The killing fields of Ethiopia --- Donkoro Chaka: A "Deaf Bush" in Ethiopia

by Glenn Brigaldino
Wednesday, 05 April 2006
The rare glimpses at Ethiopia through the cracked lenses of mainstream media distort more than they inform about the political crisis in this country of over 75 million people. The blurred picture that comes to the distant minds in Europe and North America usually includes a long history of famine conditions and war with neighbouring Eritrea.

With the fall of the Mengistu dictatorship in 1991 and independence for Eritrea, cautious optimism emerged that Ethiopia may finally start to rebuild, heal and develop in peace and freedom. Hopes culminated in 2005 when the May 15 federal elections appeared to promise genuine democratic choice to Ethiopians. Today, nearly a year later, democracy and development have been stopped in their tracks. When election results indicated that the ruling regime of Meles Zenawi might have been voted out, the Prim minister unleashed his tightly controlled security and federal police forces on those who dared to protest against blatant manipulation of vote tallying and recounts.

First in June and again in November 2005, dozens of protesters, mainly in the capital Addis Abeba were shot to death. Tens of thousands of suspected sympathizers, even youngsters aged fourteen were hunted down and rounded up for deportation to various remote military centres and concentration camps. Abuse of detainees was widespread and continues for those still imprisoned. At the height of the detention wave in November last year, detention camp populations were quickly swelling, for example, a source on the ground in Ethiopia reported that:

• Birrsheleko in Gojam west Ethiopia more than 38,000 detained
• Dedessa in Wellega southwest Ethiopia more than 20,000 detained
• Denkorochaka in Wello north Ethiopia, number not known, but estimated in thousands
• Shewarobit in north Ethiopia estimated in thousands
• Ziway prison in south Ethiopia estimated in thousands
• Hurso camp in eastern Ethiopia estimated in thousands.

In addition there are many other detention camps throughout Ethiopia of which the exact locations and number of detainees is unknown. Read More