To: ethiopia@ethiopianembassy.org, ben@ethiopiafirst.com
Ato Wondimu Assemnew, Ethiopian Embassy Representative in Washington D.C.,
I heard your interview with Hagerfiker Radio on the question of giving Ethiopian land for long lease to foreigners this morning posted on www.ethiopiafirst.com. You claim that these lands are barren lands which are too difficult to develop by our own. What I know is that most of these lands in fact are sources of food for nomads and many animals also live in these so called "barren lands" which are infact virgin lands sold at cheap price be it in long lease term.
Our new foreign landlords can do to our land whatever they want, pollute, degrade the environment and export their produce for their people. We saw the recent harvest ceremony in Saudi Arabia and more yet to come. Explain to me how this is going to help the poor people in foreign controlled Ethiopian lands. Getting the job as laborers to keep them alive as slave is what you call development ? Development that do not change the life of people in capital as well as human capacity is not a new thing as you suggested. Colonialists did it in many African countries and now proud Ethiopians are doing it in the twenty first century.
The record of TPLF/EPRDF "development" at any expense for fast cash by ignoring regions/kilil and taking away their land is even illegal under its own constitution. While you are insulting us for singing for our land and water for centuries without any development, it is funny then to leave our regions/kilil sing for their article 39 without empowering them to use their resources for their own.
Ke Akberot Gara,
Tedla Asfaw
