Ethiopia’s Amhara state arrests civilians after deadly clashes with army – Africa News

[Deeq A.]

The Amhara regional state in Ethiopia says a number of civilians have been arrested for their role in deadly violence that killed over 20 people in the state through last week.

The state-run FBC and privately owned Addis Standard news portals said the party governing the region, the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), disclosed the measure after a central committee meeting.

The region, the second largest in the country, is located in the north and was riled by anti-government sentiments in three town – Woldiya, Kobo and most recently in Mersa. The Woldiya incident sparked off what is seen as solidarity protests in Kobo and Mersa.

Even though the exact number of arrest is not known, political watchers are wondering why no security forces have been arrested over their use of undue force on unarmed civilians.

In a statement it released following its central committee meeting, ANDM, the party governing the #Amhara regional state, said the region’s security forces were arresting suspects who participated in ethnic-motivated attacks, looting & damage to properties during protests pic.twitter.com/j1sf4jdos6

— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) 1 February 2018

According to the United Nations, security forces deployed during the Epiphany celebrations in the region used gunfire to prevent young people from chanting anti-government slogans during the celebrations. Their action led to more protests and the burning of private and public properties.

The official casualty figures for Woldiya was put at seven whiles in Kodo activists mentioned three. The Addis Standard said: “at least eleven people possibly more were killed in the town of Mersa.”

Gedu Andargachew, leader of ANDM and president of the Amhara region in a televised address last Thursday admitted the death of civilians and property damages both in Weldiya and Kobo.

He blamed it on the regional state’s failure to deliver on its mandates, which according to him had led to “piles of grievances.” “This is ANDM’s problem,” he said referring to the party governing the region.

“The result of this conflict is loss of lives, property damages and hindrance on civilians from pursuing a peaceful life.” He promised that the party will work closely with religious leaders, elders and rank and file administrative members if the region to “restore peace.”

Amhara along with Oromia region were the main centers of anti-government protest that shook the country in 2015 and through the better part of 2016.

To quell the violent protests, Addis Ababa imposed a nationwide state-of-emergency in October 2016. The measure was lifted in August 2017. Parts of the country have been rocked by deadly protests since the measure was lifted.

Source: Africa News

The post Ethiopia’s Amhara state arrests civilians after deadly clashes with army – Africa News appeared first on Caasimada Online.

[Holac]

I wonder if OO made a quick phone call to order arrest injirleeyda.

 

 

[Old_Observer]

58 minutes ago, Holac said:

I wonder if OO made a quick phone call to order arrest injirleeyda.

 

 

Hello Holac,

If it was in my neck of the woods and I had any capability to order arrests, the whole thing would not have happened.

This is the same like warlords activities in Somalia. Only that in Ethiopia you have regional governments. The Amhara kilil is composed of the Agew, Argoba and others that are almost 50-50 to the Amhara. Whenever these peoles ask for something they are blamed for being too close to Tigray and the whole fracas starts.

 

You might remember that last year Gonder was epicentre of such chaos. The Amhara government was challenged in the house of federation (senate) and ordered to allow the Agew tribe of Qimanti their own autonomous zone. It has not happened yet, but everything then went away. 140 Qimanti were killed and the Amhara governent did not arrest. Federal went there and cleaned house.

Same thing will happen now in North Wollo as well. Its being blamed on supporeters of Tigray, but its just a cover. Now the Amhara government is moving fast, maybe a bit late, because if the Amhara started mob action burning investments in a poor country, nobody in his/her right mind will invest there.

 

It is being led by facebook and twitter general command, but the local government should have moved faster. Same as Oromo.

There was internet calls from some Somalis as well to retaliate, but Iley really moved fast and prevented what could have been catastrophic situation for the Oromo and to some degree for Somali as well.

 

 

Example: In one of the towns, the mob burned the judge in his house. That is animal behaviour. Probably someone leading the mob had personal vendeta, since the judge is a local person as well. But the act is barbaric. I simply don't care what grievances they have. The Amhara government should arrest everyone involved in that mob and make a lesson out of them. The means you use to kill someone is an indication of savagery.

 

 

 

 

[Tillamook]

Oh the tangled webs we weave! 😆

 

O.O, I guess the Amhara, the Oromo, the Somalis, The Eritreans and any other group in the horn are all motivated by mob rule and other criminal elements, huh?

 

I wonder when will you include the political chicanery of the Tigray Kilil  in your wondrous and enlightening fulminations of the Horn? How come they’re never mentioned? 😀

[Old_Observer]

4 hours ago, Tillamook said:

Oh the tangled webs we weave! 😆

 

O.O, I guess the Amhara, the Oromo, the Somalis, The Eritreans and any other group in the horn are all motivated by mob rule and other criminal elements, huh?

 

I wonder when will you include the political chicanery of the Tigray Kilil  in your wondrous and enlightening fulminations of the Horn? How come they’re never mentioned? 😀

 

Why are you including the Somalis along with Oromo and Amhara in this particular incidents. Did you hear, read or see any mob action in Somali Region. The most orderly state. Even where the government was afraid the Somalis would be too angry to contain, people were taken in protective custody and when things cooled down returned to normal life.

If you are a Somali, you should be pleased if not impressed and appreciative of what was done. Most Ethiopians are impressed and appreciate the Somali regional government.

 

 

The Amhara killed and burned a judge with his house. This was mob action.

The Oromo killed Somalis deep in their regional state far from border in mob action.

 

Are you so turned with your hate of Tigray, you cannot see right from wrong. Not good for you. BTW the Amhara governemnt will take steps to bring order to these towns and the Oromo are arresting people that suspected of participating. Its in their interest to do so. The Oromo do not do it for the Somalis. They do it for themselves. They loose credibility as government and the rest of Ethiopians become suspicious.

 

If someone is thinking straight, what do you think your first question was:

If these people can do this when they complain do not have enough power in Ethiopia, imagine what they would do if they had the power they seem to want over Ethiopia. Would be meyhem. That is the question anyone with inquiring mind would ask.

 

I can assure you the threat from Sudan did wonders to Eritrean government. It showed them, they will be the first once to go before Egypt. Dictators get the message very fast.

 

If you were hoping Isayas will stand up to Sudan, then you either do not know Sudan or Eritrea.

[Tillamook]

^

Once again, you've deflected away from the questions asked. I asked specifically, tell us about the Tigray kilil? How goes their affairs?

[Old_Observer]

In Tigray there are Agew, Afar, Kunama and Irob. Agew and Afar are just some border villages and some villages who change kilil every some odd years after seeing budget of two states.

Irob are less than 100,000 (There are about 150,000 Saho in Eritrea) and Kunama are about 5,000 (There is more than 100,000 in Eritrea). Both have special wereda means status of zone, both are represented in house of federation, both have seats guaranteed seats in Tigray parliament. The Irob have seat at house of representatives as well.

TV and radio broadcast have spots for both. Irob has no language issue for schooling since is written in Geez alphabet same as Tigray, Hareri and others. Kunama is written in Latin alphabet and this will be problem for other children that are in Kunama district. Radio broadcasts Afar but this is when they were both in Weyannie, they had joint radio called voice of Weyannie and still continues with Tigray and Afar languages.

 

 

 

There are about 5 ethnics in Amhara. Out of 4 Agew areas only 2 have zones so far and one more has been recognized after Gonder massacre, but the zone has not been set up yet.  No TV or radio program. No mother tongue schooling for 2 of the Agew.

There is also Oromo area in Amhara state that is a zone and another Argoba similar to Hareri that is a special district zone. This was done from beginning 1995.

 

 

 

 

[Tillamook]

Once again, limit your comments to the Tigray people. No need to bring up other communities, such as Afar, Amhara and Oromo...

 

It’s a simple question: How are the Tigray people in the Tigray Kilil doing  politically, socially and economically?

[Old_Observer]

5 hours ago, Tillamook said:

Once again, limit your comments to the Tigray people. No need to bring up other communities, such as Afar, Amhara and Oromo...

 

It’s a simple question: How are the Tigray people in the Tigray Kilil doing  politically, socially and economically?

Its just being a Tigray AI is difficult.

They do not live in isolation, none of them. Just to give you an example: There is an Amhara organization called Wollo heritage organization. It issued a statement the other day of the mob action in 3 Wollo towns. Who do they blame for the conflict of course the Afar Militia. It is a synical ploy to get support. The incident happened on a christian celebration and as everyone knows the Afar are more than 85% Moslems. If these Amhara were responsible they should have blamed Tigray or Amhara region Gov. or Federal.

But to your question. Socially are more cohesive than other parts in Ethiopia, have least inter Ethnic or tribal problems. Have least religious issues never heard. Economically are 2nd poorest region. Politically there is a shakeup now and is not known where it ends. Remember these were people who lost a million to famine even though the epicentre was in what is now Amhara region, but the people were Tigray. That was just 1984 the last one and was 1974 the one previous.

 

 

[galbeedi]

OO,

 

Why you always difflect and explain to us issue that are not part of the topic.

 

It was an Amhara festival and some of the people chanted anti government slogans which  in turn shocked the Tigay soldiers who opened fire.

 

It is simple. Why shoot people who are singing?.

 

The Amhara are four times larger than Tigray and with Oromo , no Tigray ould have a say in the new Ethiopia or,, as you already prepared you might take your region and declare a country for the best interest of everybody.

[Holac]

Quote

Its just being a Tigray AI is difficult.

 

You have to admit, OO has a sense of humor.

 

 

[Tillamook]

^

lol😆

 

O,O is a funny character. 

[Old_Observer]

1 hour ago, galbeedi said:

OO,

 

The Amhara are four times larger than Tigray and with Oromo , no Tigray ould have a say in the new Ethiopia 

 

galbeedi,

 

It is so shocking when a person like you gets so blinded by a dislike of this or that group or politicians and makes very basic fundamental mistake.

 

Ethiopia is federation of nationalities, America is federation of states, Canada is federation of provinces. Since you live in Canada, let me give you simple example:

Prince Edward Island, a province has 250K people. Ontario a province has 14 million peole. They both have same veto power.

In America state of Wyoming or Maine has less than 1/2 million, but California or New York states have each more than 50 million peopel. Yet Maine and New York are equal 2 votes each in Senate.

 

There has to be mechanism of Equality. It is only way the system works and you can have one country.

 

Other aspects of your faulty logic next post

[Old_Observer]

2 hours ago, galbeedi said:

OO,

 

 

The Amhara are four times larger than Tigray and with Oromo , no Tigray ould have a say in the new Ethiopia

 

 

The next aspect of your logic means that a Welayita (current PM from south Ethiopia), an Afar or Somali can never expect to be prime minister no matter if he/she can "walk on water".

A French cannot be prime minister of Canada, a Sikh can never be PM of India etc.

Since you focused only on the Tigray, it clouded your thinking. I don't expect you to think that way if I asked you to formulate a mechanism of how Ethiopians should organize their politics and state.

 

"The Amhara are four times larger than Tigray" galbeedi.

 

This is true and even more. The Amhara are 10 hundred times more than Tigray on internet, facebook, past governments etc. Again your thinking and logic got clouded. Let me give you example of what you might be more familiar, Somalis in Ethiopia. Lets say tribes since the Somali is one Ethnic. By population you are aware that some Somali clans or tribes maybe 10 villages and others maybe 1/3 of the region and others maybe a city in the region. Amhara is both a region and Ethnic, there are a lot more ethnics in the region that you are ignoring, one of them which you mght know is Agew. It does not have part in the internet world, since the people were excluded in past Ethiopia and many forced to speak Amharic to the detriment of their langugae,  but on the ground is something else. There are a lot more Ethnics in Amhara region and also the Amhara ethnic itself has tribes like anyone else.

 

The Amhara for example have no idea that different tribes in Somali kilil played major roles at many critical times, regardless of number of population.

 

When times are critical or significant never underestimate people. Internet can bring destruction of cultures and peoples, but it hurts more those who are in it than those outside.

 

The Amhara ethnic is more than 4 times than Tigray on the internet which is true if that is where you base your understanding. Then in that case the Tigray should not have defeated a million man army of Amhara. Things are not the way they look on the internet.

[Tillamook]

On 2/4/2018 at 12:25 PM, Old_Observer said:

galbeedi,

 

It is so shocking when a person like you gets so blinded by a dislike of this or that group or politicians and makes very basic fundamental mistake.

 

Ethiopia is federation of nationalities, America is federation of states, Canada is federation of provinces. Since you live in Canada, let me give you simple example:

Prince Edward Island, a province has 250K people. Ontario a province has 14 million peole. They both have same veto power.

In America state of Wyoming or Maine has less than 1/2 million, but California or New York states have each more than 50 million peopel. Yet Maine and New York are equal 2 votes each in Senate.

 

There has to be mechanism of Equality. It is only way the system works and you can have one country.

 

Other aspects of your faulty logic next post

 

O.O, you can take cover behind your cries for equality, of course, and pretend that the Tigrays are champions for democracy and all that other kind of poppycock, but I wouldn't hold it against the Oromo, once they regain their full autonomy and political independence, that they give the Tigray a taste of their own bitter medicine. That goes the same for all the other communities that the Tigray have abused and mistreated.