JANUARY 6/2005

Under the cover of improving the image of the city of Addis Abeba, the EPRDF is expropriating the property of the city dwellers and handing the land to its own cronies.Owners of houses are ordered to build multi storeyed buildings or sumptuous villas on their land by destroying their houses or else to take a token amount of compensation from the government and to vacate the land.After which the land is given to EPRDF loyalists or ethnic kin.The owners are given smaller piece of land on the outskirt of the town and a small amount of money.

A case in point in Addis Ababa is the poor woman Menbere Teshome whose house was bulldozed by the police and given to millionaire Madam Itenesh Abrha, a close ally of those in power. Madam Menbere's land was 850sq.metes but she was given a 150 sq.metre land far from her house. The compensation money she was paid was laughable and her house was destroyed and she was evicted against her will. She and her children were also mistreated by the authorities while the millionaire madam benefited from the support of the former minister of justice. The declared attempt to "beautify" the city is being taken against the interest of the common people whose houses and land are being practically confiscated and handed over to the nouveau riches who mainly hail from the ethnic group of the ruling elite. This illegal exprorpriation is expected to extend to many parts of Addis Abeba. It is an illegal confiscation being purused by the Mayor of Addis Abeba who is none other than a central committee member of the ethnic group/Tigrean People's Liberation Front/ that rules over the country.

The ordinary people are thus defenseless and unble to do anything as the rulers take over their land,demolish their houses and build multi storeyed buiuldings paid by the State for the ruling EPRDF or by individiual rich people linked to the power holders. It is a violation of the right of the people to own property, it is robbery on a grand scale and it should be condemned with vigor and unreservedly.