From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Sat May 23 2009 - 19:23:12 EDT
AFAR MOVEMENT Press Release
Posted 23rd May 2009
AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) - QAFAR UGUGUMO
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 22/05/2009
Our Ref: 02/09
Liberated Zone of Afar Region - Ethiopia
ARTICLE-1
AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) "QFAR UGUGUMO" would like to take this opportunity to
introduce itself to the peace loving nations, nationalities and peoples
of Ethiopia in particular, and to a wider international community in
general.
ARTICLE-2
AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) "QAFAR UGUGUMO" is a political movement reestablished
in 2006 by the Afar people to lead the national liberation struggle of
the Afar people against TPLF led dictatorial and totalitarian regimes of
Ethiopia. Historically, Afar Movement was founded in 1978 in Barahle, as
a Self-Defense- Resistance Movement to the TPLF' s illegal act of war
declared on Afar people.
ARTICLE-3
The fundamental objective of the AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) is to exercise the
Afar people's inalienable right to freely determine their political
status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development in
accordance with the provision of international legitimacy, legality
relating to the Statute of People's Right to Self- Determination as set
out in the Article of UN's Charter and on Resolution 1723 (XV1) 1961.
ARTICLE-4
AM" struggles to establish a democratic Afar Regional National State
based on a genuine federal arrangement guaranteed the legitimate right
and aspiration of the Afar people to freely manage and administer their
political, economic and social development programmes.
ARTICLE-5
AM" struggles to terminate a century of oppression, exploitation,
marginalisation and discriminatory politics and policies, which have
been exercised against the Afar people by successive governments of
Ethiopia.
ARTICLE-6
AM" struggles to protect the property, to provide security, to defend
the country and to maintain the culture, language, customs and
traditions of the Afar people.
ARTICLE-7
AM" struggles to adopt a democratic political system based on pluralism
and egalitarianism.
ARTICLE-8
AM" rejects totalitarian, dictatorial and oppressive forms of
government.
ARTICLE-9
The foreign policy of the AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) is based on the principle
of strengthening local, national and regional peace and security by
means of encouraging peaceful resolution of regional and national
disputes; and shall support the right of peoples to self-determination;
and shall not interfere in the domestic affairs of states,
organisations; and shall cooperate with peace-loving nations and
nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia and the world.
SITUTION IN AFAR REGION IN ETHIOPIA
Today, the Afar people in Ethiopia are facing unprecedented
marginalisation, human rights violations, environmental degradation,
insecurity, famine and starvation, Aids/HIV, Malaria, TB, homelessness
and unknown sickness, due to the political, economic and social
injustice exercised against the Afar people by TPLF/EPRDFF.
Today, about 45% of Afar people are displaced in the name of Sugar Cane
Project. Approximately, 72% of the Afar livestock have died because of
so called Sugar Cane Development Project. Additionally, about 48% of
Afar pastoralists have lost their traditional grazing land and resources
because of the same project consequences. People say that the Sugar Cane
Project has already increased poverty, unknown diseases, massive
displacement and huge settlements.
The TPLF dominated Sate of Afar's Authority has failed to fulfill its
constitutional, political, social and moral responsibly. For example,
today, there is no One Single Referral General Hospital in the whole
region. There is no One Single Medical Clinic to test and treat Aids/HIV
affected patients. People have no access to information, due to lack of
communication facilities in the State, such as (Radio,
Telecommunication, TV, Newspapers, Public Libraries, and networking
facilities, while there are sufficient funds to use for Community
Development Projects. It is publicly reported that at the end of each
financial year of Ethiopia, Millions of unused Funds are returned back
from the State of Afar to the State of Tigray, while unlimited number of
Afar people are dying, everyday, due to lack of food, lack of decent
health care, lack of clean drinking water and homelessness. For
instance, people like Tadesse Behe and Yonas Adaye (2007) say that
"there are also allegations of corruption and the misuse of funds in the
region". There are signs of mal-administration in which employment,
education and training opportunities are only available to party
members" they added. UN Report 2002 indicates that about 98% of
directorial, managerial, advisors, technicians and engineers positions
in the State of Afar are all occupied by non-Afar speaking people.
Similarly, 2006, Research from local Organisation states that about 99%
of Scholarships and Training Opportunities available in the State of
Afar are given to non-Afar speaking students" All advisors and expertise
are all Tigreans ex-Cabinet Member of the Afar State said. Afar 2000 ALF
Report indicates that "people are not entitled to get Loan and Business
Grants from Banks". Meanwhile, Regional Health Bureau Officer of the
Sate of Afar said in 2008 Health Bureau Meeting took place in Aysaita
said that "about 92% of Afars are illiterate and the vast majority of
rural communities have no access to education at all." Similarly, about
96% of them have no access to proper medical health care". German based
"Afar Forum Conference took place in Belgium in 2008 indicates that
about 2- 4 % have access to health care.
Besides, the TPLF ruled Regional Authorities of the State of Afar are
also practiced marginalisation and discriminatory policy against their
people "some "Afar tribes and peoples" in order to achieve their
political objectives.
The Afar people say that the TPLF dominated Afar Regional State
Authority has totally failed to address the basic human needs and
necessity of the Afar people, like Food, Water, Cloth, Housing,
Education and Health. The Region is ruled by groups affiliated with the
TPLF. The dominant group Afar People's Democratic Party (APDP) is
affiliated with the Ethiopia's ruling Party TPLF/EPRDF. It is common
acknowledge that the following group, like Ismali Ali Siro, Mohamed
Kadir known as Anbata, Abdo Bulgari and Seyoum Awal are basically
adopted and fostered children by TPLF's Weyzaro Tekette Yohannes. The
evidence suggest that this group and Mohamoda Ahmed Gaas are together
promoting and facilitating the TPLF 's 1976 political manifesto that
calls the division of the Afar region between the Tigray Region - TPLF's
"Republic of Greater Tigray" and other three Regional States of
Ethiopia.
The TPLF's 1976 Political Manifesto states that (b) "The geographic
boundaries of Tigray extend to the borders of the Sudan including the
lands of Humera and Welkait from the region of Begemidir in Ethiopia,
the land defined by Alewuha which extends down to the regions of Wollo
and including Alamata, Ashengie, and Kobo, and Eritrean Kunama, the Saho
and Afar lands including Assab".
Since 1991, the TPLF regime has been tirelessly working hard to
implement this programme by developing many different programmes and
strategies, such as "Settlement Programme" in Awash- Saburre Area in
zone 3, to settle 150.000, and 350.000, in zone 1, together emigrant
worker form Tigray to Afar region will reach to 1.5 Million people at
the end of 2012. This project is now reached its second stage of
development. The so called Sugar Cane Project will lead the Afar society
to horrific
and severe dramatic change both demographically, socially, politically,
economically and culturally.
Politically, the Afar people in Ethiopia are still underrepresented in
the Federal Government, Parliament, the House of Representative,
Ministerial Departments and Diplomatic Missions of Ethiopia. It is
strongly believed that the Afar Regional State Authorities are unable to
manage their own political, economic, social, educational and health
affairs freely and independently as the constitution provided, due to
TPLF direct interference in the domestic affairs of the State of Afar.
Today, there is no one single effective Political Opposition Party in
the Afar Region. The so called ARDUF leader Mohamoda Ahmed Gaas instead
of addressing the "POLITICAL DEMAND" of the Afar people, he committed to
destroying and dismantling the political, military, economic, social and
organizational infrastructures of the Afar Ugugumo and the Afar people
alike in order to achieve his political goals. Mohamoda Ahmed Gaas is
responsible for all destruction and damage happened to the Afar society.
He is the most WANTED CRIMINAL No 1 by the Afar Movement. In the Afar
region, the federal system is inactive and just symbolic, because of
TPLF interference in the Afar State affairs. For example, recently Dr.
Berhanu G. Balcha said that "the implication is that the ethnic federal
arrangement has been used by the TPLF in order to extend its authority
beyond its own territory in order to make the Tigrayan elite a dominant
political and economic force in the Ethiopian state".
INSECURITY: Conflicts between the Afar people and their neighbouring
peoples are dramatically intensifying, due to TPLF's inability to find a
peaceful solution to end this problem. "The situation in Afar region is
becoming more and more unstable" (Ethioguardian.com 2009).
Regionally, Sine 1991, the TPLF's regime has been engaged in
unjustifiable, illegal and senseless war against the neighbouring
countries, like Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia. In relation to this NATIONAL
MEMORIAL INSTITUTE FOR THE PREVENTION OF TERRORISM (MIPT stats that "the
group led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has amplified systematic ethnic
cleansing by killing women, children, torturing and burning villages
while facilitating tribal and ethnic conflicts in neighboring
countries such as Sudan and Somali".
Nationally, Meles led regime has also intentionally and deliberately
committed crimes against his own people in different regions of
Ethiopia. The State Department Report lists "Crimes Against Humanity"
committed by Ato Meles regime i.e. unlawful killings, torture, beating,
abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by
security forces, poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention,
particularly of suspected sympathizers or members of opposition groups;
police and judicial corruption; detention without charge and illegal
searches. Today, the US State Department, UK, Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch and other Human Rights Organisations are fully aware
about the atrocities committed by Meles regime against his own people in
the country. Consequently, today lives of the people of Ethiopia are at
serious risk and endanger.
POLICY
Afar Movement (AM) is obliged to implement all possible and available
means and options to liberate the Afar people from TPLF/EPRDF led
doctorial regime. We call upon all oppressed nations, nationalities and
peoples of Ethiopia to forge national unity and to co-ordinate national
liberation in order to liberate our people and nations form Meles
tyranny regime to gratify the legitimate aspiration of the people of
Ethiopia.
AFAR MOVEMENT (AM) should like to take this opportunity to call upon
international community, human rights organisations and peace loving
people globally to put pressure on the Meles regime to respect human
rights, democratic principles, to be governed by the rule of law, to
respect the unreserved freedom of speech, freedom to assembly,
association, to release of all political prisoners and ensure that the
practice of arbitrary arrest and unfair trials shall come to an end in
Ethiopia, etc.
VICTORY TO THE AFAR PEOPLE
MAYSO QAFAR UMMATTAH IIMI
MAYSO QAFAR UGUUGUMOOH IIMI
VICTORY TO THE AFAR MOVEMENT
CONTACT: AFAR02@HOTMAIL.COM
http://abbaymedia.com/News/?p=2505
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