Herlig folkefest i Stavanger!

På det meste var det 300 til stede på lørdagens demonstrasjon for en rettferdig asylpolitikk. Bredt politisk spekter av Sv, V, Rødt og Krf holdt appeller. Redd Barnas ungdomsorganisasjon Press, støtteforeningen for Ethiopia og for Neda gjorde sammen med RIA en kjempeinnsats for å belyse ulike utfordringer Norge har for å kunne skilte med en rettferdig asylpolitikk. Rapperne Tore Pang og Bevis leverte høykvalitets rap. Det er rett og slett gøy å samles fra så mange hold med en felles sak. Her ser du bilder fra festen:

Vi vil ha NEDA og familien hjem:

Annuler returavtalen med diktaturstyret i Etiopia:

ይድረስ ለኢትዮጵያ ፖሊሶችና የመከላከያ ሰራዊት አባላት

በየቦታው ተበትናችሁ ለአገር የሚበጅ ስራ እየሰራን ነው ለምትሉ የፖሊስና የመከላከያ ሰራዊት አባላት በሙሉ። እንዴት ከርማችሁልኛል? እንደ አገር ልጅ ብናፍቃችሁም እንኳ የናንተ እንጀራና የኔ ኑሮ አልገጥም ብሎ ካጠገባችሁ ከራቅሁ አመታት አልፈዋል። ብዙ ሰዎች የሰው ልብ ያላችሁ፣ አዛኝ አንጀት ያላችሁ መሆናችሁን ይጠራጠሩ ይሆናል። እኔ ግን እንደሱ አላስብም ብዙዎቻችሁ ድህነት በግዱ ገፍትሮ እዚህ ውስጥ እንደ ጨመራችሁ አውቃለሁ። ምክንያቱም ብዙ ጓደኞቼ የሚላስ የሚቀመስ ሲያጡ፣ እንደኔ ለመሰደድ መድፈር ሲያቅታችውና ቢፈልጉም እንኳን ሱዳንና ኬንያ የምታደርስ ገንዘብ በማጣታቸው እንጀራ ብለው የገቡ ብዙ እንዳሉ አውቃለሁ። እነዚህ በሙሉ የድሀ ልጆች ቤት ተቀምጦ በረሀብ ከመሞት የምችለውን አድርጌ እኖራለሁ ብለው እንደሚኖሩ አውቃለሁና በተለይ እናንተ ከዚህ የመከራ ማጥ እንድትወጡልኝ አምላኬን መለመን አልተውኩም። ግምገማ ፈርታችሁ የራሳችሁን ወገን በዱላ መጨፍጨፍ እንዴት እንደሚሰማ አውቀዋለሁ። ባዶ እጁን ያለን ሰውማ በጥይት መግደል የባሰ ነው። በተለይ ያልበላን ሆድ ተርቦ የሚያውቅ ሆድ እንዲህ ያለውን ግፍ በደንብ ያውቃል። ዞሮ ዞር የሚመታውም ሆነ የሚገደለው የናንተ ዘመድ እንኳን ባይሆን አንዱ ቦታ ተመድቦ የሚሰራ የባልደረባችሁ ዘመድ መሆኑ መች ይቀራል።

ጫካ የነበራችሁና ለነፃነት ሲባል የተቀላቀላችሁ ወገኖቼም ብትሆኑ ብዙዎቻችሁ የድሀ ገበሬ ልጆች ናችሁ ወይም ነበራችሁ። ድህነት ጣዕሟን ታውቃላችሁ። ወገናችሁ በሰው አገር እንደ ውሻ ሲቀጠቀጥ ወንጀለኛ ነው ወይም ሕገ ወጦች ናቸው ተብሎ ይበሏቸው የሚል አንጀት ይኖራችሃል ብዬ አላስብም። ከተወለደበት ቀዬ ወደማያውቀው አገር ብን ብሎ የሚሄደው የቸገረው ብቻ ነው። እጅና እግር እያለኝ እናትና አባቴ በረሀብ አይሞቱም ያለ ብቻ ነው። የምታጠባው ጡት ደርቆባት ልጆቿን የምታቀምሰው አጥታ ባሏ እጅና እግር እያለው ስራ አጥቶ ሲንከራተት ያየች ነች ጉዱን እያወቀች አረብ አገር የምትሄደው። አንዳንዶቻችሁ ሲከፋችሁ ምናባቱ ብላችሁ ጫካ እንደገባችሁት ባወጣ ያውጣው ብለው ያሉት የተሰደዱት የናንተው ቢጤ ምስኪኖች፣ ሀገራቸውንና ወገናቸውን የሚወዱ ድሆቹ ናቸው። ለነዚህ መከረኞች አለሁ ማለት ካቃታችሁ የትኛውን አገር ነው የምትጠብቁት? የትኛውን ነፃነት ለማምጣት ነው ጫካስ የገባችሁት? ምነው ታውቁት የለም የሱማሌ ስደተኞችን ተቀብለን አላኖርንም? ከ ኤርትራ የመጡ ስደተኞች ኢትዮጵያ ይኖሩ የለም? አረ ምን ስደተኞች ባለስልጣኖቹስ ቢሆኑ እነማን ሆነው ነው? ደግሞስ ከሀገራችን ይውጡ ካሉ አሳፍሮ መላክ ነው እንጂ እንደ አይጥ መንጋ መጨፍጨፉንስ ምን አመጣው? ምናልባት ጥፋት ስለሰሩ ነው ብለው ነግረዋችሁ ከሆነ ውሸት ነው። ሲብስባቸው የሚደርስላቸው ሲያጡ ባንዲራ ለብሶ መታረድ ቢሰለቻቸው ነው መቆጣት የጀመሩት። እውነት ቢኖራቸው ኖሮ መረጃውን ሁሉ አይከለክሏችሁም ነበር። አይናችሁን ሸፍነው ጆሮአችሁን ደፍነው ከሰውነት ወደ አውሬነት ለመቀየር ስለሚፈልጉ ነው። አረቦቹ ኢትዮጵያውያኑን በስፋት መግደል የጀመሩት የሀገራችሁ መንግስት ውሰዱልን ብንል እምቢ ስላሉ ነው እያሉ ነው።

ወገኖቼ ያለባችሁን ችግር አውቃለሁ ብዙ ብጽፍ ለማንበብም እድል አታገኙ ይሆናል። ግን ትንሽም ቢሆን የተሰማኝን ስሜት ላካፍላችሁ ብዬ ነው። አይምሰላችሁ የናንተን ችግር ሕዝቡም ያውቀዋል። እናንተ የእንጀራ ጉዳይ ሆኖባችሁ እንጂ አንጀታችሁ እርር እንደሚል አውቃለሁ። ከዚያም በላይ ደግሞ ብዙዎቻችሁ እህቶቻችሁ የወንድም የእህቶቻችሁ ልጆች ሁሉ አረብ አገር እንዳሉ አውቃለሁ። አንዳንዶቻችሁ እጮዎቻችሁ ጭምር ትንሽ ገንዘብ ሰርተው ኑሮ ለማሳመር ሲሉ አረብ አገር እንደሄዱባችሁ ሁሉ አውቃለሁ። ያው ነና የኔም ዘመዶች እኔኑ እያስቸገሩ እዚህ ተቀምጠን የማይሆን ነገር ውስጥ ከመግባት ሲሉ ስቅቅ እያልኩ ገንዘብ እልክላቸው ነበር። ካልሆነልን በዝሙት መተዳደር ነው እድላችን ያሉኝም አሉ። እቤት ተቀምጨ ረሀብ በሶስት ቀን ከሚገድለኝ ትንሽ ፋታ የሚሰጠው ኤድስ ይሻላል የሚሉ ሁሉ እንዳሉ አውቃለሁ፣ እናንተም ይህን በደንብ ታውቃላችሁ። ይህን እየሰማ አልጨክን የሚል ሆድ ያለው ግማሹ ገንዘቡን ልኮ ሌላውም ጥሪቱን ሽጦ ወይም ተበድሮ ነወ የላከው። ይህ ወገኑን የአረብ መጫወቻ ሲሆን እንባ አይደለም ለምን ደም አያስለቅስም። እናንተ ከዚህ የባሰ ሀዘን ውስጥ እንደምትሆኑ አውቃለሁ። ለመነጋገር ቀርቶ ለማሰብም እንደምትፈሩ ይገባኛል። ጥርነፋው የሚያወላዳ አይደለም። ግን ከእሳት የሚያወጣ ሀይል ያለው አምላክ አለላችሁ። የወገን ግፍ በቃ በሉ። ስለወገናችሁ መዋረድ ተቆርቆሩ። ይህን ሰርቶ እንጀራ ከመብላት ታግሎ መውደቅ ይመረጣል በእውነት ክፉ እንዲነካችሁ አልፈልግም ነገር ግን በዚህ ከቀጠልን ለናንተም እየፈራሁ ነው።

እናንተ እኮ የሀገር መከላከያ እንጂ የባለስልጣን ዘበኛ አይደላችሁም። ሀገር ስትዋረድ የአስራ አምስትና አስራ ስድስት አመት ልጆች በስድስትና ሰባት ወንድ እየተደፈሩ ደም በደም ሆነው በየሜዳው ሲጣሉ ምን አንጀት ያስጨክናችሁ ይሆን? ወገኖቼ አገራችን ብዙ አምባገነን መንግስታትን አስተናግዳለች። ሰራዊቱና ፖሊስም ለዚህ መሳርያ ሆኖ ያገለገለበት ወቅት ነበር። ነገር ግን የሀገር መከላከያ ሙሉ በሙሉ በጠላት እጅ ወድቆ ለጠላት አድሮ ኢትዮጵያን በዚህ ደረጃ ያዋረደበት ጊዜ ኖሮ አያውቅም። የዚህ የጠላት ጦር አጋር መሆን ወንጀል ነው። ልጆቻችንን አትንኩብን ወንድም እህቶቻችንን አትግደሉብን ብለው ሰልፍ የወጡ ሰዎችን አረቦች ፊት፣ ኤምባሲያቸው ፊት ለፊት በናንተ ዱላ መጨፍጨፍ ወንጀል ነው። ጣልያን ኢትዮጵያን በወረረች ጊዜ ከጣልያን ጎን በመሰለፍ የሀገራቸውን ሕዝብ ያስጨፈጨፉ ጥቂት ባንዳዎች ነበሩ። የአንድ ሀገር ጦር እንዳለ የባንዳ ሰራዊት ሲሆንና ለእለት እንጀራ ሲባል የዚህ ጦር አባል መሆን ጭካኔ ነው አውሬነትም ነው። አውሬም እንኳ የራሱን ዘር መልሶ አይበላም። ለመሆኑ እናንተ ከማን ተፈጠራችሁ?

ይህ ጭካኔያችሁን የተመለከተ ኢትዮጵያዊ የያዛችሁትን ቆመጥ ተቀብለው ሊያደርጓችሁ የሚችለውንስ ታውቁ ይሆን? ወገናችሁን በመጨፍጨፍስ የደም እንጀራ ስትበሉ እንቅልፍስ እንደምን ትተኛላችሁ? ድህነት ክፉ ነው ሆድ ብዙ ያደርጋል ግን አሁን በቃ ልትሉ ይገባል። ልታምጹ እምቢ ለትሉ ይገባል። ጥያቄው የስልጣን አይደለም፣ የሀይማኖት አይደለም፣ የዘር አይደለም የነጻነት ጥያቄ ነው! የክብር ጥያቄ ነው! የ ኢትዮጵያዊነት ጥያቄ ነው።

ከጠላቶቻችን ጋር ተባብራችሁ የሀገራችሁን ሕዝብ ለመጨፍጨፍ ቁርጠኛ ሆናችሁ ከቀጠላችሁ ይሄ ሕዝብ ሊያደርጋችሁ የሚችለውን አስባችሁ ይሆን? ወገኖቼ ይህ ቀን ሳይጨልም እምቢ በሉ። ዘረኞች፣ የአረብ አሽከር ሆነው ሀገራችሁን መሬታችሁን እየሸጡ፣ ሚስት ልጆቻችሁን ለግርድና እየላኩ ሀብት ሲያጠራቅሙ የነሱ ዘበኛ መሆንና የእንደዚህ አይነት ከሀዲዎች አጋር መሆን ጨካኝነት ብቻ ሳይሆን የሀገር ጠላትነት ነው። በታሪክ የሚያስጠይቅ በክህደትም የሚያስጠይቅ ነው። እምቢ የምትሉበት ጊዜ አሁን ነው። በየሜዳው ላይ እየተደፈሩና እየተገደሉ ያሉ ኢትጵያውያን ደም ይፋረዳችኋል። ይህ መረጃ ለሁሉም ሊደርስ የሚገባው ነው ላልሰማው አሰሙ። ይህ የፍረሀት አጥር ይፈርሳል ያኔ የታጠቃችሁት መሳርያ ዋጋም አይኖረውም። ብዙዎች ወገኖቻቸውን ለመቀላቀል መነሳሳትን አሳይተዋልና እናንተም ተነሱ፣ ቁጣችሁን አሳዩ ወገናዊነታችሁን አስመስክሩ! አገራችሁን ኢትዮጵያንና ሕዝባችሁን ታደጉ። የመገናኛ ብዙሃን በድምጽም ቢሆን መልዕክቴን ያደርሱላችሁ ይሆናል አመጽ በልብ ይጠነሰሳል ሁኔታ ሲፈቅድ ደግሞ ይፈነዳልና ልባችሁ ይሸፍት እምቢታችሁን መግለጫ መንገድ አስቡ። ኢትዮጵያ ከዚህ መዐት ተውጣለችና የመፍትሄው አካል ሁኑ። አምላካችሁ የእውነቱን መንገድ ያሳያችሁ።

ወንድማችሁ ዳኛቸው ቢያድግልኝ

biyadegelegne@hotmail.com

two Ethiopian refugees killed, 5 others seriously wounded during a clash

Faisal Herobe – Ali Herobe
A squad of Mujahideen clashed today with a group of Ethiopian violators.resulting in the death of two Ethiopians and wounding five others, one very seriously. In an exclusive interview with the Mountains newspaper, Mujahadin Jazan Khaled Alkeziz said that the band clashed with seven of the Ethiopian violators, and during the engagement that followed the Ethiopians armed with knives resisted arrests, resulting in the deaths of the two Ethiopians and serious injuries to the five others.


Posted by Addisu Wond.
Source http://ethiopianewsforum.com/

በሳውዲ አረቢያ በሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ላይ የሚደርሰው ሰቆቃ አሁኑኑ ይቁም!!!

በሳውዲ አረቢያ በሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ላይ የሚደርሰው መከራ መስማት ህሊና መሸከም ከሚችለው በላይ ሆኗል። ኢትዮጵያዊን እህቶቻችን ወንድሞቻችን በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ እየተገደሉ፤ አካሎቻቸው በስለት እየተቆራረጠ፤ እየተደበደቡና እየተደፈሩ ነው።

ይህ ሁሉ የሚፈፀው በሪያድ፣ ጂዳና አዲስ አበባ የሚገኙ የወያኔ ዲፕሎማቶች መልካም ፈቃድና ሙሉ ተባባሪነት መሆኑ ደግሞ ይበልጥ የሚያንገበግብ ነው። ወያኔ ለአረብ ሀብታም ሸሪኮቹ ለም መሬቶቻችንን ሰጥቶ ኢትዮጵያዊ በአገሩ ሠርቶ የእለት ጉርሱን መሸፈን የማይችልበት ደረጃ ላይ እንዲደርስ አደረገው። ቀጥሎ ደግሞ በሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ልጃገረዶችና ወጣት ኢትዮጵያንን እየደለለ ከባርነት ላልተሻለ ግርድና አሳልፎ ሰጣቸው። ይህ ሁሉ ግፍ አልበቃ ብሎ “በሏቸው፤ ቀጥቅጧቸው፤ ህገወጦች ናቸው” እያለ በወገኖቻችን ላይ የሚደርሰውን ሰቆቃ በአጋፋሪነት እያስተናገደ ነው።

በኩየት በሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ላይ ተመሳሳይ ሰቆቃ ሊደርስ የሚችል መሆኑ ምልክቶች እየታዩ ነው። በኩዌት ያለአንዳች ምክንያት ቁጥራቸው በአንድ ሺህ በላይ የሆኑ ኢትዮጵያዊያን በድንገት ከሥራ ተባረዋል። እዚህም የወያኔ እኩይ እጆች እንዳሉት መረጃዎች አሉ። በሌሎች የመካከለኛው ምሥራቅ አገሮች የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያዊያንም ሕይወታቸው በዘወትር ስጋት ላይ ወድቋል።

የኢትዮጵያዊያን እጣ ፈንታ በአገር ውስጥም ከአገር ውጭም ሰቆቃና እንግልት መሆኑ የሚያሳዝን ብቻ ሳይሆን የሚያስቆጭ፤ ለመራራ ትግል የሚያነሳሳም ነው። ለአገሩ ሕዝብ የሚቆረቆር መንግሥት ኑሮን ቢሆን ኖሮ ሕይታችን እንዲህ የተመሰቃቀሰ ባልሆነም ነበር።

ግንቦት 7: የፍትህ፣ የነፃነትና የዲሞክራሲ ንቅናቄ የሳውዲ አረቢያ እና ሌሎችም የመካከለኛ ምሥራቅ አገራት መንግሥታት ለኢትዮጵያዊያን እህቶቻንና ወንድሞቻችን ሰብዓዊ ክብር እንዲሰጡ አበክረን እናሳስባለን። ሰብዓዊ መብቶችን መድፈር ዓለም ዓቀፍ ወንጀል መሆኑን ልንነግራቸው እንፈልጋለን። በወገኖቻችን ላይ የሚደርሰው ሰቆቃ አሁኑኑ ይቁም!!! ሰቆቃ ፈፃሚዎች ለፍርድ ይቅረቡ!!!

በተቻለው ፍጥነትና ባገኘነው እድል ሁሉ ተጠቅመን ሕይወታቸው አደጋ ላይ ላሉት ወገኖቻችን እንድንደርስ ግንቦት 7 ለመላው የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ጥሪ ያደርጋል።

በኢትዮጵያዊያን ላይ የሚደርሰው ሰቆቃ በዘላቂነት የሚወገደው ወያኔ ከሥልጣን ተባሮ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ የመረጠው መንግሥት ሲያስተዳድር በመሆኑ ለዚህ ታላቅ ግብ በኅብረት እንነሳ።

በወገኖቻችን ላይ የሚደርሰው ሰቆቃ ይቁም!!

ድል ለኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ!!!

Assassinating popular leaders will only invigorate the people

On Thursday November 7, 2013; the Valiant Ginbot 7 Popular Force intelligence unit foiled the assassination plot that targeted the secretary of Ginbot 7: Movement for Justice, Freedom and democracy, and commanders and high ranked officers of Ginbot 7 Popular Force. This futile attempt by the coward TPLF regime that took place in Eritrea territory is yet another sign and proof that this blood-stained regime cannot and does not survive without spilling the blood of innocent Ethiopians. Ginbot 7 and the Ethiopian people at large are outraged by the TPLF regime’s recent assassination attempt, and they strongly denounce this shameful act that does not serve any purpose.

In the last twenty two years, the TPLF leaders assaulted or killed anyone who dare did anything to slightly oppose them, they hated one group of innocent people for no apparent reason, and they even managed to turn one of the most peaceful country in the world into a land of hate politics. All in all, genocide, hate, random killing, mass killing and now targeted killing – the TPLF regime has no shortage of reasons for guilt. Ginbot 7, Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy praises the heroic acts of the Ginbot 7 Popular Force in foiling the assassination attempt on its leaders and commanders, and uses this opportunity to pass a clear message to the arrogant TPLF leaders that Ginbot 7 Popular Force is part of the popular struggle that will never and can never be undermined by killing its leaders. In its attempt to perpetuate its power, the TPLF regime has gone to another inglorious dimension of targeted assassination of political leaders. Ginbot 7 wants to remind the TPLF regime and its killing squad that the shame and the sour defeat they were forced to swallow on Thursday November 7 is just the tip of the iceberg.

Once again, Ginbot 7 denounces the recent cowardly act of the Ethiopian regime in its strongest sense, and wants to remind the Ethiopian people that this is a wakeup call that must be answered with due diligence. Torturing and killing popular leaders has always been a worthless coward act that invigorates the people and creates more courageous leaders. We Ethiopians should cheerfully acknowledge that in its futile attempt to harm us, our enemy has wounded itself, now it’s up to us to hit the nail on the coffin.

We shall overcome!

Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

Public Relation

የሳኡዲ ዋና ከተማ በጎርፍ ተጥለቀለቀች

ኢ.ኤም.ኤፍ – ቅዳሜ ምሽት የጣለው ዝናብ በሳኡዲ ዋና ከተማ፣ ሪያድ ላይ ከፍተኛ የሆነ የጎርፍ መጥለቅለቅ አስከትሏል። እሁድ ይከፈቱ የነበሩ ትምህርት ቤቶች እና ዩኒቨርስቲዎች ተዘግተዋል። ላለፉት አመታት በቂ ዝናብ ያላገኘችው የሪያድ መዲና፤ ለሁለት ሰአታት ሳያቋርጥ በዘነበው ዝናብ ምክንያት ነበር በውሃ የተጥለቀለቀችው።
አንዳንዶች ሳኡዲዎች በኢዮጵያውያን ላይ ባደረሱት ግፍ ምክያት፤ ከአምላክ የmeጣ ቁጣ ነው” የሚሉ ወገኖች አሉ። በዚያም ተባለ በዚህ ግን አገሪቱ ታይቶ በማይታወቅ ዝናብ እና ጎርፍ አደጋ ውስጥ ናት።

Saudi floodeded after the killing of Ethiopians

ዝናብ ብዙም የማያውቃት ሳኡዲ አረቢያ እንዲህ ያለ ከፍተኛ ዝናብ እና ጎርፍ ሲያጋጥማት፤ ከአርባ አመታት በኋላ ይህ የመጀመሪያው ነው።

መድረክ ሳኡዲ ኢምባሲ ፊት ለፊት፤ ሰላማዊ ሰልፍ እንዳያደርግ ተከለከለ

ኢ.ኤም.ኤፍ – የመድረክ ፓርቲ ዛሬ እሁድ ህዳር 8፣ 2006 ዓ.ም.፤ በሳኡዲ አረቢያ በሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን ላይ የሚደረውን ግፍ እና በደል በመቃወም ከሳኡዲ አረቢያ ኢምባሲ ፊት ለፊት ሊያደርግ የነበረው ሰላማዊ ሰልፍ በአዲስ አበባ አስተዳደር መከልከሉ ታወቀ። የአዲስ አበባ መስተዳደር ለመድረክ በላከው ደብዳቤ ላይ፤ በአዲስ አበባ አለም አቀፍ ጉባዔዎች እየተካሄዱ በመሆኑ በቂ የፖሊስ ጥበቃ ማድረግ እንደማይችል እና በዚህም ምክንያት ሰላማዊ ሰልፉ እንዲደረግ ያለመፈቀዱን ገልጿል።

በተመሳሳይ መልኩ ባለፈው አርብ እለት ሰላማዊ ሰልፍ ለማድረግ የወጡት የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ አመራሮች ታስረው፤ ቁጣውን ለመግለጽ የወጣው ህዝብ ደግሞ በፌዴራል ፖሊስ ከፍተኛ የሆነ ድብደባ የተደረገበት መሆኑ ይታወሳል።

The Distress of the Ethiopia Immigrants in Saudi Arabia

by  Mekonenn Elalla Fekadu

Yesterday around 5:15 AM Ethiopia local times many protesters were out on the street federal police were attacking them. Among them there were old people. What’s even more heart breaking was the Saudi Embassy people were sitting on their roof tops and smiling when the TPLF federal police beat up their own people? The idea of coming together today was not about the current government. It’s about our people who are being brutalized in Saudi Arabia. That shows the ruling party TPLF how they are brutal when they beat the innocent people at the demonstration, this is painful and sadness. TPLF is evil. Really I never heard or seen this kind of government that doesn’t care for its own people. This is coldblooded and shameful act.

In Saudi Arabia capital city Riyadh – Thousands of Ethiopian immigrants have been subjected to murder, rape and beatings in a savage Saudi crackdown on “illegal immigrants.” many have been killed, an Ethiopian told activist Sadik Ahmed from a Saudi town last week. “I’ve seen with my naked eyes Ethiopian women being dragged by Saudi thugs for a gang rape.” Ethiopians don’t have an Ethiopian government since 1991, when a mercenary tyrant called Meles Zenawi took over power and soiled the good image and respect Ethiopians had in the international community.

Ethiopian migrant workers never deserved the kind of humiliation and punishment from a country which had a unique historical link directly to the Prophet Mohammed.

Fearful for their lives, tens of thousands of Ethiopian workers were being sheltered in temporary camps in Manfouha district of Riyadh, awaiting repatriation to their native country.

The weak and corrupt Hailemariam Desalegn regime remains indifferent to the plight and suffering of the migrant workers who were being hunted down like pests over the week.

Video clips showing the brutality of Saudi security forces have gone viral over the Internet, thus fueling the anger of many people around the world whose compatriots were being displaced from Saudi towns with the most dehumanizing ways.

Saudi investors have in recent years acquired vast tracts of agricultural land in southern Ethiopia. They plan to meet the rice needs of the kingdom from their Ethiopia harvest alone. But given the deepening animosity of the Saudis against Ethiopians, their dream for agricultural bonanza from the lush green tracts of land of Ethiopia may turn into a nightmare. Saudi Arabia shame on you, shame on you, shame on you when you kill innocent Ethiopians immigrants!

Ethiopians back from Saudi recall beatings, jail

ADDIS ABABA: When Abdallah Awele moved to Saudi Arabia from Ethiopia last year, he thought he would land a good job and earn enough money to send home to his family.

But instead, Abdallah, 21, said he was beaten, robbed and jailed for living in the country illegally.

“I wanted a good salary and a good life, that’s why I crossed the border,” he said.

“When I was in Saudi Arabia, I was successful, I was saving a lot of money and I had nice things. But I lost all of it. Now I am home and I won’t go back there.”

Abdallah was one of at least 23,000 Ethiopians living illegally in Saudi Arabia, and part of a group of close to 400 flown home on Friday after being expelled.

According to Ethiopian officials, three of their nationals were killed this month in clashes with Saudi police as the clampdown—set in motion after a seven-month amnesty period expired—got under way.

“I had 3,500 Saudi Arabian riyals ($930). We were taken to prison, I lost my luggage, and all of my money was collected by the police,” Abdallah said.

“Even my shoes were collected by the police,” he said, speaking barefoot after leaving the airport with about 30 other men.

Abdullah, who had a job guarding animals, was jailed for six months—during which he said he was denied food and medical help.

“There is a lot of unhappiness in there,” he said, showing off scars on the back of his neck.

Facing limited job prospects and harsh economic realities back home, large numbers of Ethiopian men and women head to the oil- and gas-rich Arabian peninsula every year seeking work.

The International Labor Organization said many face physical and mental abuse, menial pay, discrimination and poor working conditions, and the Ethiopian government announced last month it was banning domestic workers from traveling to the Middle East to look for jobs after widespread reports of mistreatment.

Beatings, robbery, jail
Like Abdullah, Abdurahman Kamal said he too was beaten before being jailed for 10 days. His employer revoked his salary and his visa before handing him over to the authorities.

“The police asked for money but at that time I didn’t have the money, so the police beat me,” said Abdurahman, 21, who worked as a driver.

Now he says he is relieved to be home after three years in Saudi Arabia.

“I get to go back to my family,” he said, wearing a torn shirt that revealed his scarred torso.

With 91 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous country in Africa after Nigeria, but also one of the poorest.

Ethiopia’s unemployment rate—27 percent among women and 13 percent among men, according to the ILO—is the main driver for young people seeking better opportunities abroad.

The UN refugee agency says that over 51,000 Ethiopians risked their lives this year alone on the risky sea crossing across the Gulf of Aden, where reports are common of ships sinking or refugees drowning after being thrown out too far from the shore.

It was greener pastures that led Ahmed Abduljebar, 25, abroad three years ago. He moved to Yemen to work as a waiter and was arrested when he crossed into Saudi Arabia without a visa.

He said he was robbed and beaten before being jailed for three months, and complained Ethiopian authorities should have responded faster to release Ethiopians from prison.

“The Ethiopian embassy is a very big problem, because it’s not protecting Ethiopians,” he said. “If you’re in prison, no one is asking after you, and they are not collecting you quickly.”

Ahmed said while he is happy to be home, he “feels sick” knowing there are still thousands of Ethiopians still in prison.

While they now face the difficult task of finding work at home, they agree they have no plans to return to the site of their nightmare.

“I would never go back again to Saudi Arabia,” Abdurahman said.

AFP

The kingdom from hell

By Yilma Bekele
Today it is said that there are over a quarter of a million Ethiopians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The vast majority are young economic refugees working as maids, chauffeurs, and house servants. Women outnumber men and judging by the conditions in Ethiopian it is safe to say most have less than eight grade education. Most arrive with an employment contract for a specified period of time while a few are undocumented refugees working menial jobs.
Saudi Arabia with a population of about 27 million relies on foreign national to run its economy. They comprise 80% of the labor force. In the last few months what has gotten the attention of the Kingdom are the hundreds of thousands of undocumented people that live in limbo. In order to solve this festering problem the Kingdom announced a seven month amnesty period asking individuals to qualify for legal status or leave the country.

Indians, Filipinos, Tamils and other nationals were seen camping around their Consulates waiting for transportation to their homeland. Upon the expiration of the amnesty period the Saudi Government has been rounding up ‘illegal’ immigrants and holding them in ‘special centers’ while processing their papers.

In the process there have been clashes between the police and the immigrants resulting in the death of an Ethiopian and severe beatings of a few others. Today thousands of Ethiopians, Somalis and Eritreans are held in detention centers waiting to be deported back to their respective homelands.

The callous way the Saudis treat those they identify as illegal is simply beyond the pale. Killing, beating and raping for such a simple offense is a reflection of a backward society riddled with its own human rights problems.
We Ethiopians are saddened, shocked and at a loss on how to respond to such abuse of our people by a neighbor. The last few weeks the criminal act of the Saudi regime has been the center of conversation among those of us that have left our country but are lucky enough to live in places that has allowed us to live with dignity far from our motherland. The wanton violence against our people has angered us while making us once again feel helpless when being victimized.
We are showing our displeasure at the unprovoked violence against our people by marching in front of the Kingdom’s Embassy to shame the regime; we are collecting countless petitions to make our concerns clear to Saudi officials. All what we doing are commendable and the best way we know how to let the steam out. But there are a few things to keep in mind to really appreciate the situation that is confronting us.
One thing we have to understand is the nature of the Saudi government that is committing all this human rights abuse in broad day light. The question to ask would be should we expect anything different? How in the world does one expect justice from a country that keeps half its own citizens under servitude? Saudi Arabia a country named after an individual is a male dominated society where the woman is considered a piece of property. The immigrant is just another piece of inanimate object and no amount of thought or care goes to worry about such lowly creatures feeling or wellbeing.
I believe our righteous anger should also be aimed at the cause of such calamity not just at the symptom. A simple question should be why are those hundreds of thousands Ethiopians willing to go to a place that is hostile and unwelcoming is a good thing to ask. As an Ethiopian shouldn’t we be looking at the cause of the problem instead of the effect? Does shouting standing outside the Saudi Embassy a solution or would looking deeply at what caused the disease in the first place bring about a better and lasting cure?
I agree what is done to our people in the Middle East requires our unreserved condemnation and active participation in shaming the reactionary regime but I believe that should be the tip of the iceberg. The main culprit of such degradation of the people of Ethiopia is the dictatorial Tigrai ethnic based minority regime lording over us. Tackling that problem is the key to solving the current insult we are receiving.
The Saudi situation is I am afraid nothing to be so hot about at this late hour. The last twenty years in the Middle East from Lebanon to the Gulf our children have been committing suicide, forced to kill, being humiliated or driven insane. We are all aware of that. Our Woyane masters have been facilitating this crime knowing the dire circumstances they are sending these young children into. They have made exporting young girls to the Middle East or selling so called orphans to the west into a science. Again we are all aware of that. Without being callous may I be allowed to say that what the Saudis are doing to our people is what the Woyane regime has been doing to us the last twenty years. We seem to be upset because they are foreigners but do you think it matters who pulls the trigger for the person being shot? Who do you think is doing all that atrocity to Semayawi Party and Andenet? Who do you think committed all that war crime in Ogaden, displaced people in Gambella, internally exiled the Amharas in their own land?
Wasn’t it only a year or so ago a young girl was forced to commit suicide in Beirut because the Embassy chased her out of the compound into the hands of her assailant? Aren’t we all aware of the young women that kill themselves by drinking cleaning detergents when unable to take any more of the abuse? Didn’t we see the crime committed by Gadhafi’s son wife that burned the face of our daughter or sister?
When do we learn to step up and take responsibility? When do we stop this lie and willful ignorance and always search for someone to blame? When do we learn to stop being selfish and care about those we left behind? When do we start looking deep inside our soul and admit our failings and resolve to make things right? This indignation and shouting and screaming will look foolish if tomorrow we go back and do what we have been doing all along. Turning our face not to see, investing in condominiums, belittling the efforts of those that fight for us and being used by Woyane to divide, disrupt our community even in our places of worship.
This unfortunate situation has given us the opportunity to unite and confront our common enemy. We can turn this bad situation into a positive learning experience and treat each other with dignity, worry about our people, think positive no matter what the little negative voice says in our ears and chart a new road. We can do that if we are serious and genuinely felt the plight of our people stuck in an alien place with no one to protect them. On the other hand if we are only galvanized by the picture we see but not by the slow death of our children in Ethiopia then my friend your cry is hollow, your concern is empty and you are doing more damage than good. I have but one simple question to ask-what exactly are you going to do to get rid of the disease called Woyane in order to stop the sickness that is killing our precious land? We shall overcome.