http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/ethnic-conflict-engineered-ethiopias-plantation-schemes
Ethnic Conflict Engineered by Ethiopia’s Plantation Schemes
Monday, November 10, 2014
---For Immediate Release---
Contacts:
Anuradha Mittal, The Oakland Institute
amittal_at_oaklandinstitute.org, +1-510-469-5228
Nyikaw Ochalla, Anywaa Survival Organization
ochalla_at_hotmail.com, +44 (0)7939389796
Ethnic Conflict Engineered by Ethiopia’s Plantation Schemes
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Oakland, CA – Today, the Oakland Institute (OI), in collaboration with
the Anywaa Survival Organisation (ASO), released Engineering Ethnic
Conflict: The Toll of Ethiopia’s Plantation Development on the Suri
People, the latest in its series of comprehensive investigative
reports about land grabs and forced evictions in Ethiopia. The report
uncovers the truth behind a reported massacre of 30 to 50 Suri people
in May 2012 near the 30,000-hectare Malaysian-owned Koka plantation.
Based on extensive fieldwork, Engineering Ethnic Conflict reveals the
destabilizing effects of foreign investment in Southwestern Ethiopia
and examines the role of international aid programs in supporting
forced evictions in the country.
“The tragic experiences of the Suri people outlined in this report are
just one of many examples of the human rights abuses experienced by
pastoralist communities in regions across Ethiopia,” said OI’s
Executive Director, Anuradha Mittal. “These incidents are intimately
tied to the Ethiopian government’s priorities of leasing land to
foreign entities,” she continued.
“Some donor countries and development institutions have heralded
Ethiopia for its unprecedented economic growth in recent years, which
has in turn led to large-scale land acquisitions by foreign
interests,” said Nyikaw Ochalla, Executive Director of the Anywaa
Survival Organisation. “What has gone underreported is the tragic
on-the-ground impact of this growth on indigenous populations.
Engineering Ethnic Conflict exposes this harsh reality,” Ochalla
continued.
“Unfortunately the Suri and other marginalized groups have no ability
to voice their concerns over these developments on their land. There
is little in the way of an independent media in Ethiopia that is
permitted to cover this story, civil society that could advocate on
these issues have been decimated by repressive laws, any criticism of
government is met with harassment and detention. So what options are
left for the Suri?” said Felix Horne of the Human Rights Watch.
The Suri pastoralist communities have lived in Southwestern Ethiopia
for up to 200 to 300 years. The introduction of the large-scale
plantations, including the Koka plantation in 2010, has not only made
important grazing lands unavailable to the Suri and devastated their
livelihoods–but also disturbed political order between the Suri and
other local ethnic groups, escalating violent conflicts.
>From coerced displacement of the Suri people to the exacerbation of
pre-existing ethnic tensions between local groups in the region,
Engineering Ethnic Conflict highlights the unreported nightmare
experienced by Ethiopia’s traditionally pastoralist communities.
The report comes at a significant time in US politics. The US Senate
included provisions in the 2014 Appropriations Bill that effectively
diverts development aid funds for Ethiopia away from projects
associated with forced evictions. Engineering Ethnic Conflict raises
important questions about whether and how this language is being
implemented, and the problematic connections between aid from the
World Bank Group and other international donors, including the
International Fund for Agricultural Development, for programs that
support forced displacement and perpetrate violence against
pastoralist communities.
“The stance taken by the US government in 2014 was encouraging, but it
remains unclear whether action has been taken to implement the
provisions of the bill and monitor the situation on the ground in
Ethiopia,” said Mittal. “In light of this opacity and the continued
violence and human rights abuses, it is time for the US government,
other donors, and international institutions to stop turning a blind
eye and take a strong stand to ensure aid in the name of development
is not contributing to the ongoing atrocities nor supporting the
forced displacement of people,” she continued.
To read the report, Engineering Ethnic Conflict: The Toll of
Ethiopia’s Plantation Development on the Suri People, please visit
http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/engineering-ethnic-conflict
About the Oakland Institute
The Oakland Institute is an independent policy think tank whose
mission is to increase public participation and promote fair debate on
critical social, economic and environmental issues
(www.oaklandinstitute.org).
About the Anywaa Survival Organisation
Anywaa Survival Organisation is a not-for-profit organisation that
believes in social justice and environmentally sensitive development
that recognises and respects the rights of indigenous peoples’ active
participation and enjoyment of the benefits of development in their
own territories without prejudice (www.anywaasurvival.org).
Received on Thu Nov 13 2014 - 08:16:21 EST