December 29, 2012
2013 New Year’s Message from HRLHA
As the New Year approaches its entry, most people make their personal resolutions to better themselves or the lives of others. The quick search of some of the top resolutions made year after year includes living healthy, spending less and saving more, working for the better life of family, etc. The recurring theme of each resolution is the fact that everyone is to a great extent trying to make the upcoming year even better than the outgoing. On the occasion of the coming New Year, we would like to wish all a happy new year filled with joys. May the New Year bring you success, health and prosperity!
Using this opportunity we would like to thank those who stood/stands with HRLHA during past years by contributing their knowledge or skills, times, and money to defending human rights in the Horn of Africa. We also hope the coming New Year will bring democracy, and respect for all forms of freedoms human rights. Let all people be free from tyranny and suffering at the hands of their governments.
As 2012 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect the outgoing year of human right activism and celebrate the accomplishments we have achieved as human rights defenders as we all prepare ourselves probably for more hard and long journey ahead in 2013.
We could say the year 2012 was arguably the most fruitful year, because we have successfully accomplished our plan for the year; and renewed our commitment with a non-negotiable obligation to defend human rights in the Horn of Africa in the coming years. The human rights conditions in the world in general are deteriorating from year to year regardless of many civic organizations’ strive to bring about changes in defending it. The humanitarian crisis in the Sub-Saharan countries kept on elevating every year. The bad governance and political unrest in the Horn of Africa continues without any improvement for decades. After the death of Prime Minister Melees Zenawi, his successor vowed again and again in his speeches to the Ethiopian Parliament to continue without any change with the plan of his predecessor with which the majority citizen were victimized and few people around the government were privileged. The continued civil war in Darfur, Sudan and the conflict between North and South Sudan after the independence of South Sudan in 2011, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, are the core problems in the Horn that remained unchanged. Millions have been killed, arrested and imprisoned, left their homeland and immigrated to neighboring countries where they were unwelcomed. .
These all imply that there are much harder jobs ahead in terms of fighting for and defending human rights. That is why we call on all humanitarian – groups and/or individuals – that they make human rights activism part of their resolutions for the New Year of 2013. Once again, we wish everyone the most successful and joyous New Year!
Yours Sincerely
Garoma Wakessa
Executive Director
