16 Sudanese killed by Ethiopian gangs in El-Gadaref state: minister

October 30, 2015 Ethiopia, Sudan

Former chief of staff of the Sudanese army and current interior minister Esmat Abdel-Rahman (SUNA)

KHARTOUM (Sudan Tribune) – Around 16 Sudanese people have been killed in an attack by Ethiopian armed groups on the joint border, a Sudanese official said on Wednesday.

Repeated clashes have been erupted on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border between the ’’Shifta’’ Ethiopian armed groups and the local Sudanese farmers during the recent weeks.

Sudan and Ethiopia have agreed to settle their border disputes last year, but the agreement has not been implemented.

Also the two countries agreed to deploy joint border patrols to combat the outlaws, human trafficking and the other criminals on the common borders.

Sudanese minister of interior Abdel-Rahman Wednesday said that at least 16 Sudanese farmers have been killed and other 12 people injured in clashes with some Ethiopian armed groups in the border state of El-Gadaref.

Abdel Rahman told the Sudanese parliament in a hearing session on Tuesday that the Ethiopian armed groups have attacked the Sudanese border forces and the farmers in the areas of ’’Fashaga’’, ’’Algalabat’’, ’’Giraisha’’ and Sanda in El-Gadaref.

’’At least 16 Sudanese civilians have been killed, 12 injured, 7 abducted and near to 300 cattle were raided in the past period by the repeated Ethiopian attacks,’’ said the minister .

The Sudanese lawmakers urged the minister to deploy military and police forces to protect the Sudanese territories and the farmers.

The National Assembly speaker Ibrahim Ahmed Omer has further requested the Sudanese ministry of interior to deploy more reinforcements on the border with Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The Sudanese farmers on the border areas have repeatedly claimed that the Ethiopian armed groups seek to seize their fertile lands.

The Sudanese parliamentarian member for El-Gadaref town Ismail Ahmed Musa last week accused the Ethiopian armed groups of seizing 794 Kilometres of the Sudanese farm lands in the eastern Sudan state.

The Oromo Concept of Reality or Dhugaa-Ganama

By Yoseph Mulugeta Baba (Ph.D.)*

Part IV

In my previous article, Part III, I tried to elucidate the way in which the Oromo’ understanding and interpretation of Reality (i.e., Uuma, Waaqa, Ayyaanaa) has eventually led to pluralistic interpretations of the universe.In so doing, I clearly indicated how the Oromo have adopted and developed a philosophic method of enquiry (i.e., the ilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-of-thought) to identify and determine the tenable form of interpretation whenever various competing interpretations arise. In the present article, I explicate why one should adhere to anilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-of-thought to properly identify thetenable form of an interpretation to the case in question. In line with my previous article, I single out Gumii Gaayo as the possible justification for an ilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-of-thought.

In an ilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-of-thought, what identifies and determines the possibility or the tenability of an answer to the case in question is not a form of an interpretation that an individual employs, but the case in question itself. InGumii Gaayo, the tenability of the solution has nothing to do with the form of an interpretation that one offers. It is, rather, determined by what the problem at issue is. When Gumii meet every eight years and a long debate is held between hayyu — councilors and ya’a — assemblies, what becomes apparent first is not the proclamation of or the interpretation of the new laws. Nor, is it the resolving of whatever major conflicts could not be resolved at lower levels of their judicial organization. It is rather, the reality of various forms of questions that essentially arise from a life-crises in the jiruu-fi-jireenya-nama, crises which every individual and the community have experienced with in different Gadaa classes.

The Gumii sees and discusses what the Gadaa has done for the country during the last eight years. The Gumii shows the right direction to the Gadaa, and whenever they are on wrong ways, it suggests ways of filling the gaps observed in the duties of the Gadaa. The Gumii deposes the Gadaa who misuses the power of the people; and Oromo is governed or administered by the laws formulated by human beings (the rule of law) in contrast to the divine or religious rules; and there is no more witness than the function of Gumii for this. ( Dirribi, 2011, p. 258)

As such, each interpretation and its understanding must be radically based on the reality of the class then in leadership which will last for eight years. Hence, the period of eight years provides horizonsthrough which individuals must echo the life-crisis that they have gone through and experienced.

In this manner, whenever competing interpretations arise, one can clearly identify as well as determine the tenable mode of interpretation to the problem at hand. It would thus be absurd to try to offer a tenable answer without a proper knowledge of what the case at issue is. Therefore, the philosophical thought that characterizes Gumii Gaayo can be subsumed under three claims:

1. A tenable solution to any problem is determined by the case in question that comes to be identified during every Gadaa class of eight years.
2. The mode of interpretation used for the problem at issue is a determinant of the tenability of a solution to a life-crisis in the jiruu-fi-jireenya-nama— ontological characteristic of human being.
3. Ergo, it is not impossible for the latter claim to be unconditionally determined by the former claim, but not viceversa.

As I have argued above, Gumii is not the debater’s arena but a place for sober reflection. The main reason is that once the case in question is identified, there should be little room for the radical mode of thought. A radical mode of thought is a peculiar fallacy that inherently involves defending or refuting any form of a thesis on the grounds that it was the answer when one’s own method of enquiry was used. However, ‘x’ or ‘y’ does so without admitting that, wittingly or unwittingly, a correct thesis can only be arrived at by the case in question rather than a method of enquiry of one’s choosing. 

Therefore, the assumption that the case in question essentially determines any form of interpretation and its tenability is the crux of an ilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-thought. Consequently, the mode of reasoning and an individual’s very intention is neither to justify his/her interpretation nor to dismiss that of the others. Rather, it is to give a proper and tenable form of interpretation in accordance with the case in question. As such, an individual should arrive at two judgments: (a) a decision to successfully dismiss any radical mode of though; and (b) a decision to impartially identify a tenable solution to the problem at hand. In this manner, one can dismiss some pseudo-epistemological assumptions inherent not only in one’s interpretation, but also in that of others. Asmarom is thus quite right when he explicitly affirms the basic principles that underlie Gumii: “Do not look for the worst in what others have said in order to undermine their position and to win an argument; look for the best they have to offer, so as to find the common ground for the meeting of minds.” (Asmarom, 2000/2006, p. 213)

Hence, in an ilaa-fi-ilaamee-philosophic-mode-of-thought, the central issue is not to take a stand, but to properly understand the case in question. It is not to win an argument. Nor is it an art of getting one’s own way. Neither is it an arguing for a desired outcome so that others get out of one’s way without being challenged intellectually. Neither is it a way to place Others under one’s mental bondage by forcing them to accept one’s understanding of Reality. Nor is it seen as a positive value to hold onto a rigid approach to the last dying effort. In contradistinction, an ilaa-fi-ilaamee-mode-of-thought involves becoming aware of alternative solutions based on whatever the case at issue is. For in reality there is nosuch thing as a solution without a consideration of the case in question, just as there is not any form of question without pondering a given life crisis in jiruu-fi-jireenya-nama.

Here the question arises whether Heidegger was always original in his way of conceiving Dasein i.e.jiruu-fi-jireenyaa-nama. According to Heidegger, the Dasein is a distinctive being (Sein) compared with all other beings (Seiendes); i.e. it is a being (Seiendes) whose Being (Sein) not only has the determinative character of existence, but also is endowed with the privilege of understanding Being. (Heidegger, 1978, p. 32) To do indigenous thinkers/philosophers justice, we need to take a closer look at the fundamental distinction which characterizes the thought of Oromo philosophy’s of jireenya—existence. This is the distinction between jiruu-fi-jireenyaa-nama and jireenya. As I argued in my previous articles, in Oromo philosophical thought, it would be meaningless or absurd to identify human “existence” with that of the existence of other entities. Man’s very “existence” differs by virtue of his/her “activity”. In contradistinction to all other entities—jireenya—the very jiruu-fi-jireenyaa-nama is endowed with understanding and interpreting his/her “activity”. It is capable of understanding Reality (Uumaa, Waaqa,Saffu) as this manifested in the systematic knowledge of the “world”—Ilaa.

In a similar vein, it is capable of interpreting—Ilaamee—one’s understanding in the space-time world—Uumaa. The jiruu-fi-jireenyaa-nama manifests itself in its temporality and everydayness has to be interpreted—Ilaamee. Ilaamee is always a process of understanding and then interpreting the Ilaa. This is crystal clear in Gumii Gaayo where the period of eight years (Gadaa) provides horizons through which individual echoes the life-crises s/he has gone through and experienced. Therefore, Heidegger’s conceptions of Dasein and hermeneutic phenomenology can hardly be original, in a thorough sense.

(to be continued)

Note: The responsibility for the article is entirely mine.

Galatoomaa!

In Pictures: The Public Meeting Called Following the Establishment of PAFD (Alliance of 5 National Liberation Struggles in Ethiopia)

The Peoples’ Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (PAFD), a coalition of five national liberation struggles in Ethiopia: the Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM), the Gambela People’s Liberation Movement (GPLM), the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Sidama National Liberation Front (SNLF), was founded in Oslo, Norway, on October 22/23, 2015. Following its establishment, PAFD called a public meeting on October 24, 2015, in Oslo, to discuss about the alliance; here are some photos from that meeting.

Bulchiinsi Magaalaa Naqamtee Maqaa Eyyama Daldalaa Hin Qabdan Jedhuun Manneen 150 Ol Seeraa Ala Cufee Uummata Rakkisaa Jiraachuu Qeerroon Gabaase.

Onkoloolessa 23,2015 Naqamte

Oromoon Eyyamaa fi pilaanii qidaawaa magaalaa hin qabdan jechuun uummatarratti mana diiguufi aantummaan uummataa mootummaa itti hin dhaga’amne ta’uu isheetiin tuffiifi qabsoo hadheeffannoo hawaasiifi maqaa leenjii barattootaa jedhuun wayita sababaa barattootaan hojjettoota walitti qabanitti mormii mootummaa Wayyaanee  mudateen dabballoonni Wayyaanee OPDON uummata magaalaa manneen tarsiimoo fi pilaana hin qabdan jechuun mancaasuu itti fufan.
Onkoloolessa 22,2015 magaalaa Naqamtee keessaa manneen dhibba tokkoo fi shantamaa ol ta’an ganda 07 fi 03 keessaa qofa cufamanii akka hojii dhaaban taasisamaniiruManneen dukkaanaa,manneen rifeensaa,manneen bunaa manneen nyaataa manneen cuunfaa fi manneen raabsaa dhugaatii kaaffeewwaniifi hoteelonni utuu hin hafin maqaa”eyyama Daldalaa hin haaromsine ykn eyyamichi hin sirranne,kana maleellee abbaa feshaniin ati jiraataa magaalaa kanaa ta’uun keeyyuu hin beekamu” jechaa uummaticha gooluun mana isaanii irratti SAAMSAMEERA jedhanii irratti barreessanii maxxansuun cufaa oolanii jiru.
Ergamtoonni mootummaa kana godhan kun xiyyeeffatanii kana kan godhaniif mootummaan IHIADEG filannoo darbee taayitaas walii laatee waan mormiin uummataas irraa laaffateef ammaan booda warreen isaaf miseensummaa didaniifi wayita filmaataa isa hin filatin hafaniifis maqaa eyyama gahaa hin qabdan jedhuun mana irratti cufuun tooftaa ishee addaati jedhu keessa beektonni Jiraattonni dubbifne maaliif eyyama baafachuu dhabdan jenneen yeroo dubbatan “yeroo biiroo isaanii dhaqnu qaama garagaraatti nu’ergu eyyamicha baafachuuf matta’aa kanfallu gaafatamna yoo isa hin kaffalle immoo gatii galii guyyaa nurratti baa’isuun qaraxa guddaa kisaaraasaa keessaa hinbaane waan gaafatamnuuf haalli waajjira dhimma galiif gibiraa ykn faayinaansii yaaddessaa waan nutti ta’eefi gama biraanis warrumti dhaqanii eyyama gaafatan kan dhorkatamaniif matta’aa akka laataniif eyyami isaaniif hin laatamne” jedhu.
Namooti adda durummaan uummata keenya karaa matta’aan hiyyoomsuu fi diinagdeedhaan uummata keenya kuffisuuf magaalaa Naqamtee bara dhufee darbu saamanii TPLF saamsisan
1 Tolasaa Waggaarii
2 Raqiiq Akiliiluu
3 Tasfaayee Wandaafiraash
4 Asaffaa Baqqalee
5 Roomaan Tasfaayee
6 Eelsaa Barhee
7 Immiruu
Namoota jedhaman yeroo ta’u namoota kana uummati Oromoo ija qalbii qaduun akka ilaalamuu qaban hubachiifna

ከቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ነጻነት ንቅናቄ(ቤ.ህ.ነ.ን) ድርጅት የተሰጠ መግለጫ

የወያኔ መንግስት ስሌጣን ከያዘበት ወቅት ኣንስቶ እስከ ኣሁን ድረስ በቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ሊይ እጅግ ዘግናኝ ግፍና ጭቆና እየፈጸመ ነው። ስርዓቱ ኣያላ የቤኒሻንጉሌ ዛጎችን ያለኣንዲች ጥፋት በጅምሊ እስር ቤት በማጎር እያሰቃየ ይገኛሌ። ህዜባችን ከመኖሪያ ቤቱና ከእርሻ ቦታ እንዱሁም ከላልችም የስራ ቦታዎች በወያኔ የታጠቁ ሃይልች ከተቃዋሚዎች ጋር ግንኙነት ኣሊችሁ፣ የትጥቅ ትግሌ እያካሄዯ ካለው የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ነጻነት ንቅናቄ(ቤ.ህ.ነ.ን) ድርጅት ጋር ትስስር ኣሊችሁ፣ በመንግስት ያሌ ኣምጻችኋሌ በሚሌ የፈጠራ ክስ በጥይት በመገዯሌና በመዯብዯብ የሰብዓዊና ዱሞክራሲያዊ መብቱ እየተረገጠ እንዲለ ማንም የምያውቀው እውነታ ነው።

በላሊ በኩሌ የወያኔ ስርዓት የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦችን ለምለምና በተፈጥሮ ሃብት የበለጸገ መሬት የመሬቱ ባለቤት ከሆነው ህዜባችን በሃይሌ ቀምቶ ወገናችንን በማፈናቀሌ ለራሱ ጥቅም እያዋለ ይገኛሌ። ኣምባገነኑ የወያኔ መንግስት ህዜባችንን ከሊዩ ሊይ ያፈናቀለውን መሬት ለተለያዩ የውጪ መንግስታት በመስጠት በዙህም የፖለቲካ ንግድ ሉያካሄድበት እንዱሁም ኢንቨስተር ለተባለት የወያኔ መንግስትን ጥቅም ለማስጠበቅና ህዜቦችን ለማሰቃየት ለመጡ ግለሰቦችና ድርጅቶች እየሸጠ ኪሱን በመሙሊት የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦችን ስቃይ እጅግ የከፋ ኣድርጎታሌ። ከዙህም በተጨማሪ ዯግሞ ስርዓቱ በሚከተለው የኣድሌዖ ፖሉሲ መሰረት የቤኒሻንጉሌ ክሌሌን የተፈጥሮ ሃብት እየዘረፈና በመሬታችን ሊይ ምርት እያመረተ ላልችን እያለማበት በመሆኑ ክሌሊችን በሌማትና እድገት የሁለም ጭራ ሆኗሌ።

የወያኔ መንግስት በሃገራችን ሊይ እየፈጸመ ያለውን ዜርፊያ ኣሁንም የቀጠለበት ሲሆን በዲለቲ ኣካባቢ ያለውን እንዯወርቅ፣ መዲብ፣ አለሚኒዬም፣ ዩራኒዬምና እምነበረድ ያለ የተፈጥሮ ማዕድናትን በመዜረፍ ለግሌ ጥቅሙ እያዋለ ነው። የተፈጥሮ ሃብቱ ባለሃብት የሆኑት የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ዯግሞ እንዲይጠቀሙበት በወያኔ ወታዯሮች እየተከለከለና ዜርፊያውን የተቃወሙት ዯግሞ በጥይት እየተገዯለ ይገኛለ።

የወያኔ መንግስት ከኢኮኖሚ ተጠቃሚነት ኣኳያ ሲታይ እስከኣሁን ድረስ ለቤኒሻንጉሌ ክሌሌ ህዜቦች ያመጣው የተሻለ የሚባሌ ለውጥ የለም። ወያኔ ከህዜባችን የከበሩ ማዕድናትንና መሬቱን ዘርፎ በሚሉዮን የሚቆጠር ገንዘብ ገቢ ቢያገኝበትም ህዜቦቻችን ኣሁንም እንኳንስ እድገትና ሌማት ሉያዩ መሰረተ-ሌማት እንኳ ኣሌተሟሊሊቸውም።

የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ኣሁንም እንዯቀዯሙት ዘመናት ሁለ የህክምና ተቋማት ስሊሌተሰራሊቸው ሲታመሙ በቃሬዚና በጫንቃቸው ሊይ ተሸክመው ከ 3 : 00 ሰዓታት በሊይ በእግር ተጉዘው የህክምና እርዲታን ይፈሌጋለ፣ እሱም የተሟሊ ኣይዯለም።

በተመሳሳይ መሌኩ የመጠጥ ውሃ ችግር ለዓመታት ህዜባችን እንዱፈታለት ጥያቄ ያቀረበ ቢሆንም ሰምቶት ምሊሽ የሚሰጠው የመንግስት ኣካሌ ባለመገኘቱ ኩሬና ወራጅ ወንዝችን ለመጠቀም የተገዯዯ ሲሆን ይህም ዘወትር መታጣቱና ለተለያዩ በሽታዎች ማጋለጡ የህዜቡን ችግር ያባባሰ ጉዲይ ሆኗሌ።

በትምህርትና ላልችዘርፍም እንዯዙሁ ህዜባችን ተገቢውን ትኩረት ተነፍጎ ለከፋ ሰቆቃ እየተጋለጠ ሲሆን ወያኔ በኣፉ ሌማትና እድገት ብል ከመቀባጠር በስተቀር ለቤኒሻንጉሌ ክሌሌ ህዜቦች ያስገኘው ተጨባጭ እድገትና ሌማት የለም።

የወያኔ መንግስት በሚከተለው ከፋፍል በማጋጨት የመግዚት ፖሉሲ ዛጎችን በብሄርና በሃይማኖት ከፋፍል በማፋጀት ህዜቦች በመሌካም ወንድማማችነትና ጉርብትና ኣብረውና ተባብረው ከመኖር ይሌቅ እርስበርሳቸው እንዱፋጠጡና በጥርጣሬ ኣይን እንዱተያዩ እያዯረገ ነው። ይህንኑ ጸረ-ህዜብና ኣስነዋሪ ተግባሩን በኣሁኑ ሰዓትን በህዜባችን ሊይ መፈጸሙን ኣጠናክሮ ቀጥልበታሌ።

ስርዓቱ ስሌጣን ሊይ ከወጣ ጀምሮ ህዜቦች እያካሄደበት ያለው ተቃውሞ እንዲለ ሆኖ ከቅርብ ጊዛ በፊት ኣንስቶ በወያኔና በቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች መካከሌ ያለው ፍጥጫ ከፍተኛ ዯረጃ ሊይ ዯርሷሌ። ህዜባችን ስርዓቱ የሚፈጽመውን ግድያ፣ እስራት፣ ድብዯባ፣ ከመሬት መፈናቀሌ፣ ዜርፊያና የመብት ረገጣ እንዱያቆም በሰሊማዊ መንገድ ጥያቄ በማቅረቡ ወያኔ በወታዯሮቹ ህጻናትና ወጣቶችን ጨምሮ በርካታ ዛጎችን በጥይት ገድሎሌ። ላልች ዯግሞ ተዯብድበውና ታስረው የተመረዘ ምግብና ውሃ በመስጠት የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀሌ እየተፈጸመባቸው ነው።

የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜብ በወያኔ ሊይ የተቃውሞ ሰሊማዊ ሰሌፍ ካዯረገና ስርዓቱ ዯግሞ የመብት ጥያቄውን በሃይሌ ለማፈን ወንጀሌ ከፈጸመ ወዱህ ያለው ፍጥጫ ያየለ ሲሆን በኣካባቢው ያለው ችግር ከመባባሱ፣ መንግስትም ሆን ብል የማህበራዊ ኣገሌግልቶችን በመከሌከሌና ወገናችን ሲራብ በእርዲታ ባለመድረሱ ብዘ ዛጎቻችን በበሽታና በረሃብ ኣለንጋ እየተገረፉና እየረገፉ ስሌታዊ የጅምሊ እሌቂት እየተፈጸመባቸው ነው።

የቤኒሻንጉሌ መሬት ዘሪያን በተመለከተ

የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች መሬት ከረምትና በጋ በሌምሊሜው የሚታወቅ የተፈጥሮ ጸጋ ባለቤት ነው። መሬቱ በተለያዩ የተፈጥሮ ዯኖች የተሸፈነና በማዕድናት የበለጸገ መሆኑም ይታወቃሌ። የወያኔ መንግስት በሃይሌ ስሌጣን ሊይ ወጥቶ ህዜቦችን መጨቆን ከጀመረበት ጊዛ ኣንስቶ ግን ይህ የህዜቦች ሃብት ሲዘረፍና እንዱጠፋ ሲዯረግ እንዱሁም ህዜቡ እንዲይጠቀምበት ሲከለከሌ ነበር። ወያኔ የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች መሬታቸውንና ተፈጥሮ የለገሳቸውን ሃብት ተጠቅመውበት ከድህነትና ኋሊቀርነት እራሳቸውን እንዲያወጡ በኣካባቢያችን ባሰማራቸው የታጠቁ ሃይልቹ ሃይልቹ እየከለከለ ይገኛሌ።

ጨቋኙ የወያኔ ህወሃት ቡድን የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦችን ሃብት ከመዜረፉም በተጨማሪ ከመኖሪያ ቤታቸውና ከመሬታቸው ኣፈናቅል መሬቱን የስርዓቱ ዯጋፊ ለሆኑና ከውጪ ሃገራት ለመጡ ባለሃብቶች እየሸጠ መሆኑ ግሌጽ ነው። እንዯምሳላ ለመጥቀስ ያህሌ በቅርቡ ባለፉት ሳምንታት በዱሜ በሚባሌ ኣካባቢ የነበሩትን ነዋሪዎች በዙህ ኣካባቢ ማዕድን ስለተገኘ በሚሌ ምክንያት ኣባርሮ መሬቱን ከህዜቡ ንብረት ጋር ለቻይና ድርጅት ሽጧሌ። ከመኖሪያ ቤታቸውና ከንብረታቸው በወያኔ የተፈናቀለት ዛጎቻችን ከዙህ የተነሳ ሜዲ ሊይ ተጥለው በረሃብና በበሽታ እየተሰቃዩ ናቸው።

ላሊው ዯግሞ ወያኔ ከቤኒሻንጉሌ ክሌሌ የዘረፈውን ሃብት ወዯ ትግራይና ኣማራ ክሌልች እየወሰዯ ሲሆን በዙህም ህዜባችን እየተራበና እየዯሀየ ክሌለን እያሳዯገበት፣ ቤኒሻንጉሌ ዯግሞ የመጨረሻ ሆኖ እንዱቆጠር ኣድርጓሌ።

የኣባይ ግድብ ግንባታን የተመለከተ

በቤኒሻንጉሌ ክሌሌ መሬት ሊይ እየተገነባ ያለው የኤላክትሪክ ሃይሌ ማመንጫ የኣባይ ግድብና በኣካባቢው ስራ ሊይ ያለት ሌዩ ሌዩ የኮንስትራክሽን ማሺነሪዎች የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦችን ተጠቃሚ ያዯረጉ ኣይዯለም። የቤኒሻንጉሌ ዛጎች በግንባታው ሂዯትም ሆነ ከሃይሌ ማመንጫው እንዲይጠቀሙ በወያኔ የታቀዯውና እየተሰራ ያለው ይህንኑ ያሳያሌ። በዙህም ስርዓቱ የትግራይ ክሌሌን 80% እንዱሁም የኣማራ ክሌሌን 20% ተጠቃሚ ለማድረግና የመሬቱ ባለቤት የሆኑት የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች በጭራሽ ጥቅም እንዲያገኙበት በተንኮሌ እየሰራ ያለ መሆኑ ነው።

በላሊ በኩሌ ዯግሞ ወያኔ ዛጎቻችን ትምህርት እንዲያገኙ ከማድረጉም በተጨማሪ የጨቋኙን መንግስት ጫናና በዯሌ ተቋቁመው ትምህርታቸውን ያጠናቀቁ የቤኒሻንጉሌ ወጣቶች በተለያዩ የመንግስት መስሪያ ቤቶች ተቀጥረው እንዲይሰሩ እንዱሁም ሙያው እያሊቸው በኣባይ ግድብ፣ የኮንስትራክሽን ማሽነሪዎችና የሃይሌ ማመንጫ የተለያዩ የስራ ዘርፎች ሊይ እንዲይሰማሩ በወያኔ ተከሌክለዋሌ።

እስከኣሁን የተጠቀሱትን የተለያዩ የወያኔ መንግስት የሰብዓዊ መብት ረገጣዎችንና ላልችንም በህዜቦቻችን ሊይ እየተፈጸሙ ያለ ወንጀልችና በዯልችን ለማስቆም ያለው ኣማራጭ መታገሌ በመሆኑ ድርጅታችን የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ነጻነት ንቅናቄ ፊቱን ወዯ ትግሌ ለማዝር ተገድዷሌ። ይህንን የወያኔ መንግስትን የጭቆና ኣገዚዜ ከህዜባችን ጫንቃ ሊይ ለማውረድና ህዜባችን ከወያኔ ግድያ፣ እስራትና ድብዯባ እንዱሁም ሃብቱና መሬቱን ከመዘረፍ ነጻ ሆኖ እንዱኖር ለማድረግ የትጥቅ ትግሌ በማካሄድ ሊይ እንገኛለን። ጫካ ገብተን የትጥቅ ትግሌ እያካሄድን ያለንበት ዋናው ኣሊማችን ወይንም ኣቋማችን የወያኔን ኣምባገነናዊ ስርዓት ለማጥፋትና የህዜቦችን ነጻነት ለማረጋገጥና ሰሊምን ለማስፈን ነው።

ለዙህም ሁለን የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች እንዱሁም እስከኣሁን እንዲዯረጉት ሁለ ከድርጅታችን ጎን በመሆን በወያኔ ሊይ የሚዯረገውን ትግሌ እንዱያፋጥኑ ላልችም ተጨቋኝ ህዜቦች በትግለ ሂዯት የበኩሊቸውን ድርሻ እንድያበረክቱ ጥሪያችንን እናስተሊሌፋለን።

የቤኒሻንጉሌ ህዜቦች ነጻነት ንቅናቄ
ጥቅምት 20 ቀን 2015ዓም

Ethiopia, a Nation of Farmers, Strains Under Severe Drought

By Jacey Fortin

Carcasses of cattle litter the landscape in northeastern Ethiopia. More than 80 percent of Ethiopia’s population works in agriculture, making the country especially vulnerable to drought. Credit Jacey Fortin for The New York Times

MIESO, Ethiopia (The New York Times) — Every day, Yasin Mohammed Aliye stakes out a spot on his small farm to chew khat leaves, a stimulant, and guard against intruders.

The khat, he explains, helps to dull the hunger.

“We got just one day of rain each month during the rainy season,” Mr. Yasin said, referring to the days from July through September. “It should have been raining every other day. Now my harvest has failed.”

The green hills and full fields around here belie an alarming fact: This is the worst drought Ethiopia has experienced in more than a decade.

The stream bordering Mr. Yasin’s farm has run dry, and the trenches he dug to irrigate his land never filled. He has sown seeds three times this year, each time anticipating rains that never came. His corn and sorghum stalks are stunted and will yield no harvest. He has sold four of his eight cows at a steep discount in order to buy corn at nearly double last year’s market prices.

Mr. Yasin, 50, now regularly skips meals. He worries that the animals he has left to sell will not be enough to sustain his family until the next harvest season. If all else fails, he will move west, where the rains have been more reliable.

“Other farmers are already leaving,” he said. “When they go, they ask me, ‘Why are you staying here to die?’ ”

The strength of this year’s El Niño, a water-warming phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, has decimated rainfall levels across large stretches of Ethiopia and, in a cruel twist, may also bring flooding to some areas in the coming months, according to Ethiopian officials, the United Nations and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a crisis monitoring group created by the United States Agency for International Development.

This month, the Ethiopian government announced that about 8.2 million people are in need of food assistance, up from the 4.55 million estimated in August.

More than 80 percent of Ethiopia’s population works in agriculture, which makes up about 40 percent of the nation’s economic output. That makes the country especially vulnerable to drought and the effects of climate change. After a drought in 2002, gross domestic product shrank 2.2 percent, according to World Bank data.

Such droughts bring back painful memories of 1984, when a devastating famine made international headlines and turned Ethiopia into a poster child for humanitarian aid.

But the country, Africa’s second most populous, has been working for years to shed that reputation.

Since coming to power in 1991, the governing Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front has made strides in reducing poverty and building roads, schools and health clinics. The government has claimed double-digit economic growth rates over the past decade.

But the government has a poor record on civil liberties and multiparty democracy; an election in May handed all 547 seats in Parliament to the governing coalition and its allies. When the following months brought a disappointing rainy season, critics accused officials of playing down the severity of the crisis.

But Mitiku Kassa, secretary of the National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee, said the government had been proactive, having allocated $192 million for food aid, water transport, animal feed and other assistance since July.

“The response was quite fast because the early warning system is well developed in Ethiopia,” he said.

Still, it is not enough, and outside money is needed. The recent re-evaluation of food assistance needs raised the government’s international funding requests to $596 million from $432 million. About 43 percent of that has been supplied by international partners, but much of it has already been spent.

“The government has shown remarkable leadership so far,” said David Del Conte, the deputy Ethiopia country director for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “They have contributed a lot of funding because they understand that support from the international community will take time to kick in.”

“But we’re still in the early stages of what we believe will be a one-year crisis,” Mr. Del Conte added. A September report from his organization projected that 15 million people could be in need of food aid in 2016.

In the meantime, farmers and herders in affected areas continue to sell off dwindling resources. And while places like Mieso do not appear at first glance to be battling drought, there are already areas where the signs of impending disaster are clear. In the Amibara area in the northeastern Afar Region, the rocky sand is littered with cattle carcasses.

“About 30 of my family’s cows died this year because there is no grass,” said the Afari animal herder Humed Kamil, 42, a father of seven who is slowly selling off his remaining animals to buy food from the market. “We’re surviving, but we’re facing a lot of problems. We don’t have milk or beef now. We only eat the corn that we buy.”

Since 2005, the government has been distributing aid through a system that delivers food to citizens in exchange for labor on development projects like construction, terracing or irrigation. Those who are not able to work are also eligible for benefits. But the last round of the program ended in July, and it will not start up again until January.

Mr. Yasin participated in the program in June, securing some cattle feed after he helped build a fence for a school. He has not received anything since, he said, contending that the government is not doing enough to help him.

While the safety-net program is on hiatus, Ethiopia and international partners are handing out emergency aid. But limited resources have forced distributors to focus on the hardest-hit areas. In Mieso, Taha Ido, 45, watched as government workers unloaded sacks of wheat not far from hishome. But the food was not for him, even though his crops failed this year.

“The government is trying its best, but they only have a limited amount, so that aid was for people nearby who were faring even worse than us,” he said. “But it’s O.K. We’re happy for them. They are hungry just like we are.”

Like so many others in the area, Mr. Taha’s family has resorted to selling firewood to make ends meet. In Mieso and surrounding areas, the main roads are lined with burlap sacks bursting with wood or charcoal. Women and children, hoping to bring in a sliver of income to purchase their next handful of corn or wheat, wait patiently with their wares as cars and trucks whiz by.

Others, like Mr. Yasin, will stick to selling livestock to stave off hunger for as long as possible.

“We’ve eaten nothing but corn for a year, and now we’re afraid of losing that, too,” he said. “But I will keep trying, and selling animals, until I finish everything.”

The public meeting convened by Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) in Finfinne Sunday, October 18, 2015

October 19, 2015 Oromia

(Oromia Press) — The public meetingconvened by Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) in Finfinne Sunday, October 18, to discuss the so-called Addis Ababa and Oromia Special Zone Integrated Development Master Plan has ended adopting a 9-point resolution expected to be announced by OFC in an official press release. Sources say the meeting concluded that the Master Plan is a land grab policy disguised as a development plan and called on Ethiopian authorities to halt it, and on the public to continue rejecting it.
____
Walgayiin ummataa Kongreseii Federaalawaa Oromootiin Finfinneetti har’a (Dilbata, 18/10/15) geggeeffamee ture ejjennoo qabxii 9 qabu irratti waliigaleetee uummachuun xumurameera. Ejjennoon qabxii 9 qabu sun ibsa KFOn baasuun ummatatti beeksifama. Walgayichi maqaa Maastar Pilaan jedhuun karoorri mootummaan Itoophiyaa Finfinnee fi Godiina Addaa Oromiyaa keessatti hojiirra oolchuuf qophaawaa jiru karoora saamicha lafaa akka ta’e hubachiisee hatattamaan akka dhaabu gaafateera. Ummatis mormii isaa akka itti fufu dhaamsa dabarseera.

Dutch Arrest for Ethiopia War Crimes

October 18, 2015 Ethiopia

From file

(Openbaar Ministerie) — The Netherlands National Police has arrested a 61 year old man from Amstelveen for war crimes allegedly committed in Ethiopia. He is suspected of involvement in the detention, torture and murder of civilians as a representative of the Dergue-regime.

Dutch and international media have reported in the 1990s on the man’s possible involvement in crimes against Ethiopians. In Ethiopia, the man has been convicted in absentia for the murder of perceived opponents of the regime and sentenced to death. He was later sentenced to life-long imprisonment as well. The suspect has been residing in the Netherlands for several years and has obtained Dutch nationality.

In the course of the Dutch criminal investigation, several Ethiopians living abroad were heard as witnesses by the police. They made statements on crimes committed in Gojjam Province by the one-time representative of the military dictatorship.

Reign of Terror

In 1974, the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by a military coup by the ‘Dergue’. After an internal power-struggle within the Dergue, colonel Mengistu seized power. Under the Mengistu-regime, Ethiopia experienced bloody years of repression and strife that cost many lives. The regime’s ‘red terror’ , was accompanied by mass arrests, torture and killing by the government.

Mass Grave

The Ethiopian authorities have handed part of the case-file that was the basis for the man’s death sentence in that country to the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation by the Netherlands International Crimes Unit focuses on specific individual cases of detention, torture and killings in the prison camps of Debre Marcos and Metekel. On the orders of the suspect, in 1978, dozens of prisoners were allegedly killed, after which their bodies were dumped in a mass grave.

Provisional Custody

The suspect was arrested on 29 September and has been in provisional custody since then. At the search of his home, military identification documents and diplomatic passports were seized.

Today, the Court of First Instance in The Hague has extended the provisional custody of the suspect with ninety days.

Anyone who has important information in relation to the above-mentioned case against the suspect who was arrested in The Netherlands, is kindly requested to contact the Netherlands National Police at the following email address:mailboxDLRTIM@klpd.politie.nl

Deepening Cultural Integration among the Cushitic Peoples in Ethiopia

October 18, 2015 Ethiopia, Ogaden, Oromia

By: Wolassa L. Kumo

1. Introduction

Culture can be defined as the totality of thought processes, experiences and behaviour that bind certain groups of people together. Cultures are guided by certain value systems, norms and rules. Societies that conform to a particular value system, norms and rules often constitute a particular cultural identity. Human societies are dynamic and so are their cultures. The Cushitic peoples, who are indigenous inhabitants of northeast Africa stretching from today’ssouthern Egypt to northern Tanzania for at least the past 10,000 years, dispersed from a single Cush family in the Horn millennia ago and evolved into multiple Cushitic cultural sub groups. Therefore, today we talk of the Nubian culture in Egypt and Sudan; the Beja culture in Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea; the Agew, Saho, Afar, Oromo, Somali, Sidama cultures in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. The Cushites have dispersed into over 47 different languages and cultural groups in the Horn. In addition to the major groups mentioned earlier, we have several smaller groups including Halaba, Xambaro, Qewena, Maraqo, Hadiya, Kambata, Gedeo, and Burji often regarded as the Sidama sub groups; Konso, Daasanach, Darashe, Arbore, Bayso of Ethiopia more affiliated to the lowland Oromo culture and language; Borana, Orma, Gabra, Waata (the Kenyan Oromo) and Rendile, Sakuye, Boni (Aweer), El Molo of Kenya; and the isolated southernCushites of Iraqw, Burunge, Gorowa, and Alagwa of Tanzania.

Our ancestors were referred to as Cushites by the ancient people of Kemet (ancient Egyptians) and Aithiopians (people with burned faces) by theancient Greeks. The oldest civilization in Africa was the civilisation of the Nubian Cushites around the Nile valley in the present day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. Historical and archeological evidences indicate that the ancient Cushitic civilization was one of the four oldest civilizations in the World that sprang around the four fertile river valleys including the Cushitic and Egyptian civilisations of the Nile valley, the Harappan civilisation around the Indus river valley, the Mesopotamian civilisation around the Euphrates and Tigris river valleys and the ancient Chinese civilisation on the Huang He (Yellow) River valley. History is important. As the Confucian saying goes “we must study the past to define our future.”

The Nubian civilisation predates the Kemetian (Egyptian) civilisation. Archeological records point to artifacts as old as 300,000 years in Nubian lands. Archeological evidences of Nubian pottery dates back to 5000 BC. The Cushitic civilisation of Kerma four and a half millennia ago, the Napata-Meroetic civilisation dating back to the beginning of first Millennium BC, the Agew civilisation of 922-1270 AD are of epic significance in Cushitic history and culture.

Historical evidences also indicate that the Cushites and the Omotic peoples were the first to domesticate plants and animals in ancient northeast Africa in particular, the ancient Cush land or the present day Ethiopia. Two prominent endemic crops in Ethiopia today, Teff and Enset, were first domesticated by the ancient Cushites (Aithiopians). The Cushites have been pastoralists, semi-pastoralists, and sedentary agriculturalists for at least the past seven millennia and this has significant bearing on the evolution of their cultures.

2. Cushitic Peoples in Ethiopia

The Cushitic and Omotic language speaking peoples inhabited the Cush land or the present-day Ethiopia at least by 7000 BC. The history of Cush (Aithiopia) goes therefore as far back as 9000 years. While the Nubians settled around the Nile valley, the Beja, Oromo, Sidama, Agew, Somali, Afar, Saho and many other Cushitic groups dispersed from the early Cush lands in northern Sudan and southern Egypt and inhabited the Horn as far south as northern Tanzania. The Cushites had settled in northern Tanzania at least by 500 BC.

In Aithiopia, the Agew and the Sidama (including the ancient Sidama sub groups) settled in the present day Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands while the Oromo, Beja, Saho Afar, Somali occupied the lowlands (hence the name low land Cushites) since at least 7000 BC. The Oromo inhabited the vast territory from northern Aithiopian lowlands to southern Aithiopia since antiquity. In this regard, Tesema Ta’a (2004 ) quotes Christopher Ehret (2002) who “clearly indicates that the period between 3500 and 1000 BC was marked by a continuous expansion of the Kushitic population in Northeastern Africa in general, and the Ethiopian Highlands, in particular. He further explains that the plains and grasslands along the Ethiopian Rift Valley floor and the southern edge of the Ethiopian Highlands became the domain of the two groups of Lowland Eastern Kushitic peoples, namely the Konsoromo and the OmoTana”. Like all other Cushites, the Oromo are the indigenous inhabitants of the Horn of Africa who had developed their own distinct identity in the first millennium BC. This rich history of the Oromo society has often been distorted in modern Ethiopian literature. The most cynical of this distortions is the so called “history of the Oromo migration of the 15th and 16th centuries”. The Oromo had never migrated anywhere. Like all other Cushites, the Oromo people had always moved from one corner of Cush land to another since antiquity. The Sidama and its sub groups had moved from what was known as the Lake Hayq region in today’s northern Ethiopia to south central highlands towards the end of the Aksumite period. There was nothing unique about the movement of the Oromo people from one territory of Cush land to another in the 15th and 16th century or today. Any attempt to indicate otherwise would amount to a fabrication of history to denigrate a society.

Instead it were the Agazian and the Habshat tribes of southern Arabia who migrated to the Cush land in Horn of Africa beginning around 1000 BC. They settled initially as traders. Gradually they succeeded in subduing the indigenous Cushitic peoples and assimilate them into the Semitic culture in northern Cush highlands. This led to evolution of ancient hybrid civilizations such as Aksum from which mixed Cushito-Semitic tribes developed. In spite of their mixed origins these tribes became linguistically and culturally Semitic. These tribes later created what was known as the Agazian kingdom by the people themselves and the Abyssinian kingdom by the foreigners. Therefore, the 3000 year history of Ethiopia we were taught at schools refers only to the history of the Agazian kingdom not of the Cushitic kingdoms, which, as we have seen earlier, were much older. The Agazian kingdom did not succeed in subduing all the Cushites in the vast territory in the Horn. It was only King Menelik II who for the first time in1880s and 1890s conquered and subdued the vast majority of the indigenous Cushitic and other inhabitants of northeast Africa creating a new empire state of Ethiopia. Indisputably therefore the history of today’s Ethiopia (Imperial Ethiopia) is only 120 years old. It is important therefore to understand that the Biblical Ethiopia does not refer to the Imperial Ethiopia of 120 years. The Biblical Ethiopia refers to the ancient Cush-Aithiopia of 9000 years.

Most of the Cushitic peoples of northeast Africa live in modern Ethiopia today. As indicated earlier, these include Oromo, Somali, Sidama, Afar, Agew, Hadiya, Maraqo, Kambata, Halaba, Xambaro, Qewena, Konso, Burji, Gedeo, Saho, Darashe, Daasanach, Arbore and Bayso of the Giddicho island on Lake Abbaya. The Oromo people are the single largest Cushitic group and ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2015 population estimate by the Central Statistical Agency, the population of Oromia was 33.7 million accounting for 37.4% of the total population of the country. The Somali are the second largest Kushitic group in Ethiopia with 5.4 million people in 2015 followed by Sidama with the population of nearly 4 million in 2015. Afar, Hadiya, Agew and Gedeo each has population above 1 million while the remaining Kushitic nations have population as small as 5500 (Bayso) and 10,000 (Arbore) and as big as 856,167 (Kambata) (see Table 1).

Table 1: The Cushitic Peoples of Ethiopia 2015

Population Group	Area Sq. Km	Population 2007 Census	Population  2015 Estimate
Oromo (Oromia Region Only)	298,164.29	27,158,471	33,691,991
Somali	327,068.00	4,439,147	5,452,994
Sidama	10,125	3,226,455	3,931,859
Afar	72,052.78	1,411,092	1,723,007
Hadiya	3,593.31	1,243,776	1,515,348
Agew (Awi Zone)	9,148.43	981,491	1,165,512
Marako	251.99	63,436	79,272
Kambata	996.28	576,808	856,167
Halaba	994.66	232,241	287,128
Xambaro	339.61	106,359	126,976
Qewena	297.61	51,415	60,123
Konso	2,273.79	234,987	276,985
Burji	1,128.40	56,523	68,721
Gedeo	1,352.44	879,749	1,054,764
Saho (Irob district in Tigray Region)	1,532.64	25,862	28,667
Darashe	1,487.38	142,678	173,954
Daasanach	2,102.31	51,559	62,308
Arbore		10,000	10,000
Bayso (Giddicho Island)		5,500	5,500
Total	728,942.24	40,624,376	50,444,300
Ethiopia Total	1,127,127.00	73,918,505	90,076,012
Cushitic as % of total	64.7	55	56

Source: Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia: 2013 Population Estimate for 2014-2017

Table 2: The Highland East Cushitic (Sidamic) Languages

No	Language	Country	Population 2015
1	Sidama	Ethiopia	4.0 million
2	Hadiya	Ethiopia	1.5 million
3	Kambata	Ethiopia	856,167
4	Halaba	Ethiopia	287,128
5	Xambaro	Ethiopia	126,976
6	Qewena	Ethiopia	60,123
7	Maraqo	Ethiopia	79,272
8	Gedeo	Ethiopia	1,054,764
9	Burji	Ethiopia and Kenya	68,721
	Total		8,048,499

Source: Author’s compilation from various sources

Table 3: The Lowland East Cushitic Languages in Ethiopia

No	Language	Country	Population 2015
1	Oromo	Ethiopia	33.6 million
2	Somali	Ethiopia	5.4 million
3	Afar	Ethiopia	1.7 million
4	Saho	Ethiopia	28,667
5	Konso	Ethiopia	276,985
6	Arbore	Ethiopia	10,000
7	Darrashe	Ethiopia	173,954
8	Daasanach	Ethiopia	62,308
9	Bayso (Giddicho)	Ethiopia	5,500
	Total		41,425,406

Source: Author’s compilation from various sources

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The Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia reports the population of the Hawassa town separately from the population of Sidama. The Hawassa town is the administrative capital of Sidama as well as the Southern Region. Where on planet earth would the population of the administrative capital of a society be deducted from the population of the society? Hawassa has been inhabited by the Sidama people for at least the past 1000 years; since the time the ancient Sidama people moved from northern highlands to the south central part of the country. It was inhabited by the semi-pastoral Sidama population. In the same manner the history of the Oromo people has been distorted, we observe today, in the 21st century, an attempt to distort the history of Sidama and its land, Hawassa. Hawassa was founded just in 1960, 55 years ago, by the feudal regime. The space for urban buildings were acquired by dismantling the Sidama farms and cattle enclosures known in Sidama language as Hoowe. Today, some attempt to hoodwink us that Hawassa was built on a barren land and “no one settled on the land 55 years ago”. Come on! Time to fabricate history to denigrate societies is over. Hawassa, also known as Adaare, has been a Sidama settlement for over a millennia and will remain the Sidama land for ever. Since time immemorial when a Sidama child cries for milk, the mother would sooth the child by saying: “Ado lali Adaare no”, meaning, “The milk cows are in Adaare (Hawassa), my baby.” The fact that the Sidama people have welcomed people from different ethnic groups to live in the land peacefully has been misconstrued as giving up the right, which would not benefit any one ultimately.

In Ethiopia, the Cushitic population inhabits 64.7% of the total land area and accounted for 55% of the total population according to the 2007 population census and 56% of the total population of 90 million according to the 2015 population estimate by the Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency. The Semitic language speaking groups, Omotic language speaking groups and the Nilo-Sahara language speaking groups together accounted for 44% of the total population in 2015.

Nonetheless, the Cushitic groups have been politically and economically marginalized since the creation of the Ethiopian Empire at the end of the 19th century. The Cushitic peoples of Ethiopia are numerical majority but are cultural and political minority in their own ancient homelands. They are what I call a silent and invisible majority. Moreover, underdeveloped literary culture and dependence on oral history may have contributed to fading memory of ancient and glorious common heritage. This has often led to artificial rivalry between the various Cushitic groups for grazing lands and artificial territories. In addition to the assimilationist strategies, the politically dominant Semitic groups have employed the friction amongst the majority indigenous Cushitic population in the country to further divide and weaken them. The Agew reasserted Cushitic hegemony for 375 years between 1922-1270 AD. Nonetheless, they were ambushed alone for morethan 2000 years and were defeated and almost entirely assimilated into the Tigray and Amhara population. This was partly because the Agew, who were politically more advanced ancient Cushites, were unable to conquer and unite the Beja, the Afar, the Oromo and the Sidama Cushites.

3. The Linguistic interconnections of the Cushitic Peoples

There are about 47 different Cushitic language and cultural groups in northeast Africa today. A prominent linguist Joseph Greenberg (1966) classifies Cushitic languages into four major subgroups. These include: (1) Northern Cushitic (Beja Language); (2) Central Cushitic (Agew languages); (3) East Cushitic (Oromo, Sidama, Somali, and Afar); and (4) South Cushitic (the Cushites in Kenya and Tanzania). In this article, our focus will be on the languages of central Cushites and East Cushites.

The Central Cushitic (Agew) languages are spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia by the various subgroups of the Agew people. The Central Cushitic includes: (1) Blin in Eritrea with about 100,000 speakers; (2) Awngi in the Amhara region of Ethiopia with about 500,000 speakers; (3) Khamta (Xamtanga) in the same region with about 230,000 speakers and (4) Kemant (Qimant) in the same region with over 1,700 speakers. The Qwara Agew has become extinct due to the migration of the entire speakers of this dialect to Israel. Most of the Agew are also bilingual and speak both Amharic and Agew. The total population of the Agew speakers in Ethiopia is over one million people.

The East Cushitic languages are by far the most diverse and are spoken in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. This sub group is in turn further divided into two, namely, (i) the Highland East Cushitic also known as Sidamic and (ii) the Lowland East Cushitic. The Highland East Cushitic languages are described in Table 2 above:

The Highland East Cushitic languages are spoken mostly by the ancient Sidama group with the exception of Gedeo and Burji who fall into this category. Some linguists miss Qewena and Xambaro when classifying the Highland East Kushitic (Sidamic) languages. The Sidamic Cushitic languages are spoken today by over 8 million people.

Within the East Cushitic Language groups, the Lowland East Cushitic languages are the most diverse and are spoken in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. Table 3 provides the list of the Lowland East Cushitic languages spoken in Ethiopia.

The Lowland East Cushitic languages are spoken by over 41 million people in Ethiopia in 2015. Afan Oromo speakers constitutes about 81% of the Lowland East Cushitic languages speakers and 67% of all Cushitic languages speakers in Ethiopia.

The seven largest East Cushitic language speakers in Ethiopia are, Oromo, Somali, Sidama, Afar, Hadiya, Gedeo and Kambata. Most other languages are spoken by few hundred thousand people or less. Most East Cushitic languages are spoken in Ethiopia. Others are spoken in Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Eritrea.

4. Afaan Oromoo as a driving force of cultural integration of the Cushites in Ethiopia

Afaan Oromoo is spoken by over 33 million people in Oromia, over half a million people in Amhara and Tigray regions and similar numbers in Kenya and Somalia. Afaan Oromoo is also spoken by Sidama, Afar and Somali as well as other Cushites who border the Oromia region. In addition, the Sidama people sing war songs “Geerarsha” only in Afaan Oromoo whether they are Afaan Oromoo speakers or not. Individuals learn “Geerarsha” in Afaan Oromoo by heart to sing them to signify the common bond and heritage of the two societies. The Sidama Luwa and the Oromo Gada systems are two sides of the same coin: the indigenous traditional democratic and egalitarian systems of socio-political administration. The Oromo language and culture is therefore embodied in the cultures and languages of the vast majority of the Ethiopian Cushites. Afaan Oromoo is the Lingua Franca of the Cushites of Ethiopia. Amharic has become lingua franca in Ethiopia as an administrative language. On the other hand, Afaan Oromoo was not forced onto any society. It has become a common language of many Cushites as part and parcel of their common cultural heritage.

Therefore, Afaan Oromoo provides a unique opportunity to deepen cultural integration among the Cushites of Ethiopia. The most important question that follows is the modality of the implementation. The first plausible approach would be to conduct further studies to determine the current state of cultural and linguistic integration among the Cushites of Ethiopia. This could be achieved in either of two ways: by creating a new forum for study of Cushitic languages and cultures by independent Cushitic scholars or by utilizing the existing Oromo studies institutions. The studies will identify gaps and propose methods of intervention and resources required to address these gaps. While this is a more formal and sustainable approach to tackling a fundamental socio-cultural development problem, it requires prolonged consultations and consensus building which by their very nature can only be achieved in the long run. Nonetheless, as a famous macroeconomist, John Maynard Keynes, once said: “In the long run, we are all dead.”

The most pragmatic approach would rather be to use a combination of formal and informal channels to sensitize the Cushitic societies about the importance of deepening cultural integration among various Cushitic groups in the country. The process could begin with the Cushitic quartet: Oromo, Sidama, Somali and Afar, who not only share significant cultural and language heritage but also long common geographic borders. The cultural sensitization could begin, for instance, with formal or informal exchange visits of cultural groups among the four societies. This could include exchange visits of drama groups, music bands, from the four groups as well as Gadaa and Luwa heritages leaders from Oromia and Sidama.

The Cushitic music is one of the most adored music in Horn of Africa and a music tour by an Oromo, Somali or Afar artists to Sidama would without doubt galvanize a large section of the Sidama society at any given point in time. The iconic Oromo artists, Ali Birra and Abitew and the young and rising star Haacaaluu Hundeessaa are as popular in Sidama, Somali and Afar societies as they are in Oromo society. They are equally loved and adored in these societies. Who would not want to quench the thirst of Cushitic music with Gashaw Adal’s Afar bit and Amey by Macammad Kasim and associates. Equally impressive are Abdirahman Koronto’s traditional Somali Dhaanto music, and of course Aduyna Duumo’s Sidama traditional hits. Nonetheless, due to limited opportunities for cultural sharing, none of the veteran as well as young singers had any opportunity to share their songs with any of the other Cushitic societies other than their own. Nor did they have any opportunity to sing in any other Cushitic languages other than in their mother tongue. For instance, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa’s most recent hit “Maalan Jira” is an epic personification of the Cushitic societies and their ways of life in a beautiful 5 minute song. Kudos to the rising star! Music is a universal language. It breaks any language barrier. But when languages and cultures are bound a common heritage, music breaks not only language barriers but also cultural, social and psychological barriers. It is therefore time to dismantle a Cushitic cultural silo.

Another more formal mode of cultural integration would be through the education system. This will entail the introduction of Cushitic languages in all schools in Cushitic language speaking regions and zones in Ethiopia as additional language courses. Since it would be impractical to introduce all the 18 Cushitic languages as additional languages courses in all schools in Cushitic language speaking regions and zones in Ethiopia in the short to medium term, Afaan Oromoo would be an obvious choice.

5. Afaan Oromoo as a language course in all schools in Cushitic language speaking Regions and Zones in Ethiopia

Education is by far the most effective and sustainable tool for advancing socio-economic and socio-cultural development. Educating a child is educating the future leader of society. Deeper cultural integration will not be realized without enabling the current generation of our peoples to understand and speak our languages. There is no better way to achieve this than introducing major Cushitic languages as additional language courses in primary and secondary schools across all Cushitic language speaking regions and zones. As the most widely spoken Cushitic language across the Horn, Afaan Oromoo is an obvious choice as additional language course in Sidama, Afar, Somali and other Cushitic language speaking territories in the country. Once this has been successfully implemented, other major Cushitic languages such as Somali, Sidama, Afar and Hadiya could be gradually included as additional courses outside of their native areas.

This is not an unrealistic proposal. The major Cushitic language speaker in particular Oromo, Somali and Sidama, adopted Latin Scripts decades ago. This was made official following the 1991 change in government. Since the Latin Scripts more accurately capture the morphology, phonology and syntax of all Cushitic languages, teaching any Cushitic language to any Cushitic language speaking child would not cause an additional burden. Cushitic children will understand any Cushitic language faster and easily.

The most important constrain would rather be resources to implement the programme. Both financial and human resources are always in short supply and this may remain a significant bottleneck. To address the resource constraint, my proposal would be to create a Cushitic Culture Development Trust Fund which will benefit from export revenues of the most abundant resource produced in the Cushitic language speaking regions. Among these, obviously coffee will stand out. Oromia supplies 60% of coffee exported and Sidama supplies 30% of coffee exported from Ethiopia. Sidama and Oromo supplely 90% of coffee for export market. If just 5% of the annual coffee export earnings are dedicated to this Fund it would suffice to implement the cultural integration programme. One would then ask why we should spend scarce resources on cultural integration while millions do not have enough to feed themselves. The fact of the matter is that culture is the backbone of social and economic development and its enrichment would significantly assist to tackle poverty. Culturally integrated societies trade easily with each other, they travel within the cultural boundary with a relative ease fostering tourism. New ideas and innovations are shared and adopted faster in culturally integrated societies than societies with language and culturally barriers. These are instrumental in tackling poverty and underdevelopment in poor societies like ours.

Whether the government would be willing to support these kinds of initiatives is another matter. The onus is on those who claim to be the respective representatives of the Cushitic peoples in the country today.

6. Afaan Oromoo as a second official and national language of Ethiopia

Introducing Afaan Oromoo as an additional language course in primary and secondary schools in Cushitic language speaking regions would not only ensure deeper cultural integration among the Cushites but also the entire country. It is an affront to our conscious that the language spoken by over 40% of the population in Ethiopia is not recognized as official and national language in the country. Adopting Afaan Oromo as a second official and national language would not only benefit the Oromo and other Cushitic peoples but the entire country. The Amhara and Tigray people would benefit by learning Afaan Oromoo and the undistorted history and culture of the Cushites. Regardless of the manner in which the Cushites learned the Amharic language, the knowledge of the Amharic language and the Amhara culture is beneficial to the Cushitic peoples.

History of human societies has shown that it is impossible to unite a country by a barrel of gun forever. That is why empires crumbled throughout human history. Nonetheless, it is possible to unit a country through the will of the people who live in it. That will can only be there when there is a level playing field for everyone to take part in the building of a particular territory. Today, in Africa we have dozens of countries where more than two official and national languages have been adopted. In South Africa, all eleven languages in the country are official languages. Did South Africa disintegrate because it adopted eleven official languages? Far from it. One of the most celebrated achievements of South Africa’s democracy is the adoption of all the languages in the country as official languages. A country of eighty ethnic groups can learn a lesson or two from South Africa and many other African countries.

References

•   Ehret, Christopher. 2002. The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.
•   Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Central Statistical Agency. 2013.
•   Population Projection of Ethiopia for all Regions at Wereda Level from 2014 – 2017, August 2013, Addis Ababa.
•   Greenberg, Joseph Harold. 1966. The Languages of Africa. Second edition. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
•   Ta’a, Tesema. 2004. “The Place of Oromo in Ethiopian History: 2003 OSA Conference Keynote Address.” Journal of Oromo Studies 11 (1-2):1-11.

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About The Author: Dr. Wolassa L. Kumo — is a development practitioner and researcher. His research interests include risk and uncertainty, productivity and efficiency, finance and investment, exchange rates, currency substitution and development problems of Africa.

Currently, he is working as a researcher in a public institution with a primary responsibility in econometric modelling.

Previously, he worked as a Managing Director of a provincial Integrated Rural Development Programme in his home country in Africa and managed a bilateral aid programme in the province.

He also taught Principles of Economics in an academic institution.