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In Ethiopia, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front is using child soldiers as human shields​

In Ethiopia, the Tigray People's Liberation Front is using child soldiers as human shields

Doreen Nicoll       September 9, 2021

For years, it’s been common knowledge that children (under 18s) are routinely recruited into the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia.

The TPLF is both highly centralized as well as regimentalized down to the village level. Their militaristic preparations began during the overthrow of the Derg — the military junta that ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987. Eventually, the Derg was replaced with the People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) which continued to be controlled by members of the Derg. In 1991, a coalition of ethnic-based rebel groups overthrew the PDRE and formed the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

The TPLF was a dominant force in the new coalition government until Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was appointed by the EPRDF in 2018 to assume the leadership. Those militaristic preparations, along with 27 years in power, means many of the same leaders are still around to seek similar rebel alliances and reinforce the regimentalized militia structure that includes the use of children.

Tigrayans have been posting pictures and videos of children carrying out wartime activities. There are also reports from government soldiers fighting the TPLF and from child soldiers themselves that children are being used as fodder by the TPLF.

Most disturbing is the July 14, 2021 New York Times article by Declan Walsh, with photographs by Finbarr O’Reilly, in which Walsh paints a picture of selfless children fighting for Tigrayan independence while completely ignoring the fact that the recruitment and use of children in conflict is a war crime and contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Walsh article and O’Reilly’s pictures have since been removed from the Times’ site, but, while available, glorified the TPLF’s use of child soldiers.

As for the TPLF, they claim the children are not actively engaged in battle but instead are just helping TPLF soldiers with tasks like gathering arms abandoned by the retreating Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF).

Even if this were true — which is unlikely given that the ENDF departed from Tigray to respect provisions of a unilateral ceasefire rather than as a result of any hot pursuit by the Tigrayan fighters — it is still a violation of the UN convention and is a war crime in and of itself, as the law holds that children under 18 years of age are not to play any role in war, including, but not limited to, cooking, spying, or carrying weapons for soldiers.

ENDF soldiers have reported that the TPLF is in fact using armed child soldiers as their first line of defence. The children are sent to engage with the ENDF while TPLF forces bring up the rear.

ENDF soldiers have reportedly not fired on the children leaving the fighters vulnerable to attack from the TPLF. They also reported children dropping their weapons to run off to neighbouring villages seeking shelter and safety as well as children putting down their guns and surrendering to ENDF forces.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front chairman (and president of the Tigray region) Debretsion Gebremichael foreshadowed the use of children by the TPLF in this conflict when he stated in a speech: “Starting with children, everyone will fight.”

The TPLF is strategically using children to create a human wave in an attempt to overwhelm the ENDF. The federal military will not shoot children and so the TPLF are safe behind their human shields. For those doubting the credibility of reports that the TPLF is using children to fight its battles, Ann Fitz-Gerald, director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a professor in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Political Science Department notes that there is ample photographic and video evidence of this.

“The use of children to support any element of armed conflict constitutes a war crime — that the international community is observing this evidence and remaining silent questions the whole value of the conventions and protocols the world has adopted to address such crimes.”

Fitz-Gerald also suggests that these crimes, with knowledge of both historical context and insurgency campaigns, could have been better predicted.

“Patterns have emerged based on the ongoing and concerted propagandist efforts to link Ethiopia’s federal government with war crimes and violations impacting on strategic policy agenda of donor organizations. We saw this with the accusations over things like the use of chemical agents like white phosphorous and the use of Russian mercenaries — evidence of which was not found. These ongoing efforts have been used to push the international community to insist on negotiations as nothing else will provide a platform for the TPLF to table unrealistic demands. For this reason — and very sadly — it was not surprising that the issue of children would become another strategic policy button for the TPLF to press. But what perhaps could not have been predicted was the call for the unilateral ceasefire and the pulling of federal troops from the region. Without anyone left to blame, the TPLF moved their fighters and child recruits out to the border regions so that federal forces positioned in close proximity of the regional borders could be levied with accusations of child-related atrocities. And in the face of the international community’s ongoing silence, these predictable tactics manifested in the death and injury of hundreds of children.”

Like the evidence of the TPLF’s use of child soldiers in Tigray, there is now ample evidence that the TPLF used these child soldiers to invade Afar and Amhara regions and that hundreds of children were killed. Those rescued by the ENDF verified recruitment by the TPLF. Child soldiers often bring with them a vitality and energy that makes them easy to train. Perhaps more importantly, they have a false sense of bravery or invincibility and when plied with drugs — as children rescued from the TPLF are reporting — some have no fear.

Recruitment has been made easier for the TPLF since they support the infrastructure that includes the distribution of food aid.

The TPLF have a registration process which denies food aid to families who don’t supply a child fighter. Families without children are often left begging for food. Homeless children living on the streets are easy prey, and of course, children with families may simply go missing.

So why does the international community refuse to condemn the use of child soldiers by the TPLF? They had no problem condemning and apparently hunting down leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, which recruited and trained child soldiers. And, as Fitz-Gerald states, it was very vocal when Jermichael Boko Haram routinely kidnapped Nigerian children, and when armed groups in 2018 in South Sudan continued to recruit child soldiers and force them into conflict.

Fitz-Gerald suggests that:

“The accountability structures of NGOs that have, through this crisis, appeared to have taken a selective approach to humanity, need to be asking some serious questions. With ample evidence, questions become raised concerning internal structures in these organizations. Why, as noted recently by one Italian media reporter, did Amnesty International admit to being aware of the TPLF’s use of child soldiers but, in defending its silence, cite difficulties in accessing the area? The same organization that was content to report on an Axum massacre whilst hundreds of miles away from Axum and on the basis of telephone numbers handed to it without precise knowledge of who was interviewed or where the respondents were speaking from.”

November 17, 2020 UNICEF issued the following statement:

“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of children affected by ongoing military operations in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law and to protect children from harm.”

According to Fitz-Gerald: “The silence of the international community exposes a sense of selective humanity within the realm of international law. The question is why are Ethiopian children different and not as deserving?”

It should not be lost on Canadians that War Child Canada to date has not issued a statement on the situation in Ethiopia. Even Romeo Dallaire, appointed special advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency on matters relating to war-affected children around the world, has remained silent. As has Amnesty International. UNICEF offered a media statement at the beginning of the conflict but there has been no follow up and donor countries have not issued independent statements of their own.

A member of the Ethiopian diaspora, Menelik Girma, has just returned to Canada from a trip home. He believes the unilateral ceasefire put in place by Ahmed could be what’s needed to make the world face the truth about the TPLF.

In a phone interview, Girma said that life in Addis Ababa was normal and he felt very safe in the capital. He also said the Ethiopian people were frustrated with biased Western reporting favouring the TPLF.

According to Girma:

“The TPLF are not underdogs. They divide and conquer among ethnic groups. The TPLF started this conflict with a pre-emptive attack and they are fighting for power. When the government responded they were painted as the villain.”

Girma would like to see the West pressure the TPLF into ending the illegal use of child soldiers and to be held accountable for their actions just like the international community did in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), and Uganda.

Instead, “the media is not mentioning TPLF use of children. Western media is silent,” he said.

During elections held in June 2021, Abiy Ahmed won a landslide victory in what has been described as a fair and transparent election which attracted the biggest voter turnout out in history. Despite announcements made by the African Union and international observers validating the free, fair and peaceful nature of the elections and the way in which they were conducted, the U.S questioned the results.

This double standard undoubtably has national interests for the U.S.

As for Girma, he knows that the Ethiopian people will hold Abiy accountable for his promises.

At this point, some TPLF leaders have been captured and will be proceeding to trial. The Ethiopian government has made it clear that it will not negotiate with terrorists, although the U.S. has been encouraging this.

Imposing such mandates has not bode well for the U.S., as witnessed most recently in Afghanistan. The Bush administration would not negotiate with ISIS after 9/11. Canada would also be wise to remember that, during the Quebec crisis, Pierre Elliott Trudeau refused to negotiate with the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). Instead, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act.

Why the contradictory approach for Ethiopia?

Doreen Nicoll is a freelance writer, teacher, social activist and member of several community organizations working diligently to end poverty, hunger and gendered violence

 

Concerning the Rights of the Ethiopian Government

Concerning the rights of the Ethiopian Government

August 29,2021

By Addissu Admas

Since the war against the TPLF started on November 4 last year, the Federal Government of Ethiopia (from here forward FGE), headed by PM Abiy, has been treated virtually like an illegitimate or even roguish government, and its actions condemned as examples of aberration of power. Before I submit my arguments to show the absurdity of this condemnation, let me premise them by stating what is most obvious to the Ethiopian people:

Until proven otherwise, the FGE is a legitimate government installed by the majority will of the Ethiopian people through an electoral process that has largely been praised as the most transparent and fair in Ethiopian history. On the other hand, the TPLF has been declared a terrorist organization by the House of Representatives for its brazen and unprovoked attack of the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Federal Defense Force (EDF). Even though it has been declared to be so prior to the election, the newly installed House of Representatives continues to consider the TPLF a terrorist organization. Thus, the Western governments and media attempt to draw equivalency between the FGE and the TPLF is not only erroneous and misleading, but muddies the issues at hand. 

In the following, I want to state in as clear a manner as I can what are within the powers of the FGE and the TPLF, and what the laws, national or otherwise, do not allow them to do.

First, it is within the power of the FGE, as a legitimately installed government, to maintain the sovereignty of the country. This includes maintaining the territorial integrity of the country and squelching seditious acts that would weaken, compromise or even destroy the integrity of the nation. On the other hand, nowhere in our present constitution does it state that the government of a Killil (region) can wage war against the Federal government if it finds itself at odds with it for real or imagined “injury”. It declares instead that a Killil can, through universal suffrage, petition to secede and become an autonomous state.

Secondly, the TPLF’s attack on the Northern Command was unprovoked and not incited by present or imminent danger. It was simply motivated by the TPLF’s determination to halt and impede the FGE’s effort to bring to justice scores of its members. As every person who has followed Ethiopian politics in the past three decades knows, the TPLF’s regime, which also lasted for nearly three decades, was known for its truculence, corruption, venality, divisiveness, and oppression. It is an established fact that hundreds, if not thousands of its members have in effect plundered the FGE coffers and aid money to enrich themselves, their organizations, relatives and friends. Any government worth its salt, and especially one with a genuine aspiration to establish democracy in this ancient land, has the moral obligation to its people to bring to justice all those who have obscenely abused their power and committed crimes against the State and its people. Not doing so would have only perpetuated a culture of impunity and unaccountability at every end of a regime. 

Thirdly, the FGE’s objective against the TPLF in Tigray was succinctly presented as a “law enforcement campaign”. I would challenge anyone who would want to characterize it otherwise. What would any government do if it sees its military being attacked by an armed group? If it is a small group, the local or federal police would handle it, but if it is as large as the TPLF, then sending the military to squash the seditious act is not only legal, but not doing so would be tantamount to dereliction of duty. If the January 6th mob was allowed unhampered into the Capitol, killed at will and stopped the electoral count, how would the world have viewed the government of the US? Not only the rioters were eventually stopped, but a vigorous campaign followed to bring them to justice. The FGE was very much in the same predicament. Yet the Biden administration influenced no doubt by the remnants of the Obama “foreign policy personnel” chose to judge Ethiopia by a different standard; the one usually applied to Third World countries. 

Fourth, it is within the right of the FGE to arrest, prosecute and sentence not only all the members of the TPLF as members of a terroristic organization, but also its collaborators, informers, financiers, etc… Furthermore, it has the right to seize, freeze, and transfer to the Federal Treasury all its assets, monetary instruments, foreign accounts, etc… The FGE is not motivated, nor has acted as the evidence clearly shows, by tribalist, ethnocentric calculations as it has been accused, but by the desire to stop the TPLF from getting away with its horrible deeds, ill-gotten wealth that is enabling it currently to sustain its illegal and destructive war. 

The idle and sensationalist Western media has accused the FGE of arresting and imprisoning arbitrarily Tigreans living primarily in Addis Ababa. This chatter, as far as the evidence shows, is not only mendacious but also criminally irresponsible. If the West is getting its information from the TPLF and its army of propagandists and sympathizers, we might as well be re-living Rwanda! The truth of the matter is that the FGE is conducting a serious and professional investigation into the crimes, finances, and shady international connections of the TPLF. Indeed, it has taken this task with utmost seriousness. 

Fifth. What business does the TPLF have attacking Tigray’s neighboring Killils? Since the EDF withdrew from Mekele by unilaterally declaring a cease-fire, the TPLF has not stopped raiding, pillaging and murdering Amhara and Afar village and towns’ people. Its excuse: the FGE has discontinued electric power and other services, and impeded the flow of foreign aid into its territory. The truth: it clearly wants to unseat the legitimately installed government of PM Abiy Ahmed and work its way back to power through allying itself with other rogue forces in the country. To this end, it is not only mobilizing the people of Tigray, but even the US State Department and the foreign services of the various European countries. If neither the US nor the EU have the perspicacity to see TPLF’s ruse, the FGE has indeed the right to seek help anywhere it could find it to maintain the unity and stability of Ethiopia. This is not a matter of capricious preference, but one of survival. 

Finally, since the TPLF is implying that it is the only legitimately installed government in Tigray – though a dubious and questionable suggestion in itself– it would be within its power to call upon all Tigreans, not only in Tigray, but also in Ethiopia as well as abroad, to decide through universal suffrage whether Tigray should remain part of Ethiopia or become an independent, autonomous State. However, it does not have the power to demand that the government of PM Abiy, which has been installed legitimately by the majority vote of the Ethiopian people in this last election, to be removed and a transitional government be formed in its stead. This is not only an absurd demand, but one bordering on the ridiculous: in effect, the TPLF is contradicting the dictates of the very Constitution it virtually drafted!

Western governments and media are either acting in bad faith, or are dismally ill informed by their so-called experts in pursuing such misguided policies towards the FGE. The people of Ethiopia have never been asked what they really want. As usual, the West continues to believe that it only knows what is best for us. The fact is that it is us who must ultimately decide what our future should be. 


US and Its Willing Partners Using UN as Platform to Mobilize Support for TPLF and Discredit PM Abiy of Ethiopia

US and Its Willing Partners Using UN Platform to Mobilize Support for TPLF and Discredit PM Abiy of Ethiopia

August 28, 2021

A meeting  called by big powers US, UK, France along with a mix of smaller countries of Estonia, Ireland, Norway (willing partners) was held on August 26,2021. Once again, the use of  United Nations Security Council (UNSC) currently has become the favored venue to enable the US repeat its demands in support of the TPLF under the guise of security and humanitarian concerns in Ethiopia  The currently elected government of Ethiopia moved out the Ethiopian National Defense Forces ( ENDF) from Tigray Killil (region) on June 28, 2021 declaring a unilateral cease fire. The conflict in the region persists because the TPLF is attacking the neighboring Afar and Amhara Killils and causing internal displacement in these regions. Looting by the TPLF child warriors has become a modus operandi in small towns of the Afar and Amhara regions. A defensive war is fought by the Afar and Amhara militia with support of the federal ENDF stationed in these regions.

The US and its allies are giving credence to the unholy alliance of OLF and TPLF by stating at the UNSC meeting “……the Oromo Liberation Army—an armed group which seeks self-determination for the Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, ….and the TPLF announced the formation of an alliance to fight the Ethiopian government”.

“The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) —an armed group was wiped out by the TPLF when the latter was in power and the remaining OLF’s leaders lived in exile until PM Abiy allowed them to return back and join PM Abiy’s reform movement peacefully. It is said “no good deed goes unpunished”, and those OLF terrorists that returned have been roaming the countryside killing civilians for the past three years.

PM Abiy’s Prosperity Party got all the votes in Oromia Killil in the last elections held in June 2021. It is also said  “misery loves company” and the OLF has opted to ally itself with the TPLF that essentially destroyed its organization some years back. In addition, this OLF move is a betrayal of all Ethiopians  and specially Oromos, who died to uproot the 27 years of TPLF terrorist rule from power in 2018.

The US, through the international media has been discrediting and disrespecting PM Abiy’s leadership and make it look like he is not fit to receive the Nobel Prize  in 2019. In short, the US and its willing partners have been eroding PM Abiy’s stature on the world stage. It is not the first time an African leader and Africans have been insulted by Western powers. The message is clear to all Ethiopians.

In a clear contrast to the US and its willing partners , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave Ethiopia’s PM Abiy a dignified welcome to his country showing respect for the Ethiopian nation the PM represents.

It was reported that President Erdogan offered to serve as mediator in the conflict in Tigray. Before any official response from the government of Ethiopia to the offer of President Erdogan, the US said “ it appears that thus far these offers have not been accepted by Ethiopia.”

On Wednesday August 25, the UN’s Security Special Report shared the following …“ On 19 August, Samantha Power, the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), blamed the Ethiopian federal government for the insufficient delivery of aid into Tigray, noting that there is a food shortage “not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including convoys and air access”.(see our previous post in August on Samantha Power Ethiopia visit).

It was reported that the August 26 meeting was “the eighth time the Security Council has discussed the situation in Tigray since the crisis erupted in November 2020”…and “the briefing was only the second open Council session on this issue”.

Though the US and its willing partners talked about “accountability” , “sanctions” “violations of humanitarian and human right laws” a more rational approach maybe like that of China and Russia who view “…the crisis in Tigray should be understood as an internal issue”

It was also reported that at the July’s meeting  “Russia expressed regret about the format of the meeting and cautioned other Council members against using [the open meeting format] to further destabilize an already complex situation in Tigray and weaken the political position of federal authorities”.

Hager Wodad agrees with the Russian statement that  the UN should not be used by the US and its willing partners to destabilize Ethiopia by using the situation in Tigray and furthermore, weaken the elected government of Ethiopia.

ፕሮፌሰር መረራ ጉዲና  “በግልፅ ቋንቋ “ክፍል ፩

ፕሮፌሰር መረራ ጉዲና  "በግልፅ ቋንቋ" ክፍል ፩

ፕሮፌር መረራ ጉዲና አሁን ያሉት አሜሪካ ውስጥ ነው:: አሜሪካ አገር የሚቆዩት አንድ ወር ተኩል ነው:: በዚህ አንድ ወር ተኩል  ውስጥ 15የሜሪካ የታውቁ ከተሞችን ይጎበኛሉ:: እነዚህም ከተሞች በቅደም ተከል 1)ፊላደልፍያ፣ 2)ሳንፍራንስኮ፣ 3)ሳንዲያጎ፣4)ዳላስ፣5)ደንቬር፣6)ሲያትል፣ 7)ፖርትላንድ፣8)ላስቬጋስ፣ 9)አትላንታ፣ 10)ኮለንቦስ ኦሀዮ፣ 11)መኒሶታ፣ 12)ኒዮርክ፣ 13)ቦስተን፣ 14)ቺካኮና15)ዲሲ ናቸው::

ሃሳቤ ፕሮፌሰሩ የሚሄዱበትን ከተሞች ደጋፊዎቻቸው ሆነ  ተቋዋሚዎቻቸው በግልፅ  እንድያውቁ ብዬ ነው:: 

የዚህን ፅሑፍ ርእስ በዚህ መልክ ያስቀመጥኩበት ምክንያት ብዙ ጊዜ ፕሮፌሴር መረራ ጉዲና  ሲናገሩ በደንብ ካዳመጣችሁ  ደጋግመው ደጋግመው የሚሉት የቃል አጠቃቅም አለ:: በተለይ ከልባቸው መናገራችውን ለማሳመን ሲሞክሩ የሚሉት ቃል ነው:: ይኼም ቃል “በግልፅ ቋንቋ” የሚል ነው:: ፕሮፌሰሩ ለምን እንደዚህ እንደሚሉ ያለኝን ግምትና አስተያየት እመለስበታለሁ:: 

በፕሮፌሰሩ  አቀራረብ አሜሪካን አገር ከሁለት ዓመት በኃላ ተመልሰው መምጣታቸው በአሜሪካ ውስጥ ካሉ የኦሮሞ ማህበረሰብ ጋር ሃሳብ ለመለዋወጥና: የኦሮሞ ህዝብን ትግል በገንዘብ እንዴት ማገዝ እንደሚቻል ለመወያየት ነው::  በሌላ አነጋገር አመሪካን አገር የመጡት ገንዘብ  ለመለመን  ነው:: “በግልፅ ቋንቋ” ሲነገር ሀቁ  ይኼው ነው:: 

ሁለተኛው ደግሞ እግረመንገዳቸውን ደጋግመው እንደሚሉት የውጭ አገር ድርጅቶች ወይም ዜጎች ከኛ  ፓርቲ  (ኦፈኮ ማለት ነው) ፤ ጋር ይወያያሉ ሲሉ ተናግረዋል:: ፈረንጆችም  “እግዚአብሔርም የሚረዳው እራሱን የሚረዳን ሰው ነው” የሚሉትን ፈሊጥ የሚከተሉ ይመስላል :: ውጭ ካሉ ደጋፊዎች የገንዘብ ዕርዳታ ለመሰብሰብ ያላቸውን ፍላጎትና ዕቅድ “በግልፅ ቋንቋ” አስቀምጠዋል። ሌላው የመጡት እስከአሁን  ድረስ ከነዚህ የውጪ አገር ተሰብሳቢዎች /ተወያዮች ጋር የደረሱበትን ስምምነት/ውሳኔ ስራ ላይ ለማዋል ሊሆን ይችላል ብሎ መገመት ይቻላል:: ተጨማሪ ሃሳብ ላይም ለመወያየትም ሊሆን ይችላል:: እውነቱን እግዚአብሄርና አሳቸው ብቻ ነው የሚያውቁት:: 

አንድ መታወቅ ያለበት ነገር ፕሮፌሰሩ የኢትዮጵያን ችግሮችን ለመፍታት በብዙ ጽሁፎቻቸው  ወይም ንግግሮቻቸው በተለይ ከቅርብ ጊዜ ወዲህ የሚያዘወትሩት “የውጭ ኃይሎች” ያስፈልጋሉ ነው:: እየተነጋገርን ነው:: የውጪዎችም ከኛ ሃሳብ ጋር  ይሰማማሉ:: ተወያዩ ተደራደሩ ይሉናል:: ስለዚህ እነሱን መስማት አለብን የሚሉ ሃሳቦችን ያራምዳሉ ይሰብካሉ:: እንደዚህ  ዐይነት አቋም መድረሳቸው የሚያሳዝን ነው:: 

ለመሆኑ ፕሮፌሰሩ ስለ ኢትዮዽያ ሀገርነት  ያላቸው አቋም ምንድነው?  ለኔ “በግልፅ አነጋገር” ግልፅ አይደለም::  የሚከተለውን እንይ። 

አብዛኛውን ጊዜ ፕሮፌሰሩ እድሜያቸውን ያሳሉፍት በስልሳዎቹና በሰባዎቹ  የወጣቶች ትግል ዘመን የትግሉ ተሳትፊ ሆነው ነው:: የመኤሶን አባል ነብሩ ሲባል ስምቻለሁ::መሆናቸውን የሚያረጋግጥ የመኤሶንን መፈክር  እራሳቸው ሲናገሩ ሰምቻለሁ:: የነቃ የተደራጀና የታጠቀ:: ወደዚህ መፈክር በሚቀጥለው ፪ኛ ክፍል ውስጥ እመለስበታለሁ። 

የመኤሶን አባል በመሆናቸዉ: በደርግ ዜመን ብዙ ዓመታት ታስረዋል:: የወንድማቸውም ሕይወት በዚህ በደርግ ጊዜ በትግል ማለፉ ይነገራል::ፕሮፌሰሩ በኢህአደግም ጊዜ ታስረዋል:: የተፈቱትም በለውጡ ሂደት ጊዜ ነው::  

በ2018  በምሕረት ሲፈቱ ከእስርቤት ከወጡ በሁውላ በተደረገላቸው አቀባበልና ባዩት የሕዝብ ማዕበል ስለራሳችውና ስለ ኢትዮጵያ ያላቸው አስተሳሰብ በመሠረቱ የተቀየረ ይመስለኛል:: 

ይኼ አሁን  ያላቸው አቋም  ከእድሜ ጋር የመጣ ነዉ  ለማለት ይቻላል :: ወይም ደግሞ አቋማቸውን በወጣትነታቸው ጊዜ የኮት ኪሳቸው ውስጥ ደብቀው ይሆን የሚል  ጥያቄ ያስነሳል::  ያም ሆነ ይህ  በእኔ ግምት በስልሳዎቹና በሰባዎቹ  የነበራቸው  አቋም እውነተኛ  ነው ብዬ አምናለሁ ::  ምክንያቱም  ለኢትዮጵያ ዲሞክራሲያዊ  ሥርዐትና መብት ሲሉ  ክነቤተሰባቸው  ዋጋ ከፍለዋል:: 

የስልሳዎችና ሳባዎቹ ትግልና መፈክሮች መሬት ለአራሹ ዲሞክራሲያዊ መብቶች  የብሕር እኩልነት ፍትሃዊነት የተስተካከለ የአስተዳደር ሥርዐት የሚሉ   ነበሩ::  ፕሮፌሰሩም በትግሉ ውስጥ የተሳተፉት በነዚህ መፈክሮች ስር ነው ብዬ አምናልሁ::ፕሮፌሰሩ በኢህእድግ ዘመነ መንግሥት በኢትዮጵያ ፈደራላዊ መንግሥት የፓርላማ አባል  ወኪል ሆነው ለአመታት  አገልግለዋል:: በአገለገሉበት ጊዜም  በጣም ቀልደኛና አስቂኝ መሆናቸው ይነገራል ::

እሁን ወደ  ፕሮፌሰሩ ከእስርቤት መፈታት እንመለስ::  ፕሮፌሰሩ መስከረም 17  2018 በፈረንጆች አቆጣጠር  ባልሳሳት  ከእስርቤት የተፈቱበት ቀን ነው:: በሳቸዉ መፈታት  ኢትዮጵያውያኖች በሙሉ  በአገር ውስጥም በውጭም  የሚኖሩ ሁሉ በጣም ደስ ብሎአቸው ነበር::ፕሮፌሰሩንም  የሚቀበለው  ሕዝብ ብዙ ነበር  ::  ከአንቦ  ከትውልድ ቦታቸው እንስቶ እስከ ሐረር  ድረስ  በሚሊዮን  የሚቆጠር  ሕዝብ  ተቀበለኝ ይላሉ:: ይኼ የሕዝብ  ማዕበል  ናላቸውን  አዙሮ ያሰከራቸው ይመስለኛል።  በኢትዮጵያ  ዲሞክራሲያዊ  ሥርዐት መዘርጋት  የሚለው  ዓላማቸው ቀርቶ  ሀሳባቸው በመሠረቱ የተቀየረ ይመስለኛል። 

በኢትዮጵያውያ ውስጥ የለውጥ ሂደቱን በተመለከተ… ማለትም ዶክተር  አብይ ሥልጣን ላይ ከወጡ ጀምሮ  ያደርጉትን አንዳንድ ድርግቶች እንመልከት::

በአብዛሃኛው  የዉይይት  መድረክ  ላይ ሲታዩ  ፕሮፌሰሩ ተቃራኒ በመሆን ገንቢ ሃሳብ በማቅረብ ፋንታ የውይይቱን  ጽሁፍ፡  ላለመፈፀም/ላለመተገበር ፕሮፌሰሩም ብዙ ምክንያቶች ሲተበትቡ ይታያሉ:: 

ለብዙ ዓመታት የአንድ ፓርቲ ልቀመንበር በመሆን አገልግለዋል :: በተጨማሪም የፖለቲካ መምሕርም ናቸው::  “በግልፅ ቋንቋ”  ሲነገር ስለኢትዮዽያ በቂ እውቀት አላችው ብዬ እምናለሁ:: ያላቸውን ሀሳብ “በግልፅ ቋንቋ” ከተናገሩ ከአብዛኛው ከኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ጋር የሚያጣላቸው ስለሚሆን ከልባቸው የሚያስቡትን ለመናግር   አይፈልጉም የሚል ጥርጣሬ አለኝ::

ጠቅላይ ምንስቲሩ ለሹመት የሚያቀርቡትን ሰዎች አናፀድቅም ሲሉ ተሰምተዋል:: ለምሳሌ ብርቱካን ሚዴቅሳ ለምርጫ ቦርድ ለሊቀ መንበርነት ሲሾሙ ተቃውመው ተቋውሟቸውም እንድመዘግብላቸው መጠየቃቸው ይታወሳል::  

የፕሮፌሰሩ ተቃውሞ በብርቱካን ሚዴቅሳ ችሎታና ዕውቀት ላይ የተመሠረተ ሳይሆን ከዚያ በኋላ ምርጫ ቦርድ ላይ ለሚያቀርቡት መመሪያዎች  የክስ ነጥብ ምዝገባ መጀመራቸውን የሚያሳይ ድርጊት ነበር።  ብርቱካን ሚዴቅሳ  ፕሮፌሰሩን በሚያሳፍር መልክና ችሎታቸውን በሚያስከብር ሁኔታ ለዓለም ሕዝብ አሳይተዋል።  ፕሮፌሰሩ በምርጫ ለምን እንዳልተሳተፉ የሚያቀርቡት ምክንያቶች በቂና አሳማኝ አይደሉም። ከምክንያቶቹም  ጥቂቶቹ   ምርጫ ቦርድ አይታመንም፤ ምርጫ አስፈፃሚና ታዛቢ ብለው የላኩልን ሙያአቸው ሲታይ አንዳንዶቹ ኤለክትሪሻን፣ መንገድ ጠራጊ፤ እንጨት ፈላጭ ወዘተርፈ እያሉ ምርር ብለው ሳያፍሩ ደጋግመው ሲናገሩ ተሰምተዋል። ማንም ኢትዮጵያዊ እንደሚያቀው እሳቸውንም ጨምሮ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ቢያንስ በመቶ ሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተመራቂዎች በሥራ አጥነት ይኖራሉ። ከነዚህ ሥራ አጦች  መሀል አንዳንዶቹ  እሳቸው ፕሮፌሰር የሚጠሉትን ሥራ ቢሠሩ ያስመግናል እንጂ የሚያስወቅስ አደለም። ፕሮፈሰሩ ማዕረግ መሸከም እንጂ ሰለሥራ ያላቸው አስተሳሰብ በጣም ኋላ ቀር ነው።

አሜሪካን አገር መጥተው ዶላር ተሸክመው ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ሲመለሱ ገንዘቡን ያዋጡላቸው ሰዎች የተለያየ ዲግሪ ያለቸው የተለያየ ሥራ የሚሰሩ ከቤት መጥረግ መጀሮ መሆኑን ቢረዱ መልካም  ነው። 

ምርጫን ለማስፈፀም ብዙ ወጣቶችን የምርጫ ቦርድ ሊቀ መንበር ብርቱካን ሚዴቅሳ አሳትፈዋል።  ለነዚህ ወጣቶች ምርጫ ቦርዱ በቂ ሥልጠና እንደሰጠ ተነግሩዋል። ፕሮፈሰሩ በሰዎች ሥልጠና የሚያምኑ አመስሉም።  የሚያስፈራ ባሕርይ ነው። 

፪ኛው ክፍል ለይ ይቀጥላል……

An open letter to Senator Coons​

An open letter to Senator Coons

August 19, 2021

Dear Senator Coons,

I am specifically addressing my concerns and what needs to be known to your office and the government of the United States, because I am convinced, from my observation of your words, conduct and actions in the Senate, that you are a man of great integrity and willingness to hear the “other side”. And, more to the point, because you have been a special envoy to Prime Minister Abiy.

 I would like to let you know that the US is about to lose the great faith and affection Ethiopians always reserved for America because of the way the Biden administration is handling the war in Ethiopia. Put quite simply, America is trying to side with a party, the TPLF, which has a dismal history of tribalism, kleptocracy, corruption, political persecution and assassination. This would have been seen as a cynical move on the part of America if there were any benefit in her choice to side with the TPLF. The truth is that America, in this case, is doing herself a huge disfavor; not only the siding with the TPLF demonstrates her tone-deafness, but makes one wonder on what kind of information the US is acting upon. Let me clearly state what the TPLF stands for and what it has stood for since its inception in the mid-seventies. Let these facts inform your policy towards it.

1. The TPLF was founded to pursue the independence of Tigray. It was, and claims to be essentially a Stalinist/Maoist party which embraced, late in its rule over Ethiopia, the economic system it called “the developmental state” when it clearly saw the bankruptcy of some communist economic systems. In effect, it tried to also follow the Russian and Chinese models. Just like them, it continued to maintain its purported Stalinist/Maoist party structure that continues to inform its method of governance.

2. In 1987, when the TPLF realized that Tigray could never become a viable state because of its total lack of resources, it decided to coopt the other liberation fronts (the OLF & others) to march to the Capital Addis Ababa to oust the inept Derg regime, headed by Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam. While it always wanted to present itself as just “another” member party of the coalition of parties known as the EPRDF, it was absolutely clear to every Ethiopian from the very beginning that the TPLF was the unchallenged power, the boss of the coalition. It remained so until it lost the intra-party election in April 2018.

3. During its 27 years of rule from 1991 to 2018, the TPLF, which invariably hid behind the EPRDF façade, governed Ethiopia with an iron fist and with total unaccountability. First, it pursued a politics of divide and rule by specifically reviving the traditional animus existing between the Amhara and Oromo people, the two largest ethnicities in Ethiopia. The objective was clear: as long as it fanned and revived the ethnic animus between these two, it was able to maintain power, since as a representative of a minority ethnicity, it could have never maintained power if the two had decided to coexist peacefully, or even reach a certain détente. Thus, by design, the TPLF constructed and encouraged a form of ethnocratic federalism whereby each region (or Killil) had the constitutional right to secede. I want to reiterate that this was not done because Ethiopians demanded it, but because it guaranteed the continuance in power of the TPLF and the privileged position of the people it represented, the Tigreans.

4. When it was ousted from power in April of 2018, it quickly withdrew its support of the government of Abiy Ahmed and its top cadres and retreated to Tigray. While the TPLF claims that this was caused by differences of view with the Prime Minister and the direction the country was about to take, the true reasons have been as clear as day light to the Ethiopian people. The TPLF very much dreaded the idea that its members were about to stand trial for all the crimes they had perpetrated during their nearly three decades  at the helm. In other words, it did not want any accountability for the 27 years of extreme corruption, kleptocracy, mass incarceration, political persecution and assassinations, etc…Its top cadres retreated to Mekele essentially to avoid accountability, re-group, re-organize and form a violent opposition to the federal government of Ethiopia. What the TPLF has failed to understand is that no Ethiopian, at least outside of Tigray, wishes its resurgence, let alone its retaking power by any means, violent or peaceful. As things stand today in Ethiopia, the overwhelming majority of Ethiopians want the TPLF to disappear from the political landscape of the country for good!

5. The TPLF is not struggling today for Tigray’s independence, but to fight its way back to power over Ethiopia. It has set in motion its formidable propaganda machine, and has won virtually the hearts and minds of journalists, politicians, diplomats and academicians in the West. It has been able to regain the trust of its people because of its unmatched devious propaganda. It has successfully depicted itself as the victim of an unjust war while the government of Abiy has been portrayed as the villain for defending and attempting to maintain the integrity of the country. If the TPLF were really for Tigray’s autonomy, what business does it have invading other Killils (regions)? Why can’t it set in motion its constitutional right for Tigray to secede from Ethiopia? What is really happening is that the TPLF has already planted a vast number of its cadres at every level, and in every sector of the federal government of Ethiopia that will continue to do its bidding. And if the occasion arises, to wrest power from the legitimately installed PM.

6. The accusation of genocide and ethnic cleansing by the TPLF and its supporters against Ethiopia is as shameful as it is a total fabrication. Yes, there have been widespread abuses and gratuitous violence in the war. Unfortunately, this is in the nature of all wars. Ironically, however, it was the TPLF that has actually tried its hand at “cleansing” the village of Maicadra of its Amhara residents. But it failed. In truth, it would have resumed its “PolPotian” campaign if it were not for some unbiased reporting, the intervention of the Amhara militia and the federal troops.

The recent accusation that the government of Ethiopia is in the process of mass-incarcerating or even eliminating Tigreans resident in Ethiopia is a lie that the TPLF is spreading around to always put the government of Ethiopia in a bad light . The truth is that an estimated 700 thousand to a Million Tigreans live in in other parts of Ethiopia outside the Tigre region (Killil). The Ethiopian government would be in the absurd position of persecuting its own people if indeed it did so. The fact, however, is far more prosaic: The government has only gone against the TPLF members and cadres that continue to undermine the efforts of war of the federal government while still employed by it! The mendacious propaganda that intimates that the Prime Minister and his government are rounding up Tigreans and throwing them in makeshift concentration camps is not only a cruel lie, but also a dangerous one. It was Debretsion, the current head of the TPLF, who, upon his triumphal return to Mekele, asked: “How can you (the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, ENDF) expect to fight against the TPLF, when half of the Military is still part of the TPLF?” Is PM Abiy then wrong in ridding his army and bureaucracy of TPLF sleeper cells?

7. The TPLF has always negotiated in bad faith. It only negotiates when it is cornered. This is widely known to anyone who has studied its behavior. Its intention is not to arrive at a genuine compromise or solution, but to buy enough time to regroup and fight another day. Its only goal is unchallenged power. Beware, I say to the new crew for Africa in the State Department!

8. The government of Ethiopia never wanted a war. It was clearly drawn into it. It could not sit idle and  not respond in kind when the TPLF attacked the Northern ENDF. This war was started by the TPLF. Let us not forget this. If the TPLF had legitimate reason to complain about the status of Tigray, it could have brought suit against the federal government. It did not. It chose to start a war because it did not want any accountability and it resented being removed from power. Most of all, it wanted to render the country ungovernable and in the process march to the Capital. That was its miscalculation, because the Ethiopian people have never rejected a party so completely and unequivocally. What is heart-rending is that the TPLF is pushing the rest of Ethiopia to reject not only the TPLF, but even the people it represents. This is how callous and unscrupulous this party is!

9. The greatest favor the West and its sensationalist media can do for Ethiopia is to tell the truth and not act as the megaphone for the TPLF. What the US government can do is to base its foreign policy on facts and not on hearsay, or worse yet, based on the suggestions made by previous US officials, lobbyists, and academics who had personal friendships with the top cadres of the TPLF. I do not want to name names, but I can tell you who they are if you wish.

10. If America continues to side with the TPLF’s agenda, it will bear the historic responsibility of having endorsed and abetted a civil war in Ethiopia that can only end with Ethiopia becoming another failed state (not Yugoslavia as some have maintained) and the region being unstable for decades to come.

It is these points I wanted you to consider and reflect upon because they constitute what the majority of Ethiopians hold as the truth. I have never written to any elected official in my life, but given the gravity of the situation, I could no longer remain silent. I hope the US Senate or its designated committee will consider these points if the US government is to pursue an informed and fair policy towards Ethiopia.

Long live the friendship of the American and Ethiopian people.