Sidamas Reject the Inhuman Monstrosity of Tyrannical, United 'Ethiopia' Mr. Kambata Xoola, Chairman of the Sidama National Liberation Organization, rejects the Nazi nature, character, attitude and targets of both, Meles Zenawi's murderous Tigray administration and the Kinijit Amhara antidemocratic, racist opposition. As additional comment to the supposedly Eritrean Tigray Eremias Woldemikael’s admonitions, remarks and suggestions, the Sidama leader, Mr. Kambata Xoola, Chairman of the Sidama National Liberation Organization, sent me an entire article that illuminates the most resolute Sidama rejection of the Nazi nature, character, attitude and targets of both, Meles Zenawi's murderous Tigray administration and the Kinijit Amhara antidemocratic, racist opposition. I publish Chairman Kambata Xoola's text integrally. Abyssinians' Futile Pretence to Roar By Kambata Xoola, Sidama National Liberation Organization Chairman I am fully convinced that Eremias Woldemikael is not an Eritrean. He must be one of the TPLF's cruel and depersonalizing system's architects/agents - those who attempt to embellish the suffering of the Sidamas, Oromos, Ogaden Somalis, Gambellas and other nations under their brutish and repressive regime. If Eremias were an Eritrean, as he claims, he would not try to distort the truth in a so genuine way, except he was hired by Meles Zenawi’s cruelest regime. Therefore, I intend to respond to his letter in the light of this clarification! I
only hope that you, Eremias, don't consider this response as offensive, as your ancestors, you, and the successive Abyssinian regimes know very well how to distort truth to make a lie 'as true way of life'. We, Sidamas, stick to our values that are based on egalitarian principles, justice and respect for all humanity, and we are not deceived by your canning; that's why we can only tell truth. We don’t behave as you and your ancestors' successive, erroneous, and cruel regimes did and keep doing. As a proud Sidama, I am only telling you the truth about issues related to Sidamas first, and to the entire Abyssinian Empire second. Eremias and his likes (the Abyssinian -Amhara-Tigray- rulers) always attempt to dictate to us their decisions, and at the same time, consider anyone revealing to the rest of the world their hidden face of cruelty as racist! When anyone attempts to expose their hidden brutality under the name of 'one Ethiopia', they all become restless and lack the courage to accept the fact that Abyssinia's colonized peoples have been suffering to this date. The reality I am referring to is the relentless suffering of numerous nations under the successive Abyssinian inhuman regimes and their backward policies. The reality I am referring to is not based on your consideration as mentioned in your letter, namely that "today, however, all the ethnicities of Ethiopia seem to be relatively respected". This is your judgment, and this precisely shows how much you believe in and care for equality, justice and humanity. It further reveals your determination to undermine others as long as your authoritarian regimes are in place, while others continue languishing under modern slavery in the 21st century. Telling that "black is black", the "white is white" is not a crime. This is what characterizes our people. Yet, you, as an entire people are permanently engaged in distorting the truth, and when others investigate and reveal this fact, you all struggle to swallow it. Ultimately, you are constrained, either you like it or not, to learn how to behave in the 21st century, when societies and technologies change rapidly. Abyssinian ruling elites lack the courage to accept the status-quo. You don’t seem to understand that the world has evolved rapidly. And I think your impossibility to articulate these social facts obliges you now to comically boast the '3000 years of civilization myth', instead of dedicating yourselves to the common good and to the progress of the mankind, based on today's facts. I would like to let Eremias and his fellow Abyssinians know that he and his repressive brutish regime can’t dictate anymore our (Sidama and other colonized nations) intellectuals and the society at large. Whether Eremias likes it or not, the time of silence has ended; the period that was characterized
by the lack of opportunity to express the Sidama issues at the global scale has gone!! There will be no more repression under silence!! Today's Sidama youth are better equipped with Truth, the true ways of life, and the 'Halaale' system – the social moral code on which the nation's ethos for respect of the humanity is based. Attached to their guiding principles, the Sidamas will continue telling the Truth, therefore challenging your obdurate and obfuscating attitude towards the Humanity and the human values. Eremias (and your likes), rest assured that as of now, you can’t continue hoodwinking either the international community or the other Ethiopian nations that have so distinct identity and cultures. Above all, the Sidamas in Diaspora have the opportunity to stand for their nation’s basic rights for the first time in the History of the Sidama Nation since the times of the conquest (1890s). For too long, you and your chauvinists have been telling the world a most distorted version of history of Ethiopian nations, masking their eyes and minds with your one 'Ethiopia slogan', while embellishing yours with madeup story. I would like to draw your attention back to your true attitude. Did anyone among the Amhara and Tigray elites speak about the injustices faced by the Sidamas, the Oromos, the Ogadenis and other colonized nations of the 'empire'? Even the fact of the colonization doesn’t cross your mind; you never mind standing for the basic rights of strategically marginalized and enslaved nations of the empire. Whenever you hear this fact, it makes you restless and obliges you to raise your armies against Truth. When anyone attempts to reveal this fact, it appears to be your fundamental enemy, and at times you regard him/her racist, which is the case with Professor Megalommatis, (see another chauvinist, Abebe Gelaw’s allegations)! I will precisely tell you the truth, not an embellished but fake one like that you and your ancestors believed; I will just narrate to you a fact based on reality. For example, following the massacres perpetrated after the May 15, 2005 elections and the slaughter of innocent civilians by TPLF's brutal regime's security, the outcry of Abyssinians all over the world was profound. The Sidamas in the Diaspora also campaigned against such brutal massacre of innocents by the security forces that were supposed to protect the civilians. However, the Amhara Abyssinians, who staged out on demonstrations all over the globe, had one and only one slogan. They claimed that the TPLF (Tigray minority)–led regime slaughtered only the Amhara (CUD/Kinijit) opposition members. Their campaign entirely focused on what happened following the May 15, 2005’s rigged election. I had the opportunity to be on some of their demonstrations in big Western cities and critically observed their slogans; in addition, I had the opportunity to speak to Kinijit's Diaspora leaders. Sadly enough, none of them willingly
mentioned (let alone recognized) the May 24, 2002 massacres of hundreds of Sidama civilians by the security forces of TPLF (Tigrean minority)–led regime. Those massacres occurred when thousands of Sidamas took to the streets, claiming their basic rights; their allegations were based on the deceitful constitutional rights and the constitutional references to 'regional autonomy', something that proved to be a myth. The Kinijit Amharas guys never referred to the massacre of about 350 Keficho Shekicho civilians, the massacre of above 2,500 innocent Gambella people, and the continued massacre of tens of thousands of Oromos, whereas Ogaden Somali were never in their antiTigray propaganda agenda. After witnessing this, I felt disgusted by their inadequacy and their lack of respect and consideration for other nations of the country. More particularly, the fact that they lived for years among democratic Western nations, enjoying freedom of expression, and despite this, they failed to understand and change their attitude as regards the basic rights of individuals and nations makes them particularly repugnant. It proves that they are totally dogmatic, uncivilized and backward, totally unable to learn from their past mistakes. According to their 'ideas' and 'values', they have to campaign only for the death of someone belonging to the elite of a 'superior ruling nation'; not for the systematically suppressed and subjugated nations, such as the Sidamas and the Oromos…. Either in Abyssinia or among the Sidama Diaspora, I came to notice that the Sidama Nation, although exceeding 5 million people, are not known to many. Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians don't even know the name Sidama. They call the Sidama people, 'Sidamo'. When one mentions the Sidamas, Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians consider us as Oromo or 'Galla', the term they use to denigrate Oromos and Sidamas. They don’t even think that the Sidamas exist as a nation and that their capital city Awassa belongs to them. Although as a Cushitic people, the Sidamas share similarities with the Oromos, the Somalis, the Afars, the Agaws, the Gedeos, the Kambatas, the Hadiyas and others, the Sidama nation is separate through is distinct values, language, traditions, religion and culture. Above all, differently from all other nations of Ethiopia, the Sidamas are the only nation that has its own New Year Calendar (Fiichee). In his letter to Professor Megalommatis, Eremias critically analyzed current social and political realities. His account of reality is sadly based on his chauvinist attitude and his lack of care about the suffering of non-Abyssinian nations of the empire. Yet, he tries to dictate to all of us his viewpoint about what currently happens in Sidama Land, currently telling us that the Sidamas have been oppressed by Oromo people. Oromo and Sidama of course have had minor conflicts that are related to grazing lands for the cattle, as it is the case in any traditional society among the same nation's clans. This situation doesn't establish any grounds for his argument; but he is trying to hoodwink his audience as he learnt from his predecessors. That is why he regards Prof.
Megalommatis' independent and intellectually rigorous analysis as 'bothersome'. Probably, it never occurred to them –during their long history of tyranny– to find out that the Sidamas and other oppressed Ethiopian nations are mentioned in the international mass media. This, in itself, is very bad, because it makes them extremely restless! Eremias also tries to draw his audience attention to other, unrelated peoples, those who peacefully co-exist in the USA. I don’t know whether he is trying to think based on the mindset guidelines of his 18th century ancestors. His comparison is the saddest of its kind. I terribly feel sorry for Eremias, if he wants to say that the democratic, social and political systems that have prevailed in the USA over the 230 past years also exist in Ethiopia. I don’t think that he fails to understand, to differentiate and to see with his genuine mind the fundamental problems the oppressed Ethiopian nations are facing at the moment, and the nature of Prof. Megalommatis' arguments. He tries simply to decorate the ugly faces of successive Abyssinian regimes, and by doing so he intends to obfuscate the international community which is totally unaware of the Abyssinian past, and of the current turbulent situations. He also attempts to tell us contrary to the truth about what the successive Abyssinian (Amhara/Tigray) rulers have done and what they are currently doing against their subjects as if it gets better. He also tells us his own version of reality about them: "sweeping statement about entire ethnicities is unfair". But he falls short of recognizing the existence of the other nations of Ethiopia, except he gets worried of Prof. Megalommatis denouncing two interchangeably brutal and brutalizing Abyssinian tribes, namely the Amharas and the Tigreans. His mentality and argument lack the very elements of humanity; they are therefore absurd. He doesn't care for the Keficho - Shekicho Zone from where the indigenous people have to travel above 1000 kilometers, via Jimma, then to Addis Ababa and further on to Awassa regional state capital to get their issues done and their papers ready. The Southern Ethiopians, no less than 44 nations, have been amalgamated all together for simple reasons of cultural and politicoeconomic subjugation, suppression, and exploitation of their rich natural resources, and this was done despite their hardships and their differences. Eremias and his likes dare try to lecture us that the southern nations have got similar cultural heritage; this is an unparalleled falsehood and lie. Eremias and the Abyssinians have to come to terns that the Southern Nations do not "need to be together" without their will. These 44, different one from another, ethnic groups (whose largest one is the Sidama nation) have got their own -distinct- cultural, linguistic, social, economic and national backgrounds. They don’t have similarities, apart from their Cushitic origins; this concerns the Sidamas, the Gedeos, the Kambaatas, the Hadiyas, the Guji Oromos and the Borena Oromos, whose area is divided
between Oromia and Alaba/Tambaro. The other Southern peoples are not even Cushitic, they are Omotic NiloSaharans, and there is even a minimal Semitic group, the Gurages. Therefore, the similarities that the southern nations supposedly have are a fallacious myth. To sum up, Eremias' argument is baseless and mendacious, lacking genuine judgment and human essence. Those, who think of silencing the multitude of the tyrannized Cushitic nations of Abyssinia eternally, need to think twice, and definitely they will find out that they have to walk with the changing dynamism of global facts. My advice to you and your likes is to transform your mentality adjusting it for the common good of humanity; not for the dogmatic and suicidal ideology of your successive Abyssinian rulers whose ethos was based on policies of dehumanizing and depersonalizing others, while dreaming of a 3000-year old, fictitious and only recently fabricated, myth. By Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis Published: 8/31/2007