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Ethiopia: Land Clashes Kill 18, Prompt Khat Price Hike
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
10 April 2008
Posted to the web 10 April 2008
Fikremariam Tesfaye
Addis Ababa
Clashes over grazing and farm land killed 18 people last week near the southern Ethiopian town of Wondo-Genet, police said.
The fighting on April 3 pitted members of the Gugi Oromo and Sidama clans in Wondogenet , some 260 km (160 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa, The Daily Monitor has learnt.
It is not unusual though, for the two clans to clash particularly over the last few years.
Fighting between the two clans in the region, which is known for its hot springs and lush forests, flare up sporadically.
They normally centre on disputes over land used for grazing and for growing khat, a narcotic plant that is one of Ethiopia's main exports and chewed across east Africa and the Middle East.
What is different this time is that the ban on wondo chat and Belech chat- other brands from the area - fueled the conflict resulting in a sudden price surge Gelemso chat-a brand supplied form west Hararghe zone of Oromia regional state.
On Monday 07 April 2008 a bunch of Gelomso was sold at 36 -40 ETB depending on quality while the same bunch of chat is being sold for 12 birr less.
"Clashes between the two clans have been brought under control and the government is investigating their cause," Demsash Hailu, public relations head of the Federal Police, said late on Tuesday.
The price of butter was fount to unusually shot as high as 70 ETB per a kilo in Nazareth, a commercial capital of the Oromia regional state.
Informants from Adama told our reporter that the main reason for the rife on butter price was the emerging drought in surrounding wordas.
"Every thing is obviously more expensive these days. But the sudden price jump in Butter is inconceivable," one consumer said in Nazreth.
" In about four wordas around Nazareth there is terrible drought, there is no grass, no grain on the land , vegetable and cows gives no milk, thus no butter " he describes .
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According to Getahune there are dangerous problems of drought in Soro, Lemo, Gibe , Kambata and other near by villages as result of which people are migrating to urban localities .
It is true that 18 persons are killed many others wounded and many houses houses, resturants and hotels that belong to Oromos are burned down. The causes of killings and burning of houses has nothing to do with grazing and farm land or khat. This is the second time that killings occur in Wondo Gennet in one year. First time 11 persons were 11 killed.
The cause is that the Gugi Oromo people in the area have no representation in the district and government level. They have been suppressed by sidama clans and they have been demonstrating the... [Read Full Text]
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