From Ob. Jawar Mohammed’s Facebook page …
———————–
“We could ask foreign powers and do-gooders to
throw us blankets to survive the cold, and leftover food to get by. But,
we will still be back to the same destitution the next day or the one
after. The only and lasting solution to this humiliating national
homelessness is to take back our homeland. “
- Ob. Jawar Mohammed on how to end the Oromo national homelessness (i.e. the global Oromo refugee crisis)
The savage mobocratic attack on our people in Saudi Arabia is the
culmination of the horrific stories of abuses we have been hearing over
the last several years. From Alem Dachasa’s heartwrenching death in
Lebanon in 2012 to the weekly news of maids killed by their employers in
almost all Gulf countries to the mass-scale attacks perpetrated by the
Saudi police and mobs, we are observing a worsening of the situation for
our people in the region.
There appears to be three factors at play leading to this escalation.
First,
particularly in the Saudi case, instead of taking responsibilities for
the extravagant waste of resources and unproductive economic policies
that have resulted in the growing rate of unemployment, the Saudi
government and media have been spreading blames on migrants taking away
jobs. Consequently, the Saudi public has come to associate their
economic hardship with ‘invasion of foreigners’ as their media like to
frame the issue.
Second, due to oppressive regimes that
rule through exclusivist and exploitative economic conditions, the
number of our refugees crossing the Red Sea has skyrocketed. The UNCHR
reports show that between 100,000-120,000 refugees enter Yemen every
year. Most, if not all, of these refugees aim their final destination to
be Saudi Arabia.
Third, that part of the world is
still stuck in medieval racist views. Even before the latest xenophobic
campaigns, they have been known for being cruel towards African
migrants, particularly. I have heard endless tales of horrific racist
rants and physical attacks against maids and laborers by their
employers, the police and ordinary folks on the street. In fact, I can
attest from experience that even the ‘most enlightened’ of them:
diplomats, businessmen, students and princes still have a shockingly
Darwinian view of humanity. The racism in that part of the world cannot
be denied or excused. Its ugly face and nasty brutality are out there in
full display. The latest racist outburst is nothing but a public
display of what they have been subjecting our brothers and sisters in
seclusion in their houses.
I anticipate each of these three factors to get worse in the near
future. The social and political upheaval in the region following the
Arab Spring, and the expected downward spiral of the economy are likely
to further fuel xenophobia as regimes will continue to rely on
externalizing internal these problems to remain in power. Sadly, I
cannot foresee lots of practical solutions. For instance, the
humanitarian approach
(advocacy and refugee service type) is unlikely to work because the
Saudis just do not have room for civil societies. A person I know tried
to set up a shelter for the battered maids, but he spent over a year
trying to get some sort of permit to no avail. One official actually
told him in plain language that they had no law for such a permit. He
then decided to host some of the worst affected in house he rented. An
employer of one of the battered women, the very person who brutalized
her, found out the place after extracting confession by torturing her
friend. He then brought the police, which raided the place, arrested the
Good Samaritan, returned some of the women to their tormenting
employers and deported the rest. Even during the latest crisis, an
elderly person who has lived there for over 40 years and supposedly well
known to the authorities, went to appeal to the government to stop the
violence. Instead of heeding to his plea, he was beaten up by the
officials, arrested and awaiting deportation (despite having all the
legal papers).
The other alternative, and perhaps more effective way, of helping them would have been the
diplomatic channel.
After the beheading of an Indonesian woman few years back, Jakarta
responded strongly by threatening to severe economic and political ties.
The Saudis gave in to the pressure, releasing hundreds of Indonesians
from detentions. During the recent attack on migrants, Indonesians are
said to be the least affected. However, when we come to the Ethiopian
government, we are observing a reaction that borders endorsing the Saudi
policy of mass violence. The foreign ministry and its diplomats
downplayed the severity by blaming on social media’s exaggeration; they
even tried to justify the crackdown saying the targets are only illegal
immigrants. Notwithstanding the fact that the attack did not make such
differentiation, whether they went there legally or illegally, a
government has a solemn duty to stand up and defend its citizens,
particularly when they come under attack by foreigners. Then, why is the
Ethiopian government cozying up to the Saudis instead of siding with
the victims?
This could be attributed to multitude of factors.
First,
over last year, the relationship between the Ethiopian regime and the
Saudi-based immigrants has deteriorated. Triggered by the protest over
violations of religious freedom, the immigrant community stood firm
against the regime – refusing to buy and disrupting the so-called
Abbay Bond
sell. Hence, it’s understandable that the regime has little love for
them. In fact, the regime stands to benefit from destabilization of such
resourceful and near-to-home Diaspora that is increasingly falling into
the opposition’s side. This is what’s consular officers have been
signaling to elders who went to speak with them.
Second,
we shall recall the report that the Ethiopian rulers have reached an
agreement with the Saudi government to send 45,000 maids ‘legally.’
Hence, the displacement of the rebellious ‘illegals’ will make room for
the new ones who – because they will be recruited, vetted monitored by
the regime’s agencies while in Saudi – are less likely to stand against
it.
Finally, the vast majority of these brutalized
refugees are Oromos (it is estimated that over half a million Oromo
refugees reside in the Gulf States). The severity of the refugee crisis
the Oromo nation is facing — from North Africa to South Africa, Kenya
and the Middle East — is indicative of the severity of the repression
and exploitation going on in our country. The past colonizers reduced
our people to servitude. Back then, our people at least remained on
their land even though they were robbed of most of their production.
Today, our people are dispossessed of even that plot of land as the
occupiers are giving it to their own and selling it to foreigners.
Millions are internally displaced and have become urban squatters.
Hundreds of thousands flee every year to escape political persecution
and save their family from starvation by risking certain death while
crossing the Red Sea and the African deserts. Put simply, as a nation,
we have become homeless. No amount of humanitarian outreach and lobbying
foreign charity can solve this problem for us. We could ask foreign
powers and do-gooders to throw us blankets to survive the cold, and
leftover food to get by. But, we will still be back to the same
destitution the next day or the one after. The only and lasting solution
to this humiliating national homelessness is to take back our homeland.
This fact must sink.
- Ob. Jawar Mohammed
