By Bariiso Saaddoo, June 21, 2019

Ethiopian security forces invade and arrest parents of adult children who left them years ago.

Immediately after the atrocities of 9/11, USA labelled Osama Bin Laden as one of the most dangerous man in the face of the Earth. USA Army and intelligence community tried to locate Osama’s whereabouts all over the world and including hideouts in the highlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The search for Osama continued unabatedly for about 10 years and finally he was brought to justice by US Marine in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

During the search for Osama bin Laden, one of his brothers was in the USA living in peace just like any other ordinary Americans. Osama’s children and other family members had never been targeted by the United States for the heinous crimes of their father. They lived in peace and freely without a fear of USA government retaliation for their father’s crime.

In all of European countries, crimes are not transferable. Once a child is 18 years of age, parents’ responsibility ends legally, and any crime the children commit cannot go to the parents. That is a civilized and reasonable world. The parents may continue communicating with their children regardless of the weight of the crimes the children commit. Some families come out and defend their children officially. Nothing happens to them. They don’t hung the father or mother for the crimes of their children.

Parents and families in Ethiopia are illiterate, most of them have never been to school and do not understand politics. Most parents live on farms barely making days end meals. They are people who struggle only to feed their kids and themselves. Some do not even afford to wear shoes, never had cell phones or lights.  Most of the kids go to school only if there is school nearby to escape from farm work. These parents make less than $300 a year, if we must measure money-wise.  They do not know what is taught in school. They do not even understand why their children go to school for many years.

These are the parents, PM Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s army coerces demanding they bring back their children they have not seen in years. These are the parents this regime rapes and kills for being mothers and fathers of these children who left them years ago to fight for their causes. These are the parents Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s soldiers rob, burn properties and force to flee their birthplace. Ethiopia has the largest internally displaced people (IDP) in the world according to a recent report by the United Nations (UN). In one year, under Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s administration, more Oromos are displaced than under the regime of the TPLF in 20 years or so rule.

This is the regime that is committing itself to annihilate or reduce the Oromo people into further serfdom. While it claims to represent the poor people, the regime has continued creating difficult livelihoods for millions.  Disappearance, destruction, humiliation, eviction and isolation is underway in mass in the Oromia region.  This is a regime that is burning crops and killing livestock to starve the Oromo people as a punishment.

The TPLF cadre regime of Dr. Abiy Ahmed, while delivering rosy speeches after speeches with nice words, has continued subjecting the Oromo people to grief and sorrow. Millions of Oromo mothers are crying under a regime that claims to represent Oromos and as some claim ‘the Oromo Government’. This regime is the continuation of the TPLF/EPRDF regime and TPLF cadres were trained to kill, spy, mistreat people, corrupt, steal, rob, etc.  That is normal life for them. Sometimes you cannot blame them, because that is their profession. They cannot think beyond what they have been trained for. That is their make-up.

It is very painful to hear that parents of Qeerroo are getting harassed and humiliated for their children joining Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Some of the children left them more than 20 years ago and some of the children are now in their 30s and 40s. The parents have nothing to do with their children political beliefs and they are being criminalized for simply giving birth to these children.