Washington — The U.S. and U.K. foreign assistance offices are being accused of ignoring, mischaracterising or downplaying testimony offered by ethnic communities in Ethiopia who accuse the Addis Ababa government of forcefully evicting them from their lands and violating their human rights in the name of mass development projects.
Despite multiple fact-finding missions to affected communities by USAID and DFID, the U.S. and U.K. foreign aid arms, both governments have repeatedly found the accusations of abuse to be unsubstantiated.
Yet according to recordings of some of the mission meetings, published Wednesday by the Oakland Institute, a U.S. watchdog group, officials from both agencies appear to have received repeated testimony of abuse allegations at the hands of the Ethiopian government. (The reports can be found here and here.)
"Transcripts of these recordings, made public with this report, leave no room for doubt that the donor agencies were given highly credible first-hand accounts of serious human rights violations during their field investigation and they have chosen to steadfastly ignore these accounts," Will Hurd, the author of one of the new reports and a local NGO worker and translator who made the recordings, writes.
"According to a high-up official in USAID, the USAID member of the field visit party reported that the accounts of human rights abuses heard in the Omo were all 'third-hand.' It is clear from the transcripts, however, that many were first-hand."
The recordings were made during a January 2012 mission to the Lower Omo Valley, in southwestern Ethiopia.
"These transcripts show that these delegations heard quite a lot," Anuradha Mittal, the executive director at the Oakland Institute, told IPS.
"These donor governments now need to take responsibility for their inaction, to look critically at these questionable development policies."
While no formal report has ever been publicly released by either USAID or DFID following the January 2012 mission or a follow-up in November, IPS was able to see a leaked copy of a four-page joint briefing that followed the January discussions (no report was leaked following the November mission).
That report notes the mission members were offered allegations of "rape of women and ... a young boy", "use of force and intimidation with the presence of the 'military'", and "Government threats including 'sell your cattle or we will inject and kill them'", among others.
The report concludes: "As a consequence of these events the Mursi and Bodi [local ethnic communities] in particular stated that they were living in fear, resorting to other food sources or going hungry.
The phrase 'waiting to die' was used. Although these allegations are extremely serious they could not be substantiated by this visit."
This last phrase was bolded and underlined, and further follow-up was recommended.
According to the Oakland Institute, USAID and DFID subsequently reported this conclusion to the Development Assistance Group, comprised of 26 of the world's largest aid and development agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In March, the World Bank's Inspection Panel cited evidence that the institution may be supporting Ethiopian "villagisation" programmes and requested an investigation into the matter, though Addis Ababa officials have since refused to cooperate.
Additional information on the villagisation process can be found here. Neither USAID nor DFID responded to request for comment for this story.
Renaissance
Over the past two decades, Ethiopia has emerged as a rising economic powerhouse. This has prompted international donors to heap praise and aid monies on the country in the hopes that it can help to anchor the restive Horn of Africa and lead what has been referred to as an "African Renaissance".
In recent years, this support has translated into around 3.5 billion dollars annually in various types of aid, comprising more than half of the country's budget.
Yet that assistance has in part bolstered a series of aggressive, far-reaching national development plans put in place by Ethiopia's long-time former leader, Meles Zenawi.
These include contested hydroelectric dams and massive agricultural plantations, for which mass land-clearing programmes have threatened to drive an estimated 260,000 locals off their lands, to be forcibly resettled in other areas - the process known as "villagisation".
Although Meles died last year, new Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has made clear that his government would work to continue the development programme underway.
According to the recordings released by the Oakland Institute and other testimony gathered by rights groups in the past, the "villagisation" project has translated into an at times vicious programme of violence and intimidation against local communities, often perpetrated by the Ethiopian security forces.
"The Ethiopian government comes and takes up all our land and gives us violence, and they rape our wives," one Mursi man can be heard telling the USAID and DFID officials during a meeting near the South Omo community of Hailewuha.
Another Mursi man warned: "We are only waiting for death. This land is being ploughed by the government."
According to Hurd's account, this particular meeting became quite heated. He states that the U.S. and U.K. officials present appeared to want to focus on development issues - what services the local communities wanted from the government, for instance - but that Mursi representatives kept steering the discussion back towards the abuses they said were being perpetrated by the government.
'Obviously unacceptable'
It appears clear that the officials were moved by the testimony they heard.
"[O]bviously we agree that it's unacceptable, beatings and rapes and lack of consultation and proper compensation," a DFID representative stated at one point. "I totally agree ... and would raise very strongly with the government as the wrong way to do this. It just simply is wrong. It simply is wrong. Obviously, we totally agree and it's worrying to hear about those things."
While it is unknown how strongly either delegation has since pushed these points with the Ethiopian government, the final decision on the part of both governments - that such allegations are impossible to substantiate - continues to stand as official policy.
In any event, critics are warning that neither the villagisation processes nor the Western aid funding have changed in any meaningful way.
"This evidence clearly shows how these aid agencies are both directly and indirectly providing funding for a government that has been a human rights abuser with regards to its development policies," the Oakland Institute's Mittal told IPS.
"This whole idea of a 'Renaissance state' is taking place at a huge cost, being borne especially by the indigenous communities - and USAID and DFID are responsible for fuelling these policies."
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yes there is evacuation of people from thir lands, but not for bad, it is for better, for better social welfare of the people. If any body evacuated from his land he will given in a componsation from other place together with money to build home and sustain his life.
People in Lower Omo valley are known all over the world in their primitive lifestyle, they were unchanged and it was the result of the previos regimes of the country. They were neglected, no school, no factory and no any infrastracture had been build there. They had not been counted as human beings, but just taken as turist attraction.
Now days the Government doing its best to achive the welfare of these neglected people. There is a plan to build six sugare fuctories in the area, which will provide job opportunities for the society, meanwhile it will provide school and all the necessary infrastructures. Yes there may be problems here and there inconnection with impelimentation and some administrative issues, however, any kind of problem will not continue as it is. The government taking successive evaluations to improve its impelimentation. Currently the house of the peoples representatives seriousely evaluating the governments breaus. Hope fully to bring great change in the impelimentation processes of the Government.
However, some people, as if they are woring about the people, are making obstacles on the way of the development of the country. They acusing the government here and there to stop it from its developmental works. For example, they acusing the government over the Grand Renaissence Dam construction. They taken it as a politics. Yes it helps not only develop the country but also it will help the political party who leading the construction and all the developments processes being seen in the country. If it bring development and social welfare, the majority of the people will be alined with the government. so, those who dearming power over the people will lost. We knew they are barking like night dogs not to develop the country but to graize the bones of the people. Ethiopian people will no longer fooled by them, The people needs development and social welfare and knew and know who can bring these to them.
The people in the Om valley will be no loger taken as turist attraction, the will be the actors of the ongoing development and their lives will be changed from primitive style to modernized one.
People who keep crying not to bring development but to stop the aid giving to help strengthen the process of development. And their dreams are, one to put preasure on the Government by stoping the development and create choas so that come in to power in a shot way, two by taking much false stories as if they worried about the people and to stop the aid coming to Ethiopia and pretended as a freedom fighter, so that to collected money from western doners to sutisfy their own needs.
Finnaly, I woul like to say the development in Ethiopia will not stop weather the donners give aids or not, it will continues though the hypochrate dreamers countinues to cry. So, would invite not only the criers but all so all Ethiopian expatraits to come and participate in the already ongoing development of the country. Thanks.
AMSALU Jul 17 2013, 17:24 Report Abuse yes there is evacuation of people from their lands, but not for bad, it is for better, for better social welfare of the people. If any body evacuated from his land he will be given in a componsation from other place together with money to build home and sustain his life. People in Lower Omo valley are known all over the world in their primitive lifestyle, they were unchanged for long time and it was the result of the previos regimes of the country. They were neglected, no school, no factory and no any infrastracture had been build there. They had not been counted as human beings, but just taken as turist attraction. Now days the Government doing its best to acheive the welfare of these neglected people. There is a plan to build six sugare fuctories in the area, which will provide job opportunities for the society, meanwhile it will provide school and all the necessary infrastructures. Yes there may be problems here and there inconnection with impelimentation and some administrative issues, however, any kind of problem will not continue as it is. The government taking successive evaluations to improve its impelimentation. Currently the house of the peoples representatives seriousely evaluating the governments breaus hope fully to bring great change in the impelimentation processes of the Government. However, some people, as if they are woring about the people, are making obstacles on the way of the development of the country. They acusing the government here and there to stop it from its developmental works. For example, they acused and continued to acuse the government over the Grand Renaissence Dam construction. They taken it as a politics. Yes it helps not only develop the country but also it will help the political party who leading the construction and all the developmental processes being seen in the country. If it brings development and social welfare, the majority of the people will be alined with the government. so, those who dearming power over the people will lost. We knew they are barking like night dogs not to develop the country but to graize the bones of the people. Ethiopian people will no longer fooled by them, The people needs development and social welfare and knew and know who can bring these to them. The people in the Omo valley will be no loger taken as turist attraction, the will be the actors of the ongoing development and their lives will be changed from primitive style to modernized one. People who keep crying not to bring development but to stop the aid giving to help strengthen the process of development. And their dreams are, one to put preasure on the Government by stoping the development and creating choas so that to come in to power in a shot way, two by talking much false stories as if they worried about the people and to stop the aid coming to Ethiopia and pretended as a freedom fighter, so that to collected money from western doners to satisfy their own needs. Finnaly, I woul like to say that the development in Ethiopia will not stop weather the donners give aids or not, it will continues though the hypochrate dreamers countinues to cry. So, I would invite not only the criers but also all Ethiopian expatraits to come and participate in the already ongoing development of the country. Thanks.
More than 90,000 Ethiopian refugees escaped to Kenya in 2012 http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=57332 …
We haved all guessed the western human right groups will raise such an issue on omo valley project because these people are really backward that those american rich want to visit in the name of indeginious peoples. these people deserve to live a better life a better education and a better future life. they are not monuments or some objects for American and Europian anthropologist to do research and give visit by their family. please did you just herd us we are tired of Western people telling us what to do.we already had suffered enough through your empty minded selfish fathers that left us empty handed stealing all our resources and gave back to you which now these western donors give us the other form of slavery in the name of donor. we are taking 1 percent of our natural resources stolen by your fathers back in the colonial period, this does not need any complication.pleasssseeeeeeeeeeee leave ussssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Too funny to say there is no human right violation in any country. However when it comes to Africa to sound big and loud. Why?. We Ethiopia clear said to you and the world we don’t want your aid stop meddling with our internal affairs. Every landlord hove the right to develop it. But most of the landlord just leave it as it is for many years without make use of the most of it. But few one rented to third body for in imaginable price. Look all this happened even without paying single tax. Of course anybody who pays land tax automatically own the land with it foul benefit and responsibility whether it is rural and town. In Ethiopia land is won by state and private. All taxed land will be the property of the payer. In other hand all land which don’t payed tax on it is the property of Ethiopian government. This is the same rule Europe and Israel. Example people living Negev desert Bedouin population asked by state of Israel to leave the land behind to settle in government approved township even if they claimed the land. The government did the same thing. The country need investment and brake on the cycle of drought. This endeavor will not be realized by substantial farming and lack of modernization. So the gov did right thing to settle the scattered community in township where there is infrastructure and services. I have been working in this program for two years 2011 and 2013 in Somalia. At the start everybody doubtful. Different kind of rumors spread like wildfire. People start to say the gov working to abolish camel to make the dependable on Ethiopian government for their existence. But with few welling resettlers (Dolo Ado District) the benefit demonstrated. For example in beginning 2012 the price of vegetable drop by 75% in Somalia region and south oromiya because of those resettlers productivity. The government of Ethiopia working with or without aid to make people to help themselves, But enemy of the Ethiopia don’t want see this change and our self reliance. With and without knowing some NGOs working to sabotage the hard working Ethiopia from the their dream. There is land rearrangement with full consent of the landlord and community. But there is also every few individual who lost income from the old system. Rent collecting! Finally in body want to see this you can visit the following district (Kuraze, south omo, Somalia Dollo Ado, Hudet, Goda Dollo Bye and others )
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