Another Crime

By Girma G.

July 6, 2007

“The areas Meles gave to Sudan have always been Ethiopian, even in the 15th and 16th centuries.”

This mail is written in reference to the piece entitled Sudan Gets Disputed Lands from Ethiopia” posted on your website yesterday (July 5, 2007).

I have been quite close to the areas given to Sudan (they are already given and the dancing now is a simple formality). So many elders living in the area told me that that part of Ethiopia (some estimated it to be at least 17,000 hectare) has never been part of Sudan. Let alone the 100 years funny history of EPRDF, Ethiopian kings of the 15th and 16th centuries have been using those forests for different purposes.

To share with you the basic reason why EPRDF is slicing away that part of the country is, as explained by people living in the area, Ethiopian troops have never set a foot in two of the Kebeles (Awsa, and partially Tumet) bordering Sudan. Some fighters have been taking shelter in the jungles of these kebeles since the Derg era. EPRDF soldiers tried so many ways of ‘confronting’ the fighters, including burning the forest in dry seasons. It has never been possible to get hold of the rebels as they are backed by the community around.

Then, another strategy: Sudan was allowed to take part of these Ethiopian lands by attacking from the other side. As cowards as they are, the Sudanese also set fire on the forest from the other side and chased away some of the farmers ploughing there. Some of the farmers who resisted were killed on the spot and, I was told again, that they were burnt with sesame straw. The Sudanese deforested the area, made charcoal, and rid the area of all Ethiopians. The Ethiopians asked ‘government’ officials, and expectedly they were told to stay away and silent. And they obeyed.

In a nutshell, the lands given to Sudan are, without any doubt, Ethiopian lands. Everybody knows that – even EPRDF as it was the main reason why Ethiopia used this fact as a ‘pretext’ (I feel so now) to invade Sudan when their hero – Hayelom was around. People might forget, but we never forget what has been happening in that part of the country since EPRDF came to power in a disguise of nationalist and pro-democratic movement. We know this is one more crime EPRDF is committing. We keep on counting.