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On Tuesday 29th of August the UN declared the official figures of murdered in the Amhara region, to 183 dead people from the end of July until the end of August. These dead are the outcome of the emergence of new clashes in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. This tickled or shook the Ethiopian State so much in it’s belly that it was forced to declare the state of emergency in the region and try to occupy it militarily. The Internet had been banned in the area, to mask the atrocities committed by the State there. Map of the regions of Ethiopia. Source: Mapsales website.
This conflict sprouted in Amhara since May of 2022, when the ruling classes of the Ethiopian State intensified the centralization of power, and tried to merge the regional militia of Amhara, known as Fano, in the State armed forces. In 2022 huge mobilizations took place that ended with thousands of people detained people.
In spite of facing such a mortal blow, masses of Amhara have not taken it lying down, carrying protests relentlessly. The Ethiopian State declared the state of emergency on 4th of August of this year. Instigating, the militias of the region to wage a fight against the Ethiopian armed forces.
After the first week of repression and the State establishing hegemony over the region, it is reported that the State is undertaking many military actions. In the bombing by the Ethiopian State of a town-square in Finote Selam on Sunday 13th of August. least 26 people were killed and hundreds injured. The Ethiopian State is spreading repression like wildfire in the rest of the country. In the capital Addis Ababa there are thousands of detained people, mainly young people from the Amhara region, who have been framed for having links with the militia Fano.
In the last weeks the Ethiopian State has been unable to curtail the situation; with the State authorities are even disclosing that there are a large number of districts that are outside their periphery.. Thus the State has unleashed terror against the people in recent weeks: From 25th of August to 27th of August, there were more than 100 killed in the city of Debre Markos, murdered by the State armed forces. In addition, indiscriminate killings are reported in the town of Debretabor, where State troops are barging into the houses of civilians and shooting them in cold blood.
All this indicates that the reports of the UN are distortions of truth and are lowering the numbers of the massacre made by the State against the people of Amhara. In addition, we must remember that all these crimes were committed by a government led by Abiy Ahmed, which was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, demonstrating how bourgeois institutions patronise oppression.
50 people massacred in Congo demonstration
On August 30, a demonstration against the United Nations (UN) was staged in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in which at least 48 people were killed and, another 75 injured and 168 arrested. One police officer perished during the protests, stoned by the crowd. The demonstration was aimed to target the UN military camp and was interspersed and wrecked by the authorities. At the time of arrival the State forces were already enforced to block their passage.The victims were killed after the army assaulted a crowd of a religious sect called Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations that had assembled to protest against the presence in the country of the UN peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO and regional forces from countries of the East African Community bloc.
The massacre is an ideal illustration of how the Congo State acts complicity with imperialist countries, patronising penetration of imperialism to plunder natural resources and conspiracy of the United Nations to protect prospects or act as a mascot for imperialism.
“Congolese military forces appear to have fired into a crowd to prevent a demonstration, an extremely callous as well as unlawful way to enforce a ban,” said Thomas Fessy, senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch.
This manifestation was targeted against the “Stabilization Mission” of the United Nations (MONUSCO). The protesters, who proclaim themselves as anti-imperialists, demand the termination of this operation and the withdrawal of the UN and other forces of East Africa accusing them of promoting insecurity of the country. This operation has been undertaken without any break in the African country since 1999. In this operation” countries such as the United States, Belgium, China or France, imperialist participated.
The majority of the 16,000 soldiers that are part of MONUSCO operation are concentrated in the rich mining areas of Congo. The Congo is one of the countries where the most intensive plunder of cobalt, lithium, copper, tin, magnesium, tungsten, diamond and gold occurs.. These minerals are a major prop for imperialist countries because they are necessary for aeronautical, pharmaceutical and in general for electronic industries. However, the Conglose peole are trapped in conditions of semi-slavery with high risk of death among adults and children, since child labour is frequently deployed.
Imperialist countries such as China or the United States benefit from the UN mission since it patronises their interests. China, for example, has great commercial agreements since 2008 with an investment of 2,740 million for infrastructure projects, which will pave way to expand the transport of the plundered raw materials of the continent. In return, it will receive more than 6,200 million dollars in minerals in total.
However, although China is strategically capitalising its position in Africa, the main hegemony remains of the Yankee imperialist superpower and its allies such as France. There is so much domination, that it is the United States itsef which imposes sanctions on six people for “destabilization of the area” in the Congolese country. Three of these people are belonging to the militias of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which also operate in Congo. And to another person of the National Liberation Group Movement March 23, a militia that operates in Kivu Norte.
History repeats itself.. In 2017, two UN “experts” that were undertaking a investigatory mission in the area were killed and the authorities arrested hundreds of people. Years later, in 2022, 51 people were sentenced to capital punishment, 22 of those sentenced were absent in the massive trial.
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Harsh Thakor is freelance journalist
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