Human rights, a 'political tool'
and an egregious case of kidnapping
Hi there,
The Prime Minister was responding to questions from parliamentarians last week so I thought I would do a section highlighting some of the more pertinent parts related to the state of human rights in the country. The responses also provide context for the other updates below.
Also last week, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission released its annual report on the state of human rights in the country. I will be including an update in next week’s edition. The Commission’s head, Daniel Bekele, who has led the institutions since 2019, stepped down from his role last week, marking the end of his tenure.
To new subscribers, welcome!
My name is Maya Misikir, and I’m a freelance reporter based in Addis Abeba. I write Sifter, this newsletter where I send out the week’s top 5 stories on human rights and news in Ethiopia.
Now, to the news.
Parliamentary address: some worthy mentions
The questions posed to Minister Abiy Ahmed by parliamentarians last week were on events and issues that had taken place over the past year.
Paraphrased below are some of his responses.
On human rights, and allegations of violations, the Prime Minister said that while human rights are ‘nice words’ they have become political tools. He criticized human rights institutions for not observing impartiality in their work and being unable to see their internal weaknesses.
Despite not denying the rights violations, the Prime Minister added that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Police have acted commendably and then gave the example of how thousands of Ethiopian soldiers are currently in prison due to breaches in conduct (alluding to accountability?).
Speaking on the peace and security in the country, the Prime Minister reiterated a point he has made in the past; that the government’s attempts to make peace with different groups have been perceived as a weakness and that while armed fighters are heroes when they attack, when government forces ‘pinch back’, then it’s labeled a ‘genocide’.
He also mentioned the National Dialogue Commission as one solution for conflicts – if you missed my breakdown on the Commission, its work, and where its progress stands today, go here to read an update on that.
A bible verse was thrown in to drive home the point that development will not amount to much if ‘brothers continue to kill each other’ in the country; those interested in finding out which specific Bible verse can go here to find out (unless you know Ecclesiastes 10:1-3 by heart).
On the topic of employment came up the case of 60,000 young Ethiopians who are remote workers employed by tech companies that outsource roles for data workers, software engineers, coders, and the like. These jobs, he said, pay well and need to be bolstered.
Perhaps one of the more controversial topics he spoke about was the futile ‘attempted coups’ that some ‘elders’ in the country are busy planning.
A story on The Reporter, which ran a story on this statement from the Prime Minister, cites ‘well-placed sources’ who said, ‘the government is currently on red alert over perceived coup threats’.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
Sources say it is taking measures such as utilizing social media campaigns to counter narratives and strengthening security in some areas, including in Addis Ababa.
The concerns over a potential coup were ignited following the start of discussions between the US government and Ethiopian opposition party leaders as well as influential members of the Ethiopian Diaspora residing in the US, according to the sources.
The full story, which has details on the discussion between Ethiopian opposition political groups and US government officials, on The Reporter, here.
The full parliamentary address by the Prime Minister, in Amharic, here. For readers looking to get a more in-depth write-up on the session or a debriefing for future parliamentary sessions and related important events, hit reply and let me know; I’m happy to provide professional help with this.
Security: we don’t know her (XXIII)
This is the 23rd part update on what is taking place in Ethiopia’s Amhara region since it descended into open conflict last August. Here’s a link to access the ones before this.
This week’s update includes the assassination of yet another administrator in the region, specifically the head of the Oromo Special Zone. The Oromo Special Zone is found within the Amhara region, but is an area, ‘subject to historical claims by the Amhara, Oromo, and Afar ethnic groups’. For a longer read on the complexity of this zone and its administration, check this article on the Ethiopia Peace Observatory.
The attack was reportedly carried out by fighters from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
Medical practitioners in the region have been targets of attacks by Ethiopian defense forces, according to another report by Human Rights Watch.
The report, which covered 13 towns in the region, says the widespread attacks on professionals, patients, and health facilities amount to war crimes.
Here’s an excerpt from a statement:
Human Rights Watch found that Ethiopian forces endangered or disrupted the functioning of hospitals. Soldiers beat, arbitrarily arrested, and intimidated medical professionals for providing care to the injured and sick, including alleged Fano fighters. The soldiers also unlawfully attacked ambulances and medical transports, interfered with access to humanitarian assistance, and denied the Amhara population the right to health.
Ethiopian National Defense Forces soldiers have attacked civilians on suspicion of their affiliation with Fano, the informal militia operating in the region, it adds. The soldiers are accused of doing the same in the country’s Oromia region, where civilians there also face attacks on suspected affiliation with armed fighters in the region (OLA).
The story on Addis Standard here, and the statement by Human Rights Watch, which includes a link to the full report, here.
Oromia: another case of kidnapping in the region
Over 100 people were kidnapped over the last week alone in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. The kidnappings were carried out by fighters with the ‘same hairstyle as fighters from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group’ according to a story by Reuters.
Here’s an excerpt:
On Wednesday, three buses were stopped by unknown gunmen around 120 km (75 miles) north of the capital Addis Ababa, in the Oromia region, said a student of Debark University, who later escaped and hid in a forest.
"It was scary and shocking. They started to beat the passengers with sticks, and force them to get out of the bus," he said.
The kidnappers have already started asking for ransom in exchange for the return of the passengers (which includes students).
The full story on Reuters, here.
Finance: major mismanagement and new plans
Part of last week’s parliamentary session included approving the, ‘near trillion Birr federal budget’, as phrased by a story on Addis Fortune.
Weeks ago, the federal auditor general was in parliament providing an audit report which, ‘laid bare the financial mismanagement and legal breaches plaguing numerous federal agencies over the past year’, according to the story.
The report included instances where institutions ‘collected unauthorized fees’ (Immigration & Citizenship Services), one that failed to adequately document resources (Ministry of Mines), and another that failed to ‘complete projects on time’ resulting in a loss of millions of Birr (Ministry of Innovation & Technology).
Though the auditor general was there to share audit results on the performance of federal agencies, there was a ‘glaring absence of high-ranking officials running the agencies subject to audit fault’ according to the story.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
Unlike in countries like the United Kingdom (UK), where auditors can gird accountability based on their findings, Ethiopia's Auditor General is limited to disclosure, recommendations and referring issues to relevant agencies.
As the new budget was approved last week, parliamentarians asked for a, ‘cracked down on official corruption’, and cited issues of, ‘budget overruns, and ineffective management’.
The full story on Addis Fortune (on the latest budget approval) here, and (a previous one on the auditor general’s report), here.
Reshuffles: introducing the new ministers
The political appointments and reshuffles have continued into July. Last week, new heads were appointed for the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration. The latter institution was led by one of three opposition political party members serving on the Prime Minister’s cabinet, according to a story on Ethiopia Insider.
Previous leadership changes include when the country’s deputy Prime Minister and (concurrent) foreign minister stepped down at the beginning of the year. A month later, in February the Minister of Health was replaced in a move that opposition groups said consolidates loyalty. In May, a former Minister of Defence was appointed back to her old position. In the same month, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US resigned from his, stating that he would, instead, be pivoting to private practice.
Weeks before, the head of the country’s Industrial Parks Development Corporation, which oversees government-owned industrial parks, was replaced for the fourth time in six years.
The full story on the latest ministerial appointments on Ethiopia Insider, in Amharic, here.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more updates!
In the meantime, you can say thank you by forwarding this to friends and family (and helping them keep up with what’s going on).
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