Sidama Liberation Front

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SNLF Congratulates SLM for effectively Electing its True Leaders whilst Categorically Condemning Mr Dejene Woldeamanule’s Anti-Sidama Plots.   

The SNLF Press Statement on Anti-Sidama Elements’ Attempt to hijack the Sidama Struggle. 

August 30, 2018

The Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) is nation’s heritage closing to a half century since it has officially begun its operation. However, the SLM has been incepted long before the indicated period by gallant Sidama personalities who have consistently albeit informally fought the feudal system that has reduced the Sidama people to slavery. Additionally, the SLM has bitterly fought Derg’s regime to liberate over 60% of the Sidama land although it has failed from maintaining its gain and successfully pushing forward due to lack of capacity and vision in its then top leadership. After Derg’s failure in 1991, the SLM has been local registered to operate within Sidama albeit numerous challenges to reach where it is now. We highly appreciate SLM’s leadership for their resilience and indefatigability in the face of TPLF/EPRDF masterminded anti-Sidama polices to sustain the organisation thus far.       

The SLM has conducted its central committee 6th General Assembly where is has elected its leadership on the 25th of August 2018 in the Sidama capital, Hawassa. From the 15 member of committee elected on the indicated date, 5 were assigned to the posts of executives and the rest to various authority positions. It has been also indicated that, all the elected committee members are composed of a highly dedicated high level professionals who have earned their credentials through their hard work for the national cause of the Sidama. Most of the newly elected leaders were arrested on one or more occasions by the TPLF/EPRDF’s government in the past 27 years.

Meanwhile, there has been series of activities of the Sidama individuals who appeared to be caring for the national cause of the Sidama nation, yet they seem to be obsessed with assigning a leadership of their choice to lead the SLM. The actions of these groups diametrically opposed to the norms of both Sidama’s traditional democracy and that of the modern. From such groups, the first person who seemed to be working with southern Ethiopia political cadres such as Shiferaw Shigute and SEPDM leadership is Mr Dejene Woldeamanuel. Mr Dejene Woldeamanule claimed that he has been assigned by the SLM global support group; the organisation to our knowledge didn’t exist until we heared it from him. Secondly, he has also claimed that, he has been nominated to act on behalf of the Sidama Diaspora Ejjeetto, therefore he demands that the SLM global support group deserves 1/3rd of leadership position. The true SLM leadership and wider participants wholly rejected his demands for variety of reasons although he is still sowing division. Now Mr Dejene’s groups are badmouthing the SLM leadership. https://www.facebook.com/groups/307767529977274/permalink/315390259215001/.

Sadly, Mr Dejene Woldeamanuel didn’t utter a single word when TPLF/EPRDF and its SEPDM officials have massacred hundreds of Sidama people during the Sidama Looqqe massacre of May 24, 2002. Mr Dejene didn’t utter a single word when tens of thousands of Sidama families were displaced from their lands in Hawassa suburbs during the entire rule of EPRDF/TPLF. Mr Dejene didn’t utter a word when the Sidama nation has been brutalised by the TPLF/EPRDF and their Sidama cadres such as the infamous criminal Shiferaw Shigute for the last 27 years. He has been rather given prestigious positions and warm reception by Shiferaw Shigute and the other TPLF and SEPDM officials for his role in continuously aborting the Sidama struggle whenever he returned to Sidama land and Ethiopia.

The Sidama nation highly regards the role of his late father for his part in SLM leadership. Sadly, that respect and appreciation faded away after his late father decided to rally behind the TPLF/EPRDF’s regime when he returned from the UK in support of the TPLF/EPRDF during the May 15, 2005 Ethiopian election. During the indicated time, his late father has officially campaigned for the TPLF/EPRDF. Moreover, he had also attempted to convince the Sidama nation that the EPRDF/TPLF’s government is the best for the Sidama’s national interest. Ironically, he has campaigned for the TPLF/EPRDF’s government, just after 3 years of Sidama Looqqe massacre of hundreds of Sidama people who were demanding their rights to be regionally self-administrative. During this time none of the culprits of the Sidama massacre were brought to justice. Therefore, his late father as himself has proved that the death of hundreds of Sidama civilians and their national quest was none of his business.

Following his death however, the TPLF/EPRDF’s apparatuses shown that, they can indeed honour those who work for them as they erected statues in his honour and named the street after him in Hawassa. We have no objection with this but; we would like the generation to learn the fact that the TPLF/EPRDF never allows such privileges to be bestowed upon those who oppose their barbaric policy to the given nation. For example, numerous famous Sidama human rights defenders and resistance figures still live in Diaspora as they reject the oppression imposed on their own nation whilst Mr Dejene Woldeamanuel makes Ethiopia his holiday resort as he repeatedly makes TPLF/EPRDF funded travel without any hindrance. Therefore, these groups want to own the nation to sell time and time again as their own properties.  

As we speak, Mr Dejene Woldeamanule is said to be working hard to derail the hope and aspiration of the Sidama nation to a regional self-rule although his dream of doing so remains delusion. It came to our attention that, on the SLM’s central committee assembly of August 25, 2018, he has asked the participants whether it is necessary for the Sidama nation to be a regionally self-administrative. He has put his maliciously calculated ideas forward by stating that, he thinks that it is not necessary for the Sidama nation to be regionally self-administrative at this time. His suggestion has been out rightly and vehemently rejected by all Sidama people. Moreover, his demand that the SLM must allocate 1/3rd of leadership positions for SLM Diaspora (X-Somali returnee former SLM members who have done nothing and remain dormant for the last 27 years) whom he has created a week before he went to Sidama by calling an urgent teleconference as part of his and his behind the scene bosses’ malicious anti-Sidama plots. He was in Sidama about three weeks or so and returned back to Europe, attempted to deceive the Sdiama Ejjeetto, and then returned back from Europe to undertake his malicious homework. Why? Therefore, we assert with degree of certainty that he has been running a highly funded anti-Sidama project as his father did during the May 2005 Ethiopian election.

Categorically condemning the anti-Sidama projects of Mr Dejene Woldeamanuel and his associates, we urge the Sidama nation to remain on utmost vigilance. The Sidama people of all walks of life must unequivocally know the malicious plots of the indicated individual and his groups who aim to own the Sidama nation as their own property ready to be sold and purchased. We have proved this in the last 20 years that they have sold and resold the Sidama nation for their own benefit, time and time again. In addition to these, there are hundreds of anti-Sidama behind the scene individuals working under various pretext, whom the Sidama nation must be wary of.

Contrary to the above, almost all the current elected SLM leadership are tested and proved they are selfless freedom fighters who are capable of effectively navigating the Sidama nation through both difficult and happy times. Therefore, the Sidama nation must support this newly elected leadership whilst categorically rejecting the deceitful attempt of the indicated individual and his behind the scene associates such as Shiferaw Shigute and SEPDM’s politicians with whom Mr Dejene Woldeamanuel has held a secret meeting in Addis Ababa on August 27 and 28, 2018.

Finally, the Sidama nation shouldn’t tolerate these self-centred individuals who aim to enslave the Sidama nation any longer. The Sidama nation has tolerated them more than enough. Now we urge all Sidama people, young or old, women or men to stand their ground and denounce any malicious plots of the indicated nature by wholly rejecting their presence in Sidama soil. The Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) is not the property of individuals; rather it is the vanguard political organisation of the Sidama nation.  

Justice, freedom and equality for all Sidama people and the rest peoples in Ethiopia.

August 30, 2018