Mass protests,uprisings hit Southern Ethiopia

Peaceful Demonstrations in 2005

12 peaceful protesters killed so far

By Ankober Zuta,Staffer of DebreBirhan Blogspot

Story Updates (15-3-2011)

Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) interviewed about five people including Wereda(district) officials. The problem still lingers, but the Federal Police are trying to stabilize it. Some of the people have went to the forest while a good number of people are still in jail, but the uprising has reportedly subsided.

The Woreda officals and police are saying "excessive force wasn't used".

In a related development,ESAT today reported that over 40 people in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia have been arrested for allegedly distributing papers that '' called for peaceful mass protest''.

*********

9-03-2011

In a similar manner and scale to the Northern African revolutionary protests , a mass protest and civil disobidence has swept the Southern Ethiopian towns of Gamu Gofa and its vicinities since Monday 7 March 2011.As a result of the skirmish,twelve unarmed civilians have been killed by security personnel.The towns are surrounded by police and Defense Forces.

Toady,March 9,2011 more than 110 people who have peacefully gathered to seek their democratic rights have been locked down in the most awful prison in Araba Minch City,reports coming form the Town reveal.

Public service has also stopped functioning.The cause of the protest is reported to be economic,ethnic and political repression,Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) had reported.

"I assume the message from our compatriots in Gamu Gofa is 'we are beginning to fight for our rights if you don't' ,as the rest of us have been covert so far"Gezmu Manahelot, a young political student in France tells this Blogger via Telephone.

According to Gezmu, the Ethiopian security apparatus may brutally react on civilians but with the perseverance of the people's movement, the Ethiopian mass will win at last.

Gamu-Gofa was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, named after two of the ethnic groups living within its boundaries, the Gamo and the Goffa. This province is bordered on the west and north by Kaffa, on the north and east by Sidamo, on the southeast by Lake Chew Bahir, and on the south by Kenya and Lake Turkana.

Gamu-Gofa province came into existence as a result of Proclamation 1943/1, which created 12 taklai ghizats from the existing 42 provinces of varying sizes. With the adoption of thenew constitution in 1995, Gamu-Gofa was reorganized into the Semien Omo and Debub Omo Zones of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia.

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1,593,104, of whom 793,322 are men and 799,782 women; with an area of 11,010.99 square kilometers, Gamo Gofa has a population density of 144.68.

Various Ethiopian and foreign based dissident journalists and media have been reporting that Ethiopia could be the next country to experience the popular uprisings of Northern Africa.

Addis Abeba, the capital city of Ethiopia is under the strict surveillance and monitoring of security personal serving the incumbent .All forms of communication are also filtered by Chinese and regime's loyal Communication experts.

Facebook pages by the names (Yedil Qen የድል ቀን) and (The Ethiopian Revolution 2011 - May 28, 2011 (Genbot 20, 2003)) created and run by young Ethiopians in Ethiopia have been organizing and planning a peaceful uprising.