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Cannibalism’, Dismemberment and Necropolitics: Mass-atrocities/genocide in Ethiopia’s Oromia region against the Amhara people -Girma Berhanu (Professor)

Cannibalism’, Dismemberment and Necropolitics: Mass-atrocities/genocide in Ethiopia’s Oromia region against the Amhara people

 

Author Contact Information:
Girma Berhanu (Professor)
Department of Education and Special Education
University of Gothenburg
Box 300, SE 405 30
Göteborg, Sweden
E-mail: Girma.Berhanu@ped.gu.se

INTRODUCTION

This paper is partly driven by a recent case of hate speech uttered by an Oromo student at
Harvard University. 1 In this speech, the student encouraged the Oromo youth to ’eat up the
Amhara flesh and drink their blood’ and then implied that such actions are energizing and,
indeed, can even make you smarter.

An Ethiopian citizen who survived a mass-killing of ethnic Amharas recalls -although her
family was killed- how she heard the killers chanting ‘Amhara flesh is salty and their blood
makes you strong and smart’. 3 Indeed, there seems to be a widespread belief among such
extremists that these acts of cannibalism will open their eyes to a veiled wisdom and
foresight.

The second driving force behind this paper is the recent genocide and ethnic cleansing
committed against the Amhara people in Gimbi, Oromia region. In a rare case of global
awareness, the news has been reported by major international media outlets, such as the
BBC, Reuters and Aljazeera. Gunmen attacked Ethiopia's Western Oromia region on
Saturday, killing at least 320 civilians, although local sources estimate the death toll at 1500.
Survivors characterised the massacre as one of the deadliest in recent years, no small feat
considering the constant stream of massacres taking place in the region. 4 Furthermore,
regional authorities are widely suspected of turning a blind eye to the killings,

Click here to read the full article 

Cannibalism and Necropolitics The ugly face of genocide against Amhara people in Ethiopia

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