By ARGAW ASHINEP, Africa review News
Ethiopia's Southern Region government has over the past two weeks expelled more than 20,000 ethnic Amhara settlers, it can be revealed. The regional authorities reportedly ordered the settlers to return to their 'home' in Bench-Maji Province. Southern Region Governor Shiferaw Shigute declined to comment on the issue, while his aide said the regional government was not aware of the expulsion.
However, a letter obtained by this
reporter indicated that Mr Shiferaw had ordered the eviction to prevent
the Amhara from dominating the region. The local
government also confiscated the Amhara's farmland and property and paid
them a meagre $3 (50 Birr) for lunch during their departure. Thousands of evicted residents arrived in Addis Ababa and the
authorities kept them on separate compounds, while some 600 others were
taken to a location some 130km out of the capital. Ethnic
Amhara settled in the Southern Region 20 years ago, mostly as
labourers, but were later permitted by the local government to own land
and property.
The Amhara, reputed as a powerhouse of
Ethiopian politics, form about 26 per cent of the country's population
and are estimated to be around 20 million.
Ethiopia's
Southern Region is home to over 50 minority groups and often
experiences sporadic ethnic tensions over resources and power.
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