Welkait Committee
| ወልቃይት ኮሚቴ | |
| Formation | 23 August 2015 |
|---|---|
| Type | Committee |
Membership (2015) | 20 |
Head of Mobilization | Demeke Zewdu |
Secretary-General | Teshager Woldemichael |
The Welkait Committee is an Amhara-led committee that demands the return of Welkait district to Amhara Region's North Gondar Zone. According to the Committee, Welkait has been part of Amhara province which was annexed by EPRDF regime in 1991 to Western Tigray Zone. On 23 August 2015, the committee was formed by convening the first meeting, forming 20 members including Colonel Demeke Zewdu as head of mobilization and Teshager Woldemichael as secretary.[1][2]
In July 2016, the committee members subjected to imprisonment by EPRDF government for petitioning about Welkait Amhara identity.[1]
Background
[edit]The Welkait Committee was established on 23 August 2015 by displaced with 25,000 signatures collection from Welkait people. They convened their first meeting. The committee sought to question the institutional state of Amhara people as well as preventing anti-Amhara discrimination in the disputed region. On 19 September, the committee conducted an inaugural conference at the Landmark Hotel in Gondar with approximately 450 Welkait Amhara in attendance. After forming 20 members, Colonel Demeke Zewdu has been the head of mobilization and Teshager Woldemichael as secretary.[2][3] On 17 December 2015, the Committee submitted complaint letters to the zonal, regional and federal offices. Each office blatantly rejected the letter, assuming the question pertained from matter of identity and border-related case. In July 2016, the Committee members were arrested and tortured for petitioning about Welkait Amhara identity.[4][5][1][6]
On 19 April 2018, the Welkait Committee members met with newly elected prime minister Abiy Ahmed in Goha Hotel, Gondar. Abiy recommended to resolve the dispute peacefully with duly constitutional order.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Account (2022-04-15). "Welkait: The Redline that cannot be crossed in Ethiopia". Borkena Ethiopian News. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ a b c "The Welkait Question as a Litmus Test". Sage Journals. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ "What Is Fueling Ethiopia's Protests?". Voice of America. 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ John, Sonja (August 2021). "The Potential of Democratization in Ethiopia: The Welkait Question as a Litmus Test". Journal of Asian and African Studies. 56 (5): 1007–1023. doi:10.1177/00219096211007657. ISSN 0021-9096.
- ^ Kassaw, Alene; Veneranda, Mbabazi (2024-12-31). "TPLF's annexation of Wolkait, Ethiopia: motivations, strategies, and interests". Cogent Social Sciences. 10 (1). doi:10.1080/23311886.2024.2376859. ISSN 2331-1886.
- ^ "Civil rights activists in Welkait give hope for peace" (PDF). Retrieved 2 November 2024.