An urgent message to his excellence Mr Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 46th President of the United States of America, from Tigray, North Ethiopia. From Governance Forum Mekelle, Tigrai Jan 22, 2021

 

This is Mebrat, a 3-year-old child from Humera, western Tigray, Ethiopia, Africa. She is admitted to a hospital in the Regional capital city Mekelle, with severe acute edematous malnutrition. She also has accompanying severe anemia which could be observed from the pale foot (plantar side). Her two brothers and a sister too have similar signs of acute malnutrition.

So do hundreds of thousands (if not millions) more in Tigray!

An entire Ethiopian Federal army; more than three-fourth of Eritrean army(estimated at 16-20 Divisions- numbered at more than 150,000); Amhara Regional special Forces; Amhara militia ; Fano-an informal youth killing squad; Somalia(Formajo's) Federal forces; Ethio-Somali Regional Special forces; Afar Regional Special forces, etc.- generally 500,000-600,000 soldiers and armed squads, with Ethiopia's and Eritrea's mechanized divisions, and with UAE's lethal drones, invaded Tigray, and burnt towns and villages in Tigray down, massacred innocent children, women and elderly men in their tens of thousands. They burnt down hundreds of thousands of houses in rural areas (in most of the villages 100 % of the houses there), turning everything in the houses in to ashes. They burnt down their cereal crops in the fields too, and intentionally (it may be for this purpose that they started the war at the beginning of November- a high time for any farmer in Tigray to harvest and collect his/her annual food.


They left nothing at home- Nothing!


Tigray today, is nothing but rubbles, dust, and ashes. Majority of its towns and villages are deserted. Everything from the smallest spoon in private household to the largest Almeda textile, Addis Pharmaceutical Factory, Goda Glass Factory, Semayata Marbles e.t.c are looted by Eritrean government and Amhara Forces, and taken to either Asmara or Gonder. What could not be disassembled and taken to Asmara or Gonder was completely burnt down to ashes by Eritrea's and Amhara's forces.


Millions in Tigray are now starved to death; 4.5 million people in Tigray are now in acute need of humanitarian aid. People have already started to die of starvation, in some instances and entire family!The government of Ethiopia did not do anything to save the people in hunger.


Even more, Ethiopian government and Eritrean forces are doing everything possible to prevent a help from reaching to the people in urgent need. While the international community goes long way to save the people in starvation and send large bulk of humanitarian aid, Ethiopian government does everything to make sure that the help doesn't reach the people in need, and that these millions in starvation die of it!


Ethiopian government is intentionally buying time because Ethiopia's government knows starvation doesn't give time. Yes, Ethiopia is using starvation as a weapon of war, and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity including genocide.

And this is done in the dark- with no access to the media, to international observers- with no internet entirely; and no electricity and telephone services in more than 90 % the places.

More than 60 % of Tigray land is now controlled by Eritrean Forces and Amhara mercenaries. They continue to daily massacre hundreds to thousands innocent people, raping women, looting every household in Tigray to Make sure that no house is left with a thing to eat.

Ethiopia's and Eritrea's governments with the help of UAE government and Ethiopia's regional forces, continue to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide- in all their varieties and colors.


Mr Biden,

Tigray deserves a serious attention; Tigray deserves your swift and comprehensive action.

- Ethiopia's unelected government and its allies (including foreign allies) shall stop the war on Tigray, now!

- Ethiopia's government should allow humanitarian aid to reach the millions in need!

- An independent free and fair investigation into the mass killings in Maikadra, Axum, Edaga-Hamus and many other places in Tigray needed!

- An independent investigation shall be conducted in to all the acts of war and crimes against humanity (including genocide), and the UN and the USA shall be at the heart of it;

- Eritrea shall withdraw its forces from Tigray, now!


Mr President, help stop the active genocide on millions of ethnic Tigray inside Ethiopia.

Mr President, Save the millions starved (some of them already died of it)! dying of it)!


[Mekelle University Community- Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia]

The Deafening Silence of Ethiopians is Silently Slaying Ethiopia, By Aynalem Sebhatu

Ethiopia is today in the throes of a profound internal crisis. For the last two and half years, the Ethiopian body politic has undergone what might be described as an acute political crisis. People have been repeatedly demanding to improve governance at local, regional and federal levels. They have raised for government resources to be used to create and provide jobs for the young people. Rather than listening to the public concerns and introducing badly needed reforms, Abiy Ahmed chose confrontations with the federalist forces as well as with his political opponents. In order to maintain his political power, he aligned himself with Amhara extremists, Isaias Afewerki and peered over the amassing of the forces of darkness. 

Ethnic conflicts and political violence ensued mainly from the refusal of the federal regions to Abiy Ahmed’s intention of eroding the federal regional states’ rights of self-governance. Curiously enough, it should be noted that no serious legal action was instigated against those who exacted violence on innocent citizens. By now Abiy’s actions and his intentions are clearly signaling the centralization of power under his control. The concentration of power under one man accelerated and in effect the constitution of the country started dying in the cradle. While the constitutional rights of the ten federal regions have been undermined one after the other, ethnic groups who stood up for their constitutional rights end up in prisons. A significant number Ethiopians chose to keep quiet and tacitly supported Abiy Ahmed.


Ethiopia under Abiy is increasingly becoming a nation of high walls and barbed wires for the mass incarceration of ethnic groups. The incarceration of the Oromos in thousands is heartbreaking and it is ironic considering the fact that Abiy’s power started with the broad shoulders of the movements of the youth of the Oromos. Yet, the deafening silences of the political elites who are living in urban areas, most notably in Addis Ababa, is very disconcerting.

To Abiy Ahmed, to Amhara elites and to Isaias Afewerki, the TPLF stood in its pristine form as a guardian of the federal arrangements of the country and as a vanguard to the rights of self-determination of nations and nationalities of Ethiopia. True, that is a principled political stand of the TPLF for a long time and it should not lead to the “elimination” or “liquidation” of the TPLF.

Instead of finding political solutions via dialogue, increasingly the TPLF and the OLF became the political punching bags for all the political ills and blamed for any violence that took place in the country. The demonization of political opponents are short sighted political tactics to put the TPLF and the OLF out of the political space and thereby pushing parties into difficult violent confrontations. Painting political parties or groups as “enemy agents” in the sphere of public imaginations creates a sense of “treason” that must be punished by prison time or face “liquidation.” These political tactics are deployed to give an immoral and illegal sense of justification for killing, bombing, raping, looting, and imprisoning of Ethiopians.

Political liquidation or elimination might take different forms. The savagery of the violence against the Oromo people and the Tigrayans that are subject to the onslaught of the Ethiopian army has the obvious implication that they should be exterminated without mercy. In essence, the Abiy Ahmed regime was preparing the public to the normalization of violence and the savage wars unleashed in Tigray and Oromia. Even in Addis Ababa, it should be noted that the lack of law and order during Abiy Ahmed’s years of leadership is staggering.

The ethnic killings have reached a sickening level of inhuman conditions and immorality. These are prime examples of the prevalence of violence throughout the country. In turn this norm is creating an atmosphere of fear, numbness and thereby public silence. Thus, whether founded on religious or humanistic values, it leads to the degeneration of spiritual values as well as the erosion of duties and responsibilities of citizens. Thus, these conditions created a fertile mind set and provided just the right vehicle for genocide and mass killings.

The involvement of Eritrea in Tigray gets the critical observer deep into the greatest mystery of all, one for sure it raises the question of the violation of sovereignty of the country. Given an overwhelming evidence, why are the Amhara elites trying their best to deny Eritrean involvement? I could only imagine that the Amhara elites do not want to give any credit to the Eritreans in capturing Mekelle. The fact of the matter is the Isaias army and the UAE drones played decisive roles and the Isaias army is playing a decisive role in the occupation of Tigray today.

It is also curious how the Amhara chauvinists who are actively raising the question of sovereignty vis a vis the border conflict with Sudan have avoided honest confrontation with the Eritrean involvement. Their profound lack of pronouncements and their conspiracy of silence on Eritrean army’s deployment in Tigray make it clear that their stand on “sovereignty” is wholly unprincipled. Furthermore, their world outlook became a victim of their own ultra-nationalist beliefs and it is clouded with an active fascination of hatred and chauvinism. These are the people who would go to almost any length to avoid confronting the horrible facts of the war taking place in Tigray. They are equally unwilling to face up to the genocide and barbarism that is marching in Tigray. They are unwilling to raise their voices to the realities of Isaias Afewerki’s vindictive policy. To do so will be to admit and accuse themselves with the war crimes committed in Tigray. So they preferred to show no remorse and they continued silently to swim in the sea of tears and blood of Tigrayans.

Viewed in the context of the involvement of Eritrea, Abiy Ahmed become a traitor to the principles upon which he and the EPRDF generation wrote the constitution of the country—as a petty, vindictive man who is prepared to bleed Tigray to death for the greater glorification of his ego. Considering the recent news of the Sudanese troops’ deployment with the prior knowledge and agreement of Abiy Ahmed, no doubt that Abiy is without peer in the chronicles of Ethiopian history.

I do not know what to make of the Isaias army. However, I tried my best to express my feeling in reaction to what the army is doing to innocent civilians. But to no avail and words failed me to describe it. The only thing I could manage to sprinkled with my pen is the following. The Isaias regime had once for all destroyed the Eritreans’ human integrity and Isaias is marching into Tigray with tyrannical efficiency. Looking from the behavior of the Isaias army, Isaias has found the formula for turning human beings into animated robots. Even though there is a mountain of evidence that the fate and the sovereignty of the country is presented by Abiy Ahmed to Isaias Afewerki on a silver platter, the deafening silence of Ethiopians is unnerving and dangerously leading the country to genocide.

Let me leave you with Aristotle’s formula for proficient dictatorship: “Breed mutual distrust among the people, make them incapable of action, and break their spirit.” This sounds the right recipe for Isaias Afewerki’s Eritrea and for Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopia.


Tigray will prevail!

Eternal glory for our martyrs!

The Eritrean Democratic movements should campaign vigorously to bring Isaias to the International Criminal court, By Petros Tesfagiorgis

On 4 November 2020 the Federal Government of Ethiopia led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the war against the regional government of Tigray.

Dictator Isaias of Eritrea gave Abiy not only logistical support such as transporting huge number of Ethiopian troops to Eritrea from which they would encircle Tigray but sent Eritrean army to participate in the war.

The intensity of the war, the violations against the civilian population, the destruction of industries, hospitals and the looting of civilian properties are of a scope and scale seldom seen anywhere else in today’s world. The Eritrean army have participated in all these atrocities. It is a shame to all Eritreans. In the war thousands are believed to have been killed and nearly a million fled their homes. 61,000 people migrated to Sudan. Starvation is looming all over Tigray and more than 2 million people mostly Children are in Need of Aid.

Today there is alarming news of starvation in Eritrea. The regime has politicized the issue of the virus and opted to use it as a weapon to starve and weaken the people by enforcing lockdown without the means to feed them. It is in such dark days that Isaias sent Eritrean solders to join the war in Ethiopia and make them killers and looters? What is left of them they are liable to be sued for a war crime?


Ethiopia with 110 million population has enough manpower to run its wars. Sending huge number of Eritrean armies to war in Ethiopia if not an extermination of the Eritrean youth what is it then?

Isaias has an ulterior motive it is not only a revenge to settle old scores with TPLF (Tigray), but he is also seizing the momentum to have the Eritrean army perish in the deadly Ethiopian civil war. News started to come out of the deaths and wounded of Eritrean soldiers. Also, there is news coming out that many Eritreans troops are duped to join in the war and flee whenever they get the chance.

Why is Isaias sending Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Deadly civil war? On 8 September 2001 Isaias arrested the top government officials and leaders of the armed struggle (the G-15) in order to frustrate their demand to implement the constitution and call for a general election. The demands were being covered by the private newspapers and drew the attention of many people particularly Students. The arrest was a coup d’état that killed any chance to establish a democratic government elected by the people. Since then, he became an unchallenged despot and ruled Eritrea with an iron fist without constitution, and rule of law. Isaias plunged Eritrea into darkness.


However, Isaias has never felt safe. His nightmare is that one day the people of Eritrea, particularly the youth, will rise up and get rid of him. To secure his power he chose a policy of repression and ruled the people by fear. Isaias closed the only university in the country. The school leaving year 12th grade was made to take place in isolated area called Sawa Military training camp where academic freedom is denied. The students are subjected to indoctrination to internalize the value of blind obedience to Isaias. Anyone who showed independent thinking or dissention faces severe punishment like torture and solitary confinement. For years ERI-TV the only one in Eritrea was engaged is sawing the seed of hate demonizing TPLF and Tigray – bombarding the people of a threat of Weyane (TPLF) invasion. The propaganda built the personality cult of Isaias asserting that it is only Isaias that can save Eritrea. Thus, the regime turned the youth into programmed robot to hate Tigreans and we see their abhorrent behaviour in killing civilians and looting in Tigray.

The behaviour of the Eritrean army is also reflected in the way they treated the Eritrean refugees, their brothers and sisters, in Tigray. There are 96,000 Eritrean refugees located in 4 camps in Tigray. The Eritrean army entered the refugee camps, started killings, looting and kidnapped more than 8000 refugees and took them to Eritrea. Their where about is not known. It is with the same mind-set that the army carried out with impunity Isaias’s shoot to kill policy of any Eritrean found crossing the border to Ethiopia or Sudan.

After the end of the war in 1991 we Eritreans dreamt to build a prosperous society and live-in peace with ourselves, with Ethiopia and the rest of our neighbours. Instead over the last 30 years we are experiencing the mysterious evaporation of the dreams.

Nowadays other than Eritreans there are voices who want to see Isaias go. In America, Michael Rubin wrote “The time is now for U.S. officials to reach out to Eritreans, both inside the country and out, and put plans in place to help build the institutions Isaias has left weakened or destroyed.

On 25 June 2020 there was virtual expert discussion on Eritrea in the German Parliament, Bundestag. Among the 60 participants from 10 countries there were MPs from 3 German political parties. The expert speakers reached a consensus that the regime has no wish to end the human rights violations in Eritrea. They gave up on him. In conclusion Cooperation with the wider Eritrean democratic movements was recommended.

However, it is the Eritrean democratic movements that should play a leading role in campaigning to end the brutal and destructive rule of Isaias.

The International community who wishes the removal of Isaias need to hear the strong voice and sense of mission of the democratic moments. We have to come up with concrete initiatives and plan of action. The priority is to revive the UN Inquiry commission plea to refer Isaias to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for committing crime against humanity. This is the right thing to do. And it will make a difference in many ways.


Once we take the initiative those Governments who are taking up the issue of Eritrea’s involvement in the Ethiopian civil war and Eritrean army entering the refugees’ camps would support the move to get rid of Isaias.


In answer to Lord Alton’s question concerning the Eritrean refugees in Tigray. James Duddridge MP of the foreign office and Minister for Africa replied. “We are very concerned at reports that Eritrean troops have entered Ethiopian refugee camps in Tigray and forced a number of refugees to return to Eritrea. If proven, this would be a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Alleged violations of IHL must be investigated to secure respect for IHL and prevent future violations, including as necessary through international criminal tribunals. “Let me highlight “through international criminal tribunals”.

On the other hand, the involvement of Eritrea in the war is taken as a breach of the African Union’s - non-interference in the internal affairs of member countries. It is also taken as an invasion of Ethiopia by Eritrea. The argument is just started.

The action plan can be strategized to address the following.

1. To plan advocacy campaign to persuade the UN and the international community to honour the referral to ICC.

2. To put pressure on UNHCR to find out the where about of the 8000 refugees kidnapped from Tigray. And see the refugees in Tigray are protected and get access to food supplies, water and health care. There is a terrible news that Shimelba Camp is no safe area, food supplies is not coming, people are collecting grasses boil them and eat to survive.

3. Asses the famine in Eritrea because of the lockdown Also the border with Ethiopia areas where the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia are trapped. The UNHCR and the Red Cross could find out about this.


4. Assess the famine in Eritrea because of the lockdown. Also, the border with Ethiopia areas where the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia are trapped. The UNHCR and the Red Cross could find out about this.


5. There is shortage of water in Asmara because the drivers of the water delivery trucks are denied working. Today even private cars are not on the street. Drivers are prevented to use their cars. It is Armageddon back to the Stone Age.

6. The Afar people in the Red Sea are forbidden to fish and lost their means of living. Thousands left to exile.

Every day that passes Isaias continue repression unabated that is why it is urgent to seek his removal. To do so is the obligation of the international community and government. In 2016 the then UN Special Rapporteur Keetharuth told the UN General Assembly, “My plea to you, Excellences, on behalf of the members of Inquiry, is for you to pay head to voices of victims of crimes against humanity in Eritrea. The UN has ignored the call and let down the people of Eritrea. It is time to pay back for letting Isaias get away with a crime against humanity. The people of Eritrea deserves justice and peace.


It is encouraging that Eritreans in Diaspora are demonstrating with Tigran’s to stop the war and for justice. That is the beginning of building peace with the people of Tigray.

Focus-Eritrea and USA based Security and Justice for Tigrean in Ethiopia are campaigning to urge all passengers to boycott flying with Ethiopian Airlines for profiling and dismissing Tigrean employees of the airline. Profiling is a dangerous move that may lead to ethnic cleansing.

In conclusion I say give peace a chance and in solidarity with the people of Tigray in their darkest days.


La Luta continua

UAE: Investment or military Interference in the Horn? yBy Firew

Until about two or three years ago, the AU, UN, EU, UK and countries in the Horn, notably Ethiopia before Abiy, had done a great deal to ensure peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Some of the achievements of the efforts were functioning governments in Somalia and South Sudan, containment of belligerent Eritrea through UN sanctions and focus on socioeconomic development.

All the leaders of the Horn countries, except Esaiss Afewerki of Eritrea, had made great contributions in this regard. But it would be unjust if we don't pay tribute here to the crucial role played by Meles Zenawi, a leader of great vision, skill, dedication and trustworthiness.

With the sudden coming to power of Abiy Ahmed Ali in Ethiopia, all the gains mentioned above have been thrown into the air. Ali's first move was to make Afewerki his ally and together to create havoc in nearly all the Horn countries.

The UAE, just out of the blue, warmly received this alliance of dictators and has been financing their mission of destabilizing the region. They have been working hard in promoting intra- and inter-state conflicts in the Horn with the aim of imposing their satanic wills over the whole region.

In Ethiopia, Abiy Ali in collaboration with Esaias Afewerki has totally violated the Federal Constitution that had been ratified by all the nationalities of Ethiopia. He has dismantled the federal arrangement that had brought peace, unity, and development.

In Tigray Abiy Ali and Esaias Afewerki have been committing crimes against humanity in which thousands of civilians - women, children and elderly people have been massacred.

In this crime Abiy and Esaias have employed hundreds of thousands of their ground troops and war planes, thousands of Amara militias, and Emirati drones. Summary killings, rape and looting by Ali's and Afeworki's troops is rampant. The destruction to property and loss of lives in towns and settlements along highways controlled by Ali's and Esaias's forces is unimaginable. The objective of this act of aggression is to impoverish and subdue the people. What is so devastating in the war on Tigrai is the indiscriminate and continuous bombings by Emirati drones operated by Emirati military personnel. This is however mission impossible as the people of Tigray are putting up stiff resistance against the unjustified war declared on them. There is no doubt this will soon grow to an all-out attack on the dictator’s forces.

Many in Africa, including the Horn, had hoped economic ties would grow with the Gulf countries, considering, particularly, the Horn's proximity to these countries. What all the Horn countries may need is not drones but drains that can be used in the fight against malaria in swampy areas. Modernising agriculture of all types in the Horn countries, for example, could have fostered trade and economic ties with the UAE and other Gulf countries. UAE investment in this and other sectors would have been the most rational course of action to take. This is what one would expect from a country that has over the last 40 or 50 years overcome backwardness and achieved appreciable progress although the main factor for this has been oil money.

The UAE has dashed all these hopes by working closely with Africa's most despotic butcher, Esaias, and Ethiopia's dictator, Abi Ali.

The Horn, as feared, is now in turmoil. Abiy and Esaias are the main culprits in this criminal act. Esaias Afewerki must pull out his troops from Tigray as USA and other countries have warned him. The whole world is now aware of what is happening in Tigray. All this amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

UAE should stop supporting dictators and financing the war on Tigray. It is in its best current and future interest to rather focus on investment and support socio-economic development of Horn countries and become a good partner of Africa's.

THE URGEN CY OF STOPPING ABIY AHMED’S AND ISAIAS AFEWERKI’S CRIMES By G/Medhin Blhatu

 The dictionary defines gullibility as “a tendency to be easily persuaded that something is real or true.” As individuals, we often fall prey to commercial ads because of our gullibility coupled with our desire to solve, for instance, a health problem, with a miracle drug that is skillfully advertised. In the end, we lose money in the process without getting the benefit we expected.

In politics and media reporting, particularly on an international scale, gullibility can have tragic consequences resulting in the loss of human lives as we are witnessing today in Ethiopia’s war against Tigray. The illegitimate Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean dictator Isaias Afewerki know how to manipulate international opinion. Otherwise, how could they utter false statements like these:

·         The blackout of communication over Tigray is due to cyber hacks, then quickly amended to another absurd lie, that it was infrastructural damage done by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF). What about the earlier blackouts in Oromia?There are no women and children, refugees, in Sudan. The refugees are mostly criminals and Ethiopia wants them back.

·         After the TPLF tactically withdrew from Mekelle, and the army took over, Abiy Ahmed declared that the war was over and he has won, while fighting still goes on.

·         “Eritrea is not involved in the war.” But the US, and recently Abiy’s commander has confirmed that it is.

Tigray was at peace when there were ethnic conflicts in various parts of the country. Tigray was abiding by Ethiopia’s constitution when it held free and fair regional elections. It was upholding the constitution which recognizes that nations and nationalities have the right to self-determination under the federal system. Abiy Ahmed’s goal is to abolish the Federal system altogether and re-establish the old centralized power structure under his rule as “king”. Early on, there was no visible preparation for national elections before the pandemic came, which Abiy then used as an excuse to postpone the elections indefinitely. Tigray kept asking for a national dialogue to resolve political differences but without success. Abiy’s mandate as a caretaker government expired on October 5, 2020.

Let us now consider the claims made by the illegitimate Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in declaring war against the people of Tigray, that test the gullibility of the readers and listeners. Abiy Ahmed claims that Ethiopia’s sovereignty must be respected, or that his quarrel with the TPLF is a domestic issue that does not need external mediation, and that his declaration of war against Tigray is to enforce law and order.

·         How is the claim of “national sovereignty” to be respected when Abiy Ahmed has committed high treason against his own country by fully surrendering to the machinations of Ethiopia’s number one foreign enemy, the dictator Esaias Afewerki of Eritrea? Isaias’s army has invaded Tigray from the north at the request of Abiy Ahmed and has allowed Eritrea’s security agents to have a free hand in the internal affairs of Ethiopia.

·         What is a domestic issue when Abiy Ahmed has invited the foreign Eritrean forces of Isaias Afewerki consisting of over 200,000 infantry, mechanized brigade, and commando to invade Tigray from the north; Isaias Afewerki’s army is engaged in killing, raping women and girls, destroying development projects, looting private and public properties and national treasures, and creating mayhem in Tigray?

·         By what measure does Abiy Ahmed equate ”enforcing law and order” to a declaration of civil war against the relatively tiny state of Tigray using the nearly 150,000 federal armed forces including foreign Somali soldiers, supported by bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery; special forces from the neighboring Amhara State, the Amhara militia, and the Amhara armed Fano who have invaded Tigray from the south and west; and drone bombers, sold by the US to the UAE and Saudi coalition from their base in Eritrea’s port of Asab? Contrary to the false claim of Abiy Ahmed that “no single civilian was killed during the bombing” of the cities of Tigray, doctors reported 27 dead and many more wounded in Mekelle alone. It can be expected that future independent investigations will show the full tally to be much higher.

·         Is the world to be fooled that destroying a pharmaceutical industry, a textile factory, developmental projects in agriculture, sources of water, and energy, and dismantling and transporting industrial machinery, and educational equipment and supplies to Eritrea, are justifiable acts of “enforcement of law-and-order”?

·         How is “enforcing law and order” justified by the ransacking of Eritrean refugee camps by Isaias Afewerki’s military, killing some of the refugees, forcibly abducting others, and taking them back to Eritrea to face unknown suffering and eventual death, looting the refugee’s meager food supplies, and burning their crops, and destroying their water supply?

There was real law and order and peace in Tigray before Abiy Ahmed chose war over dialogue to resolve political differences. Now, there is no “law and order” in Tigray. Instead, there is anarchy and mayhem. Coupled with the ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans that is going on in the rest of Ethiopia, it is a genocidal war at its highest stage, according to Genocide Watch. Under the cover of a blackout of communication, Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afewerki planned and are executing a scorched earth level of damage on Tigrayan lives and economy. Death through starvation, the pandemic, locust infestations, and perhaps even draught, would be their long term weapons of mass destruction. We can be assured that Abiy Ahmed will prevent any COVID-19 vaccines from reaching Tigray, the same way that he withheld donated chemicals and a drone to fight the locust before.

 

From the atrocious crimes that Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afeworki have already committed against the people of Tigray, it would not be unimaginable that their end-game is to wipe out Tigray from the map as a geographic entity if they can.  To achieve this, one possible scenario may be that the Amharas will claim Wolkite of western Tigray and Raya and Azebo of southern Tigray.  The rest of the Tigray territory may be added to Eritrea. Isaias Afewerki may be willing to throw in Eritrea as part of Ethiopia under some arrangement, to provide access to the sea if he is allowed to be president of the new Ethiopia. Abiy Ahmed, being a minor partner, has to be satisfied to remain as PM and give up his dream of being ‘king’. Under this scenario, no national elections will be held or may be postponed indefinitely again.

Without immediate and forceful action from the UN Security Council (UNSC), the US, and the EU, Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afewerki will not be deterred from pushing the genocidal war to its end. In the case of Yugoslavia, it was the forceful intervention by the US and the EU that saved the Muslim Bosniaks from complete genocide by the Bosnian Serbs. Unfortunately, the AU has recently indicated its support of Abiy at the IGAD conference in Djibouti, because many African governments disregard the rights of minority ethnic groups in their society. The US, EU, and UNSC have to forcibly open Tigray to humanitarian aid, expel the Eritrean forces out of Tigray, sanction Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afewerki and their closest supporters, and call a national conference of all parties to discuss the way forward for Ethiopia.  No matter how many war crimes and crimes against humanity can be heaped upon Abiy Ahmed and Isaias Afewerki, the evil damage they have done cannot be undone.

The people of Tigray have survived many adversities (but unlike the present one) throughout their history, defending the sovereignty of Ethiopia, a country that has not only disavowed them but has now turned against them. As always, they will keep fighting for their existence and in the end, be victorious!

 

The Sacrifices and The Struggle Continue By Aynalem Sebhatu

 Although the Abiy regime and his cronies are referring to the imprisonment of members of the TPLF as though it is the turning point in the war against Tigray, this is true only on the symbolic level. I have no doubt that Abiy Ahmed and his media outlets will exploit it to a maximum. But curiously reminiscent of the Derg era, such events are not decisive in the immediate sense and in long-range terms.  To put it a little too neatly, the old guards of the TPLF have passed the torch of Woyane to the new generation of leaders years ago. The torch of Woyane which is igniting and inspiring the struggles of the people of Tigray is led mostly by young people. To say this is not, however, to neglect the contributions of the old guards in sharing their experiences and directing the movement.

In light of what is happening now, here are iconic pictures of Sebhat Nega passing the torch of Woyane to the new generation. And Blatta Hailemariam Reda, the leader of the first Woyane movement to Meles Zenawi.  There is an eerie parallel to what is happening today when you think of Blatta Hailemariam’s lifetime imprisonment (1946-1974) by Emperor Haile Selassie.

 

 

The Killings and the imprisonments of fighters is not new if one cares to review the chronicles of Tigrayans’ history. The history of the people of Tigray is and always has been the natural habitat of sacrifices for freedom. Tigrayans are who they are because of the sacrifices of self-less fighters in thousands. Tigrayans refuse to sacrifice who they are just because Abiy Ahmed, Isaias Afewerki and the Amhara chauvinists have a problem with who they are as a people. These three cold-blooded political actors are so determined to stamp out Tigrayans’ cultural, historical, economic and political assets in the on-going savage war. Naturally, the people of Tigray could not force reason to the fore and expect the good nature in Abiy and Isaias would triumph. Hence, the sacrifices and the struggle continue!

Let me sum up my point thus far by quoting a Viking saying, “It is better to stand and fight. If you run, you will only die tired.” I will also leave you with the following quote from one of the martyrs from 1970 E.C.

The Urgent need of EU to do Military Intervention in Tigrai By Gebre Selema

 Where are now the armies of American journalists who were deafening us preaching about human right, democracy?  It is amazing they all disappeared from the scene when it is time to speak up during an active genocide in Tigrai going on since Nov 3 midnight until today.  Take note, since Nov 3 midnight until now Tigrai is cut off from electricity, water, telephone, internet, food, transport, health services, all kind public services including public security and safety.  Tigrai is dying as I speak.  I do not know what EU is doing since I know others have no habit of stopping genocide.

 

The EU has to wake up and stop the active genocide on ethnic Tigreans which is in its third month now. Remember Tigrai has been blacked out from all things, 100%, for 68 days now.  UN has reported 70% of ethnic Tigreans are under man made famine now.  You know a human cannot stay more than three days without food. 70% is also under-estimation. My educated estimate is actually 100% because all Tigreans have no access to anything right now because even if they have money, lives have been denied electricity and any daily life activity.  Can anyone imagine living in Europe, North America without electricity for 68 days?  EU has moral obligation to do rapid, fast, emergency military intervention in Tigrai to stop the genocide.

There is no way one can stop genocide by doing nothing.  Those who commit genocide are not sane humans.  To begin with if they were sane, they would not even think doing genocide during Corona time. So genocidaires are not in sense normal human.  They look human in appearance, but they are human monsters.  Thus, the only method to stop them from doing genocide is only one method.  That method is called force. Albert Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”  Begging, appealing to genocidaires will not make genocidaires nice guys because they do not understand normal human interaction because they live in their own world which they have created in their mind.  They will never feel guilty.  You can see the 78 years old primitive and backward dictator of Eritrea waging war for second time on Tigrai.  He has not felt guilty for the Badme war that took the lives of more than 100 000 people in the Ethio-Eritrea war of 1998-2000.  He even said we lost nothing in the past 20 years.  The world must not keep on the planet such sick men. Because their sickness will never stop and must be removed otherwise, they are serial killers.

 

My argument is there is no way you can stop the active genocide in Tigrai without using force.  Thus, I appeal to EU to take military action on Addis Ababa and Asmara to stop the genocide.  If EU does nothing and let things as they are, it will be too expensive to all human. Thus, this must be stopped now using force only.  You can only solve problems peacefully by communication with civilized people. Savages are in a different mental state and world.  Civilization is weakness and defeat for them. They measure wisdom by the suffering they cause on others.

 

EU and EU members, it is time for the use of force. You have exhausted all civilized means. They have refused to accept civilization. Take note, the brigands in Addis Ababa are not elected.  That is the source of the problem.  They are hanging on power by gun only.  They are illegal, illegitimate and they do not represent anyone. They must not be treated as government to begin with. No legal government would invite 7 foreign countries to genocide its own people. Such thing never happened in the entire human history. What is happening in Ethiopia on the ground also shows that reality they are not government by any standard.  Thus, time for action and to save the Ethnic Tigreans because about 10 million Tigreans are now under death sentence.  Immediate Military operation is urgently needed.

Why Abiy Ahmed Ali let the Eritrean dictator kill the people of Tigray? By W. Yilma

To start with, I want to say the following. In the history of mankind, no country in our world allowed a foreign country to invade its own territory and killed, tortured, raped citizens; looted, destroyed, burned private and public properties, treasures, antiques, and old age artifacts; bombed Churches and Mosques; Ethiopia, under Abiy is the first country in the 21st centuries that  allowed these to happen against the people of Tigray by inviting the Eritrean brutal regime and some fanatic terrorist advocate Arab countries who have hate against the origins of Christianity in the African continents. What is painful is to see when the Ethiopian military with no hesitation cooperated in atrocities committed by the Eritrean mercenaries and “Hutu” Amhara militias. It is only in Ethiopia, where religious leaders, renown individuals, and artists and their followers approve their cruel government to kill and torture its own citizens brutally and mercilessly; It is only in Ethiopia where people are happy and celebrate when their fellow country citizens are suffering, deliberately exposed to starve, denied access to basic services by the government. Looking all these atrocities committed by Abiy and his cohorts against the people of Tigray, I do think many Ethiopians and their leader, Abiy do not want Tigray to continue as part of Ethiopia. Therefore, no matter how hard it will be and what sort of sacrifice it will demand, Tegarus should take this into consideration and start working to shape their future. As we know, since Abiy came to power, and claimed that he makes peace with Eritrea, he and Isayas have secretly occupied not to find ways and means how they could bring lasting peace between the people of the two countries, but how to eliminate TPLF from the political landscape of Ethiopian politics, and beyond. What is strange is that both these dictators think that it is not only to eliminate TPLF, but all infrastructures, and manufacturing industries built during TPLF era in Tigray should be completely demolished and erase from the history. If we scrutinize retrospectively, what Isayas has said after he accepted the so-called “peace deal” with Abiy in multiple occasions we can easily understand the fragility of the peace deal, in which the reason why Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. During his public appearance, at one time Isayas has said “the game is over”, which directly pointed his finger at TPLF. In another interview, Isayas clearly has said that Eritrea will no longer stay idle when it comes to Ethiopian internal affairs. In simple terms, he will shape the Ethiopian politics in a way it satisfied Eritreans’ Geo-political interest. In my previous articles, many of which were posted in this website, it was rare I missed to mention the name of the Eritrean dictator, Isayas Afewerki and his mafia style organization, Shabia. The reason I mentioned his name repeatedly is not because I appreciate dictators, but to show my readers the level of his cruelty not only to Eritreans, but also to other human beings. This man is a beast, intoxicated with hate against Tigrians in particular, and Ethiopians in general. I do not think this man have a sense of humor what other human beings have. Because many of us know this man, it is wastage of time to mention his crimes he committed against his own people who paid dearly sacrifices in creation of their own country, called Eritrea. To be honest I do not see in any society what I observed in Eritrean society, to what extent they loved their country. Their affections to their government were continued after independence for some more years. Because of this Shabia was the first political organization in Africa who got affections by almost the entire citizens after its independence. However, because of the nature of the organization, Isayas badly abused his power trustfully given by the sacrifices of the Eritrean people. To make the long history short, since Shabia came to power and start functioning as a government of Eritrea, Isayas want to become the king maker in the entire Eastern Africa and since then things start worsening in the region. He first started war against Yemen, then Sudan, then Ethiopia and last with Djibouti. The war he started with Ethiopia change everything both for Shabia and for the Eritrean people. Since then, Isayas become the monster not only in our region but to the entire world. Eritrean administration become the causes of all problems we have seen in our region, a training center for terrorist groups. Currently, thanks to Abiy Ahmad, Isayas Afewerki is acting like unleashed Dog to engulf the entire Eastern Africa with fire. Isayas has blood not only on his hands, but on his entire body. Many people either knowingly or unknowingly have different perceptions regarding the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was started May, 1998. In particular some Eritreans have indignation towards TPLF, and some even against the people of Tigray in assumption that it was TPLF/EPRDF who started the border war (at this time there are some Ethiopians, the Amharas who claimed that it was TPLF who started the Bademe war. But this is just to gain short term political advantages). Let me explain in short to the readers few information what I knew about the then war (I am not adding or knowingly missed to mislead the readers). As we know after the Eritrea became  independent, for almost 7 years the relationship between TPLF dominated EPRDF and Shabiya was fair to say very good. But this does not mean they did not have differences in various issues pre- and post-Eritrean independence. They were also in discussions to demarcate the border between the two countries (in fact although this is not the cause the war was started at the middle of their discussions). I do not think there was a problem regarding border demarcation issue between the two parties. What I want to remind the readers is that for Shabia Bademe was not a hot issue for discussions, because it was TPLF who chase away Jebha from its base, Bademe by force. However, what was the fact is that it was Jebha who always raised in their discussions Bademe as part of Eritrea, not Shabia as I know. Coming to my point, taking the advantages of unrestricted free access to Ethiopian economy, Shabia and his associates, openly without any controlling mechanism got free access to participate (it is better to say exploited) in Ethiopian economy in all sectors (leaving aside what was Shabia plan in Ethiopian economy). Because of this, Ethiopian business communities reach to the point where they no longer compete fairly with their Eritreans counterpart. In short, Ethiopian businessmen and women do not have fair economic competitions with foreigners in their own country. One example, let us say one Eritrean businessman/woman imported goods through Ethiopian entry ports, claiming that they will take the goods to Eritrea. In this case they will not pay tax to Ethiopian customs service in assumption that the Eritrean importer will take the goods to Eritrea, but sell the goods with less price in Ethiopia compared with Ethiopian importers who paid import tax and other fees at entry port. As a result of the seriousness of this unfair competition, the complaints of Ethiopians business communities, and some private printing medias outlets of that times start blaming the then TPLF/EPRDF. Because of this and the multiple complaints, EPRDF starts talking about this issue with Shabia, and sends delegations to Eritrea multiple times, but with no avail. The Eritrean government do not show interest to negotiate how the trade and other financial and currency issues should be handled between the two countries. Knowing this, EPRDF start taking some measures, and following this Shabia announced the new currency, Nakfa. Following new Eritrean currency, Ethiopia unveils new birr note. The measures taken by the two countries, and the failure of both sides in particular Shabia to settle through negotiations led to the Bademe war (it is the Eritrean government who started the war by invading Bademe and its environs). In general, Bademe is the pretext to start the war, with the main objective to force Ethiopia to comply with Isayas demands to get uncontrollable access to Ethiopian economy. Thanks to Abiy, currently, Isayas have got not only everything what he wants, but he is at war with the people of Tigray, and is acting as a foreign minister of Ethiopia. Most Ethiopians in particular many Amhara nationals supported the interference of Isayas in the war declared by Abiy against the people of Tigray. This is because of the following reasons: 1. He knows that with the current Ethiopian defense forces poor capability, he will not win the unjustifiable war he declared against the people of Tigray. 2. Abiy is in fond of his power, hence he does not want any opposition group who challenging him. Therefore, he should neutralize his oppositions, either by assassination, jailing individuals, and or by declaring all-out war against an organization in which he assumed is a danger for his power. One of such challengers for Abiy is TPLF. 3. Abiy have deep rooted hate not only against TPLF, but against the people of Tigray. Therefore, by declaring open war, he decided not only to totally destroy the regional state economy, but also those Tegarus who are successful in private business, military and education. By doing so, at the end, to destroy the social fabrics of the people of Tigrawai. 4. Abiy knows to what extent Isayas and the Amharas are intoxicated with hate against the people of Tigray. By declaring war, he wants the Amhara region to invade Tigray in the name of regaining of territories, they falsely claiming. He also authorized Isayas to occupy the territories he claimed from Tigray. Next, he will be authorized him to take territories from Afar. In general, Abiy long term plan is by reducing Tigray territory to limit the participation of Tegarus both in political, and economic activities in the region. Because of this all Tegarus throughout Ethiopia their properties were either confiscated, destroyed or they are unable to function properly. 5. To annihilate the people of Tigray and to depopulate the people through mass killing, rape women by invaders mercenaries and to expose them to sexually transmissible diseases, exposing to contagious diseases and deliberate denying of health and other services, burning and destroying of crops, mass slaughtering of their domestic animals, so that the farmers would not have oxen to plough the land for next crop seasons, and deliberately starving the population in particular children to cause retarded growth. forced the people to leave their places and do what is necessary to annihilate the population. Almost all health clinics of various standards are completely demolished, there instruments, medications are looted, and all ambulances which give services throughout Tigray are looted and some were taken to Eritrea and Amhara regional state. In short, all the Millennium Development Goals funded by the United Nation agencies in Tigray are completely seized to exist, and will drag the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal the country has planned to achieve. At one time in my article posted in this website, I said that one of Abiy’s main objective after he came to power is to create uncompromised and probably unstoppable conflicts between Amhara and Tigray and the same thing between Tigrians and Eritreans. The guy from Bashasha outsmarted the fools from Mekele, Bahirdara and Asmara, and got what he wants. It is only Abiy knows what his next plan will be. Since Abiy declared war against the people of Tigray it passed two months and there is no sign of ending the war. The more the time passed under the war, the more the suffering of the people of Tigray increased. Before the war ending, Abiy administration is facing a challenge from Sudan, and the Sudanese army took a large area of land from Ethiopia territories. Unfortunately, Abiy do not have the courage to go to war with Sudan. Because for Abiy the priority is to eliminate his opponents in the country. There are many reasons why Abiy will not go to war with Sudan: 1. As I stated above, Abiy priority is to stay in power by any means. To achieve this, he should eliminate TPLF, a political force who want to keep the federal system, and a challenger for Abiy’s establishment. Hence, Abiy priority is to finish the war in Tigray with any cost. Abiy is considering that the people of Tigray are his first enemy. 2. Abiy’s adventurer war in Tigray causes significant loses both in terms of human life, finance, and materials. Hence, Ethiopia is not in a position to engage in another war currently. 3. Abiy internationalized the war in Tigray by allowing Isayas and some Arab country mercenaries to kill, and tortured Tegarus, and destroyed and looted private and public properties in Tigray. Because of this he does not have a moral and legal ground to accuse Sudan if she seeks military help from Egypt and some other countries if Abiy alone or jointly with his foreign allies’, Eritrea trying to attack Sudan. Therefore, the “patriotic” Amhara and Abiy preferred to ceded territories to Sudan than losing their power. Last, but not least, it will be unfair to conclude without talking about 2 events that has happened during this past week. The first is the incidence at Capitol Hill, here in the United States, and the second is in Ethiopia. As we all followed last Wednesday what happened in Capitol Hill was shocked everyone throughout the world. I personally couldn’t believe what I saw. The United State Capitol Hill was invaded by Donald Tramp terrorist supporters, and some are smashing glasses, doors to enter the building. After they managed to enter to the rooms, the terrorists started looting and some seated-on chairs of the congress men and women. During this time the president is in his office at white house and he knew what is happening in Capitol Hill (he is the one who provoked his supporters to go to the Capitol Hill). What immediately come to my mind is, if the president of the most democratic country is trying to nullify the democratically elected result, what would Abiy can do with regard to the coming election under the chairmanship of Birtukan Midikssa in Ethiopia? Without any exaggeration Tramp during his stay at white house passed bad lessons not only for Americans, but for the rest of the world. By the way the first president who warned to stay home his citizens living in the United State, and wishing calm to the people of the United States is the Turkish president Erdogan! It is my hope, that the incoming president Biden will be busy in cleaning the mess created by the former president and pay attention to encourage democratization process in our world, in particular Ethiopia and Eritrea where the people are killed, tortured, and arrested because of their ethnicity, religion, or differences in political opinions. In these two countries under Abiy and Isayas, the entire eastern Africa region is at danger and before it is engulfed by war the incoming US administration should take the initiatives to bring peace in the region. Finally, the second, is the arrest of the 87 years old veteran of TPLF, Aboy Sibhat Nega, and following his “capture” the full lie propaganda going on in government control media outlets. I leave the judgement to the readers but to me no matter in what conditions the government “captured “this old man should not be a big issue to talk for the government. First, Aboy Sibhat is retired long time ago, and second, I do not think he was captured during an exchange of fire. If Abiy think he will humiliate the people of Tigray he is deadly wrong! Because, Tigray war is not against the handful of prominent Tigrawai fighters as Abiy claimed. It is against the people of Tigray. Therefore, all tegarus are equally involved and the sacrifice of any numbers of prominent fighter will not deter the people from fighting until  victory. Tigray will prevail!

Satellites Show Ethiopia Carnage, Showing Conflict Continues, By Samuel Gebre, Bloomberg News

 (Bloomberg) -- Satellite images show the destruction of United Nations’ facilities, a health-care unit, a high school and houses at two camps sheltering Eritrean refugees in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, belying government claims that the conflict in the dissident region is largely over.

The eight Planet Labs Inc images are of Hitsats and the Shimelba camps. The camps hosted about 25,000 and 8,000 refugees respectively before a conflict broke out in the region two months ago, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“Recent satellite imagery indicates that structures in both camps are being intentionally targeted,” said Isaac Baker, an analyst at DX Open Network, a U.K. based human security research and analysis non-profit. “The systematic and widespread fires are consistent with an intentional campaign to deny the use of the camp.”

DX Open Network has been following the conflict and analyzing satellite image data since Nov. 7, three days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared war against a dissident group in the Tigray region.

Ethiopia’s government announced victory against the dissidents on Nov. 28 after federal forces captured the regional capital of Mekelle. Abiy spoke of the need to rebuild and return normalcy to Tigray at the time.

Calls and messages to Redwan Hussein, spokesman for the government’s emergency task force on Tigray and the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Spokeswoman Billene Seyoum were not answered.

In Shimelba, images show scorched earth from apparent attacks in January. A World Food Programme storage facility and a secondary school run by the Development and Inter-Aid Church Commission have also been burned down, according to DX Open Network’s analysis. In addition, a health facility run by the Ethiopian Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs situated next to the WFP compound was also attacked between Jan. 5 and Jan. 8.

In Hitsats camp, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) away, there were at least 14 actively burning structures and 55 others were damaged or destroyed by Jan. 5. There were new fires by Jan. 8, according to DX Open Network’s analysis.

The UN refugee agency has not had access to the camps since fighting started in early November, according to Chris Melzer, a communications officer for the agency. UNHCR has been able to reach its two other camps, Mai-Aini and Adi Harush, which are to the south, he said.

“We also have no reliable, first-hand information about the situation in the camps or the wellbeing of the refugees,” Melzer said in reference to Hitsats and Shimelba.

Eritrean troops have also been involved in the fighting and are accused of looting businesses and abducting refugees, according to aid workers and diplomats briefed on the situation. The governments of both Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied that Eritrean troops are involved in the conflict.

The UN says fighting is still going on in several Tigray areas and 2.2 million people have been displaced in the past two months. Access to the region for journalists and independent analysts remains constrained, making it difficult to verify events.

(Source: Bloomberg)

Abiy Ahmed and the Consolidation of Ethiopia’s Dictatorship

 

As Ethiopia heads toward the delayed elections tentatively now rescheduled for June 5, 2021, Ahmed’s fight not only undercuts his chief rival, who happens to be Tigrayan but enables him to use emergency powers to further erode democracy.  

by Michael Rubin

Africa has, for decades, been a democracy success story albeit one too often ignored in the West. When Ronald Reagan took office, U.S. exports to Africa accounted for only four percent of total U.S. exports and the share of American investment in Africa was even less. Strip away Morocco from the mix, and the proportion of U.S. trade with the continent’s then-fifty-two countries was even less. Freedom was a rare commodity. Freedom House’s Freedom in the World survey for 1983–84 ranked only Botswana, Mauritius, and Nigeria free among African countries. South Africa’s Apartheid regime and Ethiopia’s Derg were both stains on the continent. 

As the Cold War ended, democracy bloomed where, for decades, authoritarians had it smothered. In 1990–91, Freedom House listed sixty-five free countries. A decade later, it counted eighty-six free countries. The democratic revolution in Africa contributed to the change. Benin went from a Soviet-style police state to a free state. Cape Verde Ghana, Mali, newly-independent Namibia, and post-Apartheid South Africa also ranked as free states.  

Far more countries moved from not free to partly free. Ethiopia, the continent’s second-largest country by population, was one of them. In 1991, longtime Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam fled the country for Zimbabwe exile. Meles Zenawi took over as a transitional leader and embraced ethno-federalism in order to end the decades of ethnic conflict which Ethiopia had suffered. In May 1995, Ethiopia had its first multi-party elections. Some opposition parties boycotted the polls which many observers nonetheless deemed fair despite ruling authorities taking advantage of state resources. Government harassment of opponents continued, however, and the outbreak of war with Eritrea in 1998 further impeded political liberalization. While the 1995 constitution was progressive, the reality of its implementation often was not. In 2010, against a broad global backdrop of democratic backsliding, Freedom House returned Ethiopia to the ranks of the not free and observed, “Ethiopia's trajectory has also been negative for a number of years, as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has persecuted the political opposition, tilted the political playing field, and suppressed civil society.” In 2012, Freedom House returned Ethiopia to the ranks of the unfree. In 2018, it listed Ethiopia in the company of Venezuela, Turkey, and Yemen as having among the most precipitous declines in freedom over the previous decade. 

It was perhaps for this reason that the 2018 rise of Abiy Ahmed to Ethiopia’s premiership captivated international diplomats. He succeeded Hailemariam Desalegn who was the first leader in Ethiopia’s history to step down voluntarily. At just forty-one-years-old, Ahmed represented generational change. He came from a security service background, but had a reputation as a reformer. Such optimism about Ahmed’s intentions grew when he sought to end the decades-long stand-off with Eritrea, an initiative which won him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of “his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.” 

There are no shortage of Nobel Peace Prize embarrassments but Ahmed is quickly positioning himself to be among the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s biggest regrets. In hindsight, what the Nobel Committee saw as a bold gamble for peace appears more a premeditated agreement to bury one hatchet to wield another. The Ethiopia-Eritrea border war was likened to a fight between two bald men fighting over a comb. With the border settled, Ahmed could then begin his own assault in conjunction with Eritrean forces on Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region as Ahmed seeks to recentralize Ethiopia and reverse the autonomy enjoyed by Ethiopia’s ethnically diverse regions and enshrined in the 1995 constitution.

The casus belli appears to be a dispute between the Tigray region and Ahmed’s government about his unilateral efforts to expand his mandate. In June 2020, Ahmed announced that he was postponing elections. Supporters said prudence against the backdrop of the coronavirus merited the extension of his term while opponents warned that abrogating the constitution opened the door to reconsolidate dictatorship. In Tigray, the regional government did not recognize the extension of Ahmed’s term and moved forward with its own elections which Ahmed deemed “illegal.” Tigrayan authorities responded by arguing that Ahmed’s condemnation was meaningless as his constitutional mandate expired in October 2020. Perhaps fearing that Tigray’s political defiance could spread to Ethiopia’s other region, in November 2020, Ahmed ordered Ethiopian Defense Forces to occupy Tigray and oust its elected government. The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, one of the key forces which overthrew the Derg, dug-in to defend their Tigray’s local autonomy and to stymie rumors plans to transfer territory from their region to neighboring Amhara. 

It has been a brutal fight. Ethiopian forces cut off communications to the regional capital Mekelle as Ethiopian forces marched on the city and reportedly subjected it to an artillery barrage. Despite Ethiopia’s repeated denials, Ahmed appointed his own mayor who now admits that Eritrean forces also joined the fighting, a fact the U.S. intelligence community now acknowledges. Eyewitness accounts describe Ethiopian and Eritrean forces summarily executing civilians and looting property. For Ahmed, power motivates, and for Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki, cash does. Few having tasted liberty are willing to forfeit it easily, however, and so unrest continues. On Dec. 27, Ethiopia reportedly lost a general. 

Like many self-described reformers before him, Ahmed has grown addicted to power. He is not alone. In Somalia, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has likewise moved to undermine federalism and restore dictatorial control akin to what Somalia experienced during his uncle Siad Barre’s regime. What makes Ahmed so dangerous is that well-meaning Norwegians bestowed him with the mantle of peacemaker. As Ethiopia heads toward the delayed elections tentatively now rescheduled for June 5, 2021, Ahmed’s fight not only undercuts his chief rival, who happens to be Tigrayan but enables him to use emergency powers to further erode democracy.  

It is time for Western countries and African democracies to speak directly about the dangerous path down which Ahmed has sent Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a diverse country, so a centralized dictatorship simply will not work. As Ahmed seeks to substitute nationalist polemics for competence, he appears ready to pick fights not only with Egypt and Sudan, but with Kenya as well. Ahmed’s growing dependence on China increasingly appears less about development and more about finding a backer who will bankroll Ethiopia’s further slide into autocracy. Simply put, increasingly it appears that Ahmed is not the youthful, reformist alternative to Eritrea’s Isaias, but rather his pupil. Isaias brought tragedy to Eritrea. The international community should not be blind as a power-hungry Ahmed risks the same with Ethiopia.

(Source: The National Interest)