Vkp

Very reliable sources confirm that, the present leader of the DMLEK (the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama), Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman is planning, to use his own and other middle-men, to carry out retaliatory acts against some fellow-Kunama, presently settled in the refugee camps of Waala-Nihibi, in the Ethiopian State of Tigray.

The sources ascertain that, such plans have been made following the revelation of those four Kunama individuals who had been murdered under the direct orders of Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman himself.

The persons now being particularly targeted are Mr. Simon Kotti Osman and others whom, the DMLEK’s leader fears himself being threatened by, though there are no proofs of such threats. This has always been the customary method of Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, to advance first, false accusations against those persons he either hates or fears and eliminates them then.

Those four fellow-Kunama he cold-bloodedly executed in recent times, are vivid examples that the present DMLEK’s leader is extremely uncompromising in his objectives and evil plans.

The www.eritrean-kunama.com and its VKP’s team are therefore warning those fellow-Kunama to be very alert against such threats. Let every Kunama refugee in those camps be alert.

We are appealing to the Ethiopian government authorities, particularly to those in the State of Tigray, to the police-chief and to the other security personnel in charge of those Kunama refugees in Waala-Nihibi camps, to take extra precautionary cares and measures to protect them.

We are warning Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman himself that, from now on, he will be directly held responsible for any Kunama being somehow hurt in those refugee camps, including the continuous burning of their tents. Let him also be ready to face other very serious charges still hanging on his own head and on his fellow-leadership member, Mr. Tewelde Minase.

We are calling for the attention of the local UNHCR’s authorities and of their co-workers too that, the present DMLEK’s leader could be turning to and employing also non Kunama elements to carry out his retaliatory plans against his own fellow-Kunama. Any harm done to them could be related to such plans.

The VKP ( January 15, 2004 ).

ARTICLE 2

“AFAYADE OSAME KASOMA LAWETA”

-1996/1997 E.C. gufeda KUKODISU-

(THE THOUGHT SENT US BY (OUR) LISTENERS):

-1996/1997 E. C. KUKODISU’s meeting-

The following is a very important document, in Kunama, undersigned, in 1996/1997, by both, the representatives of the Shabia regime and by the first leadership-members of the “KUKODISU,” only recently released by the present DMLEK’s leadership. The VKP’s team is translating it into English, mainly as a piece of information for our own fellow-Kunama as well as for our international readership.

“The leader (the late) Hussen Yesuf, Samuel Shadu,

Jeremia Gulai, from the surrounding of the Sosona district;

Sale Taso, from the districts of Tole, Haikota Koitabia;

Machu Desta, from the districts of Bimbilna, Negeb, Shambakko/Boshoka district;

Sale Ashora, from the districts of Fode, Kolluku, Kona, Dokinbia, Ugaro;

Sabaker, representing the districts of Dase, Afateila, Gogne.

On April 4, 1996, these people were to announce to the public entire the movement and the claim: - the Shabia has not given us any arable land.

They had a three-day meeting, from March 25 to 27, 1996.

The meeting was headed by the (late) Geometra Hussen Yusuf

The agenda of the meeting were:

lay down weapons; stop shooting;

the suffering of the people is increaing because of you;

you have no aims/principles; what is your opinion?

A meeting between the KUKODISU and the Shabia emissaries took place on February 20, 1996:

The subject: the Shabia regime has put the Kunama people on target above all, it has planned to eliminate the Kunama liberation movement. The head of their group, on the Shabia side was, first, Hussen Yusuf and second Samuel Shadu, both of them representing the district of Barentu and of its surroundings.

Jeremia Gulai, representing all the districts from Barentu to Sosona;

Sale Taso, representing the entire Tole, Haikota, Koitabia districts;

Machu Desta, representing all the districts of Bimbilna, Shambakko, Boshoka;

Sale Ashora, representing all the districts of Kona, Kolluku, Fode, Dokinbia, Ugaro.

All nine people came representing the various villages.

According to the Shabia’s plan in sending them, was for them to assess and evaluate all the problems the Kunama people had and report them to the regime and every question had to be given an answer based on its wishes.

They thought they would have been able to announce the results on the radio, by April 20, 1996. Nevertheless, the KUKODISU’s as well as the political groups had already pointed out that it would do nothing.

Those selected individuals, explained that, within the Kunama territory the Kunama public itself should identify its plights and express its own wishes.

The answer the people of Boshoka had given those selected individuals:

1.- the Shabia is not giving us our rights;

2.- it has given the arable land to the stranger rich (other language speakers);

3.- we have no dwelling place; we have become non-native likes;

4.- let the murderer be judged by the people;

5.- the Eri-Tigrians, living in the Gash region should be sent back to their own respective regions of origin and other similar answers given by the people.

The KUKODISU’s chairman, the chief of KUKODISU’s head-office as well as some members of the organisation, held a three-day meeting from March 25 to 27, 1996, in Humera. The meeting was led by the Geometra Hussen who, before he exposed his word and in order to let us know the reason why they had come and their final aim, accepted the decisions of the organisation we had laid down on March 24, 1996.

Some of those decisions were:

1.- that no Shabia security agents were to be found among them;

2.- we told them that no meeting would be held with the Shabia political

groups, whether they were Kunama or speakers of other languages, whether members of that office or group. We told them that, if they wished to hold a meeting with us they had to tell us the demands made by the people and the answers we would give them would be in accordance with the wishes of the people. This is our doctrine and are struggling and sacrificing for the liberation of the people. As that date did not suit us, they gave us an appointment for March 25, 1996 and left. We also told them that we, and not they, were to choose the meeting place.

The agenda they brought up on March 25, 1996:

1.- during the meeting we are holding with the Shabia government, tell your combatants to stop shooting; (meaning, lay down weapons);

2.- what is your ideology; your principle; your aim?

3.- they brought the agenda that people were suffering because of us.

Answering all the three questions, we told them that, if they were holding the same ideas of the Shabia regime, we could not have agreed and therefore they would have had better go back. If they really wished the liberation of the Kunama people, we had to hold the meeting in the manner we had organised; we told them that, if they wished they could bring up and read our papers and then we would have held the meeting. We explained to them our concept, our thoughts, what kind of government we wished; KUKODISU’s doctrine, program, constitution and invited them to come back after they had read the articles of the constitution. They had read them and came back on March 26, 1996. As they realised that, the meeting would not take place unless it was held according to our wishes and as some of them agreed with us, there was a lot of fear among them. We knew that, among them, there were also the emissaries of the Shabia regime. The meeting was led by us. We explained to them first what KUKODISU was. KUKODISU will bring liberation to the Kunama people; it will achieve its rights; it will not see the other ethnic-groups with a bad eye; they too will testify so that, in the whole of Eritrea there a democratic government be established by the will of all ethnic-groups. Our struggle therefore is first for the liberation of the Kunama people ; second, that every ethnic-group found itself in democratic ways and then, with the wish of all us, a new Eritrea be established by the people.

This is our principle and the Shabia would not accept it; we shall always tell the truth to the people and not be cheaters.

On March 27, 1996, KUKODISU’s chairman and the KUKODISU’s head office had given all the Shabia regime’s nine officials in the Gash area, five questions on the wishes of the Kunama people, written in Kunama and in Tigrigna languages. That written document was validated with KUKODISU’s seal. We expose those points as follows:

1.- any Kunama political prisoner be judged by the people; let the people choose;

2.- the responsibility (the blood) of those Kunama killed in the market of Shambakko be assumed by the Shabia regime and judgement be passed on by the people;

3.- dwelling places, water-resources, Gash land for the natives of Gash;

4.- within the next two months, let all those either Eri-Tigrians or others who had never lived in Barentu before be returned to their own respective territories where they used to live; let be put into practice, as soon, that Gash and it surroundings be reserved only for the natives of Gash.

5.- let on all offices, from top to bottom, on all schools, clinics and on every locality be written in the Kunama language. Let Isayas hand over the rule to the people. Our struggle is caused by such principles and our organisation does not need begging. We wish the Shabia regime to know very well and realised that, our liberation struggle is through blood and not aimed at obtaining praise. The Eritrean people too should pay us their atmost attention.

The KUKODISU’s member-groups and the entire people shall achieve their victory through bitterness. Let KKODISU’s organisation advance!

The signature of KUKODISU’s Chairman Chachu W/Sillasie;

the signature of the Chief of KUKODISU’s head office;

the signature of the three emissaries of the Shabia regime:

1.- Geometra Hussen Yusuf,

2.- Samuel Shadu;

3,. Jeremia Gulay.

Humera (Ethiopia), March, 27, 1996.

The VKP’s NOTE:

Though the above is the most important document, which constitutes the basic reason why ERKUKODISU’s was born, grew up and is carrying its movement and activities, its present leader. Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman claimed this “thought” to have been sent to his office, by “listeners = afaiade), referring to listeners of the DMLEK’s radio-transmissions

This is not only very questionable a statement but, should it be true what he sustains, then that those “listeners of theirs” are much more and better informed on the history of the DMLEK, than its present leader. This would surely be of a shame and embarrassment for the leader himself who has been not only ignorant of such fundamental document, but that he had also been failing to publish such a highly valuable document, where the very fundamental principles of the whole movement had been discussed upon, decided and signed by the two parties:

1.- the KUKODISU’s leadership and

2.- by the emissaries of the Shabia regime.

To our opinion, it was also laudable the efforts made by the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf and his other Shabia sent emissaries to have tried to get down to the Kunama grass-root level, asking the people to express their worries and put forward their own wishes, though, knowing the Shabia regime’s character, it was not only a cosmetic, but also a very risky business.

Let us finally point out that, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, has not only betrayed the basic principles and objectives of “the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of the Eritrean Kunama” (DMLEK), but he has also totally derailed it from its main mission of, not only, struggling for the Kunama ethnic, cultural and territorial rights, but also to defend, protect and safeguard the lives of all Kunama, particularly of those under its own care as well of those still languishing under the brutal Shabia regime.

The VKP ( January 17, 2004 )

ARTICLE 3

AN INTERVIEW, GIVEN SOME YEARS AGO,

BY THE PRESENT DMLEK’S LEADER

MR. KORNELIOS ADOLAY OSMAN,

TO A FELLOW-KUNAMA:

The VKP’s team is releasing the following piece of interview given, some years back, by the present DMLEK’s leader Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, as it believes that, ever since, this gentleman has been nurturing and cherishing certain concepts and principles on the Kunama ethnic and political matters and, consequently, applying them regularly and throughout his entire leadership, which could therefore be regarded as his basic principles and “the corner-stones” of his own ideological and leadership styles.

The interview had come to being, not only as unplanned and accidentally, but also in a very private and friendly manner, between Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman and a fellow-Kunama he very much trusted and therefore confided every piece of his own ideological package, on the Kunama ethnic and political matters.

As the content of the interview has been given to us, by our fellow-Kunama, in the style of the “reported speech,” we are just respecting, translating and reporting it in its original Kunama version. Our comments will follow the report.

Here is the text.:

“Adolay (Kornelios Osman) has always stated that, those to lead ERKU (DMLEK) would have to be only the pure (Nacha) Kunama. I asked him whether there were “pure and impure Kunama.”

He replied that there were a lot of them.

While we were talking about the educated Kunama, I brought up, as an example, the Geometra Hussen Yusuf.

I said that, like him, there were many other educated Kunama in Eritrea and therefore asked him whether he would define them all as “impure Kunama,” exclude them from working for and prevent them from leading ERKU. As he stated that, ERKU’s seat would be held only by ERKU, we argued a lot.

At that time, the Geom. Hussen Yusuf was not yet in The Sudan.

Not long after, Hussen Yusuf did flee Eritrea and reach Kassala (The Sudan). As I said, I told Adolay that the guy (Hussen) had in fact arrived in The Sudan and therefore asked him what he would do if Hussen expressed his wish to struggle. He told me not to talk about that guy, stating that he had dirty hands, bad behaviour and that he used to be a prisoner and therefore ERKU needs only “NACHA = (pure ones). I insisted and enquired whether there was anything wrong, if that guy wished to struggle. I asked why he did always look down on and discriminated the educated Kunama, as if they were affected by “ringworm” and as, if ERKU did not need any educated Kunama. I wondered where we were heading for with such kind of discrimination.

I asked him what would happen if those educated Kunama, he had been discriminating, were to found their own Kunama organisation tomorrow. He replied that, the only educated Kunama to lead ERKU would be only the Kunama (NACHA = pure Kunama). He meant that, apart from ERKU, people like Hussen or Berhane, who are of mixed-blood, would not be eligible to lead the Kunama people. I stated that, there were a lot of Kunama with a mixed-blood, from the Tigrians, Beni-Amer, Bilen, Takruri, Baria/Nara, Amara and therefore whether there was any reason that we defined them all as “NACHITTA = impure” and eliminate them from the Kunama society. The Kunama is a matrilineal society and therefore should their children be eliminated from the Kunama society? These are the people Adolay hates and it is this which has brought discrimination and because of which Adolay is afraid of allowing the educated Kunama to work within ERKU. He hates those competing for power with him. I can never forget Adolay’s arrogance.”

(Name with-held).

VKP’S NOTES:

As it has come over very clearly, in the above interview, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman has always harboured a particular hatred against those Kunama, well-known in their communities (educated), whom he feared and daydreamt as threatening his leadership post. The issue of being “Kunama nacha/nachitta = pure/impure Kunama”, is only a chronic xenophobia, affecting only certain groups of individuals, among whom, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, himself who appears to be either ignorant of his own Kunama ethnic traditional and cultural heritage or he too is one of those persons so imbued with such arrogant ambitions to feel as if they were entitled to and had the mission and the right to change their ethnic-groups’ basic cultural values.

First of all, if he does not know, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman should learn that, in the Kunama matrilineal system, the Kunama ethnicity is determined and identified by the lineage of the mother and therefore, people like the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf, with a Kunama mother, are automatically Kunama ethnic-group members. Secondly, in ethnological and demographic matters, there is neither “pure nor impure” race, as all human-being are, somehow or another, interrelated and affected by some racial mixture. Who guarantees Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman that he himself is a “Kunama nacha = pure Kunama?” Could he retrace his own origins and claim that he is a “nacha/pure” Kunama ?

Another malice bogging his mind is his obsession, not only to put “behind the bar” anybody opposing him and his political principles, even if only verbally, but also eliminate him very uncompromisingly. Very often, talking about someone he cannot stand, his favourite statement, is always, “we’ll detain/jail him/her.” It was not therefore accidental that, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, had already counted, the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf, among the prisoners, long before he even got to The Sudan. He had already decided to detain the man, today become the victim of his wrath, regardless whether he were a culprit or not.

Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, the Kunama “digina-koda,” in all languages, but particularly in English is the “best-man,” meaning that, the man you choose at your wedding, is the best individual you can ever find. You had chosen the late Mr, Hussen Yusuf as your “best man.” If you had known him to be a man with a bad background history and behaviour, how come you chose him to be your “best man?” If you had considered him to be a “Kunama nachitta = impure Kunama,” why did you ever count him to be the best man of your life? How come you detained him, without, up to today, being able to provide enough pieces of evidence that he was the “ring-leader” of the alleged plotters against your life, but still jailed, tortured, hanged and killed him very cruelly? How can you justify such homicide?

In the Kunama ethno-cultural and traditional context, “digina-koda = the best man/woman” is regarded as the most important person, whether in good or bad times. One looks at him/her as one’s siblings and relative. How could therefore one be so cruel against one’s own family member, no matter how he/she may differ in ideological matters? It is in fact to assume that, the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf himself had had enough trust in Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman and therefore decided to be at his side and struggle for the Kunama cause. Only later on did in fact, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, accuse the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf of being “Shabia jasusa = Shabia’s agent.”

As it has been pointed out in the above interview, the present DMLEK’s leader, has always been frightened by his fellow-Kunama, with wisdom, education and good name. He very well-knew that, in front of the Kunama like, the late Mr. Yakob Ashora and the late Mr. Hussen Yusuf, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, is just “nobody.” They were people bestowed, not only with wisdom and knowledge of the ethno-traditional and cultural history and values of their own Kunama race, but also people with determination in their views, actions and objectives. To the contrary, Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, is presently at the top of the DMLEK’s leadership, only motivated by very personal interests, which, as said, are still under scrutiny and will be revealed shortly. Therefore, you Mr. Kornelios Adolay Osman, as the long-time leader of the DMLEK, and you, Mr. Twolde Minase, as his second-man, advisor as well as a faithful executioner of his orders, be prepared to face the next scandal.

The VKP ( January 17, 2004 )

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