Crowd devastated Dutch companies in Ethiopia

Everything is destroyed or burned at Sola Grow, a company that grows seedlings.


When protests in Ethiopia, three Dutch agricultural businesses as well as destroyed. A rose grower, a seed company and a grass and livestock farm were targeted by violent protesters.

“Our guards have their guns empty shot in the air, but the attack was unstoppable,” says Jan van der Haar Sola Grow, a company that grows seedlings. ”The office, the machines, the pilot, almost everything is destroyed or burnt and the rest they have looted. A large group of hundreds of insurgents, they were overjoyed.”

No ethnic conflict
Van der Haar was not present at the assault. The staff at his company fled into the mountains. A guard was severely beaten by the rebels and is covered with bruises and contusions.

According to the Dutchman goes in the riots not about hatred against whites or Westerners. ”This is the result of political unrest. That is actually permanently in the area west of the capital Addis Ababa. If the federal capital will expand at the expense of the region, they do not pick it.”

Heavy
damage, the damage for Sola Grow is about two to three tons. ”There was seed where we had grown to four years. Some 50 tons of seed potatoes has gone up in smoke.”
Besides Sola Grow is also a rose nursery and attacked the grass and cattle farm Graz Land.Marleen Wassink Graz Land itself was not in her company when it was attacked. ”We were in church Sunday morning when we got a text message from the superintendent that our company was attacked.” Wassink lives with her husband and three children in a town 200 kilometers from their business. ”It was getting restless, so we’re going to live way beyond what a precaution.”

15,000 bales of straw away
Wassink has been three years in Ethiopia. Graz Land is a company that grass and other crops cultivated for entraining cattle. The Wassinks also own a herd: “We had most fortunately brought cows to another dairy company, but our accumulated stock of 15,000 bales of straw is gone, burned or taken away.”

Wassink also thinks that violence is not necessarily directed against whites and Westerners. The problem lies in the ground that have been awarded to the Dutch by the Ethiopian government “. That land was previously used by the locals in their eyes was the land of everyone it now looks like we have usurped it.”.

“Now do not run away”
Despite the risks Graz Land does not plan to leave. ”We can run away now, but the country remains as it is now. It’s a matter of persevering, and setbacks belong.” She wants to pick up the thread as soon as possible.

Source: http://www.rtlnieuws.nl