The
Proposal of TPLF/EPRDF’s regime on Federalizing the Sidama Capital, Hawassa,
will Remain Illegal and Irreconcilable!
Press
Statement
By
United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice (USPFJ)
June 12, 2013
Unable to receive fair justice for crimes
committed against unarmed and nonviolent Sidama civilians who were seeking
justice and fairness for their nation, yet were slaughtered by the government
army and police in broad day light; the Sidama people have remembered the Loqqe
massacre of Sidama civilians whose marches were cut short of reaching their
intended destination to lodge their concerns about the failure of government in
responding to Sidama nation’s constitutional quest for regional self administration.
The current regime’s federal, regional and
Zone officials remain solely responsible for the massacre of the Sidama of
civilians. However, so far none of them are brought to justice. Just 2 weeks
ago the 11th anniversary of the said massacre was remembered all
over the glob. The massacre has taken place by the direct orders of the Federal government http://www.oromoliberationfront.org/News/2013/TheSidamaNationCommemoratesthe11thAnniversaryofitsFallenHeroes.pdf, staunch regime loyalists to do the regime’s abhorring jobs in Sidama land by
giving them absolute power and authority to plan the massacre of the civilians,
implement the said barbaric on-slaughter, monitor its effective implementation
and appease the reactions of the Sidama people after the aftermaths of the
massacre.
Some of the prominent officials from the
federal government who have orchestrated this massacre from the federal government
involve:-
*Bereket
Simeon (the then information minister who’s maintained his position to
date)
*Abadula
Gamada (the then Defense minister who has ordered a brigade of army to
appease the killings and reaction of entire Sidama people post Loqqe massacre)
*Girma
Biru (the then minster of Industry)
*Mulugeta
Alemseged (TPLF’s Central committee & protocol adviser to late PM Meles
Z.)
*Tadesse
Kassa (the then Amhara regional State Vice President, symbolic rep of
northern domination)
From
regional and Sidama Zone administration the culprits were:-
*Hailemariam
Desalegn (the then regional President, the current PM, promoted to his
current position for his part in effectively coordinating and managing the
aftermaths of the massacre of Sidama civilians)
*Melese
Marimo (the then regional vice president who was promoted to Ambassadorial
posts for his role in massacring and silencing the civilians of Sidama nation
after the massacre).
*Shiferaw
Shugute (the current southern regional president who was immediately
assigned to take over from Hailemariam Desalegn for his ability of brutalizing
civilians and for his unique capacity in dogmatically implementing the orders
of TPLF without slightest questions involving violence)
Pertos
Woldesenbet
(who was an advocate of anti-Sidama programs and policies from Sidama Zone and
who took active part in the process of decision making)
Galalcha
Janje
(extremely barbaric and uneducated, wild Schizophrenic, yet assigned to
terrorize Sidama civilians with others 11 regional and Zone cadres) none of
them are held accountable to this date.
The
Current Proposal on Federalizing Sidama capital, Hawassa.
Unsatisfied with the bloods of innocent
civilians and sufferings of families of victims; most of those officials who
have ordered and staged-managed the massacre from the federal, regional and
Sidama Zone are still out there plotting for another crimes against Sidama
nation’s constitutional rights. After the massacre, the said regional and
Sidama Zone officials were promoted to higher positions including the current
PM Hailemariam Desalegn who was regional president during the massacre,
Shiferaw Shugute who was immediately promoted to regional presidency for his
barbaric acts & for lacking humanity whilst committing crimes against his
own people. These are the people who are currently preparing the Sidama nation
for another massacre as we speak.
The objective of the Sidama civilians who
have been slaughtered on May 24, 2002 was democratically demanding the
government in peaceful demonstration to respond to Sidama nation’s quest for
regional self administration which was continually denied. Disregarding the fact that the quest is
active, legitimate and constitutional, those officials who are responsible for
Loqqe massacre are actively playing the devilish roles in silencing Sidama nation and planning
the federalization of Sidama capital, Hawassa. Therefore, it appears to us that
they are preparing the people of Sidama for another massacre.
In June 2012 the regime’s cadres attempted to
federalize Sidama capital- the unwise plan became counterproductive and out
rightly infuriated the Sidama nation by angering the entire Sidama people from
corner to corner in unison. Finally, the Sidama people staged on a peaceful
demonstration throughout the entire Sidama demanding for immediate reversal of
the plans; and the united actions of the Sidama nation resulted in a repeated
and categorical denial of cadres. http://www.sidama.org/persecution/2012-06-23-ethiopia-regime-manfesto-uprooting-sidama-from-city.pdf . An inhumanly
baptized regional president has blabbered unpalatably using government owned
Medias to deny the fact that the plan on federalizing Sidama capital was from
the government instead claiming as if it was the fabrication of Sidama Diaspora
oppositions- shamefully to swallow back his regurgitated words 6 weeks later.
Several thousands have been detained for voicing their anger and taking part in
demonstrations; detention and torture is an ongoing business in Sidamaland and
it is the case as we speak. Federal regime and its regional agents change and
chop their accounts-promising one thing today and do another the next morning.
Time and again to this date, the Sidama
nation has shown their utter disappoint for such failure of the regime in
responding to the quest of Sidama nation for regional self administration
despite the promises of late PM who had repeatedly went to Sidama land to
deceive Sidama nation by telling them that the Sidama nation can be an
independent country as per the constitution let alone be able to administer its
own region. On several occasions the late PM had also promised the Sidama
nation to be granted regional status until he passed away without allowing the
Sidama nation to have its own regional status.
For demanding these constitutional rights,
several thousands of Sidama civilians, Sidama Farmers, University students,
Intelligentsia, Business community and the society at large are continually
threatened, unlawfully arrested, intimidated, repressed and excessively
suppressed, economically marginalized and continually terrorized by the direct
order of the current PM whose command gets implemented by his regional
entourage, Shiferaw Shugute and his other Sidama Zone collaborators all of whom
conspire with the central regime, the regime that grossly violates the
fundamental rights of Sidama people individually & collectively; http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/ethiopia/report-2013.
Therefore, as long as the constitutional
quest of the Sidama nation for regional self administration remains unanswered,
planning on federalizing the Sidama capital is a crime the regime commits
against its own constitution. Blatantly undermining the ongoing voices of over
6 million Sidama people for the last 22 years is also another crime against
humanity. In the past 22 years of the regime’s
reign, the consequences of its actions caused unnecessary deaths, poverty,
continued repression and gross violations of civilian rights in Sidamaland and
others parts of the country.
The culprits of the Loqqe massacre are still
at large and to make the situation worst they are planning for similar or for
bigger genocide if they dare pushing with their proposed plan on federalizing
the Sidama capital without proper consultation and approval of the Sidama
nation. This is simply because the Sidama nation never allows its ancestral
land to be given away for the benefits of a few of regime cadres who have
massacred and keep actively involved in all injustices perpetrated against the
Sidama people in Sidama land.
Therefore, the USPFJ strongly condemns the
said plan and demands its immediate and unconditional reversal. We also demand
the regime to unconditionally grant Sidama nation its constitutional rights to
regional self administration that are granted to others nations whose
populations are 16 times smaller than that of the Sidama nation. There hasn’t
been, there isn’t and there will never be justifiable reasons in stifling the
Sidama nation’s quest for regional self administration as long the constitution
remains intact.
The sons and daughters of Sidama nation those
who are unlawfully imprisoned for claiming their rights must be unconditionally
released and reinstalled to their respective positions of employments. Those
who are plotting for another massacre are mainly the individuals who were actively
involved in the decision and management of Loqqe massacre of Sidama civilians.
These individuals and groups must be brought to justice involving the current
PM, Hailemariam Desalegn. For any Sidama life likely to be killed due to this
plot, Mr Desalegn bears prime responsibilities. The economic injustice,
deliberate and systematic poverty induced in Sidama land as means of punishing
and silencing Sidama nation must be also unconditionally stopped.
We call up the entire subjugated nations and
international humanitarian, governmental and nongovernmental organizations to
support the just causes of the Sidama nation and to hold the current Ethiopian
regime for all crimes unfolding in Sidama region in particular and in the
entire country in general into account. We also urge donor- Western governments
and NGO’s to critically review their indirect support of injustices in Sidama
in particular and in Ethiopian in general and demand Ethiopian TPLF/EPRDF regime
to stop gross violations of human rights and impinging on civil liberties. We
also urge the HRW, AI and others international human rights organizations to
work with Sidama and others Ethiopian Diaspora to exert pressure on their
respective governments until the current Ethiopian regime abides with
international values and respect
fundamental rights and civil liberties.
Peace, Justice, Liberty and Fairness to all
Humanity!!
United
Sidama Partied fro Freedom and Justices, June 11, 2013
