THE PARADOX IN ETHIOPIA

Lij Mandefro Shibeshi
(AigaForum)

Previously, we were talking about Ethiopia's being at a crossroad and it had two extreme possibilities. The first one  was to look inward,  evaluate self and respond to the questions posed by the Ethiopian people.At that time, it was possible as EPRDF was existed as a political leader of the country. The second option was failing to look inward and end up with choas. I think, everyone can comprehend the later took the upper hand and now the country fall at a multi crossroads.

The so called in-depth renewal was abused by foreign countries and some individuals and groups within the EPRDF. I recall that once, the visionary Ethiopian Preime Minister Mesles Zenawi told EPRDF cadres that EPRDF would be disintegrated and fall apart only by its members.

That is what exactly happened today. Team Lemma and Team Gedu came out from EPRDF. They formed unholy marriage. Infact, this marriage may exist for a short period as they have their own quite extreme interests. But they have been collaborating in disintegrating EPRDF and jeopardizing development efforts at Nile River since the death of Meles Zenawi.

These days the so called 'Ethiopian Government' made a number of secret agreements with Egyptian officials to slow down the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam  as a short time plan and to halt it altogether as a middle term plan.

in this regard, the government's stance contradicts with the key national interest of the country. In fact, the action will obviously lead the people to become dependent on food assistance of countries like Egypt and its allies. 

Besides,   Egypt is processing to buy Ethio-Telecom. According to Egypt Daily News, the reachest Egyptian man has already agreed with PM Abiy Ahmed to by Ethio-Telecom. Saudi Arabia is also making agreements with the so called 'Ethiopian Government' to buy Ethiopian Airlines. The Ethiopian ‘Government’ has also plans to sell Commercial Bank of Ethiopian and Ethiopian Electric Power Authority to Egypt and other Arab countries. These measures obviously will lead the Ethiopian people to economically dependent and their existence will lay on the mercy of those countries.

The other worst action the Ethiopian 'Government' took was paralyzing the intelligence office. The intelligence structure has already dismantled. Those who were working for their national interest against the sabotages made by Egypt and Eritrea were imprisoned.

Having dismantled the security and intelligence structure, Abiy Ahmed allowed FBI to enter the country. This time FBI has taking over the control of the country's security issues. If we see the experiences of those countries where FBI allowed entering and helping them, they are now disintegrated.  Their people have also engaged in ceaseless conflicts. That will be the reality in Ethiopia just some years later if the current situation will continue.

In the same token, the government has no time to think about the resumption of the economic growth. Nowadays, there is no activity to generate additional income to the country instead the government is extravagantly spending the wealth that has already accumulated in those past twenty seven years. It is not exaggeration in saying the country's economy will be paralyzed soon if these steps are not readjusted.

The worst of all is the failure of the Ethiopian 'Government' to maintain peace and security. Peace is poisoned in Benshangul, Somle, Gambella, Amhara, Oromiya and Afar States. It has become difficult for people to move from one place to another at this moment. As a result, more than three million people are now displaced. Ethiopia has become the  second in the world following to Syria.

The paradox is what the Ethiopian 'Government' has been agitating and how international organizations like HRW and AI considered the situation in the country in its opposite sense; different from what is really on the ground.

Now innocent people are murdered for their identity in different parts of the country except Tigray State. Millions have displaced from their villages with no one there at least to lend them a hand so that they could get daily means of survival. US. and European countries are witnessing as if there is something good situation in the country while all the problems are there in their eyes.

The other paradoxical point is the measures taken by the Ethiopia media. Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Fana Broadcasting Corporation, Walta Media and Communication and the print media Ethiopian Press Agency (The Ethiopian Herald, Addis Zeme, Alalem, Berisa Newspapers and Zemen Megazin) have busy covering fabricated stories of reform.

They have altogether ignored the sufferings of the people. They rather have been propagating as if there is peace and unity in the country. Besides, they are simply serving to the irresponsible government in Ethiopia against the suffering of the Ethiopian people.

In summing up, it is paradoxical that the Ethiopian 'Government', the media and other countries have been attempting to create positive images of the country and while the people are dying, displacing and suffering. Even in the future; all the aforementioned problems obviously will lead the country to disintegration, its people to ceaseless bloodshed and life long economic dependence if the people failed to transgress against such activities. In fact, that was basically the very interest of Egypt, US, European Countries and Arab countries. The most shameful scenario is the fact that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is working for them not for the Ethiopian people. How paradox it is!