Ethiopian tycoon who owns Rift Valley University is decrying harassment from the Ethiopian government amidst the Tigray conflict.
Dinku Deyasa, a prominent businessman and an Oromo nationalist, says his business interests are being targeted by the PM Abiy Ahmed-led government, and that some 140 of his employees were recently arrested.
Abiy is the country’s first Oromo leader but faces growing criticism by some Oromo people who say he hasn’t done enough since he got to power in April 2018.
Deyasa has had to flee the country for his safety.
He owns Sodere Limited, which is an umbrella of companies ranging from schools, hotels, hospitals, universities to construction, among others.
“With these arrests of managers running his business, his son flew back to Ethiopia from the US to monitor the finances and running of their business empire. Fraol Dinku Deyasa, the son, was arrested in Adama town near Addis Ababa,” an aide of Deyasa told the Star.
He added that there is a threat of Rift Valley University, the largest private varsity in Ethiopia with campuses in all regions of the country, being closed down by the government.
“Such a respected institution like Rift Valley University has continued to be under surveillance. The dean, lecturers and employees have repeatedly been arrested without being presented in a court of law. The government claims RVU is an OLA training camp. That does not even make sense. They are questioning the hundreds of scholarships given to security personnel,” a relative of Deyasa said.
Deyasa also owns Sodere Resort Hotel, the oldest and largest resort in Ethiopia
“Last Friday the Oromia police forces stormed the high-end hotel and arrested 140 employees. They confiscated 34 AK 47 rifles used by the hotel security. All employees totaling 140 were arrested, including the security guards. They claim the security guards were members of the OLA rebel group," the aide added.
Deyasa is from the Oromia region and is a popular figure in the community for his philanthropy. Since August 25, 2016, he also holds a position as the Abba Duula of Gadaa Oromo, one of the high posts to lead the Oromo youth as commander,
Oromo Abbaa leader Gobana Ola said they appointed Dinku as the Abbaa Duula (chief of general staff) to safeguard the generation and the Gadaa community at large.
"Dinku has been very generous to the Oromo, especially in the difficult times. He has used his wealth as a philanthropist. He came to the rescue of the Karrayyu pastoralists in drought-striken areas of Oromia. He assisted hundreds of university students caught up in ethnic violence in Amhara region,” Ola said.
Deyasa has denied supporting the Oromo Liberation Army through training.
Oromo Liberation Army are fighting alongside Tigray forces and seven other groups against the Ethiopia federal forces.
“I dedicated myself to serving my community, especially by supporting the Oromo struggle for freedom. After observing and considering the current difficult situation that the Oromo people are in, and according to the responsibility that I was given by the Oromo Abba Gadaas and the entire Oromo people,” Deyasa says in an open letter explaining his fleeing of Ethiopia.
Abbaa Hailu Gobana, who is responsible for Justice in the Oromo community, said he has seen nothing that should lead some in the government to "undermine, intimidate and frustrate Deyasa, forcing him to flee into exile".
“There is no clear reason for this course and if any, then l could have been the first person to explain and make him realise his mistake but he did nothing wrong at all," Gobana said.
In the open letter, Deyasa said he was forced to flee Ethiopia due to fear of political persecution and execution targeted by the Ethiopian regional and federal government authorities.
“My entire family and I were victimized and accused to own opposition political opinions. The current Ethiopian federal government and regional security agents deliberately persecute and execute me and my families simply because I refused to work with the new ruling party, the so-called Prosperity Party".
"The Ethiopian government always categorised the rich and prominent Oromo people who do not want to join the ruling party as anti-government. I faced several assassination attempts by the intelligence people but survived with the help of Almighty God. However, my sister was killed by government security,” he writes in the open letter seen by the Star.
Members of the Oromo community in October protested against the government and called for the release of jailed opposition figures.
Among the leaders is Oromo opposition politician Jawar Mohammed, who was arrested last year following an outbreak of deadly violence sparked by the death of a popular Oromo singer. He remains behind bars along with several others accused of terrorism. Activists claim their detention is politically motivated.
The Ethiopian government has been accused of ethnic profiling, with a ruthless crackdown against ethnic Tigrayan civilians.
For instance, professors Assefa Fissiha and Mehari Redeai, who teach law at Addis Ababa University, were arrested last month for allegedly breaching the terms of Ethiopia's state of emergency.
The UN in last month said at least 1,000 people, mostly ethnic Tigrayans, have been detained in cities across Ethiopia since a state of emergency was declared on November 2.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that at least 1,000 individuals are believed to have been detained, with some reports putting the figure much higher.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres through spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed “his concern over reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions, which serve to widen divisions and resentment between groups”.
The government has, however, denied allegations of profiling, with the police previously saying the arrests were not ethnically motivated but aimed at detaining TPLF supporters.
This article was updated that Deyasa has denied supporting the Oromo Liberation Army through training.