Written on: 15 September 2019
I drive early morning yesterday far to the South of Ethiopia in search for a very great friend known by the name Doctor. I last saw him some 13 years ago. He lived in a small town called Kossie. Passing Welkita and Gubera, after Atat junction I drive some 60km on highly corrugated, very rough gravel road just to visit Doctor. Located at the rim of the river Omo valley, Kossie was once the ‘Vegas’ when we constructed the Gilgel Gibe II Hydroelectric Power Project.
Doctor used to run a rural-clinic in his house in Kossie. During market days, farmers and traders coming from all over the region as far as Hossana to visit his clinic for his curing hands, instantly they get tablets or injections. A savior under God, he was a gracious and loved man in his late 40s, who was very much respected by his community.
He likes to paint, who often quote his paints from his own home made poems. Two paints I remember: a portrait of himself with his hand in his chin - showing him as a thinker. A second landscape paint of the Gibe massifs showing the zigzag and switchbacks that we constructed, he wrote something about safe driving and risks of small mistakes. It was true that road later costs us the precious life of our dear friends and colleagues.
Doctor made a large feast during holidays specially Mesqel where we indulge all the delicious cuisine that the South offers.I arrived Kossie at about 10:00 am. Kossie hasn’t changed. Muddy and earthen roads; few buses at the center of the town, ‘chat’ vendors, women selling sugar canes. I looked up to the only restaurant in search for the owner whom I have known him as a friend to Doctor. They were very close friends, which often seem to me related. The moment I parked the car he came out, instantly recognized me, shouted my name, my position and his first assumption that I am now a Contractor who came for some business in this region. We hugged and he offered me a sit at the verandah of his restaurant. We started to ask how all of us had been doing for the past over ten years. He still got his 30s look and hasn’t changed like Kossie. I start to tell him how I tried to call him yesterday before I decided to drive all along. I got his number at Atat Junction from Isuzu truck drivers. I wanted to be sure himself and Doctor are alive - you never know after all those years. But he didn’t pick my phone even if I tried him several times. He explained that he hasn’t seen my call, but moments later I saw that he was having multiple calls but he doesn’t pick. It seems he has issues! I felt suspicious! Slowly I start to tell him that I just come to say hello to you guys and to my good Doctor. I asked him how Doctor is doing? He tunes less energetic when he explained about the status of Doctor. He told me Doctor has lost everything he had, his house and in-house clinic burnt down during the riots, his family luckily survived the mobs and had fled to Hossana. He added that, Doctor involved in some illegal activism to annex Kossie township to Hadiya ‘Region’, it wasn’t fair for Kossie people who has accommodated Doctor with dignity for all those years he had run his clinic. He added, he should have been quite, now he is a poor guy in Hossana, living in a rented home. I was shocked to hear what he has just said, first for such a tragedy that happened on the most respected Doctor, second to hear such remarks from his own best friend – whom I have known him as a real brother to Doctor. I noticed the hate and anger this guy has hold on Doctor, at the same time a kind of regret. I refrain from asking more when I saw heavily loaded soldiers came on an army pickup to the restaurant that seemed to get their breakfast, as they jump, they have taken a serious look on my motor and on me which I guessed I happened to look an unexpected visitor at such a quiet time. Later I heard the region is under some sort of military patrol that came from the Southern Region Government.
I took Doctor’s number from the guy, he hold back in the beginning but only after I insisted and when he realized how serious I was to hear about Doctor that he finally gave me the true number. At first he gave me a wrong number, I can tell he didn’t like the fact that I was keen to hear from Doctor.
I didn’t want to call while I was in Kossie, I wasn’t comfortable about the soldiers nor I didn’t want this guy to hear me speaking to Doctor. Unlike to him, Doctor to me is still the man that I respected, he is the reason I drove all this far. In those days Doctor has let me to stay few nights in his home when we arrived to Kossie very late and we had issue with our car to dive down to Omo Valley. With Doctor, you can talk everything, he loves science and not much politics back then.
I said good bye to the guy and agreed to keep in touch. Few minutes I left Kossie township, I parked by the forest and decided to call Doctor.
Phone rung, Doctor picked up. He couldn't believe. Jo Jo Keyo Keyo he kept asking, Doctor Doctor I kept chanting. He could have pat my back multiple times if we meet in person. Doctor is that friendly person who would laugh laud for whatever silly joke you could make, who would lift you up physically and mentally to cheer and celebrate you. I told Doctor I came to Kossie to look for him, telling him sadly I heard what happened to him, but asked him if his family are oky? He said, he lost everything, his own blood brother turned against him, ''for what I didn't involve, he led angry mob to my house burned down everything, my family narrowly escaped.'' I felt sad, he seems crying, I never knew him crying or sad. I tried to comfort him with words, telling him, as long as he is alive and his family are oky, he can get back materials property, this is bad time, it shall pass. He just told me, his children are gone abroad to study and work. He invited me to visit him in Hosana for Mesqel Celebration which was a week away when I spoke to him. I told him I will try. But I was sure I will visit him anyway.
Until now, 30 May 2020, I couldn't manage to visit him, my wife was pregnant and I couldn't leave her for too far, and as baby Brueh was born in December 2019, she kept me busy until now. Definitely this year I will have to get a time to visit Doctor and see how he is doing. Doctor is from Hadiya tribe, the other guy is from Guraghe tribe. Before they turn against each other, they were like blood brothers. When Doctor lived in Kossie which is mainly a Guraghe township, Doctor celebrated Mesqel holiday like no one (which is mainly of a Guraghe tradition). What just happened after the riots and the mob attacks, is an Ethiopian Tragedy.
I drive early morning yesterday far to the South of Ethiopia in search for a very great friend known by the name Doctor. I last saw him some 13 years ago. He lived in a small town called Kossie. Passing Welkita and Gubera, after Atat junction I drive some 60km on highly corrugated, very rough gravel road just to visit Doctor. Located at the rim of the river Omo valley, Kossie was once the ‘Vegas’ when we constructed the Gilgel Gibe II Hydroelectric Power Project.Doctor used to run a rural-clinic in his house in Kossie. During market days, farmers and traders coming from all over the region as far as Hossana to visit his clinic for his curing hands, instantly they get tablets or injections. A savior under God, he was a gracious and loved man in his late 40s, who was very much respected by his community.
Doctor made a large feast during holidays specially Mesqel where we indulge all the delicious cuisine that the South offers.I arrived Kossie at about 10:00 am. Kossie hasn’t changed. Muddy and earthen roads; few buses at the center of the town, ‘chat’ vendors, women selling sugar canes. I looked up to the only restaurant in search for the owner whom I have known him as a friend to Doctor. They were very close friends, which often seem to me related. The moment I parked the car he came out, instantly recognized me, shouted my name, my position and his first assumption that I am now a Contractor who came for some business in this region. We hugged and he offered me a sit at the verandah of his restaurant. We started to ask how all of us had been doing for the past over ten years. He still got his 30s look and hasn’t changed like Kossie. I start to tell him how I tried to call him yesterday before I decided to drive all along. I got his number at Atat Junction from Isuzu truck drivers. I wanted to be sure himself and Doctor are alive - you never know after all those years. But he didn’t pick my phone even if I tried him several times. He explained that he hasn’t seen my call, but moments later I saw that he was having multiple calls but he doesn’t pick. It seems he has issues! I felt suspicious! Slowly I start to tell him that I just come to say hello to you guys and to my good Doctor. I asked him how Doctor is doing? He tunes less energetic when he explained about the status of Doctor. He told me Doctor has lost everything he had, his house and in-house clinic burnt down during the riots, his family luckily survived the mobs and had fled to Hossana. He added that, Doctor involved in some illegal activism to annex Kossie township to Hadiya ‘Region’, it wasn’t fair for Kossie people who has accommodated Doctor with dignity for all those years he had run his clinic. He added, he should have been quite, now he is a poor guy in Hossana, living in a rented home. I was shocked to hear what he has just said, first for such a tragedy that happened on the most respected Doctor, second to hear such remarks from his own best friend – whom I have known him as a real brother to Doctor. I noticed the hate and anger this guy has hold on Doctor, at the same time a kind of regret. I refrain from asking more when I saw heavily loaded soldiers came on an army pickup to the restaurant that seemed to get their breakfast, as they jump, they have taken a serious look on my motor and on me which I guessed I happened to look an unexpected visitor at such a quiet time. Later I heard the region is under some sort of military patrol that came from the Southern Region Government.
I took Doctor’s number from the guy, he hold back in the beginning but only after I insisted and when he realized how serious I was to hear about Doctor that he finally gave me the true number. At first he gave me a wrong number, I can tell he didn’t like the fact that I was keen to hear from Doctor.
I didn’t want to call while I was in Kossie, I wasn’t comfortable about the soldiers nor I didn’t want this guy to hear me speaking to Doctor. Unlike to him, Doctor to me is still the man that I respected, he is the reason I drove all this far. In those days Doctor has let me to stay few nights in his home when we arrived to Kossie very late and we had issue with our car to dive down to Omo Valley. With Doctor, you can talk everything, he loves science and not much politics back then.I said good bye to the guy and agreed to keep in touch. Few minutes I left Kossie township, I parked by the forest and decided to call Doctor.
Phone rung, Doctor picked up. He couldn't believe. Jo Jo Keyo Keyo he kept asking, Doctor Doctor I kept chanting. He could have pat my back multiple times if we meet in person. Doctor is that friendly person who would laugh laud for whatever silly joke you could make, who would lift you up physically and mentally to cheer and celebrate you. I told Doctor I came to Kossie to look for him, telling him sadly I heard what happened to him, but asked him if his family are oky? He said, he lost everything, his own blood brother turned against him, ''for what I didn't involve, he led angry mob to my house burned down everything, my family narrowly escaped.'' I felt sad, he seems crying, I never knew him crying or sad. I tried to comfort him with words, telling him, as long as he is alive and his family are oky, he can get back materials property, this is bad time, it shall pass. He just told me, his children are gone abroad to study and work. He invited me to visit him in Hosana for Mesqel Celebration which was a week away when I spoke to him. I told him I will try. But I was sure I will visit him anyway.Until now, 30 May 2020, I couldn't manage to visit him, my wife was pregnant and I couldn't leave her for too far, and as baby Brueh was born in December 2019, she kept me busy until now. Definitely this year I will have to get a time to visit Doctor and see how he is doing. Doctor is from Hadiya tribe, the other guy is from Guraghe tribe. Before they turn against each other, they were like blood brothers. When Doctor lived in Kossie which is mainly a Guraghe township, Doctor celebrated Mesqel holiday like no one (which is mainly of a Guraghe tradition). What just happened after the riots and the mob attacks, is an Ethiopian Tragedy.
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