Information on the Massacre of the Sidama in Awassa by the TPLF/EPRDF Government

The TPLF/EPRDF government has once again displayed its despotism by its savage act of brutally massacring unarmed Sidama who attempted to hold a peaceful demonstration on May 24, 2002. This brutal murder of innocent peaceful citizens was in outright violation of the constitutional rights of the Sidama people to peacefully demonstrate. It is to be noted that the estimated ten thousand Sidama demonstrators consisting of peasants, government workers and school children were unarmed and were only waving Ethiopian flag and placards. Following the mass massacre, the government has tried to justify why it chose to shoot into a crowd of civilians. It claimed that the demonstrators had opened fired at the government forces and killed two policemen. This is an irresponsible act of disinformation because independent eye witness reports showed that the two policemen were members of Sidama nationality and were trying to persuade the demonstrators not to proceed towards Awassa town. The policemen knew that the government had made all preparations to stop the demonstration by any means. Therefore, the fact of the matter is that the two policemen were hit by the volley of gunfire aimed at the demonstrators by the armed forces of the government. Hence this is a shameful lie that the government is using to justify its savage act of mass massacre.

Therefore, the attempt of the ruling party and the government to camouflage its flagrant act of genocide, under the international standard that tolerates intentional use of lethal force by law enforcement officials, when protection of life is the only motive, is immoral. On the other hand, it is a vindication of an outright tyrannical EPRDF rule that has rooted in (lie country. This government has time and again demonstrated its resolve to apply brute military force to shoot and kill unarmed citizens that attempt to demonstrate to demand their basic constitutional rights. The genocide in Wolayta, Hadiya, Tembaro, Sheko-Mejjengar, Oromiya and elsewhere makes the Awassa massacre part of the continued aggression of TPLF/EPRDF against all peoples that demand their rights and question its dictates.

We are appalled by the resolve of the TPLP/EPRDF government to shoot and kill civilians in tens of thousands and by the fact that it is still regarded as a respectable government by the diplomatic community. In the face of this genocidal act of the government the total silence of the international donor community that blindly supports it is even more appalling. Our populations that attempt to stand up for their basic rights are gunned down with impunity in thousands and yet this does not seem to be violent enough to warrant an expression of dismay, if not condemnation.

This tolerance of the brutality of the EPRDF government by the international donor community has been undermining the desires of our peoples to free themselves from the grips of dictatorial rule. The leadership of TPLF/ EPRDF has been arrogantly bragging about how well received its rule is by the international community and hence it can raise as much support as it would desire from the donors. Thus public disapproval and grievances are being disregarded as irrelevant and never heeded to. This has created an unfortunate situation whereby our voices of opposition to the monstrous acts of the regime and the woes of the suffering masses are totally disregarded and are dismissed as irrelevant by the ruling party.

As an additional proof to the continued acts of genocide the EPRDF government has been perpetrating against our peoples, we list below the names of Sidama people that were cold-bloodedly murdered, critically wounded or illegally imprisoned in Awassa. It must be noted that school children also are among the victims.

We hope that all peace loving organizations and diplomatic representations will make their own follow up on this human tragedy of far reaching magnitude and take appropriate action.

(SEPDC)

Table 1. List of Sidama People Massacred by Government Armed Forces as they attempted to Demonstrate in Awassa on May 24,2002