Date: Mon Dec 15 17:45:09 2014
Special Interview with Benyam Bekele about Sept,10, 2014 Killings in
Mezenger Zone in Gambella
15.12.2014
Journalist Sisay Agena (ESAT) Special Interview with Benyam Bekele about
September 10, 2014 Killings in Mezenger Zone in Gambella
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Sisay Agena: Esteemed listeners and readers, we present an interview with
Ato Benyam Bekele, who was a member of the Federation Council representing
the Mezenger people and a member of the Cabinet of the Gambella Regional
Government to discuss the conflict in the area and the killings that started
on September 10, 2014 in the Gambella Region, Mezenger Zone Godere Woreda,
in the town of Meti. Ato Benyam Bekele please start by introducing yourself
and explaining to our listeners the origin of the conflict.
Benyam Bekele: Thank you for giving me this opportunity. As you mentioned,
my name is Benyam Bekele Baldi. When I was in Ethiopia, I served for two
terms as a member of the Federation Council, representing the Mezenger
People. I have served in the Gambella Regional Government Bureau of
Education, Bureau of Trade, and Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs as well
as in various Zones and Woreda offices of the region for eight years.
Reports we have received from people in the area indicates that the problem
created in Godere, Mezenger Zone is related to land. The problem is acute
especially in a place called Yere, where former TPLF( Woyane) cadres and
Generals as well as people from the Northern regions (Highlanders) have
conducted a campaign to illegally purchase land and invest in the area.
Incidentally, two months ago, there was a clash between the Mezenger and the
Highlanders (workers brought in by investors) resulting in two Mezegners
being hacked to death by machete. The Mezenger retaliated and some
Highlanders died as a result. This is the genesis of the conflict that
eventually lead to the problem in Meti from what I have heard and that is my
assessment.
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, why were the two Mezengers killed two months ago?
Benyam Bekele: From what I have heard these people did not acquire the land
legally. Some people told me that the Mezenger told them either "let us
share the land or leave the land." I have also heard from people on the
ground that the two people were working somewhere and were owed money. When
they asked for their money, the person said how dare you ask me for money.
It was in the ensuing exchange that the two people were hacked to death with
a machete
Sisay Agena: Who were the killers? Have they been apprehended and brought to
justice?
Benyam Bekele: After the two people were killed, there was retaliation
against people on the other side. What I have heard is that the regional
government asked the federal police and the defense forces to help mediate.
These authorities deliberately avoided conducting any investigation. In the
mean time, the conflict erupted at Meti. The flash
point was the lack of any action by the police to investigate what happened
and bring the killers from both sides to justice. The failure of the police
to do their job contributed to the problem that occurred later on in Meti.
Sisay Agena: What was the incident that sparked the clash on September 10,
after a two months cessation of hostilities?
Benyam Bekele: From what my sources are telling me there was no particular
reason. But the lack of investigation and the failure of the police and
defense forces to bring the killers to justice gave rise to public anger.
The police were bribed by the highlanders into silence not to conduct the
investigation and consequently the police sided with the highlanders and
participated in the ensuing killings. In the old days, it was the duty of
the police to prevent crimes, or to mediate when such problem occurred. The
government should have taken corrective measures to avoid further trouble,
but it deliberately failed to do so.
Sisay Agena: How many Mezengers and how many Highlanders and other people
were killed based on your sources?
Benyam Bekele: I don't have information on the number of Highlanders killed.
Initially I heard that 16 Mezengers and 2 Anuaks were killed. However since
there were many wounded people and some of them have died the death toll has
reached 36. Among these, the majority were women and children. Tsegaye
Getahun, a native Mezenger and High Court judge, was murdered with his wife
and two children, ages2 and 5. Most of those who were killed on that day
were women and children. Their property was looted and their house burnt to
the ground. Everything was destroyed by the federal police and the defense
forces, together with the vigilantes.
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, did you say the Judge of the Zone's High court, was
killed?
Beynam Bekele: Yes, he and his family were some of the victims of that
night.
Sisay Agena: Was the killing of the Judge by mistake, or was it intentional?
Which side was he from?
Benyam Bekele: No, it was not by mistake, it was intentional. The man was
from the Mezenger side, they knew that. If I were in one of the houses
myself, they would have killed me because I am on the Mezenger side.
Therefore, it was intentional, because he was a Mezenger. They shot him and
his family, and hacked them with machete. It was a deliberate killing, it
was intentional targeting because he was a Mezenger,
Sisay Agena: Did you say he was killed with his two children?
Benyam Bekele: Yes, he was killed with his wife and their two children.
Sisay Agena: So that means 4 people from one family were killed?
Benyam Bekele: Yes.
Sisay Agena: Are there other households like Ato Tsegaye's whose family was
targeted?
Benyam Bekele: Yes, there was for instance, a man named Desalegn, a native
Mezenger who was killed along with his wife and two brothers. I can send
you a list of names in a document in the future. It is really difficult
because it includes children.
Sisay Agena: Has any effort been made to expose these crimes in the
Gambella region where in a single family- two to three people including
children and women are being killed to international human rights
organizations to investigate these cases?
Benyam Bekele: Some young people who sent me pictures that they took with
their cell phone cameras, are being sought by the police even for that. But
I am getting some better pictures. I will put them on a file to send to
Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and other organizations outside the
country. In Ethiopia, if you speak up, they will throw you in jail. You
cannot speak up inside Ethiopia. So, I am putting together the files to
present them to organizations outside the country.
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, there is something confusing here. Ato Tsegaye
Getahun was working with the government. He was appointed to be President of
the Court, which means to some extent, he was close to the government. How
is it then that this person could be a victim of government forces? Is there
something different?
Benyam Bekele: My brother, in Gambella, it doesn't matter if you are a
government officer, president, etc. When such kind of disturbances occur
they just need numbers. It is just numbers. Whether you are president,
government official, child, or woman, those people just need numbers.
Therefore, don't say this man is a government official, how can government
forces kill him. There is no such distinction not only in Gambella, but in
all of Ethiopia. So the idea that this man is a government man, he is part
of the government so he should not be killed, does not work in the place.
All they need is numbers- since he is a Mezenger, he must be killed. At that
time, if they found Haile Mariam, the Prime Minister, they will kill him.
They will not say he is part of the government, etc. So this is what is
happening in Ethiopia. Something that was not there in the old days, it is
very confusing, not only for you, but for all of us.
Sisay Agena: Are you saying government security forces; federal police and
defense forces, are attacking peaceful civilians that are Mezengers? On the
other hand, according to some information we received, the incident started
when the Mezengers attacked the Highlanders to force them to leave the area.
Benyam Bekele: I told you what happened earlier two months ago.
Sisay Agena: What you are saying is two months ago, two Mezengers were
killed. The Mezengers retaliated, and after a two month hiatus, the conflict
erupted again. But, what we are hearing from other sources is that the
Mezenger asked the people from the Highland to move out of Gambella and the
Mezenger region.
Benyam Bekele: I don't have that information. It might surprise you to know
that, among the people of Ethiopia, the Mezengers are the least politicized.
They are very well meaning people. In fact the most peaceful people in
Ethiopia are the Mezengers. Outside of Ethiopia, I have checked in Kenya,
Sudan, and Uganda and this ethnic group is not present in any other country-
it is present only in Ethiopia. So from earlier times, they don't fight with
people, it is only after EPRDF came to power, the killings started to
happen. These things saying "leave, leave" came from the jungle. To exploit
the situation politically, they say the Mezenger have said "get out"- where
are these people supposed to go? The Mezenger know these people have nowhere
to go. If someone said it, then let's find out who said it and bring them to
justice. As you know, the constitution, their (TPLF) constitution says a
person has the right to live anywhere in Ethiopia. Therefore, if someone
said those words (leave, leave), bring that person to justice. It is because
this was done for political reasons that they are saying the Mezengers said
this and that. That day, I have asked the Mezengers what they did. They said
we did not do anything. What we know is the problem is in the forest. That
day, on September 10, nothing was said because federal police was at the
place. While the police are present, they don't say anything, that's my
thought.
Sisay Agena: Are you saying there is no problem between the Highlanders and
the Mezengers?
Benyam Bekele: There is no problem between the Highlanders and the Mezenger.
The only problem is with the land in Geri. Other than that, there is no
problem with the Highlanders.
Sisay Agena: Regarding the land, as you have mentioned earlier, those on the
land are TPLF military generals who left the army through retirement and
other ways. But other Highlanders, who live with the Mezengers, and Anuak,
facing the same problems, why are they included in this? If the problem is
with TPLF generals, why wasn't the problem confined to them?
Benyam Bekele: Local residents do not have any problem with each other.
There are people who are imprisoned in Addis Ababa, highland farmers who
were imprisoned because they said investors should not be allowed to take
land illegally. So there is no problem with local residents there. If there
was a problem a committee would have been formed to resolve the problem.
They know this is not the first time. A similar problem has occurred
previously around Bedesi. Since this is similar to that, they can settle it
through the elders committee. They will be able to identify whoever is at
fault as long as he does not move away, they will find him and the elders
working carefully will find out who was at fault and resolve the conflict.
So, the Mezenger people do not have problems with other highlanders. The
problem is with the defense forces, the federal police, TPLF ( woyane)
generals, the cadres and people who came from the central regions to grab
land claiming they bought it and have invested in it.. Even with those who
came from the central regions, if they need land the Mezenger can share and
live with them that is not a problem. There is no law preventing people from
coming. If you ask the residents they know this. A long time ago, people
came from the North to our area ( Amharas and Oromos). Once they came here,
they settled down, built houses, accumulated property, bought cars,
cultivated coffee and formed integrated families. The people have
intermingled; you cannot distinguish the Oromos from the Amharas. The wife
is Oromo, the husband is Amhara, one spouse maybe a Southerner while another
is Mezenger. The people are intermarried they are just Ethiopians who live
in peace and unity. Together they have built such a pleasant culture. It is
the TPLF that came between them creating chaos, conflict and killings.
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, did people from the central regions live in
Gambella during the previous Imperial as well as Military regimes or did
they start coming under TPLF rule?
Benyam Bekele: No, No. During the Militray/Dergue era and during the
Emperor's time, people used to come here, for hunting for trade etc. For
instance, in our area there is a mountain named Gurra Farda. An Oromo went
hunting with a Mezenger. During their trip they came to see this mountain
that resembled two horns and named it Gurra Farda. It means "donkey's ears"
in Oromo language and the name Gurra Farda is still in use today. People
who came for hunting or trading settled here and they have been living in
the area for a long time. During the Military/ Dergu era a resettlement
program was instituted. The people who came to Gambella in 1984 (1977
Ethiopian Calendar), other than some initial problems around Gambella and
Abobo, even now those people in Abobo still live there. In Meti, those who
came during the Dergue era are still there, and have established themselves
as longtime residents. The trouble makers are the new comers under this
regime. They brought politics that is new to the area and created conflict
among the people. Those who came to work and earn a living are busy with
their work. The problem started when the TPLF cadres came looking for land.
Otherwise the people, during Haileselassie's and Dergue's time have lived
together peacefully. For those who were born and raised here, it is their
birth place They even speak the language; they speak Anuak in Gambella and
Mezenger in our area. There are Highlander teachers who speak Mezenger since
it's required by the law that they teach school in our language. So if they
have assimilated to the point of learning the language and teaching us in
our language what is the problem?
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, so you are saying since the time of the Emperor,
through the Dergue era, people from the central regions has lived in
Gambella. During the previous regimes, there was no such conflict, people
lived peacefully. Even now, you stated the problem started only with the
coming of the cadres and military people from the central regions.
Benyam Bekele: Yes.
Sisay Agena: Ato Benyam, thank you very much. As you have told us more than
36 people have died, and the information we have indicates the Mezengers are
fleeing and are taking shelter in Churches. The highlanders are also fleeing
to the Southern Regional State and Oromia State. At this time how many
people have taken shelter in Churches?
Benyam Bekele: Estimates are between 300-400 people. But most have run into
the bushes. Entire Kebele residents- Kimi and Gosh- have fled into the
forest. It's the rainy season as you know and those who have fled to the
lower areas have fared better, because there are other Kebeles around where
they can get food and shelter. But those who fled to the city; they have no
food, there is nothing. Recently they were given the dry biscuits of the
defense forces, I do not know where it came from, but that is what they are
eating. Those who went South have become a burden, since a large number of
people have made their way to Tepi and are crowded in one place. I have
heard that there is an old Air strip and people have camped there in the
rain. The big issue is that most of these people are farmers and right now
it is coffee picking season, as well as harvest time for corn and maize.
Therefore, it is a very precarious situation. It is true that officials from
the Regional Government have gone there, we will find out in the future what
they have failed to do to. If possible the Regional Government should
facilitate the return of all those who fled from both sides. To initiate
peace, they need to urgently form a committee composed of elders from both
sides. The people who fled did not come back, The Mezengers did not come
back and they are fleeing in one direction while the Highlanders are also
fleeing in the other direction. Those who are left behind are the elements
creating the conflict. The TPLF police is there, the defense forces are
increasing in number with troops being added from Mekelle. The Mezash army
is coming. If the Mezash army comes and massacres the people there will be
no solution. The solution is not more killing, the solution is to include
the farmers; there are Highlander farmers who have lived 10, 30, 40 years
and some who were born there. A committee that includes both sides need to
be formed immediately to find ways to facilitate peace and both sides need
to return to their homes. Everyone wants peace and the main task of the
committee should be to reconcile the two sides. But, TPLF does not want
peace. What they want is to massacre and commit genocide against all
Mezenger in order to take their land. That is their aim and this aim has to
be abandoned. I know they are listening to this interview and I urge them to
abandon this position. The forest does not belong to Mezenger's or
Highlanders only. It belongs to both. I believe that if a committee is
formed from both sides, peace can prevail quickly.
Sisay Agena: On behalf of our viewers and listeners I want to thank Ato
Benyam Bekele, a native of the area for the extensive interview you gave us
today. I understand you have worked closely with the regime in power, you
have agreed to give us a follow up interview, including on ESAT TV in the
future on the general situation in Gambella region based on your knowledge
and experience.
Special Interview with Benyam Bekele about Sept,10, 2014 Killings in
Mezenger Zone in Gambellainnocent victims of the tribal-fascist TPLF regime
of Ethiopia..
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