Deustche Welle Global Media Forum

A speech by Obang Metho, SMNE EXecutive Director

| June 23, 2011

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Obang Metho addressing the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn last week

Good afternoon! I would like to thank Deustche Welle Global Media Forum
for organizing this important conference on, “Human Rights and Globalization—Challenges to the
Media.”  How meaningful it
is to be here in this great city of Bonn; the birthplace of Ludwing
Van Beethoven whose compositions stand for the spirit of freedom, peace,
dialogue and understanding known for their contributions to peace and security
as well as to be at the former heart of the German Parliament where so many
debates took place regarding global future-oriented issues for the betterment
of the German people, Europeans and our global society.

I am honored to be among these many
distinguished speakers and guests; particularly those in the media, who have
come from all over the world to focus on this very timely topic. It is a
privilege to be here with those who have been on the frontlines; the soldiers
of human dignity and human rights, whose noble calling is to reveal the truth,
to defend the defenseless and to speak for the voiceless. We have gathered
together to strengthen our resolve to uphold the worth and dignity of every
human being; for our God-given humanity crosses all boundaries that divide
us. 

I especially want to thank Erik Bettermann, the Director General of Deutsche Welle, under whose leadership, this great event has all
come together. I also want to thank Dr. Guidu Westerwelle, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dirk Niebel, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and
Development and Jurgen Nimptsch,
Mayor of Bonn for their contributions.

I thank the Society for Threatened Peoples
for giving me this opportunity to speak about the topic, “Underdogs on the Brink; Indigenous People and the Race for
Resources.”  Indigenous
people have always been at risk; however, in today’s world, where the race for
resources such as oil, gas, fertile land, water, precious metals, minerals and
even cheap labor continues at record speed, and as it does, the indigenous
people of our world have never been in greater peril.

New sources for commodities and natural
resources are being sought as availability from previous sources is no longer
sufficient. It has led many to enter into previously untapped regions where
many of our indigenous people have lived for hundreds of years; mostly
marginalized in terms of services, but yet, mostly undisturbed. The
indigenous are now painfully learning that when resources are found on your land
it is like finding a tumor in your body.

My talk will focus on Ethiopia and how the
risks to the indigenous people are increasing as a result of the new global
thirst for resources; however, I will be emphasizing how the real threat to
indigenous populations is raised exponentially in countries where governments
fail to protect their own people; particularly the indigenous and other
vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, in Ethiopia, the
regime’s corruption, brutality and outrageous complicity in the exploitation
of the people has led to extraordinary levels of endangerment and without
intervention the future looks bleak. 

For people who do not know, I belong to one
of these threatened indigenous groups—the Anuak—whose
land is on either side of the river separating Ethiopia and Southern Sudan. The
future survival of the Anuak has been in jeopardy for
years. In 1986, the organization, Cultural Survival, named them as an
endangered people group—both in Ethiopia and in Sudan. Services were
nearly non-existent and they were largely ignored and neglected during this
period of time.

A civil war in Sudan resulted in a huge
influx of refugees into the Gambella region of
southwestern Ethiopia where I grew up; creating conflicts over land and
resources. In 1986, the previous Ethiopian regime of Mengistu
resettled Ethiopians from the highlands in Gambella;
who lived under great hardship initially, but eventually competed with local
indigenous over resources. When the Ethiopian regime changed in May 1991 to a
minority ethnically-based dominated party, Tigrayan
Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), still led by Meles Zenawi); nothing improved. Instead, these conflicts took a more
dangerous turn as the Meles regime used divide and
conquer tactics to maintain an iron-grip on power by fomenting conflict between
the local people.

As the regime began to dominate every sector
of society, interest in some of the resources in the rural areas increased. At
the end of 1996, a government sponsored comprehensive report was completed by
outside consultants related to the agricultural potential in Gambella; previously, not well understood. The study
reviewed past findings of a Russian study completed during the previous
communist regime of Mengistu. After a thorough
review, the consultants gave suggestions regarding priority development
projects as well as specific recommendations for a Master Plan of development
that included pre-feasibility studies of high-priority water projects. It
affirmed the great agricultural possibilities that could be developed in this
region and gave specific directions as to how it could be laid out. This
included giving suggestions regarding best uses of various kinds of land;
including which crops would be best suited for different land in the region.
This also included suggestions regarding how to utilize the plentiful sources
of water; including where irrigation systems and dams could be built. 

The Anuak already
knew that the land, the water sources and the climate made it possible to
produce three crops a year; however, the potential production outcomes remained
extremely low due to lack of any agricultural investment in the area or in the
people. They lacked mechanized farming machinery like tractors and combines,
good seed, agricultural resources, technical assistance and access to
agricultural education. This was never provide despite
the fact that this food insecure country received millions of dollars of donor
food and humanitarian aid every year that never created a solution to the
never-ending hunger.

Another discovery cemented the increasing
threat to the future of the Anuak. In the late
nineties, an oil prospecting company discovered potential oil reserves in Gambella and within a short time, the Meles
regime started making plans to drill for oil; scheduled to formally begin in
December of 2003. Despite the fact that Ethiopia’s Constitution calls for
regional self-determination and consultation with local populations, no one
wanted to listen to the voices of Anuak leaders who
called for involvement in the decision process regarding this oil development;
particularly as this is a fragile region at the headwaters of the Nile. Most
were concerned regarding assuring protections were in place due to the
potential environmental impact. They also wanted to share in at least in some
of the benefits. 

Instead, any who spoke out were seen as
obstructions to this plan and were targeted. This struggle reached its worst
possible outcome on December 13 to 15, 2003, which became the darkest days in Anuak history. It became obvious that the government, which
is meant to protect its citizens, had now become the biggest threat to their
survival. Information, later leaked, gave evidence of a top meeting of government
officials—including Meles—which was held
in September of 2003 where plans were made to “teach” these Anuak a lesson. 

On December 13^th, Ethiopian
defense forces began an ethnically-based attack on any Anuak
seen as a threat to their plan. This included those who were outspoken,
educated, in a position of influence or who were opposed to the government
plan. Some civilian militias—made up of those from a different ethnic
background—were armed with axes and machetes and were accompanied by
soldiers as they went through Gambella town. Using a
pre-prepared list of nearly 600 names of some of the most vocal or influential Anuak leaders, they went house to house, pulling out these
targeted persons. As these troops marched through town many chanted,
“Today is the day for killing Anuak” and
“Today there will be no more Anuak land.”
Within three days, 424 Anuak were massacred; many
ending up in mass graves. Nearly ten thousand Anuak
fled to southern Sudan even while Gambella housed
thousands of refugees from the same country.

After two in-depth investigations of the
incident by Genocide Watch, they concluded that the human rights crimes
committed against the Anuak met the stringent
definition of genocide and crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch’s
report, “Targeting the Anuak: Human Rights
Violations and Crimes against Humanity in Ethiopia’s Gambella
Region,” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/03/23/ethiopia-crimes-against-humanity-gambella-region
also provides a detailed account of what happened.

Shortly thereafter, former United States
Ambassador to Ethiopia, Aurelia Brazeal, visited Gambella to meet with the people and officials. She
recognized the increasing threat to the indigenous people of Gambella now that the present regime had renewed interest
in this resource-rich region that had otherwise been abandoned for years. She
warned that this area of most fertile land and plentiful water could become the
bread basket of Ethiopia or even the Horn of Africa; and for this reason, what
happened there would be the “conscience
of Ethiopia.” 

The severity of this massacre led to the
establishment of the Anuak Justice Council (AJC);
with the mission of protecting the lives and well being of Anuak,
wherever they were found. I was the Director of International Advocacy for this
organization. Realizing that the Anuak were even more
endangered than previously realized—not
only because they were indigenous people with no voice and little power and
not only because their land had
abundant resources others desired; but mainly
they were at risk because they lived in a country governed by the corrupt,
self-serving and ruthlessly brutal regime of Meles Zenawi. 

After initially focusing on the Anuak, we realized that even though the Anuak
were endangered and continued to be targeted by the current regime; they were
not alone. Not only were other indigenous groups targeted for human rights
abuses; abuses were also committed against any within the 80 different ethnic
groups who posed a threat to this TPLF/EDRDF regime or to their
interests—the Oromo, the Ogadeni, the Afar, the
people of Benishangul-Gumuz, the people from Southern
Nations, the Amhara and those of the same Tigrayan ethnicity as the current government, but who opposed
them.

For example, when Ethiopian troops finally
left the Gambella region, the human rights abuses did
not end in Ethiopia, they only were committed against new victims
such as the Ogadenis, whose land held large natural
gas reserves. These abuses continue today; along with a devastating
humanitarian disaster. Few know how bad it is as the entire area has been
blocked off from entry to humanitarian groups. In the Omo
Valley in the southern part of the country, half a million indigenous people
face a life-threatening crisis should the Gibe III Dam plans proceed without
great care and protection of the many people living in that remote area.

Few, if any, have any education and most only
speak their native language. As a result, these people have little preparation
to effectively advocate for themselves or deal with life should their
indigenous land be taken. Wherever resources are being found, the people are
being threatened—from the Afar region in the northeast to Beninshangul in the west and to the many small ethnic
groups in the South. Even the mainstream Ethiopian groups are in jeopardy.
Since this regime came into power in 1992, the numbers of Amhara
have been reduced by 2.4 million people—what happened to them? There are
so many people of Oromo ethnicity in prison that they are said to be
“Oromo-only prisons” for this largest of Ethiopian ethnic groups is
a threat to this minority regime. 

No one has yet been brought to justice for
the Anuak massacre or for the countless other human
rights violations committed ever since this regime came into power. Because of
this, we realized that until sustainable justice came to all Ethiopians, it
would never come to the Anuak alone and that we
Ethiopians had to start caring about each other.

We were facing a systemic problem as a result
of a dictatorial government. This must be challenged nationally and
globally rather than locally through one ethnic group or by one region of the
country; particularly in a country divided by so much ethnic hatred and
alienation. Instead, we Ethiopians had to become advocates for the rights, worth
and dignity of each other if Ethiopia was going to break out of a
self-destructive cycle of serial dictatorships. 

The current model of “my tribe
first,” did not work before and will never work in a globalized society
for it only perpetuated cycles of revenge, misery and suffering. We believed in a different
model—putting “humanity
before ethnicity” or any other distinctive as our Creator instilled
value into the DNA of every human being. Until such thinking permeates Ethiopian
society; freedom, justice, peace and opportunity will be unsustainable for
“no one is free until all are
free.” Based on these principles, we established an inclusive social justice
movement to bring about a new Ethiopia where our government would be held
accountable by such standards. 

I am here today because the Society for
Threatened People, located in Germany, lives out these same principles as they
seek to protect the most threatened and voiceless people throughout the world;
whether in Iceland, Central or South America, Asia, Africa or beyond. These are
German people who care about the well being of others just because they are
fellow human beings; knowing that as long as the survival of some are threatened,
the survival of all of us will never be secure. 

Deutsche Welle
Global Media Forum is another example of support for these same
principles as they show their concern for others; bringing thousands from all
over the world no matter our differences—what continent we come from,
what language we speak, what religion we practice or  whether we come from a first or third
world country. None of this matters; what matters is our
humanity. Between human beings there should be no us and them; for
there are no 99.9% human beings. We are all in this world together so when the
rights of other human beings are violated, it is like our own rights were
violated. If we can do something, we should do it. It is this kind of forum that
will strengthen and promote a more caring world; challenging those who are
undermining the God-given rights of some for their own interests or ego. 

The Anuak still
have not recovered from the massacre and its aftermath, but now another force
is threatening them as well as many other Ethiopians throughout the country. It
has now come in the form of land grabs—or life-grabs as I
call them—which involves the leasing of agricultural land to foreign
investors and regime cronies at absurdly low prices for up to 99 years; while
forcing indigenous people to vacate homes, ancestral lands, crops and futures.
These land lease agreements are transacted by the federal government directly
with investors and lack any transparency. The local people are neither
consulted nor compensated for losses.

Some have even died from resulting hardship
or have been killed for daring to resist. Three-quarters of the people of the
entire region of Gambella, 245,000, are now targeted
to be resettled in a villagization project. Services
are being promised, but for those who have already been displaced, no services
every materialized and now they are being told to return back home for the
short-term; however, their homes may be gone, their crops destroyed and the new
planting made more difficult due to growth of the grasses. 

These
land grabs are going on all over Ethiopia. Because of the lack of good
information on this, the Solidarity
Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE), of which I am the executive director,
and Oakland Institute (OI) conducted
extensive research; including an in-country assessment of what is happening on
the ground. The joint report, Understanding Land Investments in Ethiopia, http://www.solidaritymovement.org/downloads/110608UnderstandingLandDealsInAfrica.pdf
, was just published and gives detailed information about the
explosion of land investment deals within Ethiopia.

The land being taken is not a tiny plot of
land, but in Ethiopia it has been compared to the size of Israel and in Gambella alone, to the size of Luxembourg; with one company
alone, Karuturi Global LTD, leasing 300,000 hectares,
the equivalent of 746,000 acres. This is some of the most fertile land. Imagine this amount
of land being given away behind closed doors with no one really knowing the
terms. The people who live in this land will be affected forever. The TPLF/EPRDF
regime that has made these deals is not really legitimately elected by the
people, but has closed off all political space, clamped down on rights and
criminalized dissent.

The TPLF/EPRDF is an autocratic regime that
has blocked off all the media. For example, there is less Internet penetration
in Ethiopia (0.5%) than nearly anywhere else in the world other than in Burma
and Cuba. Internet sites are blocked and there is no independent media. The only media are either
government-controlled or must severely censor themselves. This includes
the lack of independent newspapers, radio stations, and television stations.
The only ones which are independent are broadcast from outside the country like
Deutsche Welle and Voice of America; both which are
continually being jammed.

In light of this tightly-controlled
repression of information, the media is more needed now than ever; not only
within the country, but also on the outside as foreign-based media are needed
to expose the truth to the outside world. This is particularly important within
donor countries where their taxpayers support has propped up this regime. Meles and the TPLF/EPRDF should not be given a
free pass on accountability anymore, just because they know how to speak words
of democracy or because they are partnering with western countries in a war on
terror even though this regime is terrorizing their own people at home. 

The Western media have the role of convincing
the public in their own countries that their taxpayer money is going to support
a regime that does not respect their own values and denies basic rights to its
people. The media should also delve in deeper; investigating the reasons why a
country that depends on foreign aid to feed their people, should give
foreigners the rights to their citizens’ land? Who is benefiting from
these deals? Where is the money going? A country that is asking for western food
for 13 million of its people; yet, with the other hand, spends $100,000 to buy
200 tanks should be held accountable! The media has to question why this is
happening!

In July of 2003, I was returning from Addis
Ababa to Canada following a trip to Gambella. I had
begun a development organization and was working with many of the leaders in Gambella on issues of health, clean water, women
empowerment and education. My return flight was on a Lufthansa and I happened
to be sitting next to a man who worked for Deutsche Welle.
We had a very good talk and we exchanged cards as he departed. 

Six months later, at the beginning of the Anuak genocide, I received a desperate call from Gambella asking for help as the massacre of the Anuak leaders had begun. I made countless calls over the
next 36 hours; doing all I could think of to find some way to expose and stop
what was going on; particularly because the violence was continuing and every
call brought more reports of death and mass graves. Near to midnight on December
14^th, 2003, I pushed my mind for some way to expose to the world
what was happening on the ground. Suddenly, I remembered the man I had met on
the plane who worked for Deutsche Welle.

I had not talked to him since that first
meeting but I found his card I had saved and called him. He answered and was
immediately willing to help. I called the former governor of the region who I
knew very well and told him he would be receiving a call and that he should
expose everything that was going on. He agreed. He received the call, gave his
information and within a short time, Deutsche Welle
Amharic programs was broadcasting the truth from the ground when no one
expected such voices to emerge from the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, the TPLF government
officials were threatening him; telling him to recant the story on the air.
Fearing for his life, he called me to get the phone number to Deutsche Welle. I refused to give it to him saying the truth must be
told. He did not like it at first, but later became emboldened; taking a
courageous stand against these officials even though it meant him going into
exile. It all made a difference. Four or five days later, this broadcast forced
the government to go to Gambella for damage
control. 

Truth
is a powerful weapon against those who rely on deception, propaganda and
outright lies to accomplish their deeds. Truth liberates those in these
untouched and darkened corners of the world where many of the world’s
most vulnerable people live. They want to tell their stories. Yet, the
voiceless in the darkness may not be heard in this world except through people
like you.

To stop
the robbery of the lives, land and natural resources of the indigenous and
other oppressed people of Ethiopia and beyond requires exposure and it cannot
be achieved by the indigenous alone or a few activists. It requires the moral
voices of the media, social justice groups, the faith community and ethical
decision-makers in government, business, law and from
every walk of life in order to stop the 21^st century
neo-colonization of Africa. 

Just
like William Wilberforce led a parliamentary movement to abolish the slave
trade and the exploitation of our fellow human beings in the 19^th
century; this is a time that requires similar moral resolve and boldness in
order to demand justice for all. Let
the war against exploitation and injustice be fought by all of us for no one is
free until all are free! 

Thank you!
May God help us to care more about each other!

—
Mr obang Metho, executive director of SMNE, can be reached at [email protected]
website: solidaritymovement.org

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