‘Villagization’: sounds a lot more benign that it really is (image: Shutterstock)
The Ethiopian military has been accused of conducting a campaign of arbitrary arrest, rape and torture against scores of villagers in the Gambella region of the country according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The accusations follow the recent death of Meles Zenawi the Ethiopian Prime Minister whose 20 year grip on power has attracted international condemnation.
Last year, a joint investigation by the Bureau and BBC Newsnight revealed how aid was being used as a weapon of political oppression.
In line with this, the international NGO says the attacks are linked to the government’s on-going ‘villagization’ policy. The government is clearing hundreds of thousands of residents from their traditional lands to make way for commercial farms. HRW says the government has used threats, intimidation, and violence against those who resist moving.
It says that rape and torture have been used in a series of military reprisals following an attack on a large commercial farm earlier this year. On April 28, 2012, unidentified armed men attacked the compound of Saudi Star Agricultural Development Plc., a company that has leased thousands of hectares of land for rice farming in Gambella region. The gunmen killed at least one Pakistani and four Ethiopian employees.
Gambella residents who have fled to South Sudan have been interviewed by Human Rights Watch. They told the NGO that in the following days and weeks, Ethiopian soldiers went house to house looking for the gunmen in villages near the Saudi Star camp, arbitrarily arresting and beating young men and raping female relatives of suspects.
‘The attack on Saudi Star was a criminal act but it does not justify reprisals against Gambella’s population,’ says Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director of Human Rights Watch has called for an independent inquiry. ‘The Ethiopian government should put an immediate end to abuses by the military in the region and investigate and prosecute soldiers found responsible for these heinous acts, regardless of rank,’ he says.
The Ethiopian government’s ‘villagization’ programme is a three-year plan to relocate 225,000 people in Gambella – and over 1.5 million people across four states nationally – from their existing villages into new settlements purportedly to better provide them with basic services.
Saudi Star confirmed to the Bloomberg news agency that the military has been active in the area and Federal Police have been guarding its operations since the attack. Saudi Star Chief Executive Fikru Desalegn said in a phone interview that the company has no information about the armed forces’ activities.
Ethiopia’s government routinely denies the advocacy group’s allegations of human rights abuses and says HRW is motivated by its ideological opposition to Ethiopia’s state-led development model.
The HRW report can be seen here.
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August 30th, 2012 at 4:15 pm (#)
I think this must be done by rebels, our army never do that.
(This is the standard and lazy response that the Ethiopian government always come up with, sorry to say – Ed.)
August 30th, 2012 at 8:50 pm (#)
Leave us alone
We ethiopians can and will do it
August 31st, 2012 at 1:51 pm (#)
The death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is considered as an opportune time for human rights institutions to re-campaign against Ethiopia.
These institutions in the wake of the death of the Prime Minister and in this time of national mourning are trying to get various forums to put much pressure on Ethiopia and make it succumb to internalize their principles.
The respect of human rights in Ethiopia is not a luxury as it could be seen clearly enshrined in the constitution and the Government accepts international obligations as part and parcel of domestic laws in this regard. However, internalization of the concept in its own way is necessary and that should come from with in than from out side impositions.
The late Prime Minster once frankly made a remark about the democratic path his country would follow by saying “We believe that democracy, good governance and transparency and fighting corruption are good objectives for every country, particularly for developing countries. Where we had our differences with the so-called neo liberal paradigm is first on the perception that this can be imposed from outside. We do not believe that is possible. Internalization of accountability is central to democratization. The state has to be accountable to the citizens, and not some embassy or foreign actor.”
Human Rights Watch in its repeated statements on various medias following the death of the Prime Minster is trying hard to paint black the excellent leadership of PM Meles and the results achieved so far. The reality however, lies on the difference between the conviction by Ethiopia concerning the implementation of the respect of Human Rights in the country and a desire by so-called activists to impose the principles and futile attempts from outside to direct the country in their own path.
The uncalled for allegation by the Human Rights Watch, in this regard, is not new for Ethiopia as it has been done non-stop for the past several years. The new thing is the timing, as it tries to capitalize on the death of Prime Minister Meles.
Democracy in Ethiopia has not yet reached its highest level, as it is a work in progress. Democracy is a culture. It needs generational time to nurture. That is the way democracy in its wider sense is growing in Ethiopia contrary to the patronization of the imperfect western ideal towards developing countries.
Prime Minister Meles’s time is pioneer in Ethiopia’s modern time in establishing and expanding the institutions for the cultivation of human rights and democracy. The unprecedented expansion of elementary and secondary education as well as universities by and large contributes for nurturing the concepts of democracy and good governance in the society. That is what being witnessed so far. The responsible media has also its own role to teach and support the society internalizes the basic tenets of democratic culture. That way the culture will develop and at the end the society will get the benefit out of it. By being the guardian of it, the media would serve its citizens and ultimately protect the society from seeking external forces to speak on behalf of it. The Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman established in the country are serving to inform and protect citizens about their rights and responsibilities in a way to deepen the democratic culture.
The genuine way of supporting the development of democratic culture in Ethiopia and other striving countries is through the support of the already existing institutions to strengthen themselves and build their capacities so that they could act as watchdogs. The blame game is not helpful for societies who are trying very hard to build a strong and full-fledged democracy as well as respected human rights endeavors.
Human Rights Watch’s another cynical report apart from alleging the human rights record of Ethiopia is with regard to the Ethiopian Army and its peace and security works.
By any comparison the Ethiopian Army is playing the biggest role in Ethiopia’s history to support the peace and development endeavors of the country through committing its resources to support the society and the economy.
The Gambella region of Ethiopia is one of the development hubs in the country with ample agricultural resources and the government in its five year Growth and Transformation Plan is planning to use these resources to transform the country’s economy. Hence, large commercial agricultural activities are underway in the region and also the different socio-economic projects designed are enabling the society to make them settle in permanent and accessible areas so that they benefit from these projects.
The Ethiopian Army is acting as a force of stabilization and protects these socio-economic and major development projects from detractors. The Army’s measures following the April 2012 attack on a large commercial farm in Gambella is not seen differently other than searching these detractors and bringing them before the law. That is the Army’s duty and responsibility.
The usual unconvincing way of Human Rights Watch claiming to quote so- called credible sources and say the army is raping, torturing and killing the people is the same repeat of tactics used for past allegations, but to put the record straight to the institution, the Ethiopian Army is much near to protect and stand by the people the Army’s boys and girls are grown in than some of the institution’s experts.
The Army is a well respected institution composed of the different nations and nationalities, in which its strength and respect emanates from. The army as an institution is built in a way to transcend short sighted interest and sustain the multifaceted development of the country.
Thinking this unfortunate season for Ethiopians as an opportune time to put a pressure on the new leadership is a futile exercise that emanates from the lack of understanding or underestimating the state structure built for the past 21 years under the leadership of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
People from all corners of the country understand what kind of a country has been built and what the aspirations of this great nation are. That is why such an emotional mourning is witnessed for the past days, following the death of the great leader. However, within this deep feeling, each Ethiopian knows better about the future endeavor of sustaining the economic development, strengthening the democratic culture and ensuring the peace and stability of Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa region and the African continent at large.
One thing they should get heed of Ethiopia is that the country will continue to advance and implement the various policies and strategies after the passing away of its long time leader; and continue its path of registering sustainable development to extricate its people from economic deprivation and backwardness.
Prime Minister Meles’s multifaceted work was not quite finished. By sticking to the succession plan put in place, and strengthening its accountability to its own citizen, it should be high time for the new leadership to pay the necessary sacrifice to continue with the development path the late honorable Prime Minister Meles has started to lead.
September 1st, 2012 at 1:28 am (#)
Amnesty International or any other self appointed Human right wachers of the western world will continue giving a headache for Ethiopian government and people until they change the NGO law which requires accountability and responsible engagement of NGO’s. Mark my words, Ethiopia will change the law one day not by conviction but by pressure, then over night, Ethiopia will be labelled democratic.
September 3rd, 2012 at 12:38 pm (#)
The ethiopian government should have to take severe actions against the ethiopian army. The army people is here for saving people and their country but that army people itself torturing and raping the people this is not fair.
September 6th, 2012 at 12:27 pm (#)
IT WAS DONE BY AFRICOM !