By Hailegebriel Endeshaw
Staff reporter
ADDIS ABABA – (BORKENA) – Gogot for Guraghe Unity and Justice disclosed here that it denounced efforts being geared to squash the Guraghe people under a structure named cluster. The party said that the suppressing efforts being promoted by the Council of the South Peoples Region and Prosperity-led government against the respectful people of Guraghe is anti-Constitutional.
The weekly Amharic Reporter said, quoting the party, that the people of Guraghe have been denied socio-economic benefits. The party has thus called for a positive response to people’s demand of having independent regional administration.
The government bodies have committed harassment and imprisonment starting from the petition gathering date and at the time when the party was conducting its founding meeting, according to Gogot. The party further said that though it had successfully conducted its founding meeting on 13 March 2023 at Wabishebele Hotel, members not less than 12 were detained along with documents of the general meeting.
The party said that several of its members are still behind bars and this “has been done to nullify the voice of Guraghe people”. Party Chairman, Mohammed Abrar told the Reporter that the meeting, which was held on 22 March 2023 with Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, was a well-orchestrated one that involved few handpicked participants.
Mohammed expressed dismay over the speech the PM has made stating that, “if becoming a regional state is helpful for you, I can give you within five minutes”.
“The main goal of the struggle of Guraghes, besides having their own independent region, is to see the existence of united national Ethiopia where democratic brotherhood is prevailed; Mohammed said adding that his party would work with Prosperity Party or any other contending parties on issues of common understanding.
Deputy Head of the party office, Melaku Sahille said on his part that including party members, journalists of Guraghe Media Network have been detained. He said that the Guraghe community is under captivity and various sabotages have been committed not to respond to its demand of self-regional administration.
“Our party will never collaborate with polarized forces who are promoting absolute unity and secession,” Melaku said, adding that the party objective is to see the realization of genuine united national democracy.
Gogot’ is a Guraghe word taken from the name of a special place, which was used as a convening site where Guraghe elderly Fathers got together to make promise to protect themselves from the problem of disintegration occurred in the 18th century. The new party was named after the place ‘Gogot’ with the aim of protecting Guraghes from a similar threat of disintegration hovering over them, according to Melaku.
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