Development Without Justice Is Not Development

My thoughts on the displacement or eviction of Aabbuu Seeraa Oromo farmers in the name of a grand project called the Bishoftu International Airport building.

Development Without Justice Is Not Development

Why Evicted Oromo Farmers from #Aabbuu-Seeraa Must Be Compensated Fairly and Included in the Future

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Large-scale development projects are often presented as symbols of national progress. Airports, highways, and industrial zones are hailed as engines of economic growth, modernity, and global integration. However, when such projects are implemented at the expense of indigenous farmers—without fair compensation, meaningful consultation, or rehabilitation—development ceases to be a shared national achievement and instead becomes a source of injustice and exclusion.

In Ethiopia, Oromo farmers—particularly the Tuulamaa Oromo—have endured land dispossession in the name of “investment” and “development” for more than a century. Beginning with the Abyssinian expansion from the north into the south, vast numbers of Tuulamaa were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. This process resulted not only in the loss of land and property, but also in mass killings, family disintegration, and the destruction of social and cultural systems.

Today, this historical pattern continues. The Aabbuu-Seedaa, a sub-clan of the Tuulamaa, are once again being targeted for displacement under contemporary development schemes. What is unfolding is not an isolated incident, but a continuation of long-standing structural injustice.

Across successive Ethiopian regimes, Tuulamaa communities have faced repeated eviction—first from their land, then from their identity, and now from their future. These policies are often justified through the language of capitalism, investment, and nation-building, echoing the state-building agenda initiated under Menelik II, which inflicted catastrophic violence on the Oromo people.

Today, Oromo farmers living near expanding urban areas—especially around Finfinnee—and in strategic project zones continue to face eviction from their ancestral lands in the name of “public purpose.” These farmers are not opposed to development. Rather, they reject a model of development that destroys livelihoods, erases history, and condemns their children to landlessness, urban poverty, and social marginalization.

This article argues that fair and adequate compensation is not optional. It is a legal, moral, and environmental obligation. Moreover, any large-scale development project that displaces farming communities must meet three non-negotiable requirements, grounded in national, regional, and international legal frameworks.

I. The Right to Compensation Is Guaranteed Under Ethiopian Law

The Ethiopian Constitution—particularly Article 40 (sub-articles 3–8)—explicitly safeguards the rights of peasants and pastoralists. While land is formally owned by the state, farmers possess constitutionally protected use-rights and livelihood rights.

Key constitutional principles include:

Farmers have the right to obtain land without payment and must be protected against arbitrary eviction.

Expropriation is permitted only for genuine public purposes and must be accompanied by prior compensation commensurate with the value of lost property and livelihoods.

Individuals displaced by