SIDAMA NATION ON-LINE

SIDAAMU DAGAA FAASHO

Sidama flag

The Murder of Mathewos Korsisa and his Nephews

By Side Goodo

22/08/07 - It is often argued that the socialist regime of the military junta that took power after the 1974 revolution in Ethiopia was not exclusively an Abyssinian (Tigre and Amhara) dominated administration. On the basis of such argument is to be found the occasional participation of few, handpicked surrogates who were ready to serve their Abyssinian masters at the expense of their own peoples.

In this regard, there were a number of notorious non Abyssinian cadres of the socialist government who tortured, maimed and even killed their own people to obtain favours from their Abyssinian masters. Ali Musa of the then Bale province in the present Oromia region, and Pertros Gebre of the then southern Shewa province are indicative cases in this regard. These individuals were indeed some of the most brutal and the most feared non Abyssinian cadres of the socialist government of the time.

Although such surrogates were encouraged by the Abyssinian socialist dictators to kill and maim their own people, they were not tolerated when they tried to voice little concern about them.

Mathewos Korsisa, a Sidama from Dalle District rose to one of the highest ranks in the socialist government through his participation in the Socialist Ethiopia Farmer's Association. From Secretary of the Socialist Ethiopian Farmer's Association in the Dalle District, Mathewos Korsisa moved up the ladder to become the Secretary of the Sidama Provincial Socialist Ethiopian Farmer's Association.

When the Workers' Party of Ethiopia was launched in the early 1980s, Mathewos was recruited to become member of the Central Committee of the party - the highest position any regional government or parastatal leader could hold.

Unlike Petros Gebre and other notorious cadres, Mathewos Korsisa was not an ordinary state functionary and administrator, and thence was not involved in brutalising the local people. He rose to fame because of his involvement in organizing farmer's cooperatives particularly in coffee rich Sidama and Gedeo areas, which soon led to an initial coffee quality improvement and productivity increase, thus contributing to greater export volume and higher return for the central government.

Mengistu Haile Mariam applauded him on several occasions for the initial success of the various farmers' cooperatives in the Sidama and surrounding areas.

Mathewos Korsisa used his position and his relationship with Mengistu Haile Mariam to fight against corrupt government regional administrators, such as Tefera Endalew. Tefera Endalew had been one of the most notorious Abyssinian administrators of then Sidama province. Originating from Wello province in the present Amhara region, he used to torture, harass and intimidate the Sidamas, Gedeos and Guji Oromos who also inhabited part of the Sidama province.

Amharas robbing the Impoverished

Towards the end of 1970s, Tefera Endalew ordered each and every peasant farmer in the Sidama province to pay over 50 Birr (a very big amount of money 30 years ago) in order to build a small meeting Hall in Awassa town – that is now called Sidama Cultural Hall. Over 8 million Birr was the total amount gathered from the overburdened Sidamas, Gedeos, Jemejems and Areros (the later two are in Oromia at present) peasant framers through this sort of forced taxation.

However, the construction of the Hall did cost only 1.5 million Birr approximately. Mathewos Korsisa, as the representative of the peasant farmers, not only did oppose excessive taxation but also demanded to know what happened to the rest of the collected amount of money that was not needed for the otherwise small meeting Hall in Awassa. He therefore complained that Tefera Endalew disastrously contributed to further depriving the peasantry form the basics for survival by means of forced taxation for the erection of a small meeting Hall.

However, what did not occur to Mathewos Korsisa to deeply understand was that his highest political authority in the region (his position of member of Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Ethiopia) was simply and purely fake because he was a Sidama.

The Frame Up

Even worse for him and his concept of Justice, Tefera Endalew was not alone in making decisions on how to lay excessive taxation on the Sidama peasantry and thus extort extra income through the bias of erecting petty projects. This trickery had been integral part of the traditional and systematic Abyssinian exploitation of the Sidama national resources, as well as of those of other nations in the South since 1891.

Amounts of money usurped through the petty projects bias were ordinarily shared among the top echelons of the Abyssinian administrators. Tefera Endalew alone could not make such big a decision; it had to be anticipated that he had the wholehearted backing of high ranking Abyssinian officials at Addis Ababa.

As a matter of fact, the additional money collected through this bias, namely the erection of the meeting Hall in Awassa, has been shared between Fiseha Desta, a Tigre who was the then Vice President of the country, Tefera Edalew, and a few others.

Gullible enough not to anticipate these Abyssinian fraudulent acts and the incessant practice of similar trickery, Mathewos Korsisa assumed that his position as Central Committee member of the country's ruling party was real, and he therefore launched an all-out attack on Tefera Endalew in front of other officials. He accused him for intentionally impoverishing the Sidamas, Gedeo, and Guji Oromos for the sake of small construction projects and for overtly robbing most of the collected money.

Tefera Endalew was temporarily humiliated, but never admitted that he made a mistake. He started to plot with his superiors at Addis Ababa in order to eliminate Mathewos Korsisa once and for all. But there was still a problem.

Mathewos Korsisa was no less than member of the ruling party's Central Committee, the person with the "highest ranking political authority" in the region. In addition, he was liked by every peasant in the region. He had never been involved in brutalizing the people in the area. Consequently, the elimination of a so famous figure in the area proved to be a relatively difficult task for the Abyssinians. Besides, the issue of the Abyssinian corruption that had been undertaken in the Sidama land for long was real and true, and most people knew this.

Amhara outrageous lies and crimes

As it comes, the only way for Tefera Endalew to get rid of Mathewos Korsisa was to fabricate lies, and have him implicated in serious and inhuman crimes that one could never imagine. Abyssinians are indeed experts in lies, frames, frauds and deceitful schemes. Finally, they planned a gruesome story to frame Mathewos Korsisa up, and to carry it out they committed a dreadful murder that paved the way for them to get rid of Mathewos Korsisa. As he was truly innocent and at times naïve, Mathewos Korsisa had befriended a female Abyssinian restaurant-keeper in Awassa town. He would never imagine that Abyssinians would use this personal relationship as an opportunity to eliminate him from the planet for ever.

Tefera Endalew employed for his plan's needs the Abyssinian government's police commanders at Awassa; they committed the most brutal murder on the Abyssinian restaurant-keeper and her family, so that Matehows Korsisa could be implicated for the extraordinary and dreadful murder. The Awassa police department led by Major Chane, originating also from Wello province, went to the residence of the Abyssinian women, blatantly murdered her and her mother in an inhuman and most barbaric manner never witnessed before – throughout the Sidama History.

They did cut the woman's body into pieces, and put various objects in her private parts. Mathewos was in a meeting with peasant farmers in Dale districts, when the incredible crime happened. When he returned back to Awassa after 3 days, there was a rumour spreading around, according to which Mathewos did murder his Amhara girl friend and her mother. The organized Abyssinian cadres started harassing all Sidama people, overtly stating that the Sidama people are barbaric.

They propagated their version of the event, pretentiously wondering how the Sidamas were able to commit murder of Abyssinian women in such a brutal manner, and the like. Mathewos was stunned. All the Sidamas knew that this was not the work of Mathewos Korsisa. Every body knew that there had been an inhuman frame up. But to no avail. After a week of lies and deceitful accusations, Tefera Endalew finally got Mathewos Korsisa.

The Elimination of the Innocent at the Hands of the Mendacious Gangsters

Even before his immunity, as member of the ruling party's Central Committee, was officially stripped off, Mathewos along with his two nephews who lived in Awassa with him, was implicated in the crime, imprisoned, and tortured to unconsciousness. The level of torture was so inhuman that Mathewos gave a plastic full of dead body tissues from his legs to his family as evidence of the Abyssinian brutality.

The Sidamas, led by a famous Sidama elder, who was at the same time uncle of Mathewos Korsisa, named Assefa Balango, submitted a petition to the central government, stating that Mathewos would never commit such a heinous crime, and that it was not in the culture of the Sidama people to murder women. Assefa Balango had previously been twice Member of the Parliament of Haile Selassie, but of course nobody listened to them.

Fiseha Desta and other high ranking officials in Addis Ababa, who finally shared the extra money collected from the province's impoverished peoples, along with Tefera Endalew, told Assefa Balango and the Sidama delegates that they knew that Mathewos was a killer and that he would never be pardoned.

In 1987, Mathewos Korsisa and his two nephews were tortured for a whole day and then taken out of the Awassa prison under the pretext of transfer to a prison in Addis Ababa. However, that was not the case; they were taken somewhere in-between Awassa and Addis Ababa, left there until it became dark, and then brought back to the Oromia side of lake Awassa at night. There, they were brutally killed and buried by Major Chane and his colleagues, who also had killed the Abyssinian woman and her mother.

The Truth

The truth about the disappearance of Mathewos was disclosed only in 1996, when the Sidama police managed to capture major Chane in Wello, and bring him to Awassa. Major Chane testified that he did kill both the women and her mother, and Mathewos Korsisa with his two nephews; he admitted that he had done so because he had been so ordered by Tefera Endalew. Major Chane took the Sidama police to the place where they buried Mathewos Korsisa and his two nephews. The skeletons of three men were found eight (8) years after their brutal murder.

After Mathewos Korsisa was taken out of Awassa prison, his uncle Asseffa Balango tried to locate him in Addis Ababa prisons. He would never find him anywhere. Finally, he deduced that Mathewos Korsisa had been killed. Asseffa Balango died of heart attack in Yirgalem hospital a few weeks after.

This is a typical first hand account of the Abyssinian brutality in Sidama. We can draw a parallel with the current TPLF brutality. The Loqqe massacre was indeed the continuation of the same Abyssinian brutality. We will describe the awful details of the Loqqe massacre in a forthcoming article.

Mathewos Korsisa is survived by his Sidama wife and several children.

Tefera Endalew lives luxury life in Nairobi, Kenya at present. He runs a business of several taxis purchased with the money he robbed from the Sidama province.

Somalia; Ethiopia, Rebels Commit Crimes, Group Says,
August 13, 2007
Read More

Questions shower Ethiopian ex-Leader,
By Jake Grovun, The Minnesota Daily, August 1, 2007
Read More

Lobbying firms blocking action against Ethiopia's tyrant, By Ken Silvestein, Harpers' Magazine, July 27, 2007
Read More

Ethiopia life Jail terms attacked, BBC News Africa, July 16, 2007
Read More

Wolassa Kumo (PhD), and the Independence Struggle for the Sidama Land, American Chronicles, July 18, 2007
Read More

Sidama: Can Religion be a tool for identity Obliteration?
By Kambata Xoola, July 15,2007
Read More

Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and the ''Politics of naming' By Stephen Gowans, Global Research, July 10, 2007
Read more

Death Sentences:- Easy to Impose in Ethiopia, BY Howard Lesser, VOA, July 10, 2007
Read more

Ethiopian Government's Stance on Human Rights Attacked, July 8, 2007
Read More

Sidama: the Paradise we lost, the Heaven we search for
July 08, 2007 -: By Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis.
Read More

Zenawi's 'Southern' delegates humiliated in Atlanta
June 16, 2007 - : By Haile Larebo (Ph.D.)
Read More

Sidama: from Starbucks' brand to an Independent African Nation
June 16, 2007 - Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
Read More

Sidama diaspora identity formation and forced flight
June 10, 2007 - By Seyoum Hameso
Read More

Sidama Victims of Atrocity: Five years on after Loqqe Massacre
May 21, 2007 - By Kambata Xoola
Read More

Cholera Out-Break kills several people in Sidama
May 18, 2006 - Sidama Nation Online
Read More

SOMALIA: Proxy War increasing the sufferings of the Civilians whilst rampaging the Country. April 23, 2007. Read more

Fragile peace fuels Somalia fears. BBC News, Nairobi. January 2, 2007. Read more

INEXCUSABLE MISTAKE & INESCAPABLE DISASTER FOR REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY: the case of Ethio-Somalia. December 26, 2006. Read more

Ethiopia: The Country under Siege. December 26, 2006. Read more

Senior judge says Meles regime killed thousands of critics. November 9, 2006. Read more

Global Warming Catastrophe - Africa Remains Prime Victim. October 30, 2006. Read more

‘Fichchee’. Sidama New Year, Celebrated in Kenya. October 25, 2006. Read more

Meles’s Cadres are doubling the suffering of Sidamas - the nation celebrates its New Year. October 21, 2006. Read more

Judge says Ethiopian forces killed 193. October 18, 2006. Read more

CHOLERA EPIDEMIC is sweeping Ethiopian regions while the regime is busying itself with Repression and Torture to stifle Democratic Movements. August 31, 2006. Read more

The Origin of Conflicts. Presented at International Inter-religious Federation for World Peace ‘IIFWP’ Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. April 8, 2006. Read more

News in Amaharic. August 2006. Page 1 : page 2 : page 3 : page 4.

Caught-Up in the Middle of the Fire: - Sufferings of Innocents’ in the Era of War On-Terrorism. August 14, 2006. Read more

Country without Leaders, But with People of Great Characters! "‘We know that healing the wounds of the past will be a long and demanding task. Reconciliation doesn’t mean forgetting or trying to bury the pain of conflict. Reconciliation means, working together to correct the legacy of past injustice." (Nelson Mandela). August 14, 2006. Read more

EPRDF reign of terror. July 28, 2006. Read more

Yet worst to unfold. July 27, 2006. Read more

Dear Sidama Nation Online Visitors and all Sidamas in the country and in Diaspora:-
Due to a technical problem encountered in the past two weeks or so, it was not possible to cover information regarding May 24, 2002’s massacre of the Sidama people by Ethiopian government’s security forces while they were claiming their basic and constitutional rights. We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to this and would like to take this opportunity to re-emphasise that the sons and daughters of Sidama who lost the precious lives seeking democracy and justice is not in vain. Their heroic sacrifices will be remembered by all Sidama nationals from generation to generation until the day of liberation and forever. - Sidama Nation Online Organiser.
May 24, 2002 : Remembered by the Sidama Nation as ‘Blood’ day. Read more

Hypocrisy: - Abuses of Constitutional Rights of the Sidama’s by Meles’s Authoritarian Regime. April 14, 2006. Read more

MELES’S REGIME U-TURN KILLS SIDAMAS DREAM: - his Cadres Decided Against Sidamas Constitutional Rights while the killing Continues. April 8, 2006. Read more

Sidama Nationals’ Demonstrate in Pretoria and handed their Petitions in; the Abuse and Disappearance Continues in Sidama. March 31, 2006. Read more

Newly appointed president for south Ethiopia regional State is authorised to bribe, intimidate and suppress entire Sidamas. March 31, 2006. Read more

Letter to Meles Zenawi. March 29, 2006. Read more

TPLF/EPRDF’s Regime Continues its Cruelty against the Sidamas while Re-appointing Criminals to higher Authority. March 24, 2006 Read more

Sidama: - the Nation with immense Courage and Determination, but without Leadership and Representation; More Death, Arrest and Torture. March 21, 2006. Read more

Facts about Sidama - Human Rights Abuses Escalate In Sidama, Ethiopia, Following A Popular Demand For Regional Status. March 16, 2006. Read more

Sidama Region Changed to Military Zone: - Two students Shot Dead. March 16, 2006. Read more

MELES ZENAWI IS BUILDING MILITARY IN SIDAMA: - People are under hitherto Unheard Tension. March 13, 2006. Read more

Sidama:-Once again Under Various Forms of Pressures; Peaceful Resistance Continues Unabated. March 7, 2006. Read more

Meles’s Regime Deceit: - Obfuscating the Issues on Sidama’s Quest for Regional Autonomy. February 21, 2006. Read more

An unexpected Thunder: Meles Zenawi met with Heroic Resistance of Sidama Elders! February 10, 2006. Read more

Enough is enough! Sidama is telling tyrannical regime. February 6, 2006. Read more

Sidama: - Unjustifiably Suffering people. January 2006. Read more

New Form of Deceit:-Meles’s Plot against the Sidama Continues. January 30, 2006. Read more

Deliberately Caused ‘Marginalization and Underdevelopment’ among the Sidama. January 24, 2006. Read more

Sidama University and High Schools Students held Urgent Meeting in Awassa:-Meles’s regime plot against Sidamas failed. January 20, 2006. Read more

Sidama: - Under Tremendous Pressure to abandon their Quest for Regional Autonomy. January 18, 2006. Read more

U.S. Lawmakers Ask Bush to Take Lead in Horn of Africa. November 17, 2005. Read more

Violence in Ethiopia leaves Britain facing aid dilemma
By Bronwen Maddox. November 8, 2005. Read more

The Quest for Regional Autonomy Continues: - Sidama Businessmen arrested in Awassa. 8 November 2005. Read more

EU/US urges end to Ethiopia violence:
The text of a statement read by the British ambassador in Addis Ababa, Bob Dewar, on behalf of the European Union and the US. 7 November 2005. Read more

Killings in Ethiopian Capital: - Sidama People Celebrated their New Year in Heroic and Disciplined Manner in Awassa City. 1 November 2005. Read more

Utterly FAILED: Meles’s Representatives couldn’t achieve their mission of intimidating the Sidamas. 30 October 2005. Read more

Mr Zenawi’s Regime’s Continued Killings of the Innocents and his Politicians Inhumane acts to Stifle Democratic Rights; The Case of Sidama. 30 October 2005. Read more

Ethiopian Dictators’ ‘Cat-Mouse’ Game Continues: SIDAMAS once again under Enormous Pressure. 7 October 2005. Read more

Sidama under Pressure to Abandon the Demand for Regional Status. 23 September 2005. Read more

The Post Election Vote Rigging Continues; Regional Government Employees Call for the end of EPRDF rule in Ethiopia. 13 July 2005 Read more

Post-Election Pressure intensifies: Ruling party lost entire seats in Sidama region and urging for re-election. 27 May 2005. Read more

The Abuse of the Sidama Women by the EPRDF regime of Ethiopia. 2 April 2005. Read more

The Election Dramas in Ethiopia: The TPLF/EPRDF Deceits Unveiled. 6 March 2005. Read more

The Sacked Southern Ethiopia TPLF Officials’ Lamentation has been considered by their Bosses: - more than 13,000 Army members who refused to go to Ethio-Eritrean war zone arrested. Read more

Hunger and Human Rights Abuses Escalate in Sidama, Ethiopia. 7 January 2005 Read more

The Heroes and the Villains in the Sidama Liberation Struggle: Undoing the Misinformation. Part 2. 4 January 2005 Read more

The Heroes and the Villains in the Sidama Liberation Struggle: Undoing the Misinformation. Part 1. 4 January 2005 Read more

Sidama suffering continues. Innocent Sidamas targeted on daily basis. 22 December 2004 Read more

Meles nominated as member of Tony Blair's Commission for Africa - is this morally justifiable? 26 September 2004 This is in PDF format (size 12KB) Read more

The Sidama Political Asylum Seeker said to have been kidnapped from Nairobi; UNHCR failed to give the Sidamas Protection. 20 September 2004 Read more

A Catastrophic Dismantling of the Sidama Culture continues: - Sidama New Year Celebration & Ritual place (Gudumaale) is said to have been planned for leasing. 16 September 2004 Read more

350-400 Sidama Houses Burned by government Security forces; - Planned Uprooting Continues. 3 September 2004 Read more

Chaotic situation Continues: - Awassa once again under Siege; Melese Marimo Said to have fled the country. 1 September 2004 Read more

Awassa University Students Crisis Continues: An assassination attempt on the Southern Ethiopia University President
This is in PDF format (size 6KB) Read more

The Sidama Political Asylum Seeker said to have been kidnapped from Nairobi; UNHCR failed to give the Sidamas a Protection.

Nairobi, September 20, 2004

SOLOMON NAYU, who fled Ethiopia immediately after the May 24, 2002 massacre of Sidama peaceful demonstrators in Awassa city by the TPLF’s security forces, has been kidnapped in Kenyan capital, Nairobi by the Ethiopian security forces two weeks ago according to our confidential reporter. The reporter had disclosed this information two weeks ago upon Solomon’s disappearance; however for the reason of plausibility and more confirmation, we remained silent for these two weeks.

Nevertheless, on September 18, 2004 we heard rumor of his kidnapping by the special security forces that operate in Kenya to kidnap any would be oppositional parties or potential resistant including Sidamas, Oromo’s, Ogadenia and other influential figures. Ironically, on September 19, 2004, it has been confirmed that Solomon Nayu indeed, had fallen at the hands of tyrants from whom he fled without a sound protection of UNHCR despite all Sidamas claim that they are at risk of continued underground follow-up. Sadly, as many other Sidamas, Mr Nayu claimed Asylum in Kenya; but UNHCR in Kenya neither granted him refugee status nor protected him from a kidnapping. Other Sidamas are at the risk of facing similar danger and some others fled Kenya to seek appropriate protection in other neighboring countries. Many agree that if the Ethiopian government is interested, they can pick up anybody, one by one from Kenyan capital and refugee camps without any hindrance.

Another reporter from Awassa city uncovered the fact that the security forces have taken Mr Nayu back to Ethiopia on 18 of September 2004. He has been taken to central police department in Addis Ababa, (the capital of Ethiopia) for further torture and interrogation. No one could say what has followed his arrival.

Ethiopian security forces have carried out such military and security forces operations in neighboring countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti violating international laws and agreements. In particular, in Kenyan borders, the military of TPLF has repeatedly killed significant number of innocent Oromo Kenyan civilians in allegation and many have been kidnapped. Under such an insecure and volatile situation the failure of UNHCR to grant a status of refugee and arranging re-settlement programs is an issue of controversy.

In another development, the source from Awassa disclosed that the Sidama language is made an option at the schools purely for Sidamas in and around outskirts of the Awassa city. According to the source, this is a part of pre-mediated strategy to undermine and dismantle the Sidama culture and language. The source added that the Sidamas are lamenting for international support and intervention of Red Cross, Amnesty International and other governmental and NGO’s to save the life of Solomon Nayu without any delay.
Sidama Nation Online; 20 September 2004.

Top

A Catastrophic Dismantling of the Sidama Culture continues: - Sidama New Year Celebration & Ritual place (Gudumaale) is said to have been planned for leasing

Awassa, Sidama, September 16, 2004

Commentator

It’s has been so long since we, the Sidamas at home and in Diaspora started shouting loud to be heard by the international community regarding continued human rights violations of innocent and unarmed Sidama people who are paying deliberately caused sufferings by TPLF led Ethiopian regime. Smart leader; Meles Zenawi, who is capable of manipulating and maneuvering the world leaders changing his color like chameleons and his words like well experienced professional thief is taking hitherto unknown damaging acts against the Sidamas basic rights according to our reporter from Awassa.

The issue of profound economic and political importance of Awassa city in particular, the whole Sidama land in general is said to be igniting a fire that burns Sidamas while giving lucrative advantage for others. Particularly, Minister of Infrastructure at federal level, Dr Kassu Elala the man who ordered destruction of Sidama Development Corporation (SDC) has again ordered the lease of respected Sidama New Year Celebration and ritual place for his Guragie relative called Zewudie. This man is a relative of regional cabinet member called ‘Mekuria Haile’ (who himself is Guragie national) in turn is running to effect this malicious act against basic rights of the Sidama people in their own land. The resistance of the Sidama people however continues according to the source.

They added that the order that came through from Dr Elala’s office emphatically stressed on several occasions about the lease of the said place under the pretext of investment despite resistance from the SPDOs themselves for fear of atrocity that occurred on May 24, 2002 if they allow the Sidama ritual place for alien culture and people without their consent.

A battalion of military and police were ordered by regional authorities last week to uproot the Sidama people from their lands from outskirts of Awassa city faced ferocious resistance from the Sidama peasants and were obliged to return empty handed. According to the source the Sidamas are ready to pay a precious sacrifice of life for their lands rather than leaving it and just being beggars on the streets of Awassa with people who were made destitute a couple of months ago.

Meanwhile, Meles Mariwo who was said to have remained in Uganda while his colleagues returned is said to back in Ethiopia according to the source. But it’s not clear whether or not he is in the office at the moment.

September 16, 2004, Sidama Nation Online

Top

350-400 Sidama Houses Burned by government Security forces; - Planned Uprooting Continues

September 3, 2004, Awassa, Sidama

Commentator,
Our confidential source from Awassa on Friday, the 3rd of September 2004 has disclosed that as many as 350-400 Sidama residential houses have been burned to ashes by the security forces of TPLF/EPRDF. In the north west of Sidama region around Bilate River, the Sidama people have been forcibly vacated from their ancestral land from where they have lived for many centuries; this week and the week before. Security forces ordered by central government and regional president ‘Desalagn H/Mariam’ who is Wolayita the federal government and regional president, also who is blamed to have played significant role during the killings of Sidama demonstrators on May 24, 2002. Mr H/Mariam has obliged the Sidamas to leave their ancestral land so that his fellow Wolayita citizens could settle on Sidama land according to the same report. He repeatedly tried such inhuman act although he failed several times. However, in the end, he burnt the Sidama houses so that they can’t claim any thing and to give the land to his people.

In the aftermaths of the May 24, 2002 peaceful Sidama demonstrator’s massacre, Sidama Nation Online commentator and other Sidama related informants have tried to raise the awareness of international community on the issues of deliberate uprooting of the Sidama people from their capital city and bordering lands. The reporters from Sidama claim that no one considered the deep rooted problem of the Sidama people and their continued suffering under the guise of democracy saying, ‘immediately after the event of the May 24, 2002 Mr H/Mariam has ordered the killing of Sidama farmers who reside around Bilate River in allegation’. No one stood responsible since the killings of innocent Sidama people as well as the massacre of May 24, 2002. Such silence has given to the regional president go ahead and ordered regional army and security forces to burn the houses of the Sidama people according to the source.

Many Sidamas who resisted such inhumane act were put in prison. Others left destitute with their families. No where to go to seek justice where the judge is who is ordering the killings of such innocent people.

In addition to the above information, the source uncovered that the Sidama cultural hall is decided to be given to the federal government whereas the recreational centre owned by the Sidama culture, trade and industry department is said to be given to the Gurage nationals. This is simply to systematically dismantle any thing that symbolizes the Sidama people from their city according to the source.

Sidama Nation Online will keep an international community informed about these inhuman acts against helpless, defenseless and armless Sidama people who are paying unnecessary sacrifice while the international community keeping silent.
Sidama Nation Online,
September 3, 2004

Top

Chaotic situation Continues: - Awassa once again under Siege; Melese Marimo Said to have fled the country.

September 1, 2004; Sidama, Awassa
Commentator,

Our unidentifiable source from Awassa has uncovered that TPLF/EPRDF’s regime is still plotting against the socio-economic, cultural and political interest of the Sidama people after they have effectively uprooted them. According to the same source, the central government has ordered regional officials to remove any names that symbolize the Sidama people from their own city, Awassa. One of such plots is, to remove the name of city hall that was ‘Sidama cultural hall’’ at the heart of Awassa city. The meeting for this plan is led by Mr Wolde and Mr Marimo at the moment that is said to have fled the country.

The mayor of the Awassa city, Mr Legesse Wolde, who submitted his resignation letter to the regional authority, has played a major role to make a practical removal of the name of Sidamas from their city. Mr Wolde’s resignation letter has been refused by the regional politicians until he implements the planned plot against the Sidamas. Otherwise, he is said to be virtually hopeless.

Ironically, under such scrutiny and risk, determined Sidama representatives who were recently put on power at zonal administrative level have emphatically refused the plan predicting the concomitant effect if the raised issue is again imposed on Sidamas and saying ‘‘we are here to represent more that 5 million people of the Sidama; in May 24, 2002 government officials (who are Melese and Legesse with others their friends) conspired against the Sidamas and caused deaths of 100s of innocent Sidama demonstrators. Consequently, their quest left aside and federal government imposed their rule over the Sidamas. Many Sidamas have been uprooted from their lands and capital city. Now we are again plotting to remove any thing that symbolizes the name of Sidamas from their own land and city; ‘despite an impending risk’, they added, under whatever the situation, we 5 persons out 5 million people never accept this plan to sell an interest of entire Sidamas’’ according to our source.

In effect, central regime sent additional army force to silence any reaction against their plan. The city is once again changed to military camp. Another chaotic situation is looming. However, to date no death has been reported according to the source.

In another development, Melese Marimo, who conspired and ordered the killings of the Sidamas with other government officials on May 24, 2002, has fled the country. According to unidentifiable government sources, Melese Marimo went to Uganda with other delegates on official visit. Other delegates returned approximately a week ago; Melese remained elusive. Speculation is growing that Melese knew that TPLF/EPRDF’s government will arrest him for death of hundreds of Sidamas demonstrators after they effectively used him for the process of Sidama uprooting. The regime may arrest the Sidamas surrogates who thought that they were doing the rights thing when they ordered and agreed with central regime to massacre innocent Sidama demonstrators. An international pressure is mounting in this area. The regime knows that they can’t be exonerated until the justice being done sooner or later. There is no clear information about his whereabouts, but only in Uganda.

September 1, 2004.
Sidama Nation Online

Top

Sidama lowlanders' house,
Dale
Coffee trees can be seen behind the house.
This image reflects the life of the people.

[Home] [Culture] [History] [Economy] [Politics] [Religion] [Language] [News] [Archive] [Links] [Contact]