Africa Action Endorses the “March to Stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia/Africa;” Calls on all Members, Partners and Others to Participate

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Almost 46 years ago to the date (August 28th 1963) 200,000 people tired of the being abused and brutalized, tired of living in fear for loved ones, tired of political inaction and nonsensical policy statements giving pretense to opposing the status quo while all along supporting it and tired of being lied to, marched on Washington to demand freedom and jobs for African Americans. The event set in motion a series of actions leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1965¾ legislation that changed the United States forever.
On September 13th 2009, a different but extremely significant march will take place: The March to Stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia/Africa.



Marches against dictatorship, and particularly dictators that are militarily supported by the United States, are not new. In fact, for the last six decades, it is often the fodder for much foreign policy activism and political protest here in the U.S., not to mention around the globe.

However, there are three major differences here that should be noted. First, this march is being organized within the African immigrant community. In fact, it is a group called the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia is spearheading the effort. This organization describes itself as a non-political and non-violent social justice movement that seeks to unite the many Ethiopian ethnic groups into a solidarity movement that stands together to call the current Ethiopian government to account for myriad allegations of human rights violations.

The Movement includes prominent representatives from various ethnic groups including each of the largest ones, the Oromo, Tigray and Ogaden among others, and is led by a renown Anuak advocate.

Perhaps the easiest way for U.S. policy makers to downplay human rights abuses in Africa is to say that those raising attention to the abuses are Western human rights organizations and not African themselves. Furthermore, when African are involved, they tend to be aligned with a single ethnic opposition group and are simply dismissed as advocating the replacement of one form of tyranny and corruption with another.

This reasoning, along with the oft repeated assertion by top policy officials that ‘Africans simply aren’t interested in democracy!” serve the purpose of upholding the United States’ strong relations with some of the most brutal and non-democratic dictators in Africa. The Solidarity Movement may be serving notice that the African immigrant community is no longer going to accept idioms from the U.S. policymakers while consciously seeking to avoid being divided and easily conquered.

One of the pillars of U.S. policy to towards Africa as articulated by President Obama is promoting and strengthening democracy. As the President said in his first major address on Africa in Ghana, “This is about more than holding elections – it’s also about what happens between them. … No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.” While all African human rights activists are in total agreement with this sentiment, it is extremely doubtful that an administration official will attend this particular rally. This is because President Obama is continuing the Bush administrations policy of supporting Ethiopia’s and vehemently anti-democratic dictator Meles Zenawi.

You can tell American audiences how our support for Zenawi serves US military interests while not squaring with our pro-democracy rhetoric, but no one can seriously articulate to Africans how Zenawi’s reign has benefited more than a very small few.

This point highlights the third major difference between the typical rally and this one. The Solidarity Movement is attempting to reach out across the continent. Everyone knows that there is an enormous battle to decide Africa’s future and more particularly, where its resources are going. In fact, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s trip to Africa in July was described in U.S. financial newspapers as ‘Russia’s attempt to vie with China and the West for control of [Africa’s] energy and resources.’ As we know from history, African people are not going to negotiate their way into protecting their future, rather their strength is in numbers¾one billion people saying they have had enough.

As lopsided deals are made and more and more of Africa’s most arable and resource rich land is dealt away to secure someone else’ future, it is important for those who care about the future of Africa people attend this march and tell the world that we are tired of the being abused and brutalized, tired of living in fear for loved ones, tired of political inaction and nonsensical policy statements giving pretense to opposing the status quo while all along supporting it and tired of being lied to. Maybe this will be the catalyst for transformational change that Africa really needs.

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Andinet Support Chapters in Europe Endorsed the DC March

Press Release

Calls on all Members, Partners and Others to Participate

We, members of the Interim Task Force of Andenet Support Chapters in Europe fully endorse the upcoming “March to Stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia/Africa in Washington D.C., scheduled for September 13, 2009 in front of the United States Capitol.

Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia around the world have for a while now been protesting against the injustice and repression unleashed by the repressive regime of Ethiopia on its citizens. Following the controversial election of 2005 stolen by the ruling repressive regime there has been steady erosion civil and human rights as the result of deliberate action of a regime, which stands on the wrong side of history.

Human Rights watch and other independent organisations reported on a catalogue of gross violations of human rights in Ethiopia, where thousands are incarcerated with out due process for just having a different views from the ruling party, while those living outside prison gates are not allowed to exercise their universal rights of speech, assembly and to elect their leaders. Membership of the ruling party has become a condition for rights to college education and job opportunities.

In a country with over 6 million people requiring emergency aid, food aid is being used as political instrument to starve people in need but oppose the regime in power for not respecting their basic rights, while acres of fertile land is sold to foreign highest bidders.

On 23 March 2009, Genocide Watch wrote to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to initiate an investigation against the government of P.M. Meles Zenawi for atrocities committed in Gambela against the Anuaks and ethnic Somalis in the Ogaden.

The recent draconian civil society law and the bill restricting the activities of charity organisation (both local and foreign) are designed to silence independent voices from reporting repressive activities of the regime and the plight of innocent citizens.

The kidnap and re-arrest of Birtukan Midekssa - Chairperson of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (aka Andenet) on 29th December 2008 for life imprisonment is the latest evidence of a regime which operates in an entrenched culture of impunity.

We are outraged by the level of repressions innocent citizens had to endure under the paranoid regime in Ethiopia and call up on the free nations of the world and their leaders to stand with the Ethiopian people, condemn the act if the tyrant regime in Ethiopia and demand respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Interim Task Force of Andenet Support Chapters in Europe.

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Andinet North America Endorsed the DC March

PRESS RELEASE

Marching for Freedom

Andinet
North America Association of Support
Organizations (ANAASO) is actively working with the March 4 Freedom alliance and other
organizations to expose the gross human rights abuses occurring in Ethiopia and the unjust and illegal re-imprisonment of its leader, Ms Birtukan Mideksa, and other prisoners of conscience. ANAASO supports and gives its full endorsement to this national rally for freedom and justice. The march, scheduled for Sunday September 13, 2009 in Washington DC, is attended by diverse organizations and people of all ages, races, religions, and political affiliations.

The march aims to:

• Unify Ethiopians, other Africans, African-Americans, Americans of any color and others of any
nationality by coming together as human beings first; not as people of a certain ethnicity, color,
political view, religion, region, country of origin, gender, viewpoint, educational level, economic
class or any other distinction, but as people who care about justice, peace and reconciliation.

• Bring the world attention to the gross human rights abuses, tyranny and oppression of Ethiopians under the current brutal government of Meles Zenawi as well as in other countries in the Horn of Africa and in Africa as a whole where similar conditions exist.

• Let the Obama administration and other donor countries to Ethiopia and Africa see solidarity among freedom and justice loving people who want genuine change in Africa.

ANAASO calls on its chapter organizations, members, and supporters to show their solidarity with the people of Ethiopia and all prisoners of conscience by joining this march to stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia.

ANAASO calls on the Ethiopian government to immediately release Ms Birtukan Mideksa and all other prisoners of conscience, respect the rule of law, and stop its intimidation and harassment of its citizens.

ANAASO further calls on the international community to stop supporting a regime that stands convicted of wholesome human rights violations, rigged elections, and extra-judicial killings.

ANAASO welcomes the opportunity to work together with such distinguished organizations in the struggle to build a better Ethiopia where its people live in peace as equals and the rule of law reigns supreme.

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Unity for
Human Rights and Democracy Toronto Endorses
“March to Stop Genocide and Dictatorship in Ethiopia/Africa”

No one would ever deny that the suffering of our people in the hands of Meles Zenawi and his gang has worsened day by day. Tyranny in its worst shape and form has subjected our people to unprecedented misery. We are witnessing apartheid like system controlling the daily lives of the people. They are forced to be part of their Stasi security system against their wishes. Students, teachers, civil servants, urban dwellers and farmers are given the choice of signing up for one of the ethno centric groups. Otherwise, they are destined to lose their jobs, right to attend schools, shelters and plot of land. Meles Zenawi is busy with the mass indoctrination of our productive sector of the population, with his archaic communist ideology. Similarly, the mass recruitment measure the regime is tirelessly implementing is part of creating a police state where fundamental rights of citizens are in jeopardy