Ethiopia: Information on Sue Pollock, the author of a report on Ethiopian government treatment of the Oromo, and the duration of her stay in Ethiopia, on what cities she visited and whether she travelled through conflict zones, on whether she had any problems with the EPRDF authorities in Oromia, on whether she was issued a visa by the EPRDF to travel to Ethiopia, and on whether she contacted the British embassy or aid groups while in Oromia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH24606.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Information on Sue Pollock, the author of a report on Ethiopian government treatment of the Oromo, and the duration of her stay in Ethiopia, on what cities she visited and whether she travelled through conflict zones, on whether she had any problems with the EPRDF authorities in Oromia, on whether she was issued a visa by the EPRDF to travel to Ethiopia, and on whether she contacted the British embassy or aid groups while in Oromia, 1 July 1996, ETH24606.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3c8.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was obtained in a telephone interview with Sue Pollock in London, England on 23 July 1996.
Sue Pollock, author of Ethiopia(A Human Tragedy in the Making: Democracy or Dictatorship?, visited Ethiopia on a visitor's visa from 14 December 1995 to 13 January 1996. She spent most of her time in the Oromo area of Ethiopia, and a week in Addis Ababa researching the government's current treatment of the Oromo population. While reluctant to identify the towns she visited for fear of exposing her contacts to retribution from government authorities, she said she travelled in the Hararghe area, as well as Bale, Showa and Wollega districts. Pollock stated that she had travelled through areas where EPRDF and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) clashes had occurred in Oromia, in particular around Bale, Hararghe and near Dire Dawa.
At no point during her travel in Oromia was she targeted by police, military personnel or EPRDF authorities. However, she said her luggage was searched before she left Addis Ababa, and she lost some notes but not the tape recordings of her interviews. Following the publication of her report she met an official at the Ethiopian embassy, at his request, to discuss the report.
While in Ethiopia she did not contact the British embassy or aid groups operating in Ethiopia. For contacts among the Oromo she relied on various people she had met while working in the region as a nurse with a British non-governmental organization in 1992. On the basis of these contacts she was introduced to other people who helped her to research her report on the current treatment of the Oromo.
Please consult the attachments for media reports on her report. A copy of the report is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Pollock, Sue, London. 23 July 1996. Telephone interview.
Attachments
The Herald [Glasgow]. 10 February 1996. Kirsty Scott. "Human Tragedy in the Making." (NEXIS)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 10 April 1996. "Ethiopia(Refugees: Unwanted Abroad, Under Threat at Home." (NEXIS)
New African [London]. June 1996. Sue Pollock. "The Oromos(A Forgotten People," pp. 10-12.
