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Thousands 'forcibly relocated' in Ethiopia, says HRW report
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Thousands 'forcibly relocated' in Ethiopia, says HRW report
Thousands 'forcibly relocated' in Ethiopia, says HRW report
Human Rights Watch says people in the remote western Gambella region of Ethiopia are being forcibly moved to inadequate villages to free up land for commercial agriculture
The Ethiopian government is forcibly moving tens of thousands of people in the remote western Gambella region, with villagers being told that their resettlement is connected to the leasing of large tracts of land for commercial agriculture, according to a human rights group.
Waiting for Death, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, said the population transfers under the "villagisation" programme are being carried out with little consultation or compensation. People are being moved to new villages that have inadequate food and lack health and education facilities, said HRW. Relocations have been marked by threats, assaults and arbitrary arrest for those who resist the move. HRW, which conducted 100 interviews in Ethiopia from May to June last year, as well as with Gambellans who have fled to refugee camps in Kenya, said it found "widespread" human rights violations at all stages of the programme.
"The Ethiopian government's villagisation programme is not improving access to services for Gambella's indigenous people, but is instead undermining their livelihoods and food security," said Jan Egeland, the organisation's Europe director. "The government should suspend the programme until it can ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place and that people have been properly consulted and compensated for the loss of their land."
Gambella, which is the size of Belgium, has a population of 307,000, mainly indigenous Anuak and Nuer. Its richly fertile soil has attracted foreign and domestic investors who have leased large tracts of land at favourable prices. From 2008 to January 2011, Ethiopia leased out at least 3.6m hectares of land.
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Ethiopia: Forced Relocations Bring Hunger, Hardship
Donor Funds Should Not Facilitate Abuse of Indigenous Groups
© 2011 Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
(London) – The Ethiopian government under its “villagization” program is forcibly relocating approximately 70,000 indigenous people from the western Gambella region to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare, and educational facilities, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. State security forces have repeatedly threatened, assaulted, and arbitrarily arrested villagers who resist the transfers.
The report, “‘Waiting Here for Death’: Forced Displacement and ‘Villagization’ in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region,” examines the first year of Gambella’s villagization program. It details the involuntary nature of the transfers, the loss of livelihoods, the deteriorating food situation, and ongoing abuses by the armed forces against the affected people. Many of the areas from which people are being moved are slated for leasing by the government for commercial agricultural development.
“The Ethiopian government’s villagization program is not improving access to services for Gambella’s indigenous people, but is instead undermining their livelihoods and food security,” said Jan Egeland, Europe director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should suspend the program until it can ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place and that people have been properly consulted and compensated for the loss of their land.”
The government says the “villagization” program is designed to provide “access to basic socioeconomic infrastructures” to the people it relocates and to bring “socioeconomic & cultural transformation of the people.” But despite pledges to provide suitable compensation, the government has provided insufficient resources to sustain people in the new villages, Human Rights Watch said.
The residents of Gambella, mainly indigenous Anuak and Nuer, have never had formal title to the land they have lived on and used. The government often claims that the areas are “uninhabited” or “under-utilized.” That claim enables the government to bypass constitutional provisions and laws that would protect these populations from being relocated.
The report is based on more than 100 interviews in Ethiopia in May and June 2011, and at the Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab and Nairobi, Kenya, where many Gambellans have fled.
“My father was beaten for refusing to go along [to the new village] with some other elders,” a former villager told Human Rights Watch. “He said, ‘I was born here – my children were born here – I am too old to move so I will stay.’ He was beaten by the army with sticks and the butt of a gun. He had to be taken to hospital. He died because of the beating – he just became weaker and weaker.”
The Villagization Program
The Ethiopian government is planning to resettle 1.5 million people by 2013 in four regions: Gambella, Afar, Somali, and Benishangul-Gumuz. Relocations started in 2010 in Gambella, and approximately 70,000 people there were scheduled to be moved by the end of 2011. Under the Gambella Peoples’ National Regional State Government Plan, 45,000 households are to be moved during the three-year program. The plan pledges to provide infrastructure for the new villages and assistance to ensure alternative livelihoods. The plan also states that the movements are to be voluntary.
Instead of improved access to government services, however, new villages often go without them altogether. The first round of forced relocations occurred at the worst possible time of year – the beginning of the harvest – and many of the areas to which people were moved are dry with poor-quality soil. The nearby land needs to be cleared, and agricultural assistance – seeds and fertilizers – has not been provided. The government failure to provide food assistance for relocated people has caused endemic hunger and cases of starvation.
Human Rights Watch’s research showed that the forced relocation policy is disrupting a delicate balance of survival for many in the region. Livelihoods and food security in Gambella are precarious. Pastoralists are being forced to abandon their cattle-based livelihoods in favor of settled cultivation. Shifting cultivators – farmers who move from one location to another over the years – are being required to grow crops in a single location, which risks depleting their soil of vital nutrients. In the absence of meaningful infrastructural support and regular supplies of food aid, the changes for both populations may have life-threatening consequences, Human Rights Watch said.
The resident of one new village told Human Rights Watch: “We expect major starvation next year because they did not clear in time. If they [the government] cleared [the land] we would have food next year but now we have no means for food.”
Commercial Land Investment
The villagization program is taking place in areas where significant land investment is planned or occurring. The Ethiopian government has consistently denied that the resettlement of people in Gambella is connected to the leasing of large areas of land for commercial agriculture, but villagers have been told by government officials that this is an underlying reason for their displacement. Former local government officials confirmed these allegations to Human Rights Watch.
One farmer told Human Rights Watch that during the government’s initial meeting with his village, government officials told them: “We will invite investors who will grow cash crops. You do not use the land well. It is lying idle.”
“We want you to be clear that the government brought us here… to die... right here,” one elder told Human Rights Watch. “We want the world to hear that government brought the Anuak people here to die. They brought us no food, they gave away our land to the foreigners so we can’t even move back. On all sides the land is given away, so we will die here in one place.”
Mass displacement to make way for commercial agriculture in the absence of a proper legal process contravenes Ethiopia’s constitution and violates the rights of indigenous peoples under international law.
From 2008 through January 2011, Ethiopia leased out at least 3.6 million hectares of land, an area the size of the Netherlands. An additional 2.1 million hectares of land is available through the federal government’s land bank for agricultural investment. In Gambella, 42 percent of the total land area is either being marketed for lease to investors or has already been awarded to investors, according to government figures. Many of the areas that have been moved for villagization are within areas slated for commercial agricultural investment.
“The villagization program is being undertaken in the exact same areas of Ethiopia that the government is leasing to foreign investors for large-scale commercial agricultural operations,” Egeland said. “This raises suspicions about the underlying motives of the villagization program.”
Role of Foreign Donors
Foreign donors to Ethiopia, including the United Kingdom, United States, World Bank, and European Union, assert that they have no direct involvement in the villagization programs. However, the multi-donor Protection of Basic Services (PBS) program subsidizes basic services – health, education, agriculture, roads, and water – and local government salaries in all districts in the country, including areas where new villages are being constructed and where the main activity of local governments is moving people.
As a result of their potential responsibilities and liabilities, donors have undertaken assessments of the villagization program in Gambella and in Benishangul-Gumuz and determined that the relocations were voluntary. Human Rights Watch’s field-based research and interviews with residents, however, indicates that the moves have been coerced.
International donors should ensure that they are not providing support for forced displacement or facilitating rights violations in the name of development, Human Rights Watch said. They should press Ethiopia to live up to its responsibilities under Ethiopian and international law, namely to provide communities with genuine consultation on the villagization process, ensure that the relocation of indigenous people is voluntary, compensate them appropriately, prevent human rights violations during and after any relocation, and prosecute those implicated in abuses. Donors should also seek to ensure that the government meets its obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the economic and social rights of the people in new villages.
“It seems that the donor money is being used, at least indirectly, to fund the villagization program,” Egeland said. “Donors have a responsibility to ensure that their assistance does not facilitate forced displacement and associated violations.”
Selected Accounts from “Waiting Here for Death”
“We were told, ‘If somebody refuses, the government will take action’ – so the people went to the new village – by force.”
–Villager in Abobo woreda (district), May 2011“Farmers in our woreda did not want to go. The woreda reported to the region that farmers are refusing to accept. The governor asked the woreda chairman to investigate. He did – ‘Yes, they are resisting. What shall we do?’ he asked the governor. The governor told him that five development agents should be suspended from their job, and that he would bring in the soldiers. So that is what happened.”
–Former woreda civil servant, June 2011“The government is killing our people through starvation and hunger. It is better to attack us in one place than just waiting here together to die. If you attack us, some of us could run, and some could survive. But this, we are dying here with our children. Government workers get this salary, but we are just waiting here for death.”
–Elder in recently relocated village, Abobo woreda, May 2011“There is a psychological impact on children. No learning is happening. There was a school in the old village, here there is none. No one is going to school now, as they are afraid. Who will protect them going to the old village? Even the children themselves are refusing to go.”
–Anuak woman from new village discussing the lack of promised school in Abobo woreda, May 2011
22 comments
It is a time to raise
gun against modern colonization of TPLF,to send them back to their origin land ,hell of Adwa!!!!!!
do not shed your crocodile tears here. we do not need you at all. stay away from our own affairs. out there in america, you have quite a lot of human right violations and 'weep for them'. you do not have integrity and moral value at all
Now in eth case b/c the farmers not whites so they are not happy.
Funny how the west ppl thinking. Every thing when they do it right when some one else do it wrong.
Ethiopians seem to have woken up now, we have got huge land, abandont water resources and labour. If we combine our resources with capital and technology from the developed world our countrys agricultural sector will be transformed.
From what I heard and I know, in Gambella area there are on average 15 peole living per square kilometer, its sparsely populated. The land leased by Karature or saudi star companys is huge, it cant be claimed by one or two farmers. Those who complained about loosing their farm land and grazing area are not even from Gambella or benishangul area, they are recent arrivals from other parts of Ethiopia. These individuals will complain about it, its natural for any human being to complain when relocated to other areas. The ethiopian government has denied this allegation, the government has said we havent relocated farmers.
Anyway in any country when we are talking about development of highways, railways, airports, commercial farms etc, people will be forced to relocate, if governments try to give into demands of local people and individuals there will be no development. No one wants to lose their house to make way for a railline, no one wants to lose their farmland to make way for airport construction. These is a bitter pill for all ethiopians to swallow, if our houses, farmlands, etc are needed for collective good we have to be prepared to get relocated and compensated.
If we give in to the criticisms of HRW and other western organisations, there will be no hydroelectic plant, there will be no highway, no airport, no railway, no industry, no manufacturing. All this investments require land and if people keep on complaining we will fold our arms stay in the dark and wait for western food aid.
Ethiopians will chose to see a strong and developed nation, and to that aspect they will pay price for that, one of that prices could be relocation. In addisAbaa many people are being relocated from their hoses, its being done to regenerate and develop the capital. The face of Addis Ababa is now changing, people have started to see changes in each passing month. Somany houses have been demolished in Nazret and other areas to make the land available for rail way project. There are some who opposed the project as it will lead for the demolition of their house, but it has to be done.
We all need to sacrifice watever we have for the common good of the nation, the government has the right to take the land from individuals and use it for the benefit of the nation. BUt those who lose their land or house need to be compensated.
He drugad us upsite down a long time deep and we just cry as kid.
This is the name the criminals are using to cheat or mislead.
What about the human rights to the poor people in England that are languishing in prison because of they were demonstrated during the summer for the right of sharing the nation wealth? Thousands are languishing in prison including under ages and millions are suffering being imprisoned by poverty because of the system that benefits only the few in a class society/system.
Ethiopia is trying to give the population electricity, water, education, health care, better and modern life by bringing together the scatter villagers. This is the way the villagers in all developed nation are living. Do you find a scatter village in England or elsewhere? No. In the 21- century it is not working and it is impossible. Ethiopia is also thinking always and working hard to develop the Agriculture sector within 3-4 years in order to become totally self sufficient meaning 0% food import and 0% assistance from abroad. To be free from the English type of NGO is like to be free from the English colonization that affected Africa for many years.
With more than 125 million hectare arable land, abandoned water wealth, nice weather and fertile soil, Ethiopia could and would become the biggest food exporter in Africa and one of the biggest in the world. Food and energy mainly Electricity will play the biggest role in the coming world for long future. Solar and hydro energy will be the source of energy And Ethiopia has the potential to be one of the best and biggest.
Yet, the anti development and better life against blacks and Africa don't like it. They want the Africans stay backward, scattered all over, weak, hungry and the likes that would keep the image and plan they have against Africa. If Africa and blacks become modern, wise, rich, and powerful and most importantly self reliance at all levels, the Anti Africans and black mainly the English get no reason to play their dirty game against Africa. That is why they are fighting all fronts with lies to stop development in Africa and agriculture is one of....
Remember: exporting food including meat to Africa including Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, so on and also to Saudi and other Middle East nations is the biggest business to the western nation. Egypt imports more than 100 million metric tons of wheat which cost tens of thousands billions of Dollar. It is the same too many other nations too. Africa has half of the world arable land and Ethiopia has the biggest. That means Ethiopia and other African countries can feed the Entire North Africa, Middle East and others that are looking imported food. Africa can give a long term food security to those nations.
However, those currently monopolizing this market are trying to stop that and instead forcing Africa to import their food too. They prefer giving Africa free food for exchange of destroying its image and diverting its attention from developing by itself rather than seeing the Africans developing and having better life by themselves.
Thanks to the current and especially the coming brave African generations, the old crimes and tactics against Africa will not work. Ethiopia also has these kinds of children. So, the so called HRW or whatever can cry, lie and do whatever they like, but they will not stop development in Ethiopia. We know their goal behind. It is not about Human right, nature or the likes they are laying about. It is to stop development and to guarantee their influence in Africa by being they are the only rich, wise, powerful, giver and the likes. Because of individuals from Arabia, 9/11 is crushed and badly wounded to its slow death everything they had, planned, have, do, or whatever their position in the world. 21- Century is the end of the one in the North and the beginning of the other in the south including Africa.
Therefore; who are they after all talking about Africa? The good news is that Most Africans don't even hear what these criminals are saying and writing. The Africans are doing their matters by themselves without asking permission from anyone. Thanks to china, Korea, Japan, Germany, France and the likes, Africa will do its thing by itself in its way. The English conspiracy comes from England, USA, Canada and elsewhere will not stop it. as far as the Africans concern, It is dead
However, USA as the nation of Immigrants all over the world, will be part of the world and play big and important roles when the old system is gone completely. USA must clean itself from the English way including with division of wealth and the system. The 16/17 century establishment and way of thinking will not work in the 21-century.
The Habesha people love and respect the white people more than anyone in Africa. But in return, the Habesha people need the same way from the whites. This is the way the Habesha people became the oldest and only continuously free people in Africa and among the few in the world. Therefore; the English way towards Ethiopia was/is and will not be accepted. Instead it will back clash in the long run. We all know the English are acting as enemy including mercilessly and no stop damaging the Ethiopian image having Satanic thinking in their sick brain. But, teh world and mainly Ethiopians are moving on leaving teh English behind in their little England thinking nasty against others as usual.
Why are you against any development in Ethiopia?
I know the answer and you are the branch org. Created somewhere in the west of those parasites charities and NGO to keep us in darkness for century to come.
We should kick out these parasites org. Out of Africa.
And those of you a so called opposition party are nothing but a beggar party just like weyannes. You think only your own belly, but who is going to feed that starving child, your answer is quite clear.....charities and NGO.
We need investment and the chines and indies are there to invest but the westerns are ready to feed you every times you starve to death, and no investment or development comes from them. They keep you in a modern slave trade ship a live so that you can survive an other Christmas with free food they gave you last Christmas .
In ten years times we all wittness ,Ethiopia self sufficient if we keep allow more indies and chines to invest .
I know some times we have no choice ,but this it it. Let us see in 5 or ten years time. Or shall we keep watching to see the starving Ethiopia child year after year on tvs.
Who are they and where they are from those so called HRW anyway? Let us know about your background and we will talk about what is is happening in your neck of the wood....
HRW, For your information, Ethiopian do not need any blessing or permition from you all to develop their country, to educate their children and to utilize their natural resources. If you wish to see the Gambela people runing behind thier caws forever in-order for you to go there, and to take pictures for your plesure, I'm sorry to disapoint you, but it will change soon.....
God bless the worled!!
Did u read the article…it is about human right. Not white or black right…stop contradicting urself…U should support human right groups anyway…countries like America are great because they mostly think right…use that as a hint...
This Gotata shifta inspit of international apror continued to accelerate the destructive policy.The clique does this because it is about to flee to Eritria.It is clear now
Legese and his hords are about tofoment another war with Eritria in the hope of securing their greater "T" plan. What ever he wants to do conserning this project iat is outside our controle.However,we need to to call our people to rise and liberate their country.
This call must reach al of our people,both at home and abroad.The diaspora too has central role to play.TPLFits and regim supporters ,while at the same time country is being diestroyued, live scatered abroad.They live around us,we have to hold them accountabel.I mean we have to satnd up to their face and make to pay for their deeds.They sent outr people to jail,they kill those who opse them,they put every thing Ethiopian for sell.We must be willing to take their life.Ethiopians at home tahey too must rise and demand their freedom.Death to all TPLFITS and their chorts.We must rise and destroy the TPLF gugele now.
Dear HRW; how are Ethiopia’s problems any of your concern? I believe that Ethiopia’s problems should be left to be dealt with by her own people. The truth of the matter is you have no say in what Ethiopia does or doesn’t do; her people (Ethiopians) on the other hand have every right.
Having lived in Ethiopia for most of my life I know for a fact that our government does not do well in compensating the people that it relocates, so I guess there just might be some truth in this article. However, I believe the situation has been vastly exaggerated. For HRW to try to impose the rules and guidelines that work in the western world to a third world country such as Ethiopia is illogical. The cultural, economic, and law that exist in Ethiopia is quite different than that of the western world. So for an outsider such as the HRW to determine the gravity of the situation in Ethiopia would be ludicrous. However, I am not saying that we do not have problems and that everything is fine and dandy as it is, because that would be a lie.
EPRDF has done Ethiopia some good however, change is very much needed. In a comment made by anon he asks “what needs to be the critical mass for us to react; at what level of threshhold will rise for our freedom.” Anon I believe it’s not whether or not we have reached our critical point because I believe we are way past that, the problem is most people can no longer distinguishes between their hatred towards the government and there indifference toward there country. There are very few patriots out there these days that are willing to get over there revenge/ hatred towards there government and instead strive to better their country or bring about change, and of course there are those that just don’t care anymore. I myself am a political refugee whose family has suffered at the hands of the government but never have my parents ever taught me to discriminate any race or hate my country; I was constantly reminded that I am of mixed blood of every race in Ethiopia and is a true habesha and when I asked “but mom, dad how can you still love your country despite what the government did to you? “ the response was always “ a government will rise and fall but your country will always be your country.” To those Ethiopians who are in exile in the western world; life may be comfortable here in the western world but it will never be home. It is we her (Ethiopia) children who can bring about change, it is we who must sacrifice this comfortable life and return to our country with our knowledge and wealth to help her grow and prosper. Our grandfathers and great grandfathers did not fight to keep our freedom for nothing, we have a history, wealth and culture that many lust after, and lust is a very dangerous thing. Let us stop bickering over foolish matters such as race and instead focus on keeping our country together. Let this article be a reminder that outsiders do not have the right to determine the gravity of our country’s problems, we her people know best and we will fight for our own people. HRW we are not amateurs at this, we Ethiopians fight our own wars (and we are darn good at it) and we don’t need anybody else to do it for us.
HRW, once again Ethiopia’s affairs are not your problem. We are sick and tired of western governments that can’t mind their own business, we are well aware of our problems and we will deal with them in our own way we do not need you to interfere, it is only common courtesy that you mind your own business, because you certainly don’t see us poking our noses in yours.
We urge all donors of the illegitimate regime to cease any economic assistance to that criminal group which is constantly denying indigenous Ethiopians their land rights, fundamental liberties and freedoms under the United Nations universal declaration of human rights. This colonial type exploitation has contributed to the hyperinflation on essential food items as demand has outstripped supply causing many Ethiopians to go to bed hungry. Outsiders who are the wealthy financial backers of the alien imposed federation continue to turn a blind eye to this neo-colonial exploitation, for they themselves are reaping the benefits of stolen gold and commodity exports from stolen lands whilst trying to make themselves look good by providing the regime with annual political repressive food handouts which are far less valuable and nutritional as those crops produced on Ethiopian soil which are being exported away from the farmer, as the regime continues to deny the farmer his right to land and his crops which he helped produce through his own sweat and labour. Although there is a positive future to come out of this neo-colonial sufferage, that is that the EPRDF regime will become more hated amongst Ethiopians, and Ethiopians will rise to reclaim land which is rightfully theirs, disregarding all the phony laws of ethnic federalism to the point of evicting the alien puppets from office.
'In our own times, there are those expansionists who by shedding blood, desire to achieve their ambition and by dismembering themselves they are seen as tools for alien interests. Our people from Ethiopia shed blood, to save them from disintegration. Those personalities who believe in freeing a country by secession are selfish and prey to outsiders. We will not accept their motives.' Selected speeches of HIM Negus Haile Selassie I, page 426
"Neo-colonialism today takes two forms: economic and political. We recognize that economic dominance is not only often the more difficult to eliminate, but often serves as the entering wedge for political domination. We further recognize that, given the history of our continent, and the conditions under which we came to freedom, it is not unusual that, despite our best efforts, the economic independence which we seek is long and difficult in coming. Long-established patterns of trade are not easily or quickly reoriented. Let us not delude ourselves in thinking that these facts, for such they are, are of no significance for the future of Africa. But let us, at the same time, toil with all our strength to alter them.
When we consider political neo-colonialism, our desires, although perhaps no less difficult of attainment, are at least easier of articulation. We seek to avoid a rigid and inflexible posture which prejudices our position on major issues before the world. We seek to avoid alignment, to achieve true non-alignment. Our late good friend, H.E. Prime Minister Nehru of India, put it thus: 'The only camp we should like to be in is the camp of peace and goodwill.'" Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, page 269-70
"The fundamental obstacle to the realisation of the full measure of Ethiopia's agricultural potential has been, simply stated lack of security in the land. The fruits of the farmer's labour must be enjoyed by him whose toil has produced the crop." Selected speeches of HIM Negus Haile Selassie I, pages 492-3
"The aim of those leaders that is based on ambition for power and personal gain is one with no firm foundation and will, consequently, crumble easily." Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, page 471
"For those of you who possess the land and labour but lack capital, We have made credit available at low interest. For those of you who have the necessary capital but do not possess land to work on, We have, in accordance with Our proclamation which entitled every Ethiopian to ownership of land, established offices in every province through which you may be able to acquire land. Those who have neither land nor money will be granted land and a financial loan at low interest. For those of you who possess land, who have financial resources and manpower, We have made experts available to furnish you with the necessary guidance and advice in your undertakings." Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, page 486
"The longevity and tenacity of a building can be judged by its foundation." Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, page 495
"Every structure must be built on a solid foundation, for those constructed otherwise would soon collapse. The proclamation by which We made land grants to the entire Ethiopian people is the foundation of this scheme." Selected Speeches of HIM Haile Selassie I, page 487
"Man can only begin an enterprise it is for God to dispose of it to a good end." HIM Negus Haile Selassie I
Long Live the Constitutional Monarchy!
Long Live the African Unity!
Long Live the Charter of the United Nations!
Fire burn down the satanic star of secsession
Beka! Tinsae Moa Anbessa!
Gasha for Ethiopians!
Long Live Ethio-Eritean oneness!
The Lion of Judah shall crush every yoke of oppression and set the captives free!
Long Live Independent Ethiopia!
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