Mereja.Forum

[Yakume]

Hadush Kebatu was jailed after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, and then deported to Ethiopia. There is no reliable information to confirm whether Hadush Kebatu is ethnically Tigray or Oromo, but his name (Hadush Kebatu) raises questions about his ethnicity. “Hadush” is a Tigrinya name, common among people from Tigray and Eritrea. “Kebatu” (also spelled Kebato, Kabbato, etc.) is a name of Oromo or southern Ethiopian origin, often found among Oromo, Gurage or Sidamo communities. It’s derived from roots related to greatness or leadership in Oromo (from kabaa / kabajaa — “to honor, respect”).

So when you see a person named Hadush Kebatu, the combination of a Tigrinya first name and an Oromo surname could suggest: Mixed heritage (one Tigray parent and one Oromo parent), or Interregional naming — for example, an Oromo family choosing a Tigrinya given name, which happens sometimes in multicultural areas or among individuals who have lived in both regions. In Ethiopia, names are not strictly confined to ethnicity, but the pattern you identified strongly reflects both Tigray and Oromo linguistic roots. Do you think he is Oromo but sought asylum as a Tigray because of the war in the Tigray region where it is easier to accept Tigrayans as a refugees in the western countries?

[DefendTheTruth]

ስለ ፅምዶህ ብትመራመር አይሻልህም፣ ስለ አንድ ግለሰብ ይህን ሁሉ ከምትለፈልፍ? ምን ለማትረፍ ነዉ, at the end of the day?

[Dama]

He is an an Amara, as usual. Most sex offenders in Ethiopia are Amaras, especially outside of Amara, aginst non-ethnic Amara groups.
In Gurage, no name like Ki(e)batu(o).

[Yakume]

You hate the Amhara people, the founders of Ethiopia, and there is no need for such a nasty comment.