaan Oromoo Qeerroo fi Dargaggoon haaraatti bifa jarmyaa qabatee caalaatti ol kaafame guutuu Oromiyaa waliin gahee akka itti fufetti jira. Fincilli Qeerroon Bilisummaa ol kaafame hirmaatnaa ummata bal’aa Oromootiin tumsamuun kan mooraa diinaa raase QBO ammoo galii isaatti dhiheesse tahuu FDG bara 2014 keessa adeemsifamaa turee fi jiru caalaatti mirkaneessa.

OMN: Amharic Interview with Ob. Gadaa (Tesfaye) Gebre-ab (November 1, 2014)

Britain axes aid to Ethiopian police amid human rights outcry

Document warning that aid programme posed ‘high’ risk to human rights deleted from Government website as £27 million aid scheme axed

By Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent

Britain has given £1 billion in aid, including around £70 million for “governance and security” projects, to the country over three years Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP

October 31, 2014 (The Telegraph) — Britain has suspended most of a £27 million aid programme to support Ethiopia’s police force, The Telegraph has learnt, amid mounting allegations of torture, rape and murder by the regime.

Mootummaan Itiyoopiyaa uummata Oromoo Irratti Kallattiin Qiyyaafatee Dararaa Geggeessa

Jaallannee Gammadaa irraa

October 31, 2014, WASHINGTON DC (VOA Afaan Oromoo) — Gareen mirga dhalaf falmu ka sadarkaa Addunyaa AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL  Itiyoophiyaan,  saba biyyattii keessatti guddaa tahee  lammiwwan Oromoo -mootummaa mormitan” sabaabaa jedhuun,  itti xiyyeeffattee haala gar-laafina hin qabneen dararaa irratti geggeessaa jirti jedha gabaasaa haarawa facaaseen.

“Oromoo ta’uu koo qofaaf”  dararaa fi hiraarsi kun na irratti geggeeffama mata-duree jedhuun ka maxxansame gabaasaan Amnesty International haaraan kun  Lammiwwan saba Oromoo kuma hedduutti lakkaawaman “ajaja seeraa ti ala hidhamuu, himannaa seeraa malee yeroo dheeraaf mana tursiisamuu, humnaan butamanii dhabamsiisamuu, dararaa deddeebi’ee geggeessamuu fi ajjeechaa humnoota mootummaaf saaxilamanii jiran jedha.  Dhuga-ba’insa namoota dhibba lamaa olii walitti-qabuu isaa illee dubbata.

Does British aid to Africa help the powerful more than the poor?

As Ethiopia’s regime is accused of atrocities, David Blair asks whether British aid might – inadvertently and indirectly – be subsidising repression

British aid to Ethiopia amounted to £329m last year

October 30, 2014 (The Telegraph) — Ethiopia’s security forces have carried out terrible atrocities during a brutal campaign against rebels from the Oromo Liberation Front. So reports Amnesty International in ahorrifying investigationwhich concludes that at least 5,000 people from the Oromo ethnic group have suffered torture, abduction or worse in the last three years alone.

Sadly, anyone familiar with Ethiopia will not be surprised. With a long record of suppressing dissent, its government is one of the most authoritarian in Africa. Yet Ethiopia also benefits handsomely from British aid, receiving £329 million last year, making it the biggest recipient of UK development assistance in Africa – and the second biggest in the world.

Thousands of Ethiopians tortured by brutal government security forces… while Britain hands over almost £1 BILLION in aid money

• Amnesty International says 5,000 people tortured, raped and ‘disappeared’
• Over the last three years the UK Government has given Ethiopia £1 billion
• It pocketed £261.5 million in 2012 and £284.4 million in 2013

Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Dessalegn, has rejected accusations that his government tortures its own people

October 29, 2014 (The Daily Mail) — More than £1billion from taxpayers was given in aid to Ethiopia while its security forces tortured, killed and raped, campaigners claimed yesterday.

Amnesty International has documented thousands of shockingly brutal abuses against citizens suspected of political opposition.

The human rights group’s report follows calls for greater scrutiny by Britain and other donors to ensure their money does not support state-sanctioned killings and brutality.

Amnesty warned that thousands have faced repeated torture while unlawful state killings have been carried out in a ‘relentless crackdown on real or imagined dissent’.

Horrors inflicted on ordinary Ethiopians include women being gang-raped and tortured by prison guards. Amnesty’s report also tells how a teacher was stabbed in the eye with a bayonet after refusing to teach pro-government propaganda to his students.

Entire families were arrested with parents and siblings ‘disappearing’ after they were taken to army camps, said Amnesty.

Britain has donated more than £1billion to Ethiopia in the last five years alone. The Government has denied funding security forces in the autocratic one-party state.

But Britain’s relationship with the East African country is likely to come under scrutiny in a judicial review into claims made by a Ethiopian farmer.

STATEMENTS ON PLIGHT OF OROMO REFUGEE COMMUNITY IN CAIRO

October 29, 2014

Today on 28th October 2014, the Oromo community in Egypt protested in front of UNHCR office to denounce in response to the Ethiopian community allegation during the protest on 19th October 2014, supported by the Ethiopian Embassy in Egypt, to denigrates Oromo refugees in Cairo. On behalf of Oromo Refugees Community in Cairo, we want to express our serious concerns with the treatment of our community by the Ethiopian government allied Ethiopian community in Egypt.

As it is well known, Oromos have been oppressed in the Horn of Africa region over the past 120 years. Oromos still strive to save their lives in many ways, and often escape from Ethiopia, eventually crossing many borders until they find a peaceful place to definitely settle.

We, the Oromo community in Cairo in exile, would humbly forward our letter of complaints to your honored office concerning the above matter hoping for a timely intervention.