Community News

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Ethiopia's Oromo Face Increased Repression
Matthew Stein | 10 Dec 2008, World Politics Review
Surrounded by unstable regimes and beset by national conflicts, the current Ethiopian government has long been preoccupied with containing any militant threat. In June, even as the country was gripped by its worst famine in 25 years, the government announced plans to increase its military budget by $50 million -- to $400 million -- just one week after appealing to the international community for assistance. As a result, in addition to deploying troops into Somalia for the past two years, and intermittently clashing with Eritrean troops along their northern border, Ethiopia's military has also fought several internal conflicts in the Ogaden and in the less known Oromia regions. Read more

Ethiopia again gripped by famine
AM - Tuesday, 25 November , 2008 08:12:00 Reporter: Andrew Geoghegan
Africa correspondent Andrew Geoghegan visited some of the worst affected areas of Ethiopia and met an Australian woman trying to help those in dire need.
ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: A three hour drive south of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is the town of Shashamane. Read more

After 10 years, a family split by war is reunited '
November 6, 2008 (theage)
Yesterday the abattoir worker from Collingwood said all he could do was "hug and kiss and hug and kiss and cry", when he was finally reunited at Melbourne Airport with his children, now aged between 11 and 17. "Today I see them, I'm very happy, they are very different," Mr Ambo said of the reunion, in which his five other children met their siblings for the first time. Mr Ambo, who is from the Oromo people, a large ethnic group in Ethiopia, walked more than 400 kilometres from his home in Agarfa to Kenya in 1998, after learning he was suspected of being a member of the anti-government Oromo Liberation Front. Read more

World hails Obama win'
The international community has welcomed the election of Barack Obama as US President-elect.
Mr Obama's victory is being celebrated throughout Africa, particularly in Kenya, where his father was born. The country has declared a public holiday today to celebrate the victory of man it regards as a son. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called Mr Obama's election win "a victory for all Kenyans". Mr Obama's father was Kenyan, although he abandoned his son when he was two years old. His paternal grandmother still lives in the east African country. African leaders are hoping the President-elect will include Africa in his agenda once he is sworn into office. Read more

College-educated immigrants lag in jobs'
1 out of 5 college-educated immigrants is unemployed or working in an unskilled job.
By N.C. Aizenman THE WASHINGTON POST Thursday, October 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — One out of every five college-educated immigrants in the United States is either unemployed or working in an unskilled job such as a dishwasher, fast food restaurant cashier or security guard, depriving the U.S. economy of the full potential of more than 1.3 million foreign-born workers, according to a study released Wednesday. The plight of such immigrants is familiar to anyone who has gotten a ride from a taxi driver with an engineering degree from Ethiopia or had their car parked by a garage attendant who used to practice law in El Salvador. But the report by the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute is the first to quantify the extent of the problem. Read more

Ethiopia risks £130 million of British aid by 'hiding famine'
By Damien McElroy in Addis Ababa 17 Oct 2008
Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, told Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's prime minister, that Britain would not guarantee future payments to the country. On a two-day visit, Mr Alexander toured a hospital in the town of Kebri Dehar, in the Somali region. Before his arrival, local officials forced starving infants out of the emergency ward and on to the street. "I put it to him [Mr Meles] that severely malnourished children had been removed from the hospital prior to my arrival," said Mr Alexander. "I made it clear that, if true, that was unconscionable and wholly wrong." Read more

Bleak scenes as Ethiopia puts war before famine'
By Damien McElroy 17 Oct 2008
On the front line of an invisible Ethiopian famine, government forces stand between the dying tribes scattered across a closed hinterland and outside aid.
School teacher Abdi Wahadi tried vainly to hide his embarrassment that his class size had been reduced to just six pupils, claiming that 70 were expected to enrol by the end of the week, even though the year started in September. At the hospital the reluctance to acknowledge the impact of the war was clear in the maternity ward. One lone woman sat with a baby. An aid worker shamefacedly explained that two other women with far more malnourished children had disappeared. "The others must be taken out," she said. "I'm not sure where they could have gone because the children are severely malnourished. I hope they are within the city limits." A UN official went further. "The people's movements are severely restricted by the government," the official said. "If they are starving they get past the roadblocks to get into town; if they have any goats left they don't go to the watering hole because the army targets these; if they are ill they can't get into the hospitals to be treated." Read more

Oromo Risking Lives to FleePersecutions at Home
SANAA, 8 October 2008 (IRIN) - Efto Ali, an Oromo woman aged 20, was among 61 African migrants to make the perilous journey to Yemen from the Somali port of Bossaso a week ago. She said she experienced unforgettable hardship during the three-day boat journey that cost her US$100. "I was hit by the smugglers when I vomited or moved slightly. They hit my arms with a cord. They killed three passengers for moving," she said. The smugglers dumped the passengers about 100 metres off Bir Ali, a southern Yemeni village, causing two children to drown. Read more

Ethiopia’s Largest Ethnicity Group Deprived of Linguistic and Cultural Sensitive Media Outlets
Ethnic tension has been part of Ethiopian reality for over one hundred years, however, pressure and harassment from the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party on the Oromos has exacerbated since Prime Minister Meles Zenawi took office in 1991. “The current Ethiopian state can only be compared to apartheid South Africa, where similar unjust practices happened,” said a refugee Oromo journalist abroad, who wanted to remain anonymous, to RAP 21.The journalist spoke of the government as “a debilitating cancer for the Oromo media,” as evidenced with the closure of Wanchif and Seifa Nebelbal Urji newspapers, Tomar magazine and Oromo Television [among a number of other smaller and uncountable publications and broadcasts]. The employees of such media outlets have been forced into exile or have been put behind bars. “There are more Oromo journalists in the Diaspora than there are at home because of the exodus,” he said. Read more

NGOs fear for human rights defenders in Ethiopia
Jennifer Henrichsen/Human Rights Tribune - A new bill proposed by the government of Addis Ababa could limit human rights activities of foreign organizations in Ethiopia, as well as local organizations that receive more than ten percent of foreign funding. These organizations would not be allowed to carry out work on gender issues, children’s rights and the rights of disabled people, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report published September 11. Foreign organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch could only work in these areas if they are granted written permission by the Ethiopian government, stated the report. Read more

Australia donates $10m to Ethiopia
September 23, 2008 - 6:30AM (theage)
Australia is lobbying African nations to support Canberra's bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), showing its commitment to the continent with a $10 million donation to help the starving in Ethiopia. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith announced the additional funding to provide Ethiopia with emergency food aid to help some of the 7.5 million people in need of assistance due to the nation's severe drought. Read more

Famine in Oromia


Ethiopia shuts down Oromo TV, fires, arrests several journalists and staff
Qeerransoo Biyyaa September 19, 2008
Ethiopia selectively removed the only Oromo language television broadcast off air on September 12, 2008. Sources from Finfinne (Addis Ababa), speaking on conditions of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said that police barred several dozens of journalists and staff from entering Read more


Bekele Geleta, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),
The Ottawa Citizen, Canada, Louisa Taylor, Saturday, July 19, 2008
‘God, give my children … The courage to help’ After his arrival in Ottawa as a refugee in 1992, Bekele Geleta lived the classic story of the educated, middle-aged immigrant: despite impressive credentials, fluent English and even a few connections, no Canadian employers would take a chance on him. So he found a ’survival’ job, training in this Quickie mart on Richmond Road with an eye to one day opening his own store. He never got that far. Two years into his life in Canada, he got a job that sent him back to Africa, and his new career was born.
His mother’s simple daily prayer has guided Bekele Geleta through a life marked by stellar ascents and crushing setbacks, from Ethiopian executive to political prisoner, from humanitarian to refugee and Ottawa gas-bar clerk, and now secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross. Read more


Most Prolific Authors in Computer Science
The 2008 DBLP list of "Most Prolific Authors in Computer Science" in the world has recently been released. One of these top Scientists in the world is our own Prof. Jemal Hussein Abawajy of Deakin University in Australia. Prof. Abawajy has made the DBLP Most Prolific Authors list for the past three consecutive years. We are proud of him and on behalf of the Oromo community in Australia, we say congratulations to him for such outstanding accomplishment. Read more

Australia to sign up to anti-torture treaty
The Federal Government is moving to ratify an optional protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and is also considering bringing in legislation to formally outlaw it in Australia. Read more

Tanner wants support for African migrants
Posted Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:29am AEST (abc>
Minister for Finance Lindsay Tanner is calling on Australia's business community to support African migrants with workplace mentoring and work experience. Mr Tanner, whose Melbourne electorate has a large population of African-Australians, made the comments in Melbourne last night. Read more
Is Australia on the path to becoming an open nation? ,,,by The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP

Around 4.6 million people in immediate need of humanitarian aid
The situation is most critical in the drought-affected eastern regions of Oromiya, Somalia and Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s Region. Read more

Australia balances refugee priorities
Friday 20 June 2008
Australia’s refugee and humanitarian intake for 2008-09 will help provide a new life for 13 500 people who have fled their troubled homelands in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Announcing the regional allocations for Australia’s Humanitarian Program on World Refugee Day, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans said that Africa, the Middle East and Asia will each be allocated a 33 percent intake, with the remaining one percent allocated for contingencies. Read more

Refugee program to expand by 500
Jewel Topsfield, Canberra May 13, 2008 (theage)
AUSTRALIA'S annual refugee intake will be increased by 500 in today's federal budget, with more focus on Iraq and the persecuted Karen people, a Burmese ethnic minority. Read more

Death rally ends talks
Rick Edwards 13 May 08 (Maribyrnong leader)
UP to 60 protesters from the Oromo community forced a meeting involving Ethiopian government officials to be cancelled last Tuesday in Footscray. Read more

Australian Oromo Community Staged a Peaceful Rally
Members of Australian Oromo Community Association in Victoria staged a peaceful rally against ‘Tigrean’ Delegation who are currently visiting some Australian cities. The rally was held at Maribyrnong Council on 06 May, 2008 where they were expected to address some members of Ethiopian community.

The rally highlighted life under current Prime Minister Zenawi and why thousands of people keep fleeing the country to end up as refugees in the neighbouring countries. The rally was joined by many other groups like Ogadinians, Somalis, Members of Ethiopian Opposition Groups and members of Eritrean community. Oromo community would like to thank those who joined them on the occasion and showed solidarity with Oromo people said the community Spokes Person. Further he thanked the locals who in some way contributed to this peaceful rally and members of Victorian Police force who made sure that every thing went peacefully and eventually decided to cancel the meeting. And finally he thanked members of Oromo community who took part and showed constraints in undertaking messages in a responsible manner. Read more

Australia maintains a commitment to African refugees
Community concerns African community leaders in Australia have raised concerns that the African component of the resettlement program has been suspended. The community can be assured that applications from the African region continue to be considered and successful applicants will be resettled through the course of this program year. Read more

Fostering a sense of community for Oromo Muslims
Moonee Valley Community News - May 6, '08
AFRICAN youth face numerous barriers in Australia, particularly if they are young Muslim women. Speaking at a recent Oromo youth forum in Footscray, Aisha Ali said becoming involved in community radio and events had helped involve her in the Australian Oromo community. "I personally think as a young, female, Oromo Muslim, that it is a great start and involving us will help us as youth gain skills that will help bring the independence of our people. "We are working side by side, receiving mentoring from influential people in our community. It's thanks to them that I have learnt more about Oromia's history." Read More

African plea for action
BY GOYA BENNETT
Moonee Valley Community News 8/04/2008 8:59:16 AM
AUSTRALIA'S Oromo community is urging Moonee Valley residents to sign an online petition in response to the reported massacre of 65 refugees in Somalia. Oromos are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, with many community members in Melbourne's western and northern suburbs. Head of the Footscray-based Australian Oromo Community Association in Victoria, Aliye Geleto Anota, made an impassioned plea at a public forum in Moonee Ponds last week. Read more