Kenenisa Bekele sets world record in the 10,000 metres
Canada.com - Canada
BRUSSELS (AP) - Kenenisa Bekele set a world record in the 10,000 metres at the Van Damme Memorial on Friday, beating the mark he set last year by ...

Britain urged to lift Ethiopia aid ban
Bray People - Ireland
Britain should lift the suspension of new aid to Ethiopia, and other nations should continue to support the government despite disputed elections and political ...
 

EU election observers go beyond mandate
Xinhua - China
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Ethiopia on Saturday slammed the EU Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM), saying that it went beyond its mandate. ...
 

Rampant inter-communal clashes in the south and east
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
... 26 August (IRIN) - Clashes between communities in southern and eastern Ethiopia have so ... grazing land had erupted in March and June between the Oromo and Somali ...
 

August 26, 2005

Source:Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa  

Sisai Ibssa: a Charismatic and Visionary Leader

Date: August 22, 2005

It is with great sense of loss and sadness that we issue this statement on the untimely passing of Obboo Sisai Ibssa on 20th of August 2005.

Sisai Ibssa was a revolutionary giant who devoted most of his life to the cause of the Oromo people for freedom and justice. He started his political life in late 1960s when he joined what was then popularly known as the Ethiopian Student Movement in Europe and North America. Until early 1970s, he played a pivotal role in demystifying the mythical Ethiopian political system and painting its realistic picture for the world to witness. He challenged his peers within the movement to expose the decadent Ethiopian political order that shackled the political, economic, and social development of the Oromo and other oppressed southern nations in the Ethiopian empire. He was among the few who genuinely ventured to address issues that remained taboo in the Ethiopian political circles. The core issue that was close to his heart that he passionately and persistently dealt with at the time was one that pertained to the right of self-determination for the disenfranchised nations in the empire. For the student body that came from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds this was the most contentious issue of the time. He vigorously and relentlessly argued for the emancipation of the Oromo and other oppressed nations trapped within the empire. However, elements within the student movement who realized the far-reaching implication of his argument lined in opposition and hardly offered anything by way of a solution to redress the historical political injustices of the Ethiopian state but just prescribed what amounts to keeping the status quo. This situation had created a major political fault in the student movement. At the end, the rift escalated to a degree that forced Sisai Ibssa to seek other venues to continue struggling for the cause of the Oromo nation.

Devoted as he was for the cause of his people, Sisai joined the camp of the Oromo national liberation movement that was at the insipient stage in the early 1970s. Since then he had contributed immeasurably towards the advancement of the Oromo Liberation struggle.

Until his death, through out the period that spanned over 30 years, Sisai had committed his full heart and mind, his time, and his resources to advance the cause of the Oromo national struggle. He had campaigned extensively in exposing the nature of the Ethiopian state and in publicizing the predicament of the Oromo nation.

In order to launch an organized campaign against the Ethiopian political establishment, Sisai Ibssa had spearheaded the formation of various vehicles that suit the success of the campaign. One of such vehicles that he aspired to create was an independent Oromo organization in North America. Convinced in having such an organization, he embarked on searching and wining the heart and mind of Oromo nationals across North America so that they would buy into his ideal. He successfully rallied Oromo nationalists around his ideal and formed the Union of Oromos in North America (UONA).

As a founding member of UONA and an active leader in this organization, his contribution was magnificent. He effectively used the organization to enlighten the international community, particularly the North American community, about the Oromo nation. He was instrumental in leading his fellow members of the organization in the campaign of exposing the Ethiopian empire state as colonial state that abused the inalienable basic rights of the Oromo as individuals and as a nation. As a prolific writer, through the organ of the organization, he made every effort in portraying how the Oromo nation languishes under the most archaic colonial state that is hardly known to the world. His extensive writing on the beauty of the Oromo cultural heritage and the democratic system of government, Gada, has augmented the existing wealth of knowledge on the Oromo culture and socio-political system. His work in UONA, apart from retracting the Oromo identity and culture from obscurity, had raised the political consciousness of our fellow Oromos and engaged them to actively participate in the national struggle for liberation.

With the growing participation of Oromos both in the Diaspora and at home in the liberation movement, the political dynamics began picking up substantially. However, with this dynamic came diverse views and political persuasions on the course the liberation struggle should assume. As a result, Oromo political organizations proliferated for one reason or another and began working on their respective line of convictions. For Sisai Ibssa, this political development within our society became an issue of serious concern. To reverse this trend, the trend of Oromo organizations claiming to stand for one cause but working in secluded corners and lacking coordinated efforts, he advocated for the unity of purpose. His incessant effort in this front brought some political forces together in the late 1990s. As a result, this initial phase of his unification crusade brought about the formation of the Oromiyaa Liberation Council (OLC).

Within the OLC also Sisai played a critical role. He provided seasoned leadership. He set out the vision of the organization and the role it should play within the camp of the Oromo national liberation struggle. He prescribed that the OLC must have an ideological clarity for the struggle and be a voice of unity of liberation forces. Sisai devoted his remaining political life working on what he proposed that the organization carry out. As a visionary leader, at a time when there is a sense of uncertainty on the path our liberation struggle should take, he had articulated the Oromo national question and laid down the ideological foundation on which the Oromo liberation struggle should be anchored. Sisai shared his conviction on the sole ideological line that sets the Oromo nation free from the Ethiopian colonial bondage.

He passionately and convincingly argued at every opportune moment that bilisummaa could be within reach only when all political forces struggling for the cause of our people are united in purpose. Not only making a case for this issue, he had invested a tremendous effort for the realization of the unity. To the delight and much to the credit of Sisai, all forces came together and formed the United Oromo Liberation Forces (ULFO) in the year 2000. Such a grandiose contribution to this noble cause of liberation and his subsequent role as the spokesperson of ULFO has earned him a great respect and admiration from our compatriots.

Outside his organizationaal duties, Sisai actively participated in promoting civic organizations, Oromo communities, and academic associations. He was one of the prominent founding members and active participant of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA). The creation and development of an Oromo Institution for Information and Scholarship was his last dream project. He had started it but unfortunately never got a chance to get it finished.

We looked up to Obboo Sisai Ibssa as a charismatic, visionary, and great leader, a father of our unity and a mentor. Sisai is a hero who stood up firmly and resolutely for the liberation of the Oromo people and struggled tirelessly until his last breath. Sisai is and remains our role model. His sudden death is a shock for his relatives, personal friends, compatriots and comrades. We lost our dear leader and the Oromo People lost one of its best and finest statesmen at this critical juncture in our struggle. We promise to carry on to the end his banner and mission: the liberation of the Oromo people and the establishment of a democratic Oromiyaa based on Gadaa.

To honour his life time contribution to the Oromo national struggle and pay respect, funeral service will be held this coming Saturday, the 27th of August, in Washington D.C. His burial will take place in Oromiyaa the following week.

Information regarding the venue and the schedule of the service in Washington D.C. is posted on Gumii Bilisummaa Oromiyaa Website.

August 21, 2005

Ethiopia's Eastern Somali Region Holds Vote
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
JIJIGA, Ethiopia -- Voting in eastern Ethiopia ended peacefully Sunday, as elite forces, pro-government militia and police patrolled streets to secure the ...
 

Ethiopia in partial vote re-run
BBC News - UK
Voters in Ethiopia are casting their ballots in a partial re-run of the disputed general election held in May. Voting is taking ...
 

Ethiopia's opposition member elected mayor of capital
Xinhua - China
20 (Xinhuanet) -- The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the major opposition party in Ethiopia which won the May 15 parliamentary election in the ...
 

Ethiopia's eastern Somali region holds vote
San Jose Mercury News - United States
JIJIGA, Ethiopia - Voting in eastern Ethiopia ended peacefully Sunday, as elite forces, pro-government militia and police patrolled streets to secure the ...
 

New Ambassador to Ethiopia Presents Credentials
AllAfrica.com - Africa
New Angolan ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Manuel Augusto, on Thursday presented to president Girma Wolde-Giorgis, the credential letters that ...

August 18, 2005

ADDIS ABABA, 8/17/2005 (IRIN) - United States Congressman Chris Smith
has spent four days in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, holding
high-level talks with government and opposition leaders regarding the
recently concluded parliamentary elections.
 
In an interview with IRIN on Tuesday in Addis Ababa, Smith, who is the
chairman of the US House of Representatives sub-committee on Africa,
discussed the disputed 15 May elections. Below are excerpts:
 
QUESTION: Why is America concerned about elections and election
results in Ethiopia?
 
ANSWER: We have a generic concern about democracy and free and
fair elections everywhere, particularly in fledgling democracies, trying
to ensure there are poll watchers - people who can judge whether or not
it is free and fair - in sufficient numbers to do so.
 
The people of Ethiopia, no less than anybody else in the world, deserve
to have their ballot counted and not be subject to being defrauded,
which is why we looked at the elections here with such scrutiny. This is
why we are awaiting final reports from the European Union and others as
to what they found here and whether it was totally free and fair and
the like.
 
Q: What is your feeling? Would you describe the elections as
free and fair?
 
A: I don't think I have the competency, not having been here
before the elections and on election day to make a conclusion, but only to
react to what others who are on the ground say. I think there were
flaws - based on observation experts - the extent of it though is still
[awaiting] the report to be rendered and all of us need to hold back
somewhat until we get the full picture. There are problems, there is no
election in the world that is flawless, but it is a matter of degrees.
 
Q: What are the degrees here, what are the concerns?
 
A: There were concerns about intimidation of voters and
candidates, and that is probably at the top of the list. The other concern is
the fear - real or imagined - of retaliations that happen weeks or
months after the fact and that can have a chilling effect on the elections.
 
Q: What should voters or opposition officials do if there are
claims of election abuse?
 
A: I think what the final report says will make a difference.
The opposition have seen their minority grow very significantly; they had
only 12 seats in 2000 and that is a significant victory for the
multiparty system.
 
Q: Do you think the way the elections have gone, and the
killings, have tarnished the image of Ethiopia and its relations with the US?
 
A: The killings have put an already questionable election in
further light and scrutiny. For many Americans and many members of
Congress, the fact that there are many issues grabbing for attention, the
slaughter of three-dozen people all of a sudden raises 'what is this all
about'?
 
It almost caused a rubberneck effect, like when you see an accident on
the road. The election was getting some attention, but it was not
getting much attention until the killing of all those people. From [UN
Secretary General] Kofi Annan to [US] President [George] Bush to Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, to many members of congress, we have all
called for an aggressive, absolutely transparent investigation and to hold
those individuals to account for all those killings, and that hasn't
happened yet.
 
I raised that directly with [Ethiopian] Prime Minister Meles [Zenawi].
As each day goes by we become more sceptical that an honest
investigation can be undertaken and part of the reason is that you also
tend to
lose evidence and memories fade.
 
Q: Are you putting pressure on the government or opposition to
sort out these problems? Ethiopia is a key ally in the US war on terror
- isn't that more important than rocking the boat?
 
A: Like other governments in the world, we have an honest and
frank discussion and we did. In every conversation it has been very frank
that we want truth and transparency. I haven't minced my words
whatsoever. I also met with the opposition leaders and, for whatever it was
worth, suggested they ought to join the parliament. To leave those seats
vacant I think would disenfranchise the very voters who put them there.
 
Having said that, it doesn't mean I am enamoured with the election
process. I have been criticising it, as have other people. I read some of
the press that has been coming out, which says I have been siding with
the government - I am not. I am saying we do not pick sides as American
politicians and nor should we. We say we want the institutions and the
processes to be above board and clean and there are egregious points
here that need to be remedied.
 
Q: And the threat of renewed election-related violence?
 
A: However flawed the elections might be, violence is not the
answer and that is something I have said to everybody. That will
facilitate nothing but more death.
 
That also goes for the border dispute with Eritrea, we have been trying
to press that issue because we are very concerned that could [lead] to
a large loss of life. You not only lose life but there is a diversion
of scarce humanitarian resources so people who are indirectly related to
the conflict end up losing.
 
Q: When you return to the US, what will your message be?
 
A: I will brief the speaker [of the House of Representatives], I
will call Condoleezza Rice and speak to several assistant secretaries
when I get back. The message will be that we need to keep the pressure
on the government.
 
Friends don't let friends commit human rights abuses. Part of my
message - verbatim - was: "Ease up on the opposition. Stop following them,
stop intimidating individuals who are supporters." I said that
eyeball-to-eyeball, which is the message that needs to be conveyed.
 
We want this government to respect the dignity of these individuals who
are in opposition. Nobody in politics likes an opponent, but that is
part of the price of democracy, even if an opponent takes your seat or
your prime minister-ship, which is the cost of democracy. It is not
holding power at all costs; otherwise the people are ill served. That is
what I will be going back and saying.
 

August 9, 2005

Ethiopian ruling party wins second term amid disputes
Xinhua - China
... The EPRDF is itself an alliance of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Oromo People's Democratic Organization, the South Ethiopia People's Democratic Front ...

National Election Board of Ethiopia announces official results
Nazret.com - College Park,MD,USA
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) today released official results for ... The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) gained 11 seats while the ...

August 1, 2005

Ethiopia's Future in the Next Five Years: Seize the Moment and ...
Addis Tribune - Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
... It banned the Oromo Liberation Front. ... elections than driven by the higher purpose of embedding a democratic tradition and culture internally in Ethiopia. ...

Irish aid worker dies in car crash in Ethiopia
Ireland Online - Dublin,Ireland
A 25-year-old Irish volunteer aid worker has died in a car accident in Ethiopia, it emerged today. Joyce Campbell from Meenmore, Dungloe ...
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"Red Terror" Convict Kelbessa Negewo to Be Deported to Ethiopia
AllAfrica.com - Africa
... is in the top list of the Special Prosecutor's Most Wanted Extraditables for committing numerous acts of torture during the infamous Red Terror in Ethiopia. ...
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Ethiopia's Future in the Next Five Years: Seize the Moment and ...
Addis Tribune - Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
... Such historical moments are rare especially in countries like Ethiopia where political change has been for a long time under the grip of a particularly ...
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Authority Agrees to Contract Ethiopia Tannery Management
AllAfrica.com - Africa
The government of Ethiopia has contracted out the management of Ethiopia Tannery SC to P Tard, a British company. Ethiopia Tannery ...
 

Border Town Strangled by Ethiopia-Eritrea Tensions
Addis Tribune - Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
Before the war with Ethiopia, buses and trucks rumbled through Eritrea's border town of Senafe, shuttling daily between Asmara and Addis Ababa on a thriving ...