The ruling party in Ethiopia is going ahead with the destruction of 3,012 hectares of forestry land in the Gambela region over the objection of local population, officials, and environmental groups .
The land has been leased to an Indian company for 70 years to be used for growing tea. The beneficiaries of such investment are only members of the ruling party and the foreign investors, while the people are left with destroyed land.
Local residents and their representatives led by Ato Tamiru Ambelo have appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to save the forests in Gambela. Even the figure head president, Girma Woldegiorgis, has expressed opposition to the plan. The Ministry, however, rejected their appeal saying that “we cannot just hold on to the forests.”
Cutting down Ethiopian forests to grow tea while the U.N. is currently sending out an emergency food aid alert on behalf of 2.8 million people in Ethiopia is beyond comprehension.
Ato Tamiru Amelo is making an appeal to all Ethiopians in the Diaspora and the international community to help him and his people save their land and forests from destruction by the Meles regime.
17 thoughts on “The destruction of western Ethiopia forest must be stopped”
I said it before many times and I will say it again that Ethiopia is an orphan country for a long time now. Everyone abuses an orphan kid. Meles is vowed to destroy the country before he leaves unless someone cut his head including his wife. Ethiopia never faced as enemy Meles and Azeb in its history. We heard the forest in Wollo sold to Saudi Arabia Lumber Company the Derg planted the trees to slow down desert in Wollo.
Meles sold our ports, our lands, our kids our forests, our minerals, our religion, our dignity, our Woyane, what else can he sell next????
The destruction of forests in Gambella will have impact not only in the area but also the general climate situation in Ethiopia. Destruction of natural forests is very wrong, and has more costs than benefits in the long run.
Stop deforestation now because it is in human. I hope this appeal will make it to the power circles who may have not paid attention. This is not politics. This is environmental degredation that needs to be tackled urgently.
If Ethiopia is to be saved – then the Ethiopian people must help those freedom fighters who are fighting to uproot the Weyanne regime from the fabric of Ethiopian society, otherwise there is zero hope for our country.
In order for Ethiopia to servive geographically,environmentaly protected,Meles and his cronies must be cut off their head.
That is the shortest way. The arrogant traitor told his parlamentarian, if people attempt to demonstrate,their fingers, tongues,necks will be cut off; he said.
Ladies and gentlemen, such personalities are the allies of the USA.What a shame, alas!
God bless America!
The more we give time to stay Meles in palace, the more the damage he inflicts upon our country and our very existence.
To oust the traitor and coward Meles regime it takes only 6 hours.
The ethiopian people are very patriotic.but if the traitor Meles do not stop annoying our people,then he is playing with fire. No Super power, ally or whatever devil save him.
We do not allow him to go out. He will get the verdict in our territory. We do not rely on the so-called international community.
His head will be cut off right here. it is not a joke.
We are yearning for that particular day.
Woyane will sell any thing as long as the benefit is to there own
interest . I don’t think we have a power to stop them . why? because we did not stop them when they killed the anuke people
From the same region also we did not stop them when they were
selling our land to sudan and above them we can’t even stop them when they kill us any time they want . so why do you think
they can stop now. above all killing is worst than selling but in woyane mentality any land besides tigray does not belongs to them any way and they will continue doing that for that rubber stamp president Girma we need to say TOO LATE SCAME BAG and to eat shit and die. people like him are the one who give this
woyane validity to rule otherwise if every one participate in the struggle we could have been get rid off woyanee long time ago …
The contractual agreement between the Ethiopian authority and the Indian government is null and void for the following reason; 1. Modern environmental impact studies may not have been implemented properly 2. The rights of the local inhabitants has not been addressed properly 3. The environmental impact due to the Indian practices of farming has not been documented 4. The lengthy terms of land use by Indians probably violates the constitutional rights of the local people 5. The migrants coming to Ethiopia as Tea Experts has not been properly addressed 6. Many other issues exists
The only way it is saved is by taking action against land grabbers in any way possible to send them back where they came from. ONLF saved ogaden oil not by appeal but by action.
Elias,
I am really glad that you are focusing on the most important thing that is affecting our country – land grabbing by foreigners. The consequences of what’s taking place (large scale commercial farming) will be felt in our country for decades to come. And unless stopped now, the damage cannot be reversed.
hailu way to go we got to get up and support those freedom fighters. otherwise meles and his tugs will distroy our country.As they mention it meles and the tugs sold everything in ethiopia now they start selling human part to indian so indian they can sell it to high wager to other country.
Halafi Mengedi,
Speak for yourself – Weyane is not ours you dingay ras!
#4 I agree with you As Eritrean I follow your situations because for the reason you know it concerns for both of us.In my full life observation you Ethiopians only have unity when there is a war between Eritrea and Ethiopia.And this is because of your common obsession of annexesion of our mother land .But in your own issue you only cry , in-fact you destroy your own fighters by hopeless propaganda. In my experience I haven’t seen who wish to die for his mother country like what we have done to our country.Every body want to be a leader.Other wise in a big country Ethiopia Meles and his supporters couldn’t stay for days if you really promised to your motherland.Please leave crying devote to sacrifice and must have a gut to do so.If not don’t cry accept your slavery to weyane. And don’t think about your northern neighbor country.That is case closed thankyou god we are United and always we think NATION first .
well go to see that you guys know all the destruction meles is doing on the resource of this country. Even if i only visited some places in gambela what happened in mizan tepi forest is really a pity .they are not even the so called investors but Woyanne military are cutting and destroying natural forests. my uncle who is truck driver told me that they exprort it to saudi arabia !
Melese and his tplf group has destroyed the our sovereignty by sowing ethnic hatred among the population, our economy by controlling every bussines by EFORT and lotting the national bank treasure, now they turn to destroy our land and little forests which are the bases the survival of present and future generations in the country.
It is high time to eliminate this parasite group before it is to late to save our country from their systematically planned destruction.
We have been arguing about the misuse of the national forest and how it affects the livelihood of the local communities as professionals. But now it is time as an Ethiopian to defend our remnant virgin forests not to be destructed which leads to long term environmental impact for the nation as well as the globe.The so cold investors will not continue to invest in our country rather they will cut the forest and sell the charcoal and leave the land vulnerable to soil erosion. So friends ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!
How is it possible for the EU to appoint Meles Zenawi as the representative of the African States in the Global Climate Change Alliance and is giving him $17.8 million grant to build a carbon neutral and a climate resilient economy. What criterion was applied for the appointment of Meles Zenawi to this post. In a country where drought is prevalent such absurd indifference by the Ethiopian government to serious environmental concerns should be repudiated by the EU and the West, which are providing the funds for the protection of the environment. We are informed lately that the Meles Government is selling forest lands in Gambela and surrounding regions to Indian investors for tea plantations, to the horror of Ato Tamiru Ambelo, chairman of the Gumare Kebele in Gambella, and other elders of the area, whose efforts to inform higher authorities of their concern has been flatly turned down. Ultimately, Ato Tamiru Ambelo’s concern for the destruction of forests in Gambela has sadly caused him the loss of his government job.
In December 2010, the BBC stated that according to environmentalists many of these proposed farms infringe on Ethiopia’s protected game reserves, where an abundance of wildlife could now be at risk. Fortunately these days the internet has facilitated the accessability of information on any subject of interest. Many visitors to Ethiopia and residents complain about the high level of pollution in the capital as well as in other towns.
It would be the responsibility of the EU and other Western Ambassadors to Ethiopia to inform their governments, prior to providing the funds, that recent actions, such as destroying forests and game parks by Meles Zenawi’s government, could jeopardize the intent of the proposed grant. Perhaps the EU and other Western governments don’t even care how the funds are utilized by Meles’ government (it’s only EU members tax payers’ money). I have often wondered why Western diplomats, when confronted with contentious situations in which the government is suspect, address their inquiries to government officials or to Meles himself instead of trying to get information from those directly affected or from neutral sources. It’s as if they are trying to obtain from the perpetrator of a crime to admit to his crime. Perhaps, Western diplomats believe that their obligation is to be receptive only to the ruler(s) and not to the people of the country they are assigned to.
Let us hope that the West will see the ‘light’ after the exhilarating experience of the victorious Egyptian people.
Majang forest in Godere is unique in nature of the composition of fauna and flora,and its contribution for the sustainability of climatic productiveness of the western part of Ethiopia. But since recent days of the governance of devil puppet leader named Omod Obong Olom he has sold away the forest to be hacked down by Indians for the sake of favor and promotion from the Federal government. The Majang ,shakicho people living in the forest are crying for help. There life is dependent up on the forest . Let the world cooperate and stop the predators. No reason for hacking down Dollars to Plant new Dollars unless foolishness and policy madness.Why the PM Melless wonder around the world for environmental case while the internal forest is destroying.