The Return of Stolen Antiquities

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives the 18th-century crown from the Dutch.

Antiquities are being returned to their place of origin more regularly than recognized. Many Western governments have pledged to return stolen artifacts that were taken during colonization.

In February 2020, The Dutch government returned a stolen 18th-century ceremonial crown to Ethiopia. The crown has great religious significance, and was kept safe for 21 years by Sirak Asfaw, a Dutch national of Ethiopian heritage.

Asfaw, who emigrated to the Netherlands in the late 1970s, said in a video recording that the crown "came into his hands" in 1998.

In November 2019, France returned a sword to Senegal as part of its commitment to return artifacts stolen during colonial times. The sword belonged to Omar Saidou Tall, a west African ruler and Islamic scholar who led an anti-colonial struggle against the French in the 1850s.

He eventually signed a peace treaty with France in 1860. According to French historian, Jean Suret-Canele, Omar Saidou Tall died from a gunpowder explosion in 1864. After his death, his sword and books from his library were seized by the French.

In October 2019, US authorities returned a stolen coffin to Egypt, two years after it was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $4m (£3.2m) from a Parisian art dealer.

The 2,100-year-old coffin was that of a priest called Nedjemankh who served Horus as a Ram (Heryshef). The decorated surface includes scenes and prayers in gesso relief meant to protect and guide Nedjemankh on his journey to immortality.

The coffin was looted and smuggled out of Egypt in 2011 and was sold to the Met by a global art trafficking network, which used fraudulent documents.

Related reading: Ethiopian Crown Returned; Metropolitan Museum Returns Stolen Egyptian Coffin

Israel's Abuse of Ethiopian Women

Years of rumours that Ethiopian women were pressured into having contraceptive injections by Israeli officials have finally been confirmed. The Health Ministry has ordered immigration officials in Ethiopia and health workers in Israel to stop coercing or coaxing women into accepting the long-lasting injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera.

The directive instructed doctors "not to renew prescriptions of Depo Provera to women of Ethiopian origin or any other women who, for whatever reason, may not understand the treatment's implications." They should also ask patients why they want to take the shot, using a translator if necessary. The Ministry did not confirm or acknowledge any wrongdoing.

Ethiopians who claim to be Jews are welcome to migrate to Israel under the Law of Return, but they face discrimination and have not always integrated well into Israeli society. Births among Ethiopian women have dropped by 50% in the last decade, according to a report by the "Vacuum" investigative news program on Israeli Educational Television. "This story reeks of racism, paternalism and arrogance. It's a story to be ashamed of," journalist Gal Gabai concluded.

Ethiopian women told the journalists stories of unsubtle coercion and misinformation. "They said, 'Come, there are vaccinations, gather everyone," one of them said. "We said we wouldn't receive it. They said, 'You won't move to Israel.'" Women said that they were told that it would be hard for them to work or find accommodation of they had large families.

This is not a new problem, but the government is finally facing up to the lack of informed consent on the part of a marginalised, poorly-educated minority. In 2008, Hedva Eyal, of the feminist group Isha L'Isha, wrote a report alleging that the medical profession had failed Ethiopian migrant women.

"The paternalistic attitude towards women of Ethiopian origin and the state's concern over high rates of birth among poor and black populations drove Israeli official bodies, such as The Jewish Agency and the medical establishment, to act, allegedly for the benefit of women's health, but in fact according to the concepts and wishes of the establishment regarding the desirable way to conduct family life. As a result, and as this paper shows, women did not get crucial medical information and their right of choice regarding their bodies, families and lives was severely curtailed."

From here.

Israel did offer an apology for the abuse of these women.

Ethiopia Arrests 121 Ethnic Oromo

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - London, April 6, 2011 - The Government of Ethiopia should immediately release members of the ethnic Oromo political opposition detained without charge after mass arrests, Human Rights Watch said today.

In March 2011, Ethiopian authorities carried out several waves of apparently politically motivated mass arrests of more than 200 ethnic Oromo Ethiopians. On March 30, the government confirmed that 121 were in detention without charge, alleging that they were members of the Oromo Liberation Front, a banned rebel armed group. The government told journalists that it had obtained court orders to continue to hold the 121 individuals while it gathers evidence against them.

"The Ethiopian government appears to be back to the old tricks of 'detain first, ask questions later,'" said Rona Peligal, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The authorities should immediately free the Oromo opposition members unless they can bring credible charges against them."

Ethiopia's international partners should press the government to release the detainees immediately if it cannot credibly charge them, Human Rights Watch said.

The authorities arrested 40 members of the Oromo People's Congress (OPC) in a mass roundup from March 12 through March 14 in several districts of Ethiopia's Oromia region. Those detained included long-serving party officials and many candidates in the 2010 regional and parliamentary elections. Several of them remain unaccounted for, OPC party officials told Human Rights Watch.

At least 68 members of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), an opposition political party, are among those arbitrarily arrested between March 1 and March 15, according to party officials. Those arrested include former members of Parliament, former local government candidates for election, civil servants, teachers, and students. OFDM officials reported that at least two were beaten at the time of arrest, and the whereabouts of several remain unknown.

Torture is a routine practice at Addis Ababa's Maikelawi, or Central Investigation Unit, where the majority of the detainees are believed to be held, Human Rights Watch said.

Reports of the arrests broadcast on Voice of America's Amharic service have been jammed by the government the radio service said in a statement on its website, further raising concerns that the roundups are politically motivated.

Oromia is Ethiopia's largest and most populous region. Its regional government is controlled by the Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), a member of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

The Ethiopian government has a long history of using accusations of support for the Oromo Liberation Front, an armed rebel group that has been carrying out a low-level insurgency for more than a decade, as a pretext for cracking down on political dissent among the Oromo population.

While Ethiopia has valid security concerns related to sporadic bombings and other attacks, the government has routinely cited terrorism to justify suppressing nonviolent opposition and arbitrarily detaining peaceful government critics. The authorities have indicated that they may charge several of the detainees under the new Anti-Terrorism Law, which Human Rights Watch and others have criticized on human rights grounds.

Enacted in July 2009, the Anti-Terrorism Law severely restricts the right to freedom of expression. It contains an overly broad definition of acts of terrorism that could be used to suppress non-violent peaceful protests, and greatly expands police powers of search, seizure, and arrest. The law also provides for holding "terrorist suspects" for up to four months without charge. These provisions violate basic human rights requirements of due process. Human Rights Watch expressed concern at the time that the new law would become a potent tool for suppressing political opposition and legitimate criticism of government policy.

The Ethiopian constitution requires the government to bring a person taken into custody before a court within 48 hours and to inform the person of the reasons for their arrest, a protection that is already systematically violated. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Ethiopia is a party, provides that anyone arrested for a criminal offense shall be brought before a judicial authority and promptly charged.

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Ethiopia Threatened by Ogaden Lib Front

Founded more than 25 years ago, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) is now playing an increasingly important role in the Horn of Africa's complex politics. Its recent operations in Ethiopia's Somali Region (commonly known as the Ogaden) have shown that the insurgent group remains a threat to Ethiopia and its hopes of opening up the area to foreign investment. The group also has a presence in neighbouring Somalia, where it may be fighting alongside Hizbul Islam, one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups.

Read it all here.

Ethiopia Supplies Helicopters to Darfur Mission

The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region has received five crucial long-awaited helicopters to help it protect civilians in a seven-year conflict between the government and rebels that has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

“I hereby pledge that we will do our utmost to make optimum use of the helicopters in the discharge of our core mandate, which is the protection of the civilian population and the support for the creation of a safe and secure environment,” Ibrahim Gambari, the head of the mission, known as UNAMID, said at a ceremony on the new apron at Nyala airport, South Darfur.

The five Mi-35P tactical helicopters were sent by Ethiopia, whom Mr Gambari warmly thanked, adding that the aircraft would “deter those who might threaten peace and stability in Darfur.”

Ever since UNAMID was set up two years ago, UN officials have lamented the slow arrival of essential logistical equipment such as helicopters which, the Mission said today, will enhance its ability to protect civilians and enable a swift and effective response to any developing emergency on the ground.

UNAMID will now be able to reach many areas which had previously been inaccessible but it still needs 18 utility helicopters to provide the required air mobility and operational flexibility, the mission’s Force Commander, Lt Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, said, voicing hope that other countries would follow Ethiopia’s example in pledging air support.

Mr Gambari thanked Sudan for the cooperation and coordination which led to the smooth entry into service of the aircraft in Darfur. Earlier this week, the Government and a major rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), signed a cessation of hostilities accord.

Representing the Government today, Mohammed Abdullah Idriss, Director of Peace and Humanitarian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, thanked Mr Gambari for UNAMID’s contributions to the negotiations leading to the agreement. “UNAMID has become the mission of the people,” he said.

The arrival of the helicopters is “welcomed and celebrated” by the Sudanese Government, he added, highlighting its “commitment to cooperate with the mission to implement its mandate.”

UNAMID currently fields nearly 20,000 uniformed personnel, including over 15,000 troops and 4,500 police with a mandate to help bring peace and stability to the vast region, protect civilians, and contribute to a secure environment for economic reconstruction and development. Ethiopia is one of the top contributors with over 2,500 peacekeepers.

From here.