In this epoch of Saudi cruelty and disregard to humanity, 23000 Ethiopians, sofar, have handed themselves to Saudi authorities; they are detained and awaiting deportation. Their repatriation probably requires a close cooperation between Saudi government, international humanitarian agencies and the Ethiopian government.
KSA is known to be notoriously violating human rights. Women, ethnic minorities, civic organizations, religious minorities all are under strict religious state that even finds opposition from its own royal family. Much more than clamping on illegal immigrants, the government wants just to get rid of Ethiopians who it believes are noxious to Islam values by adulterating the culture with alcoholism, drug use and and prostitution. But there is other way to see it that disproves this theory.
According to Alriyadyh Arabic daily, Saudi Arabia is the world’s sixth largest consumer of sex drugs as domestic demand is as much as 10 times that in Russia. Saudi Arabia spends over $1.5 billion on sexual medications such as Viagra and other anti-impotence medicines. And this has been the trend since the early 1990s while the Ethiopians started to arrive in KSA in large numbers since 2006. Ofcourse some might resort to getting easy money but people of east African in generally can only be praised for their resilience and cheap labour working in domestic sector that is too much ‘nasty’ for the Saudis themselves to handle.
The Ethiopian government, on its part, is boosting itself it can handle bringing back all citizens. It seems TPLF is all of a sudden to care as a mother, father and guardian. As an Oromo saying goes:Ganna darbeef mana hin ijaaran, it is just full of empty promises and rhetoric for nothing. Dinaa Muftii is even brave to cling in to saying all Ethiopian illegal citizens should surrender to the Saudis. It is hard to imagine he does not know the Saudis rape, abuse and even kill at will.
Back home, the media is in a complete silence but throughout much of the outcry over social networks, political parties such as the Blue have decided to show their support to the immigrants by using them for political consumption through arranging demonstrations. If I was Eng. Yilikal Getnet or Dr. Nagaaso Gidaadaa, I would have showed solidarity to the government to TPLF’s shame by putting some of the money from the DC-diaspora to sponsor at least a full cabin flight to bring 400 citizens. Demo addict Eng. Yilikal, however, have preferred to just call demonstration with little regard to the immediate priority and needs. It is clearer now he is just a power hungry monster.
And by the way, it is not just the Blue which rushed to call demonstrations; other political parties, both armed and not, have published decorated rage of letters to denounce the Saudis. None of them tried to actually help fast track the conditions to bring the citizens back home as safely and soon as possible. In this time of sorrow and desperation, it should not be that surprising to see guerrillas, opposition and government to help each other, even domestically let alone in third country. I think political parties are reduced in value to the level of just like any other individual to sign petition, only if it can help.
When I signed the petition that was rotating among Ethiopians online, I knew no pressure can bow the Saudis. KSA is a big fish that can put enormous influence on even bigger fish such as USA. It is a country that supports the Sunni Islam fundamentalism and radical adherence to Sharia around the world openly and has a worst track record of human rights while effectively evading international condemnations. What a little fish, Ethiopia, can do then? Not really much!
As we sought unity among all affected by this wave of injustice, we saw change of tune and significance to reasonably fight back. The ‘unity’ has been hijacked and changed to ‘chauvinism’. Many taught we need to fight back because we all are united as Ethiopians. They sought ‘Ethiopianism’ is power and nobody should be dared to harass an Ethiopian. Well, that is not bad to say, literally. But then, some of the immigrants confronted the Police and the Youth with knifes and rocks in the illusion of ‘United Ethiopian Power’. That resulted in the deaths that now amounts up to 40. Even some use the body of innocent Ethiopian to incite the much needed ‘unity’ of ‘Ethiopians’. I have to be honest with you, I feel ashamed this ‘unity’ thing is taking its toll on a genuine humanitarian issues to be addressed among the neediest.
‘Unity’ seeking individuals are very angry there are some foxes that are targeting certain ethnic group in Saudi during their reporting or when they express their solidarity.They specifically want to harass the likes of Jawar Mohammed. Is it siding if Jawar says the root solution to the continues flocking of immigrants to Gulf states is when Oromos have their own land and use their resources? I think this will solve about 40% of the problem. Dont you think?
I think we need to fight back not because we are under the power of ‘Ethiopianism’ but because we are from a country called Ethiopia. This country is why all Oromos, Amharas, Tigres, and many more suffer. Being Ethiopian is not a weapon created or perpetuated by unity, I wish it was; neither it is a slogan of some sort of super power. It is simply a citizenship given to collection of nations and nationalities. It should never be used as it is being consumed in such times of sorrow and desperation.
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