As you may already suspect, the same Ethiopian National Defense Forces that killed, raped, tortured and imprisoned the Anuak in Gambella for the last two to three years, have now been moved, by the thousands, to the Ogaden. This includes two of the same Commanders. These commanders are Major Tsegaye Beyene and Captain Amare. None of these men has yet been held accountable for their actions in Gambella and now they are going on to the Ogaden.

Reports coming out of the Ogaden testify to the unfortunate fact that Meles’ defense forces are committing the same crimes again with the same impunity. Instead of being defenders of the Ethiopian people, they remain the foremost perpetrators of crimes against Ethiopians. They say they are fighting insurgents, but they are only inciting more Ogadeni to pick up arms to defend their people. Meles, as he did in the past, is adamantly denying the veracity of these reports, but too much evidence contradicts his assertions of innocence. Instead he is increasing his attempts to block access to the area to outsiders like the International Red Cross and reporters like Jeffrey Gettleman of the New York Times so more information does not get out.

What is driving it all? Again, the similarities between Gambella and the Ogaden are painfully striking. Both are closely linked to natural resources—oil in Gambella and natural gas in the Ogaden. Even the companies are the same—Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, a subsidiary of the Malaysian company, Petronas, the latter which has been given the rights to develop the natural gas in the area by the Ethiopian government, without representation from people of the Ogaden. This is the same thing that happened in Gambella with the Anuak.

Every day, more Ogadenis who come into the vicinity, are being killed, harassed or imprisoned for only looking suspicious. Countless innocent civilians—children, women, elders and non-insurgents—who are simply struggling to maintain their lives in an already difficult environment—are the victims. If most really knew the real stories they would be horrified—for example, the story that was told today of how one Ogadeni mother was held back by Woyane troops and was forced to watch while her four-year-old son was stomped to death by another in the ENDF.

If it were known how your cows, essential to your survival, are being shot and killed, most life-respecting people would be outraged. This same tactic was used against the Anuak when the ENDF burned down homes, crops, granaries and destroyed water wells, schools and health clinics. If it were made known how many Ogadeni and Anuak women have been raped by HIV-carrying or STD-infected troops, most would again be shocked, especially as the government makes a plea for more funding to fight HIV/AIDS! Despite all these reports, Meles supporters are still denying these occurrences because the truth is too shameful to be admitted.

We in the AJC reported on these occurrences in Gambella as far back as early 2004 and saw little response from the media or from the international community. However, the mood and times are different now and we in the AJC are willing to work with you in getting out your story—something that is more possible now than it was several years ago when Meles was still “the darling of the west.” This is no longer the case as more and more documentation points to him as being a terrorist of his own people despite his request to the US State Department to put the ONLF on the list of terrorist locations. But you and I know clearly who the real terrorists are—they are Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his murderous regime!

It is critical that the dominant Ethiopian groups, who have louder voices, better representation and more numbers, speak up for the people of the Ogaden and others across the country who are suffering. Just because the CUD leaders and some journalists have been released from prison, we should not sit back. We must recognize that our prisoners are not only found in Addis Ababa. We need to raise the level of the rallying and protest to even exceed that which was done in the past after the election and for the release of the political leaders.

Those of us outside of Addis Ababa and outside the dominant ethnic groups have mostly felt in the past that we did not count as true Ethiopians; but yet, Ethiopia does not exclusively belong to them—it
belongs to all of us, including them! For years, Ethiopian culture has been typified as the culture of the Amhara, the Tigrayan or the Oromo. Educational and economic opportunities as well as the development of the infrastructure usually favored these regions. Our largest ethnic group, the Oromo, have been repressed, but if they finally emerge as a powerful group because of their size, what are the prospects for the futures of the other many medium-sized or even tiny ethnic group who may only number .01% like the Anuak or like the Ogadenis?

For instance, the people of the Ogaden were essentially left out of the last election. It is absurd that Ogadenis did not even have the opportunity to vote in the Ethiopian National Election of May 15, 2005
until six months later! Even if the election had not been rigged, it is obvious that your votes would not have been counted. This must change. Ethiopian government must not only be for the people of Addis Ababa or for the dominant groups in the country. The government of Ethiopia should be for all of the people of Ethiopia. This includes those who have been marginalized and neglected for years—not only the Ogadenis and the Anuak, but those from the Southern Nations, the Afar and Etc.