Open letter to Kenyan President By Abdulkadir Gumi

I have the honour to address this letter to you in order to draw your attention to a very preoccupying subject, namely the increasing number of Human Rights violations that take place in Kenya, and are directed against the Boorana populations.

The Ethiopian military actions on the northern Kenyan border have devastating effects on the socioeconomic situation of Northern Kenyan populations that have unjustly been accused of hosting foreign rebels.

The Boorana-Oromo communities allover the world have taken notice of the ceaseless acts of intimidation, oppression and murder, carried out against a great number of innocent Kenyan Boorana Oromos by the Ethiopian security forces alongside the border and on Kenyan territory, in several northern Kenya towns. Similar acts have been also perpetrated in Nairobi – which sounds impossible, but is unfortunately very true.

This act of aggression against Boorana people must be condemned by all peace loving people of Kenya. It is absolutely unacceptable that foreign soldiers and security agents sent from Ethiopia enter Kenya easily and murder average Kenyan nationals.

This practice is not new; it has been perpetuated down to our days since the colonial times. Despite the establishment of International Law, Kenya has tolerated this absolutely evil and inhuman practice that targets its own people. The world needs anger, the world often continues allowing evil because it is not angry enough.....Bede Jarre.

Northern Kenya people love indeed peace and stability for themselves and for all Kenyans. Kenya is our beloved nation, the sacred land of our birth, but Northern Kenyan people still lack basic political rights. As a consequence of this situation, Boorana Oromos living in free democratic countries have the right and the moral obligation to bring to your attention the real plight of the Boorana Kenyans.

In Kenya, Boorana Oromos occupy the area called the northern Corridor;Namely Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale districts. as a matter of fact they are part of the Oromo Nation which consists in the largest national group in neighboring Ethiopia. There, they were met with unspeakable massacres that have been ceaselessly repeated until today without anyone knowing or writing about them.

The most appalling aspect of these pitilessly executed massacres is that the Kenyan Government decided to cooperate with Ethiopia, and even worse to carry out military action against its own citizens, namely the Boorana Oromos. Under the pretext of false accusations, involving cooperation and support for the Oromo Liberation Front, Kenyan authorities deliberately facilitated Ethiopian secret services´ agents to kill Kenyan citizens.

Ethiopian has become widely known for turning the entire Horn of Africa to a Hell of fire and war. The Kenyan - Ethiopian cooperation will only tarnish the fair name of Kenya, a country that has been so far considered as a democratic and peaceful realm, impartial is its judgments and supportive of the Cause of African Democracy and Progress.

The unfortunate practice and Ethiopian – Kenyan cooperation leaves me, as Kenyan citizen, with an unanswered question as regards Kenya´s future as an independent and sovereign nation.

Why does Kenya allow a foreign country to shape its own policy as regards its own citizens?

With Ethiopia known and denounced for its oppressive policies and poor record of Human Rights, Kenya should be careful and take distance from a much loathed neighbor like this.

Simple logic would drive the Kenyan authorities to the conclusion that Northern Kenya´s Boorana Oromos have practically speaking no means to help rebels and OLF fighters. Furthermore, I want to urge you to reconsider with respect to OLF, and realize that the gallant Oromo fighters are not different from any other freedom fighters struggling for the independence of their country.

OLF fighters are indeed quite similar to the SPLA of Southern Sudan and to the MAU MAU of the colonial times´ Kenya; I find this is easy to assess, and I am sure you will share my opinion that it will be very unfortunate to let people think that the Kenyan government can do nothing in respect with the country´s northern territory where Ethiopia assuredly does not want to live Kenyan citizens live in peace.

I wonder why only Northern Kenya is a place of disasters, massacres, unfair treatment of populations and absolute lawlessness. Is Northern Kenya the only place where one people lives on both sides of the borderline?

I want here to mention examples you certainly know only too well, namely the Maasais of Kenya and Tanzania, and the Somali of Kenya and Somalia. Luo live in peace in either Kenya or Uganda.

Grieved, we have to admit that under-development dating back to the colonial times has created insecurity and poverty in Northern Kenya. This situation produces a great number of refugees, and soon Kenya will be among the world´s leading refugee-producing countries. Will this be nice? Everyone in Kenya should remember the noble slogan of Peace, Love and Unity. Everyone knows that Democracy has had in Kenya a better fate than in other African countries – thus far. This must also apply to the Northern province as well.

The same concerns several social and economic sectors in Kenya, namely Health, Education, Communications, and Transport. But nobody is happy with the situation in Northern Kenya; Boorana are frustrated with the underdevelopment and the lack of security, due to the criminal and inhuman Ethiopian involvement as tolerated by the Kenyan authorities.

Your Excellency,

I call upon our patriotism; your government must stay in control in Northern Kenya, enforce the law, and protect its citizens instead of cooperating with the undemocratic and unrepresentative Ethiopian military. If anything, Kenya could launch a peace initiative between the Ethiopian government and the OLF targeting a lasting peace, which will also have a positive impact on Kenya, as it occurred in the cases of SPLA (Sudan) and Somalia.

Nobody denies that peace or war in any of Kenya´s neighboring countries has a direct impact on Kenyans´ security. That is why I urge you to cancel any anti-Boorana Oromo practice or plans, and to undergo all diplomatic efforts needed, involving negotiations with the OLF. Boosting development in the North will have a great impact on Kenya´s overall economic performance and development.

Ending, I ask you, as a plenipotentiary representative of the President of Kenya, to ensure that the Boorana Kenyan citizens will not face in the future either war or harassment from either internal or external security forces.

I therefore request from your government to attentively handle our grievance so that the Boorana of Northern Kenya community does not suffer anymore at the hands of the inhuman foreign aggressors, namely the rogue thugs of the Tigray/Amhara - led tyranny.

Thanking you for your time and attention,

Yours Faithfully,