By Kambata Xoola, June 4, 2008
To materialise this long awaited barbaric plan of systematic extermination of the Sidama nation, Abyssinian regime remained introducing deliberately perpetrated poverty and human tragedies for the last 17 years. The human suffering that is currently unfolding at a hitherto unknown speed in the region is purely orchestrated by the TPLF led Meles's regime. The magnitude and the depth of the problem the Sidama nation in particular, other nations of the empire in general are facing are incomprehensible. The lives of the nations of the empire those who don't have rights for freedom of expression; are not allowed to realise their potentials in all aspects is becoming unimaginably difficult.
Thousands are dying from deliberately orchestrated starvation
Due to the above
discussed inextricably intertwined socio-economic and politico-cultural
tragedies, the people of the Sidama are becoming virtually helpless and obliged
to wait for their undignified death where there is no one to stand for their
rights. Children and elderly are so emaciated to stand on their feet. In the
past few weeks alone, the numbers of fatality resulted from systematically
orchestrated calamities by the Abyssinian rulers exceed hundreds per week in one
district alone. People who are hospitalised because of starvation are tens of
thousands. Others who are not fortunate to be taken to health institutions from
the remotest districts such as 'Hororeesaa' are left to die agonisingly.
Sidama regional health professionals not only lack resources; but also a political will and genuine leadership that don't exist in the empire. Those all loyal affiliates (PDO's) of the regime act as if they came from another planet (aliens) and to be stationed for brief periods of times. Thus, they boast at the death of helpless who are their brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. If there happen to be very scant aid from the international humanitarians after over 95% went to the north that reaches the Sidama itself is primarily given for the supporters of the cadres. They use the aid as a political weapon. The rest one will be sold to fund their brutal acts including paying allowances for farmers association grass root level lobbyists and activists through whom the regime passes the orders of atrocity and others inhuman treatments.
This is the Sidama-land that is deliberately impoverished!
Why the Sidama nation treated differently?
In an ideal world, it is possible to think that the other nations of the empire are all affected by the similar high inflation, starvation and famine resulted from bad governance and an imposed barbaric and the most backward colonial rules. The peculiarity of the Sidama nation's problem however is two fold. The first and foremost is that the Sidama nation doesn't have any representation (even at pseudo) levels and it is suffering with no representation under whatsoever explanations. That was also the reason behind, on May 24, 2002, when the nation went on demonstration to claim its basic rights for regional autonomy in a peaceful and non-violent manner. Several dozens of innocent Sidamas lost their precious lives seeking their basic right that is also enshrined in TPLF's Pseudo-constitution.
From all PDO's including Sidama pseudo-parliamentarians at federal level; no one raised the death of the Sidama civilians. Sadly, the Sidama PDO's those who are fabricated in Mele's Civil college substantiated the made up histories of Mele's regime that says 'the Sidama demonstrators have got weapons and they were planning to loot the properties of the Awassa city residents'. The fabricated history was also broadcast on the only state owned Medias on the date of Sidama massacre and the following weeks. Yet armless Sidama nationals were massacred indiscriminately!
No response was given for the Sidama nation whose population is over 5 million; and no one held responsible for the massacred 69 Sidama civilian demonstrators whose purposes were seeking a positive response for their quest for regional autonomy that was given for the nations whose population is under 300,000.
The Sidama citizens received uncivilised and barbaric responses of live ammunitions from Abyssinian settlers security forces for their civilised and non-violent quest. The killers and those who have ordered the massacre are promoted to the higher positions and are enjoying their impunity to date. Others several dozens have also lost their precious lives afterwards, in particular after the aftermaths of the May 15, 2005 highly rigged election. Others additional hundreds are still jailed without justice. Yet they all, including their deceitful leader, Meles Zenawi remain war criminals although they are supported by the George W Bush's administration!
Meanwhile, others those who are handpicked and groomed for suppression and brutal treatment of their own brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, by Meles's tyrant regime neither represent the Sidama nor have legitimacy or moral authority to say about the Sidama nation while they are helping the enemies that brutalise the nation and compromises its futurity. These Sidama traitors don't uphold any principle on humanity. They don't abide to the ideals of international values on humanity (which is similar to the Sidama's moral code, Halaale; truth and a true way of life).
However, the smartest of all dictators of Africa, Meles Zenawi uses such inefficient peoples those who are in 'People's Democratic Organisation' (PDO's) to order the killings of the innocents and systematically facilitate the sufferings of the Sidama nation by depriving them off from all benefits that comes from their soil.
As Meles is the most evil and smart, he uses this tactics to exonerate himself from liability when he retires to go out of the Empire with multi-millions of dollars he exploited from the regions such as the Sidama; to live peacefully. Sadly, the souls of innocents who were indiscriminately massacred and brutalised by him and his officials orders, don't give him peace and rest throughout his life. He is already guilty and remains guilty throughout his life for the death of tens of thousands of voiceless and helpless whose families are left destitute and their children orphans.
Secondly, the Sidama nation didn't receive any development assistances and even its legitimate budgets in the past decade and a half. Meles confessed without his will, when gallant Sidama elderly confronted with him when he went to Awassa prior to 2005's rigged election, to give the nation false promise when the Sidama rejected his plan to uproot them from their capital. Meles said that the Sidama didn't get its legitimate budget of over 500.0000.0000.ETB (Ethiopian birr) in periods of 6 years. He falsely promised the nation to re-pay all backdated with robust development activities.
In the contrary, previously the regime primarily was focused on destruction of the Sidama development activities that was supported by the only international NGO in Sidama (the Irish Aids); let alone supporting another development initiative. The Irish Aid program that was run by the dedicated Sidama intellectuals was destroyed after the aftermaths of the May 24, 2002 Looqee massacre.
From mid 1990s when the Sidama development initiatives that are supported by the Irish Aids under way, prominent TPLF led Abyssinian empire's official quoted as follows:- ''Sidama is becoming the southern Ethiopian Japan unless we stop their pace as a matter of urgency!!'. That was the time when truly dedicated Sidama intellectuals shown encouraging results within short period of times, just 5-6 years. Such unexpected achievement of the Sidamas became a head ache for Abyssinian settlers including federal officials and obliged them to destroy it within one year after their malicious plots. The dream of highly enthusiastic Sidama intellectuals became a nightmare!
Those who came together to build their nation from all over the Empire were obliged to flee the empire, leave the region, imprisoned or silenced. Those Sidamas, who can make difference without bowing for the rulers were forced to be powerless or intimidated and most of the times they received death threats. Others genuinely dedicated Sidama nationals who are left within the empire are arrested, intimidated, harassed or made to disappear. The traitors those who are handpicked by the regime are the ones who brutalise the Sidama nation on behalf of their masters. The Sidama left to suffer while its resources are serving the settlers.
Why Sidama remains in the spotlight of Abyssinian regimes.
The Sidama nation is in the spotlight of the successive Abyssinian regimes since the conquest for variety of reasons including the location of the regional state's Sidama capital, Awassa. Therefore, in order to silence the southern nations of over 42, with distinct identities, the regimes must have to silence the Sidama nation under whatsoever actions. To materialise such inhuman plans, they adopted policies of destruction and atrocities in the past several decades.
For instances, in the history of Meles's reign; he didn't go to any region to speak to the people of that region other than his Tigray region. Yet he went to Sidama on two occasions to deceive them with false promises of allowing the nation to be regionally autonomous and promised to introduce better development than the Sidama was receiving. None of his promise has materialised. But the Sidama nation remained receiving relentless wraths from ignorant and backward Abyssinian rulers.
The other
thing is its economic importance. The Sidama produces about 40-50% of washed
coffee for export from which the nation receives nothing!! There are also ample
opportunites for various consumable goods and non-consumable materialise that
are prospering the settlers; yet majority of the Sidama nationals remain
strangers on their soil.
The Response of West Powers (so called International Community)
Apart from few remarks based on distorted information, emphasising on the Awassa killings of 15-25 civilians on May 24, 2002; instead of pure massacre of the Sidama people that tantamount genocide, nothing has been said against Meles's brutal regime. Sadly, the West powers sooth this despotic dictator, Meles Zenawi; as he remains their African begotten son to fight their proxy war on 'War on terrorism'. Therefore, no one meaningfully requested for what has happened let alone an official pressure.
Meles's regime is engaging itself in other acts of inhumanity disregarding the suffering of the nations of the empire; it is busying itself with others external issues as well as internal including spending scares resources on unnecessary military operations within the empire and outside with neighbouring countries. Somali genocide that is underway is supported by the west powers and purely being committed by TPLF led Meles's regime is one example. An Ogaden Somali's indiscriminate massacres and destruction of human and material resources of the Ogaden Somali people is another typical example of Meles's cruel regime inhumanity while the world keeping silent.
Embarrassingly, by definition the terrorist himself, Meles Zenawi, is the best ally of the West powers. In particular, the USA and the UK governments are using the dictator in order to fight for them a proxy war in Somalia under the pretext of 'war on terrorism'!! It is sadly shame to see ideals of humanity giving a way for brutal barbarism!!
By Kambata Xoola, June 4, 2008.