Baseless allegations, fabricated lies

By Abdulahi Hassan Mohamed

We have had the opportunity to observe and read a defamatory and fabricated statement issued by Survival International, and published it in Wired-Gov Newswire, on 8 October, 20011, under headline “Ethiopia’s ‘bulldozer’ government arrests 100 tribes people over dam”

This misleading statement said that “around one hundred Ethiopian tribes people from Mursi and Badi tribes have been arrested and jailed for opposing Ethiopia’s controversial Gibe III Dam”. The Survival went on to point out that “the Ethiopian government and its backers are bent on stealing tribal land and destroying livelihoods of indigenous community in lower Omo River, by reducing self-sufficient tribes to a state of dependency”

This astounding and distorted statement is completely baseless and fabricated lies. It’s a plain fact that the smear campaign was designed to tarnish, damage and defame Ethiopia’s wide regional and international reputation and image. It also presents a flagrant violation and aggression against rights of Ethiopia’s national sovereignty over its territories.

The fabricated statement of Survival International Suggests that it has been contracted to engage in subversive propaganda designed to undermine and jeopardize the planned integrated development of Gibe III Hydroelectric Dam project, by portraying itself as a sole defender of the Ethiopian people in the lower Omo River. This is a dangerous move which is not acceptable whatsoever to Ethiopia. Instead of leveling unjustified and unfounded accusations against Ethiopia in overseas, Survival should have visited and observed the ongoing various development schemes intended to improve the livelihoods and overall socio-economic conditions of the Ethiopian pastoral community in lower Omo region. Unfortunately Survival doesn’t have the interest in such socio-economic projects in the area, to the contrary, it is interested in distorting the real situation, misleading and agitating the people of the area, with the purpose of creating a climate of insecurity, fear and tensions in the region.

Obviously Survival deliberately turns a blind eye from the existing positive and encouraging developments in the lower Omo region and Ethiopia as a whole. And it failed to absorb peculiarity, characteristics and popular sovereignty of Ethiopian democratic system.

Survival should remember in this regard that Ethiopia which is pursuing multiparty democratic system has been guided by far-sighted political and socio-economic strategies and policies based on democratic and popular rules and regulations derived from the national democratic constitution.

Survival must understand that its cynical propaganda ploys can’t enable it to carry out its contract for destabilizing Ethiopia and jeopardizing its national development strategy. It’s naïve to waste time and energy with the purpose of stopping unstoppable Gibe III Dam project which is part and parcel of the overall national development plan aimed at achieving sustainable socio-economic growth and progress in the country.

It’s Undeniable fact that Ethiopia has fulfilled all requirements, national and international standards and regulations for undertaking Gibe III hydro-electric dam by conducting environmental & social impact assessment (ESIA) which has been approved by the Ethiopian Environment Protection Agency (EEPA) and other concerned regional and international institutions.

It is immoral and unjustifiable for Survival to continue to level unjustified smear campaign and baseless accusations against Ethiopia.

(Abdullahi Hassan Mohamed, is a Special Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Water & Energy)